Chapter Three: I'm Desperate For You
"Whoa, she really can play." Scott watched in amazement as Rose caught the last pass, without hesitation, even though she was being guarded by a guy who had a good hundred pounds on her.
"Yeah. See that's how I like my women." Dominic responded. "Fit. Who knows what she's capable of with a body like that." They laughed.
"Hey Scotty." Shelby walked over to Scott, who was completely sweaty from head to toe, not to mention shirtless.
"What are you doing here skank?" Shelby rolled her eyes.
"So we're reverting back to this then? You can't pretend like none of it happened Scott. It did. We were in love." She began.
"Were. Past tense. What do you want from me now?" Scott wondered.
"A booty call." Dominic joked as Scott forced himself to laugh. He couldn't show his pain, not even for a second. If they guys knew that he had gotten his heart broken, that his world was falling apart, all over some chick, he'd never hear the end of it.
"No, seriously Scott. Look at me." Shelby stared straight into his eyes. "I love you. I want you to talk to me Scott ... I want you to be here-"
"I am here. I was there for you!" Scott backed away from her as things started to heat up. "Why can't you just leave it alone?" He began to walk away. "No, Wait!" Shelby yelled, running after him. "We've been together for way too long. I love you so much Scott. So much more than you'll ever know because you're afraid. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm so sorry about what happened, but I can't take it back." Shelby's voice softened as her eyes started to tear up. "It's killing me to see you like this. And every moment I want to be there for you. We can get away Scott. We can make it out there together, but I need you."
"Like hell you do Shelby!" Scott proclaimed. "I saw you. You think you're slick, but I saw you. You were with him." He accused. "You were with him." Scott repeated, sitting down on the nearest step and curling into a ball.
"I'm sorry Scott. What more do you want from me? Do you want me to tell you how much I hated it, or- or how much I wish I didn't have to do it? How much I wish that it was you instead?" Shelby ran her hands through Scott's hair, finally stopping and kissing his hair. "I love you." She kissed his hand, taking it in hers.
"Like hell you do!" Scott pushed her off and ran the rest of the way back to his bunk, making sure to take the long way back.
"Hey, can you tell me where the gym is?" Paauow asked Manny after her intense run in with Craig and Ashley.
"You're shitting me, right? What guy doesn't know where the gym is?" Manny replied, still pissed off at how Craig had responded to her attempts to get him back.
"No, I'm new here. I'm-" Manny cut him off.
"I know who you are." She looked him up and down. Hazel was right. He was cute, but no one else came close to Craig. Paauow started to follow her, until she stopped in her tracks. "Do I look like a tour guide? I never said I was taking you to the gym." Manny fussed, trying to get rid of him. One guy in her life had already cost her a year of her life. She didn't need any more distractions. Just Craig.
"But you are, aren't you?"
She sighed. "Where else would I be going?" Manny gave in, knowing that the whole witchy act was too much for her to take on. Besides, Stephanie did say something about making Craig jealous. And Paauow seemed like he was stupid enough to go along with it.
"Mom, I really want to go to Venezuela this Spring Break." Stephanie commented, knowing that a ton of other kids from Degrasis were going.
"Venezuela? What could possibly be there that isn't in Paris?" Ms. Bai asked, amused at how her daughter was going to answer.
"Nothing, but all the other kids are going and I want to go."
"Darling, you can't be serious. You need to go to Paris. Learn some sophistication. Do something about that horrible accent of yours." She commented on her daughter's Cambodian accent. Somehow, she had changed hers to a more British type, but the Cambodian accent came out once in a while.
"Mom. There's nothing wrong with my accent. Paris is so last year. You want me to keep up with the trends, don't you? You want me to be happy, don't you?" Stephanie urged, knowing that she almost had her mother on this.
"I want you to be happy, but Venezuela will only bring sadness. All those poor people. They'll rip you off and try to make you feel guilty for being beautiful and rich. I won't have it! Now Paris..." Ms. Bai continued on, being loquacious as usual. Stephanie could see that she was going to have to talk to "daddy dearest" about this one.
"This is the gym?" Manny nodded.
"Cool, now where's the art room?" Paauow asked.
"You can't be serious." Manny stopped and slowly turned around. I'm not your tour guide freak. I don't even know why I'm wasting my time doing this."
"It was a joke." Paauow lied, realizing that he was trying to befriend the wrong person.
"Look, I'll introduce you to the guys, but nothing else. Got it?" Manny began to feel guilty about how she talked to him. Hazel was right. He was cute ... in the Dreamkeeper kinda way. Paauow followed her into the gym as the guys suddenly stopped their basketball game, looking at Manny. "You would think a ghost was here." She whispered to herself, speaking of the way they were looking at her.
"Manuela." Jimmy ran towards her, giving her a hug. Finally. Someone at this school cared about her.
"It's Manny." She told him, feeling a need to keep her distance after being hurt by Craig.
"Yeah. Whatever. You here to play ball with us?" Jimmy wondered.
"In these heels, right?"
"We did it before." Jimmy stared at her intensely, almost looking through her body. It gave her chills.
"Actually, I wanna play." Paauow spoke up. Manny was actually glad that he was there. She was about to lose control and do something she shouldn't.
"Sure." Jimmy scoffed, turning back to Manny, who had widened the gap between them to a couple of feet.
"You heard the man. Let him play." She begged as Paauow dropped his bag to the side.
"Actually, we were waiting on someone else." Jimmy muttered.
"Who?"
"Hey guys!" Craig yelled, rushing to the gym. He hadn't noticed Manny, but she knew that voice. She slowly turned around.
"What a small world." She smiled to herself. "Hey babes!" Manny called to Craig, who instinctively stopped before reaching the other guys.
"No shit." He muttered to himself.
"No, it's me. Aww, don't look so sad. I know what you're thinking. Ash isn't around." Manny added, tempting him.
"Guys. I don't I'll ... I've gotta get outta here." Craig finished, changing his sentence, when Manny touched him.
"You don't have to run away. If you want me to back away ... I will. Just don't cut me off completely. I can't go on without ... without fixing this." Manny lied, trying to keep herself from saying 'without you.' "That's what they taught me. I guess I kinda forgot that I never had you." She added, sniffing. The tears would start coming soon. "I feel so stupid for acting that way around Ash. I mean you guys deserve each other and..." Tears fell onto her cheeks.
"I'm sorry Manny." Craig apologized, hugging her. Bingo. He fell for it!
"I was so stupid." She whispered, loving the way his body was feeling next to hers. It was perfect, everything about it. Except that it was only an allusion ... but not forever. Just temporarily. For now.
"Whoa, she really can play." Scott watched in amazement as Rose caught the last pass, without hesitation, even though she was being guarded by a guy who had a good hundred pounds on her.
"Yeah. See that's how I like my women." Dominic responded. "Fit. Who knows what she's capable of with a body like that." They laughed.
"Hey Scotty." Shelby walked over to Scott, who was completely sweaty from head to toe, not to mention shirtless.
"What are you doing here skank?" Shelby rolled her eyes.
"So we're reverting back to this then? You can't pretend like none of it happened Scott. It did. We were in love." She began.
"Were. Past tense. What do you want from me now?" Scott wondered.
"A booty call." Dominic joked as Scott forced himself to laugh. He couldn't show his pain, not even for a second. If they guys knew that he had gotten his heart broken, that his world was falling apart, all over some chick, he'd never hear the end of it.
"No, seriously Scott. Look at me." Shelby stared straight into his eyes. "I love you. I want you to talk to me Scott ... I want you to be here-"
"I am here. I was there for you!" Scott backed away from her as things started to heat up. "Why can't you just leave it alone?" He began to walk away. "No, Wait!" Shelby yelled, running after him. "We've been together for way too long. I love you so much Scott. So much more than you'll ever know because you're afraid. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm so sorry about what happened, but I can't take it back." Shelby's voice softened as her eyes started to tear up. "It's killing me to see you like this. And every moment I want to be there for you. We can get away Scott. We can make it out there together, but I need you."
"Like hell you do Shelby!" Scott proclaimed. "I saw you. You think you're slick, but I saw you. You were with him." He accused. "You were with him." Scott repeated, sitting down on the nearest step and curling into a ball.
"I'm sorry Scott. What more do you want from me? Do you want me to tell you how much I hated it, or- or how much I wish I didn't have to do it? How much I wish that it was you instead?" Shelby ran her hands through Scott's hair, finally stopping and kissing his hair. "I love you." She kissed his hand, taking it in hers.
"Like hell you do!" Scott pushed her off and ran the rest of the way back to his bunk, making sure to take the long way back.
"Hey, can you tell me where the gym is?" Paauow asked Manny after her intense run in with Craig and Ashley.
"You're shitting me, right? What guy doesn't know where the gym is?" Manny replied, still pissed off at how Craig had responded to her attempts to get him back.
"No, I'm new here. I'm-" Manny cut him off.
"I know who you are." She looked him up and down. Hazel was right. He was cute, but no one else came close to Craig. Paauow started to follow her, until she stopped in her tracks. "Do I look like a tour guide? I never said I was taking you to the gym." Manny fussed, trying to get rid of him. One guy in her life had already cost her a year of her life. She didn't need any more distractions. Just Craig.
"But you are, aren't you?"
She sighed. "Where else would I be going?" Manny gave in, knowing that the whole witchy act was too much for her to take on. Besides, Stephanie did say something about making Craig jealous. And Paauow seemed like he was stupid enough to go along with it.
"Mom, I really want to go to Venezuela this Spring Break." Stephanie commented, knowing that a ton of other kids from Degrasis were going.
"Venezuela? What could possibly be there that isn't in Paris?" Ms. Bai asked, amused at how her daughter was going to answer.
"Nothing, but all the other kids are going and I want to go."
"Darling, you can't be serious. You need to go to Paris. Learn some sophistication. Do something about that horrible accent of yours." She commented on her daughter's Cambodian accent. Somehow, she had changed hers to a more British type, but the Cambodian accent came out once in a while.
"Mom. There's nothing wrong with my accent. Paris is so last year. You want me to keep up with the trends, don't you? You want me to be happy, don't you?" Stephanie urged, knowing that she almost had her mother on this.
"I want you to be happy, but Venezuela will only bring sadness. All those poor people. They'll rip you off and try to make you feel guilty for being beautiful and rich. I won't have it! Now Paris..." Ms. Bai continued on, being loquacious as usual. Stephanie could see that she was going to have to talk to "daddy dearest" about this one.
"This is the gym?" Manny nodded.
"Cool, now where's the art room?" Paauow asked.
"You can't be serious." Manny stopped and slowly turned around. I'm not your tour guide freak. I don't even know why I'm wasting my time doing this."
"It was a joke." Paauow lied, realizing that he was trying to befriend the wrong person.
"Look, I'll introduce you to the guys, but nothing else. Got it?" Manny began to feel guilty about how she talked to him. Hazel was right. He was cute ... in the Dreamkeeper kinda way. Paauow followed her into the gym as the guys suddenly stopped their basketball game, looking at Manny. "You would think a ghost was here." She whispered to herself, speaking of the way they were looking at her.
"Manuela." Jimmy ran towards her, giving her a hug. Finally. Someone at this school cared about her.
"It's Manny." She told him, feeling a need to keep her distance after being hurt by Craig.
"Yeah. Whatever. You here to play ball with us?" Jimmy wondered.
"In these heels, right?"
"We did it before." Jimmy stared at her intensely, almost looking through her body. It gave her chills.
"Actually, I wanna play." Paauow spoke up. Manny was actually glad that he was there. She was about to lose control and do something she shouldn't.
"Sure." Jimmy scoffed, turning back to Manny, who had widened the gap between them to a couple of feet.
"You heard the man. Let him play." She begged as Paauow dropped his bag to the side.
"Actually, we were waiting on someone else." Jimmy muttered.
"Who?"
"Hey guys!" Craig yelled, rushing to the gym. He hadn't noticed Manny, but she knew that voice. She slowly turned around.
"What a small world." She smiled to herself. "Hey babes!" Manny called to Craig, who instinctively stopped before reaching the other guys.
"No shit." He muttered to himself.
"No, it's me. Aww, don't look so sad. I know what you're thinking. Ash isn't around." Manny added, tempting him.
"Guys. I don't I'll ... I've gotta get outta here." Craig finished, changing his sentence, when Manny touched him.
"You don't have to run away. If you want me to back away ... I will. Just don't cut me off completely. I can't go on without ... without fixing this." Manny lied, trying to keep herself from saying 'without you.' "That's what they taught me. I guess I kinda forgot that I never had you." She added, sniffing. The tears would start coming soon. "I feel so stupid for acting that way around Ash. I mean you guys deserve each other and..." Tears fell onto her cheeks.
"I'm sorry Manny." Craig apologized, hugging her. Bingo. He fell for it!
"I was so stupid." She whispered, loving the way his body was feeling next to hers. It was perfect, everything about it. Except that it was only an allusion ... but not forever. Just temporarily. For now.