A/N: Well here it is. Enjoy!
Chapter Eleven- An Unexpected Afternoon
"JT!" Manny called after him before the last period of the day. She spotted him walking down the hallway.
He whirled around. "Manny, hi."
"Don't 'Manny, hi' me. I just want to know one thing."
"And what would that be?" he asked.
"Did that kiss mean anything to you. At all?"
JT thought back to that afternoon they had spent together. "Yeah, definitely."
Manny smiled. "So we're still on for the dance, right?"
"Yeah...I mean, if you still want to."
"Totally. I just thought that because of what happened in science you didn't still want to go with me."
Manny actually seemed to be happy. When she was with JT she completely forgot about Craig and all of the suffering that he put her through. She had to admit, at first she agreed to go to the dance with JT as revenge. But spending time with him was great, and he really seemed to like her.
"Nah, forget about that." JT clasped her hand and was about to give her a kiss on the cheek when Liberty brushed past them.
"You, PDA is strictly against the Code of Conduct. Look it up," she said snottily, and flounced down the hallway.
Manny giggled and JT rolled his eyes, and they walked to their next class together.
------------
"So," Jimmy began as she and Ellie walked out of Degrassi together, heading for The Dot, "the dance. Yay or nay?"
"Nay," Ellie answered. "And yourself?"
He shrugged. "Sounds kind of fun, I guess."
"I'm not into the whole dance scene," she told him.
"Didn't you go to the dance last year?" he reminded her.
"For the yearbook. I don't dance."
"Why not?" he asked her.
Because they are completely and utterly lame, she thought.
All she did was give a small shrug. "I don't know, because I suck. And then you have to go through the whole king and queen drama. It's a total waste of time."
"And what would you rather be doing on a Friday night?" Jimmy wanted to know.
"Um, blasting my music and scaring little kids?" she suggested.
He laughed. "How productive."
"And a dance is?"
They finally reached The Dot. There, Ellie spotted Paige sitting at a table by herself. She looked as if she was waiting for someone, but she wasn't sure. Paige noticed Ellie, and then Ellie quickly looked away.
"Think we should go say hi at least?" Jimmy asked.
No, no, no! Ellie wanted to protest, but she didn't. It wasn't anything against Paige, not anymore, but this was supposed to be her and Jimmy's time. And she knew that once they went over there, she would go back to being the third wheel. She was always the third wheel. With Ashley and Craig, and Marco and Dylan, she never got a break. That's why she did not want to go over there.
But Ellie didn't want to be mean, so she just shrugged, and they walked over to her.
"Hey, guys," Paige said, trying to sound normal, when really they both knew she was thinking, what the hell are you two doing together? Paige knew they'd been friendly lately, but she didn't think they carried on outside of school. "What are you two doing here?"
"Just hanging out. What's up?" Jimmy asked.
Paige rolled her eyes. "Waiting for my lousy boyfriend to get here," she joked. "Care to join me until he does?"
Jimmy gave Ellie a quick glance, and she gave a small nod, although deep inside she wanted to get out of there. They both took a seat and ordered food. Minutes later, Spinner walked through the door. He stopped when he saw Jimmy.
"What's he doing here?" he demanded.
"He is your friend, remember, hon?" Paige said.
"Right."
"Spin, just forget about it, okay? I'm sorry," Jimmy apologized.
"Yeah, me too," Ellie quipped. "For whatever it was that I did."
It took a few more minutes of persuasion, but Spinner decided that he could sit out one meal with Jimmy and Ellie.
Once they received their food, there was a long pause. Spinner was the first to break it.
"So, Jim, how are the kids?" he asked. Paige giggled.
"What are you talking about, Spin?" Jimmy asked, although he knew.
"Well you and Miss Nash seem to spend all your time together, so I figure..."
Ellie laughed. "We're friends, Spinner. Friends. And do you have to keep referring to me as 'Miss Nash'?"
"Oh, right. We all know about your undying passion for each--"
Paige whacked him across the shoulder lightly. "They're just friends."
"Ha ha. You're funny, Paige. You and I both know that they can't stay 'just friends'."
"It's possible!" Paige argued.
"Honeybee, you really should watch more TV. It's, like, a law or something. A guy and a girl cannot be 'just friends'," Spinner explained.
"I'm friends with Jimmy, aren't I? We're 'just friends'," Paige told him.
"Or that's what you want me to think. Besides, I'm way more studlier than Jimmy. Who can resist me?" he teased.
"I'll start making a list," Ellie retorted, and Paige laughed.
They finished eating, and then they parted. And to tell the truth, Ellie actually had fun with these people who she was so critical of just a week before. The best part was, though, that they accepted her as well. This was definitely weird to Ellie, but for the most part, she wasn't complaining.
"You know," she said to Jimmy as they left The Dot, "they're really not all that bad."
"So, do you still think they're conformists with no brains?" he asked her.
She shrugged. "I think it's a little too early to be saying anything."
"Well, I'm glad you had a good time."
She smiled, and they walked along Degrassi Street.
"So, which way is your house?" he asked.
"You're walking me home? How sweet of you!"
"No, I was just wondering, incase of an emergency. You can make it home by yourself, right?" he joked.
"Very funny, James," she replied, grinning.
"Who's kidding?"
She punched him in the arm. "Let's go." She dragged him in the direction of her house.
In a couple of minutes, they had reached the Nash residence. "Well, here we are," Ellie sighed.
"You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. See you in school, I guess," she told him, as she approached the front door.
"Ellie."
"Yeah?"
Jimmy hesitated. "Never mind. See you later."
With that, he walked off, leaving Ellie with a puzzled look on her face.
Chapter Eleven- An Unexpected Afternoon
"JT!" Manny called after him before the last period of the day. She spotted him walking down the hallway.
He whirled around. "Manny, hi."
"Don't 'Manny, hi' me. I just want to know one thing."
"And what would that be?" he asked.
"Did that kiss mean anything to you. At all?"
JT thought back to that afternoon they had spent together. "Yeah, definitely."
Manny smiled. "So we're still on for the dance, right?"
"Yeah...I mean, if you still want to."
"Totally. I just thought that because of what happened in science you didn't still want to go with me."
Manny actually seemed to be happy. When she was with JT she completely forgot about Craig and all of the suffering that he put her through. She had to admit, at first she agreed to go to the dance with JT as revenge. But spending time with him was great, and he really seemed to like her.
"Nah, forget about that." JT clasped her hand and was about to give her a kiss on the cheek when Liberty brushed past them.
"You, PDA is strictly against the Code of Conduct. Look it up," she said snottily, and flounced down the hallway.
Manny giggled and JT rolled his eyes, and they walked to their next class together.
------------
"So," Jimmy began as she and Ellie walked out of Degrassi together, heading for The Dot, "the dance. Yay or nay?"
"Nay," Ellie answered. "And yourself?"
He shrugged. "Sounds kind of fun, I guess."
"I'm not into the whole dance scene," she told him.
"Didn't you go to the dance last year?" he reminded her.
"For the yearbook. I don't dance."
"Why not?" he asked her.
Because they are completely and utterly lame, she thought.
All she did was give a small shrug. "I don't know, because I suck. And then you have to go through the whole king and queen drama. It's a total waste of time."
"And what would you rather be doing on a Friday night?" Jimmy wanted to know.
"Um, blasting my music and scaring little kids?" she suggested.
He laughed. "How productive."
"And a dance is?"
They finally reached The Dot. There, Ellie spotted Paige sitting at a table by herself. She looked as if she was waiting for someone, but she wasn't sure. Paige noticed Ellie, and then Ellie quickly looked away.
"Think we should go say hi at least?" Jimmy asked.
No, no, no! Ellie wanted to protest, but she didn't. It wasn't anything against Paige, not anymore, but this was supposed to be her and Jimmy's time. And she knew that once they went over there, she would go back to being the third wheel. She was always the third wheel. With Ashley and Craig, and Marco and Dylan, she never got a break. That's why she did not want to go over there.
But Ellie didn't want to be mean, so she just shrugged, and they walked over to her.
"Hey, guys," Paige said, trying to sound normal, when really they both knew she was thinking, what the hell are you two doing together? Paige knew they'd been friendly lately, but she didn't think they carried on outside of school. "What are you two doing here?"
"Just hanging out. What's up?" Jimmy asked.
Paige rolled her eyes. "Waiting for my lousy boyfriend to get here," she joked. "Care to join me until he does?"
Jimmy gave Ellie a quick glance, and she gave a small nod, although deep inside she wanted to get out of there. They both took a seat and ordered food. Minutes later, Spinner walked through the door. He stopped when he saw Jimmy.
"What's he doing here?" he demanded.
"He is your friend, remember, hon?" Paige said.
"Right."
"Spin, just forget about it, okay? I'm sorry," Jimmy apologized.
"Yeah, me too," Ellie quipped. "For whatever it was that I did."
It took a few more minutes of persuasion, but Spinner decided that he could sit out one meal with Jimmy and Ellie.
Once they received their food, there was a long pause. Spinner was the first to break it.
"So, Jim, how are the kids?" he asked. Paige giggled.
"What are you talking about, Spin?" Jimmy asked, although he knew.
"Well you and Miss Nash seem to spend all your time together, so I figure..."
Ellie laughed. "We're friends, Spinner. Friends. And do you have to keep referring to me as 'Miss Nash'?"
"Oh, right. We all know about your undying passion for each--"
Paige whacked him across the shoulder lightly. "They're just friends."
"Ha ha. You're funny, Paige. You and I both know that they can't stay 'just friends'."
"It's possible!" Paige argued.
"Honeybee, you really should watch more TV. It's, like, a law or something. A guy and a girl cannot be 'just friends'," Spinner explained.
"I'm friends with Jimmy, aren't I? We're 'just friends'," Paige told him.
"Or that's what you want me to think. Besides, I'm way more studlier than Jimmy. Who can resist me?" he teased.
"I'll start making a list," Ellie retorted, and Paige laughed.
They finished eating, and then they parted. And to tell the truth, Ellie actually had fun with these people who she was so critical of just a week before. The best part was, though, that they accepted her as well. This was definitely weird to Ellie, but for the most part, she wasn't complaining.
"You know," she said to Jimmy as they left The Dot, "they're really not all that bad."
"So, do you still think they're conformists with no brains?" he asked her.
She shrugged. "I think it's a little too early to be saying anything."
"Well, I'm glad you had a good time."
She smiled, and they walked along Degrassi Street.
"So, which way is your house?" he asked.
"You're walking me home? How sweet of you!"
"No, I was just wondering, incase of an emergency. You can make it home by yourself, right?" he joked.
"Very funny, James," she replied, grinning.
"Who's kidding?"
She punched him in the arm. "Let's go." She dragged him in the direction of her house.
In a couple of minutes, they had reached the Nash residence. "Well, here we are," Ellie sighed.
"You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. See you in school, I guess," she told him, as she approached the front door.
"Ellie."
"Yeah?"
Jimmy hesitated. "Never mind. See you later."
With that, he walked off, leaving Ellie with a puzzled look on her face.