Chapter Two: I Heard that You've Been Talking

Manny aka Alicia

Walking out of the school was worse than walking into it. Everyone was staring at me and one of the girls had purposely thrown punch on my dress. But that was last night and … this was going to be my first day back at school. I was officially a Degrassi student again, which was both exciting and scary at the same time. All I needed to do was find someone who didn't hate me to talk to.

"Craig." I rushed to walk in step with him as soon as I saw him. Luckily, Ashley was no where near him because I knew she would freak out again. "Hey," I repeated, noticing that he hadn't said anything to me.

"You know you've gotten me into a lot of trouble. Do you know that?" He asked angrily, leaving me shocked.

"And what have I done? Is talking to you a crime?" I shot back as Craig sighed.

"People here, they don't understand me talking to you. They don't understand me and you. You're the other girl. The one that almost cost me Ashley." Craig explained.

"So? It takes two. And that was two years ago. Who cares about what we did when we were dumb kids?" I pouted. "Honestly, I just need a friend right now. Everyone hates me and--"

"Look, Ashley's supposed to meet me here uh … soon. I can't talk to you, not in public like this anyway." He brushed me off, turning his back to me.

"Hear me out Craig." I begged.

"I really wish I could, but I can't. Please just go."

Manny walked away dejectedly. She had an inkling that something like this would happen. Manny just couldn't believe that she admitted that she still loved Craig to Craig and that he was still treating her like this. Like nothing.

Heather Sinclair

"And Hazel totally slept with him." I repeated for like the millionth time this year. I was always so sick of Hazel being so perfect and doing everything right all the time. I just lucked out, finding out what she did from the source. I smiled to myself as I walked past Manny Santos. "Looks like you're no longer the school tramp."

"What do you mean? I'm not a tramp." She argued back.

"Save it. You're, how would you said it … old news. Hazel's just as easy." I proclaimed, walking on. Now it was going to be just me and Paige, like it had always been. I would actually be a person rather than just being the one that Paige always told stories about. I would be able to be … one of the most popular girls in school again.

"But Hazel's a virgin." Manny shot back, fully interested.

"Not anymore. You've been bumped down to Vice President of club slut."

Hazel

"Heather." I began, noticing that she was talking to Manny Santos. Weird. "I heard that you've been talking shit. Did you think I wouldn't hear it?"

"Actually, I was hoping you would. I good rumor always makes it back to the person it's about." Heather smiled as if she knew something I did not.

"You know what this means." I began, ready to rip her hair out. I couldn't believe that she would do something do devious.

"No. You have no power. What do you think you're going to do?" Heather asked, amused.

"I'm taking you out." I pushed Heather against the lockers without any hesitation.

"Oh. I'm so scared. Please, spare me." She replied sarcastically, not threatened by me at all.

"Fine." I slapped her in the face, ready to get another hit in before I felt to small hands pull me back.

"She's not worth it." Manny explained as I shrugged her off.

"I don't need your help." I was breathing heavily, but still ready to finish what I had started. "And she's been talking shit about me."

"But is it true?" Manny wondered as I looked away. For some reason, I just couldn't lie to her, or anyone. I hated how honest I was at times. "Let her go." Manny continued to hold me back as Heather stopped in front of us.

"Ooh. Looks like the princess and queen of sluts have finally met each other."

"Let go of me." I growled as Heather disappeared into the distance and Manny honored my request. "What were you thinking?" I wondered, looking at how she was dressed … like she was ready to kill someone with a hood on, a style reminiscent of Alex. I shook my head.

Manuela aka Alicia

"So, why did you stand up for me like that? What does it matter if I get suspended or not?" Hazel wondered.

"Heather is so not worth getting your permanent record ruined." I began "Plus, we can always get her after school." I laughed. "She's such a bitch and someone needs to kick her ass."

"No. The moment has passed now." Hazel dusted herself off. "I can't believe this disaster."

"So why did you do it?" I wondered boldly.

"That's none of your business."

"If I could do it all over again, I would've waited. I thought I loved Craig but it all completely backfired and I got stuck with the bad rep." I blurted out, happy to have someone's attention. "But now, I've changed. I'm not naïve like that."

"Look, just because everything thinks we're both whores doesn't mean that I'm your friend. I still don't agree with what you did to Ash, or Paige …"

"For someone who's so loyal to the stuck-up princesses of the school, you sure are walking around without any friends. Where are they now Hazel?"

Jimmy

"I have got to find a way to make it up to her." I told Craig, scouring for her in the hallways. I hated how she seemed to know every hiding place in the school and I could never find her when I really needed to, like now.

'Trust me man, she doesn't want to hear it." Craig gave unwanted advice.

"But look how Manny keeps coming back to you. She couldn't love you more than Hazel loves me." I protested.

"I don't know … Manny's around a lot, but it's so not like that. We have a lot in common and until Ashley can trust me, I'm willing to cut back the time I spend with her."

"But see man, our situations are different. I was thinking about making Hazel wifey, but now. She won't even talk to me." I sighed.

"You ruined her reputation Jimmy. You don't know how hard she worked on being Ms. Model … everything. And now, no one will take anything that she does seriously again." Paige butted in.

"Has she talked to you?"

Paige laughed. "I'm not talking to her. Only sluts hang out together and I've already been one of Degrassi's most talked about people. Hazel got herself into this mess." Paige shrugged.

"Paige, how can you be so cruel and heartless?" Craig spoke up.

"She's supposed to be your best friend, my girl."

"Things change." Paige shrugged again with Heather Sinclair chasing her through the hallway with her dark, shiny black hair flying in the distance.

THE NEXT DAY

Manny aka Alicia

"Hey. Manny!" Craig called as I walked past him, with Hazel. Somehow, I got her to listen to what I was saying and I was actually willing to help her regain her old reputation. For one, it was something to do and for two, I wouldn't have to think about Craig.

"So now you can talk to me?" I whipped around, lashing out all of my anger for him. "Isn't this too public."

"No, it isn't." Craig began as Jimmy started talking to Hazel.

Craig

"I thought about it and …" I began, looking down at Man—Alicia. I wouldn't be ever admit it to anyone, but there was definitely something that kept drawing me to her.

"And what? We can have a low key friendship? You want to come around when it's just me and you and maybe Hazel now?" Alicia rolled her eyes. "I'm not interested." She began to walk away.

"Alicia. Please." I begged.

"Please what? I don't owe you anything so don't look like me like I do."

"I just want to try to make it up to you." I pleaded.

"So?"

"I want to be your friend." I whispered as Alicia smiled despite herself. Quickly biting her lips to hide her joy, she looked down.

"I don't know if we can do that, if you can handle it." She joked. "But, in case you want to come, my cousin is in town and you can come and hang out. He'll be glad to see someone that his age." Alicia added before walking off. "Are you coming?" She yelled back at Hazel.

"Yeah. This conversation was over minutes ago." Hazel tagged along, leaving Jimmy in the distance.

"What happened back there man?" I asked as he looked towards Hazel, more somber looking than yesterday. Jimmy held up the diamond bracelet he had given her when they first started dating, which said it all. He was having no luck.

Hazel

"Did you forgive Jimmy?" Manny asked as I walked to my old Corolla while Manny moved to the passenger seat.

"You invited him Manny?" I practically shouted as soon as I was in the car. "And who said you could ride with me?" She rolled her eyes in response.

"It's Alicia now." She began, placing her backpack in the backseat and closing the door. "Besides, I didn't know what else to say. He was looking like me like, he really wanted a second chance and I just couldn't say no. I'm sorry."

"You're just asking for a repeat of two years ago. You can't just give in because he looks at you intensely like you mean something because as soon as Ashley comes around, you're back to nothing. Jimmy did the same thing to me. He made it seem like I meant something and then went and told the whole world about me." I complained, near tears forgetting that this was a girl I hated.

"But Hazel, I love him and when he looks at me like that, like I am beautiful." Her chin started quivering. "And I love him. I say that I wish that Craig wasn't my first, but I'm lying. I don't regret that, but how it happened and why. Right now, I just want him to see that I am a real person that cares for him and if the only way he can return half of my feelings for him is through friendship, then I'll take it. I can't say no." She spat out, remaining quiet the entire time.

I didn't even know why I was hanging out with this girl. She was the school slut. Alicia, Manny … whatever had openly been with Spinner and Craig, breaking up their relationships with her best friends. Former friends. She reminded herself. Like it or not, this Alicia character was probably the closet thing she had to a friend.

Craig

"So, I was thinking that we should put this song on our demo." I told Ashley, putting in a newer version of the song I wrote for her back when she thought I didn't love her.

"Cute Craig, real cute, but we already decided on these songs." Ashley pulled out our "revised" list, which Ashley really revised herself. I originally thought collaborating on songs would make our relationship stronger, but that was all we seemed to fight about. The one thing we both loved, music.

"Come on Ashley. It's our song. You used to love it." I pressed. I had worked really hard on revising it and adding more difficulty with the chord changes, but she still wasn't trying to listen to me.

"Yeah. Used to. Back in grade ten. We're about to go off into the big leagues Craig. Don't you want to make a huge splash into the music world?" Ashley asked idealistically.

"Yeah. Sure." I muttered, looking at my watch. I didn't know if Manny was at home yet, but I was seriously thinking about checking out this thing they were having a her house. Hazel was probably going to be there, so nothing was going to happen.