Chapter Eight: The Truth Revealed

~*Craig*~

I was getting used to the idea of having Bianca in my school. I was getting used to the idea of my girlfriend and my ex girlfriend being best friends. I was even getting used to the idea of Jimmy and Bianca going out (okay, not really). But that all went to hell when Bianca and I were in the music room for our free period rehearsing for the student assembly.

Since Ashley had taken it upon herself to dump soda all over Bianca, she had no choice but to get another shirt out of her locker. I know this sounds stupid, but it was the shirt that shook me.

Bianca walked into the music room and sat down on the stool next to me, dropping her bag on the floor. "Alright, let's get started."

I looked up from my guitar at her, and almost fell off my stool.

"Craig? Something wrong?" she asked.

I sighed. "Only what you're wearing."

She looked down. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Do you remember what we were doing the first day you wore that?" I asked, the hurt tone evident in my voice.

"What we were....oh my god." She clapped a hand over her mouth as realization struck her. "This is the shirt...."

"You were wearing the day we made love the first time." I finished. "And now it's your backup t-shirt."

"Some of us don't scrapbook everything, Craig." She said softly. "And I had to move on."

"No, you didn't." I replied. "You could have stayed."

"Stayed? How? My family was moving to..."

"I could have taken care of you." I interrupted. "Bianca, why'd you have to leave me?"

"I didn't have a choice, Craig! We were fourteen! Fourteen year olds can't take care of each other!"

"We could have and you know it." I snapped. Bianca sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. I recognized that look on her face...emotional exhaustion.

"Craig, just play the damn song, please."

~*Ashley*~

I was on my way to the music room when I heard two voices inside. Looking in through the window, I saw it was Craig and Bianca. Alone, in a room together, with the door shut. This was interesting. I decided to eavesdrop.

"This is the shirt..."

"...you were wearing the first time we made love."

My eyes widened. So not only had they been dating, they had sex too! That little fink, he told me he was a virgin! A thought sprang into my head. I bet he told Manny the exact same thing. Smiling evilly, I stood up and walked down the hall to the gymnasium, where Manny, Paige, Hazel, and the rest of the spirit squad would be practicing.

~*Manny*~

"Ready? Okay!" I yelled to my fellow spirit squad members. It was free period, and as always, practice for the Panther cheerleaders. Today we were practicing a new cheer I had made up.

"Get on the Panther train, hey hey hey! Get on the Panther train, alright, alright! You don't need no ticket but you've got to have pride, so get on the Panther train and ride, ride, ride!"

"Manny, that was such an awesome cheer. You have a serious knack for writing." Paige told me with a smile.

"Thanks."

"Hey guys." A voice said. I groaned as I connected the voice to a face – Ashley Kerwin's face.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"Oh, nothing, just hanging out. Oh, Manny, by the way, did you and Craig ever get tested before you two had sex?" she asked rudely.

My mouth gaped open. The nerve!

"A, I don't believe that's any of your damn business, and B, we didn't need to, because we were both virgins. Any other questions?"

"So Craig lied to you?" Ashley replied.

"What are you babbling about?" I was getting madder and madder by the second, and if not for the fact that we had an audience, I definitely would have slapped Ashley by now.

"Craig wasn't a virgin." Ashley answered matter-of-factly.

I snorted. "Like Craig would really have sex with you."

She shook her head, smiling. "Not me. His other ex."

I saw Paige's mouth drop open and a grin crease her lips. "I knew it."

I turned to Paige. "Really? How's that?"

"Please, hun, you can tell by the way he looks at her that he's seen her in much less than those skanky clothes she wears." Paige replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I don't believe it." I replied, crossing my arms.

"Well, you should." Ashley replied. "I heard them reminiscing about it in the music room. He even remembered the shirt she was wearing."

My stomach flip flopped. Craig and Bianca? My Craig?

"Still wanna be friends with your boyfriend's ex soulmate? Or are you going to drop that loser, and rejoin our side?" Paige asked.

"I..Uh...I have to go talk to Craig." I replied, running out of the gym.

~*Craig*~

Bianca and I were finally making the rehearsal sound good and putting everything behind us when Manny stormed into the music room and grabbed my arm. "I need to talk to you."

"Manny, what's wrong?" Bianca asked.

"You stay out of this, I definitely don't want to talk to you." Manny replied evenly, glaring at Bianca.

I knew she was upset, so I got up and followed her out of the music room into the hallway.

"What's up, Manny?" I asked, shutting the door behind me.

"What shirt was I wearing?" she asked me.

"What?"

"The night we made love. What shirt was I wearing?" Manny replied.

"I don't know....a shirt...Manny, what's wrong?" I asked. Something was up. Something big.

"You told me you were a virgin." Manny said softly. "But you lied to me. You did it with her. And you remembered what shirt she was wearing."

My eyes widened. "How did you..."

"Ashley Kerwin overheard you." Manny replied sadly. "Why didn't you just tell me the truth?"

"I didn't know what to say." I replied. "Manny, I'm sorry. But I can't change what happened."

"I know." Manny replied. "Just do me a favor."

"Anything!" I said honestly. I really cared about Manny, and I wanted to do anything to make her happy. But what she was about to ask, I wasn't prepared to do.

"Never speak to her again." Manny replied.