Chapter Two: Your Presence Lifts Me
New Characters: Stephanie Li Bai- 17 years old, Cambodian, an only child who always gets what she wants, always in and out of relationships, believes that money can buy happiness, desperately wants to move away and go off to college- strict mother, doesn't really have any true friends, everyone uses her for money
Paauow Blue- 17 years old, Native American, one of five children but he is doing the foreign exchange thing and spending a year in Canada, very serious but playful, sort of outgoing, really into music, art, and other non-materialistic things
"We have a new student at Degrassi High. Everyone say hello to Paauow." Ms. Kwan told her third period English class.
"He is so hott." One girl commented as Manny searched to see if Craig had skipped out on class after their little episode. She was practically the only one in grade eleven in this class . all that extra studying just to be near him.
"Is this seat taken?" Paauow asked Manny who was still absorbed in her quest to spot Craig.
"Hello. The new guy is talking to you." Hazel mumbled. "He is so cute!"
"Why don't you answer for me? I have something more important to deal with, okay?" Manny went on, ignoring Paauow until someone else offered him a seat elsewhere.
"You totally blew it back there." Hazel commented, wishing that he friend would stop her manhunt. "He's not coming."
"What do you know?" Manny snarled, angry that Craig hadn't showed up, and angry that Hazel was probably right.
"You know the best way to get an old boyfriend back is to make him realize what he's missing." Stephanie butted in. Both Hazel and Manny stopped to look at her.
"That's not the way to get Craig back. If you're meant to be, he'll come back to you on his own will, not because he feels pressured to." Hazel responded.
"How exactly would you do that?"
"Make him jealous . pretend like you don't notice him or care anymore." Stephanie grinned. "And if all else fails you can always get the girlfriend to hate him-that way you get her out of the picture for good."
"You know what Steph? Most of the time the stuff you say makes no sense, but it's clear to me now."
In another nearby school
"There is no way she's gonna make the team." Dominic said to his best friend Scott Barringer, who was slowly making his way to being the best on the Varsity team. He was already one of few sophomores that was on the team already.
"I don't know due, she's pretty fit." Scott responded, checking her out. "Coach might let her on as a sympathy bid, so he won't look sexist." The line moved up as Orlando, who was in front of Dominic, got ready for a pass.
"But are they seriously thinking about letting her play? Football's a man's sport." Rose chimed in, hearing everything that all the guys had been saying about her.
"Whoa. We didn't mean it like that." Scott apologized. "I'm Scott Barringer." He began, but Rose cut him off.
"I know who you are. Star football player and star cheerleader." She pointed to Jennifer. "That's my cousin smarty." Rose rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, well I'm Dominic." Scott's best friend chimed in, seizing the moment to slip her is number, casually. Rose shook his hand.
"You know you're up?" She wondered.
"Yeah. Watch the pro." Dominic responded as he not only missed the pass, but slipped on the wet grass in the process.
"We watched the pro alright." Scott laughed, as Dominic got up, trying to recover, but Rose was already giggling along with everyone else.
"I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work." Shelby told Juliet who was seizing this opportunity to rekindle what she and Scott never had.
"What do you mean?" Juliet asked innocently.
"Look Queenie, he's mine."
"That's not what he said the other night." Juliet simpered evilly.
"You have no idea what Scott and I were talking about so just back off okay!" Shelby yelled completely loosing her cool and letting Juliet win.
"Okay Shelby. Chill out. I know you're in a tough bind, but so was I. We both lost the same guy . well you lost him twice, but I sympathize with you. If you ever need anyone to talk to, let me know." Juliet responded being completely fraudulent, as usual. She knew, as did Shelby, that they could never trust one another.
"If you think you can get him before I do, bring it on." Shelby challenged, brushing past Juliet's shoulder and heading toward the field. She knew that's where Scott was.
"Hey Ash." Craig greeted his girlfriend shyly. He had been waiting all day to see her.
"Ready?" Ashley asked, hooking her arm in his, beaming with happiness. Things had gone from horrible to perfect so quickly that he brain hardly had time to process what was going on.
"Yeah, but um first . I need to talk to you." Ashley froze, hating to hear those words in a sentence together. The last time he said that was after she dumped him. Yet, he still decided to come over with the whole "I need to talk to you," telling her all the details about his relationship with Manny and how he had made a mistake. Yaddah ya.
"Umm, what is it?" She inquired. "I'm almost afraid to ask."
"Manny's back." Craig began as Ashley's jaw dropped. "She's here now and I don't think anything has changed. She thinks . Sh-She thinks that I love her and I just want you to know, for the record that you're the only one for me." Craig took Ashley's hands in his, studying them. "An-And-"
"Shh." Ashley put her finger to his mouth. "I trust you baby. I know you wouldn't do anything stupid." Ashley smiled, hugging him. "I seriously thought it was something serious . Manny has nothing to do with us anymore. She's innocuous, harmless . of no importance." They walked on, as Ashley trailed behind, holding onto Craig's waist. "You're mine."
"Are you sure about that?" Manny wondered, ready to cause some trouble. "Because last time I checked, we were sharing him . Craig had a pretty sweet deal. Kiddie Affection with you and the real thing with me." She looked at Craig, stopping her urge to touch him. "He's an animal in bed you know?" Manny took pleasure in seeing Ashley cringe at the thought of them together. "And you should've heard him when he screamed my name. 'Oh Manny!' 'Don't stop!'" She imitated him as Ashley started studying the ground.
"Manny, cut it out." Craig demanded, trying to protect Ashley from any more pain.
"Why? Can't you handle the truth?" Manny circled around the two of them. "You know it's funny. I leave for . a year and so much has changed." She stopped directly in front of Craig. "But, I know some things are still the same. I know you want me Craig. You don't have to hide it. You don't have to pretend." Manny stroked his arm. "I'll go slowly."
"Back off Manny!" Ashley yelled, getting in between the two of them. "Are you so pathetic that you can't even realize that Craig's in love. With me! Are you that blind." She grabbed her boyfriend's hand, dragging him to the car, and leaving Manny to feel completely alone and unfulfilled. Life is unfair.
(A/N: What do you think so far? Cool huh? Or not? R/R)
New Characters: Stephanie Li Bai- 17 years old, Cambodian, an only child who always gets what she wants, always in and out of relationships, believes that money can buy happiness, desperately wants to move away and go off to college- strict mother, doesn't really have any true friends, everyone uses her for money
Paauow Blue- 17 years old, Native American, one of five children but he is doing the foreign exchange thing and spending a year in Canada, very serious but playful, sort of outgoing, really into music, art, and other non-materialistic things
"We have a new student at Degrassi High. Everyone say hello to Paauow." Ms. Kwan told her third period English class.
"He is so hott." One girl commented as Manny searched to see if Craig had skipped out on class after their little episode. She was practically the only one in grade eleven in this class . all that extra studying just to be near him.
"Is this seat taken?" Paauow asked Manny who was still absorbed in her quest to spot Craig.
"Hello. The new guy is talking to you." Hazel mumbled. "He is so cute!"
"Why don't you answer for me? I have something more important to deal with, okay?" Manny went on, ignoring Paauow until someone else offered him a seat elsewhere.
"You totally blew it back there." Hazel commented, wishing that he friend would stop her manhunt. "He's not coming."
"What do you know?" Manny snarled, angry that Craig hadn't showed up, and angry that Hazel was probably right.
"You know the best way to get an old boyfriend back is to make him realize what he's missing." Stephanie butted in. Both Hazel and Manny stopped to look at her.
"That's not the way to get Craig back. If you're meant to be, he'll come back to you on his own will, not because he feels pressured to." Hazel responded.
"How exactly would you do that?"
"Make him jealous . pretend like you don't notice him or care anymore." Stephanie grinned. "And if all else fails you can always get the girlfriend to hate him-that way you get her out of the picture for good."
"You know what Steph? Most of the time the stuff you say makes no sense, but it's clear to me now."
In another nearby school
"There is no way she's gonna make the team." Dominic said to his best friend Scott Barringer, who was slowly making his way to being the best on the Varsity team. He was already one of few sophomores that was on the team already.
"I don't know due, she's pretty fit." Scott responded, checking her out. "Coach might let her on as a sympathy bid, so he won't look sexist." The line moved up as Orlando, who was in front of Dominic, got ready for a pass.
"But are they seriously thinking about letting her play? Football's a man's sport." Rose chimed in, hearing everything that all the guys had been saying about her.
"Whoa. We didn't mean it like that." Scott apologized. "I'm Scott Barringer." He began, but Rose cut him off.
"I know who you are. Star football player and star cheerleader." She pointed to Jennifer. "That's my cousin smarty." Rose rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, well I'm Dominic." Scott's best friend chimed in, seizing the moment to slip her is number, casually. Rose shook his hand.
"You know you're up?" She wondered.
"Yeah. Watch the pro." Dominic responded as he not only missed the pass, but slipped on the wet grass in the process.
"We watched the pro alright." Scott laughed, as Dominic got up, trying to recover, but Rose was already giggling along with everyone else.
"I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work." Shelby told Juliet who was seizing this opportunity to rekindle what she and Scott never had.
"What do you mean?" Juliet asked innocently.
"Look Queenie, he's mine."
"That's not what he said the other night." Juliet simpered evilly.
"You have no idea what Scott and I were talking about so just back off okay!" Shelby yelled completely loosing her cool and letting Juliet win.
"Okay Shelby. Chill out. I know you're in a tough bind, but so was I. We both lost the same guy . well you lost him twice, but I sympathize with you. If you ever need anyone to talk to, let me know." Juliet responded being completely fraudulent, as usual. She knew, as did Shelby, that they could never trust one another.
"If you think you can get him before I do, bring it on." Shelby challenged, brushing past Juliet's shoulder and heading toward the field. She knew that's where Scott was.
"Hey Ash." Craig greeted his girlfriend shyly. He had been waiting all day to see her.
"Ready?" Ashley asked, hooking her arm in his, beaming with happiness. Things had gone from horrible to perfect so quickly that he brain hardly had time to process what was going on.
"Yeah, but um first . I need to talk to you." Ashley froze, hating to hear those words in a sentence together. The last time he said that was after she dumped him. Yet, he still decided to come over with the whole "I need to talk to you," telling her all the details about his relationship with Manny and how he had made a mistake. Yaddah ya.
"Umm, what is it?" She inquired. "I'm almost afraid to ask."
"Manny's back." Craig began as Ashley's jaw dropped. "She's here now and I don't think anything has changed. She thinks . Sh-She thinks that I love her and I just want you to know, for the record that you're the only one for me." Craig took Ashley's hands in his, studying them. "An-And-"
"Shh." Ashley put her finger to his mouth. "I trust you baby. I know you wouldn't do anything stupid." Ashley smiled, hugging him. "I seriously thought it was something serious . Manny has nothing to do with us anymore. She's innocuous, harmless . of no importance." They walked on, as Ashley trailed behind, holding onto Craig's waist. "You're mine."
"Are you sure about that?" Manny wondered, ready to cause some trouble. "Because last time I checked, we were sharing him . Craig had a pretty sweet deal. Kiddie Affection with you and the real thing with me." She looked at Craig, stopping her urge to touch him. "He's an animal in bed you know?" Manny took pleasure in seeing Ashley cringe at the thought of them together. "And you should've heard him when he screamed my name. 'Oh Manny!' 'Don't stop!'" She imitated him as Ashley started studying the ground.
"Manny, cut it out." Craig demanded, trying to protect Ashley from any more pain.
"Why? Can't you handle the truth?" Manny circled around the two of them. "You know it's funny. I leave for . a year and so much has changed." She stopped directly in front of Craig. "But, I know some things are still the same. I know you want me Craig. You don't have to hide it. You don't have to pretend." Manny stroked his arm. "I'll go slowly."
"Back off Manny!" Ashley yelled, getting in between the two of them. "Are you so pathetic that you can't even realize that Craig's in love. With me! Are you that blind." She grabbed her boyfriend's hand, dragging him to the car, and leaving Manny to feel completely alone and unfulfilled. Life is unfair.
(A/N: What do you think so far? Cool huh? Or not? R/R)