Chapter One: Brokenhearted
"Always brokenhearted. Life's not over. I can start again." Brandy, "Brokenhearted"
Manny Santos had had a horrible day at Degrassi. Craig had dumped her once again for Ashley, and Ashley had finally taken him back. Just watching them walk happily down the hall together made Manny sick. After what they had together. After she had liked him for two years. After she had gave herself to him. After she became pregnant with his baby. He hadn't even been there for her when she had the abortion.
Emma didn't support her decision, and she had alienated all her other friends a long time ago, leaving her alone. The more Manny thought about everything, the more upset she became. As the bell rang, she just stood at her locker until everyone else ran to class, then sat against the lockers in the floor and began to sob uncontrollably.
* * *
Jimmy Brooks was late for school again. He couldn't figure out if he slept through his alarms, or if he needed to buy a new alarm clock. Either way, he was in big trouble. He got a late pass from the office, then dashed down the hallway. Mrs. Kwan was going to kill him. As he rounded the corner, he tripped over something. Or someone, he noted, as he was sprawled out on his stomach in the middle of the floor. Pushing himself up and standing up straight, he glared at whomever had tripped him.
"Watch where you're going!" he snapped, and felt immediately guilty.
Manny Santos had been his apparent "attacker", and she was sobbing in the middle of the floor. Jimmy felt even worse when he saw he had kicked her in the face and blood was dripping into her hand.
"Shit, Manny. I'm sorry." He said. "Please stop crying. I didn't mean to, I just wasn't watching where I was going."
Manny didn't respond, she just kept crying.
"Manny, please! Stop! I'm sorry!" Jimmy said again. He extended his hand. "Let's get you cleaned up."
She looked up at him. "Why do you care, Jimmy? It's not like you've ever even acknowledged me before."
"I feel bad about kicking you in the face, that's why." Jimmy replied. "Come on, let me help you up."
Manny grabbed his hand, and he pulled her up.
"Come on." He said, leading her down the hallway.
"Where are we going?" Manny asked.
"Bathroom, to clean up that busted lip of yours." Jimmy replied.
They went into the girls' bathroom, and Jimmy looked around in wonder, seeing as how he'd never been in one before.
"These are way cleaner than our bathrooms...hey! How come you guys get a couch?"
Manny shrugged.
"Alright, get up here." Jimmy said, patting the counter next to the sinks. The counter was almost to Manny's shoulders. She gave him a Look. Jimmy sighed, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her effortlessly onto the counter. He got a few paper towels out of the dispenser and ran them under the cold water, then began dabbing at Manny's bottom lip.
"Ow!" she cried. "That stings!"
"Keep it there." Jimmy replied. "It'll stop in a minute." He took another wet paper towel and began wiping the blood off of Manny's chin and neck.
"Jimmy, why are you doing this for me?" Manny mumbled through the paper towel on her lip.
"I told you, I feel bad about kicking you in the face and then yelling at you about it." Jimmy replied. "So how come you were crying?"
Manny looked down. "It's nothing important." She said softly.
"Not important? Please. You were crying like one of your parents just died." Jimmy replied, still wiping the blood off her chin. He paused. "One of your parents didn't just die, did they?"
Manny gave him another Look. "Would I be at school if that were the case?"
"I just woke up like twenty minutes ago, I'm still a little slow." Jimmy defended himself. "But seriously, why were you crying?"
"Nothing you would understand." Manny replied.
"Wouldn't have anything to do with Craig, would it?" Jimmy asked.
"Like I said, you wouldn't understand."
"I wouldn't understand? Manny, come on. 'Dumped' is practically my middle name." Jimmy replied.
"Jimmy, I've done a lot of stupid things. Hooking up with Craig and thinking that he would actually care about me is just the tip of the iceberg." Manny replied.
Jimmy had never really given much regard to Manny in the past. To him, she was just a sophomore and Little Miss Cheerleader who never had problems of her own. But for some reason, his heart went out to her. Maybe there really was a story behind Manny Santos. He pulled his notebook out of his backpack and wrote down his number.
"Look, Manny, I can tell something's going on, and I have a feeling you need someone to talk to about it, so I'm gonna give you my number. If you wanna talk, call me." Jimmy said, ripping out the paper and handing it to her. She ripped it in half and took his pen and wrote something down.
"Here's mine." She replied simply. "If you ever need to talk about anything. I don't really have any friends anymore, so a new one is definitely needed and welcome." She replied.
Jimmy grabbed her around the waist and set her down. "The swelling should go down..." he said, touching her lip gently. "Just don't mess with it. I have to get to class, Mrs. Kwan is going to crucify me. I'll see you later, Manny." He swung his backpack out of his shoulder and marched out of the girls' bathroom.
Manny looked at the piece of paper in her hands. Jimmy Brooks' phone number. That was a new development.
She smiled. Maybe things weren't turning out so bad, after all.
"Always brokenhearted. Life's not over. I can start again." Brandy, "Brokenhearted"
Manny Santos had had a horrible day at Degrassi. Craig had dumped her once again for Ashley, and Ashley had finally taken him back. Just watching them walk happily down the hall together made Manny sick. After what they had together. After she had liked him for two years. After she had gave herself to him. After she became pregnant with his baby. He hadn't even been there for her when she had the abortion.
Emma didn't support her decision, and she had alienated all her other friends a long time ago, leaving her alone. The more Manny thought about everything, the more upset she became. As the bell rang, she just stood at her locker until everyone else ran to class, then sat against the lockers in the floor and began to sob uncontrollably.
* * *
Jimmy Brooks was late for school again. He couldn't figure out if he slept through his alarms, or if he needed to buy a new alarm clock. Either way, he was in big trouble. He got a late pass from the office, then dashed down the hallway. Mrs. Kwan was going to kill him. As he rounded the corner, he tripped over something. Or someone, he noted, as he was sprawled out on his stomach in the middle of the floor. Pushing himself up and standing up straight, he glared at whomever had tripped him.
"Watch where you're going!" he snapped, and felt immediately guilty.
Manny Santos had been his apparent "attacker", and she was sobbing in the middle of the floor. Jimmy felt even worse when he saw he had kicked her in the face and blood was dripping into her hand.
"Shit, Manny. I'm sorry." He said. "Please stop crying. I didn't mean to, I just wasn't watching where I was going."
Manny didn't respond, she just kept crying.
"Manny, please! Stop! I'm sorry!" Jimmy said again. He extended his hand. "Let's get you cleaned up."
She looked up at him. "Why do you care, Jimmy? It's not like you've ever even acknowledged me before."
"I feel bad about kicking you in the face, that's why." Jimmy replied. "Come on, let me help you up."
Manny grabbed his hand, and he pulled her up.
"Come on." He said, leading her down the hallway.
"Where are we going?" Manny asked.
"Bathroom, to clean up that busted lip of yours." Jimmy replied.
They went into the girls' bathroom, and Jimmy looked around in wonder, seeing as how he'd never been in one before.
"These are way cleaner than our bathrooms...hey! How come you guys get a couch?"
Manny shrugged.
"Alright, get up here." Jimmy said, patting the counter next to the sinks. The counter was almost to Manny's shoulders. She gave him a Look. Jimmy sighed, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her effortlessly onto the counter. He got a few paper towels out of the dispenser and ran them under the cold water, then began dabbing at Manny's bottom lip.
"Ow!" she cried. "That stings!"
"Keep it there." Jimmy replied. "It'll stop in a minute." He took another wet paper towel and began wiping the blood off of Manny's chin and neck.
"Jimmy, why are you doing this for me?" Manny mumbled through the paper towel on her lip.
"I told you, I feel bad about kicking you in the face and then yelling at you about it." Jimmy replied. "So how come you were crying?"
Manny looked down. "It's nothing important." She said softly.
"Not important? Please. You were crying like one of your parents just died." Jimmy replied, still wiping the blood off her chin. He paused. "One of your parents didn't just die, did they?"
Manny gave him another Look. "Would I be at school if that were the case?"
"I just woke up like twenty minutes ago, I'm still a little slow." Jimmy defended himself. "But seriously, why were you crying?"
"Nothing you would understand." Manny replied.
"Wouldn't have anything to do with Craig, would it?" Jimmy asked.
"Like I said, you wouldn't understand."
"I wouldn't understand? Manny, come on. 'Dumped' is practically my middle name." Jimmy replied.
"Jimmy, I've done a lot of stupid things. Hooking up with Craig and thinking that he would actually care about me is just the tip of the iceberg." Manny replied.
Jimmy had never really given much regard to Manny in the past. To him, she was just a sophomore and Little Miss Cheerleader who never had problems of her own. But for some reason, his heart went out to her. Maybe there really was a story behind Manny Santos. He pulled his notebook out of his backpack and wrote down his number.
"Look, Manny, I can tell something's going on, and I have a feeling you need someone to talk to about it, so I'm gonna give you my number. If you wanna talk, call me." Jimmy said, ripping out the paper and handing it to her. She ripped it in half and took his pen and wrote something down.
"Here's mine." She replied simply. "If you ever need to talk about anything. I don't really have any friends anymore, so a new one is definitely needed and welcome." She replied.
Jimmy grabbed her around the waist and set her down. "The swelling should go down..." he said, touching her lip gently. "Just don't mess with it. I have to get to class, Mrs. Kwan is going to crucify me. I'll see you later, Manny." He swung his backpack out of his shoulder and marched out of the girls' bathroom.
Manny looked at the piece of paper in her hands. Jimmy Brooks' phone number. That was a new development.
She smiled. Maybe things weren't turning out so bad, after all.