Part 10: Caged Bird


Spinner and Paige were talking with Marco and Craig.

"Marco… looking good with Hazel huh?" Spinner laughed, "Is Dylan ok with that?" They both laughed.

"But really now, Craig… what was with you?" Spinner started.

"I thought Manny went to the dance with JT?" Paige asked.

"She did… but she asked me for one dance…" Craig said as he got up, "I'll see you guys later… got some business to handle." He walked off just as Jimmy sat down.

"What up guys?" Jimmy said as he sat.

"You and Ashley were super cute at the dance…" Paige smiled.

Jimmy's face was blank, "Wow…" He just nodded.

"So what happened?" Marco smiled, "Is there anything we should know?"

Jimmy laughed, "Yea." He leaned on the table, "I got rejected."

"I saw you guys hugging." Spinner said confused.

"Yea, right before she said she was sorry and left…" Jimmy said rolling his eyes.

"Oh! That's why Ellie left…" Marco said outloud.

"Wait, so what exactly happened? All I know there was prissy Hazel and Jimmy was left alone?" Spinner said, "What'd you do?" He paused.

Paige sat in disbelief, "Ash walked out?"

"I kinda… I think I scared her or something…" Jimmy paused, "Well I tried to kiss her…" He shrugged.

"You need to talk to her." Paige insisted. Jimmy just looked at her for a moment.

Jimmy leaned back in his chair, "Right."

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"Why would you let Manny dance with Craig?" Toby said shocked.

"Well, I don't know… she was there and I was there and she was smiling and… I couldn't resist." JT said.

"You have major issues…" Toby looked away.

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"Wait, why weren't you at the dance?" Manny walked with Emma.

"Sean ditched me." Emma held tightly to her books.

"He ditched you? Why would he do that?" Manny was concerned.

"At least he had the decency to call, right?" Emma said sarcastically, "I'll be he was out with his dumb friends… I swear, I don't even remember why I asked him to the dance…that was stupid."

"that sucks…" They continued walking and then they saw Sean at his locker. He turned and saw them and he walked up to Emma.

He glanced once at Manny and then turned to Emma, "Sorry, again… really."

Emma didn't say anything back and just rolled her eyes.

Sean stopped and turned to say one last thing, "I'll try and make it up to you…" He walked away.

"Maybe he wasn't with his friends that night… he looked really sorry Em." Manny said trying to help her out.

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Ashley was sitting outside with Ellie until Ellie got up to go do something.

"So what happened?" Jimmy said as he sat next to Ashley.

Ashley took a while until she answered, "I don't know…"

"Was It me?" Jimmy looked at her, "Look, if it was the 'kiss' I'm hella sorry… I guess I shouldn't have--" He said as he got interrupted.

"No…" Ashley said and then stopped. There was an awkward pause, "It's just… what was that?" She looked around, "I mean, we go one year not being friends, or whatever, and then all of a sudden you're trying to kiss me?"

He wasn't prepared for that answer, "What?"

She looked down at the ground, "It didn't make sense."

"So I did scare you?" He wasn't sure what she was trying to say. They were quiet for another while.

He had another answer, "Oh." He waited until she looked at him again, "We don't make sense… so all of sudden you change everything about yourself and I cant like that?" He started, "This isn't like last year, Ash…"

"We had no chance last year, remember?" Ashley stated, "It would've never worked out… I was different and so were you…" She looked away.

"From what I saw, last year you must've said that 'this' was you… but now that I look at you, I don't even believe that…" He paused, "Cause You're the same old Ash I've known forever… its just too bad you don't want to admit it." Jimmy looked away annoyed.

"…" She couldn't answer.

"Maybe you have changed…" He meant this in a good way, "But I still see the same Ashley I've always known…"

Ashley sighed and lifted her eyebrows, "If I did kiss you, what would that mean?"

He turned his head to her, "I don't know… you like me?" He laughed.

"But I didn't kiss you… so what's that mean?" She was serious.

Jimmy didn't answer. For some reason Ashley was denying any feelings she had for Jimmy and neither of then knew why.

"Maybe we're just fooling ourselves." Ashley said.

Jimmy looked at Ashley straight in the eye, "You know… maybe." He decided to just drop the whole thing. If she was going to deny all the feelings she had for him, then fine, Jimmy didn't want to make the situation bigger. He looked at Ashley as she stared out into the open. Jimmy looked in the same direction and saw Craig talking to Marco and Spinner.

As Jimmy got up he realized another thing, "…Maybe you didn't kiss me because you're scared of losing Craig…."

"I'm over Craig." She quickly said as she looked up at Jimmy. Jimmy just shrugged and then walked off.