A/N: Finally, I have chapter 10 out. I've had it written for a while, but
my computer was seriously messed up...so be glad! Here it is.
Chapter Ten- Understanding Each Other
Manny walked sophisticatedly down the hallway of Degrassi the next morning, heading for her destination. Glaring evilly, she pushed past a crowd of people, and found Liberty at her locker.
"Exactly WHAT is your problem?" she snapped, rage filling her voice.
"Excuse me?" Liberty asked, surprised.
"You complained to Raditch about my wardrobe, AGAIN, didn't you? I know you don't like it, but you don't have to be jealous," she barked.
"First off, if you're talking about yesterday, I did not say a word to Raditch. Second of all, I am not jealous of you, Manny."
She said the 'you' as if she were a pile of cow manuer. Manny's lip twitched, a sign of either hurt or anger. Liberty couldn't tell which.
"You know I'm on the verge of suspension?! He said if he catches me wearing anything 'risqué' , he's going to call my parents!" Manny cried.
Liberty shrugged. "That's what happens when you don't think about your decisions. Good luck with that," she said smartly, slammed her locker and walked away with a smirk upon her face.
Shrieking, Manny stormed off to class.
"Can you believe the nerve of that girl!" she whined to JT, plopping down in Ms. Hatzilakos's homeroom.
"Who?" he asked, his eyes on her.
"Liberty!" she exclaimed, as if JT had been there in the hallway during her outburst.
JT knew firsthand how annoying Liberty appeared to be, so he could relate. But still, he asked her what had happened, and she told him the story.
"Well," he said, after she finished, "not that I'm complaining or anything, that talk with Raditch certainly didn't change anything."
She had on a dark blue denim miniskirt and a white halter top. She decided to keep it simple, but sexy.
Manny gave JT a look. "What? You think I'm going to change because of what Raditch and Miss Van Zandt have to say about the way I dress? Yeah, right."
JT shrugged. "Would you rather be suspended?"
"JT!" Manny screeched, frustrated. "That's not the point! Besides, I thought you were down with my new look."
He ignored her and began listening as Ms. Hatzilakos started the class.
---
The bell rang. Ellie grabbed her stuff and trudged out of the classroom.
"Don't look so happy," a voice said from behind her. She whirled around.
It was Jimmy.
"I'm not," Ellie replied, and slowed down a bit so he could catch up.
"Bad day?" he asked. "Already?"
"No," she answered. "I just don't want to be here."
"I know what you mean. Want to hang out after school?" he suggested.
"Sure," she said, a smile forming upon her face.
"Did I hear that correctly?" It was Spinner. "Well, well, well, Jimmy. I must say, I am surprised. First Miss Ashley Kerwin and now Miss Eleanor Nash."
"Shut up, dude, you're so stupid," Jimmy remarked.
"Tell me about it," Ellie mumbled under her breath.
"Just wait until Paige hears about this," Spinner said with a laugh.
"Since when did you become Mister Gossip King?" Ellie asked.
"Ever since Paige turned him to the dark side," Jimmy retorted.
"Dude, what's your problem? Paige is your friend too, incase you had forgotten. I can't believe you, man. And you think I'm going bad. Look at you." Spinner's words were filled with hate and hurt.
Ellie glanced at Jimmy. "What did I do?" she asked lamely.
Jimmy didn't answer. He stood there, watching as his friend turned and walked away.
---
She sat in a washroom stall during her lunch hour. She frantically searched through her back for something. Anything. She finally found a tiny pair of scissors. She hadn't done it in a few weeks, and yet all of a sudden she felt the urge. What was one more cut? She pushed up her arm warmer, revealing her marred skin. She made one cut. Not so deep. Then another, this time pushing down on the scissors with more force. Suddenly, she heard the door bust open. Quickly, she grabbed some toilet tissue, dabbing the blood away, and flushed it down the toilet. She straightened up her arm warmer, not even realizing that blood would most likely seep through.
She opened the door, and saw Paige digging through her purse.
"Hey, El," she said, not even looking up.
"How'd you know it was me?" she asked.
"Who else has black boots the size of Texas?" Paige replied, not intending to sound harsh. She noticed as Ellie just stood there, frozen. "Um, hon, aren't you going to wash your hands?"
"Right, that's the sanitary thing to do," Ellie mumbled, and walked over to the sink. She tried to make sure Paige didn't watch as she pulled up her arm warmers.
"Ellie!" Paige gasped. Too late. She had spotted the bloody arm. "Ellie, please tell me you didn't just-"
"Really, Paige, it's none of your business!" Ellie exclaimed.
Paige ran over to some paper towels. She wet it with water and grabbed Ellie's arm. She dabbed the wet cloth on her cut, and surprisingly, she didn't pull away.
"Why are you making this into some big ordeal?" Ellie asked, furious with Paige. With herself.
"Because it is! Do you have any idea who you're hurting?"
"Nobody! I'm not hurting anybody!" she cried.
"Yes, you are. Whether you want to believe it or not, you're hurting everyone!" Paige told her.
"Who?" she asked, as tears began flowing down her cheeks.
"Jimmy, Ash, your mother, your father, Marco and even me!" Paige shouted and then froze. Did she really just say that?
Ellie looked at her. "Yeah, right. You couldn't care less about me. You want to know a secret, Paige? My mother is a drunk, my dad is in Kabul and my friends don't even know!"
"That's not true at all," Paige replied quietly. "It hurts me that you don't care about anyone else but yourself. It hurts me to know that you WANT to do this to yourself. And Jimmy knows. He even told me so-"
"Oh, so you two have been talking about me behind my back?"
"We're worried for you, Ellie. This isn't right. This isn't normal," Paige said calmly.
"My life isn't normal," she replied.
Paige smiled. "whose is? Look, Ellie, I know you won't listen to me, but please. Please try to look at this from everyone else's perspective. You've done so much damage, to yourself and others."
"I just.........I just don't know how to stop," Ellie admitted.
"You could try talking to Ms. Suave again........." Paige said.
Ellie stared at the tiled walls. "Maybe."
"And this time, actually talk. She's a very good counselor. She helped me back when-"her voice trailed off.
"Back when what?" Ellie asked.
"It's not important."
"Hmm, I think it is. I think now that you pretty much know all of my insane problems, it's your time to share."
Paige's face grew serious. "I was going to say that Ms. Suave helped me after.........after I was date-raped last year."
Ellie's eyes widened. "Wow, that must've been awful."
She nodded. "Worst experience of my life. But I don't like to dwell on it. I've moved on. I'm pretty much over it."
Suddenly, Ellie felt guilty for all of the cruel and twisted thoughts that had ever crossed her mind about Paige Michalchuk. They were sitting here in the washroom, having a civilized conversation and now they both knew each other's terrible secret.
"Well, I'd say we've bonded quite enough, so I'm going to go back to the lunchroom," Ellie said, fixing her arm warmer, and grabbing her bag.
"Okay, but I'm serious. If you ever need to talk to anyone, you've got my number, right?" Paige said.
"Uh, actually, I don't," Ellie answered.
"Right," Paige laughed, reaching into her purse and pulling out a notepad and pen. She quickly scribbled a number down and handed it to Ellie.
"Thanks," she said meaningfully, and walked out the door.
Chapter Ten- Understanding Each Other
Manny walked sophisticatedly down the hallway of Degrassi the next morning, heading for her destination. Glaring evilly, she pushed past a crowd of people, and found Liberty at her locker.
"Exactly WHAT is your problem?" she snapped, rage filling her voice.
"Excuse me?" Liberty asked, surprised.
"You complained to Raditch about my wardrobe, AGAIN, didn't you? I know you don't like it, but you don't have to be jealous," she barked.
"First off, if you're talking about yesterday, I did not say a word to Raditch. Second of all, I am not jealous of you, Manny."
She said the 'you' as if she were a pile of cow manuer. Manny's lip twitched, a sign of either hurt or anger. Liberty couldn't tell which.
"You know I'm on the verge of suspension?! He said if he catches me wearing anything 'risqué' , he's going to call my parents!" Manny cried.
Liberty shrugged. "That's what happens when you don't think about your decisions. Good luck with that," she said smartly, slammed her locker and walked away with a smirk upon her face.
Shrieking, Manny stormed off to class.
"Can you believe the nerve of that girl!" she whined to JT, plopping down in Ms. Hatzilakos's homeroom.
"Who?" he asked, his eyes on her.
"Liberty!" she exclaimed, as if JT had been there in the hallway during her outburst.
JT knew firsthand how annoying Liberty appeared to be, so he could relate. But still, he asked her what had happened, and she told him the story.
"Well," he said, after she finished, "not that I'm complaining or anything, that talk with Raditch certainly didn't change anything."
She had on a dark blue denim miniskirt and a white halter top. She decided to keep it simple, but sexy.
Manny gave JT a look. "What? You think I'm going to change because of what Raditch and Miss Van Zandt have to say about the way I dress? Yeah, right."
JT shrugged. "Would you rather be suspended?"
"JT!" Manny screeched, frustrated. "That's not the point! Besides, I thought you were down with my new look."
He ignored her and began listening as Ms. Hatzilakos started the class.
---
The bell rang. Ellie grabbed her stuff and trudged out of the classroom.
"Don't look so happy," a voice said from behind her. She whirled around.
It was Jimmy.
"I'm not," Ellie replied, and slowed down a bit so he could catch up.
"Bad day?" he asked. "Already?"
"No," she answered. "I just don't want to be here."
"I know what you mean. Want to hang out after school?" he suggested.
"Sure," she said, a smile forming upon her face.
"Did I hear that correctly?" It was Spinner. "Well, well, well, Jimmy. I must say, I am surprised. First Miss Ashley Kerwin and now Miss Eleanor Nash."
"Shut up, dude, you're so stupid," Jimmy remarked.
"Tell me about it," Ellie mumbled under her breath.
"Just wait until Paige hears about this," Spinner said with a laugh.
"Since when did you become Mister Gossip King?" Ellie asked.
"Ever since Paige turned him to the dark side," Jimmy retorted.
"Dude, what's your problem? Paige is your friend too, incase you had forgotten. I can't believe you, man. And you think I'm going bad. Look at you." Spinner's words were filled with hate and hurt.
Ellie glanced at Jimmy. "What did I do?" she asked lamely.
Jimmy didn't answer. He stood there, watching as his friend turned and walked away.
---
She sat in a washroom stall during her lunch hour. She frantically searched through her back for something. Anything. She finally found a tiny pair of scissors. She hadn't done it in a few weeks, and yet all of a sudden she felt the urge. What was one more cut? She pushed up her arm warmer, revealing her marred skin. She made one cut. Not so deep. Then another, this time pushing down on the scissors with more force. Suddenly, she heard the door bust open. Quickly, she grabbed some toilet tissue, dabbing the blood away, and flushed it down the toilet. She straightened up her arm warmer, not even realizing that blood would most likely seep through.
She opened the door, and saw Paige digging through her purse.
"Hey, El," she said, not even looking up.
"How'd you know it was me?" she asked.
"Who else has black boots the size of Texas?" Paige replied, not intending to sound harsh. She noticed as Ellie just stood there, frozen. "Um, hon, aren't you going to wash your hands?"
"Right, that's the sanitary thing to do," Ellie mumbled, and walked over to the sink. She tried to make sure Paige didn't watch as she pulled up her arm warmers.
"Ellie!" Paige gasped. Too late. She had spotted the bloody arm. "Ellie, please tell me you didn't just-"
"Really, Paige, it's none of your business!" Ellie exclaimed.
Paige ran over to some paper towels. She wet it with water and grabbed Ellie's arm. She dabbed the wet cloth on her cut, and surprisingly, she didn't pull away.
"Why are you making this into some big ordeal?" Ellie asked, furious with Paige. With herself.
"Because it is! Do you have any idea who you're hurting?"
"Nobody! I'm not hurting anybody!" she cried.
"Yes, you are. Whether you want to believe it or not, you're hurting everyone!" Paige told her.
"Who?" she asked, as tears began flowing down her cheeks.
"Jimmy, Ash, your mother, your father, Marco and even me!" Paige shouted and then froze. Did she really just say that?
Ellie looked at her. "Yeah, right. You couldn't care less about me. You want to know a secret, Paige? My mother is a drunk, my dad is in Kabul and my friends don't even know!"
"That's not true at all," Paige replied quietly. "It hurts me that you don't care about anyone else but yourself. It hurts me to know that you WANT to do this to yourself. And Jimmy knows. He even told me so-"
"Oh, so you two have been talking about me behind my back?"
"We're worried for you, Ellie. This isn't right. This isn't normal," Paige said calmly.
"My life isn't normal," she replied.
Paige smiled. "whose is? Look, Ellie, I know you won't listen to me, but please. Please try to look at this from everyone else's perspective. You've done so much damage, to yourself and others."
"I just.........I just don't know how to stop," Ellie admitted.
"You could try talking to Ms. Suave again........." Paige said.
Ellie stared at the tiled walls. "Maybe."
"And this time, actually talk. She's a very good counselor. She helped me back when-"her voice trailed off.
"Back when what?" Ellie asked.
"It's not important."
"Hmm, I think it is. I think now that you pretty much know all of my insane problems, it's your time to share."
Paige's face grew serious. "I was going to say that Ms. Suave helped me after.........after I was date-raped last year."
Ellie's eyes widened. "Wow, that must've been awful."
She nodded. "Worst experience of my life. But I don't like to dwell on it. I've moved on. I'm pretty much over it."
Suddenly, Ellie felt guilty for all of the cruel and twisted thoughts that had ever crossed her mind about Paige Michalchuk. They were sitting here in the washroom, having a civilized conversation and now they both knew each other's terrible secret.
"Well, I'd say we've bonded quite enough, so I'm going to go back to the lunchroom," Ellie said, fixing her arm warmer, and grabbing her bag.
"Okay, but I'm serious. If you ever need to talk to anyone, you've got my number, right?" Paige said.
"Uh, actually, I don't," Ellie answered.
"Right," Paige laughed, reaching into her purse and pulling out a notepad and pen. She quickly scribbled a number down and handed it to Ellie.
"Thanks," she said meaningfully, and walked out the door.