Disclaimer: I do NOT own Degrassi.

Chapter Twenty-One: New Changes

Manny and Emma were at Emma's house, sitting on a couch. Sierra was with Craig at his house. Emma was watching some TV while Manny flipped through a magazine.

"I need a new look," Manny finally said.

"Why?" Emma asked. "You're very pretty."

Manny shook her head. "Not like that," she said. "I need a new haircut."

"Why?"

Manny thought about it for a moment. "Well, some women change their hairstyle after they break up with someone," she explained. "And that's what I plan on doing."

"Wait, whatever happened to talking to Craig about everything?" Emma asked.

"I can go talk to him," Manny explained. "That doesn't mean I have to date him again."

"Manny..." Emma started, but Manny cut her off.

"No, Em," she said. "I really want to do this." She continued to flip through the magazine. "Plus, my hair is starting to get really long..." She held up a picture for Emma to see. "I like this."

"It's nice," Emma said, nodding.

"I'm getting it done like that," Manny said. "Well, I don't want my hair color to change, but the style looks nice."

"Shouldn't you talk to your parents about this?" Emma asked.

"Oh, I already did," Manny said. "They said I could get it done."

"When are you going to do this?" Emma asked, bending forward and grabbing some chips from the bowl that was on the table.

Manny thought about it. "Well, I guess tomorrow. I want to go back on Monday looking like a new me!"

Emma smiled. "Okay."

"And then we can shop or see a movie or whatever," Manny said, shrugging.

"How do you think Craig will react?" Emma asked.

Manny shrugged. "Personally, I don't care," she answered, grabbing a few chips and eating them. "I should probably be exercising more..."

"To impress Craig?" Emma asked.

Manny shook her head. "No. I need to lose more of this fat."

"Why?" Emma asked. "I mean, it's been four months, your bump is gone, and you've lost a lot of the fat."

"I want all that I gained gone," Manny said. "And then some."

"I'm not letting you become anorexic," Emma muttered.

"Who said I was?" Manny asked. "All I said is that I wanted to lose this weight, and then some. There's no harm in that, now is there?"

Emma paused for a minute before shrugging. "I guess not," she said. She then snapped her fingers. "We'll both lose weight."

"Huh?" Manny asked. "Em, you don't NEED to lose any weight. You're already thin enough."

"No harm in looking a little less thin," Emma explained.

Manny rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Emma," she said. "I'll be watching you, though."

"You go right ahead," Emma said, grabbing some chips.

Monday morning came around and Manny had gotten her haircut just as scheduled the day before. Her Mother had to leave early and took Sierra with her so she could drop her off at the daycare on the way to work. Emma had to go to school early with Snake, so Manny walked by herself to school that morning.

Her hair used to be down to the top of her butt, and was now resting at the top of her shoulders. Her hair was now layered and she also had bangs. Her hair color remained the same, black. Her hair that day was straight, the layers slightly curling at the ends.

As she got up to school, she noticed a few people looking her way. She took them no notice as the walked up the steps that led into the school. She got up to her locker and opened it.

"Hey, Manny, sorry I couldn't go with you yester – oh, wow, you look good!" Emma said as she walked up to Manny.

Manny smiled and shut her locker. "Really?" she asked, smiling. "I like it, too." She shut her locker and they walked down the hallway to homeroom.

Down at the end of the hallway, Craig was at his locker. He opened it up and sighed. On the inside wall of the door was a picture of his daughter. All she wore was a diaper. She was six weeks old when the picture was taken, and she wore a somewhat dazed look on her face.

He sighed even more as he took books out of his backpack and put more in. She was now twelve weeks old. At first, Manny was more lenient about giving him the baby many times during the week, but for the past few weeks, he only got to see her on weekends. He knew why she wouldn't want to talk to him, and he regretted it more and more each day.

"Hey, man, why the gloomy look?" Marco asked as he walked over to Craig, jolting the grief-stricken teen out of his daze.

"Oh, nothing," Craig sighed, shutting his locker. "Just thinking."

"About who, your smokin' hot baby's momma?" Jimmy asked, coming up to them.

"'Smokin' hot'?" Marco asked, holding back his laughter.

Jimmy nodded. "Oh, yeah; she looks especially good today."

"What're you talking...about...?" Craig asked, but saw Manny come his way. Time seemed to go by ever-so-slowly as she walked past him. He couldn't help but stare at her, his mouth slightly open; she looked good. She looked back his way, a slightly uncomfortable look on her face. After a few long seconds, they looked away from each other.

"Man, I do not see why-?" Jimmy started, but Craig cut him off.

"Just shut it, okay?" Craig asked, and then walked off. He got to his homeroom class (Math) and quickly sat into his seat. He put his forehead into the palm of one of his hands and let out a few breaths. He had a feeling a few bad things would be happening in the near future.

Manny's day seemed to take forever. She couldn't get Craig out of her head. The look on his face displayed every emotion she didn't want to encounter since their argument: shock, sadness, confusion, longing...everything by happiness or anger.

She wasn't even listening to Ms. Kwan that day as she talked about a book they were going to be reading. She just wanted to get out of school, get Sierra, give her to Craig (because he was busy this past weekend and couldn't see her), and then go somewhere.

It seemed like forever, but was only five minutes before the bell rang. She quickly gathered her items and waited for Emma. After Emma got her stuff, they went to their lockers, which were only ten lockers apart. Manny quickly threw her stuff in and shut it. She had no homework that day and wanted to just to get out of school.

"Hey, Manny, I'll meet you outside in a couple of minutes, okay?" Emma said. "I forgot something in Kwan's class."

Manny nodded, sighing inwardly. "Okay, I'll be out there waiting."

Emma nodded and ran off.

Manny walked outside and saw her Mom's car parked in front of the school. She walked over to the car.

"Finally, Manuella!" her Mother cried, stepping out of the car and opening the trunk. "I need to hurry up and get back to school."

"Okay." Manny nodded and opened up the back seat. In her car seat was little Sierra, looking sleepy as she just sat there. "Hey, baby," she said, pulling out the car seat and holding it while her Mother got the diaper bag out of the trunk.

"Mom, I think Craig has...bottles and formula and diapers," Manny said as her Mother dropped the bag next to her.

"Well, just incase he doesn't have enough, he has more," her Mother said simply. "I have to go now, though. I will see you tonight."

"Alright," Manny said, giving her Mother a small wave.

Her Mother smiled, gave her a small wave, and got back into the car. She started the car and drove off.

Manny sighed and sat on the sidewalk about five feet away from the street, where she also put the baby carrier down and started to play with her daughter.

"Manny!"

Manny looked behind her and saw Emma walking towards her. "Why's Sierra here?" Emma asked, dropping her bag and sitting down beside her.

"Craig didn't see Sierra this past weekend, so we agreed that he could have her for the week," Manny said, now staring at her daughter.

"Oh." Emma nodded.

"I don't care that he's getting her during the week," Manny said. "I don't care that he's seeing her at all." She paused, trying to figure out what she was going to say. "It's just...today, as he passed me...he looked at me...it was the new hair for sure, but...so many emotions were on his face, and..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know what to say to that."

Emma nodded, rubbing her best friends arm. "I don't really know what to say, either."

"Manny!"

Both girls turned around and saw Craig walking over to them, a smile slowly forming on his face. "So...you brought her?" he asked, walking over to them. He bent down as Manny got up and looked at his daughter.

"Yeah." Manny nodded. "So, um, you're having her until Friday, right?" she asked.

Craig nodded. "Yeah, is that okay?"

"Yeah," Manny said, nodding. Silence engulfed the three of them until Craig suddenly said, "Oh! Um..." He reached into his pocket and took out a note. "Here."

Manny hesitated for a moment before taking the note from his him.

"Craig!"

The three of them turned around and saw Marco, Paige, Spinner, and Jimmy walking towards them. "Hey, man – aw, is that Sierra?" Marco asked, quickly walking to him.

Craig nodded, beaming. "Yeah."

"Oh, she is just too cute!" Paige said as the seniors crowded around Craig and his daughter.

All Manny could do was stand there, thinking about what was said in the note that was held in her hands.

A/N: ...I know it's been a REALLY LONG time since I've updated this, and I'm sorry! For a while, I just didn't know what to write, and I felt uninspired, and then I was in France for two months with no way to get online, and about two weeks ago, I felt inspired to write some more, so here's this chapter! I hope it's good enough for everyone. Please review!