I don't own Degrassi.
I put this in my other story--but if you are reading this story, and enjoy it, or hate it, or wonder why you are still reading it--please review. Thank you.
Soft Place to Fall, Chapter Five.
The day after the dinner was good and quiet, just the way Rory liked her days.
It was the next day, and Rory was heading into the building when she heard someone calling her name. It was Emma.
"Hey, Emma, whats up?"
"I was wondering-you don't have to do this-its just a favor."
"Spit it out!" Rory laughed at Emma's nervousness.
"Can you give me a ride home tonight? My stepdad has a meeting with Raditch-he works here-and my mom has to take Jack to the doctors." Rory was one of the few people at Degrassi Emma felt comfortable with to begin with, and the only one with a car.
"Sure! Meet me out here after school ok?" At Emma's nod Rory headed into the building.
Rory sat at the usual table at lunch, and when someone sat next to her she went to say hello to Craig, but it wasn't him. It was Ellie Nash. She was without the tall girl who she usually hung around with--the one she'd been told was Craig's ex.
"Hey Ellie!"
"Hey Rory, is it ok if I sit here?"
"Where's Ashley?" A third voice cut in, and Craig slid into his usual chair across from Rory.
"Dentist." Ellie answered the question with one word, and it was obvious she couldn't decide if she should be nice to Craig or not.
"I see." The three of them began eating.
Ellie finally spoke. "How do you like it here at Degrassi, Rory?"
"I like it a lot. I'm glad I'm here instead of where I was last year." There were many ways to take that statement, and Ellie took it at face value-that Rory didn't like her old school. Craig knew she was also talking about living with her grandfather as opposed to her parents."The classes aren't as bad as I thought they'd be."
"Is that how you met Craig? In class?"
"Yes, he sits by me in English, and we have psych together. I'm sorry we don't have any classes together, though, Ellie."
"Yeah, that would have been nice." Ellie agreed. "I was going to ask you to sit with us the first day, but then I saw you with Craig and..."
"Ashley would have gotten upset." Craig finished. Rory just nodded blandly. She was still unsure what had happened with Craig, Ashley, and Manny, and found herself not particularly caring if she knew or not.
"You hurt her."
"I messed up."
"No shit." Ellie smiled then, slightly. "Hey, Craig, did you do the algebra assignment?"
"Yes, but I didn't finish it. Actually...He drew the book out of his bag then. "Rory, can you help me with this equation?"
Ellie pulled her book out of her bag too, and Rory wound up helping them both with a difficult equation.
After school, Emma was waiting for Rory but she wasn't alone. Manny was with her. Emma seemed apologetic. "I hope you don't mind but..."
"No, its fine."
"Spirit squad practice was cancelled" Manny explained. "And I didn't find out until last minute so I couldn't get a ride with anyone."
Rory led the two girls over to her jeep, and they got inside. After getting directions, Rory decided to take Manny home first.
"Rory, thats your name, right? It sounds like a boys name." This, coming from a girl named Manny?
"Its my nickname." That was all she said. She didn't want anyone to know her real first name, because she hated it.
"I see. So's mine, its short for Manuela." Rory just nodded and kept driving. "Are you still hanging out with Craig Manning? Because he's bad news."
"I think Craig's a nice guy. I've been eating lunch with him, and helping him with math homework." Rory kept her voice bland, something she had practice with.
"He's a jerk."
"Manny, he hurt you yes, but that doesn't mean he hasn't changed." Emma but in, she was friends with Craig as well and didn't like listening to Manny talk about him. This was why she was trying not to be as close with Manny as before, even though they'd made up over the summer.
"Whatever." They pulled into Manny's driveway then, and the girl got out. Rory headed toward Emma's then.
"Rory?"
"Yes?"
"Has Craig...has anyone really...ever told you what happened with him and Manny and Ashley?"
"Nope, and I don't really want to know. I mean, if Craig tells me thats fine, but I'm not going to ask him for that information. Its his business."
"I see."
"He's obviously not the same person he was, because I know jerks, and he's not one." She pulled into Emma's driveway then, and dropped her off. "See you tomorrow."
Emma waved goodbye to Rory, who headed home to finish reading her psychology.
I put this in my other story--but if you are reading this story, and enjoy it, or hate it, or wonder why you are still reading it--please review. Thank you.
Soft Place to Fall, Chapter Five.
The day after the dinner was good and quiet, just the way Rory liked her days.
It was the next day, and Rory was heading into the building when she heard someone calling her name. It was Emma.
"Hey, Emma, whats up?"
"I was wondering-you don't have to do this-its just a favor."
"Spit it out!" Rory laughed at Emma's nervousness.
"Can you give me a ride home tonight? My stepdad has a meeting with Raditch-he works here-and my mom has to take Jack to the doctors." Rory was one of the few people at Degrassi Emma felt comfortable with to begin with, and the only one with a car.
"Sure! Meet me out here after school ok?" At Emma's nod Rory headed into the building.
Rory sat at the usual table at lunch, and when someone sat next to her she went to say hello to Craig, but it wasn't him. It was Ellie Nash. She was without the tall girl who she usually hung around with--the one she'd been told was Craig's ex.
"Hey Ellie!"
"Hey Rory, is it ok if I sit here?"
"Where's Ashley?" A third voice cut in, and Craig slid into his usual chair across from Rory.
"Dentist." Ellie answered the question with one word, and it was obvious she couldn't decide if she should be nice to Craig or not.
"I see." The three of them began eating.
Ellie finally spoke. "How do you like it here at Degrassi, Rory?"
"I like it a lot. I'm glad I'm here instead of where I was last year." There were many ways to take that statement, and Ellie took it at face value-that Rory didn't like her old school. Craig knew she was also talking about living with her grandfather as opposed to her parents."The classes aren't as bad as I thought they'd be."
"Is that how you met Craig? In class?"
"Yes, he sits by me in English, and we have psych together. I'm sorry we don't have any classes together, though, Ellie."
"Yeah, that would have been nice." Ellie agreed. "I was going to ask you to sit with us the first day, but then I saw you with Craig and..."
"Ashley would have gotten upset." Craig finished. Rory just nodded blandly. She was still unsure what had happened with Craig, Ashley, and Manny, and found herself not particularly caring if she knew or not.
"You hurt her."
"I messed up."
"No shit." Ellie smiled then, slightly. "Hey, Craig, did you do the algebra assignment?"
"Yes, but I didn't finish it. Actually...He drew the book out of his bag then. "Rory, can you help me with this equation?"
Ellie pulled her book out of her bag too, and Rory wound up helping them both with a difficult equation.
After school, Emma was waiting for Rory but she wasn't alone. Manny was with her. Emma seemed apologetic. "I hope you don't mind but..."
"No, its fine."
"Spirit squad practice was cancelled" Manny explained. "And I didn't find out until last minute so I couldn't get a ride with anyone."
Rory led the two girls over to her jeep, and they got inside. After getting directions, Rory decided to take Manny home first.
"Rory, thats your name, right? It sounds like a boys name." This, coming from a girl named Manny?
"Its my nickname." That was all she said. She didn't want anyone to know her real first name, because she hated it.
"I see. So's mine, its short for Manuela." Rory just nodded and kept driving. "Are you still hanging out with Craig Manning? Because he's bad news."
"I think Craig's a nice guy. I've been eating lunch with him, and helping him with math homework." Rory kept her voice bland, something she had practice with.
"He's a jerk."
"Manny, he hurt you yes, but that doesn't mean he hasn't changed." Emma but in, she was friends with Craig as well and didn't like listening to Manny talk about him. This was why she was trying not to be as close with Manny as before, even though they'd made up over the summer.
"Whatever." They pulled into Manny's driveway then, and the girl got out. Rory headed toward Emma's then.
"Rory?"
"Yes?"
"Has Craig...has anyone really...ever told you what happened with him and Manny and Ashley?"
"Nope, and I don't really want to know. I mean, if Craig tells me thats fine, but I'm not going to ask him for that information. Its his business."
"I see."
"He's obviously not the same person he was, because I know jerks, and he's not one." She pulled into Emma's driveway then, and dropped her off. "See you tomorrow."
Emma waved goodbye to Rory, who headed home to finish reading her psychology.