Chapter 1: Eye For An Eye
It was a new day, a new year at Degrassi Community School, and Craig Manning walked up the stairs, running his fingers through his dark, now straightened hair. Ashley and Paige were sitting on a nearby stair, giving him angry scowls as Paige checked the text messages on her shiny pink cell phone. He opened the door to find Marco walking down the hallway, searching for his locker.
"Hey, Marco! Wait up..." Craig shouted, following Marco down the hallway.
"Craig – hey! What's going on?" Marco smiled, showing off his new brace-free grin.
"All too much." Craig let out, looking around nervously.
"So, another year here at our fine school...nagging teachers, homework overloads, but the parties will be good and I think...oh Mama Mia..." Marco said, distracted, as Dylan, Paige's attractive gay brother, walked down the hallway, shining his clear blue eyes into Marco's view. "And all these gorgeous guys...well in your case, girls..." Marco said, opening his locker and unloading his book bag.
Craig leaned against the door, taking a deep breath and sighing.
"Oh joy."
"You don't sound to excited."
"Hmm, let's see. All the girls of Degrassi hate me, Ashley is ready to come after me with a meat cleaver, and Manny..." Craig now shifted his eyes to his feet as Manny walked by. "Is a whole other story. This might be the worst year yet."
"Craig, you will be happy. Time."
Manny kept walking down the hallway, trying not to notice Craig, and headed straight to Emma's locker, where Emma was busy posting up Environmental Club posters around the surrounding lockers. Emma style has significantly changed – she definitely grew into her looks. Her hair was now longer and blonder with bangs, and she was wearing a floral tube top with white Jeans and strappy heels. Quite a change from her Gap Sweater vests, Manny thought. They had their differences before, but somehow reconciled when Manny had her abortion. Emma flipped her blonde hair off of her face as Manny sunk down and sat on the ground by Emma's locker.
"Manny, if we want to get new members, we have to start now, I think that for our first campaign we should..." Emma rambled. Greenpeace. Save The Sea Otters. Adopt A Highway. De-warm the orphans. Bla, bla, bla. C'mon Emma, I've heard it ALL. Manny's eyes began wondering, particularly across the hall, where a certain someone was standing at his certain best friends locker...
Manny, you can't do this, STOP LOOKING AT CRAIG MANNING. He's a jerk, a pervert, a cheater...Manny kept telling herself, but a part of her still wanted Craig, more than anything. He told her she was the one, and when they made love it was all completely perfect...until she found out she was pregnant. Than things got complicated.
Why does he have to stand over there, next to Marco, looking so cute in his leather jacket? She asked herself. NO! You have to stop Manuella. You CANNOT be looking at him like this. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Craig Manning is old news. But she couldn't stop now. She was completely lost in a daze.
"MANNY! MANNY!" Emma shouted, hitting her in the arm with a rolled up Greenpeace poster.
"What are you looking at?" She demanded, in a high pitch voice.
Suddenly Craig caught Manny's gazing eye.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." She turned her focus back towards Emma, and stood up with her back towards Craig, until suddenly Emma stopped talking, with a puzzled look on her face.
"Who are Craig and Marco talking to?" Manny looked over her shoulder to see a girl holding a schedule out in front of Marco's face. She was blonde, tall, maybe 5'8" with blue eyes and a slender physique, which was shown off easily by her jean skirt and pink tank top.
"She's not that pretty." Manny scuffed, as she watched Craig's eyes light up.
"I think she's gorgeous." Emma said, watching Craig laugh every time the mystery girl spoke.
Craig let out a laugh as the tall, gorgeous angel before him spoke. Marco carried most of the conversation with the girl, because he was able to talk to her without getting completely love struck.
"Oh how stupid of me, this is my friend..." Marco said, trying to mentally wake Craig up.
"Craig...ory." He said. What verbal diarrhea, you've known this girl for two minutes and you're already acting like an ass.
"So, Ms. Kwan's class? Craig here has that first period too. Right man?" Marco said, nudging Craig in the arm sharply.
"Yes? I mean, yes, yes I do! Can I walk you?" He asked, letting out a slight smile.
"Umm...sure..." the girl said, a little uneasy. Marco smiled and rolled his eyes, walking in the other direction.
"I'm Callie, I just moved here from Ohio." She said, pulling her Prada Purse up on her shoulder, trying not to get lost in Craig's goofy smile. He's so cute, she thought.
"The States, very cool! Well I'm Craig Manning, I'd be happy to show you around, if you need anything, just let me know. That probably sounds lame, but its true. I assure you, things are A LOT different up here."
They entered Ms. Kwan's class, and Craig immediately walked over to Spinner, taking a seat next to him. Callie stood, still in the doorway, completely nervous, knowing she was shaking. She walked over and took the empty seat next to Craig, slouching in her chair and covering her face. How embarrassing.
"Good morning class," Ms. Kwan said cheerfully, "And welcome to Degrassi Community School. I'll start today by taking attendance and getting to know you. Get use to me, the people around you, and this room. Because you're gonna be here for a while. Aden, Hazel. Brooks, Jimmy. Del Rossi, Marco. Kerwin, Ashley. Manning, Craig. Mason, Gavin. Michealchuk, Paige. All accounted for...Taylor, Callie." Ms. Kwan stopped. "Class it appears as though we have a new student. Callie will you please come up to the front and tell us a little about yourself?" Ms. Kwan always knew how to scare someone even more than they already were.
Callie slowly arose from the chair, walking uncomfortably to the front of the class room as every male eye grazed over with a satisfied smirk.
She's beautiful. But you CANNOT get involved. Your relationship illiterate Craig, you'll end up hurting her. Craig thought as he kept a view on Callie's tight butt as she walked to the front of the room. He couldn't help but look.
"God Paige, look at him." Ashley said, unsatisfied, as she studied Craig's face.
"Look at him looking at her – he's such a pervert. And he..."
"Hun," Paige interrupted, "You need to get over that loser. He's so not worth it."
"My name is Callie Taylor, I just moved here from Ohio. I've been dancing ballet for 12 years and I just moved into the old Hoffman house." She said, trying to be as confident as possible. What else am I supposed to say? The faces around her were all looking at her strangely and displeased. A blonde girl in the back row even pulled out a nail file and started trimming her nails, rolling her brown eyes. An awkward silence filled the room until Ms. Kwan successfully broke it.
"Thank you Callie." Callie walked back, completely embarrassed. Ms. Kwan started passing a thick packet back, covering all the 'basics" of English Literature. But 'basics' to Miss. Kwan meant things a college major couldn't get. Callie's mouth dropped open. Something than hit Callie's leg - it was a crumpled up piece of paper from Craig.
-Don't worry about Ms. Kwan, she's a grade-A witch. And this stuff only looks hard, no worries.
-Yeah, exactly how I imagined spending my birthday tommorow, hunting through a 20 page packet on old dead guys who don't make any sense. And...
But just as Callie kept writing, she realized a brunette with short hair was staring at her coldly, not blinking.
-What's that girls problem, across the room in The Ramones shirt?
Ashley. Oh my god. Craig shook.
-I don't know.
You've known this girl for twenty minutes and you're already lying to her.
"Ms. Taylor, Mr. Manning, I highly recommend that you refrain from passing notes." Ms. Kwan, said, dissatisfied.
Note to self: Be invisible.
