Ok! So. Yeah. Sorry for not posting for so long, I was enjoying my summer of FREEDOM! But since I start school on Monday, I figure I might as well update my fics before I get hurt for not doing so.. which means look out for chapter two of Confessions, and chapter four of 99 Problems. I swear I will update that one since so many of you have liked it!
And I apologize in advance that this chapter is so short. I have had writer's block for so long, it scares me. Once again, I do not own Degrassi, if I did I would be making out with Jake Epstein, Daniel Clark or Aubrey Graham, and "She Will Be Loved" is copywritten by the LOVELY Maroon 5. So read, review, give me ideas on how to continue, yada yada yada. Onto the fic!i drove for miles and miles,
and wound up at your door.
i've had you so many times but somehow,
i want more.
"Manny? You still there?"
I thought about hanging up. To not say a word, and push the little "off" button, and that would be that. Or maybe just say he had the wrong number. But that wouldn't work, how many Manny Santos can there be in the world? I could always do what JT would do in Grade 9 when Liberty would call him, and scream "No habla English!" in a heavy Spanish accent and hang up. Sure, that's all I had to do. It was simple.
Damnit. No, it wasn't.
"Y-yeah. I'm here. Hi, Craig." I said, weakly, chewing on my bottom lip. Why was he able to make me feel this way? The whole nervous, sweaty palms, butterflies in stomach feeling he gave me that got me into this mess in the first place. This was not supposed to work this way.
"How are you doing?"
After not talking to you for a year, almost two, and leaving me with your daughter and the first time you call that's what you ask!? My mind was screaming at me, and I took a deep breathe, finally talking through my clenched teeth.
"I'm fine," I breathed. Yeah, fine. That worked. Not bad, not okay, not great, just .. fine.
"Well, that's good. How's my babygirl doing?"
"She is NOT your .." Take a deep breathe, Santos. "I don't want to sound .. err, bitchy, Craig, but why are you calling?"
"Well uh," he started, and I could see the confused face he always got when he had been yelled at, "Ang told me that you guys are graduating. You know, you, Emma, JT, Toby .. and I was coming down to see her and Joey as it is, so I was wondering if I could, uh .. stop by? See you and Ash? Well, not THAT Ash, I haven't seen her in a year, but Ash-Ash. My daughter. Err, your daughter. OUR daughter .."
He was rambling.
He was always cute when he rambled.
I cursed at myself, silently, for even thinking that. He left you to raise a kid by yourself. No calls, e-mails, letters, anything for a year, and now he just thinks he can call and everything would be okie-dokie. Typical Craig.
Typical, stupid, Craig.
"Manny? So can I?"
"Sure," I blurrted out, and then smacked my forehead, realizing what I had said.
"Really?" He chirped, the tone of his voice hopeful.
"Yeah, sure, why not." I had said, groaning to myself. I doubted him showing up, anyway. It wasn't possible. It's not like Craig Manning and his charm would get me under that spell of his it had once had.
Right? Right.
.. I need to stop lying to myself.
"So let me get this straight," Emma started, staring at me as I set Ashlee down with Jack, and we started to make our way to her basement bedroom.
It was the day after the big party, and since I had known Emma wouldn't be picking up her phone that night anyway, I left her a message that was along the lines of "holy shit, Em." and said I would be coming over tomorrow to tell her about the little phone call I had gotten from a certain Craig Manning.
"Craig called you."
"Yes, Em." I said, sitting down on her bed.
"Craig Manning."
"Yeah, Emma."
"Craig Manning that got you pregnant in Grade 9 and dated you and Ashley Kerwin at the same time, Craig Manning."
"EMMA! Last time I checked, there are not that many guys we know named Craig." I said, raising my eyebrows at her.
She shrugged, waving a hand in the air and continued, "Well. What did he say?"
"He wants to come to graduation."
"Are you serious?" Emma asked, blinking. She looked as shocked as I had been.
"Yep. He said he's coming down here anyway, so he wanted to come see me. And Ashlee."
".. And you said, what, exactly?"
I cleared my throat, playing with the hem of my shirt. ".. I said yes."
"MANNY!" Emma shouted, causing me to jump, "You said YES!? He hasn't been around for a year! A YEAR! You didn't cuss him out? I would have cussed him out. I can't believe he just called and asked that. And you said yes. YES. I mean, I know you're not over him, exactly --"
"Hey. I am too."
"-- And I know he was your first real love, father of your child .."
"Emma. I am over him."
"And I KNOW you're still in love with him. I mean, you would have to be to let him come to graduation. Let alone see you or his daughter again."
"EMMA!" I groaned, and she stopped from her pacing to look at me, her eyebrows raised, "Listen to me, ok? I. am. over. Craig. Manning. Say it with me now. I, am ooooooover Craaaaaig."
"You sure about that?" She asked, a small smile playing on her lips, as she crossed her arms over her chest. And she gave me the LOOK. The look of "I know you are lying, fess up." that Emma had perfected oh-so well over the years.
".. No," I made a face, and sighed, burrying my face in one of the pillows she had on her bed.
"Thought so." She said, matter-of-factly, and I looked up to glare at her. She ignored me, and continued to pace around her room, a finger to her chin. "You know. You could always say you're with JT. Just to make him jealous. See what he's been miss--"
"No way."
"Why not! You did like JT once. Am I correct?" She questioned, stopping yet again to look at me.
"Yeah, but. He's so .." I started, trying to think of a word to describe JT Yorke.
"Cute?"
"No. Okay, maybe. But no."
"Funny?"
"I'll give him that, but no."
"Drop dead sexy?"
"Emma!" I burst into laughter, as did she. She grinned at me as I rolled my eyes, "That's not the word. Clingy? Yeah. Clingy. That sounds right."
"Just because he followed you around in grade 9 til you went out with him, does not make him cli--"
"Em, yes, it does."
"Ok. So it does. So we can get you a fake boyfriend. Just for the week, month, however long Craig will be here." She nodded her head.
"Since when are you into making plans to make Craig miserable?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.
"Since he left my best friend and my god-daughter without a word," Emma said, softly, giving me a look.
I let out a sigh. I hate when Emma's right. Which, of course, had to be often. Or all the time. Whatever.
".. All right, so what's this plan of your's?"
Emma gave me a bright, shiny, yet cheesy grin as she sat down on the bed beside me, wiggling her eyebrows. "I'm glad you asked."