Somewhere Out There
A/N: thanks for the feedback, you guys keep me happy. I think I FINALLY decided what I'm going to do with the story (thank God) so yay. I have ideas come to me in the middle of the night and its like "hurry! remember!" Anyways, story.
Chapter 4: Brick
Craig walked into his house and threw his bag on the ground. He grabbed the note Joey had left him. "Can you pick up Ang? I left the car. She has rehearsal for the lower school play until 5:00. I have to work until 6, and Caitlin's picking me up and we're going into town for a dinner. We'll be back around 8. Thanks J"
Craig grabbed the keys and ran out to his car. "Freedom!" he said as he got into his car. "Well, until 5:00 at least."
He drove to Spinner's to find Jimmy's brand new Pontiac GTO already in the driveway. He walked into Spinner's house, not bothering to knock since he never did. "Manning, we were just about to call you," Jimmy said while flipping aimlessly through the standard cable on Spinner's TV.
"We could practice," Spinner offered to cure the boredom.
"Man, I'm not into that. Why don't we go to the Dot or something?" Marco asked.
"OK by me," Craig said, realizing for the first time the effects of replacing breakfast and lunch with airplane peanuts.
You could tell Spinner wasn't happy about the plan, but he was so bored, he was pretty much up for anything. "I'm going with Jimmy," Spinner said as a way of consent.
"Then I'll go with Craig, unless you want to go in Jimmy's car too and just come back to your car later?" Marco asked.
"Nah, I gotta pick up Angie at 5, so I'll just take mine."
"Let's roll," Jimmy said grabbing his key chain.
Craig left first, since he was the last one in the driveway, and Jimmy followed him. Jimmy's car, obviously a model built for speed, stayed the speed limit behind Craig. Marco smiled as they came closer and saw the Michalchuk family mini-van already there. Craig looked at what Marco was staring at. "Could be Paige," he said.
"Could be both," Marco retorted. Craig smiled as he parked it and got out, followed by Marco, Jimmy, and Spinner. They went into the little second home for Degrassi students and grabbed their usual table. Paige and Hazel came over to sit, bringing Dylan along with them. Craig, with Jimmy and Hazel flirting shamelessly, Paige and Spinner dating, and Dylan and Marco both harboring huge crushes, felt very alone.
"This is the reason I need to get out," he thought to himself. He looked longingly at Ashley, hating himself once again, but quickly looked away when he caught Ellie's eye.
"Mr. Sorry was staring at you," Ellie said, almost in a sing-song voice.
"Hmm? Who?" Ashley asked, but looking up, quickly answered herself. "Oh, him."
"You should go talk to him now. Katie's not even here," Ellie said nudging her.
"Yea," Ashley agreed. "I think I will."
She got up and went over to the counter, trying her best to make this whole effort look nonchalant. As she ordered another coffee and stood waiting for it, she began to have second thoughts. "Shouldn't he come to me?" she thought. "If he was that sorry, he would. But then again, I have been pretty distant lately; it wasn't like I was giving him any welcoming signals."
Her internal monologue was settled when she checked back at Ellie, who was urging her to go over. She turned and made her way towards the table when she heard the bell ring and Manny walked in, heading straight for Craig. Ashley's eyes opened wide. "Not her again," she thought. She just stood in the middle of the Dot, looking stupid, as Craig pulled up a chair for Manny. "Maybe some things never change."
"It's important," Manny said, ignoring the chair. "I shouldn't be doing this," she thought. "This isn't fair to JT, or to myself."
He pulled her aside after checking his watch: 4:45. "I have to go pick up my sister now. Just, come with me. There's so much we need to talk about. We can take her home and occupy her with a movie or something."
She looked around, double checking for JT, Emma, Toby, or anyone else that could incriminate her. "Alright," she agreed.
"Catch you guys later," Craig said, going back to the table. "Gotta go get Ang."
"Later," the table said.
Ashley watched him walk out with her. That girl. The girl who took it upon herself to totally demolish other people's lives and self-worth. Why had she ever thought Craig Manning deserved the decency of having her listen to an apology? He was the biggest waste of a human life she had ever met.
A/N: thanks for the feedback, you guys keep me happy. I think I FINALLY decided what I'm going to do with the story (thank God) so yay. I have ideas come to me in the middle of the night and its like "hurry! remember!" Anyways, story.
Chapter 4: Brick
Craig walked into his house and threw his bag on the ground. He grabbed the note Joey had left him. "Can you pick up Ang? I left the car. She has rehearsal for the lower school play until 5:00. I have to work until 6, and Caitlin's picking me up and we're going into town for a dinner. We'll be back around 8. Thanks J"
Craig grabbed the keys and ran out to his car. "Freedom!" he said as he got into his car. "Well, until 5:00 at least."
He drove to Spinner's to find Jimmy's brand new Pontiac GTO already in the driveway. He walked into Spinner's house, not bothering to knock since he never did. "Manning, we were just about to call you," Jimmy said while flipping aimlessly through the standard cable on Spinner's TV.
"We could practice," Spinner offered to cure the boredom.
"Man, I'm not into that. Why don't we go to the Dot or something?" Marco asked.
"OK by me," Craig said, realizing for the first time the effects of replacing breakfast and lunch with airplane peanuts.
You could tell Spinner wasn't happy about the plan, but he was so bored, he was pretty much up for anything. "I'm going with Jimmy," Spinner said as a way of consent.
"Then I'll go with Craig, unless you want to go in Jimmy's car too and just come back to your car later?" Marco asked.
"Nah, I gotta pick up Angie at 5, so I'll just take mine."
"Let's roll," Jimmy said grabbing his key chain.
Craig left first, since he was the last one in the driveway, and Jimmy followed him. Jimmy's car, obviously a model built for speed, stayed the speed limit behind Craig. Marco smiled as they came closer and saw the Michalchuk family mini-van already there. Craig looked at what Marco was staring at. "Could be Paige," he said.
"Could be both," Marco retorted. Craig smiled as he parked it and got out, followed by Marco, Jimmy, and Spinner. They went into the little second home for Degrassi students and grabbed their usual table. Paige and Hazel came over to sit, bringing Dylan along with them. Craig, with Jimmy and Hazel flirting shamelessly, Paige and Spinner dating, and Dylan and Marco both harboring huge crushes, felt very alone.
"This is the reason I need to get out," he thought to himself. He looked longingly at Ashley, hating himself once again, but quickly looked away when he caught Ellie's eye.
"Mr. Sorry was staring at you," Ellie said, almost in a sing-song voice.
"Hmm? Who?" Ashley asked, but looking up, quickly answered herself. "Oh, him."
"You should go talk to him now. Katie's not even here," Ellie said nudging her.
"Yea," Ashley agreed. "I think I will."
She got up and went over to the counter, trying her best to make this whole effort look nonchalant. As she ordered another coffee and stood waiting for it, she began to have second thoughts. "Shouldn't he come to me?" she thought. "If he was that sorry, he would. But then again, I have been pretty distant lately; it wasn't like I was giving him any welcoming signals."
Her internal monologue was settled when she checked back at Ellie, who was urging her to go over. She turned and made her way towards the table when she heard the bell ring and Manny walked in, heading straight for Craig. Ashley's eyes opened wide. "Not her again," she thought. She just stood in the middle of the Dot, looking stupid, as Craig pulled up a chair for Manny. "Maybe some things never change."
"It's important," Manny said, ignoring the chair. "I shouldn't be doing this," she thought. "This isn't fair to JT, or to myself."
He pulled her aside after checking his watch: 4:45. "I have to go pick up my sister now. Just, come with me. There's so much we need to talk about. We can take her home and occupy her with a movie or something."
She looked around, double checking for JT, Emma, Toby, or anyone else that could incriminate her. "Alright," she agreed.
"Catch you guys later," Craig said, going back to the table. "Gotta go get Ang."
"Later," the table said.
Ashley watched him walk out with her. That girl. The girl who took it upon herself to totally demolish other people's lives and self-worth. Why had she ever thought Craig Manning deserved the decency of having her listen to an apology? He was the biggest waste of a human life she had ever met.