A/n: Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad y'all like the story! R&R always, enjoy! Oops, I forgot something.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Degrassi characters, only my idea for this story, and of course Camille.
Camille
"So what's the deal with you and Emma?" I asked Manny leaning against my locker. I was supposed to be in English, but Manny had convinced me to skip so we could hang out. Hey, I figured if she skipped most of her classes every day and never got in trouble I could skip one little English class.
"Emma? She mentioned me? Listen, I'm sorry, but whatever she told you, I have an explanation, ok? I was upset and I knew I should've—"
"Manny. Calm ya self! Emma and I were just looking through an old yearbook and when I pointed you out she went crazy." What is up with her? It's like she has some sort of secret that she won't tell me.
"Emma and I were best friends, we've known each other since forever actually. Everything changed in 9th grade. I had this new image, and I started acting differently, seeing tons of guys, and eventually making a devoted boyfriend cheat on his girlfriend who has hated me ever since--"
"He couldn't have been very devoted to her." I cut in.
"Right, well, things went a little too far one night, and a couple of months later, I learned I was pregnant with his child. I told my mom and she didn't freak like I expected her too, but she did make me have an abortion, I mean, she didn't make me, I wanted the abortion too...sorta." I was going to put a comforting hand on her shoulder but she moved away.
"No, I don't deserve to comforted Camille. I did a terrible thing, to my unborn baby, to Craig, and eventually to myself." Craig? Who was Craig, and whoever he was what did she do to him that was so terrible.
"He wanted the baby Cammy. Craig would've been a great father; I did a horrible thing to him. He's been through so much. His mom is gone, he had an abusive father who just 3 years ago died in a car crash, and I took away everything from him, his baby and me. I will regret everything I did for the rest of my...for a long time." I'd never had too many friends. I was always a loner. I didn't get into all that annoying teenage drama, but suddenly, I was sucked right in, because now, I had a friend, and it seemed like she needed me, especially right now.
"I'm so sorry Manny. But, honey, you can't spend the rest of your days living in the past. You have to move on with your life. I'm sure Craig, and Emma, and whomever else you hurt, will eventually forgive you. Just don't give up. I mean, you can seek counseling and your parents can hire the best shrink in town, just please, don't give up." I didn't want Manny to hurt herself. For once in my life, I had a real friend. One whose life could even possibly be as fucked up as mine was.
"Would it make you feel any better if I told you my life isn't perfect either?" I asked. Manny rolled her eyes.
"Puh-leeze, you're perfect. You're beautiful, you have a nice body, great friends, a loving family who trusts you to get on a plane from Cali all the way to Toronto." That's where Manny had it wrong. I wasn't perfect.
"Manny, do you even know why I'm here living with my aunt and uncle and not at home?" She shook her head.
"My mom...she's been married a lot of times. And her fourth husband, she really though he was the one, but a couple of months ago, we came home from shopping..."
{5 MONTHS AGO}
"I should've bought those straps! They would've gone so cute with that red and black mini!" I said complaining to my mother as we got out of her black BMW. She threw her keys into her purse and walked to the front door.
"It's not my fault you over spent. I know I'm not your financial advisor or anything, but if you weren't so busy buying those $150 dollars earrings maybe you could've bought the straps." That was my mom for you. Always throwing something in my face.
"Yeah whatever." I said pressing the intercom button.
"Jacky boy! We're home and loaded with clothes, open the door we're dying out here!" I yelled jokingly to my step dad. We waited a couple of minutes. I hated it when he ignored us. My mom pressed the button this time.
"Jack open the damn door!" No reply. I looked at my mom worriedly. She sighed and put her bags down and started digging through her messy purse. After a good five minutes she found her keys and opened the door.
"Jack!" I yelled. I hope he's ok. I went into his study where I found a note on his desk.
Lisa and Camille,
I'm a screw up and I don't want to ruin your lives any longer. I've hid the secret for months, but I have to tell you the truth now. I lost the company. I lost everything, my money, my office, and I'm afraid I'm losing my family too. Don't worry honey, I'm not leaving you, I'm never leaving you both. Check upstairs. I'm so sorry. I love you both so much. And Camille, you're the closest thing I've ever had to a daughter, and I hope you know that, I love you honey. Lisa, you know I love you.
I'm so, so sorry,
Jack E. Sanford.
"Mom, what's he talking about?" Before she could answer me she bolted up the stairs. I followed after her, not knowing what was really going on.
"Jack! Jack where are you?" My mom yelled searching the guest bedroom, then my room, then the bathroom, then the other guest bedroom, the library, and then finally her bedroom.
"NOOOOOO!" My mom yelled. She fell to the ground shaking and crying. I was too scared to look, but I did anyway. And there Jack was. Hung on the ceiling. Below him was another note. I grabbed it.
Take care of her Cammy. Help her.
-Jack
{END OF FLASHBACK}
"Still think my life is perfect Manny?" I said wiping the tears away. I'd never told people about Jack, it still haunted me, every night I had a different dream about him and he kept telling me the same thing. Take care of her, help her. I did take care of her, for as long as I could. My mom went crazy, she tried to kill herself because she wanted to be closer to Jack, she tried so many times, and so many times she failed. It was a sign, a sign that meant that my mom should live, but she couldn't see that. She was put in an asylum.
"What happened to your mom?" Manny asked quietly.
"She was put in an asylum. Jack's suicide drove her over the edge. I don't know how he could do something so stupid!"
"No, it wasn't stupid! He thought it was for the best Cammy! Can't you see? He--he was confused." And she just ran.
"What is wrong with you?!" I yelled after Manny. I didn't have time for this. I just told her something that was very hard for me to deal with and she yelled at me and ran. What was Manny hiding from me?
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Degrassi characters, only my idea for this story, and of course Camille.
Camille
"So what's the deal with you and Emma?" I asked Manny leaning against my locker. I was supposed to be in English, but Manny had convinced me to skip so we could hang out. Hey, I figured if she skipped most of her classes every day and never got in trouble I could skip one little English class.
"Emma? She mentioned me? Listen, I'm sorry, but whatever she told you, I have an explanation, ok? I was upset and I knew I should've—"
"Manny. Calm ya self! Emma and I were just looking through an old yearbook and when I pointed you out she went crazy." What is up with her? It's like she has some sort of secret that she won't tell me.
"Emma and I were best friends, we've known each other since forever actually. Everything changed in 9th grade. I had this new image, and I started acting differently, seeing tons of guys, and eventually making a devoted boyfriend cheat on his girlfriend who has hated me ever since--"
"He couldn't have been very devoted to her." I cut in.
"Right, well, things went a little too far one night, and a couple of months later, I learned I was pregnant with his child. I told my mom and she didn't freak like I expected her too, but she did make me have an abortion, I mean, she didn't make me, I wanted the abortion too...sorta." I was going to put a comforting hand on her shoulder but she moved away.
"No, I don't deserve to comforted Camille. I did a terrible thing, to my unborn baby, to Craig, and eventually to myself." Craig? Who was Craig, and whoever he was what did she do to him that was so terrible.
"He wanted the baby Cammy. Craig would've been a great father; I did a horrible thing to him. He's been through so much. His mom is gone, he had an abusive father who just 3 years ago died in a car crash, and I took away everything from him, his baby and me. I will regret everything I did for the rest of my...for a long time." I'd never had too many friends. I was always a loner. I didn't get into all that annoying teenage drama, but suddenly, I was sucked right in, because now, I had a friend, and it seemed like she needed me, especially right now.
"I'm so sorry Manny. But, honey, you can't spend the rest of your days living in the past. You have to move on with your life. I'm sure Craig, and Emma, and whomever else you hurt, will eventually forgive you. Just don't give up. I mean, you can seek counseling and your parents can hire the best shrink in town, just please, don't give up." I didn't want Manny to hurt herself. For once in my life, I had a real friend. One whose life could even possibly be as fucked up as mine was.
"Would it make you feel any better if I told you my life isn't perfect either?" I asked. Manny rolled her eyes.
"Puh-leeze, you're perfect. You're beautiful, you have a nice body, great friends, a loving family who trusts you to get on a plane from Cali all the way to Toronto." That's where Manny had it wrong. I wasn't perfect.
"Manny, do you even know why I'm here living with my aunt and uncle and not at home?" She shook her head.
"My mom...she's been married a lot of times. And her fourth husband, she really though he was the one, but a couple of months ago, we came home from shopping..."
{5 MONTHS AGO}
"I should've bought those straps! They would've gone so cute with that red and black mini!" I said complaining to my mother as we got out of her black BMW. She threw her keys into her purse and walked to the front door.
"It's not my fault you over spent. I know I'm not your financial advisor or anything, but if you weren't so busy buying those $150 dollars earrings maybe you could've bought the straps." That was my mom for you. Always throwing something in my face.
"Yeah whatever." I said pressing the intercom button.
"Jacky boy! We're home and loaded with clothes, open the door we're dying out here!" I yelled jokingly to my step dad. We waited a couple of minutes. I hated it when he ignored us. My mom pressed the button this time.
"Jack open the damn door!" No reply. I looked at my mom worriedly. She sighed and put her bags down and started digging through her messy purse. After a good five minutes she found her keys and opened the door.
"Jack!" I yelled. I hope he's ok. I went into his study where I found a note on his desk.
Lisa and Camille,
I'm a screw up and I don't want to ruin your lives any longer. I've hid the secret for months, but I have to tell you the truth now. I lost the company. I lost everything, my money, my office, and I'm afraid I'm losing my family too. Don't worry honey, I'm not leaving you, I'm never leaving you both. Check upstairs. I'm so sorry. I love you both so much. And Camille, you're the closest thing I've ever had to a daughter, and I hope you know that, I love you honey. Lisa, you know I love you.
I'm so, so sorry,
Jack E. Sanford.
"Mom, what's he talking about?" Before she could answer me she bolted up the stairs. I followed after her, not knowing what was really going on.
"Jack! Jack where are you?" My mom yelled searching the guest bedroom, then my room, then the bathroom, then the other guest bedroom, the library, and then finally her bedroom.
"NOOOOOO!" My mom yelled. She fell to the ground shaking and crying. I was too scared to look, but I did anyway. And there Jack was. Hung on the ceiling. Below him was another note. I grabbed it.
Take care of her Cammy. Help her.
-Jack
{END OF FLASHBACK}
"Still think my life is perfect Manny?" I said wiping the tears away. I'd never told people about Jack, it still haunted me, every night I had a different dream about him and he kept telling me the same thing. Take care of her, help her. I did take care of her, for as long as I could. My mom went crazy, she tried to kill herself because she wanted to be closer to Jack, she tried so many times, and so many times she failed. It was a sign, a sign that meant that my mom should live, but she couldn't see that. She was put in an asylum.
"What happened to your mom?" Manny asked quietly.
"She was put in an asylum. Jack's suicide drove her over the edge. I don't know how he could do something so stupid!"
"No, it wasn't stupid! He thought it was for the best Cammy! Can't you see? He--he was confused." And she just ran.
"What is wrong with you?!" I yelled after Manny. I didn't have time for this. I just told her something that was very hard for me to deal with and she yelled at me and ran. What was Manny hiding from me?