That day Ashley avoided Craig like a plague. Every time she saw him
she turned the other way or ducked into a classroom.
At the end of the day, Emma passed Sean in the hall. Her eyes met his, and she looked as if she was going to cry. Sean tore his eyes away, and kept walking. Emma looked over her shoulder at him walking, but he didn't look back.
Emma met Manny at her locker. She had already told Manny about everything 1st period. "What are you doing tonight?" she sighed, trying to get Sean off her mind. "Spike and Archie are going away for the weekend, and Spike's sister is taking Jack, finally. You can sleep over if you don't have plans with Sully or something..." she said sulkily.
Manny stopped putting her books away and just stared at Emma, her face completely lit up and mischievous from underneath her tan, pink and brown cap.
"What are you thinking? No parties, Manny..."
"Emma! Come on!" Manny bounced up and down. "It would be the experience of a lifetime. We can invite everyone, and it'd be THE SHIT. We can even invite Sean," she winked at Emma, but Emma shook her head.
"Manny, that's crazy. I'll be grounded for life. Mom said one friend..."
"Emma." Manny said disbelievingly. "Don't be stupid. This is the perfect opportunity, and it'll get you out of this mood. It'll be great."
"All right, all right. But everything stays under control, and..."
"You won't regret this. I love you, Em!" Manny smiled.
Emma looked over toward Sean. "At least someone does," she said quietly.
Ashley went along the rest of the day thinking about Craig and how she really was being unfair to him. "Why can't Craig be like how Jimmy was in our relationship?" she mused. "Everything was so much easier then, except, well, it wasn't Craig..."
"Hey," Ellie said, shaking Ashley's arm in science class. "Ash, we're supposed to be doing the experiment, not staring into space."
Ashley's eyes whirled back into focus. "Oh, guess I just..." she said as her mind drifted again, "wasn't thinking."
Ellie rolled her eyes. "You really need to snap out of it, Ash. You can think about Craig later tonight, when you guys are sucking face. It's much more appropriate."
Ashley looked at Ellie, shaking her head. "I didn't tell you?" she said. "Craig and I got in a fight..." she said, and went on to explain everything.
"Well, you're kind of being unfair, Ash. I mean, Jimmy was an only- comes-around-once-every-blue-moon kind of dude. He worshiped you, and you hated it. Now that Craig has a life of his own, you hate that."
"You're right, El."
"I know," Ellie nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Manny was busy telling everyone about the party at Emma's.
"Hey, Toby, JT!" she shouted from across the hall. "What are you two losers up to tonight? A game of cards?"
JT watched Emma and Manny come toward him and Toby, and his heart fell. He hadn't wanted Manny so much ever since she turned him down and embarrassed him right in front of her upperclassman boyfriend. He still liked her, and hoped that maybe Sully wouldn't be there tonight.
"Don't know, maybe some hardcore Playstation, then some skating," JT said, giving Toby a sideways smile. Toby rolled his eyes. "Why?"
"Well, if you can fit it into your schedule," Manny said sarcastically, "stop by at Emma's tonight. She's having a party. No rents."
JT thought about this. "For real? No parents?" he looked at Toby.
"Doesn't sound like a good idea to me, no parents. If you guys remember what happened last time someone had a party with no parents," he said, referring to when his stepsister, Ashley, took Ecstasy.
"Get over it, Toby," JT scowled. "Don't be such a baby."
"7:00." Manny said.
"We'll be there," JT winked at Emma. Emma took a step back. "Great," Manny said. "See ya then!" Emma and Manny walked further down the hall. "How many people do you plan to invite, to MY house?" Emma asked. "I can only fit so many people in my house. Plus I do have neighbors that aren't completely deaf and blind. Let's keep the list to a minimum. We have the whole weekend." But Manny wasn't listening. "Craig!" she was running down the hall shouting to her ex-boyfriend, a grade nine. Emma sighed and picked up her pace, trying to catch up.
By the end of the day, just about everyone knew about the party. Emmy was getting nervous. "Manny, the whole school's going to come. What am I going to do? I'm going to get busted for sure," "Emma, the whole thing is under control. Stop worrying!" Manny snapped. "You need to live a little." But Emma didn't stop worrying. The only thing that she was sure of was that she knew something bad was bound to happen.
Paige, Terri, Hazel, Spinner and Jimmy were hanging around Paige's locker at the end of the day. "So, what's going on tonight?" Paige said, applying some lip gloss with the help of a small compact mirror. "Well, I heard there's going to be a party, I think at a grade eight's house," Terri said. Paige threw a nasty look at Terri. "Have you lost all sense of reason, Terri? We're grade nines. We don't go to grade eight parties." "Better than any idea you came up with," Hazel reasoned. "No. That's definitely a no." "Well, I'm gonna go. Better than playing ball with only two people, or watching you and Hazel play with your hair," Spinner said flatly. Paige raised an eyebrow, disbelieving of what her boyfriend just said. "Hun, if you don't like what we do for fun, then find some other friends." "Paige, stop being a bitch and just go. It's a party." Jimmy said.
Paige pouted and didn't say anything.
"Fine. But if this party sucks..."
Emma and Manny got some money from Emma's and then headed over to the market, where they got balloons, soda, and chips. They ran back to Emma's where they blew up the balloons with Snake's helium tank and set up the food and drinks. Manny turned on some Sean Paul.
"I can't wait, this is gonna be so kick-ass." Manny said.
"Is Sully coming?" Emma asked.
"Of course! He told me he wouldn't miss it," Manny replied smugly.
"Just don't be having sex all over my house, k, Manny? Or should I said, MANUELA!" Emma said, laughing. Manny threw a pillow at Emma, and it was like old times.
"You don't need to worry about that..." she said reassuringly.
Emma rolled her eyes, then looked up at the clock on the wall. "Manny! It's already 5:30! They'll be here in an hour and a half!"
The girls finally, after much procrastination, chose what they'd wear. Emma chose a high-necked green top with darker green sparkles and designs, along with jeans, a colored scarf, and Birkenstocks. Manny decided on a hot pink tube top and short jean skirt.
"You look like a hippie, Em," Manny giggled.
"Yeah..." Emma said, not even touching what Manny looked like.
Ding, dong.
At the end of the day, Emma passed Sean in the hall. Her eyes met his, and she looked as if she was going to cry. Sean tore his eyes away, and kept walking. Emma looked over her shoulder at him walking, but he didn't look back.
Emma met Manny at her locker. She had already told Manny about everything 1st period. "What are you doing tonight?" she sighed, trying to get Sean off her mind. "Spike and Archie are going away for the weekend, and Spike's sister is taking Jack, finally. You can sleep over if you don't have plans with Sully or something..." she said sulkily.
Manny stopped putting her books away and just stared at Emma, her face completely lit up and mischievous from underneath her tan, pink and brown cap.
"What are you thinking? No parties, Manny..."
"Emma! Come on!" Manny bounced up and down. "It would be the experience of a lifetime. We can invite everyone, and it'd be THE SHIT. We can even invite Sean," she winked at Emma, but Emma shook her head.
"Manny, that's crazy. I'll be grounded for life. Mom said one friend..."
"Emma." Manny said disbelievingly. "Don't be stupid. This is the perfect opportunity, and it'll get you out of this mood. It'll be great."
"All right, all right. But everything stays under control, and..."
"You won't regret this. I love you, Em!" Manny smiled.
Emma looked over toward Sean. "At least someone does," she said quietly.
Ashley went along the rest of the day thinking about Craig and how she really was being unfair to him. "Why can't Craig be like how Jimmy was in our relationship?" she mused. "Everything was so much easier then, except, well, it wasn't Craig..."
"Hey," Ellie said, shaking Ashley's arm in science class. "Ash, we're supposed to be doing the experiment, not staring into space."
Ashley's eyes whirled back into focus. "Oh, guess I just..." she said as her mind drifted again, "wasn't thinking."
Ellie rolled her eyes. "You really need to snap out of it, Ash. You can think about Craig later tonight, when you guys are sucking face. It's much more appropriate."
Ashley looked at Ellie, shaking her head. "I didn't tell you?" she said. "Craig and I got in a fight..." she said, and went on to explain everything.
"Well, you're kind of being unfair, Ash. I mean, Jimmy was an only- comes-around-once-every-blue-moon kind of dude. He worshiped you, and you hated it. Now that Craig has a life of his own, you hate that."
"You're right, El."
"I know," Ellie nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Manny was busy telling everyone about the party at Emma's.
"Hey, Toby, JT!" she shouted from across the hall. "What are you two losers up to tonight? A game of cards?"
JT watched Emma and Manny come toward him and Toby, and his heart fell. He hadn't wanted Manny so much ever since she turned him down and embarrassed him right in front of her upperclassman boyfriend. He still liked her, and hoped that maybe Sully wouldn't be there tonight.
"Don't know, maybe some hardcore Playstation, then some skating," JT said, giving Toby a sideways smile. Toby rolled his eyes. "Why?"
"Well, if you can fit it into your schedule," Manny said sarcastically, "stop by at Emma's tonight. She's having a party. No rents."
JT thought about this. "For real? No parents?" he looked at Toby.
"Doesn't sound like a good idea to me, no parents. If you guys remember what happened last time someone had a party with no parents," he said, referring to when his stepsister, Ashley, took Ecstasy.
"Get over it, Toby," JT scowled. "Don't be such a baby."
"7:00." Manny said.
"We'll be there," JT winked at Emma. Emma took a step back. "Great," Manny said. "See ya then!" Emma and Manny walked further down the hall. "How many people do you plan to invite, to MY house?" Emma asked. "I can only fit so many people in my house. Plus I do have neighbors that aren't completely deaf and blind. Let's keep the list to a minimum. We have the whole weekend." But Manny wasn't listening. "Craig!" she was running down the hall shouting to her ex-boyfriend, a grade nine. Emma sighed and picked up her pace, trying to catch up.
By the end of the day, just about everyone knew about the party. Emmy was getting nervous. "Manny, the whole school's going to come. What am I going to do? I'm going to get busted for sure," "Emma, the whole thing is under control. Stop worrying!" Manny snapped. "You need to live a little." But Emma didn't stop worrying. The only thing that she was sure of was that she knew something bad was bound to happen.
Paige, Terri, Hazel, Spinner and Jimmy were hanging around Paige's locker at the end of the day. "So, what's going on tonight?" Paige said, applying some lip gloss with the help of a small compact mirror. "Well, I heard there's going to be a party, I think at a grade eight's house," Terri said. Paige threw a nasty look at Terri. "Have you lost all sense of reason, Terri? We're grade nines. We don't go to grade eight parties." "Better than any idea you came up with," Hazel reasoned. "No. That's definitely a no." "Well, I'm gonna go. Better than playing ball with only two people, or watching you and Hazel play with your hair," Spinner said flatly. Paige raised an eyebrow, disbelieving of what her boyfriend just said. "Hun, if you don't like what we do for fun, then find some other friends." "Paige, stop being a bitch and just go. It's a party." Jimmy said.
Paige pouted and didn't say anything.
"Fine. But if this party sucks..."
Emma and Manny got some money from Emma's and then headed over to the market, where they got balloons, soda, and chips. They ran back to Emma's where they blew up the balloons with Snake's helium tank and set up the food and drinks. Manny turned on some Sean Paul.
"I can't wait, this is gonna be so kick-ass." Manny said.
"Is Sully coming?" Emma asked.
"Of course! He told me he wouldn't miss it," Manny replied smugly.
"Just don't be having sex all over my house, k, Manny? Or should I said, MANUELA!" Emma said, laughing. Manny threw a pillow at Emma, and it was like old times.
"You don't need to worry about that..." she said reassuringly.
Emma rolled her eyes, then looked up at the clock on the wall. "Manny! It's already 5:30! They'll be here in an hour and a half!"
The girls finally, after much procrastination, chose what they'd wear. Emma chose a high-necked green top with darker green sparkles and designs, along with jeans, a colored scarf, and Birkenstocks. Manny decided on a hot pink tube top and short jean skirt.
"You look like a hippie, Em," Manny giggled.
"Yeah..." Emma said, not even touching what Manny looked like.
Ding, dong.