Author's Note: Thank you to all of my reviewers. I apologize for having
Paige and Ashley still disliking each other. Not all of the season 2
episodes have aired where I live so I didn't see the Rock Competition one
where they make up. But since my story is pretty much AU anyway-I'm just
going to pretend that they still hate each other. I hope that's okay! I
hope you enjoy this next chapter! Please review !
This Year's Girl Chapter 4
Jimmy was feeling awful. He loved Ashley. He didn't want to trick her. But what choice did he have? He knew, deep down in the pit of his stomach that they were right for each other. He knew that Craig and her wouldn't last. How could it? They were more like good friends then a passionate couple. Was it so wrong to hurry their break up along with a few white lies?
Suddenly the phone on his desk rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Jimmy. It's me."
Manny had been calling him frequently since their little plot had begun. That way they could discuss their plans for the next day. It was weird how friendly they had gotten. But when you were suppose to be dating someone, he supposed, you get to be good friends.
"What's up?"
"I've been feeling really bad lately." Manny confused.
"Me too." Jimmy softly replied.
He wasn't surprised that Manny was feeling guilty. She seemed like a sweet girl who would never lie to someone she cared about. But love makes you do strange things.
"Should we just end it?"
Jimmy had to take a moment to consider it. Maybe they were better off just calling it quits. Maybe they should just leave Craig and Ashley alone and let their relationship develop and eventually crash and burn on its own
"Maybe..but we haven't really been doing anything wrong." Jimmy reasoned.
"Except lying to everyone!" Manny exclaimed. The lies were eating her up. She couldn't tell Emma the truth, or anyone else for that matter. She was beginning to wish she never agreed to the idea at all. "You may be right about that but at least we're not really hurting Craig and Ashley. I mean, if they break up-it's not our fault. We aren't forcing them apart. We're just showing them who they really care about." Jimmy had to believe this; otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep at night. While the lying was bad enough, he couldn't live with himself if he thought he was intentionally hurting Ash.
Manny sighed deeply.
"Ok. But we have to break up at Paige's party. If our plan doesn't show them that they still care about us by then , then it never will. It'll have been two weeks of fake dating by then."
"Ok." Jimmy agreed. The truth was he was getting tired of the lies too. He was sick of having to tell everyone how much he cared about Manny, and how he was cool with Craig and Ashley dating. He was sick of holding Manny's hand and kissing her, while Craig got to make out with his true love. Manny was a great girl but she couldn't hold a candle to Ashley in Jimmy's mind. He knew Manny felt the same way about Craig.
"I'll see you tomorrow then. Only three more days until we break up!" Manny laughed at the idea of knowing when someone was going to dump you and not caring about it. How different things had been when Craig had broke her heart in the hallway last year.
"Bye." Jimmy hung up the phone and flopped down on his bed. He wondered if in three days Ashley would come to her senses and realize how much she still loved him She had to still love him, right?
Jimmy suddenly fell asleep still thinking about Ashley and their lost love. Could they ever get it back?
Jimmy hadn't meant to be late the next morning. He had forgotten to set his alarm when he abruptly fell asleep the night before. He quickly ran into the main entrance of school, praying that the last bell hadn't rung. As he hurriedly flew to his locker, he knocked a girl over with out looking.
"Sorry!" he exclaimed, "I shouldn't have been running but I'm just late and.." His words trailed off as he noticed Ashley. She had been the girl he carelessly knocked over.
"Hey, it's ok." She smiled at him and gathered up her books.
"I guess I better go before I'm late." Jimmy said and began to walk down the hallway. He couldn't stand being so close to her without being able to kiss her or hold her hand. "Jimmy?"
Jimmy spun around to see Ashley staring at him.
"Yes?"
Ashley smiled slightly and shook her head.
"Oh, nothing. It was dumb. I'll see you at Paige's on Friday, ok?" She asked
"Of course." Jimmy replied and continued walking to class. This time he was smiling. He couldn't help it. He could feel the energy between him and Ashley. He knew she could feel it too. And he knew that she had been about to say so. On Friday, she'll be ready; he reassured himself as he walked into math class and took his seat besides Spinner.
"You're late." The teacher snapped.
"Sorry." Jimmy replied still smiling from his encounter with Ash. Suddenly, Craig appeared at the front of the classroom.
"I had a schedule change and the principal placed me in this class." He explained handing a note to the teacher. "Come on in. The more the merrier. You can take a seat behind Mr. Mason." The teacher directed him to his seat
"Oh, great," mumbled Jimmy.
"I thought you two were cool now?," asked Spinner.
Jimmy just shrugged and watched Craig take a seat dangerously close to him. The whole lesson he could feel Craig's eyes on him. What is he thinking? Jimmy wondered. Does he hate me? And if so, is it because I'm dating Manny, or because he thinks I want Ashley back?
"Hey Spinner! Are you going to Paige's party?" Craig whispered to the boy sitting in front of him.
"Yeah, I think I may ask Terri but I don't know.." Suddenly Spinner started to blush slightly.
"Terri and Spinner, sitting in a tree.." Jimmy teased.
"Shut up. Are you taking your little girlfriend?" He shot back.
Jimmy nodded, knowing that Craig was intensely listening.
"Yeah, we're going together."
"She's pretty hot, even if is she is young." Spinner commented.
"She's not that young." Craig responded.
Jimmy turned in his seat to face Craig.
"Thanks for pointing that out."
"I guess you'll be going with Ashley." Spinner said not noticing the icy stares Jimmy and Craig were giving each other.
"Definitely."
Jimmy cleared his throat.
"You know, I think Manny and I may take things to a new level at this party. If you know what I mean." His eyes rested on Craig.
Spinner laughed.
"You mean, you and Manny are going to do it?"
"No, he doesn't mean that!" Craig was annoyed with the entire conversation. There was no way in hell that Manny was going to sleep with Jimmy.
"I didn't say that. I just mean that we'll probably get closer at this party. There are more things to do then just have sex." Jimmy said and spun back around. He would leave it to Craig to imagine what all of those other things were. He had to smile at how jealous Craig had been. Jimmy had spent most of the last week and a half thinking about how his plan would affect him and Ash. Only now did he consider how real the possibility was that Manny may get her Prince Charming.
Good for her, he thought. She was a special girl and he hoped that Craig really did like her. Who knows? After all of this was over, maybe they could al be friends. The bell rung and Jimmy stood up to leave class.
"I'll catch up with you at lunch," Spinner said and dashed out of the classroom
Jimmy was about t follow when Craig stopped him.
"Look, Manny's a nice girl and young and.." He trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"I know that. Why are you telling me things I already know about my own girlfriend?" Jimmy asked confused.
"I'm just trying to say that you shouldn't try anything funny at the party, ok? Because I'll be watching you and if you hurt Manny.."
"What?"
"Just don't hurt her." Craig finished and left the room.
Jimmy was more certain than ever that by Friday night the right couples would finally be together.
Chapter 5: Manny's P.O.V. at the party!!!
This Year's Girl Chapter 4
Jimmy was feeling awful. He loved Ashley. He didn't want to trick her. But what choice did he have? He knew, deep down in the pit of his stomach that they were right for each other. He knew that Craig and her wouldn't last. How could it? They were more like good friends then a passionate couple. Was it so wrong to hurry their break up along with a few white lies?
Suddenly the phone on his desk rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Jimmy. It's me."
Manny had been calling him frequently since their little plot had begun. That way they could discuss their plans for the next day. It was weird how friendly they had gotten. But when you were suppose to be dating someone, he supposed, you get to be good friends.
"What's up?"
"I've been feeling really bad lately." Manny confused.
"Me too." Jimmy softly replied.
He wasn't surprised that Manny was feeling guilty. She seemed like a sweet girl who would never lie to someone she cared about. But love makes you do strange things.
"Should we just end it?"
Jimmy had to take a moment to consider it. Maybe they were better off just calling it quits. Maybe they should just leave Craig and Ashley alone and let their relationship develop and eventually crash and burn on its own
"Maybe..but we haven't really been doing anything wrong." Jimmy reasoned.
"Except lying to everyone!" Manny exclaimed. The lies were eating her up. She couldn't tell Emma the truth, or anyone else for that matter. She was beginning to wish she never agreed to the idea at all. "You may be right about that but at least we're not really hurting Craig and Ashley. I mean, if they break up-it's not our fault. We aren't forcing them apart. We're just showing them who they really care about." Jimmy had to believe this; otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep at night. While the lying was bad enough, he couldn't live with himself if he thought he was intentionally hurting Ash.
Manny sighed deeply.
"Ok. But we have to break up at Paige's party. If our plan doesn't show them that they still care about us by then , then it never will. It'll have been two weeks of fake dating by then."
"Ok." Jimmy agreed. The truth was he was getting tired of the lies too. He was sick of having to tell everyone how much he cared about Manny, and how he was cool with Craig and Ashley dating. He was sick of holding Manny's hand and kissing her, while Craig got to make out with his true love. Manny was a great girl but she couldn't hold a candle to Ashley in Jimmy's mind. He knew Manny felt the same way about Craig.
"I'll see you tomorrow then. Only three more days until we break up!" Manny laughed at the idea of knowing when someone was going to dump you and not caring about it. How different things had been when Craig had broke her heart in the hallway last year.
"Bye." Jimmy hung up the phone and flopped down on his bed. He wondered if in three days Ashley would come to her senses and realize how much she still loved him She had to still love him, right?
Jimmy suddenly fell asleep still thinking about Ashley and their lost love. Could they ever get it back?
Jimmy hadn't meant to be late the next morning. He had forgotten to set his alarm when he abruptly fell asleep the night before. He quickly ran into the main entrance of school, praying that the last bell hadn't rung. As he hurriedly flew to his locker, he knocked a girl over with out looking.
"Sorry!" he exclaimed, "I shouldn't have been running but I'm just late and.." His words trailed off as he noticed Ashley. She had been the girl he carelessly knocked over.
"Hey, it's ok." She smiled at him and gathered up her books.
"I guess I better go before I'm late." Jimmy said and began to walk down the hallway. He couldn't stand being so close to her without being able to kiss her or hold her hand. "Jimmy?"
Jimmy spun around to see Ashley staring at him.
"Yes?"
Ashley smiled slightly and shook her head.
"Oh, nothing. It was dumb. I'll see you at Paige's on Friday, ok?" She asked
"Of course." Jimmy replied and continued walking to class. This time he was smiling. He couldn't help it. He could feel the energy between him and Ashley. He knew she could feel it too. And he knew that she had been about to say so. On Friday, she'll be ready; he reassured himself as he walked into math class and took his seat besides Spinner.
"You're late." The teacher snapped.
"Sorry." Jimmy replied still smiling from his encounter with Ash. Suddenly, Craig appeared at the front of the classroom.
"I had a schedule change and the principal placed me in this class." He explained handing a note to the teacher. "Come on in. The more the merrier. You can take a seat behind Mr. Mason." The teacher directed him to his seat
"Oh, great," mumbled Jimmy.
"I thought you two were cool now?," asked Spinner.
Jimmy just shrugged and watched Craig take a seat dangerously close to him. The whole lesson he could feel Craig's eyes on him. What is he thinking? Jimmy wondered. Does he hate me? And if so, is it because I'm dating Manny, or because he thinks I want Ashley back?
"Hey Spinner! Are you going to Paige's party?" Craig whispered to the boy sitting in front of him.
"Yeah, I think I may ask Terri but I don't know.." Suddenly Spinner started to blush slightly.
"Terri and Spinner, sitting in a tree.." Jimmy teased.
"Shut up. Are you taking your little girlfriend?" He shot back.
Jimmy nodded, knowing that Craig was intensely listening.
"Yeah, we're going together."
"She's pretty hot, even if is she is young." Spinner commented.
"She's not that young." Craig responded.
Jimmy turned in his seat to face Craig.
"Thanks for pointing that out."
"I guess you'll be going with Ashley." Spinner said not noticing the icy stares Jimmy and Craig were giving each other.
"Definitely."
Jimmy cleared his throat.
"You know, I think Manny and I may take things to a new level at this party. If you know what I mean." His eyes rested on Craig.
Spinner laughed.
"You mean, you and Manny are going to do it?"
"No, he doesn't mean that!" Craig was annoyed with the entire conversation. There was no way in hell that Manny was going to sleep with Jimmy.
"I didn't say that. I just mean that we'll probably get closer at this party. There are more things to do then just have sex." Jimmy said and spun back around. He would leave it to Craig to imagine what all of those other things were. He had to smile at how jealous Craig had been. Jimmy had spent most of the last week and a half thinking about how his plan would affect him and Ash. Only now did he consider how real the possibility was that Manny may get her Prince Charming.
Good for her, he thought. She was a special girl and he hoped that Craig really did like her. Who knows? After all of this was over, maybe they could al be friends. The bell rung and Jimmy stood up to leave class.
"I'll catch up with you at lunch," Spinner said and dashed out of the classroom
Jimmy was about t follow when Craig stopped him.
"Look, Manny's a nice girl and young and.." He trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"I know that. Why are you telling me things I already know about my own girlfriend?" Jimmy asked confused.
"I'm just trying to say that you shouldn't try anything funny at the party, ok? Because I'll be watching you and if you hurt Manny.."
"What?"
"Just don't hurt her." Craig finished and left the room.
Jimmy was more certain than ever that by Friday night the right couples would finally be together.
Chapter 5: Manny's P.O.V. at the party!!!