Chapter 4: Christmas Blitz Part 1
Jane and Manny walk the campus, it was only days before Winter break and there wasn't much they could think of left to do. They were talking about where they were going for break, Jane was going home but Manny was staying at Campus due to being way too fair away from home to get there and back.
"Well maybe this is a good thing, an opportunity." Jane says.
"Really, how so?" Manny asks.
"Well," Jane stops and looks at Manny, "I want you to come home with me, meet my mom and my brother."
Manny face lights up, "You really want me to meet them?"
"Of course I do!" Jane says excited as she was her expression change suddenly, "The only problem is what I tell them."
"Are you ashamed to?"
"No, not at all, my mom would accept me if I was a serial killer. What I mean is, I had time and I thought hard about, about you, about us. But to my brother and my mom they might just think that I got in a relationship with a girl because I think I'm a boy because I play football. Or maybe because just to show my coach I'm not some whore who will be running from guy to guy on the football team."
"I understand.. You know what I have an idea." Manny says, Jane is all ears. "The break is 2 weeks long, all we have to do is introduce me as a friend who was going to be alone this Christmas. As time progresses and they see how well we get along then we can tell them in a few days."
Jane couldn't help but smile at the idea, "That sounds perfect."
At Degrassi it was the last day before break and everything was going smoothly for once at Degrassi, not a lot more drama than usual. Clare catches up to Ali on her way out, "Any plans for Winter Break?"
"Not a single one." Ali responds.
"Not even for Christmas?" Claire asks.
"Clare you know we don't celebrate Christmas, of course my brother and I like it but our parents don't. We didn't get presents every year, learn about the religious parts or even Santa Clause. The moment I told my parents about it when I was little they told me he was fake, then i told the kids at school. They cried the whole day and I was sent home because i caused all the trouble but my parents weren't mad because I told them the "truth" but they were kids and so was I."
"Why not get into the season? Don't have to celebrate it, just do some good."
"Like what?"
"My plan is to leave her and go help at the toys center where they are wrapping gently used toys for the needy kids. Want to come along?"
"...I guess so, what harm can it do to go help some kids?" Ali says in agreement as they go to the shop. They meet up with the others and start to wrap up the toys, "How do they know what goes to who?"
"There are 2 different boxes, one for boys and one for girls so they know that a boy is getting something even if they don't know what it is. As long as the boy doesn't get a girls toy unless requested by his parents, or approved by his parents." Clare says.
"Approved?" Ali asks wrapping the box.
"Well some parents see their kids playing with the toys of the opposite sex and it makes them uncomfortable because they believe they'll grow up to become... well gay."
"What's wrong with that if that's what they choose?" Ali asks.
"Well nothing, not to us, but the parents might not want that."
"Are you sure not to us, not sure what we really think of it and all but I'm pretty sure that gays celebrate Christmas even though Christianity says that being homosexual is an abomination." Ali says as Clare continues to wrap them trying to think of a response. "You're one right?"
Clare looks up at her and nods.
"Do you think it's an abomination?" Ali asks Clare looking at her.
"Well the bible says-"
"No no, don't give me that answer, what do you think personally about homosexuality?"
"I don't have any problem with it, I don't care about them getting married, I mean Adam is one of my best friends even." She looks down at her box, "Just raised to believe it's supposed to be wrong is all."
"Unless you could ever like a girl you don't know, unless you actually tried."
"Not like there's a girl I like like a guy or anything."
"There are plenty of best friends or decided to go out and it turned out they liked each other, straight and gay." Ali says as if she has something else to add to it.
"What exactly are you saying?"
"I'm your best friend right? And you're mine. As an experiment and we tell no one, we go out. As friends but pretend it's a date. And we find out exactly if you think that 2 people of the same sex should be put down for loving each other."
"I don't know Ali, sounds weird."
"At the end won't it just be 2 best friends hanging out like we always have?" Ali says, she has no alterior motives but to teach Clare a lesson about them, so Clare agrees and they decide they'll go to the Winter Carnival tomorrow.
At Jane's house they arrive and Jane introducing Manny the way they had agreed and as expected her mom didn't question it. Jane was sure her mom was just happy she had a friend that was a girl but wasn't sure how she would handle the truth of the matter. They sat to dinner as they got to know each other better.
"So you went to Degrassi as well?" Jane's mom asks.
"Yes, that's how we got to really know each other in college by knowing we came from same place. We didn't really know each other in Degrassi though but we did go around similar time not sure she was around before I graduated."
"I see, well I'm glad Jane brought you to meet us it's always great to meet her friends. I almost never got to in Degrassi honestly, being the only girl on the football team wasn't all that appealing to other girls in High School."
"Well," Manny says, "We're all grown up now and I think now it's very nice to see what I girl can do." Jane's mom approves of the comment as they continue with their meal.
"I have an idea," Jane says, "How about the Carnival Saturday as long as it's still going on."
"Oh we would but your brother and I have some last minute shopping to do that day so you 2 just go on without us." She says.
"I'm sure they'd like alone time," Lucas says without an expression as he continues and the comment goes by without another word of it due to him not going further with it. It made Jane's heart skip a beat as if Lucas were already on to them... was he?
When they all finish Manny and Jane go to her room and hang out there.
"Last minute shopping tomorrow, seems sudden."
Jane sits by Manny on the bed, "It means that she likes you so she isn't going to let you be left out and is getting you a gift. And besides that just means that we have a day to ourselves."
"I like the way that sounds,"Manny smiles and leans in and kisses Jane. The next morning they wake up in the bed together. "Good morning," Manny says.
"Morning, earliest I've gone to bed in a while I must say." Jane checks under the covers, "And I've never slept naked before." She covers herself back up under bed.
"Not many people in here to hide it from anyway," Manny laughs they as they kiss each other again and at same moment there's a knock on the door.
"Girls?" Jane's mom says.
"Yeah!" Jane says with her eyes closed tightly hoping she doesn't open the door.
"Breakfast is almost ready, don't want you two going out in the cold without something warm to eat first."
"Alright! Be down in a minute," Jane says and sighs of relief when her footsteps fall away. "That was close... better get a shower." They both laugh. Jane goes and gets in the shower while Manny stays behind and gets something on to hold her over a bit, she leaves the room to get to her bag she had left.
"Manny was it?" Lucas comes down the stairs and meets her by her bag.
"Yeah," she smiles.
"Let me tell you something, what you're doing is just feeding into Jane's habit."
"What are you talking about?"
"Feeding into her phases, my sister my be a damn tomboy which I can live with but she ain't a damn lesbian."
"Lucas, she didn't get into a relationship with me over something like football, she really cares about me and I her, we wanted to show you that."
"I'm not buying what you're selling, I want you to go, now."
"What? Lucas I-"
"I said now!" Lucas without a moment to realize what was about to happen Manny was on the ground holding her face looking up at Lucas, "Get out and don't come back or I'll rearrange your face. I'm not letting her screw up everything she ever worked for by getting involved with someone like you, get out!"
Manny unable to form any words picks up her bag and runs out of the door not looking back trying to pull herself together.
At the Carnival Clare and Ali go around doing what they would normally do somewhere like that together, barely mentioning the idea of what they were even doing. "What should we do next?" Clare says.
"Mary go round!" Ali says and laughs, "come on it'll be fun!"
"Really? Alright alright let's do it." They jump in line and inside.
They both get on different horses before Ali says "Did you forget what you are to me today? You have to ride with me."
Clare shrugs and gets on with Ali, she could tell Ali was having and good time and she couldn't help but to either. Clare puts her hands down gently on Ali sides to hold on as the ride begins, and Ali holds the bar. Clare then feels a shiver come from Ali, "Are you cold?"
"Just a little, should have worn a bigger coat is all."
Clare can't think of much because if she takes her off she is more frozen than she is, Clare wraps her arms around Ali waist and holds her close, that moment they both felt warming with their bodies warming over both of them. Clare puts her chin over Ali's shoulder and their cheeks touched, Ali's eyes closed as they just went with the motions.
At the end of the day they were worn out, they didn't think they could have so much fun with just the two of them. "That was fun, I can't even say I expected it to be THAT fun." Ali says.
"Yeah, we gotta do it again later but first I have to make enough money to that again I ripped through my savings." She smiles and Ali laughs and they give each other a hug before they are about to part ways. They stay in hug for longer than expected, Ali closes her eyes remembering the embrace of Clare on the Mary-Go-Round and Clare remembers how Ali rested up against Clare without a worry that she would let her fall even closing her eyes. Clare always thought of Ali as beautiful but as any girl would find any other, it was perfectly natural.
They back off a bit and they look at each others wondering expressions not sure what the other is thinking but both make a critical jump unexpectedly by the other as they lips suddenly meet in the middle kissing each other for just a moment before they both back off.
Without another word they both go their separate ways, both wondering what they were thinking. They never had romantic interest and this wasn't about a real date it was to prove a point. They had both enjoyed it as much and had both gotten deeper into it than expected.
Jane sits on bench still hoping that night that Manny would just show up, her bag was gone from home, she wasn't answering calls, Jane couldn't eat or think she tried to clear her mind and tell herself it was okay.
Her phone rings.
"Manny?"
"Hey Jane..."
"What happened? Where are you?" Jane stands up unable to stay in her seat.
"Jane... I'm leaving."
"Why are you leaving," Jane says trying to catch her breath, the denial of her brain didn't stop what she felt, like her heart was sinking, like she needed to throw up, like she wanted to cry before she heard a word. She was gasping trying to keep herself together and holding her heart as she listens to Manny talk.
"This is crazy, you know this couldn't have worked and maybe I'm just confused from my break up with my boyfriend a few months back after our big trip to Hollywood... Just please don't say anything, it could never work... I'm sorry." Manny hangs up before Jane can respond and before she says one last thing right after she clicks the button to hang up Manny says "I love you... I love you Jane." She cries as she makes her way to a motel and wait for a bus back to the campus.