Craig was going to do it. He was going to do what he had wanted to do all along. He was going to confront Amber about the picture and the date, and he was going to tell her how he felt.
They were back in school, and Craig had felt very uncomfortable. He couldn't look Amber in the eye, and he had been being cold to Jimmy. Jimmy must have wondered about this, because Jimmy had angrily asked why Craig was being so frosty to him. Because of this, there was now a lot of tension between the two boys.
Craig confidently marched through the doors of Degrassi C.S., ready to confess to Amber how he felt. However, once he saw Amber's face, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Craig glumly went through the rest of the morning, disappointed in himself.
Terri had been watching Craig. She still believed that Craig had feelings for Amber, and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw his face. Terri knew she was right. Especially once Craig had talked to her.
Craig had come up to her that morning, carefully looking away from the spot beyond Terri where Amber was standing.
Craig had relaxed then. His tense shoulders unhunched, his fingers started tapping, and he started to breathe slower and deeper than before.
"So, Terri, I was wondering if you could answer this question for me. Since you're a girl and all."
Terri was patient with him. "Okay. Shoot."
"Say, hypothetically, this guy likes this girl."
Terri was positive he was talking about him and Amber. But she encouraged, "Go on."
"And there's this whole mess where he's seen her with a couple other guys, and he really, really likes her, but he doesn't know if she likes him back."
Calmly, Terri replied, "Well, I'm sure she likes him back. But has he done anything special for her?" Slyly, Terri continued, "Has he given her a present? Maybe written a song for her?"
"He's done both. But she hasn't heard the song."
"Well, I suggest that he just tell her."
Craig sighed. "Okay..."
After school, Craig stopped Amber. He was going to ask Amber about the picture because he absolutely had to know. But, he didn't have quite enough courage to tell her how he felt yet.
Craig went straight to the point. "Amber, who was that guy at your house?"
"Guy at my house? When?" Amber managed to look calm and collected, although her heart was pounding.
"When I gave you your homework."
Amber thought about that. Who could Craig be talking about? Amber tried to remember, but Craig was so close that it was distracting her.
Craig then took out the picture and held it up to her face. It dawned on her. A look of understanding and terrible sadness swept over her face.
Amber quietly said, "That's my brother."
Craig was taken aback. That boy was her brother?
Now that it was out, it was easy to let it all out. "He's got Down's Syndrome. That's what causes the squashing in of his face, and that's why he's a little mentally retarded. Please don't tell anyone." By this time, tears were streaming from her sad eyes.
"And it's not his fault! It's my stupid dad."
"Then how come you..." Craig stopped.
"The guy that died was my step dad, Craig. My real dad died when I was a week old, and my mom remarried, like, five months later. My stepdad, even though I've called him 'Dad' my whole life, is the one to blame for making Corey's life so horrible. It's made my life miserable, too. Do you know how many times I've seen people make fun of Corey? And every time someone says something like, "That's retarded," my heart hurts for Corey. He'll never be as lucky as us. We don't appreciate how extremely fortunate we are." Amber threw her arm around Craig's neck and sobbed into his chest. Craig held her tight and murmured, "There, there."
So this was why Amber had been such a loner. This was why Amber was different. And this was why he loved her.
He could see that now. He truly cared about her, and he was going to protect her in any way he could. Now, all he needed to do was tell him he loved her and get her to go to the Valentine's Day Dance with him.