-1… It's Who You Take With You

Craig pulled up to the Nelson house the next morning and found Emma waiting at the curb, backpack in hand and suitcase by her side. He kept silent as she loaded her luggage into the backseat and buckled up, then finally cracked. "Aren't you overpacking for school just a tad?"

"Actually." The way she let the word dangle had Craig sitting upright in the driver's seat. "I have a tiny, little favor to ask you."

"I'm probably going to regret saying this," he sighed, backing out into the street, "but, shoot."

She smiled. "Could you drop me off at the bus station?"

"What?" Craig slammed on the brakes. "Why?"

"Well, if I don't make the nine o'clock departure, I have to wait around until four, and then I'll be on the bus all night long," Emma explained, being sure to keep her voice calm and logical.

"Emma, you can't just run away," Craig tried to reason with her. "I mean, think about your mother. You can't leave her alone."

"Caitlin's staying at the house for a while," she answered. "And I can't help her right now. I'm … I'm a mess, Craig. Come on. I thought of all people, you would understand. You've lost a father, too."

So that was the secret to her persuasiveness, Craig thought. She knew just the right buttons to press. He could already feel himself caving. "Well … where do you think you're going to go?"

Emma held up a piece of paper. "I've got a list."

Craig shook his head. "Okay. I think I'm gonna need all the details, here. How 'bout a compromise? I'll start driving to school. If you can convince me that this is a good idea, I'll come with you."

"No, you don't have to do that," she protested.

"I want to," he said firmly. "Come on, didn't I prove myself to be a great ditcher the day we found your dad?"

He had proved himself to be a great friend, Emma allowed. And it would be nice to have the company, even if it was only for a small portion of her trip. "Okay," she relented, "Start driving."

Obeying, he shot back, "Start talking."

XXX

"We have to talk."

To say that Manny was surprised when Sean accosted her as she stepped off the bus and headed towards Degrassi's main doors would be an understatement. She hadn't exchanged two words with him in … years, she thought. Once he stopped being a part of Emma's life, he'd faded out of hers as well.

"We do?" she repeated, a bit suspiciously. She was racking her brain, but she couldn't think of a single thing they would ever need to discuss. "Why?"

"Emma's not doing very well," Sean informed her.

Manny rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the revelation, Captain Obvious, but I'd figure as much. Her dad just died, give her a break."

She started to walk away, but halted when his hand dropped onto her shoulder. "I think she needs somebody to talk to," Sean insisted, his eyes serious. "And since she'd rather I stumble into quicksand, I think it should be you."

"In case you haven't noticed," Manny bristled, "Emma and I aren't on the best of terms right now."

"Manny." This time, it was his voice that stopped her, not his hand. "She needs someone, okay? I think she'd talk to you, if you tried."

Manny considered. She and Emma had always been there for each other. Even though they hadn't been seeing eye to eye for awhile, if she wasn't by Emma's side during this tragedy, she was pretty sure they could kiss their entire friendship good-bye. And Manny didn't want that. "Okay. Okay, I'll give it a try."

"Great." Victorious, Sean began to steer her towards the parking lot. "I just saw her and Craig pull in a minute ago, they haven't gone inside yet."

"I didn't mean right this instant," she argued, panicking.

He shot her a brief grin. "No time like the present."

XXX

Paige only stopped at Craig's car on her way into school because she wanted to know if Spinner had said anything about her lately. Sure, they were broken up, but the thing was, she was lonely and out of all her recent attempts at relationships, he was beginning to look like the most functional one.

Of course, she spotted the bags in the backseat right away. Paige had a nose for gossip and besides, Craig wasn't exactly known for his subtlety. Hello, he'd been caught cheating on Ashley red-handed. Her radar was practically screaming 'scandal!' as she jerked her chin at the suitcase.

"Going on a trip, are we?" she inquired.

"It's not what it looks like," Craig began, but she cut him off.

"Let me guess. The tragic heroine – that's you, Emma – is running away and the steadfast, loyal friend has agreed to accompany her? Good to know chivalry's not dead." Paige smirked at their shocked expressions. "Hit the nail right on the head, didn't I? It's a gift. You don't have to say anything, I know you're jealous."

She weighed her options for a minute. She could go on her merry way to school and sit through another heinously long day, then go home for a rousing game of stare-at-the-wall. Or she could use her bargaining chip to its full advantage.

"Listen, kiddies," she proposed, "How 'bout I promise not to breathe a word of this trip to, oh, say, Raditch and the truant officer? And in exchange … I come along."

Emma was too busy scraping her jaw off the ground to protest and Craig, for all his recent experience with girls, had never encountered anyone quite like Paige. They both stared, shell-shocked, as Paige swung the door open and let herself into the vehicle.

"Can we move this suitcase?" It wasn't the request she made it sound like, as she was already shoving it farther back. "It's seriously cramping my leg space."

"Paige, I don't think you know what you're doing," Emma said, finally regaining some of her basic verbal functions. "We're not just skipping for a day. I'm going away for a while."

"Perfect." Flashing her brilliant 'I'm a cheerleader and I know it' smile, Paige fluffed her hair. "We'll get a week's head start on summer."

"It's not a vacation," Emma stressed. "Mr. Simpson left behind a list of things he never got to do. I want to do them for him."

Paige yawned. "Sounds great. I'm in."

"Me, too," a new voice entered the conversation. Everyone's head swung around to see Sean and Manny standing at the passenger's side window. Manny flushed when Craig's eyes fell on her and drew in a breath, focusing on her once-best friend. "I want to go with you, Em."

"We both do," Sean interjected, his voice broking no room for argument.

"Well, well, well, the gang's all here." Jay swaggered up to the car and peered inside. "Are we having a self-declared skip day? 'Cause I could be into that."

"None of you know what you're doing," Emma repeated, desperate to get through to them. "I'm leaving. For a few weeks, at least. You can't all just … drop everything and come along."

Jay pushed his way past Sean and Manny and clambered into the seat beside Paige. "Who's got anything to drop?" he questioned, getting comfortable. "You know, Greenpeace, we've got to stop meeting in cars like this."

Emma sighed and lifted her hands up, as if she were washing them of the situation. Craig watched her. "Up to you," he murmured, waiting for a decision.

"We better get going," she told him, working up a half-smile. "Traffic's gonna be a bitch."