"EM, wait! I'm sorry, okay! I couldn't tell you!" "Manny, stop following
me! I have nothing to say to you right now!" "Then will you please listen?"
"What!" Emma said as she turned violently around to face Manny. Emma's
cheeks were flushed red. She looked very mad. Manny thought that she should
choose her words carefully. "EM, I couldn't. He asked me not to tell you."
"Sean? Why would he do that?" Emma demanded. "Um...you're not going to like
this but...I can't tell you that either." "God, Manny!" "I'm sorry, EM, he
made me promise!" "Yeah, okay then. Call me when you can let me know what's
going on with my own boyfriend." Emma said coldly. She turned and started
down the street. Manny didn't follow because she knew that it wouldn't do
any good. She walked back to Sean's room. "So..." Sean said as she entered,
"everything okay?" "What do you think? Of course not! Emma is pissed. I
mean...I've never seen her so mad." "Great." Sean mumbled. "Manny." Craig
said. She looked over at him. "Um...how do I put this...do...do you want to
go out with me sometime?" That's not what Manny had been expecting to hear.
Craig watched her nervously.
"What?" She asked, making sure that she had heard him right. "I said, do you want to go out with me sometime?" She was somewhat in shock and it showed in her expression. "Manny?" "Are you sure?" Manny asked, just making sure. "Yeah, totally...so...yes or no?" Manny didn't know what to say. After their first date, Manny never thought that there would be a time where Craig would actually ask her out again. On one hand, she thought, it was like a dream come true sort of thing, like they were really meant to be together. But then on the other hand, this wasn't such a good time to be asking. "Um...Craig, I don't think that this is the best time. I mean, we're here for Sean now." Sean piped in, using his bored voice. "Oh, no I'm good. You just answer him. Honestly, I'm not going anywhere." Manny gave Sean a look of gratitude.
Manny thought that maybe she should give Craig a second shot, after all, he was helping her out with Sean. "Sure, Craig. I'd like that. But we'll talk about this later, okay? We still need to tell Sean about my idea!" The irresistible grin spread across Craig's face. "Great." "Great." Manny repeated back to him. "Okay. Sean, I brought Craig here to talk to you about...you know." "Yeah, I know." "Okay, man, you need to talk to Children's Aid foundation. Serious. I thought my dad would stop but he didn't." "Tracker is not your dad. He is my brother. I know him a lot better than you do." "Sean, if you don't tell someone than I will." "You already have." Sean replied, sneeringly. "Sean, man, this like exactly like what you and Emma did for me. You have to tell someone." "I know." Tears were welling in Sean's eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of them. He was reliving the past inside his head. His vision was fogged out by the image of Tracker in a rage. "I know I do. But where am I supposed to go? I'll for sure be taken away from him." "Well, that's another reason we came" Craig said, "I'd like to invite you to stay with me, Joey and Angie." Sean looked at him, dumbstruck. "No way, man. I couldn't, it would never work. It would be way too expensive for Joey. Plus, you don't think that he would actually go for it..." Craig cut him off. "It's totally cool with Joey. I already asked." Sean was in total shock.
Was any of this real? He blurted out, "Yes! Man, that would be awesome!" Sean felt a warm rush of gratitude towards Manny. He owed a lot to her. She just stood there and smiled. "Great!" Craig said. "I'm gonna go call Joey. I'll be right back." "Manny..." Sean began to say. He couldn't believe how great she was. "Thank you so much." "No problem. Just doing what I thought was right." "Yeah, but..." "Emma would have done the same. And probably more." "Emma?" Sean said confused. "I wasn't going to say anything about Emma." "Oh..." "Was she really mad?" "Oh yeah." Sean looked nervous. "I have to talk to her soon, huh?" "Yeah, but give her a couple days to cool down." Craig re-entered the room. "Okay, once you get out of here, Joey is gonna take you to Children's Aid and file a report." "Okay." "Manny we should probably go. It's getting late." "Right. Bye Sean." "Bye, thanks guys."
They left together. Sean felt a little triumphant. Tracker was going to be the weaker one for once. But at the same time, Sean felt bad. Tracker was the only real family that he had. Would this be betraying him? "It's his fault." Sean said to himself in a final sort of way.
Manny and Craig were walking slowly. "Craig, why did you ask me out? I thought that I was too young for you." Craig didn't know what to say, for it was true, he had said that once. "Well, now with all this, I see that I was wrong. To be taking on all this...it really impresses me, Manny. I was wrong, I'm sorry." Manny stopped walking. "Sean didn't talk you into this did he? As like a favor or something?" "No! It was my idea. Manny, I really, really want to give us another shot. I thought you did too." "I did, I mean I do, but I can't help thinking that there is more to this. Like something you're not telling me." Craig grabbed both of Manny's hands and held them in his. "Manny, I asked you out because I wanted to. Trust me." Manny looked up into his great, big brown eyes and smiled. "Okay." "Great." he said. They continued walking, but this time, hand in hand.
"What?" She asked, making sure that she had heard him right. "I said, do you want to go out with me sometime?" She was somewhat in shock and it showed in her expression. "Manny?" "Are you sure?" Manny asked, just making sure. "Yeah, totally...so...yes or no?" Manny didn't know what to say. After their first date, Manny never thought that there would be a time where Craig would actually ask her out again. On one hand, she thought, it was like a dream come true sort of thing, like they were really meant to be together. But then on the other hand, this wasn't such a good time to be asking. "Um...Craig, I don't think that this is the best time. I mean, we're here for Sean now." Sean piped in, using his bored voice. "Oh, no I'm good. You just answer him. Honestly, I'm not going anywhere." Manny gave Sean a look of gratitude.
Manny thought that maybe she should give Craig a second shot, after all, he was helping her out with Sean. "Sure, Craig. I'd like that. But we'll talk about this later, okay? We still need to tell Sean about my idea!" The irresistible grin spread across Craig's face. "Great." "Great." Manny repeated back to him. "Okay. Sean, I brought Craig here to talk to you about...you know." "Yeah, I know." "Okay, man, you need to talk to Children's Aid foundation. Serious. I thought my dad would stop but he didn't." "Tracker is not your dad. He is my brother. I know him a lot better than you do." "Sean, if you don't tell someone than I will." "You already have." Sean replied, sneeringly. "Sean, man, this like exactly like what you and Emma did for me. You have to tell someone." "I know." Tears were welling in Sean's eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of them. He was reliving the past inside his head. His vision was fogged out by the image of Tracker in a rage. "I know I do. But where am I supposed to go? I'll for sure be taken away from him." "Well, that's another reason we came" Craig said, "I'd like to invite you to stay with me, Joey and Angie." Sean looked at him, dumbstruck. "No way, man. I couldn't, it would never work. It would be way too expensive for Joey. Plus, you don't think that he would actually go for it..." Craig cut him off. "It's totally cool with Joey. I already asked." Sean was in total shock.
Was any of this real? He blurted out, "Yes! Man, that would be awesome!" Sean felt a warm rush of gratitude towards Manny. He owed a lot to her. She just stood there and smiled. "Great!" Craig said. "I'm gonna go call Joey. I'll be right back." "Manny..." Sean began to say. He couldn't believe how great she was. "Thank you so much." "No problem. Just doing what I thought was right." "Yeah, but..." "Emma would have done the same. And probably more." "Emma?" Sean said confused. "I wasn't going to say anything about Emma." "Oh..." "Was she really mad?" "Oh yeah." Sean looked nervous. "I have to talk to her soon, huh?" "Yeah, but give her a couple days to cool down." Craig re-entered the room. "Okay, once you get out of here, Joey is gonna take you to Children's Aid and file a report." "Okay." "Manny we should probably go. It's getting late." "Right. Bye Sean." "Bye, thanks guys."
They left together. Sean felt a little triumphant. Tracker was going to be the weaker one for once. But at the same time, Sean felt bad. Tracker was the only real family that he had. Would this be betraying him? "It's his fault." Sean said to himself in a final sort of way.
Manny and Craig were walking slowly. "Craig, why did you ask me out? I thought that I was too young for you." Craig didn't know what to say, for it was true, he had said that once. "Well, now with all this, I see that I was wrong. To be taking on all this...it really impresses me, Manny. I was wrong, I'm sorry." Manny stopped walking. "Sean didn't talk you into this did he? As like a favor or something?" "No! It was my idea. Manny, I really, really want to give us another shot. I thought you did too." "I did, I mean I do, but I can't help thinking that there is more to this. Like something you're not telling me." Craig grabbed both of Manny's hands and held them in his. "Manny, I asked you out because I wanted to. Trust me." Manny looked up into his great, big brown eyes and smiled. "Okay." "Great." he said. They continued walking, but this time, hand in hand.