A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! =)
Chapter Fifteen- Confrontations
Manny courageously confronted Craig Manning Monday morning. She had five minutes before the homeroom bell rang, so she decided to have a chat with him. She found him at his locker in the grade ten hallway, throwing books inside. She went up to him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around.
"Manny!" he said, surprised to see her talking to him.
"Craig, I just...I know this is stupid of me, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry about everything. I totally messed things up for you. I just hope you can forgive me for all of this..."
Craig was silent for a while. Finally, he opened his mouth to say something, but immediately shut it.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her big, round eyes looking up at him.
"This is kind of...random, Manny. This was a long time ago and—"
"I understand that. I've just needed some time to sort things out myself. I heard about you and Ashley, and I decided that maybe I was wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have interfered because I figured since you guys got back together that you really did love her and—"
He cut her off. "I don't love Ashley."
Confusion filled Manny's face. "Then why—"
She was cut off again. "I thought I loved her, Manny. But I don't. The truth was I couldn't get my mind off of...you."
Manny's heart leapt up to her throat. Did he really still care about her after all of this time? She wanted to cry, but she held in her tears of happiness and joy and remained calm.
"Craig, I—"she started the sentence, but was interrupted when she heard someone from behind her call her name. It was JT.
"Hey, Manny. Craig." He sent an icy look Craig's way.
"Um, JT, do you think you could give us a few minutes. We're kind of in the middle of something," she explained.
"Well, you don't want to be late for homeroom or anything..." JT said, looking for an excuse to steal her away from Craig.
Manny sighed. "I'll be there on time. Don't worry about it. You go on to class; I'll catch up with you later."
Hurt and jealous, JT turned in the other direction and walked off.
----
JT trudged into homeroom and took his seat next to Liberty.
"JT, you alright?" Liberty asked him.
"Liberty, you were right. I thought you were wrong, I was hoping that you were wrong, but no, you were right again."
"What are you talking about?"
"Manny and Craig. You were right. She's still hung up on him," JT answered.
Liberty didn't know whether to feel happy that her plan had worked, or guilty for hurting JT. But he deserved it, didn't he?
"Why do you say that?"
He sighed. "I found her talking to Craig in the halls just a second ago. She basically told me to get lost. She's still interested. You were right. She was just using me."
"JT, I'm so sorry," Liberty said compassionately. Her conscience was eating at her now. Maybe she shouldn't have done this, but on the other hand, it didn't look like Manny and JT were going to last much longer...
She was finally getting another chance.
He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Stupid of me to think I actually had a chance, right?"
"Don't say that," Liberty said softly, although she knew that it was stupid for him to go after Manny.
Manny came in momentarily and glanced at JT, giving him a wink.
JT was bewildered. She kept throwing mixed signals at him left and right and it was starting to annoy him. But he kept his hopes up. That wink obviously meant nothing good had come out of her little chat with Craig.
Liberty looked at him. "I just can't believe you're letting her play with your emotions like that."
He just gave her a look, attempting to dismiss that comment.
------
"Okay, seriously, Ellie, you're starting to freak me out. You've been happy-happy-joy-joy, like, all morning and it's starting to give me chills. What's the deal?" Paige asked Ellie as they exited their first period class.
Ellie was spacing out. It took her a few seconds to realize that Paige had said anything. "Hmm?" she said.
Paige rolled her eyes. "This wouldn't have anything to with Saturday now, would it?"
"Of course not, Paige, what are you talking about?" Ellie demanded, finally snapping out of her daydreaming state.
The truth was she had been elated all weekend long. Spinner had obviously given the message to Jimmy that she had called, because he had called back. They had stayed up until two in the morning talking. It had seemed like a dream to Ellie, because no one ever called her. Especially not any guy. But then again, Jimmy wasn't just any guy. He made her weak in the knees and as much as she hated it, she loved it at the same time.
"Oh, please," she said.
"Oh, Honeybee," a voice called from behind Paige. Spinner came up to her and Ellie, putting his arm around Paige. Ellie tried to refrain from gagging at the lame nickname.
"Could you guys please stop using names like 'honeybee' when I'm around? Thanks," Ellie said.
"Oh, come on, hon, you know it's cute," Paige teased.
Ellie rolled her eyes. "As if," she quipped and headed down the hallway for her next class, second period English. She met up with Jimmy somewhere on the way. He was talking with Craig about something but stopped when he saw her.
"Hey, El," he greeted as they headed for their next class.
Ellie smiled and said hello shyly. She couldn't believe she was acting like this.
"So, you wanna come over today? To hang out?" Jimmy asked her.
Ellie was practically dancing inside. Over? At his house? She was in heaven.
"Yeah, I'd love to," she answered, as they reached Mrs. Kwan's class.
------
The lunch bell rang after fourth period. Ellie gathered her stuff and left her gym class. Paige found her at her locker and told her that they were all eating outside today.
Ellie was still surprised that Paige wanted her as part of her circle of friends. This was all new to her, since she was so used to being the loner that no one ever gave a second look.
"Thanks, Paige," she said meaningfully.
"Anytime, hon. You're pretty cool," she smirked. "Anyways, I gotta go, Spinner awaits."
Ellie laughed and rolled her eyes as Paige walked away. She finally got all of her things together and shut her locker, when she heard someone behind her calling her name.
"Ellie! I'd like a word with you." It was Hazel.
"Um, sure. What's up?" she asked.
"You're what's up! Why do you think you can just interfere with my friends? You've never liked us before, Ellie. Why now? Oh, right, because you're so chummy with Jimmy now. Well, guess what? It was me he liked, way before you! You think you can just-"
"Whoa, hold on. I'm not trying to steal your friends. I'm sorry if you feel excluded or whatever, but that's really not my fault," Ellie told her.
She was outraged. Okay, so, yes, she'd noticed that Hazel had been a bit left out of the group, but Paige said that Hazel understood, and that everything was fine.
"Whatever, Nash. You've just been warned." With that, she stormed off.
Ellie sighed and went outside to join Paige and Posse to eat her lunch.
"Ellie, what's wrong? You look like you just saw somebody die," Paige commented.
"No, I just had a lovely encounter with Hazel," she explained. "What's going on with you two? Because she's attacking me for it."
Paige rolled her eyes. "She's just jealous of you, so she stopped hanging out with us. It's her choice, no big deal."
"Okay, whatever you say," Ellie mumbled.
Chapter Fifteen- Confrontations
Manny courageously confronted Craig Manning Monday morning. She had five minutes before the homeroom bell rang, so she decided to have a chat with him. She found him at his locker in the grade ten hallway, throwing books inside. She went up to him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around.
"Manny!" he said, surprised to see her talking to him.
"Craig, I just...I know this is stupid of me, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry about everything. I totally messed things up for you. I just hope you can forgive me for all of this..."
Craig was silent for a while. Finally, he opened his mouth to say something, but immediately shut it.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her big, round eyes looking up at him.
"This is kind of...random, Manny. This was a long time ago and—"
"I understand that. I've just needed some time to sort things out myself. I heard about you and Ashley, and I decided that maybe I was wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have interfered because I figured since you guys got back together that you really did love her and—"
He cut her off. "I don't love Ashley."
Confusion filled Manny's face. "Then why—"
She was cut off again. "I thought I loved her, Manny. But I don't. The truth was I couldn't get my mind off of...you."
Manny's heart leapt up to her throat. Did he really still care about her after all of this time? She wanted to cry, but she held in her tears of happiness and joy and remained calm.
"Craig, I—"she started the sentence, but was interrupted when she heard someone from behind her call her name. It was JT.
"Hey, Manny. Craig." He sent an icy look Craig's way.
"Um, JT, do you think you could give us a few minutes. We're kind of in the middle of something," she explained.
"Well, you don't want to be late for homeroom or anything..." JT said, looking for an excuse to steal her away from Craig.
Manny sighed. "I'll be there on time. Don't worry about it. You go on to class; I'll catch up with you later."
Hurt and jealous, JT turned in the other direction and walked off.
----
JT trudged into homeroom and took his seat next to Liberty.
"JT, you alright?" Liberty asked him.
"Liberty, you were right. I thought you were wrong, I was hoping that you were wrong, but no, you were right again."
"What are you talking about?"
"Manny and Craig. You were right. She's still hung up on him," JT answered.
Liberty didn't know whether to feel happy that her plan had worked, or guilty for hurting JT. But he deserved it, didn't he?
"Why do you say that?"
He sighed. "I found her talking to Craig in the halls just a second ago. She basically told me to get lost. She's still interested. You were right. She was just using me."
"JT, I'm so sorry," Liberty said compassionately. Her conscience was eating at her now. Maybe she shouldn't have done this, but on the other hand, it didn't look like Manny and JT were going to last much longer...
She was finally getting another chance.
He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Stupid of me to think I actually had a chance, right?"
"Don't say that," Liberty said softly, although she knew that it was stupid for him to go after Manny.
Manny came in momentarily and glanced at JT, giving him a wink.
JT was bewildered. She kept throwing mixed signals at him left and right and it was starting to annoy him. But he kept his hopes up. That wink obviously meant nothing good had come out of her little chat with Craig.
Liberty looked at him. "I just can't believe you're letting her play with your emotions like that."
He just gave her a look, attempting to dismiss that comment.
------
"Okay, seriously, Ellie, you're starting to freak me out. You've been happy-happy-joy-joy, like, all morning and it's starting to give me chills. What's the deal?" Paige asked Ellie as they exited their first period class.
Ellie was spacing out. It took her a few seconds to realize that Paige had said anything. "Hmm?" she said.
Paige rolled her eyes. "This wouldn't have anything to with Saturday now, would it?"
"Of course not, Paige, what are you talking about?" Ellie demanded, finally snapping out of her daydreaming state.
The truth was she had been elated all weekend long. Spinner had obviously given the message to Jimmy that she had called, because he had called back. They had stayed up until two in the morning talking. It had seemed like a dream to Ellie, because no one ever called her. Especially not any guy. But then again, Jimmy wasn't just any guy. He made her weak in the knees and as much as she hated it, she loved it at the same time.
"Oh, please," she said.
"Oh, Honeybee," a voice called from behind Paige. Spinner came up to her and Ellie, putting his arm around Paige. Ellie tried to refrain from gagging at the lame nickname.
"Could you guys please stop using names like 'honeybee' when I'm around? Thanks," Ellie said.
"Oh, come on, hon, you know it's cute," Paige teased.
Ellie rolled her eyes. "As if," she quipped and headed down the hallway for her next class, second period English. She met up with Jimmy somewhere on the way. He was talking with Craig about something but stopped when he saw her.
"Hey, El," he greeted as they headed for their next class.
Ellie smiled and said hello shyly. She couldn't believe she was acting like this.
"So, you wanna come over today? To hang out?" Jimmy asked her.
Ellie was practically dancing inside. Over? At his house? She was in heaven.
"Yeah, I'd love to," she answered, as they reached Mrs. Kwan's class.
------
The lunch bell rang after fourth period. Ellie gathered her stuff and left her gym class. Paige found her at her locker and told her that they were all eating outside today.
Ellie was still surprised that Paige wanted her as part of her circle of friends. This was all new to her, since she was so used to being the loner that no one ever gave a second look.
"Thanks, Paige," she said meaningfully.
"Anytime, hon. You're pretty cool," she smirked. "Anyways, I gotta go, Spinner awaits."
Ellie laughed and rolled her eyes as Paige walked away. She finally got all of her things together and shut her locker, when she heard someone behind her calling her name.
"Ellie! I'd like a word with you." It was Hazel.
"Um, sure. What's up?" she asked.
"You're what's up! Why do you think you can just interfere with my friends? You've never liked us before, Ellie. Why now? Oh, right, because you're so chummy with Jimmy now. Well, guess what? It was me he liked, way before you! You think you can just-"
"Whoa, hold on. I'm not trying to steal your friends. I'm sorry if you feel excluded or whatever, but that's really not my fault," Ellie told her.
She was outraged. Okay, so, yes, she'd noticed that Hazel had been a bit left out of the group, but Paige said that Hazel understood, and that everything was fine.
"Whatever, Nash. You've just been warned." With that, she stormed off.
Ellie sighed and went outside to join Paige and Posse to eat her lunch.
"Ellie, what's wrong? You look like you just saw somebody die," Paige commented.
"No, I just had a lovely encounter with Hazel," she explained. "What's going on with you two? Because she's attacking me for it."
Paige rolled her eyes. "She's just jealous of you, so she stopped hanging out with us. It's her choice, no big deal."
"Okay, whatever you say," Ellie mumbled.