"Craig! Wait up." Paige smiled at Craig, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. It had just turned to fifth period and Paige was ready to go to lunch.

"Walk me to lunch?" She asked once she had reached the bottom.

He looked surprised, but nodded. "Sure. Yeah."

Ashley was silent for a moment and then started gossiping. "Did you see the new girl? Pity she dresses herself."

"Yeah I saw her."

"I would help her, but she is a lost cause. Completely tragic."

Craig wasn't paying attention. He wanted to end the mindless chatter and ask Paige what he had been thinking about all day. He stopped walking and turned to her.

"Paige. Stop talking for a second, I need to ask you something."

She stopped and looked up at him. "Is this going to take long?"

"No. I was just wondering... well, I wanted to ask you... if..." His voice trailed off from nerves.

"Sweetie, if you're asking me to the dance, just do it."

"No! Well, I mean... I was just going to ask you to be in the talent show with me."

"Doing what?" She asked with a slight laugh. "Taking pictures?"

"No." He rolled his eyes slightly but continued. "I heard you sing well, and I thought we could sing a song together."

"A duet?" She smiled widely. "I like that. What did you have in mind?"

"Well I was wondering if we could meet in the orchestra room after school. There is a piano there... we could try a song and see how it comes out."

Paige grinned. Her and Craig would look great together on stage. "All right. I'll meet you there."

Craig let out a breath of relief and smiled back. "Okay."

They walked through the doors together, and then each went their separate ways. Craig spotted Ashley sitting with Ellie and the new girl. He smiled at them and sat down.

"How are you girls doing?"

Ellie sighed. "I could be better," she said.

Ashley rolled her eyes at her friend. "Ellie's just in a bad mood today. She doesn't understand why we have dances and talent shows."

"They're just another excuse for Paige and Hazel to flaunt their popularity," Ellie said.

Craig realised that this was his segway. "Yeah... speaking of the dance, though-"

Ellie looked at Craig and smirked. "I think this is my cue to exit." She stood up and found her friend Marco who had just walked into the lunchroom.

Ashley looked at Craig and waited for him to start talking again.

"Right, so I was wondering... if you wanted to go to the dance with me?"

At the question Ashley's gaze changed from Craig to a boy across the room talking animatedly to his friends. She sighed and looked back at Craig.

"I'm sorry Craig... I don't... I don't think I can." She stood up quickly, taking her books with her. Her head was bowed down as she walked out of the cafeteria. Craig looked to see who she had been eyeing, and saw Jimmy talking with Spinner. He would have thought that Ashley would have been over Jimmy, but obviously she was still hoping that something would happen between the two of them. Craig looked to the new girl for conversation.

"Anya, right?"

She looked up from the book she had been reading, not noticing that her and Craig were the only ones left.

"Uh, yeah." She too stood up, blushing. "I'm going to the library."

She left the table quickly, and Craig buried his face in his hands. It had been his most awkward lunch yet. Suddenly someone came up behind him and poked him hard on the back.

"Hey! Who the-" He turned around and saw Jimmy and Spinner laughing at him.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Craig. A minute ago you were surrounded by girls. What happened?"

"It's a long story." Craig rubbed his eyes and gestured for them to sit down. Both boys shook their heads.

"We're here on a business meeting." Spinner said. On his left Jimmy smiled mischievously.

"What do you to want?" Craig asked. Knowing them, they probably had something illegal on their minds.

"We saw you talking to that new girl Anya." Spinner started.

"I wouldn't exactly say we were talking." Craig said.

"She's kind of shy, right?" Jimmy asked. "I mean, she was in two of my classes and just sat there either taking notes or reading."

"Yeah, and she isn't exactly going to win any awards for her clothes." Spinner added.

Craig sighed. "What are you two getting at?"

"We're willing to make a bet with you." Jimmy started out.

"To make-over Anya, and get her to win the talent show with you."

There was a beat and then Craig burst out laughing. "You guys! This is Degrassi, not She's All That." He continued laughing.

"Dude, I told you it wouldn't work!" Spinner smacked Jimmy who scowled at him.

"It's a good bet."

Craig looked at them again, more serious this time. "Well, what happens if I win?"

"We're each throwing fifty in the pot. Sean said he would throw fifty in too. So did JT."

Craig let out a low whistle. "And if I lose?"

Jimmy and Spinner looked at each other. "You have to sing I Honestly Love You, dressed in drag, to Manny during the dance."

Craig's eyes became wide. It was too crazy of a bet. He was thankful that he had an excuse to turn them down. "I already have a partner for the talent show. I'm singing with Paige."

"I've got it covered." Spinner said. "I'm going to ask her to sing lead while I break dance in back. She won't be able to say no to a lead."

"That's completely shallow of her just to switch partners like that."

"Hey man, say the word." Spinner said.

Craig thought about it for a minute. "So I have a month to change the new girl into a talent show winning beauty queen?"

Jimmy and Spinner nodded and waited for his answer.

Craig weighed his options. It was two hundred dollars, which he could spend on a new camera. But, she was also extremely shy. He wasn't sure he'd be able to knock down the wall she had obviously built up. He pictured the manual camera he wanted. He smiled, and realised he had had his mind already made up.

"I'll do it."

Jimmy and Spinner turned to each other, smiling.

They all shook hands. "Pleasure doing business with you." Spinner said.

Jimmy and Spinner walked away, a lot happier than they had been at the beginning of lunch.

"Think he'll win?" Jimmy asked.

"It's not possible."

"Why not?"

"Because we're going to tell Anya before the talent show about our bet."

Jimmy stopped. "Wait a minute. That wasn't part of the plan. We can't just hurt this girls feelings. I mean, I want to see him humiliated. He's trying to get with Ashley, and I'm not cool on that. But Anya..."

Spinner looked at Jimmy. "Dude... Craig... in drag... singing I Honestly Love You. Imagine the Kodak moments!"

Jimmy stopped to consider it for a moment, and then his smile returned. "He doesn't stand a chance."