Chapter 2
Spinner finished gobbling up his pizza in one huge bite. The sight made Paige turn away in disgust.
The only one that wasn't watching the class pig was Craig whose eyes were glued on Ashley sitting with Ellie and Sean further away in the cafeteria.
"You stare at her like she's gonna vanish into thin air." Spinner joked as he flushed the pizza down with some chocolate milk.
Craig didn't even hear him.
"Craig, honey, you really need to stop doing that. It's only going to make things worse." Paige spoke up next.
"Nothing can get any worse than this." Craig sighed as he looked back down at his food.
"And you have yourself to blame for this. I don't think it's wise for you to even still be drooling over her." Paige continued.
"I'm not drooling!" Craig replied defensively.
"Look, why don't you just stick with Manny Santos anyways? She's still wants you, doesn't she?" Paige nudged Spinner in the ribs, giving him a dirty look.
Speaking of which, Craig saw Manny sit together with Toby and Emma. She was watching him though, longingly as usual. She had tried to call him a few times, but he never returned them.
But when Manny realized he was gazing over at Ashley, she looked away from him hurt and tried to keep herself in conversation with her friends.
Then, Craig noticed a tall, dark-haired boy grab his tray of food and walk passed Ashley's table. But not before giving her a warm smile and…was he checking her out?!
"Who's that?" Craig asked.
Spinner and Paige both turned to take a glimpse at the new student. "I think that's the new guy. Caleb, or something." Spinner replied.
"Caleb Ross." Paige corrected him, checking out the newcomer of Degrassi as well. "Looks yummy enough to eat," she nodded her head in satisfaction. Spinner glared at her, and in return she gave her boyfriend a teasing smile and a kiss on the cheek.
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"So Marco won't be back with Paige's brother till tomorrow?" Ashley asked Ellie.
"Yeah." the punk girl nodded. "He said they had a blast during their cruise that they totally forgot about time. Don't really wanna get into that good time part." Ellie grimaced.
Sean tried to ignore the whole thing. He was friends with Marco and accepted that his friend was gay, but girl on girl action and boy on boy action were two different things. One was a pleasurable fantasy, and the other wasn't for him at least.
From the corner of her eye, Ashley saw him walk by. Caleb gave her a warm smile and a nod. The smile was mirrored by Ashley, only to Caleb it looked way better on her.
"Who's that?" Ellie asked, noticing the new boy Ashley was smiling at.
"That's Caleb." Ashley replied. "He's new here in Degrassi."
"Figured that since he was in our homeroom class." Ellie reminded Ashley with a smirk.
Ashley barely heard her friend as her eyes were glued on to Caleb's figure walking outside to one of the nearby benches.
"I'll be right back." Ashley excused herself from the table and grabbed her tray as she hurried outside. Ellie and Sean watched her go a bit oddly.
"What's with her?" Sean asked.
"I think Craig may be out of the picture. Permanently." Ellie answered, closing up to her boyfriend with his arm around her.
"You sure?" Sean asked. "I mean, Her and Craig have only broken up for two weeks, and they were pretty tight. You think she's moved on already?"
Ellie smiled teasingly at the rebel without a cause. "Heck, if I was her and had a guy cute as Caleb, I would be."
Sean gave her a funny nod and kissed her cheek before resuming his meal.
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"Hi."
Caleb looked up from his food and smiled at the person in front of him. Picking up his tray, he stood up from the bench.
"Wait, you don't have to leave or anything." Ashley protested.
"Actually, I wasn't going anywhere. Just showing polite manners in front of a pretty girl." Caleb smiled.
Ashley smiled as she felt her cheeks color a bit red which quickly suppressed when she took a seat next to Caleb on the bench. "Why didn't you come over and join me and my friends?"
"Didn't want to be a bother to ya." Caleb shrugged. "Besides, I'm not really use to hanging around in groups."
"How come?" Ashley asked.
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." Caleb winked and turned back to his food for only a short while.
"Thank you for the drawing." Ashley spoke again. "It really made me feel better."
"Well, that was the point." Caleb looked up at her. "I've only known you for a few hours, and already I can say that you have the prettiest smile I've ever seen."
This time, Ashley couldn't hold but the redness of her cheeks as she smiled shyly. "Thank you."
As Ashley looked up, her eyes were caught on someone or something as her smile faded into a frown. Caleb noticed when he looked back up at her and stared over at whoever it was that caught her attention.
A boy with curly and bushy dark hair stood in front of a trash can with a blond haired boy, both staring over at her and Caleb.
The dark haired boy had a pitiful look on his face like he had lost the keys to a kingdom. Perhaps he did when he cheated on his girlfriend with an innocent freshman turned J-Lo wannabe.
"Friend of yours?" Caleb asked her.
"Craig." Ashley scowled as she glared at her ex. "He's my ex-boyfriend."
"That explains why he's giving me the death look." Caleb smirked and turned back to his tray. "Guess he's still not over you, eh?"
"He cheated on me with a freshman. Actually, played both me and her. Thought he could balance himself with two girlfriends instead of one."
'And it blew up in his face,' Caleb thought to himself as he looked back up at Craig who was retreating away with Spinner.
"His loss." Caleb said.
Ashley scoffed. "I'm not that great." Caleb looked over at her surprised to even hear that coming from such a girl. "Maybe….maybe it was my fault to begin with."
"How was it your fault? The guy cheated on you with another girl? HE cheated on you, not you cheated on him."
"Still though…" Ashley didn't know what to say next. Before she could think of anything, the bell signaling that lunch was over rang.
"Well, another few hours education." Caleb said as he tossed his tray away. "I'll walk you to class if you want."
Ashley smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, but I'll be fine. I gotta help set up for a pageant we're holding this Saturday."
"A beauty pageant?" Caleb laughed. "You guys actually have beauty pageants here?!"
Ashley stood up. "Yeah. So?"
"Well, no contest then. You'd win in a second. "Caleb smiled.
Ashley rolled her eyes. "Flattery, Mr. Ross, will only get you a few brownie points around here." she teased.
"I'm being serious."
"I'm not even going to be in the pageant. Those things are worthless. "
Caleb shook his head. "Still though, you should. I mean, you would blow the competition away the moment you walked on stage."
Ashley smiled warmly at Caleb. "I wonder how many other girls you've said that too."
"Well, just for the record. You're the first." Caleb returned the smile then headed away for class. "Later."
"Yeah." Ashley waved. "Later." she sighed, her smile never leaving her as she continued to watch Caleb leave.
Spinner finished gobbling up his pizza in one huge bite. The sight made Paige turn away in disgust.
The only one that wasn't watching the class pig was Craig whose eyes were glued on Ashley sitting with Ellie and Sean further away in the cafeteria.
"You stare at her like she's gonna vanish into thin air." Spinner joked as he flushed the pizza down with some chocolate milk.
Craig didn't even hear him.
"Craig, honey, you really need to stop doing that. It's only going to make things worse." Paige spoke up next.
"Nothing can get any worse than this." Craig sighed as he looked back down at his food.
"And you have yourself to blame for this. I don't think it's wise for you to even still be drooling over her." Paige continued.
"I'm not drooling!" Craig replied defensively.
"Look, why don't you just stick with Manny Santos anyways? She's still wants you, doesn't she?" Paige nudged Spinner in the ribs, giving him a dirty look.
Speaking of which, Craig saw Manny sit together with Toby and Emma. She was watching him though, longingly as usual. She had tried to call him a few times, but he never returned them.
But when Manny realized he was gazing over at Ashley, she looked away from him hurt and tried to keep herself in conversation with her friends.
Then, Craig noticed a tall, dark-haired boy grab his tray of food and walk passed Ashley's table. But not before giving her a warm smile and…was he checking her out?!
"Who's that?" Craig asked.
Spinner and Paige both turned to take a glimpse at the new student. "I think that's the new guy. Caleb, or something." Spinner replied.
"Caleb Ross." Paige corrected him, checking out the newcomer of Degrassi as well. "Looks yummy enough to eat," she nodded her head in satisfaction. Spinner glared at her, and in return she gave her boyfriend a teasing smile and a kiss on the cheek.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"So Marco won't be back with Paige's brother till tomorrow?" Ashley asked Ellie.
"Yeah." the punk girl nodded. "He said they had a blast during their cruise that they totally forgot about time. Don't really wanna get into that good time part." Ellie grimaced.
Sean tried to ignore the whole thing. He was friends with Marco and accepted that his friend was gay, but girl on girl action and boy on boy action were two different things. One was a pleasurable fantasy, and the other wasn't for him at least.
From the corner of her eye, Ashley saw him walk by. Caleb gave her a warm smile and a nod. The smile was mirrored by Ashley, only to Caleb it looked way better on her.
"Who's that?" Ellie asked, noticing the new boy Ashley was smiling at.
"That's Caleb." Ashley replied. "He's new here in Degrassi."
"Figured that since he was in our homeroom class." Ellie reminded Ashley with a smirk.
Ashley barely heard her friend as her eyes were glued on to Caleb's figure walking outside to one of the nearby benches.
"I'll be right back." Ashley excused herself from the table and grabbed her tray as she hurried outside. Ellie and Sean watched her go a bit oddly.
"What's with her?" Sean asked.
"I think Craig may be out of the picture. Permanently." Ellie answered, closing up to her boyfriend with his arm around her.
"You sure?" Sean asked. "I mean, Her and Craig have only broken up for two weeks, and they were pretty tight. You think she's moved on already?"
Ellie smiled teasingly at the rebel without a cause. "Heck, if I was her and had a guy cute as Caleb, I would be."
Sean gave her a funny nod and kissed her cheek before resuming his meal.
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"Hi."
Caleb looked up from his food and smiled at the person in front of him. Picking up his tray, he stood up from the bench.
"Wait, you don't have to leave or anything." Ashley protested.
"Actually, I wasn't going anywhere. Just showing polite manners in front of a pretty girl." Caleb smiled.
Ashley smiled as she felt her cheeks color a bit red which quickly suppressed when she took a seat next to Caleb on the bench. "Why didn't you come over and join me and my friends?"
"Didn't want to be a bother to ya." Caleb shrugged. "Besides, I'm not really use to hanging around in groups."
"How come?" Ashley asked.
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." Caleb winked and turned back to his food for only a short while.
"Thank you for the drawing." Ashley spoke again. "It really made me feel better."
"Well, that was the point." Caleb looked up at her. "I've only known you for a few hours, and already I can say that you have the prettiest smile I've ever seen."
This time, Ashley couldn't hold but the redness of her cheeks as she smiled shyly. "Thank you."
As Ashley looked up, her eyes were caught on someone or something as her smile faded into a frown. Caleb noticed when he looked back up at her and stared over at whoever it was that caught her attention.
A boy with curly and bushy dark hair stood in front of a trash can with a blond haired boy, both staring over at her and Caleb.
The dark haired boy had a pitiful look on his face like he had lost the keys to a kingdom. Perhaps he did when he cheated on his girlfriend with an innocent freshman turned J-Lo wannabe.
"Friend of yours?" Caleb asked her.
"Craig." Ashley scowled as she glared at her ex. "He's my ex-boyfriend."
"That explains why he's giving me the death look." Caleb smirked and turned back to his tray. "Guess he's still not over you, eh?"
"He cheated on me with a freshman. Actually, played both me and her. Thought he could balance himself with two girlfriends instead of one."
'And it blew up in his face,' Caleb thought to himself as he looked back up at Craig who was retreating away with Spinner.
"His loss." Caleb said.
Ashley scoffed. "I'm not that great." Caleb looked over at her surprised to even hear that coming from such a girl. "Maybe….maybe it was my fault to begin with."
"How was it your fault? The guy cheated on you with another girl? HE cheated on you, not you cheated on him."
"Still though…" Ashley didn't know what to say next. Before she could think of anything, the bell signaling that lunch was over rang.
"Well, another few hours education." Caleb said as he tossed his tray away. "I'll walk you to class if you want."
Ashley smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, but I'll be fine. I gotta help set up for a pageant we're holding this Saturday."
"A beauty pageant?" Caleb laughed. "You guys actually have beauty pageants here?!"
Ashley stood up. "Yeah. So?"
"Well, no contest then. You'd win in a second. "Caleb smiled.
Ashley rolled her eyes. "Flattery, Mr. Ross, will only get you a few brownie points around here." she teased.
"I'm being serious."
"I'm not even going to be in the pageant. Those things are worthless. "
Caleb shook his head. "Still though, you should. I mean, you would blow the competition away the moment you walked on stage."
Ashley smiled warmly at Caleb. "I wonder how many other girls you've said that too."
"Well, just for the record. You're the first." Caleb returned the smile then headed away for class. "Later."
"Yeah." Ashley waved. "Later." she sighed, her smile never leaving her as she continued to watch Caleb leave.
