AUTHORS NOTE: I do not own any of the Degrassi characters. Sorry that Chapter 1 originally got posted twice.

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A few weeks had now passed at Degrassi, and Manny Santos was laying on her bed, thinking on this Saturday night. She put her hands over her stomach.

Maybe I should have kept the baby. Maybe Craig would still love me. She took her pillow and smothered it over her face, starting to cry. It seemed as if she was crying over Craig, but she wasn't. She was crying because something deeper inside of her was pulling her apart. And she didn't know what.

Craig sat on the park bench throwing bread crumbs at the birds in the park while Spinner chased the birds. Craig lifted his camera up and snapped a picture.

"So dude, what's with that chick you've been hanging out with these last few weeks? Its like you two are joined at the hip or something." Spinner said. For once, Spinner did have a point. They sat by each other in all their classes, talked online every night and sometimes on the phone, and had even gone to a few basketball games together.

"Dude, we are not joined at the hip."

"Hey, no need to get defensive on me! I have no problem with it...Callie is, well, fine."

"You have a girlfriend!"

"So, that doesn't mean I have to tape my eyes shut. And it never stopped you." Spinner joked.

"So not funny." Craig said, punching him in the shoulder. But Spinners comment trigged something. Craig than found himself staring off into the distance, thinking about everything that has happened to him between Ash and Manny. Manny – Ashley – Abortion – his dad...And its all my fault.

Craig fell out of his trance when Spinner's cell phone, the ring tone to "I Got You Babe", by Sonny and Cher started pounding in his ear.

I think I'm going to be sick.

"Honeybee? Honeybee what's wrong?" Spinner said calmly.

"I gotta go. Paige is having a nervous breakdown at the mall."

"AGAIN? Oh, go have fun pumpkinbun." Craig laughed.

"Ha ha ha, she likes that stuff. Very funny. See ya at practice dude." Spinner grabbed his car keys and gave Craig a high five.

Craig sat on the bench for a minute, still thinking. He looked off into the distance and swore he saw the silhouette of his dad behind the sandbox. He grabbed his camera and started back home, feeling the same pull of insecurity the day of the funeral.

"How was school today?" Callie's mom Brooke asked, pouring a glass of Vodka. She ran a hand through her messy, uncombed brown hair, pretending to be interested. Callie peaked her head into the living room, seeing four or five empty bottles.

"Um fine, except today during English I..."

"That's great hunny." Yeah Mom, so great. Callie walked over to the computer, signing online.

SmileyGurl: Stay away from Craig Manning – or else

CalBabie5: who is this???

SmileyGurl: that's not important

CalBabie5: I'm not staying away from Craig, and it's a little late for that anyway

SmileyGurl: if you don't want your life to be hell, than watch your back

Am I being threatened?

'DAMMIT WHO MOVED MY BRIEFCASE? WHOSE BEEN IN MY OFFICE?" Callie flinched. What is Paul doing home? The ground began to shake and she heard a bang of glass shatter all over the hallway. Her step dad was somewhere in the house, screaming and hitting the wall.

Oh shit, run upstairs. Don't be a part of this, Callie thought. She ran up the stairs as fast as her legs would take her, until she slammed right into him on the stairs. She felt a large lump in her throat come together.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING YOU LITTLE BITCH," He yelled, as he grabbed her by the wrists with impressive force and threw her down the stairs. Callie fell hard to the bottom, looking at the large bleeding gash all down her arm and feeling the small cut on her cheek in shock.

"DID YOU MOVE MYSHIT YOU LITTLE SLUT?" He said, looking down at her.

"No!" Callie said, crying.

"HUH? SPEAK UP!" He said, raising his hand.

"NO!" She screamed. Just as he swung again she ducked and ran upstairs. She walked down the upstairs hallway, crying, and peaked into her half brother Aaron's room. Aaron was laying on the ground, completely high, blabbering about butterflies. Callie sighed and shut his door. So much for him. She stepped into her room and looked into her vanity, putting her hands on her dresser for support. She looked at the small scratch on her cheek and the large gash down her arm. She grabbed her tweezers, removing carefully the medium sized wedge of glass in her arm, throwing the bloody glass across the room. She pulled the picture of her 'family' off her mirror, ripping it to little pieces and stepping on it violently. She wiped her tears hard and sloppily off her red face with a mixture of sadness and anger, trying to believe that the reflection in the mirror was not her. She grabbed her ballet leotard off the hanger and a pair of jeans. She put them on roughly, not even caring the blood was soaking through the light pink microfiber. She swung her bag over her shoulder and opened the window.

I have to get out of this hellhole. Callie shivered, her face still throbbing with warm tears, and the cut on her arm still bleeding. It was night, about 7:00 or so, and a cold winter night. She jumped to the ground, and started walking down the street, with no specific destination in mind. She shook again, and breathed through her mouth, watching the cold winter day turn her breath into ice.

"A little cold?" A voice said from behind her.

"I'm fine. Leave me alone." She assumed it was Aaron, who had somehow stumbled out of the house to try to drag her back home by Paul's order. It wouldn't be the first time. She walked faster.

"I don't have cuddies, I promise." Callie turned around, completely frustrated. It was Craig, standing with his hands in his pockets.

Shit. I can't let him see me like this. Quick, tuck your hair over your face.

"Here," He said, walking over and putting his leather jacket around Callie's arms. "I'm not very cold. I live down this street too, can I walk you home?"

"Actually, I'm trying to get away from home." She said, avoiding him.

Craig situated the jacket around Callie's arms a little more contently and noticed she was bleeding heavily; part of her pink leotard was now stained dark red. He thought to himself for a moment, remembering how it resembled one of the cuts his father had gave him when he pushed him down in his dark room. He soothed his hand down Callie's arm.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"What," he said, stressing each word, "Happened?"

"NOTHING! God Manning can't you take a clue? It was my dog." Lies, all lies. How can you lie to him? You don't even have a dog.

"How does your dog scratch you that deep?" Callie was silent. How would he understand? She felt like she had nothing to prove to him. They kept walking in silence.

"I'll ask you again - how does your dog hurt you that badly?" He grabbed her by the unbruised arm and swung her around, getting the first frontal view of her tear-stricken, red splotchy face. She was still crying, and by now it was uncontrollable, she couldn't control her airway passage. He was astonished at the expression on her face. He hadn't noticed it until that very second. The snow began to descend a little harder, falling on both there fluttering eyelashes.

"Its okay...I know. Don't worry, you can always..."

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW? Don't try to tell me to go back home Craig. Mom's to drunk to realize what's going on half the time, Aaron is to stoned to do anything, and 'dad'..."

"Hits you?" He released his grip on her arm a little lighter, and she pulled her wrist out of his hand. She ran off the sidewalk and into the middle of the deserted street, running her fingers through her wet hair. This was all Callie ever knew – to run away. Craig chased after her, and she picked up her pace. He grabbed her by the waist.

"Callie...CALLIE!" He was restraining her back as she struggled to push away from him – but it was no use – his grip was to tight.

"Let me go...let – me – GO!" She screamed, turning around and hitting him in the arms that were wrapped around her waist. But it was no use. She was breaking down emotionally, and gave up. He gently pulled her into his arms.

He could feel her chest pulsating against his – she couldn't even breathe anymore; she was to overwhelmed.

"Shhh, shhh." He whispered into her ear. Craig finally realized that he wasn't alone in the world, with his dad and all. Something felt right about holding her. He knew what the blood was from. And the scar on the back of her neck.

Callie never had anyone her entire life that held her like that. Thank you, Craig Manning. She thought.

He held her for what seemed like an eternity in the middle of the empty street as the heavenly white snow fell on both their heads.