"Craig, what did you just do?"Sean asked through clenched teeth.
Craig had finally convinced Ash to meet Sean and him at The Dot. Sean wasn't exactly sure what he had just been volunteered for, but he knew it wasn't something good, "You're gonna come with me to see Ash tonight."
Sean eyed him suspiciously, "That's all? Wouldn't you want to talk to her alone? I don't know exactly what's going on with you two, but I heard she slapped you or something. Are sure that's all?"
"Ya, that's it," Craig answered definitely. *Why would it bother him if he just had to make small talk with a beautiful girl? *
"Craig, didn't your parents ever teach you about lying?"Spinner asked with a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Didn't your parents ever teach you to mind your own business? Or is that just Paige rubbing off on you?"Craig had crossed the line, and he knew it. Spinner didn't say anything else to him, just the occasional angry glare.
Sean stood back against the wall with his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised, "Somebody wanna tell me what's going on?" Nobody answered, "Now?"
Craig let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his dark, disheveled hair, "You wanna do me a favor?"
Sean glared at him, "Do I have a choice?"
"Not really," Craig answered truthfully, "I need to apologize to Ash, and she has a friend over that she doesn't want to leave alone. Well, at least that was her reason when she was trying to back out. Anyway, her friend needs someone to talk to, while I explain things to Ash."
Sean was thinking about the things Craig had just said, and began to wonder why Spinner couldn't go, "Wait a minute! Why haven't you mentioned this 'friend''s name?"
Craig looked at Spinner for help, but he didn't seem to care, "Well, uh . . . she's pretty, in that alternative way. She's really nice too, once you get to know her. And, um . . ."
"Name?!" Sean demanded. He looked threatening as he stood with his arms crossed in a grey hoodie, baggy jeans, and a black bandanna.
"She has red hair. It's usually in braided pigtails. She wears pretty much only clothes darker than the night sky . . . "
"Name?"Sean was becoming impatient. *I thought that Craig wanted to try and be friends again. I guess I was wrong. He just needs me to take out some freaky friend of his ex-girlfriend. They probably thought that the only person who would take out this Goth chick would be a troublemaker. Well at least I know what Craig really thinks of me now. Maybe he's just trying to accept me for who I am. I don't think I want to be accepted as a troublemaker. *
"Ellie. Ellie Nash," Craig finally gave in. He waited to see Sean lose it. *He's probably gonna say something about how she is a freak, and that he can't believe I'd think that low of him . . . * But it never came.
"Cool," Sean replied calmly. *I don't know her yet. I'm not gonna judge her. * Sean reasoned with himself.
"Cool?"Spinner and Craig both questioned at the same time. They turned and looked each other. Spinner remembered Jimmy wanting to go out with Ellie after Ashley and he had broken up, but she had given Spinner her number, not Jimmy. Spinner didn't think she was that bad, because he knew her . . . well, at least more than Sean did. At first glance, you couldn't help but think she was a little . . . strange. Yet, Sean didn't seem to mind. Maybe that was the point. He didn't *seem* to mind.
A little before eight, Sean and Craig said goodbye to Spinner as he went to pick up Paige, and they headed toward The Dot.
"You're sure you're okay with this?" Craig checked one last time before going into the diner.
"For the thousandth time: It's okay! I need to . . . meet new people anyway," Sean finally decided on the most effective way to word it.
"Okay . . . but you can't back out now," Craig cautioned as he opened the door and immediately saw Ashley and Ellie sitting at a small table.
They slowly approached the girls, and Ellie scowled at both of them. Even with all the problems with her family, she still noticed what was going on around her. She couldn't help but resent Craig for what he did to Ashley. Over Winter Break, Ashley had called her practically every day, and every time she was in tears. *I wish Ashley would just stop pretending like she's okay! * She looked over at her best friend, who was watching Craig intently as the two boys came closer. Ashley managed somewhat of a smile, which just made Ellie more angry. *There she goes again. She falls to pieces when it's just us, and then he appears, and suddenly it's okay! *
Ellie took a deep breath as the guys sat down at the table, "Hey Sean. Craig," she nodded at them.
"Hi Ellie," Craig greeted her as he grinned, "I guess you already know Sean."
Sean had the hood of his sweatshirt up, so nobody noticed the headphones he wore. He was listening to Linkin Park, loud enough so he couldn't hear what the others were saying, but quiet enough that nobody else could hear. All of a sudden, he felt someone kick his leg, "Owe!"he said, then looked at Craig, where he presumed the kick came from. Craig motioned with his head at Ellie, and then Sean remembered why he was there. He reached inside his pocket and turned off his C.D. player, "Hey, Ellie, ya wanna go for a walk, or something?" Craig had asked him to make sure it didn't sound too obvious, but by the expression on her face, she knew there was something going on.
She let out a frustrated sigh before accepting, "Sure, let's go outside," Ellie slid off her chair and was followed by Sean.
They walked outside in the cold night air. Ellie felt the freezing weather quickly, for she was dressed in baggy black pants, a thin black tee shirt, and she wore white and black striped arm stockings.
She crossed her arms in front of her as they walked down the dark street, trying to keep some heat in, "So, what was all that about?"
"What was all what about?"Sean asked innocently. She couldn't see his expression, but she knew he was lying.
"You don't even know who I am, and you decide to ask to go walk with you? I don't think so."
Sean let out a short sigh, "Craig wants to apologize to Ashley for what he did."
"He told you what he did? Ashley is going to be angry. She didn't even want to tell me, because she was afraid I'd feel bad for her."Ellie informed Sean.
Sean decided not to tell her that he didn't know what had happened. *Maybe I can get her to tell me later. *
"What C.D. were you listening to in there?"Ellie asked, which completely surprised Sean. *How did she know I was listening to my C.D. player? *
"Linkin Park," Sean answered simply.
Ellie nodded her head, "I love the song "Numb.""
"Ya? That's what I was listening to."He turned to smile at her, and noticed she was shivering, "Oh, you must be freezing! Here, you can wear my sweatshirt," Sean offered as he started to pull it over his head.
"No, it's okay. They should almost be done talking, right?"Ellie said. Sean asked her one more time, and she refused again.
"Ya, I guess you're right. Maybe we should go back. I mean, how long could it take for Craig to apologize?"
"Ashley, I didn't get to explain everything to you the night of our performance. So, please, don't say anything, just listen."Ashley nodded her head slowly, and Craig took a deep breath before justifying his actions, "Ash, I care for you, I really do. Everything between us was great, but after a while, it seemed like we were just staying together because it was the right thing to do. It was like we knew that we weren't meant for each other, but together, we felt safe. Ash, I did something stupid. But it was because of that mistake, that I realized what we had. A strong friendship. I know that if you ever needed me, I'd be there. And vice versa."
"Then where were you over Winter Break?"Ashley spat, "I needed you then, but you weren't there!"
"I don't know Ash. But as cliched as this may sound, we can still be friends. Actually, I need you to be my friend. Ashley, I miss you so much. Please, please be the bigger person and accept my apology."
Craig stared at her, waiting for her answer. He could see how watery her eyes were, but he knew she wouldn't cry in front of him. The world seemed to stand still as he awaited the next words out of her mouth.
"Are they done yet?"Ellie asked Sean as he peered into the window. Ellie could see her breath coming out in short little puffs, and was beginning to think they'd never come out.
"Nope, not yet," Sean said as he moved away from the window and leaned against the wall. He noticed Ellie shaking again, "Ellie, just shut up, and take the damn sweatshirt!"
He ignored her protests as he slid it off, and started to hand it to her. She wouldn't take it, so he pushed it over her head, and began to push her arms through the sleeves, when she flinched, "Ellie, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I grabbed you so hard," Sean apologized quickly. He really didn't mean to hurt her. Actually, when he thought about it, he hardly even touched her.
Ellie noticed Sean was watching her strangely as she carefully slid her arms into the sleeves, "It's okay, you didn't hurt me," Ellie tried to comfort him.
It was big for Ellie, so she pulled the sleeves back a little. As she did so, her arm stocking started to come back with it, exposing a couple cuts on her arms. Ellie quickly pulled it back down, but not quick enough. Sean's eyes were glued to a little above her wrist.
Craig had finally convinced Ash to meet Sean and him at The Dot. Sean wasn't exactly sure what he had just been volunteered for, but he knew it wasn't something good, "You're gonna come with me to see Ash tonight."
Sean eyed him suspiciously, "That's all? Wouldn't you want to talk to her alone? I don't know exactly what's going on with you two, but I heard she slapped you or something. Are sure that's all?"
"Ya, that's it," Craig answered definitely. *Why would it bother him if he just had to make small talk with a beautiful girl? *
"Craig, didn't your parents ever teach you about lying?"Spinner asked with a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Didn't your parents ever teach you to mind your own business? Or is that just Paige rubbing off on you?"Craig had crossed the line, and he knew it. Spinner didn't say anything else to him, just the occasional angry glare.
Sean stood back against the wall with his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised, "Somebody wanna tell me what's going on?" Nobody answered, "Now?"
Craig let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his dark, disheveled hair, "You wanna do me a favor?"
Sean glared at him, "Do I have a choice?"
"Not really," Craig answered truthfully, "I need to apologize to Ash, and she has a friend over that she doesn't want to leave alone. Well, at least that was her reason when she was trying to back out. Anyway, her friend needs someone to talk to, while I explain things to Ash."
Sean was thinking about the things Craig had just said, and began to wonder why Spinner couldn't go, "Wait a minute! Why haven't you mentioned this 'friend''s name?"
Craig looked at Spinner for help, but he didn't seem to care, "Well, uh . . . she's pretty, in that alternative way. She's really nice too, once you get to know her. And, um . . ."
"Name?!" Sean demanded. He looked threatening as he stood with his arms crossed in a grey hoodie, baggy jeans, and a black bandanna.
"She has red hair. It's usually in braided pigtails. She wears pretty much only clothes darker than the night sky . . . "
"Name?"Sean was becoming impatient. *I thought that Craig wanted to try and be friends again. I guess I was wrong. He just needs me to take out some freaky friend of his ex-girlfriend. They probably thought that the only person who would take out this Goth chick would be a troublemaker. Well at least I know what Craig really thinks of me now. Maybe he's just trying to accept me for who I am. I don't think I want to be accepted as a troublemaker. *
"Ellie. Ellie Nash," Craig finally gave in. He waited to see Sean lose it. *He's probably gonna say something about how she is a freak, and that he can't believe I'd think that low of him . . . * But it never came.
"Cool," Sean replied calmly. *I don't know her yet. I'm not gonna judge her. * Sean reasoned with himself.
"Cool?"Spinner and Craig both questioned at the same time. They turned and looked each other. Spinner remembered Jimmy wanting to go out with Ellie after Ashley and he had broken up, but she had given Spinner her number, not Jimmy. Spinner didn't think she was that bad, because he knew her . . . well, at least more than Sean did. At first glance, you couldn't help but think she was a little . . . strange. Yet, Sean didn't seem to mind. Maybe that was the point. He didn't *seem* to mind.
A little before eight, Sean and Craig said goodbye to Spinner as he went to pick up Paige, and they headed toward The Dot.
"You're sure you're okay with this?" Craig checked one last time before going into the diner.
"For the thousandth time: It's okay! I need to . . . meet new people anyway," Sean finally decided on the most effective way to word it.
"Okay . . . but you can't back out now," Craig cautioned as he opened the door and immediately saw Ashley and Ellie sitting at a small table.
They slowly approached the girls, and Ellie scowled at both of them. Even with all the problems with her family, she still noticed what was going on around her. She couldn't help but resent Craig for what he did to Ashley. Over Winter Break, Ashley had called her practically every day, and every time she was in tears. *I wish Ashley would just stop pretending like she's okay! * She looked over at her best friend, who was watching Craig intently as the two boys came closer. Ashley managed somewhat of a smile, which just made Ellie more angry. *There she goes again. She falls to pieces when it's just us, and then he appears, and suddenly it's okay! *
Ellie took a deep breath as the guys sat down at the table, "Hey Sean. Craig," she nodded at them.
"Hi Ellie," Craig greeted her as he grinned, "I guess you already know Sean."
Sean had the hood of his sweatshirt up, so nobody noticed the headphones he wore. He was listening to Linkin Park, loud enough so he couldn't hear what the others were saying, but quiet enough that nobody else could hear. All of a sudden, he felt someone kick his leg, "Owe!"he said, then looked at Craig, where he presumed the kick came from. Craig motioned with his head at Ellie, and then Sean remembered why he was there. He reached inside his pocket and turned off his C.D. player, "Hey, Ellie, ya wanna go for a walk, or something?" Craig had asked him to make sure it didn't sound too obvious, but by the expression on her face, she knew there was something going on.
She let out a frustrated sigh before accepting, "Sure, let's go outside," Ellie slid off her chair and was followed by Sean.
They walked outside in the cold night air. Ellie felt the freezing weather quickly, for she was dressed in baggy black pants, a thin black tee shirt, and she wore white and black striped arm stockings.
She crossed her arms in front of her as they walked down the dark street, trying to keep some heat in, "So, what was all that about?"
"What was all what about?"Sean asked innocently. She couldn't see his expression, but she knew he was lying.
"You don't even know who I am, and you decide to ask to go walk with you? I don't think so."
Sean let out a short sigh, "Craig wants to apologize to Ashley for what he did."
"He told you what he did? Ashley is going to be angry. She didn't even want to tell me, because she was afraid I'd feel bad for her."Ellie informed Sean.
Sean decided not to tell her that he didn't know what had happened. *Maybe I can get her to tell me later. *
"What C.D. were you listening to in there?"Ellie asked, which completely surprised Sean. *How did she know I was listening to my C.D. player? *
"Linkin Park," Sean answered simply.
Ellie nodded her head, "I love the song "Numb.""
"Ya? That's what I was listening to."He turned to smile at her, and noticed she was shivering, "Oh, you must be freezing! Here, you can wear my sweatshirt," Sean offered as he started to pull it over his head.
"No, it's okay. They should almost be done talking, right?"Ellie said. Sean asked her one more time, and she refused again.
"Ya, I guess you're right. Maybe we should go back. I mean, how long could it take for Craig to apologize?"
"Ashley, I didn't get to explain everything to you the night of our performance. So, please, don't say anything, just listen."Ashley nodded her head slowly, and Craig took a deep breath before justifying his actions, "Ash, I care for you, I really do. Everything between us was great, but after a while, it seemed like we were just staying together because it was the right thing to do. It was like we knew that we weren't meant for each other, but together, we felt safe. Ash, I did something stupid. But it was because of that mistake, that I realized what we had. A strong friendship. I know that if you ever needed me, I'd be there. And vice versa."
"Then where were you over Winter Break?"Ashley spat, "I needed you then, but you weren't there!"
"I don't know Ash. But as cliched as this may sound, we can still be friends. Actually, I need you to be my friend. Ashley, I miss you so much. Please, please be the bigger person and accept my apology."
Craig stared at her, waiting for her answer. He could see how watery her eyes were, but he knew she wouldn't cry in front of him. The world seemed to stand still as he awaited the next words out of her mouth.
"Are they done yet?"Ellie asked Sean as he peered into the window. Ellie could see her breath coming out in short little puffs, and was beginning to think they'd never come out.
"Nope, not yet," Sean said as he moved away from the window and leaned against the wall. He noticed Ellie shaking again, "Ellie, just shut up, and take the damn sweatshirt!"
He ignored her protests as he slid it off, and started to hand it to her. She wouldn't take it, so he pushed it over her head, and began to push her arms through the sleeves, when she flinched, "Ellie, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I grabbed you so hard," Sean apologized quickly. He really didn't mean to hurt her. Actually, when he thought about it, he hardly even touched her.
Ellie noticed Sean was watching her strangely as she carefully slid her arms into the sleeves, "It's okay, you didn't hurt me," Ellie tried to comfort him.
It was big for Ellie, so she pulled the sleeves back a little. As she did so, her arm stocking started to come back with it, exposing a couple cuts on her arms. Ellie quickly pulled it back down, but not quick enough. Sean's eyes were glued to a little above her wrist.