As the last bell of the day rang, Craig was relieved to finally be able to go home and well…do absolutely nothing. He enjoyed doing nothing, it was a manly thing. Not. He pulled his homework out of his locker and stuffed it into his bag as Jimmy and Marco passed by, saying they would see him tomorrow, and Craig responded with the same words. He grabbed his leather jacket and headed out the school doors. It was beginning to get a bit cold out, so he put on his coat, stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked home. It was a long walk, so he had time to think about what happened that day, as he does everyday. He thought about the new girl, Michelle. She was nice. Quiet, but that was expected, being the new girl and all. Girl. Girls. Manny. Ashley. Manny. Baby. Abortion. Ashley. Hate. Lies. Betrayal. This was how fast Craig's train of thought moved, and these were the subjects aboard. He still couldn't get over what he had been taken away. Dad. Abuse. Dad. Dead. Gone. Even though his dad abused him, there was something about the way he had died…no, not the way he had died. But the fact that he was gone. Even though Craig hated the man, he still hated even more the fact that he had died without asking Craig if it was okay. That may sound crazy, but that is how Craig felt. And he began to cry.
"Stop it, you pansy!" he yelled out loud to himself.
"Don't you fucking cry1 Not again!" He put both hands on his head and pulled at his hair in defeat from himself.
"cough….Craig?"
Craig realized that wasn't his voice. It was too high-pitched. He whipped around. Standing five feet in front of him was none other than Michelle, bundled up in a fuzzy blue coat, that really made her look innocent.
As Michelle looked him over, she knew something was wrong. She had heard him yell, but didn't know what he yelled or why. The look on his face was distraught. His eyes were puffy. Red. Signs of crying. She barely knew this guy, and that made the moment awkward.
"Craig? Are…are you um...okay? Because I…I head yelling, and I thought-"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…it wasn't me."
"Oh. Um, sorry. For bugging you."
She looked down at her feet in embarrassment. Craig wondered why he lied to her.
"So…where are you going?"
Michelle looked up.
"I'm heading home, I don't live too far from school, so, you know, I walk. What about you?"
"Yeah, I'm walking too. Do you want to…uh…walk with me?"
"Sure."
The began walking and started talking about school. Craig was asking Michelle how her first day went, and how she liked it. If she made friends, and how her classes went.
"Actually," she said, "I kind of need some help with geometry. I am so horrible with math, and I'm really far behind. Do you think-"
"I can help you!" He said before he let her finish her sentence.
"Great! How about…tomorrow after school? Library?"
"Sounds fine!"
They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Michelle broke the quietness.
"Oh, hey, this is my house."
"oh, okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
Michelle began walking up the stairs, and turned around.
"Craig?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for walking with me. And…it's none of my business, but whatever it is, you're going to be fine."
She smiled, and with that, she walked into her house. Craig had a strange feeling about her. Like she was different from everyone else. She knew. She understood. She was someone he could…someone he could trust. He just knew that one day, he could tell her. Tell her absolutely everything that has been crossing his mind the past few months, as an attempt to talk about it and get if off of his chest. And he knew she wouldn't judge him. She could help him. For the first time in a long time, he smiled to himself. This could be the beginnings of a beautiful friendship.
When Michelle got home, she tossed her bag nest to the coat rack and ran upstairs to jump on her computer and talk to her friends from the States and update her LiveJournal and all that good stuff. As she was walking to her room, her brother, Alex, came out of his room.
"How was school, dumbass?"
"Leave me alone."
"C'mon, I'm just having fun. You didn't embarrass yourself did you? Oh, why am I even asking. Once an idiot, always an idiot."
"At least I'm not twenty and still living with my mom."
He walked toward her quickly and shoved her hard, and she mad a thud as she hit the wall. He smirked and went back into his room, but not before making one last comment.
"Mom won't be home until late, she said make your own dinner. Or, in your case, DON'T make your own dinner, you could use a day or two of no eating, tubby."
Michelle kept herself from crying from her brother's rude and harsh comments. She went into her room and shut the door. Then locked it. She went and looked in the mirror. She thought aloud to herself.
"He's right. Look at you. You are fat. Fat under your chin, fat on your stomach, legs…fucking fat everywhere! Lose some damn weight!"
After yelling at herself, she collapsed in tears. Right there where she collapsed, in front of her dresser, is where she fell asleep. At 11, her mom came home from work and came in to check on Michelle. Not wanting to disturb her, she just put a blanket over her daughter and set her alarm clock for her.
A couple of blocks away, Craig was still up. But tonight, he wasn't haunted by bad thoughts. At least, not a lot of them. He was deciding for himself that he was going to turn around his look on life, and Michelle was going to help him. They were going to help each other. Well…at least he was going to help her with homework, and she was going to help him in a more personal sense. But at least they'd both get something from this friendship. He just has to make sure no one fills her in on how much every girl at Degrassi hates him and why. He can tell that to her later. Better she hear it from him than…well…Ash or Manny.
"Stop it, you pansy!" he yelled out loud to himself.
"Don't you fucking cry1 Not again!" He put both hands on his head and pulled at his hair in defeat from himself.
"cough….Craig?"
Craig realized that wasn't his voice. It was too high-pitched. He whipped around. Standing five feet in front of him was none other than Michelle, bundled up in a fuzzy blue coat, that really made her look innocent.
As Michelle looked him over, she knew something was wrong. She had heard him yell, but didn't know what he yelled or why. The look on his face was distraught. His eyes were puffy. Red. Signs of crying. She barely knew this guy, and that made the moment awkward.
"Craig? Are…are you um...okay? Because I…I head yelling, and I thought-"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…it wasn't me."
"Oh. Um, sorry. For bugging you."
She looked down at her feet in embarrassment. Craig wondered why he lied to her.
"So…where are you going?"
Michelle looked up.
"I'm heading home, I don't live too far from school, so, you know, I walk. What about you?"
"Yeah, I'm walking too. Do you want to…uh…walk with me?"
"Sure."
The began walking and started talking about school. Craig was asking Michelle how her first day went, and how she liked it. If she made friends, and how her classes went.
"Actually," she said, "I kind of need some help with geometry. I am so horrible with math, and I'm really far behind. Do you think-"
"I can help you!" He said before he let her finish her sentence.
"Great! How about…tomorrow after school? Library?"
"Sounds fine!"
They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Michelle broke the quietness.
"Oh, hey, this is my house."
"oh, okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
Michelle began walking up the stairs, and turned around.
"Craig?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for walking with me. And…it's none of my business, but whatever it is, you're going to be fine."
She smiled, and with that, she walked into her house. Craig had a strange feeling about her. Like she was different from everyone else. She knew. She understood. She was someone he could…someone he could trust. He just knew that one day, he could tell her. Tell her absolutely everything that has been crossing his mind the past few months, as an attempt to talk about it and get if off of his chest. And he knew she wouldn't judge him. She could help him. For the first time in a long time, he smiled to himself. This could be the beginnings of a beautiful friendship.
When Michelle got home, she tossed her bag nest to the coat rack and ran upstairs to jump on her computer and talk to her friends from the States and update her LiveJournal and all that good stuff. As she was walking to her room, her brother, Alex, came out of his room.
"How was school, dumbass?"
"Leave me alone."
"C'mon, I'm just having fun. You didn't embarrass yourself did you? Oh, why am I even asking. Once an idiot, always an idiot."
"At least I'm not twenty and still living with my mom."
He walked toward her quickly and shoved her hard, and she mad a thud as she hit the wall. He smirked and went back into his room, but not before making one last comment.
"Mom won't be home until late, she said make your own dinner. Or, in your case, DON'T make your own dinner, you could use a day or two of no eating, tubby."
Michelle kept herself from crying from her brother's rude and harsh comments. She went into her room and shut the door. Then locked it. She went and looked in the mirror. She thought aloud to herself.
"He's right. Look at you. You are fat. Fat under your chin, fat on your stomach, legs…fucking fat everywhere! Lose some damn weight!"
After yelling at herself, she collapsed in tears. Right there where she collapsed, in front of her dresser, is where she fell asleep. At 11, her mom came home from work and came in to check on Michelle. Not wanting to disturb her, she just put a blanket over her daughter and set her alarm clock for her.
A couple of blocks away, Craig was still up. But tonight, he wasn't haunted by bad thoughts. At least, not a lot of them. He was deciding for himself that he was going to turn around his look on life, and Michelle was going to help him. They were going to help each other. Well…at least he was going to help her with homework, and she was going to help him in a more personal sense. But at least they'd both get something from this friendship. He just has to make sure no one fills her in on how much every girl at Degrassi hates him and why. He can tell that to her later. Better she hear it from him than…well…Ash or Manny.