"Jimmy, put Gabe down and help with the decorations," Jane said.
Jimmy put Gabriel down into his playpen. "Do we really need streamers?" he asked.
Spinner tied a balloon. "And these balloons?" he asked.
"Guys, shut up," Sammy said. "This is nothing compared to the baby shower she gave me."
"How bad was it?" Marco asked, tying a balloon.
"Well, I decided I didn't want to know the sex of the baby, so half of the house was literally pink and the other was blue. She even bought paint and painted the halves."
Spinner's balloon slipped out of his hands and flew around the room. "We're not going to paint are we?" he asked.
Gabriel laughed and pointed to next to the playpen where the balloon had landed. He clapped his hands. "Again, Spinner!" he exclaimed.
"Don't think so, little man," Spinner replied. "I'm going to help Jimmy with the streamers, I'm feeling a little light headed."
Spinner walked over to where Jimmy was on a stepladder, the baby blue streamers were wrapped completely around him. "Need help?" he asked.
"Yeah," Jimmy said.
Spinner tried to untangle his friend. Jimmy's foot slipped and he grabbed Spinner and the boys collapsed onto the floor.
"Are you guys ok?" Jane asked.
"I'm fine!" Spinner said.
"But we're tangled up!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Spinner, get your elbow out my ribs!" Spinner moved his arm.
Sammy, Craig, and Marco walked over to them. "Ok, Jimmy, Spinner, you are no longer allowed near streamers," Sammy said.
"Thank you," Spinner said.
"But I can I strangle your mother?" Jimmy asked.
The doorbell rang. "I'll get that, you guys help them," Sammy said.
Craig and Marco nodded. Sammy ran to the door and opened it. Paige walked in with Terri and Hazel behind her. "We got that cake," Paige said.
"Great!" Sammy said. She took the cake box from Paige and turned to the kitchen. "You might have to go help Craig and Marco."
"With what?" Terri asked.
"Spinner and Jimmy. They're all tied up," Sammy said.
Paige, Terri, and Hazel walked in. "You guys only made it worse!" Spinner said.
"Ok, step back," Paige said. "This is a woman's work."
Craig went to step backwards but his feet got wrapped around the streamers and he fell over and took Marco down with him.
Sammy and Jane ran in. "Mom, no more streamers," she said.
"Got it," Jane replied. "I'll get the camera, real quick."
"NO!" the boys exclaimed, through laughter. Jane returned with a camera and snapped the picture of the boys on the floor tangled up.
Paige, Terri, and Hazel started on getting them untangled. The doorbell rang. Sammy stepped over the boys, who were laughing uncontrollably. The doorbell rang again. "I'm coming!" Sammy exclaimed.
She opened the door and Ellie stood on the other side. "Am I too late to help decorate?" she asked.
"No, come in," Sammy said.
"What's with the laughing?"
"Find out yourself."
Sammy and Ellie walked into the living room. Paige was untying Spinner and Jimmy from one another, Terri worked on the streamers connecting Marco and Craig. And Hazel had the toughest job…untangling all of the guys at once.
"How did this happen?" Ellie asked.
"Spinner tried to help!" Jimmy said, laughing still.
Ellie rolled her eyes.
"Ellie!" Gabriel said from his playpen.
"Hey, Gabe," Ellie replied.
"I'm free!" announced Spinner crawling away backwards as Paige finally had to remove his shoe and slip his foot through the streamers. He jumped up and pulled his shoe on. "Yes!" He threw his arms up in the air. "I'm free!"
Gabriel giggled.
"So am I," Jimmy said. He grabbed Spinner's arm and pulled himself up.
Pretty soon, Craig was and then last, Marco. Ellie grabbed Marco's arm and pulled him up. He laughed and stood up.
Sammy looked at the streamers. Paige, Terri, and Hazel pulled the streamers apart. "We'll be in charge of these," Paige said.
"Thanks, guys, for coming over and helping," Sammy said.
"No problem," Spinner said, he walked over to where his balloon had flown next to Gabriel's playpen. He picked it up and looked at Gabriel. "Well, it looks like I'm back to balloon duty."
"Yep," Gabriel said, smiling.
Spinner and Marco grabbed balloons. Jimmy walked over and pulled one out. "Can't we just do helium?" he asked.
"Oh, we're going to do that to some other balloons," Jane said, walking in.
"More balloons?" Craig asked.
"Yeah," Jane said.
"If I have a baby shower, you can't come anywhere near it when decorating," Sammy replied to her mother.
Jane smiled and walked away.
Jane opened the door and Angela walked in with a big box. "Where do I put this?" she asked.
"Give it to me," Jane said. "And I'll put it in the kitchen."
"Ok," Angela replied. She walked into the living room and jumped up into her big brother's arms.
"Hey," Craig said.
"What's with all the balloons?" she asked.
"It's Sammy's mother's idea."
"I like them."
Craig kissed her cheek. He put her down. "Go play now," he said.
"Ok," Angela replied. She walked over and played with Gabriel on the outside of the playpen.
"Anybody home?" Joey asked, walking in.
"In here," Craig said.
Joey and Caitlin walked in. "You missed it," Sammy said. Craig covered her mouth.
"Missed what?" Joey asked.
"The boys tangled up on the floor in streamers," Paige said, before Spinner grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down onto his lap.
Joey looked at Jane. "I have pictures," Jane said.
"I can't wait to see them," Caitlin replied.
"We have to see them first so we can burn them."
The doorbell rang. "I'm just going to put a COME IN sign up on the door," Jane said. She opened the door and saw JT, Toby, Kendra, and Liberty standing on the other side. They all had a stack of the Grapevine in their arms.
"Come in," Jane said.
Liberty walked in first and over to Sammy. "Hey, look at these," Liberty said.
Sammy took them. On the front page read: EXTRA! EXTRA! SAMANTHA THOMAS…SCHOOL SLUT!
Sammy looked up from them. "How did this happen?" she asked.
"I don't know," Liberty said. "I printed them off but of the original copy there was only half a page and these were stacked up in the printer."
Craig took one and read the article. "'As you may have heard already, Samantha a.k.a. Sammy Thomas and her boyfriend, Craig Manning have announced that they are going to have a baby. But Sammy already has one baby, she is a complete baby-making machine, maybe she wouldn't have so many, if she kept her legs closed!'?" he looked up at her. "'Sammy had reportedly stole Craig Manning from his girlfriend of almost two years, Ashley Kerwin. 'She's just a little slut,' Manny Santos reportedly heard Ashley say. 'And I don't deny or doubt it,' Ashley said.'"
Craig threw his arm down and rolled his eyes. He looked at Toby. "Did you know about this?" he asked.
"I don't know anything that goes on in my stepsister's screwed up mind," Toby said. "But she said she had an article she wanted to submit to the Grapevine about the talent show coming up."
"Oh yeah, this is very talented," Spinner said, taking a copy.
"Have you talked to Raditch about these?" Joey asked Liberty, taking a copy for himself and handing one to Caitlin.
"Not just yet," Liberty said. "I just got them off the printer this morning, I was going to staple them and saw these."
"This is just awful," Caitlin said.
Just then, Snake, Spike, Jack, and Emma walked in. Snake held up some copies of the Grapevine. "These were advertised all over Degrassi Street," he said, handing them to Liberty.
Sammy sat down in the nearest chair.
"Do you know who might've wrote this?" Snake asked.
"I have two guesses," Paige said. "Manny and/or Ashley."
Sammy's eyes filled with tears. She jumped up. "I shouldn't have come here!" she exclaimed. She walked to the stairs and ran up them. Craig closed his eyes and when he opened them he took off out of the house.
"Where is he going?" Hazel asked.
"I have two guesses," Paige repeated.