After a half hour I finally managed to stop crying. Another half hour after that I finally managed to stop breathing heavily. I looked up from the spot I was sitting at and looked at Paige. She was sitting there beside me still holding the tissue box. I glanced over at Craig who now had un-wrapped his arm from around me and was looking across the track. He was holding to bag in which I was throwing my tissues in. God they looked bored. Well, I couldn't blame them either.

I started laughing. Hard. They both looked at me like I was some kind of crazy mental person. I do not mean that in a bad way but...their face expressions were a ten out of ten. It just made me laugh harder. It was hard to picture that for one minute I was crying my heart down the drain and then the next I am laughing so hard I feel like my lungs are going to burst! What are the odds of that?

I took the tissue box from Paige. She just continued to look at me. It was kind of scary but then again I was laughing. Then I reached over and took the bag from Craig. I was still laughing a little. Had I really lost it?

"Um...hun...why are you laughing?" Paige confusingly asked.

"Well, call me crazy, but the face expressions on you two," I pointed out, "looked so funny. You guys looked really bored. I can't blame you for that though."

"We looked that bored, huh?" Craig asked.

I nodded my head, "Mmmhmm."

"You must think we are some great friends after that." Paige concluded.

"I still think you guys are great. So what if you looked bored or not? You still stayed here with me and listened to me cry for..." I checked my watch, "two school periods."

"Yeah, I guess that counts for something," Paige smiled, "but you still are our best friend!"

She reached over and hugged me. I hugged her back and then I reached over and hugged Craig. He did not neglect to hug me back. In fact, I think I hugged Craig longer. Nah...I couldn't have, I thought. I couldn't like Craig. Wait-why all of a sudden am I saying this to myself? That is it! It is official! I have gone mental!

Paige broke the silence of my thinking by announcing a group hug. As much as I hate too many hugs as the next person, I didn't reject it. My friends meant well. They just wanted me to feel better. However, they didn't know I was already feeling better thanks to the help provided by the expressions.

"Ok, ok," I said as the bell rang for third period, "as much as I like those good friend moments...I really think we better get to third period."

Paige chuckled and Craig agreed. Next thing I knew I was off to third period Drama with Paige. Craig had English next so he had to go a different way. Which was fine with me because then I wouldn't have to be caught staring at him during class. I could just think about him. Did I just think that? Nah.

On the walk to Drama, Paige and I met up with Manny. I was still a little mad with Manny. She still dressed the way she used to when we were younger. She still wore shirts too small and pants too low. It disgusted Paige and I. It really did. We didn't tell her that though. She changed her attitude, just not her clothes.

We told Manny about what happened earlier and why we skipped classes. She seemed to understand. Of course she did. She has skipped classes before and has cried about the absence of a parent. Well, two parents anyways. Her parents died in a car crash and so Manny is now living with her Aunt. Her Aunt Mimi, that is.

I would have taken her to stay at my house. I really would have. If Manny's Aunt hadn't of taken her in Manny would be a foster child right nowalong with being an orphan. I feel bad for her. Just to have both parents disappear like that out of your life. It makes me feel lucky that I had only one disappear like that. I smiled graciously.

We finally reached class as the late bell rang. I took my seat next to Sean, my ex. Paige sat in the open seat in the back and Manny took a seat next to Spinner. Figures. She has had the hotts for him for a long time. After a couple years, Manny finally realized what she wanted and they became boyfriend and girlfriend. They have been together for about one to two years now. I think.

It must be nice, I though to myself. You know, to have a relationship last that long. The only long relationship I was in was with Sean. That wasn't even that long now that I think about it. We probably would still be together if he didn't start hanging out with Jay and them. I wouldn't have had to get mad at him at all. Then again, we are cool now and we are friends again.

"Oh my Gosh! Emma!" Paige squealed.

"What? It isn't my fault I was paying attention!" I told her at lunch.

"Still. Mr. Rodger made you tell him what we were talking about in class and you dissed him!"

"Whoa! Nice, Em," Craig said surprised.

"What were you supposed to do? All I said was 'I don't know. You tell me.' That isn't even really dissing him, Paige, if you think about it."

"Still," she continued, "you back talked him! He is the strictest teacher here and you back talked him!"

"Paige is right," Craig agreed.

"Whatever," I said, "It isn't like I got into trouble."

"True," Manny said sitting down. She apparently was overhearing from the lunch line.

"So Em," said Sean elbowing me. "Tell us, what was distracting you in Drama?"

"Um..." I said uneasy looking at Craig.

I wanted to tell them that Craig was distracting me. The thought of him walking me home and what we would be talking about. I wondered if he would wrap his arm around me again. Maybe I should pretend to break down and cry again so he could hug me. Whoa! Red flag! Red flag! Where did all those thoughts come from!

"Um..." I said again looking away from Craig, "I was...uh...thinking about...about what we were going to do after school!"

"Oh," said Paige a little disappointed, "well...we could always go see a movie."

"Or go shopping!" Manny said with excitement.

Craig and Sean sighed. They didn't want to go shopping at all unless it was at a music store. Figures, again. That is all they ever listened to was music. Not that is was a bad thing, though. In the end we finally agreed to go watch a movie. All I wanted was to go home. I knew I should have come up with a better excuse!

I looked at everyone and smiled like I really wanted to go to the movies. It appeared that Craig, Manny, Paige, Sean, Ellie, and I would go. I looked around for Ellie. She was nowhere in site. Maybe she wasn't going? I asked Sean where she was...he told me that she was sick. Or did he say, "Why should I know. I am not her boyfriend anymore!"

Anyways, I am not so sure Ellie would now be with us attending the movies.