Don't Want to Try No More

"I'll do it." Manny repeated to herself, trying to get over the icky feeling she was getting from this whole situation. "Kiowi, I just don't understand why ... can't there be another way? Can't we start over?"

"Not after this." He held up the newspaper articles. You humiliated me in front of the entire nation. There's absolutely no way I can go back to you."

"So, our plans for marriage are over? What about the promises you made to me?" Manny stalled, anything to think of a way out of this.

"Are you gonna do it or not?" Kiowi sighed, crossing his arms firmly.

"In front of you?" Manny looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"I set up a room for you two. You do this for my cousin and we're even." Kiowi promised again, unable to look Manny straight in the eye.

"Thanks dude." Michael, Kiowi's cousin, smiled following Manny into the room.

"Just keep her facing forward ... we want to see her, not you. And don't force yourself on her dude ... just convince her of things, like I did. Make her look like the no-good she is, all right?" Kiowi patted Michael on the back, sitting in the living room waiting. Good thing his parents were out for the day.

"And you used to call me a spoiled little rich kid?" Jay joked as he pulled up to Scott's mansion. "Why aren't you spending the night?"

"Let's just say that this one's more messed up than the both of us combined." Alex tried not to focus on her sore butt from the tumble she had taken by the jacuzzi.

"How is that humanly possible?"

"How's Emma?" Alex turned the attention away from her.

"Why do you always do that? Why are you always hiding shit from me when I'm trying to show you I care? What's the worst I can do Alex? Tell everyone?" Jay rolled his eyes angrily.

"I have to put up this brick wall and you know it." She whispered back.

"But with me? I know you. I've known you since the day we met. You're like my other half, the better half." Jay patted her hand softly.

"There's so much you don't know about me ... and when I did let you in, you proved that I can't trust you Jay. We never had this conversation, but you ruined this. You're the cause of this and it's just like no matter how much I try, I'm becoming my mom. No guy treats me like I'm worth something. I'm getting tossed around like she was and I've got the scars to show it. Just don't bull shit me anymore. I'm living with you. I don't have to love you." Alex sighed, looking out at the window and trying to think of a way to get out of this. There was no way that she was going to be able to stay with Jay another moment. She needed her own independence.

"And you know everything about me Alex? I'm not as one-dimensional as you think."

"Let's just get back to the house okay?"

"You do matter."

"What?"

"You said you didn't matter to any man, but you do. I owe my life to you Alex." Jay smiled, reminscing back on the days when his parents lived in the slums, when his mom was nothing ... until she hit it big and married rich.

"Don't say shit like that if you don't mean it." Alex's voice cracked as she gave in, finally telling Jay the whole story. "I needed you to come tonight because ... it's really stupid actually. Nothing happened." She whispered. "But when he pushed me, and did it more than once I got scared. I didn't want it to turn into hitting. I get that enough at home you know."

"My home is your home. I promsise I won't hit you, I'll just do it mentally ... you do push my buttons sometimes." He laughed, getting Alex to smile too. "And come tomorrow, I'll give that asshole what he deserves."

"You can't. One more incident and you're done, you know that and ... I've decided I'm going to go to college and not one of those bull shit universities, a real college ... in the states." Alex smiled, holding out a brochure she had gotten from the many 'college fairs' Degrassi had. She picked up the packet so quickly, that no one could even pinpoint that she'd been there.

"Madonna University? You can't be serious. Alex this is a private school." He protested. "And you'll be all the way in Michigan."

"We'll be there."

"Not to get all 'boyfriendy' on you or anything, but where the hell were you last night girl? There was a banging party last night. You will be at the field today, won't you?" Gianni wondered as Manny walked stiffly into the Degrassi school.

"Sure." Manny shrugged, trying to pretend like last night didn't happen. She tried to tear her mind away from it ... how awkward it was, how she was faking it so much and now she was questioning whether or not she should have done it in the first place.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Don't you think it's a little weird that no one has called me a slut yet?" She snatched her books from her locker.

"I guess, but there's probably a bigger rumor going around." Gianni wrapped his arm around Manny's shoulder. "I'm glad I don't have to kick anyone's butt today." Manny smiled, resting her head on Gianni's shoulder. Kiowi kept his promise.

"And now a special news update." The afternoon annoucements began.

"That's a little early, don't you think?" Manny wondered as Gianni shrugged, not really noticing.

"We recently did a segment on what Degrassi students like to do in their freetime." Liberty's voice stopped as a really bad voice over came on ... it didn't even match her words. "And normally we start countdowns from number 10, but this Degrassi student deserves the entire segment." A photo of Manny popped up as her heart dropped. "And here is the number one pick." Liberty's voice returned as Manny's heart dropped. The scene was of her ... but not cheering or anything like that.

"Where was that?" Gianni asked as the video kept running. Michael was laying on the bed and Manny followed. As he kissed her, clothes starting coming off and Manny turned away.

"No way." She muttered to herself. "There's no way..." She repeated watching a little longer as her naked body appeared on screen. With tears flooding from her eyes, Manny ran away.

"Wait!" Gianni followed as Manny rushed out of the front of the building. "What was that? Did you see how they digitially made that you?"

"They didn't." Manny cried, pacing. "That was me."

"How did they get the footage?"

"Kiowi and I made a deal--"

"With that snake? Manny, I told you it would die down if you let it. Now they have a porno of you and some loser grade nine guy.

"I know it was stupid, but I was desperate and he promised me that everything would be all right. What am I going to do now?"

"Stop crying." Gianni whispered.

"I can't."

"Hold your head up high. There's an assembly in their today, right? You're speaking at it?"

"I was." Manny blew some hair out of her face.

"You are, so speak. You'll know what to say." Gianni hugged her tightly as the last few tears in her eyes fled, rushing down her olive skin. "You'll be my body guard? You'll love me no matter what?" She uttered sadly.

"Always. You bleed, I bleed."

Rather than saying 'that's for hitting Alex' like all those corny people did on TV, Jay just kept punching and punching Scott. He would get the picture. It didn't matter than he promised Alex that he would finish this year and go to college with her ... this guy had to pay.

"Stop. Stop." Scott grasped desperately gaining enough strength to stand and swing at Jay, but he missed.

"What are you doing!" Alex yelled, holding Jay's arms behind him tightly.

"I can still get in a few good kicks." Jay answered.

"No.I told you, you can't afford to get in trouble like this. Just go Jay. I'll take care of it. Just go." Alex repeated knowing that either outcome was bad. She would lose her position on student Vice-President now. "I'll help you get cleaned up." Alex offered.

"No. He's gonna pay for this."

"If you had never pushed me yesterday, this wouldn't have happened. You're to blame." Alex shot back folding her arms.

"If you had left like you were supposed to, you wouldn't have seen ... anything. Things are worse for me now. Thanks."

"You are just so amazingly blind and stupid. That doesn't give you the right to put your hands on me. Ever." Alex pushed him against the lockers as Mr. Simpson rushed up to them.

"Are you okay son?"

"I'm fine." Scott groaned giving Alex an evil stare.

"Who did this to you?"

"I did." Alex answered quickly before Scott could ruin Jay's future ... and hers.

(A/N: I know this was kind of boring. Oh well. My head is killing me right now and I can't think anymore so that's why I'm not writing more. If you want to hear about certain people, send a review with that person's name and/or what you want to see happen. I think one more chapter and I'll be done with this. --NL)