Ashley walked slowly down the hallway of the hospital, her coat clutched in her hand nervously. She hated hospitals- the smell, the noise, everything. Hospitals always made Ashley think of death. She shivered as she stepped up to a large, wooden door. She knocked lightly, and then stepped inside. The room was dark, with a solitary light sitting on the table next to the large, hospital bed.

"Ashley!" Craig said, looking surprised. He was sitting on the bed, and his face was pale, but he looked alright. Ashley smiled lightly and walked to his bedside. "I didn't know you were coming."

Ashley shrugged. "When I heard about the accident….I had to come. Are you alright?"

Craig nodded, and then gestured to his left arm, which was wrapped in a cast. "I'm going to be ok. I have a few bumps and bruises, and I sprained my arm, but I'm fine." He smiled. "I'm pretty tough, you know."

"I know," Ashley said. She swallowed hard, and looked down at the hospital room's beige floor. Ask him! She yelled at herself. You know you want to. Ashley fiddled with the silver-cross necklace that hung on her neck, and finally looked up at her boyfriend. "Craig….what were you doing at Manny's house? What-what happened?"

Craig bit his lip. "Well…I went over there to talk to Manny." Ashley gave him a skeptical look. "No, really! I was worried about her…she's in over her head. I was just trying to be a good friend. And then….we talked and…" Craig trailed off and glanced out the window. "I was leaving, and then I just tripped down the stairs. Pretty stupid, huh?"

"Yeah….pretty stupid," Ashley said, and she couldn't help but think that there was something off about his story. "Craig…I just wish you…I just wish you would stay away from her. It would make me feel a lot better…after everything that has happened between you two."

Craig frowned. "I can't do that.'

"What?"

"I can't just abandon Manny, Ash. Especially not now, after Carter's death and everything. She needs someone."

"Why does that someone have to be you?" Ash snapped back. "Why do you always have to be the knight in shining armor?"

"Are you hearing yourself?" Craig asked in amazement. He shook his head. "Her boyfriend, or whatever he was, was just killed in a car accident. And I'm supposed to just turn my back on her because you ask me to?"

"You're not turning your back on her- you're turning your back on me!" she yelled, throwing up her hands. "Things were perfect between us, Craig. But lately…it's like you're not even here anymore. Between Roxie and Manny coming back, I feel like I'm just some fourth wheel who is getting in your way."

"You're not in the way," Craig said calmly." It's just…they're my friends. And right now, their both going through some really hard shit.  And I'm sorry if you feel neglected, but I never meant to make you feel bad. It's just kind of selfish to demand all my attention all the time.'

Ashley was dead quiet for a long time. Craig sighed. Maybe she's seeing my point, he hoped. It's really not like Ash to be all needy and jealous.

     

"Maybe…we should stop seeing each other," Ashley finally said, and Craig's mouth dropped open. "It's just not working out anymore."

"Ash…" Craig began, reaching out to take her hand with his good one. But Ashley stepped back and shook her head, and Craig's hand dropped limply on the bed. "No, Craig. Let's just take some time apart, so we can both figure out what we want."

Craig swallowed hard. "Oh…ok."

"I hope you feel better,' Ashley said quickly, picking up her jacket and hurrying over to the door. If she didn't get out of that room, she knew she was going to burst into tears. "Bye." And with that, she stepped out of the door, and shut it behind her. Then, she wiped away a tear as she walked quickly down the long hospital corridor and out the swinging doors.

       The cemetery had been cold and damp, and Manny had watched numbly as Carter's casket was lowered into the ground. She had kept her head down the whole ceremony, allowing her long, black hair to shield her face like curtain. Manny didn't cry- she didn't really have any tears left in her. Now she just felt cold and dead inside- just like Carter. I should be the one in that casket, she had thought. She should be dead- she felt dead.

Manny had stood perfectly still as the pastor had given a sermon about "life after death", but she hadn't really been listening. She had been too busy subtly glancing around at all the other mourners, wondering what they would think if they knew the truth. I killed him, she realized. If I hadn't been such a complete bitch to him, he wouldn't have gotten drunk and driven a car.  

Manny tried to push that thought aside, and she simply wanted to ignore everyone and everything. But she couldn't ignore the curious stares of her classmates. She couldn't ignore the horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. And most of all, she couldn't ignore the heart-wrenching sobs of Carter's mother.

After what seemed like an eternity, the service was over, and people began going their separate ways, many of them stopping to give Carter's parents their condolences. Manny walked over and leaned against a tall oak tree and slumped down. This was the worst day of her life- worse than when she had been put in the hospital after her overdose, and worse than the day she was put into rehab.

After a long time of just sitting and staring at nothing, Manny saw Carter's parents walk over to her, holding hands and looking absolutely horrible. Manny swallowed hard and stood up, trying to think of something to say. Before she could say anything, Carter's mother reached out and hugged her tightly.

"Manny," Carter's mother said into her hair. "He loved you so much."

Manny felt her throat close up with tears. She knew he had loved her- and she had completely broken his heart. Part of her wanted to tell his mother the whole story, but she knew she couldn't. Instead she stepped back and stared at them. "I'm…I'm so…sorry," she said, and then she turned and ran across the cemetery. I'm sorry I killed your son. I'm sorry I'm such a horrible, heartless witch.

Manny hurried to the edge of the cemetery, and immediately spotted Emma sitting on the curb. She saw Manny, stood up, and walked over to her. "Hey. I was just waiting for you…I thought I could walk you home."

Manny shrugged mindlessly. "Sure. Whatever," she muttered.

The two girl began heading home, walking quietly without saying anything. It wasn't an awkward silence- it was a nice, peaceful silence that seemed totally appropriate. Manny wrapped her arms around her waist protectively and stared down at her sandals.

"Manny…are you going to be ok?" Emma finally asked as they approached a crosswalk. She stopped and turned to her friend. "This must be really hard."

Of course it is, you idiot! Manny thought bitterly. Then she shook her head, realizing there was no reason to be angry at Emma. Her long-time best friend was just trying to be nice, but Manny really didn't want to hear it. It only made her feel worse that people were feeling sorry for her. I just want to go home, crawl under the covers of my bed, and never come out.

A few minutes later, they stopped in front of Manny's house. "I'll call you later, ok?" Emma said gently, and then she hugged Manny. Manny kind of hugged her back, but her heart wasn't into it. She watched as Emma walked away, and then she turned and walked inside her house. She jogged up the stairs, eager to just rip of the stuffy dress she was wearing and jump into bed. But when Manny walked into her room, she was surprised to find her mother sitting on her bed, and her dad leaning against her dresser. Manny swallowed hard.

"What are you doing?" she asked, noting their sad, serious faces. Shit. This isn't good.

"Manny…you need to pack your things," her mother said, in a quiet, hollow voice.

"What? Why?" Manny demanded, glancing back and forth between her parents.

"Manny…we've tried so hard to help you," her mother said, sounding slightly choked up. "But…we just don't know what to do. But they will…."

Manny froze. "Who will? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're going to a rehabilitation center in New York. We've already phoned them, and they're expecting you by Thursday," her mother continued, as if Manny hadn't spoken. Manny saw tears glisten in her mother's eyes.

"What? Why do I have to go back to rehab? You can't send me back there!" she cried, staring at her parents in horror. This was officially the day from hell. Manny had never explained her relationship with Carter to her parents, and she doubted they even knew that he was dead, let alone that she had just come from his funeral. Her father walked over, and Manny spotted something in his hands. A bag of cocaine she had bought a few nights ago. Oh, fuck, she thought, her mind whirling. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"This is why, Manny. We won't stand for this. We won't have this in our house," her father said angrily, and Manny could see that he was furious.

"Its' one of the best centers in North America!" Manny's mother quickly cut in, standing up. "They will help you. They're one of the best centers in North America!" she repeated, as if that was supposed to make everything better. Her mother reached out to touch Manny, but Manny slapped her hand away.

"You've been going through my things?"

"That's not the point! The point if, you have drugs!" her father roared, shaking the cocaine at his daughter.

"Manny," her mother pleaded, ignoring her husband as she stared intently at her daughter. She reached out to hug her daughter, but Manny shoved her away.

"No!" she screamed frantically. "I'm not going back to rehab! You can't fucking make me!" She stomped over to her bed and pulled out her two packed suitcases under her bed. "I'd rather die than go back there."

Manny's mother stared at her in shock. "Manny, what are you doing? Why are your bags packed…?"

"Fuck off!" she yelled, walking over to the door with the bag in her hands. "Good-bye, Mom. Bye, Dad." Then she hurried out of the room and down the stairs. She could hear her parents running after her, but she kept going, completely ignoring them.

"Manny!" her mother yelled, coming out of her room. "Stop right now! Where do you think you're going?"

"Anywhere but here!" she screamed, throwing open the door.

I'm getting the hell out of here, she thought angrily. And I'm never coming back.

         Paige sipped her lemonade as she flipped a page in the teen magazine in front of her. She was sitting at a table on the patio of Granger's, a local restaurant, and she was waiting for Hazel to show up. She frowned when she saw an article about "How To Tell If Your Guy's Lost Interest". Paige rolled her eyes as she skimmed over the list. She knew what would be an excellent number-one way to tell your guys lost interest- he gets some other girl pregnant! Paige quickly flipped the page. She didn't need some crappy list to tell her if Spinner wasn't interested in her. He had made it perfectly clear that he wasn't.

Paige fiddled with her straw and tried to focus on an article on good hair tips, but she just couldn't. At first, Paige had thought that Spin had simply broken up with her because he felt obligated to Roxie since she was pregnant, but now she wasn't so sure. Lately, the two had been practically inseparable- Spin was always opening doors for her and carrying around her books. Paige narrowed her eyes. It was like Roxie was the new Paige! Did Spin actually have romantic feelings for Roxie? He sure acted like it.

Paige decided to stop thinking about the two- it was depressing her severely. She was already sad enough about Carter's death. She had always had a tiny crush on the guy, and she was going to miss him. She winced when she remembered their disastrous hook-up at Charlie Dover's party awhile ago. It had ended with Carter shoving Paige off the bed and running off after Manny.

"Paige?" she suddenly heard a deep voice say. She looked up, and her heart dropped. Standing next to her table was Dean, and he was staring at her with large, solemn eyes.

"'Dean," she choked out. She glanced around, glad to see that she was surrounded by people. "Get out away from me. Now." For the first couple of months after her rape, Paige had been terrified of Dean. She still was, but now she was stronger. She wasn't going to let him get to her.

'Paige, please…" Dean said, looking down at his hands. "You have to let me explain. You never did, and I-"
 

"Let you explain?" Paige spit out. "You want me to let you explain why you raped me?"

"No!" Dean explained, sitting down at the empty seat across from her. "What I did was horrible, but please just let me tell you my side of the-"

"Get away from my table!" she said quietly, her voice shaking. "I swear to God, if you don't leave right now, I'm going to scream." Dean was silent for a minute, and then sighed.

"Please," he said, staring at her with sorrowful, pleading eyes. "Just give me a chance. What can it hurt?"

Paige clenched her jaw. He obviously wasn't going to leave, so Paige decided she might as well let him talk for a few minutes, and then scream. "Fine. Talk."

Dean sighed in relief. "Thank you. Look, I really liked you when we met at that party. You were easy to talk to, and I thought we really connected. When you pulled me upstairs…I thought you wanted…" he glanced around and lowered his voice. "I thought you wanted to have sex. That's what most girls do. I got rough, and I didn't listen to you. I thought you were just playing hard to get. I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't understand you didn't want to. I never meant to rape you, Paige. I swear."

"You didn't mean to rape me?" Paige spit out, shaking her head in amazement. "I said no, Dean. You should have stopped."

"I know! But no girl has ever…no girl had ever said no to me before! I thought you were teasing, just trying to spice things up."

"So if you felt so bad about it, why didn't you apologize when you came to my school for that basketball game?"

"I was a jerk. I know. But by then, everyone had heard about what happened. People were giving me a hard time, calling me a rapist and everything! I was mad at you, because I'm not a rapist. Things went too far, but I never intended to do that to you." Dean looked down at his hands. "After you first pressed charges against me, I went to psychiatrist, and I've been seeing him for a long time. I'm realizing that what happened was horrible, and that I can get too rough sometimes. But I've changed."

Paige stared at him, not sure what to think. On one hand, this was her rapist. Shouldn't she absolutely despise him with all her heart? But he seemed so genuine…and what exactly did he have to gain from apologizing like this? Paige had decided to press charges awhile ago, but things had gotten all messed up, and they were eventually dropped. Paige bit her lip. Don't fall for it, a little voice yelled in the back of her head.

"I'm sorry I messed everything up between us," Dean said, swallowing hard. "I really liked you, and I ruined everything. But I really wish you would forgive me…and give me another chance."

Give him another chance? Is this boy demented? That little voice screamed again. But people can change. Everyone deserves a second chance….right? Suddenly, Paige was horribly confused.

"Al…alright," she stuttered out. "What you did was horrible, Dean, but you seem….genuine."

"Great!" Dean said with a smile, leaning back in his chair. "I was hoping we could meet up again and talk, and really get to know-"

Paige snorted. "Are you kidding? You think I'm going to go on a date with you?"

"Not a date!" he said quickly. "We could go somewhere really public- somewhere you'd feel safe. Please, Paige. Give me chance. I'm a good guy when you get to know me."

Paige stared down at her magazine. She knew she should probably jump up and throw her lemonade in his face, and stalk off. But maybe it was because she was still depressed over Carter's death, or because Spin broke up with her, but something about him made her want to give him another chance.

"Fine. Tommorow. At Charley's Pizza Place, ok?" she replied curtly.

Dean smiled happily. "Awesome! I can't wait."

Paige stared down at her nails again, and slowly sipped her drink. She was going to be in total control the next night- there was no way that Dean was going to try anything. And if he did, she was so out of there. She glanced back at Dean's handsome face, and swallowed hard.

            Manny fiddled with her hair as she sat at a bus stop in downtown. She shifted uncomfortably, not exactly feeling safe. She was young girl, all alone- she was practically asking to be harassed or something. Manny bit her lip. Maybe this was a horrible idea. Who knew what could happen to her on the road? Manny sighed. She couldn't change her mind now. She was taking the next bus to Montreal, and then she would decide where to go from there.

Manny glanced around, and she actually found it fun to watch the different types of people who were walking down the street. There was a tall, black man holding a briefcase. She saw an older woman walking with a cane. Manny then saw a tall, black-haired woman strutting down the street, dressed in fancy clothes and high stilettos. She was the most glamorous woman Manny had ever seen. Manny stared at her for a minute, and then quickly looked away when the glamorous woman looked her way. Manny blushed, and stared down at her hands.

Suddenly, the woman walked right up to Manny, smiling mysteriously. Manny shifted uncomfortably again. "Hey, honey. Aren't you a little cold without a jacket?"

Manny shrugged. She was cold, but there was nothing she could do about it. "Yeah, kind of. I'm just hoping the bus will be heated or something."

The woman smiled, and her teeth were brilliantly white. "Don't count on it, hon. Where are you going?"

"I'm not...I'm not sure yet," she muttered, looking away.

"A little lost?"

Manny shrugged. "Yeah. You could say that."

The woman glanced around, and placed her hand on her hip. "Listen, honey, why don't you come to my place for a bit? It's right up there, and I guarantee it's nice and toasty."

Manny shook her head. "Thank you, but I can't."

"I swear, I'm not some creep or something. I just got this big place, and I hate to see a girl like you sitting here, freezing."

"I'll miss my bus."

"There will always be another."

Manny bit her lip, glancing at the woman. She seemed nice, and she didn't look like a weirdo or anything. Manny was practically freezing her ass off, and a warm house sounded really nice. Manny finally nodded, realizing she was in no rush to really get out of town. He parents probably wouldn't look in the city, and if they did, they would never find her. Manny nodded slowly, picked up her suitcase, and stood up. "Alright. Thank you."

Manny followed the woman for two blocks. A few minutes later, they approached a large, brownstone facing the busy street. It was a city-house, but it looked pretty nice. The woman simply opened the door and walked in, and Manny followed her. As soon as they were in the large foyer, the woman shrugged off her jacket. "Why don't you come into my office, sweetie?"

Manny nodded. Just then, she saw a tall blonde woman walk down the staircase, wearing black negligee. The woman didn't even notice. She just gestured Manny over to her office, and Manny followed her in.

"You can sit down," the woman said, lighting a cigarette and nodding toward a chair. Manny set down her luggage and sat down. There was a long moment of silence as the woman inhaled on her cigarette. She stared at Manny.

"Has anyone ever told you you're really pretty?" the woman asked. Manny blushed. Carter used to tell her she was beautiful every day. "Well, you are. I'll get to the point, honey. You said you're lost. And by the looks of it, you don't know where the hell you're going." She set down her cigarette. "You can stay here for as long as you like. Lots of my girls have been here for months, even years."

"You're girls?" Manny said, frowning. The woman smiled slyly.

"All you have to do if work for me and you get free board. I like to think I run a very….fair business."

Manny nodded slowly, suddenly realizing exactly what was going on. "Your business…which would be prostitution?"

The woman smiled slowly again, and she shrugged. "It's quite a noble business, actually. The oldest profession in the world, as they say."

"And this is your….headquarters?"

The woman chuckled. "It's a brothel, actually, but you could say it's the headquarters. Sweetie, I know what you're thinking, but it's not like that. This isn't some sleazy whore-house. We serve to some of the richest and most influent ional men in the city. It's all very hush-hush, of course," she said, winking at Manny. "So are you in or not?"

"I don't even know your name."

"It's Isabel. Sweetie, this is the life!" she said, gesturing with her hands. She got up and walked around, and she perched on the edge of the desk. "You get all the clothes and drugs you can imagine. If you're into that, of course," she said quickly picking up her cigarette. "You get a free place to stay, as opposed to wondering around the country on some bus."

Manny bit her lip. It sounded great to her, except the whole sleeping-with-strange-men part. But, couldn't she get over that? Sure, she wasn't getting as far away from home as she had liked, but her parents would absolutely never look for her in a brothel downtown. It was actually the perfect place to stay.

"Ok," she finally said, looking at Isabel. "I'm in."

"Excellent," Isabel said smoothly. "You won't regret it, believe me. Just think of us as….your new family. You can move in as soon as you like- I was full, but one of my best girls moved out a few days ago. Oh, and how old are you?"

Manny swallowed hard. "I'm…I'm nineteen," she lied, hoping Isabel would buy it. She knew she looked older than she actually was, but she wondered in nineteen was pushing it a little. Sixteen…nineteen…what was the difference?

"Good," the woman said, standing up. "I can't have minors, for obvious reasons." She turned and smiled at Manny. "What's you name, again?"

"Manny," she said, and then winced. That made her sound five. She saw Isabel frown thoughtfully.

"No. That won't work. It's a cute name, sweetie, but you want something exotic. Something…sophisticated."

"Well, my real name is Manuella," Manny said quickly. Isabel smiled and nodded slowly.

"Perfect. That whole Mexican look you have going for you will drive men wild." Manny smiled weakly, deciding to not point out that she wasn't Mexican, but Philippine. She decided to just roll with it. Isabel turned and smiled at her. "Welcome to the family, sweetheart."

Manny smiled. "Thanks."

        Paige walked into Charley's Pizza Place the following evening, and she ran a hand through her hair anxiously. She hadn't wanted Dean to think she was actually dressing up for him, so she had just thrown on something simple but nice- a jean skirt and a pink t-shirt. Paige glanced around the restaurant, and spotted Dean waving her over. She sighed. I can't believe I'm doing this.

"Paige, you look amazing!" Dean said when she approached the table, and he quickly stood up and pulled out her chair. Paige plopped down in it, noting that Dean looked great too- he really was handsome.

"I'm glad you came," he said. "I really thought you weren't coming."

Paige shrugged. She had thought about just ditching him, which would have been the least she could have done after all he had done to her, but she hadn't. "Yeah, well…lucky you, I guess." She grabbed menu and opened it, and she began intently reading each and every item on it.

"So…are you still a cheerleader?"

Paige looked up." Head cheerleader. Yeah."

"You were really awesome at our games. See, the girls at our school, they try to look all sexy and do all these weird, provocative dances. They think it's cool, but it's just funny and kind of pathetic," Dean said with a smile. Paige allowed herself to smile slightly.

"I know. I thought I was going to throw up at the soccer game a few weeks ago when they started grinding with each other."

Dean laughed. "So, are you still dating that Spinner guy?"

Paige frowned. "No. It didn't work out."

"That sucks. I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Me too," she mumbled, glancing down at her menu. "Can we order now? I'm starving."

         "This is great!" Spinner exclaimed. "It's so nice to finally have a girl who can eat as much as you," he told Roxie as the couple approached Charley's Pizza Place. "I can't believe your still hungry after that hamburger you just had."

"I'm pregnant," she said with a sniff. "I'm eating for two."

"Man, I wish I could eat for two," Spinner said.

Roxie rolled her eyes. "You already eat for two, I swear. Although I don't know who that other person is. Maybe I shouldn't eat anything. If I keep eating like this, I'm going to get totally fat."

Spin rolled his eyes. "I know you're kind of clueless about this whole pregnancy thing, and I hate to be the one to tell you, but you're already going to get fat. Really fat. So you can just eat whatever you want, anyway. Plus, even if you're three hundred pounds or something, you'll still be beautiful."

Roxie smiled slightly. "You know, I'm liking this whole complimenting phase you've been going through. And I like how you always open doors for me," she said. She patted him on the shoulder. "Actually, you've become quite the gentlemen. Now, if you can manage to not make a spectacle of yourself while you're eating, you'll be perfect."

Spin shook his head and smiled slightly. "You sound just like Paige," he said without thinking. Roxie frowned.

"Gee, thanks," she said sarcastically. "Girls absolutely adore it when you compare them to your ex-girlfriend." Roxie saw Spinner stop dead. She smiled and punched him playfully. "I was kidding, Spin."

"Oh, my, God," he said, staring at something in shock. Roxie turned and saw exactly what he was staring at- Paige was exiting Charley's Pizza Place- with a boy. Roxie sighed. Ok. Nice timing, Paige. "I can't believe it," Spin said in disbelief. Roxie patted him on the arm.

"It's alright, Spin. So Paige is seeing someone else. It was bound to happen sometime-"

"No," Spin cut in. "You don't understand, Roxie." Then he quickly began walking over to the couple. Roxie rolled her eyes and scurried after him.

"Paige, what are you doing?" Spin asked her, skipping the greetings. Paige turned and saw Spinner, and her eyes narrowed. She glanced at Dean, and then at Spinner. Dean cleared his throat. "I'm just going to…leave." Then he turned and walked off, and Spin resisted the urge to grab him and slam his face in.

Once he was gone, Spin turned back to Paige. "Dean? Paige, what the fuck? Were you…actually on a date with him?"

Paige shrugged. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

"Paige, he…" Spin said, and then glanced at Roxie. "How could you- after what he did?"

"People change, Spin," Paige said coldly. "Dean is different now. It's kind of like when you think someone cares about you, and then they find out that they were messing around on you. Or like when you think someone's your friend, but they turn out to be a backstabbing slut," she said, staring directly at Roxie.

"Paige, come off it!" Roxie snapped, stepping up. "Oh, I love Spin. I can't live without him!" she said, impersonating Paige in a high, squeaky voice. "Well, it looks like you got over him pretty fast!"

"You know what, Roxie? You can just-" Paige began, but Spin held up his hands.

"Stop!" he said. "This isn't about you two, ok? This is about Dean, and why you were with him."

Paige held her head high. "I was with him because I wanted to be. We talked about things. We're not together, Spin. I can do whatever I want, and you have absolutely no say in who I see, ok? So just go off and enjoy your little date with Roxie." Then she turned and stomped off toward her car. Spin watched her go, and then he ran his hands over his face.

"I feel like I'm missing something here," Roxie said after a minute of silence.

"Well, you are," Spin said angrily, and then he turned and stormed into the restaurant.