Chapter Four: Drama Makes the World Go Round

~*Paige*~

"So, Spin, I was thinking about dying my hair. Nothing crazy, but they say Paris Hilton platinum is all the rage this season." I told my boyfriend Spinner.

"Huh? Yeah, rage." Spinner said. I pursed my lips and glared at him. "What? What did I do now?"

"You're ignoring me, that's what you're doing now! What is up with you lately? You've had all the personality of a baked potato and not half the flavor of one." I said. I growled under my breath as I watched him stare off into space again.

We were standing in the hallway by our lockers, and I had been trying and trying to get his attention, to no avail. Suddenly, something finally caught his attention. I watched him turn his head towards...a girl! That new girl! Bianca Taylor...the one Jimmy's been drooling over all week. His eyes followed her down the hall until she disappeared into the girls' bathroom. I glared at him, and then looked at my best friend Hazel. She nodded at me, and I turned to Spinner.

"I'll take care of this little fixation of yours. Be right back, hun." I said.

"No, wait, Paige!" Spinner said.

"Spinner, if you know what's good for you, stay." I warned. Hazel and I walked into the bathroom, where Bianca was washing her hands.

"So, Bianca, you're from the states, right?" I asked her sweetly.

"Yeah, why?" she asked.

"Well, I don't really know how they do it in Florida or Hawaii or wherever you're from, but here at Degrassi, we don't try to take other people's boyfriends." I said snidely.

Bianca rolled her eyes and looked at me. "What are you talking about?"

"Spinner Mason, MY boyfriend? I saw you flirting with him in Kwan's class, and that little obsession he has with you? Not very healthy. So I'm just telling you now, back off, or you'll regret it." I replied.

"Is that a threat, Michalchek?" she replied, staring at me.

"No. It's a promise. Go near him again, and I'll make sure not a single person in school ever speaks to you again. Oh, and you may wanna stay away from Craig too. He does belong to Manny you know."

"Craig and I have history." Bianca replied smoothly. "I'll talk to whomever I please."

I snorted. "History? Hun, a dorky little schoolgirl crush doesn't count as History. Everyone sees how he snubs you every time you try to talk to him."

"I wouldn't classify it as a crush, Paige. He's my ex-boyfriend." Bianca replied.

I looked at her and laughed. "You and Craig? Yeah, right. Come on, Hazel."

Hazel and I walked out of the bathroom and back over to Spinner, where Jimmy, Craig, and Manny were all standing.

"Paige, what did you do???" Jimmy demanded.

"Nothing." I replied. "Nothing at all. Just setting Craig's ex girlfriend straight."

"Ex girlfriend?" Manny asked.

"Oh my god, you didn't know? Craig and Bianca totally went out." I said.

Jimmy and Manny stared at Craig, who looked like he wanted to shrink into his sneakers.

"Classmates?" Manny said. "Right." She glared at him and flounced away.

"Manny, wait!" Craig yelled, running after her.

"Well, my work here is done." I said with a grin. "Bye guys."

~*Manny*~

"Manny, wait!" Craig yelled as he finally caught up with me.

"Why? You lied to me, Craig!" I yelled. "Why couldn't you just tell me the truth?"

Craig sighed. "I dunno. I don't know, Manny. Look, Bianca and I have a long history together, we were best friends from first grade to seventh grade, then we started dating. We were together for two years, and I was completely in love with her, and then all of a sudden she moved. It broke my heart. Took me almost a year to get over her, and when I finally started to, my mom died. So I had to deal with that. I never got over her. Then we got together, and I started to, and then here she is. Back in my life. I just didn't know how to tell you about my history with her. I'm sorry."

I sighed. "I forgive you, Craig. And I know you had a life before you met me, I just wanna know about it, okay? No more lies."

Craig nodded.

"I have to get to class, but I'll see you after school, okay?"

Craig nodded again. "Okay." He leaned down and kissed me softly. "I really am sorry."

"I know." I replied. "Bye."

"Bye." He replied.

I walked down the hall to my media immersion class. Bianca was already in there.

"Hey, Manny!" she said cheerfully.

"Why didn't you tell me you and Craig dated?" I asked, cutting to the point.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Paige told you."

"Yeah, she did. The question is, why didn't you?" I replied.

"Because I wanted you to like me. I knew that if you knew I was Craig's ex, then you'd hate me." Bianca replied.

"And just how do you know that?" I snapped.

Bianca looked over to where Ashley was sitting, then back at me poignantly. I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, fair enough. But Ashley and I have fought over Craig before. You and Craig have been broken up for two years. That's different." I said. "Look, Bianca, I like you. You're cool. So I'm gonna let this slide. But, like I told Craig, don't ever lie to me, alright?"

Bianca nodded. "Alright."

Before I could say anything further, Mr. Simpson walked into the room, and class was starting.

~*Jimmy*~

It was after school that I finally caught up to Bianca, who was walking down the steps. Moving fast, I quickly caught up to her.

"Hey." I said, slightly out of breath.

"Hi, Jimmy." She said.

"What's up?" I asked. "Nothing much, you?"

"Oh nothing...so how come you didn't tell me you and Craig dated?" I asked.

"I didn't think it was relevant." She replied.

I nodded, and looked at her. Man, she was so beautiful. Her hair was down today in its full glory, a thick, long red mane that hung almost down to her waist. As he walked down the sidewalk, I couldn't resist running my hands through it. She looked up and smiled at me.

"You have the most beautiful hair I've ever seen." I said. I meant it, too. It really was beautiful, and soft, and silky. Perfect.

She blushed. "Thank you."

"Bianca, I know you've only known me a week and all, but, I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me tonight." I asked, preparing myself for the worst.

"I'd love to." She said simply.

"You would?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. I think we'd have a good time." She replied.

"Okay, great. I was thinking dinner, and a movie."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Seven okay?" I asked.

She smiled. "Seven's great."

"Okay, well, I'll see you then." I said.

"Alright. I'll see you later, Jimmy." She said, and walked away.

It was all I could do to keep from jumping for joy. I, Jimmy Brooks, had a date with Bianca Taylor, the most gorgeous girl I had ever seen.

Life was good.

~*Bianca*~

Finally.

Jimmy Brooks had asked me out. I had been hoping he would ask me out since my first day of school, that day where he tried his hardest to make me feel comfortable and since then had been nothing but nice to me. Not a fake nice, like Spinner or some of the other guys at Degrassi who just wanted to get in my pants, but genuinely nice, like he actually wanted to get to know me as a person.

I'll be honest. The first week at Degrassi hasn't been anywhere near easy. Paige Michalchek and her cronies had been giving me mean glares ever since she discovered Spinner had it in for me. I'd already had two guys grab my butt. And the one person I expected to be nice to me, Craig, had been treating me like a leper.

That was what really bothered me. When I saw him for the first time in two years, he almost took my breath away. Still as gorgeous as ever, but all grown up. But when he refused to speak to me, it really took my breath away. Like I had been punched in the stomach.

I never wanted to leave him. I loved him with all my heart and soul. As far as I was concerned, my mission in life was to become Mrs. Bianca Manning and have his babies. But fate disagreed with my mission, and I was off to California. Two years later, we moved to Toronto, and I started school at Degrassi. And the one person I thought about every day while in California? He wouldn't even acknowledge me. And that really, really hurt. I would never admit this to anyone, but at least two nights that week I had cried myself to sleep because of it.

But Jimmy asking me out had definitely brightened my mood. If not for Jimmy, I may not have made it through the week. And now I had a date with him! Maybe things would finally start to turn around.

As soon as I got in from school, I called Manny.

"Hello?"

"Manny, Jimmy asked me out!" I squealed excitedly.

"Finally! I was wondering when he was gonna get some guts." Manny said. "So when does this momentous occasion take place?"

"Tonight. He's picking me up at seven. I need you to come over and help me pick out an outfit, please?"

"Okay. I'll be over right away." Manny said. "Later."

I hung up the phone and fell back on my bed, beaming. Finally, after two years of staying home on the weekends, I, Bianca Taylor, had a date!