Author's Note- I know in a million years that Paige would never forgive Dean, but I had to do something with Paige. Also, I kind of had a few mistakes in the previous chapters because i kind of changed my mind about some things, so I'm sorry for typos and things that don't make sense. I guess I need to proof read better! Anyway, keep reading and reviewing!
Roxie stared out the window of Jake's car forlornly, watching as the trees whirled past, a blur of colors. Most of the trees were losing their leaves, because winter was just around the corner and it was getting colder and colder outside. She frowned bitterly and glanced at her mother's boyfriend, who was focusing intently on the road. Roxie was heading for her first pregnancy check-up, and her mother was supposed to take her, but of course she had bailed out at the last second (a.k.a she was probably drunk) and had stuck her with this loser. Roxie had been simply horrified to walk out of the school and find Jake waiting for her, sitting in his stupid, crappy car and waving like a nerd. Roxie was already considered a complete "slut", so she really didn't need Jake showing up and seeming like her older boyfriend.
After a few minutes of silence, Jake pulled the car to a halt in front of the doctor's office, and he killed the engine. As Roxie gathered up her things and prepared to get out, Jake glanced at her and cleared his throat. Roxie looked up at him in frustration.
"Roxie…before you go in, there's something I'd like to talk to you about. I know this probably isn't the best place, but you don't ever seem to be around at the house when I'm there, so…."Jake trailed off, glancing into his lap. Roxie shrugged. She did make a point to avoid Jake at all costs, but what did he expect? "Anyway, I…I found something yesterday. I found a bag of cocaine in your living room."
Roxie continued stared at him. "Yeah….so?"
"Well…" he looked at her. "Roxie, you're pregnant! You can't be doing drugs, and frankly, I'm worried about you. If you continue to take drugs, it could have serious affects on your baby-"
"Wait," Roxie interrupted. "You think the cocaine is mine?" she asked in disbelief.
Jake rubbed his hands against his jeans. "Well, who else's could it be?"
My mothers, you naïve, stupid idiot, she thought, but she was too angry to even point out the obvious. She almost forgot- Jake thought her mother was practically a saint- she could do no wrong. Roxie couldn't believe that this child was accusing her of doing drugs while she was pregnant. She hadn't touched a thing since she had found out! How insulting.
"Listen, Jake, you don't know what the hell you're-"
"Your mother has told me about your problems with drugs," Jake said calmly, as if she hadn't even spoken. "She told me about your year in rehab, and your overdose."
"My what?!" Roxie cried, staring at him in horror. If it hadn't been so pathetically wrong, Roxie might have actually laughed out loud. Her mother was such a pathological liar- it was sick. She had manipulated Jake so horribly that Roxie almost felt sorry for him. Almost-but not really. "I was never in rehab! And I never overdosed!"
"Your mother said you would say that," Jake said calmly, sighing. He looked at her. "I don't want to get in a fight about this, but I just wanted you to know that I found it. Promise me you'll stay away from drugs, at least while your pregnant, if not after, ok?"
Roxie wasn't sure what to say, so she just opened and closed her mother, not sure how to respond to that. She almost wanted to reach out and slap him, but she managed to contain herself. Instead, she decided to remain calm. She reached over and snatched up her book bag off the floor. "Fine. From now on, I'm on the straight and narrow," she said through clenched teeth.
Jake sighed with relief. "Good. I'm so glad to hear that."
Roxie popped open the door and stepped out. Jake leaned over. "Wait. Are you sure you want to go in alone? I can go with you, if you want."
You are the last person on Earth I would ever ask to go with me, she thought. "No. I'm fine. I'd like to go alone, thank you very much," she snapped, disdain dripping from her voice.
Jake nodded. "Well, alright. I'll see you later. By-"Jake began, but Roxie slammed the door before he could finish. Then she trooped up the steps to the office and pulled open the large glass door. After she stepped inside, she turned and peered out of the glass to watch as Jake pulled away from the curb and drove away. She frowned. That entire encounter had just confirmed how much she totally despised Jake. I have to find a way to get rid of him, she silently vowed. If it is the last thing I ever do.
An hour later, Roxie was sitting on an examining table, dangling her feet over the edge as she glanced around the empty, sterile doctor's office. She hated going to any type of doctor- she hated it when people probed and prodded her and basically invaded her personal space. She glanced at the clock on the wall, wondering what was taking the doctor so long. After her examination, Dr. Green had disappeared, and Roxie was beginning to get a little worried. Was there something wrong?
Just as Roxie was officially beginning to freak out, the door opened and Dr. Green stepped in. Roxie felt her stomach turn, expecting the worst. Dr. Green gave her a calm smile, and closed the door behind her. "Sorry I took so long, Roxanne."
"It' ok," Roxie said quickly. "I've just been sitting here, contemplating all the things that could be wrong."
Dr. Green smiled softly at her and took a seat across from Roxie. She folded her hands and stared at Roxie for a long moment, making Roxie shift uncomfortably. Finally, Dr. Green cleared her throat. "Roxie….has anyone ever…touched you?"
"Sure," Roxie said with a shrug.
"I mean, in an inappropriate manner that you didn't like?"
"Um…I'm not following."
Dr. Green cleared her throat again. "Roxanne, during my examination, I found some evidence of sexual abuse. I also checked you files, and I found that you had been admitted into the hospital in Parker Beach for unusual bruising. Now, had anyone….been hurting you, Roxanne?"
She hated being called Roxanne. "I like being called Roxie," she said in a quiet voice, staring down at her hands.
"Oh…I'm sorry," Dr. Green said gently. "Roxie, has anyone been hurting you?"
Roxie felt tears well up in her eyes, and she realized that denying it would be stupid. "I…I….yes," she choked out.
"Who?" Dr. Green asked. Roxie was silent. "Roxie, we need to know whose been doing this to you, so it stops. You understand that, right?"
Roxie nodded slowly, and looked up at the doctor. "Roxie, who?"
Roxie swallowed hard. "My…my mother's boyfriend. Jake."
Paige skipped out the front door of her house and down the driveway to Hazel, who was sitting in her mother's car, waiting for her. Paige quickly opened the passenger door and jumped in, beaming at Hazel in excitement. "It's so cool your Mom let you borrow her car!" she exclaimed, strapping on her seatbelt. "Thanks for picking me up, though. Dylan was supposed to give me a ride, but he ditched his little sister to go on a date with his lover, Marco."
Hazel wrinkled her nose as she put the car in reverse. "Why do you always refer to them as "lovers? It's kind of creepy. I mean, their a cute couple and everything, but…."
Paige glanced at her and winked. "Oh, please. You are so jealous of my brother and his lover. Everyone knows you used to like, have a shrine of Marco in your closet."
Hazel frowned and glanced at her as she pulled the car out of the driveway. "It wasn't a shrine, technically. It was more like a small collection of things Marco had given me, or touched, or….ok, it was a shrine. But I'm trying to forget that. I mean, he's gay. And it's not like he was to busy to date or something that simple. He turned out to be gay, so that pretty much ruled me out of the running…forever."
"I should hope so, unless you're planning on a sex change," Paige teased. "Not that it would even matter. He's way too in love with my brother. You should see them. It's nauseating."
Hazel smirked. "No, thanks. My ego is already bruised enough. That would be like rubbing salt into my already blistering wounds. But it's not like I'm pining over Marco Del Rossi," Hazel said quickly.
"So, how is your passionate relationship with your brother's roommate going?" Paige asked. Hazel shrugged half-heartedly. "I don't know. At first I thought I was madly in love with him, but I'm not sure. He's great, but he's not…."
"He's not Jimmy Brooks?" Paige finished. Hazel was quiet. "You know, I heard that he and Ashley are possibly back on."
Hazel looked at her quickly, and she almost veered off and slammed into the car in the next lane. She grabbed the wheel and smiled sheepishly. "Are you serious? No way! How could he- I mean, I don't really care. It's his life," she said with a casual shrug, trying to act nonchalant. "Ok, can we find a new topic of conversation, please," she asked with an unhappy sniff.
"Ok, just let me drop this off at my mother's seamstress," Paige said a few minutes later as Hazel pulled the car to a stop in front of the sewing shop. "Then, we have to go right back to my house. I…have plans," she said slowly, deciding not to mention they were with Dean. She knew Hazel knew, anyway, but luckily she didn't say anything. Paige quickly jumped out and ran into the store.
After dropping off her mother's ripped sweater, Paige and Hazel pulled away from the curb and headed down the street. A minute later, Paige glanced around and frowned. "Hazel, where are you going? My house is the other direction, Miss. Directionally- Challenged."
"Uh….I just need to make a quick stop. It will only take a second," Hazel assured her. Paige frowned.
"But it's getting late. The sun is setting!" she whined, but Hazel just ignored her and kept driving. Paige folded her arms over her chest and slumped down in her seat, silently pouting. She was too busy sulking to notice that Hazel was driving out of town into the hills that surrounded their town. Finally, she sat up and glanced around. "Hazel, why are we at Heaven's Peak?!" Hazel had pulled the car into the small parking lot that overlooked the town, referred to by many kids as "Heaven's Peak" because people usually just came up there to fool around. Paige glanced at her friend and smirked. "I like you, Hazel, but not like that."
Hazel didn't say anything. Now that Paige looked at her, she saw that Hazel kind of had this guilty look on her face. Paige glanced around and spotted someone standing near the ledge. She clenched her jaw and whirled to face Hazel. "Hazel, how could you?!" she shrieked. "You're my best friend, you back-stabbing little…"
Hazel bit her lip and smiled weakly. "Sorry, Paige. But Spin asked me to get you here, and I had to. He wants you back so bad, and I-"
Paige held up a hand. "Just forget it, and let's go, because the only way I am leaving this car is if you drag my cold, dead body out of it."
"And we're not leaving until you at least go out and talk to him," Hazel retorted. "I'll sit here all night, if I must. Just go and give him a chance. Look, he even made a picnic!"
"Oh, how adorable," Paige said sarcastically. She glanced at Hazel, and realized it was a lost cause arguing with her. Paige jerked open the door and stepped out. "Fine. I'll talk to him. But you should know that you're dead to me." She hissed just before she slammed the door shut and stalked over to Spinner, who was watching her hopefully.
"Paige….hi!" Spin said nervously, wringing his hands together and shuffling his feet. Paige almost smiled, because she had forgotten how cute Spin was when he was nervous and bashful like this. "I'm glad you came. You're probably wondering why I had Hazel bring you here."
"She didn't bring me here," Paige interrupted quickly. "She tricked me into coming here. There's a difference."
"Yeah….look, I've been an idiot. I made a lot of mistakes, and I understand that you probably hate me, but I'm really sorry. I love you, Paige. When I saw you with Dean, I just went crazy because I was so jealous. It made me realize that I really want to be with you, and no one else."
"What? Did Roxie dump you or something?"
"No!" Spin said quickly. "We weren't really dating, anyway. I was only with her so much because I thought I had to be. I like her, and I'm still going to hang out with her, but I don't love her, like I love you. So….will you take me back?"
Paige stared at him. "Spin, you hurt me twice. First with Angel, and then with Roxie. Do you know what that felt like? Do you know how much that hurt?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion. Spin glanced at his feet. "I'm beginning to think that you think that you can just cheat on me and dump me and then I'm going to come running back to you whenever you snap your little fingers. Give me one good reason I should get back with you."
"I'm never going to cheat on you again. I love you."
Paige's heart melted instantly, and she silently cursed herself for having such a soft spot for Spinner Mason. Even though he had run off to Roxie, she had always still considered him her Spinner, her lovable little honey bee. And even before she had gotten out of the car, Paige had subconsciously known she was going to get back with Spinner tonight. Call her weak or stupid, but she couldn't help it.
"I love you, too," she said slowly. "And I've missed you so much!" She flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, savoring the way his strong body felt against her own.
"I've missed you, too," Spin said into her hair, a soft smile on his face. "You have no idea how much."
Paige smiled up at him, just as Hazel pulled her car up next to them and leaned out the window. "So…I take it I can leave now?" she called out, smiling at them happily. Paige rolled her eyes, knowing Hazel probably felt completely responsible for bringing them together.
"Yeah…I think we can take it from here," Paige said, glancing up at Spinner again. Hazel nodded, honked and then went flying out of the parking lot, leaving Paige and Spinner staring lovingly into each other's eyes and feeling like the two luckiest people on Earth.
Craig flipped through a stack of C.D's at the music store at the small, preoccupied with thoughts of Ashley, Manny, and Roxie. Things just kept getting more and more confusing- Roxie and Spinner were no longer attached at the hip, and Craig wondered if he should make a move on her. He thought about that, and then made a face. Hitting on a pregnant girl just seemed….wrong. And then there was Manny, who had the whole school gossiping about her mysterious disappearance after Carter's funeral. Craig was completely worried about her and wanted to help look for her, but he figured that was a bad idea. He glanced at his left arm, which was partially covered in a cast, and shook his head. He was probably the last person Manny wanted to see, after their little "incident" the night Carter died.
He hadn't told anyone how he had really fallen down the stairs- he had simply claimed he lost his footing and tripped. Sure, it made him sound like a clumsy idiot, but he hadn't been able to rat out Manny. He had always felt protective of her, and even though she had basically shoved him down a flight of stairs, he felt like he should watch out for her. It was weird. He wasn't even angry at her for pushing him, probably because he knew that, wherever she was, she was still hurting over Carter's death
Even though Roxie and Manny were definitely confusing him, the biggest problem was Ashley. Craig glanced up, and froze. Speaking of Ashley, she was standing right across from him, staring at him with large, terrified, sad eyes. Craig dropped the C.D he was holding. "Ash…hey."
She cleared her throat. "Um…hi. Looking for a new C.D?" she asked, and he knew she was just trying to make polite conversation.
"Yeah. I'm not finding much, though."
Ashley nodded, and there was a long moment of heavy silence. "Well…cool. See you later," she said quickly, walking past him. Craig hesitated for a second, and then whirled around. "Ash! Wait!" She stopped and turned. "This is a mistake," he blurted out. Ashley's eyes widened. "I didn't want to break up. I really didn't."
"You….didn't?"
"No. It was your idea, remember? And I think we both said things we shouldn't have…" he said, trailing off.
"So you want to get back together?"
"Well…" Craig said, fiddling with a C.D he had absentmindedly picked up. "What about Jimmy?"
"What about Jimmy?" Ashley asked, looking confused.
"I saw you at that party…in the bedroom…" he said, with a slight blush. "I thought maybe you two were dating again or something."
Ashley blinked. "No! I…I was really upset about our break-up, so I kind of had a lot to drink at the party. Jimmy spilled something on my shirt, and I went upstairs to change. I had a lot to drink, so I'm not really sure what happened….but I'm positive nothing really happened between us. Nothing at all." She said. She felt a little guilty saying that, because she had considered getting back with Jimmy simply to make Craig jealous. It looked like it had worked.
Craig smiled in relief. "Good. You don't know how glad I am to hear that. So…you want to come back to my place and hang out for awhile?"
Ashley smiled and nodded eagerly. "Yeah. That sounds great."
Emma popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth as she switched the channel of the television, sick of watching stupid rap videos and depressing, bleak videos featuring girls complaining about their boyfriend breaking their hearts. She could only take so much of that. She changed it to a black and white movie on the classic-movie-channel. She settled back into the sofa cushion's when she suddenly heard a car- horn honk outside. It sounded close, so Emma got up and wandered over to the window. She peeked out, and saw a sleek black car in her driveway. She frowned and headed out the door.
"Jay?" she asked, walking over to the driver's window and peering in. He rolled it down. "What are you doing here?"
"Well…I kind of wanted to talk to you."
Emma blinked, shocked. Jay wanted to talk to her? What could they possibly talk about, besides Sean, who was kind of a sore spot with Emma right now, anyway? She folded her arms over her chest and stared at him suspiciously. "You want to talk to me?" Jay "talking" to her usually involved him making fun of her for something, so she wasn't exactly jumping at the opportunity.
"Yeah," Jay said with a slight smirk. "So, are you just going to stand there and stare at me in disbelief, or are you going to get in? I don't bite. I swear."
Emma smirked. "So I guess those rumors about you aren't true," she joked. "Alright, I'll get in." She walked around the car to the other side, and slipped into the car. "So…what do you want to talk about?"
Jay shrugged. "Stuff. I just needed to be around someone who would actually listen."
Emma nodded, slightly flattered that Jay had come to her, even though she wasn't quite sure why. After all, the two had never really liked each other, but they had tolerated each other for Sean's sake. "Oh. Well, you can tell me anything. I promise I won't tell anyone. I'm pretty good at keeping secrets."
Jay smirked as he took a hit of his cigarette. "The girl who never shuts up can actually keep a secret?"
"I thought you came here to talk, not insult me," she said haughtily. She wrinkled her nose and stared at his cigarette. Jay saw her and glanced at it. "Oh, sorry. I forgot," he said, flicking the cigarette out the window. "Well, I heard you and Sean called it quits. Finally realized you had nothing in common?"
Emma sighed. "No. I realized I just can't trust him. I mean, I know he steals, but whenever I ask him about it he just kind of walks off. And then I found out about that fight, and that was the last straw, so I just got pissed and broke things off. I think it's probably better this way." She glanced over at Jay, and noticed that he had a small gash on his cheek, right under his left eye. "Let me guess- you got that defending your honor in the rumble?" she joked, reaching up and pointing to his face.
"Naw," he said, gently touching the cut. "That's from my Dad. He got out of jail yesterday."
"Your dad got out of jail?"
Jay laughed hollowly. "Yeah. Daddy Dearest is home."
"Oh...that's a bad thing, right?" Jay could be hard to read, but behind his tough-guy act Emma wondered if he was actually a pretty complex person.
"Oh, no," Jay said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at her. "We had a big welcome-home party for him, and we invited the whole family- the ones who aren't in jail, of course."
Emma was silent. Ok, I guess that was a no. She cleared her throat. "And he hit you?"
"Just once," he replied. "He gave it to my Mom good, though." He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and shook his head. "It was pretty bad. Hey, I know you don't like it, but I really need a smoke." Emma nodded, and Jay stuck the cigarette in his mouth.
"I'm sorry about your Dad," she said quietly. "You don't deserve that."
Jay shrugged. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I can handle it, you know, but my Mom….she's not as strong. You know, I don't really want to talk about that anymore."
The car was silent for a few minutes, as Jay puffed on his cigarette and Emma fiddled with her bracelet. Emma finally decided to speak up. "Um…why did you come to talk to me?" she blurted out. "I mean, I never really thought we were friends…"
"You're special," Jay said slowly. "I just knew you wouldn't give me bullshit about everything. You know, I almost went to Amy's house, even though we haven't really talked since we broke up. But she can be a pretty big bitch, sometimes, so I ended up here instead." Emma nodded. "Sean doesn't know how lucky he is," he said.
Emma blushed furiously and looked into her lap. "How lucky he was. We're not together anymore, remember?"
"Yeah…I remember," Jay said, and he began leaning toward her, like he was going to kiss her. Emma's first instinct was to shove him away and give him a piece of her mind, but she just didn't. She was stunned to find that she actually wanted to kiss Jay, and she began leaning in, too. And before she could stop herself, she kissed Jay. After a minute of kissing, Emma pulled back suddenly. "I…I should go," she stuttered out, reaching for the door.
"Emma….you don't have to go," Jay said quickly, but Emma was already opening the door. She jumped out, closed the door quickly, and hurried up toward the front door without bothering to say good-bye. She opened her front door and ran inside. A few seconds later, she peeked out the window, and saw Jay sitting in his car, looking confused and disappointed, and his cigarette was dangling from his mouth. Emma just swallowed hard and turned and ran upstairs.
Ashley closed her eyes and sighed happily, not quite able to believe that she was lying in Craig's bed, and that they were actually in the middle of an intense make-out session. Three hours ago they weren't even on speaking terms, and now it was like nothing had ever changed, like Roxie had never come back and Manny and Craig had never even dated. It felt good- really good.
Ashley's eyes flew open when she felt Craig put his hand on her belt, but she didn't move. A second later, Craig drew back his hand and rolled over, staring at the ceiling. Ashley frowned and sat up, running a hand through her disarrayed, short red hair. "Is something….wrong?"
Craig glanced at her. "No. I just thought you wanted me to stop…"
Ashley bit her lip. It was true- she usually did stop Craig before things went too far, but suddenly, she wasn't sure why. She was almost seventeen- perfectly old enough to make her own decisions, right? And she loved Craig and trusted him, so why not take their newly rediscovered relationship to the next level?
"I don't," Ashley blurted out, glancing at him quickly. "I'm ready."
Craig sat up and stared at her. "Are you….sure? I don't want you to do anything you don't want too…"
Ashley shook her head and smiled. "You love me, right?"
"Well….yeah."
"And you want to do this too, right?"
"Oh, yeah!"
"Then I don't see why we shouldn't," Ashley declared, reaching over and kissing him on the cheek. Craig nodded eagerly, excited beyond belief. He didn't want to sound like a jerk- but he had wanted to go all the way with Ashley since they had started dating….hell, he had wanted to go all the way with anyone since he had hit puberty in seventh grade! Sure, Craig wasn't exactly as virgin (cough, Manny Santos, cough), but it would be special to him, too. He leaned over and began kissing her neck, trying to get a romantic mood going. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, and Craig began working his hands up her shirt.
Suddenly, Ashley reached over and shoved him away. "Um…I need to go freshen up, ok?" She jumped up and scurried to the bathroom across the hall, but not before she grabbed the telephone. She closed the door behind her and took a deep breath. She quickly punched in a Paige's cell phone number, and waited until someone picked up.
"Hello?" Paige barked, and Ashley frowned. Paige always sounded so aggressive over the phone, like she was pissed off at you for even calling her. Ashley leaned against the sink and rubbed a hand over her face. "Paige, its Ashley."
"Oh, hey. You'll never believe what happened tonight!" Paige squealed, and Ashley had the distinct feeling that that Paige was about to pour out one of her overly-long stories about her favorite subject- herself. "Ok, well, Hazel picked me up, and-"
"Look, I need your help," Ashley cut in. She heard Paige sniff.
"Ok, since I wasn't talking or anything," Paige said sarcastically. "What?"
"I'm in Craig's bathroom."
"Um…cool?" Paige said hesitantly. "Should I even ask what you're doing in there- not that I want to know, anyway," she said quickly. Ash sighed and began pacing the length of the small bathroom. "Paige, I called you for a reason. Look, should I have sex with Craig?"
"In the bathroom? Hun, tacky. If I were you, I would demand something a little more romantic and hygienic," Paige said, and Ash could practically see the smirk on Paige's face.
"No. Paige, he's waiting in his bedroom. So should I do it?"
"Do you want to? Because, if you really did, you'd be doing it right now, not standing in the bathroom talking to me. Can we say stalling?"
"Yeah," Ash said. "Well…yeah, I do. But I'm kind of…nervous. What if I suck at it…or if he's completely disappointed?" she asked, and she suddenly realized how horribly wrong this could go. "What if I don't know what to do….like what goes where?"
"As a virgin, you're not supposed to know," Paige pointed out. "Just go with the flow, and it will be fine. Everyone's been a virgin at one point in their life, so don't worry about it. Now, I'm driving home with Spin right now, and since you're apparently busy and don't want to hear about my amazing night, I'll call you later, ok?" Ash heard a click, and realized Paige had hung up. Ash glanced in the mirror, and nodded. Paige had made some good points, and she had totally given Ash the confidence to go through with this. Thank you, Paige, she thought, opening the bathroom door.
A minute later she walked into Craig's room, and saw Craig lying on the bed. He smiled at her hesitantly. "So…." He said, asking her whether she wanted to have sex without actually asking her.
"So….I'm ready. Let's do this."
Later that night, Paige stepped onto her front stoop, and she turned and waved at Spinner, who waved back and then drove off. Paige pulled out her key and twisted it in the lock, since her parents were at a conference that week and after his date with Marco, Dylan had gone off to a hockey camp for a few days. So, Paige was going home to an empty house, which would normal depress her, but after the amazing evening she had had, it didn't really bother her.
Paige stepped into the foyer and shrugged off her coat, a whimsical smile on her face. After Hazel had left, she had Spin had enjoyed a great picnic, and then had sat in the dark and talked about everything- Paige had felt like she and Spin had totally connected. They had been so absorbed in each other that they hadn't realized how late and cold it was getting, so they had finally packed up and left. It had been the perfect evening.
Paige walked into the kitchen, flipped on the light, and tossed her house keys on the counter. Just as she did, the doorbell rang. Paige hurried back into the foyer and peaked out the window- it was Dean. Oh, right, she remembered. We had plans. She had been to busy with Spinner to even think about Dean. She hesitantly pulled open the door.
Dean saw her and sighed. "Oh, good. I thought something had happened to you. I was worried."
Paige bit her lip, feeling slightly guilty. "I'm sorry, but something kind of…came up."
Dean frowned, but he shrugged. "Oh. Ok. Well….it's not too late, so maybe we could go grab a bite at The Dot really quick?"
Paige leaned against the door frame, trying to think of the nicest way to let him down. "Actually, Dean….I really can't see you anymore. I'm sorry, but it just isn't going to work out."
Dean's face fell. "Why?"
"Well….we can still try to be friends, but I just got back together with Spinner tonight, and I really think that it just wouldn't be right if I hung out with you."
Dean clenched his jaw. "You mean, you ditched me for him?"
Shit. She really shouldn't have said that. "Um….it wasn't like that, Dean."
Dean shook his head. "You can't just mess with my feelings like that. You can't just dump me."
"We….we were never dating," Paige said, suddenly feeling uneasy. She grabbed onto the door and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, but I think you should go-"
"No!" Dean yelled angrily. Paige tried to shut the door, but Dean reached out a pushed it open and stepped inside. Paige tried to push him out, but he was too strong. He slammed the door shut behind him and grabbed onto her wrist. Paige felt terror grip at her heart as she stared into Dean's angry, cold eyes, and she realized something- he hadn't changed. She was a fucking idiot, because Hazel was right- some people just didn't change.
"Get- get out!" she cried. "My parent's are home, and they'll-"
"You already told me that your whole family was away tonight," he said with a sneer. "Don't lie to me. You were always a liar. Lying about the rape, lying about liking me!"
"I didn't lie!" she screamed, struggling to get her arm free so she could turn and run away. "And I never liked you! I mean… I was just trying to forgive you for what you did to me! I was never going to date you- ever!" Wrong thing to say.
Dean grabbed her and pushed her into the living room, and he shoved her onto the couch. "What- am I not good enough for you?"
"Please…" Paige whimpered, tears forming in her eyes. "Don't hurt me."
Dean scowled, and climbed on top of her, pining her legs underneath his weight. Paige suddenly realized exactly what was about to happen, and she felt like throwing up. There was no way that a petite cheerleader could fight off a built soccer player. She had no chance in hell, and he knew it.
"Please…" she begged him. "Please don't…."
Ellie kicked open the door of her new room at the New Moon Rehabilitation Center that evening, and she scooted her suitcase across the floor. She shoved the suitcase across the room toward the neatly made bed with a dull brown comforter in the corner. God, this place is depressing, she realized sadly. I thought this place was supposed to help people become happier, not make them want to kill themselves. Maybe this had been a mistake, going to rehab and everything. But it didn't matter that she was regretting it- it wasn't like she could call her Mom and ask her to pick her up or something.
"Hi!" she heard someone say and Ellie jumped. She hadn't realized there was someone else in the room until she turned and saw a blonde girl sitting hunched over on the bed across the room. Ellie nodded. "Hi," she said back, and then turned to begin unpacking her things. She began removing her shirts, and could feel the girl staring at her. It made her uncomfortable.
"So, what are you here for?" the girl asked bluntly, as she wrapped her arms around her legs and stared at Ellie with large, dark eyes.
"What are you in here for?" Ellie retorted, even though she didn't really have to ask. From the girl's waif-like appearance, she figured the girl probably didn't eat. She could have weighed more than 80 pounds, if that.
"Oh, I don't eat," the girl said, as if it were the most normal thing in the entire world. "My name is Dawn, by the way."
"I'm Ellie."
"So, what are you here for?" Dawn repeated. Ellie thought for a second.
"Well… I'd actually rather not say," Ellie muttered, turning back to her suitcase. She was willing to come to rehab, but she wasn't quite ready yet to just openly talk about her problem. Cutting was a very private thing for Ellie, and at some level she was embarrassed and appalled by it.
"Oh, ok," Dawn said. She studied Ellie for a minute. "Can I guess?"
Ellie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. That sounded like a fun game – "Guess-What's-Wrong-With-The-New-Freak." But Ellie really wasn't in the mood to be sarcastic with this girl- maybe it was her painfully skinny appearance, or her large, sad eyes that made Ellie refrain herself. She had the feeling this girl had been through a lot, so she just shrugged.
"Um….you're a cutter, right?" Dawn said after a minute. Ellie stopped unpacking, turned, and stared at her.
"Is it really that obvious?" she asked. Dawn smiled slightly.
"No. Actually, the nurse told me," Dawn said. Ellie nodded, wondering if the staff just went around with a mega-phone announcing everyone's problem.. "So…did you leave a boyfriend at home or anything?"
Ellie thought for a second, and immediately one name sprang to her mind- Sean. She almost laughed, because Sean was definitely not her boyfriend, and he probably didn't even like her after she had ruined his relationship with Emma Nelson. Nope, Sean was not her boyfriend, and he never would be. She shook her head. "No…not really."
Dawn smiled, stood up, and walked over to the door. "Well, I'm going to the recreation room- you should come in there and meet everyone when you're done unpacking," she suggested. "And don't worry- you'll learn to love it here."
Even as she nodded, she couldn't help thinking, I highly doubt it.
"That son of a bitch!" Jana yelled, throwing up her hands. "That sick, perverted freak!"
Roxie hovered in the corner, completely embarrassed by her mother's outburst. Two police officers were standing in her living room, while her mother paced back and forth, obviously furious. Dr. Green had called her mother and the police, and they had escorted them home. Now they were just waiting for Jake to return home, and the police were ready to cuff him and take him downtown. Roxie bit her nails as her mother screamed at the police for no reason, like it was their fault her boyfriend was a child molester. But that was the thing.
He wasn't.
Roxie had no idea why she had blurted out Jake's name- maybe it was because she was so pissed at him from the cocaine thing, or maybe just because she wanted him out of her house. She had been completely determined to remove Jake's presence from her life, but she certainly hadn't intended to accuse him of that. It had just….slipped out.
Roxie continued to bite on her nails. She wanted to tell the police the truth, but she was too scared to take it back now. So she just stood there, strangely detached from the whole situation, as she watched the police officers trying to calm her mother down. Roxie wondered if her mother was so upset because her daughter had been abused, or because her boyfriend had, in a way, "cheated" on her with her daughter.
Suddenly, everything grew completely silent when a car pulled into the driveway, and a car door slammed shut, signaling that Jake had arrived. Suddenly, Roxie felt like throwing up, and it wasn't just her morning sickness. The door opened, Jake stepped in, and his eyes widened when he saw the police standing there.
"Is there a problem?" he asked. The police glanced at each other.
"Ok, we are going to have to take you down to the station," one grunted, reaching out and cuffing Jake's hands behind his back. Jake glanced around in shock.
"What? I don't understand!"
"You stupid son-of-a-bitch!" Jana suddenly yelled, lunging toward him and clawing at his face. The other officer grabbed Roxie's mother before she could touch him, and Roxie swallowed hard. "How dare you lay a hand on my daughter! You're disgusting!"
"What?!" Jake cried, and he looked across the room, directly at Roxie. Thier locked eyes, and she knew he finally understood.
"Alright, let's go," the officer grunted. They began leading him across the room to the door, but Jake stopped when he passed Roxie.
"How could you do this?" he asked in a sad, hollow voice. "I never- I never-"
"Stay away from the girl, alright?" one officer said, grabbing Jake and hauling him over to the door. Roxie watched him go, paralyzed to her spot. A heavy guilt tugged at her heart, but she couldn't speak up. She just couldn't. Roxie's mother ran over and wrapped her arms around her daughter in a rare act of motherly love, and Roxie buried her face in her hands.
But even as she did, she couldn't get the image of Jake's sad, confused eyes out of her head.
"That was amazing."
Manny rolled over onto her side and grabbed a cigarette off the table next to the bed. As she lit it, she glanced over at the man lying next to her. He was middle-aged, with tousled brown hair, and he had a large smile on his face. Manny simply nodded, not really in the mood to talk. She just wanted to get paid, and for this guy to leave. The man glanced at his watch, and sat up. "Oh, I should leave. I have to pick up my daughter at a friends house."
Manny swallowed hard. "You have a daughter?"
"Yep. She's in ninth grade. Best damn soccer player in the world," the man said proudly, picking up his shirt and pulling it on. Manny looked away, suddenly feeling completely dirty and wrong. This man had a daughter just a little younger than her, who probably went to the same school as her! Manny felt completely disgusted by the man for even coming here when he was clearly married with a family, but she was even more disgusted with herself. She shivered, wanting desperately to take a long shower.
"Sorry I have to leave. But you are amazing. What's your name- I'll ask for you next time," he promised with a wink.
"It's….Kerri," Manny lied with a false smile, not wanting to ever see the man again, since she was now officially repulsed by him. He nodded, did that creepy wink thing, and then left the room. The door closed after him, and Manny sighed with relief. She stubbed out her cigarette and jumped up, pulling on a long, black trench coat. She ran out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the front door. Since she was wearing the coat and nothing underneath, she was practically freezing, but she kept going until she reached the end of the block. There was a pay-phone, so Manny ducked inside and shut the door behind her. She dialed a few numbers that she knew by heart. Craig's number.
She needed to talk to him. She needed to talk to someone familiar, someone from back home. She had thought about calling Emma, but she knew what that would mean- a long lecture on coming home. She totally didn't need that right now.
"Hello?" asked a voice. It was late, but Craig sounded wide awake. Manny swallowed hard.
"Craig….it's me."
"Manny?"
"Yeah. How are you?"
"I'm fine," he said quickly. "Manny, where are you? Everyone's worried about you. Your parent's have been looking all over…."
Manny took a deep breath. "I'm….fine. I swear. I can't tell you where I am."
She heard Craig sigh. "Manny….please, you need to come home. Just tell me where you are, and I'll come get you right now."
Manny bit her lip and she almost blurted out the whole story. It was an enticing proposition- part of her could just tell him exactly where she was, and he would be here in a few minutes, and they would go home- together. And maybe, just maybe, things would be alright. But Manny knew she couldn't, because she had vowed never to go home. It would just cause a shit-load of trouble. So as much as she wanted Craig to come and be her knight-in-shining armor, she knew it couldn't happen.
"I'm sorry…I just can't," she whispered. Craig was silent on the other line, and Manny wondered if he had hung up.
"Manny…why did you call, then?"
"Because…I just wanted to hear your voice," she said, resting her forehead against the cool glass of the telephone booth. "And I wanted to apologize….about pushing you down the stairs. It wasn't my best night."
"Manny, forget about that. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you come home. I know things are hard, but you can't just run away. People here love you and miss you. J.T's been walking around like a zombie, Emma's a wreck, and I….I'm so worried about you. This year has been a total roller-coaster ride for us, and it sucks, but you have to come back," Craig said, desperation creeping into his voice. "Please."
Manny was on the verge of tears. "I can't go home. No one wants me there. It's to fucking hard, Craig."
"I want you here."
Damn. Why did Craig have to be so sweet? She shouldn't have called, because now it was just messing with her head. She was quiet, not sure what to say. Craig cleared his throat.
"Ok. Well….let me come talk to you and at least see you," he suggested hopefully. "Just tell me where we can meet, and I'll come-"
"No," Manny interrupted. She knew she had to hang up now, or she might crumble. "I have to go, Craig. Tell Emma I said hi," she choked out, and then she slammed the phone down. She turned and ran from the phone booth, tears overflowing onto her cheeks, as she headed back to her new "home."