Title: Must Get Out
Rating: PG-13 for language and themes
Characters: Ellie, Spinner, Paige, Ashley, Marco…(pretty much everyone, eventually)
Pairings: Spinner/Ellie, Manny/JT, not sure about any other pairings
Summary: Slight AU. She thinks he's an immature, self-centered pig. He thinks she's a weirdo, gothic freak. What happens when they start to care? Ellie/Spinner shipper fic.
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. Don't sue.
A/N: Third chapter. I made it this far, and this chapter didn't take as long as the last one ^-^ I really hope everyone is enjoying this so far, I'm having a lot of fun writing it. Oh yeah! And who saw Spinner and JT's new haircuts on the-n commercials? Can we say hot! I don't know why some girls don't like it…I guess some people just can't appreciate the hotness of the shag. Well, that's all the author's note I have for you today [ Ashley, 9-1-03 ]
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Chapter 3: Junior High Love Affair Is OK
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Ellie heard a high-pitched voice ask from next to her. She turned to her left to find that Manny and Toby's friend had come up to her after she got hit.
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine," Ellie said putting a hand on her now red cheek, trying to ignore the laughter that was coming from the bleachers. "Manny right?"
"Yeah, and this is JT," she said pointing to the boy next to her.
"Ellie," Ellie said, reaching out to the hand JT extended, only to have him pull away and run a hand through his hair.
"Too slick for you my friend," he said with a smirk.
"Don't mind him. When he was a kid, his idea of fun was jumping down the stairs head first," Manny told Ellie as if it explained everything. JT glared at her.
"I love how you talk about me as if I'm not standing right beside you," he said sarcastically. Manny grinned. "Anywho, you're a senior right? What brings you around these parts? Didn't you take gym in Grade 9?"
"I was trying to hold it off as long as possible, but now I am starting to regret it. And you guys are in Grade 11, why didn't you take it freshman year?"
"Well, I wanted to take Theatre Arts Grade 9 and JT wanted to take Tech Ed Grade 10," Manny explained. "We always sign up for the same classes."
"Oh, I see. So you two are together?" Ellie asked. Manny blushed, while JT just laughed.
"No, just good buddies," JT said draping a casual arm around Manny while she continued to turn red as a beet. "Besides, my heart belongs to one of Paige Michalchuk."
"Paige? Ew," Ellie said making a face. "How can you like her?"
"That's what I said!" Manny piped in.
"It's simple, ladies. It's meant to be," JT said with an inferior smile.
"Oh really?" Ellie laughed.
"Oui, Mademoiselle. It's in the stars," he said with a dreamy look on his face. Manny just rolled her eyes.
"I'm sure." It was then that a manly looking woman with a sweat suit on came up to them. She had bleach blonde hair and dark roots, about 6 feet tall, and the physique of a body builder. Not a very pretty sight if you asked the three teens she was now glaring at.
"Why are you three over here chatting? This is Physical Education, not social hour," she said with a stern look on her face. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as her eyes made their way to JT. "And you young man. You go back over with the boys, you are contaminating the estrogen flow in this room." That was too much for Ellie, as she started laughing, but covered up with a coughing fit.
"Aye, aye captain," JT said, saluting the woman and winking at the two girls. "I'll see you two later."
"Pubescent, adolescent boys. What can you do?" the older woman said, shaking her head as JT ran back to the rest of his classmates. She nodded towards Manny and Ellie. "Enough standing around. Follow me." The girls obeyed as they followed the woman to the bleachers. Ellie and Manny choose seats closer to the back and waited for the teacher to start lecturing about staying in shape and why Phys Ed is required for a reason.
"Alright girls, listen up. My name is Ms. Casper, and no. Not like Casper the friendly ghost. For one, I'm most certainly not a ghost. And secondly, I am definitely not friendly," she sent an evil smirk towards the class which made most of the girls jump or turn a few shades lighter.
'Okay, teacher count so far. Homeroom? Lunatic that belongs in a mental facility and has smoked one too many joints. Psychology? Middle aged balding guy going through his mid-life crisis at the moment. Gym? Beef Jerky Spice. Enough said.'
"Hey you! Pay attention," Ms. Casper said, snapping her fingers right in front of Ellie's face. "You look a little old to be a freshman. Are you in the right class, missy?"
"Maybe that's because I'm not a freshman. I'm a senior, missy," Ellie said calmly.
"Oh, you must be one of those artsy types that puts off gym until the last minute," the woman said, as if she was reading her like a book. "I'll be keeping my eye on you, Miss…"
"Ellie Nash, but you can call me Sunshine if you want. And it is rude to make assumptions. You don't know me, so don't act like you do, sir." Ellie could've said it slipped, but that would be lying. She heard a few chuckles coming from around her and saw Manny's shoulder's shake from beside her. Instead of saying something else, she was content just watching as the teachers' face went through five shades of red.
"Quiet!" Ms. Casper snapped at the girls that were laughing. They immediately stopped, not wanting to endure any amount of pain from the frightening woman. "You listen here, Miss Nash. I will not, and I mean will not, tolerate your idiotic remarks or jokes. Keep your trap shut or I will fail you. And I'm not a fortune teller, but I do see you failing in the near future"
"Whatever you say Ms. C, but I'm quoting you on that," Ellie said with a smirk. She knew it was stupid to purposely try to piss the teacher off, but the lady was a bitch and once Ellie got going, it was hard to get her to stop.
"Anyways, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted…" And the teacher continued rambling on about gym uniforms, lockers, and the 'participate or die' rule. "Alright ladies, we are going to go into the locker room and pick out a locker. Once you have picked a locker, stay there and I will come around and write down the locker number in case you forget."
Ellie picked a locker next to Manny's, seeing as she was the only person she knew in the class. Manny, however, seemed to know everyone, but stayed by Ellie most of the time. Ellie was about to comment about how the locker room smelt like feet when a petite, giggling blonde girl came up to them.
"Oh my god! Manny, we are in the same class!" she said, jumping up and down in excitement. "That is so awesome!"
"Oh, hey Claire," Manny said with a wave and a phony smile. "Yeah, it's real awesome."
"Well, I haven't picked out a locker yet, so I think I'll pick this one, right next to you," she said with a smile. "I better go get my stuff. Be back in a jiffy!" And with that, the chipper girl ran off to parts unknown.
"Ugh, she is so annoying!" Manny said with a groan.
"Well aren't we Miss Popular," Ellie said with a teasing smile. "Just about every freshman has come up to you to say how excited they are that they are in the same class as you."
"The downside to being on the volleyball team," Manny said. "The freshman usually try and suck up to the Varsity team. Friends in high places I guess." Ellie laughed and shook her head.
"I'm back!" Claire exclaimed. She ran up to Manny, now carrying a pink book bag and a matching pink purse.
"Great," Manny said with a hint of sarcasm, but Claire didn't pick up on it.
"Who's your friend?" Claire said, eyeing Ellie.
"Oh, I'm Ellie," she introduced herself.
"Claire Shafer." There was an awkward silence between the three as Claire glared at Ellie. Her glare slowly disappeared as her face lit up. "Oh yeah! Manny, I forgot to ask you. Who was that cute boy you were talking to earlier before class started?"
"You mean JT?"
"Yeah. He is so hot!" she giggled. "You have to introduce me to him. I think I might ask him out."
"Um, no offense, but he already has his eye on someone. Paige Michalchuk," Manny explained. If Ellie would've blinked, she would've missed the gleam of jealousy that appeared in Manny's eyes.
"When he meets me, he'll forget all about that Paige bitch," she said with an arrogant smile. It was then that Ms. Casper came into their locker row.
"Name and locker number," she asked the three girls, ready with a clipboard and a pencil.
"Claire Shafer, 133."
"Manny Santos, 132."
"Ellie Nash, 131."
"Thank you ladies," she said to the girls, but Ellie didn't miss the glare that was sent her way. "You can go to the gym now. We are going to do an activity with the boys." The woman made her way down the locker row to get the rest of the locker numbers, while the three girls made their way to the gym.
"Yes! We get to work with the boys! Now you can introduce me to JT," Claire squealed, jumping up and down.
"Um, sure," Manny said with an uncertain look on her face as they made their way into the gym. Manny and Ellie sat down on the bleachers and Claire followed.
"You already followed me to Homeroom and Psychology, and now gym? You must really like me, Nash," Ellie heard a new, but familiar voice say. She looked towards the direction it came from and cursed her luck. There standing before her was Spinner Mason.
"You have got to be kidding me," Ellie groaned. "Alright, I know you had to have taken gym in freshman year. You must be in the wrong class."
"I did take it freshman year. I'm a student aid. Say hello to Mr. Grint's new assistant," Spinner said with a smirk. "Since I was such a good student and I happen to be the star player of the soccer team, Mr. Grint asked me if I wanted to be his student aid. Of course I said yes, easy A."
"Hi there," Claire said flirtatiously.
"Um, hi. Do I know you?"
"No, but I would love to know you. Claire Shafer, at your service," Claire purred, sticking out her hand.
"Spinner Mason," Spinner said with a raised eyebrow, taking her hand. "Well, I better get going. Good luck in gym, Nash."
"Fuck you!" Ellie yelled to Spinner's back.
"Oh my God! And I thought JT was hot!" Claire exclaimed.
"Spinner? Hot? No way," Ellie said in disgust. "He's an arrogant jerk that thinks he's hot shit. Hardly what I would define as a stud."
"Well you must be blind, because that Spinner is one of the finest guys I've ever seen," Claire said with a predatory look in her eyes. "And if I have it my way, he will be all mine."
"I hate to agree with Claire, but Spinner is very cute, even if he is a jerk," Manny said to Ellie. "But Claire, get real. He's a senior, you're a freshman. Besides, he's also got his eye on Paige. They have been dating for at least two years."
"Like I said with JT, once he gets to know me, he will forget all about Paige," Claire said with the same arrogant smirk. Manny rolled her eyes and Ellie shook her head at the girls' ignorance.
"You might not understand now, but once you see Paige, you will," Manny explained. "She's pretty, popular, and Spinner belongs to her."
"Well, I bet I am just as pretty and popular as her," Claire said confidently. "I get what I want, whatever I want. And I want Spinner. Well, I'm going to go find Samantha and tell her about all the hot guys I've seen so far." And with that, she ran off to go talk to one of her giggly friends.
"Saying she is just annoying is an understatement," Ellie said as soon as Claire left.
"Yeah, sorry you had to meet her."
"Oh, it' s okay," Ellie said. "If anything else, I think it's funny how she thinks she can get any guy she wants."
"She is such a joke!" Manny exclaimed. "First she's crazy about JT, then she moves onto Spinner within 5 minutes. Next she'll be after a teacher!"
"She probably would do that," Ellie laughed. "Speaking of JT, do you like him or something?"
"No!" Manny said a little too quickly. "Why would you say that? I do not like JT!"
"Alright, alright. It was just a question," Ellie said putting her hands up in defense. The two sat in silence for a couple seconds until Ellie heard Manny mumble something under her breath.
"What was that?" Ellie asked the now blushing Manny.
"I do like JT," Manny said quietly. "But you can't tell anyone, especially not him."
"I won't, but why don't you tell him yourself?"
"Because he doesn't like me. He just sees me as a best friend, not a girlfriend," Manny sighed. "And no matter what I do, it will always be like that. I've tried everything. Dating other guys to make him jealous, dressing differently to make him notice me, everything! I've tried to get over him, I really have, but every time I talk to him, I like him even more. And it kills me that I know that we will always be just best friends." Ellie's heart ached for Manny as she told her all about her crush on her best friend. Under her rough exterior, Ellie was a hopeless romantic at heart. And even though she had really only known Manny for about an hour, it broke her heart to see Manny so depressed.
"Don't worry. You're not the only one with romance problems," Ellie said, trying to console Manny. "All of the guys I have gone out with have been completely wrong for me. One guy I went out with had obsessive-compulsive disorder, and he would constantly come over and clean my room. And another guy I went out with had turrets syndrome. We'd be out having a nice dinner and all of a sudden, he's start cussing out the waiter saying that his food was talking to him or something." Ellie smiled, as that got a laugh out of Manny.
"I can't say that's ever happened to me," Manny said with a chuckle.
"And hope it never does," Ellie added.
"Alright ladies," Ms. Casper said to the class as she walked into the gym, "since it took so long for everyone to pick a locker, we won't have time to do the activity I had planned. We have about ten minutes before the bell rings, so if you have money for a gym uniform, now is the time to give it to me. You must have both a gym uniform and a combination lock next class. Remember, the uniform costs $25, so bring in the money next class. Oh, and Manny Santos, this bus card came from the office. They said they got the correct number on it this time."
"Thanks," Manny said as the teacher handed the card to her.
"You still ride the bus? Don't you have your license?" Ellie asked.
"Yeah, I got it this summer actually," Manny said, putting the bus card in her book bag. "But I don't enough money for a car, so I ride the bus."
"Well, I could give you a ride home in the afternoon if you want," Ellie offered. "My car's a piece of shit Toyota, but it works."
"Really? Are you sure it's okay?"
"It's fine, I already drive my friend Lain to work after school, one other stop won't be any trouble. Just meet me in the lobby after school."
"Thanks! I hate riding the bus," Manny said with a smile. "Are you sure it's okay?"
"It's no problem," Ellie reassured her. "It's not fair that you should have to ride the big yellow ugly three years in a row."
Manny just laughed.
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That chapter was really fun writing! At least the wait wasn't as long as last time. I really hope you liked this chapter. I'm in a really good mood, I don't know why. Maybe it's because we won the first volleyball game of the season! Oh man, that rocked. But anyways, thanks to the reviewers:
Icy Guardian: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like my story. Thanks ^-^
PsYcHoJo: I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!
The Shire Fairie: I'm glad you read my story, even though you usually never read Ellie fics. Thanks for giving mine a chance ^-^
TakingBackWeezer: Thanks for the review. The one thing I was worried about was keeping all the characters in character. I'm glad you think my portrayal of Ellie does her justice. They don't show much of Ellie on the show, so I did the best I could. I love your penname!
Afradeofthedark: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like the Spinner/Ellie pairing ^-^
Well, hopefully the next chapter will be out soon. Until then…
[ Ashley, 9-7-03 ]