Sean slammed his locker shut and heaved his book bag onto his shoulder. He didn't want this day to end-each minute that ticked by only meant he was one minute closer to going out with Riley that night. Why- WHY- had he agreed to do this? It was his own personal form of hell- Riley Corey practically shoving her tongue down his throat, and a room full of snobby, rich people. He didn't belong there- he was a boy form the wrong side of the tracks, and he liked it that way. That's why he and Riley would never work out- they just came from two completely different worlds.
Sean remembered the night he and Riley had ended things- actually, he had ended things. Her parents had been out of town for the weekend, Emma was spending the night at Manny's, so Sean had gone over to Riley's house. The crazy thing was, he had actually been considering ending things with Emma to be with Riley, like an actual couple. What a disaster that would have been. But he went over there, and they had had wild sex, and, to be completely honest, it was the best he'd ever had- with Riley, or with anyone. And then she'd gotten up and put on this really skimpy black lingerie-thing, and Sean stared at her for awhile. And he had realized that although he liked having sex with Roxie, he couldn't imagine having the kind of relationship he had with Emma with her. She was just one of those girls that drew you in and made you think you loved them, but in reality you just loved the idea of them. She was the type of girls that all the guys wanted, but didn't want to be with.
Riley had crawled back into a bed, and snuggled up close to him, so he could smell her expensive Channel 5 perfume. "I love you, Sean." Wow. Sean really hadn't been expecting that- he had assumed that Riley was just using him for her amusement, something to do until something better came along. Whatever was between them most certainly wasn't love. He hadn't known what to say. But when he finally opened his mouth, he had said the totally wrong thing.
"I think we should stop seeing each other."
And Riley sat back and stared at him, and then she'd leaped out of bed and ran into the large bathroom that was connected to her room. Sean had sighed miserably, gotten up, and followed her. What else could he do?
"Get the fuck out of here!" Riley yelled when she saw Sean step into the bathroom. "I can't fucking believe you!"
"Riley….you have to understand that-"
"Shut up and get the hell out of my house!" she screamed, stomping out of the bathroom.
"You're not being reasonable here, Riley." It was true- why couldn't she just hear him out? Maybe if she did, she'd realize it would be better if they stopped seeing each other. He followed her back into the bedroom.
"I love you!" Riley cried, whirling to face him, her messy I-Just-Had-Amazing-Sex blonde hair spinning around with her. "I…I thought you felt the same about me."
Sean blanched. This couldn't possibly be the same Riley he had been seeing- the I'm-a-bitch-without-feelings girl that would stab people in the back and watch them bleed, just for the hell of it. He'd never seen Riley cry like this- he'd always assumed she didn't even have the feelings that made crying possible. And suddenly, he realized Riley was real person with real feelings that could be hurt, not just some over-sexed spoiled brat. And he had just trampled all over those feelings.
"It…it was just sex." Horrible, horrible thing to say. Meet Sean Cameron- the world's biggest, most insensitive jerk ever.
"You fucking bastard!" And suddenly she picked up something- Sean hadn't even had time to see what it was- and chucked it at his face. Whatever it was, it sliced Sean's right cheek. Riley was about to grab something else, but Sean hurried over and grabbed her hands. "Let go of me!" she screamed, trying to claw him in the face.
Then they had gotten in this really nasty, physical fight- it was the only time Sean had hit a girl in his life. But Riley was so out-of-control and saying so many horrible things, that Sean felt it was justified. And then he had started getting really pissed off and started saying mean things, too. It was just a mess of screaming and hitting and grabbing. It finally ended when Riley slapped Sean in the face, and Sean pushed her against the wall. Then he'd grabbed his clothes and had stalked out, hoping to never see Riley Corey ever again.
Sean blinked as he began walking down the hallway, remembering that horrible night. A lot of things had been said that shouldn't have been said, but it was weird, because that was the last time they had ever been "together". He began focusing on Emma again, and Riley kind of faded away, keeping her distance from the couple and not coming to school a lot, because she was jetting off on exotic vacations. They'd never talked about that night- they'd both prefer to forget it ever happened. Sean wanted to forget that they had happened. But it was so hard, with Riley suddenly trying to seduce him again. I'm not falling into her trap again, he promised himself. Riley was like a poison- just seeped right into you and made you sick.
Sean was just about to head out the main door to the parking lot when he saw someone coming down the hall toward him- a painful reminder of the past, wearing all black with red, straight hair. Sean stopped dead in his tracks, and someone bumped into him from behind and made some snide comment, but Sean ignored them.
Crowded streets all cleared away
One by One
Hollow heroes separate
As they run
Ellie was back. Fuck.
She looked different. He couldn't exactly say how, but she did. Her red hair was longer, but her skin was still pale and milky and perfectly smooth. She wasn't wearing as much eye makeup as usual. But then thing that was really different was the jaded, disoriented, disturbed look on her face. Like she was so out of it, she didn't even know what the hell was going on. He didn't remember that look before- or maybe it had been there, but he hadn't ever noticed.
You're so cold
Keep your hand in mine
Wise men wonder while
Strong men die
"Ellie," he blurted out. No one could ever accuse him of being suave. She looked up. Something flashed in her eyes, but she didn't stop. She barely even acknowledged him, in fact, and just kept going, that same blank look on her face.
"Sean," she said coldly, breezing past him. He practically got frost-bite just being close to her. Damn.
Show me how it ends it's alright
Show me how defenseless you really are
Satisfied and empty inside
That's alright, let's give this another try
He wanted to say more. He really did, but he knew he shouldn't. The moment was past, and Ellie had made it perfectly clear how she felt. What had he expected after everything that had happened-for her to squeal with delight and jump into his arms with sheer excitement? Yeah, right. He was lucky he even got a response, as chilly and frigid as it was.
If you find your family, don't you cry
In this land of make-believe, dead and dry
You're so cold, but you feel alive
Lay your hands on me one last time
As if things couldn't get any more fucking complicated, Ellie just had come back. That was Ellie for you- coming back at the worst possible time just to fuck with his head. He'd thought that was a phase of his life he had put behind him, just like Riley. Ellie had disappeared, and people were upset at first, but after awhile everyone just got used to it and accepted it. Ellie Nash had cracked under the pressure, and she had run away. But only Sean knew the truth.
And it was such a fucking burden, just to know.
Ellie ducked into the bathroom, letting the door close behind her. She leaned against the door and took a few deep breaths. Why the hell was she letting Sean Cameron get to her like that? He had talked to her- she hadn't been expecting that. But she thought she had handled it well- the cold, bitchy brush-off that Sean deserved. Ellie walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. She leaned over and washed her face with cold water. When she was done, she glanced into the mirror. Ugh- she looked bad. Lack of sleep had left large, dark circles under her eyes, and she was completely pale and washed out. Who cares, she thought bitterly, turning off the faucet.
Ellie reached into her bag and pulled out a plastic container of vodka and unscrewed the lid. She took a long gulp. She was drinking a lot these days-it had just sort of become her thing. Get up, do whatever needed to be done, drink, do some more things, drink, eat, drink, and go to sleep. Nothing seemed to mean anything to her anymore.
Suddenly, the bathroom door flew open, and of all people, in walked Paige, looking like her usual blonde, bubbly, ambitious self. She was exactly the opposite of everything Ellie was- bright, happy, content. Had a boyfriend that would probably jump off a cliff for her. She saw Ellie and put on her usual trademark-Paige smirk.
"Ellie…back from the dead I see," she said, walking over to the sink next to her. 'Well, almost. Hey-is that vodka you're drinking?" She sounded alarmed.
"Nothing gets past you," she said dryly. She had tolerated Paige while she and Ash had been friends, but why bother now?
"But…like…isn't your Mom an alcoholic?" Paige asked, suddenly looking serious. Like she actually cared about Ellie's well being. Ellie narrowed her eyes.
"Fuck off, Paige," she said, snatching up her bag and tossing it over her shoulder. She turned and stomped out of the bathroom. Good, being back at Degrassi was like living in a concentration camp. Why did she think it would be a good idea to come back?
"Well, it was nice to see you, too!" Paige called after her.
Riley held up and glanced into her compact one more time, wondering if perhaps she should have taken the time to tweeze her eyebrows. A second later, she snapped it shut, and stuffed it into her purse. "Ok. Remember- you're my boyfriend for the night. So shower me with praise and just act like I'm a goddess, alright? Don't be your usual asshole self. Oh and when I'm talking, stare at me for a long time, like your mesmerized by me and in awe that someone as wonderful as I am is actually going out with you."
Sean just sat slumped in the back of the limo, staring out the window with a gloomy look on his face. He wasn't pleased about being there- he was making that clear enough. She assumed that he was only pissed off because she was dragging him to this party, but she didn't know that truth. The truth was, Sean was angry because it reminded him too much of the times he and Riley had spent together. It reminded him of them.
"Are you getting this, Sean?" Riley snapped, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers. "This is all very important, you know."
"Oh, yes," Sean said sarcastically. "It is all very important business. However will I remember it all? I'm sorry- I seem to have forgotten my "Riley" notebook at home. Do you by chance have a pen? I could right it all down on the back of my hand."
Riley folded her arms over her chest and glared out the window. "Smartass," she muttered, wondering for a second if she had made a mistake by inviting Sean along. But she knew she hadn't- Sean looked super delicious in the tuxedo she had loaned him, even if he did keep grabbing at his stiff collar and making little moaning noises. Riley glanced down at her own outfit, a fitted, strapless, silk pink dress. She pouted a bit, realizing Sean hadn't even said anything about how she looked. Even a sarcastic comment might have been nice- at least it showed he noticed. What did she have to do to make him notice her- pull down her dress and flash him? Sean probably wouldn't even care, anyway-probably just take an disinterested look, yawn, and turn back to staring out his fucking window.
They rode in silence for a few minutes- Sean kept glaring out the window and thinking about Emma, and Riley was darting flirty little glances at him, thinking about how fun it would be for them to make out in the back of the limo, just like old times. Finally, the long car pulled up in front of the country club, and Riley grabbed her purse. "Here we are!" she purred. "Aren't you just bubbling with excitement?"
"Can't you tell?" Sean asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He climbed out of the car, and slammed the door shut behind him. He began walking toward the front entrance, until he realized Riley wasn't following him. He turned and frowned at the car. Finally, Riley opened the door on the other side, and stepped out, looking angry. "I was waiting for you to come around and open the door for me!"
Sean shrugged. "Why can't you open the door yourself? It's not that hard." Riley just slammed the door shut, and stomped toward him.
What a drama queen, Sean thought, scratching the back of his head. She actually expects people to do everything for her. But when Riley came around the side of the car, Sean couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked that night. With her shiny pink dress and golden hair, she looked like an angel. He stared at her for a moment. "Wow…you look….great." Wait- had he just said that aloud? He had made a promise to himself long ago to never compliment Riley- it only inflated her already enormous ego. He was dismayed to see Riley smiling at him.
"Really? Why, Sean, did you just say something….nice to me?" she asked in mock disbelief. "I think I should write this down."
"It was a moment of temporary insanity," Sean insisted quickly. Riley just stared at him, a small smile of her face. He sighed. "Alright….you look really amazing tonight, Riley. There- satisfied?"
A few minutes later, they were inside the ballroom, and Riley was quickly surveying the scene. "Oh…there's the Senator's son, Charles," she whispered in awe, nodding across the room to a boy who looked like he had barely managed to fit his ego through the door. "He usually doesn't come to these things."
"Wow," Sean whispered back. "It's almost like we're in the presence of the Lord!"
Riley ignored him and kept talking. "There's noisy Mrs. Hutton. Stay away from her. She smells like old onions and feet. Not to mention she absolutely hates me!"
"Why?"
"Well…I may or may not have locked her daughter in a closet," Riley said. "Twice." Sean decided not ask. Instead he spotted a uniformed waiter waltzing around with a tray of finger food. When the waiter walked past, Sean loaded several small crackers into his hand. He then proceeded to stuff them into his face, and Riley scowled at him.
"Could you please attempt to eat like a human being?" she whispered, nudging him in the side. "And try not to make a total spectacle or yourself? God, you're revolting. There's no way in hell this is going to work," she muttered under her breath, running a hand over her face and sighing. Sean swallowed the food in his mouth and glanced at her.
"What's never going to work?"
"Nothing. Go back to stuffing food into your face."
"No, I heard you. Why exactly did you bring me here, Riley? And why do I have to pretend to be your boyfriend?" he asked, raising his voice. "What are you trying to pull here? I refuse to be a part of your little scheme until you tell me what is going-"
"Would you shut the fuck up?" she hissed, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a nearby corner. "Jesus Christ, why don't you just scream it already?" She subtly glanced around, and flicked an imaginary piece of lint off her dress. "Fine….if you must know, I'm using you." There. At least she had the guts to put it blatantly. "There's someone here I'm trying to make jealous. Not that anyone would ever be jealous of you, but…I really need you to act like you're in love with me so he realizes what he's missing. Oh, and if I ditch you to go off with him, just find some pathetic girl to dance with you, ok?"
Sean stared at her in sheer amazement. This girl was really something- something pure evil. Staring at Riley right now, knowing the sick, twisted things that went on in her head, made him really appreciate a great girl like Emma. Why was he always cheating on her with these random girls that meant absolutely nothing to him? He often didn't even bother to get their names. Well, that was going to stop now. "Fine. I'll participate in your fucked up little game, but just so you know, I'm never going to cheat on Emma again."
Riley snorted as she stared intently at someone coming through the door. "Yeah, ok. Cut to five minutes from now, when you're doing some girl up against a wall in the bathroom." She tore her eyes from the door and grinned at him deviously. "You know, that girl could be me," she said, putting a suggestive hand on his arm. Sean made a face and shoved her hand away.
"Ew. Sick."
Riley frowned unhappily and went back to staring at whatever she was looking at, and Sean turned and craned his head to see what was obviously so fascinating to her. But as soon as she did, she grabbed his hand and whirled him around. "Don't make it so obvious," she whispered urgently. "Oh, shit. Now he's talking to my Dad, and their coming this way."
Sean glanced over at the couple walking toward them with who must have been Riley's father- a tall, tan man with wavy brown hair. The woman was wearing a long, blue beaded gown, and her husband was wearing a crisp tuxedo. Sean smirked. "Are you kidding me? That's the dude? He's like, eighty-nine. Where's his walker?"
"Fuck you," Riley hissed, plastering a large smile on her face. "He's in his late-twenties at the most. And he's already more successful than you'll ever be. Wrap your arm around me." Sean did as he was told. They approached, and Riley's father leaned in to give his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "Riley, you remember Calvin and Georgia don't you?"
Riley nodded pleasantly; all the while devious thoughts were whirling through her head. Remember him- I remember every inch of him….his washboard abs, his sweet lips, his soft hands traveling all over my body…Roxie almost blushed thinking about it, but she brazenly looked Calvin in the eye, daring him to look back. He did, and something just clicked. Roxie wondered if he was thinking the same things about her- wouldn't it be deliciously naughty if they were both standing there, thinking these sexy, intimate thoughts about each other right in front of his wife and her father? It really turned Riley on.
"It's nice to see you again, Calvin….oh, and Rebecca," Riley said, letting just a bit of disdain drip into her voice in the last part.
"And who is this young fellow with you?" Riley's father asked, sticking out a hand to Sean.
"Sean Cameron," he replied, reaching out and firmly shaking his hand. It was smooth and soft- the hands of someone who had never had to do a hard days work in his life. Sean reminded himself that he was among the richest people in town, and money was something Sean wasn't particularly familiar with. He briefly wondered what it would be like to have everything done for him, to have everything handed to him on a silver platter and to be able to buy whatever and whoever he wanted. Then he shook his head, thinking that if he did have all that, he would end up just like Riley- snobby and self-centered. He was better off poor.
"Nice to meet you, Sean," her father said. "I hope your treating my daughter right. She's very special, isn't she?"
Sean nodded. "Oh, yes. She's a keeper. A real gem." What he really wanted to say was- Sir, you're daughter is the Anti-Christ. It would be a great service to the world if you just killed her. But that wasn't a very boy-friendly-thing to say, now was it?
Riley smiled and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "This is my boyfriend, Daddy." She saw Calvin frown out of the corner of her eye, and continued. "I've been wanting you to meet him for the longest time. He's very special to me." She cuddled up close to Sean, who had to resist the urge to step away. Calvin glanced away, as if inspecting the party, but Riley knew he was bothered. Got ya! She thought victoriously, smiling at Sean. Her father smiled cheerfully and nodded.
"We're glad you could come. Darling, you'll never believe who's coming tonight," he said mysteriously. "Jade Harlem! She's back in town for awhile, and she's promised to attend. There's probably going to be a swarm of paparazzi arriving shortly!"
Riley's face fell, and she dropped Sean's hand. "Jade Harlem?"
Sean glanced at her, wondering why she looked like someone had just stolen her Prada purse. Jade Harlem- hell, even he'd heard of her. She was a professional socialite, very hot right now, who had grown up in their town, but had recently moved to L.A. You couldn't pick up a magazine without her picture plastered on the cover. Translation- media whore. A from the looks of it, she and Riley weren't the best of friends. "Well, I hope you'll excuse us. It was great meeting you, Cameron," Riley's father said.
"It's Sean."
"Right. Sean. We'll talk later." He turned and nodded at the couple, and the three walked off, leaving them alone. Riley had her arms folded over her chest and she was pouting. Sean sighed, and decided to pretend like he cared. "What's the matter? You have a problem with Jade Harlem?" Riley pouted some more.
"Ha!" she said with a haughty snort, snatching a glass of champagne from a waiter as they passed. She took a long sip and narrowed her pretty green eyes. "That bitch? Why would I waste my timer hating her, when they are plenty of other perfectly good people to despise? God, I hate the way she throws herself in front of the camera. Like she totally didn't' pose for those skinny dipping shots that showed up in People last month. Whatever. Everyone's all- oh, Jade, come over her! We love to photograph drugged up, washed up, sluts!" She took a deep breath and turned to Sean. "But no, I have no problem with her," she replied casually.
"Hey, maybe if you do go off with Calvin, I'll ask her to dance," Sean said with a shrug, merely trying to get under her skin. Riley narrowed her eyes menacingly at him. If looks could kill….
"You better not even think about it, or I'll fucking kill you," she warned. "In fact, don't go near her, don't look at her, don't even think about her."
"Weren't you guy's friends when you were little?"
"Were friends. Past tense. Fuck it. I'm going to the bathroom," she said, thrusting her half-full glass at Sean and flipping her hair over her shoulder. "And you better be right here when I get back, understood?" She turned and scurried toward the bathrooms.
Sean stared into the champagne class, shaking his head. What the hell did I get myself into?
Ash was an idiot.
She was willing to admit it. Just the other day she had vowed that she was through with Damon- how many times could he apologize for hitting her? How many times could he promise her he would never get violent again? She would be alone again, and she'd have to suffer through watching Craig and Manny together while she didn't have anybody, but ultimately, she'd be better off. No more bruises or cuts. No more excuses. No matter what, she wasn't going to forgive Damon this time- enough was enough.
Hmm…so why was she sitting in Damon's car, making out with him? That wasn't part of the plan.
But Damon had showed up on her doorstep holding a bouquet of roses and looking at her with miserable, apologetic eyes. He'd apologized, promised it wouldn't happen again, vowed to treat her better, because she deserved better. She agreed. He'd said it was the anniversary of his Mother's death, and that he had just spent an hour in the cemetery, sitting by his mother's grave. He said he loved her; he said he could change. He started gravelling pathetically, begging her to reconsider and to hear him out.
But you know what the most pathetic thing was? Ash actually took him back.
She'd felt totally guilty- who could break someone's heart, especially on the day that their mother had blown their brains out with a semi-automatic a few years before? Who could tear someone up just because they had a bit of a temper and got a little crazy sometimes? Damon wasn't perfect, but neither was she. And if she didn't have Damon, she wouldn't have anybody.
So here they were, at the town's most popular parking spot for teens, making up for lost time. Ash listened to the romantic music that was playing on the radio- a woman singing softly about falling in and out of love- as Damon made a trail of kisses down her neck to her collar bone. They had been kissing for the last twenty minutes, lost in their own little world, their own little paradise. And Damon kept stopping in between kisses to tell her how much he loved her and how much he needed her.
A few minutes later, Damon began working his hands up Ashley's black-t-shirt, and she let him. She even let him slip his hands under her bra. His cool, soft hands felt good on her skin. But when his hands traveled around to her back and tried to unbuckle her bra, Ash decided to draw the line. She pushed him away gently and sat up. Damon sat back, looking disappointed. "What?" he asked. Ash bit her lip.
How did she put this? The truth was, she wasn't sure if she was ready to have sex with him. They always fooled around, touching each other and usually just taking off their shirts, and Ash had only taken off her bra once. So maybe she was ready to have sex, but not in some car in some stupid parking lot. She'd wanted their first time to be special, magical, perfect. She pictured candles. She pictured a soft bed with silk sheets, covered in rose petals. She didn't picture the cramped backseat of a car. "Um…I don't want to do this."
"Why not?"
"Well…we're in a car, Damon."
"I'm aware of that. What's the problem?" He was staring at her with that intense look in his eyes. The look that never meant anything good.
"Well…I'm not ready, ok?"
"Ok…." he said, scooting back over and starting to kiss her again. She wondered if he understood what she had meant, and got her answer when he slipped his hands under her skirt and his hands began moving up her thighs. "Damon!" she said firmly, but he continued to kiss her. She shoved his hands away. "Didn't you just hear what I said?"
"Come on….I really want you," he muttered into her hair. He gently pushed her down in the seat. "I know you want me."
"Damon, stop!" She placed her hands on his chest and pushed with all her might, but he didn't budge. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them down behind her head with one hand, and then put his hand up her shirt with the other, kissing her the whole time.
Shit, she thought. He's going to rape me, she thought. "I said stop!" she screamed, but he ignored her, hastily unbuckling his belt with his free hand. Ash wiggled one arm out of his grasp, and reached up and punched him in the nose as hard as she could. He wheeled back, stunned, as a small amount of blood formed in his nose. "You bitch," he hissed. "What the fuck are you doing? Why are you being like this?"
"Why am….me?" she choked out, sitting up. "I said stop."
Damon reached out and grabbed her wrist again. "You're my girlfriend. You're supposed to want to sleep with me."
"You said you were going to change," she said sadly, tears forming in her eyes. "You…you haven't changed at all. You're still….you're still…"
"This is about Craig, isn't it?" Damon asked coldly, jerking her arm around. "I saw you talking to him by your locker. I bet your fucking him, aren't you?"
"No! That's not it at all! I've moved on. A part of me will always love him, but-"
"You love him!" Damon yelled, shaking his head. "What the fuck!"
"Let go of my arm!" Ash whimpered. "I don't love Craig! I hate when you're like this!"
Damon roughly let go of her arm. "Get out of the car. If you hate me so much, find your own ride home."
Ash didn't stop to think, or argue, or anything. She immediately opened the door, and stumbled out. Damon grabbed her jacket and hurled it at her. She closed the door, and he sped off, leaving her abandoned in the parking lot. She clutched onto her jacket, hardly even thinking about how she was going to get home. He isn't different, she thought, tears streaming down her face. How stupid are you? Falling for his crap all over again.
She numbly walked over to a rock along the side of the parking lot. And then she sat down on it, and sobbed.
Riley yanked a brush through her hair, glaring at her reflection. What was the point in trying to look nice, anyway? Calvin was too absorbed in his wife to even notice Riley was there, and Sean hated her too much to really give a crap what she looked like. This is such a shitty night, she reflected, tossing her brush back into her purse. Calvin hasn't come crawling back to me on his knees yet, and Sean is still treating me like the plague!
Riley reapplied her frosty pink lip gloss. Things between her and Sean had ended pretty badly- in fact, he'd had to get stitches on his right cheek because of it. Riley had pretty much known things were over when she had thrown a letter-opened at him. After that night, Riley had gotten really depressed. She had deluded herself into thinking Sean loved her, but in reality he had only been using her for sex. They hadn't talked about it at all- Sean obviously wasn't man enough to live up to what he did. The bastard. Who messed with Riley Corey and lived to tell about it? She stuffed her lip gloss in her purse and zipped it up. You know what- I think its time we finally get it out in the open, she decided. She turned and confidently walked out of the bathroom. She found Sean standing exactly where she had left him- at least he took commands well.
"Sean, I think we need to talk," she said, placing her hands on her hips.
Sean shrugged. "Yeah? About what?"
"About why we broke up," she said. "You can't just come into my house, sleep with me, and then-"
"Riley, that was a long time ago," he said in a low voice, glancing around. "Don't pretend like your some wounded, hurt little victim here. You were all over Jake Dancer a whole week after it happened. I'm with Emma, and you're doing your whole little "Riley" thing, so can we please just not talk about this now? It was a mistake. We were a mistake."
Riley stared at him. He didn't get it- he really didn't get it. It had meant something to her- more than he could ever understand. And she was pretty fucked up after it happened, but then again, he hadn't bothered to see how she was doing, so he wouldn't know that, right? She opened her mouth to tell him how very wrong he was, but suddenly something caught her eye. There was a big commotion near the door, and Riley immediately knew who had arrived- the infamous Jade Harlem, in all her slutty glory. Riley completely forgot about Sean for a minute.
They had been best friends- practically inseparable. Riley had even stuck by Jade during her mother's messy stint in rehab, which had practically been a field-day for the press. But then Jade had turned around and stabbed Riley in the back, which was something Riley could never forgive. And now Jade was a darling of the media- her every move recorded by somebody. Riley wasn't jealous- not really. So Jade had legs that went on forever, luscious chocolate locks, and a body that made men stop, turn, and take a second look- even the really old ones with wives and kids. Big fucking deal.
"Wow," Sean said, apparently forgetting their conversation, too. Jade walked in, demanding everyone's attention in the room, which she got. She was wearing a white sheath that looked great on her long, lean frame, and her brown hair was flowing in soft curls down her shoulders. I fucking hate her, Riley realized. She smacked Sean in the chest.
"Don't you remember what I said?' she hissed. Sean blinked and looked at her, as if he had forgotten she was ever there. "What?" he asked. Riley threw up her hands.
"What is it about her that makes reasonably intelligent men suddenly go retarded?" she asked no one in particular. Sean smirked and shrugged. Riley frowned when she realized that Jade had spotted her, and she was actually walking over to her. That bitch better not try to talk to me!
"Riley!" Jade said, smiling her big, platinum white smile. "You're looking amazing. I think I saw that dress on the runway at last season's Paris fashion show. Oh, but I'm sure it's still very in."
"Jade!" Riley said, plastering a large smile on her own face. "It's great to see you! You're looking better than ever- it's nice to see that the scarring from your nose job was only minimal. You look just amazing, though." When it came to Battle of the Bitches, Riley knew the rules- there were no rules Jade just nodded and gave Sean the once over, and Riley could tell Jade was clearly interested. She snatched Sean's hand and smiled. "Jade, this is my boyfriend, Sean. Where's your boyfriend."
"Shooting a movie in Milan with Brad Pitt," Jade shot back easily, placing a hand on her hip and grinning at Sean. "Sean, I'm Jade. It's fantastic to meet you."
"Hi," Sean mumbled nervously. Riley stared at him- was he actually blushing? Loser.
"Well, it was….nice seeing you," Riley said pointedly. "But I'm sure there are just bunches of people you want to see, and I'm thirsty, so Sean is going to go get me a drink," she said, practically shoving Sean across the room toward the bar. Sean smiled at Jade and walked away. Jade nodded.
"Nice choice, Riley," Jade said. "You're right- there are so many people who are dying to talk to me." She blew Riley a small kiss. "Kisses." And she turned and flounced off. Riley resisted the urge to run after her, grab the back of her perfect, expensive dress, and just rip it off. Not to mention Jade had had tough-talking Sean Cameron practically drooling like an idiot.
Bitch, she thought.
Manny was having one of her tantrums again. She'd starting having them a few months ago- she'd get all hyper and excited, and then she'd suddenly get moody and frustrated and violent. They were really starting to scare Craig, because Manny just wasn't Manny anymore. Sometimes she was all fine, sweet, and normal, smiling and laughing, and then she'd suddenly do this Jekyll-Hyde act where she suddenly wanted to kill everyone. She'd even punched him once- not that hard, but it had left a small bruise on his chest. He couldn't figure it out. Hell, he couldn't figure Manny out. But he still loved her- that had to count for something.
"Manny, it's ok," Craig said. He was sitting on his bed, watching as Manny paced back and forth in front of him, nibbling on her nails. "Come sit down." He tried to reach out for her hand, but she pulled it away.
"You don't understand, Craig. You don't," she whined, looking at him with terrified eyes. "Emma and I got in another fight today. She hates me. I lost my best friend."
'Oh, I'm sure that's not true," he said, trying to make her feel better. She nibbled on her nails again and shook her head.
"No, it's not. She hates me. Everyone hates me. You hate me, don't you?" she accused, staring at him intently. Craig ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He didn't get it. He just didn't get it. Why was she pulling this crap with him- she knew he loved her. He'd told her a million times. He sighed. "No, you know I don't hate you. Calm down. Everything is going to be fine."
That set her off. "No, things aren't going to be fine!" she screamed, and Craig winced. Angela was sleeping in the next room, but she was probably awake now. "You don't know anything!" Suddenly, she reached out and punched the mirror over Craig's dresser with her fist. Craig watched in horror as the mirror cracked. What the fuck was going on? He had wanted to spend a nice evening alone with Manny, maybe watch a movie or something. Not have her come over and start screaming and vandalizing his room. This was getting out of hand. He decided to just get Manny in the car and take her home.
Manny's hand was bleeding, and she was staring at it in horror. "Oh, no. I'm sorry, Craig!" she said, bursting into tears. "I'm sorry…"
Craig hurried over to her and wrapped an arm around her. "No, Manny, it's ok. You're just a little…upset."
Manny buried her face in his shoulder as she cried. "I did something horrible, Craig. You'll hate me," he heard her mumble into his jacket. He frowned and rubbed her silky, black hair.
"I can get another mirror-"
"No! It's not that!" she said, sniffling. "You'll hate me. I know you will. I'm not who you think I am. I'm a horrible, horrible person. You'll hate me. I hate myself."
Craig stared down at her head, and then glanced at her bloodied hand that would need to be bandaged. He wondered what was so horrible- what could she have possibly done? And why was she acting like this? Her fits were bad, but never this bad, when she'd break things and start crying hysterically. Craig was really worried now. Was Manny on drugs or something? He had to wonder. She did hang out with that Riley Corey, and everyone knew what a junkie that girl was. He didn't want to ask- she was too upset right now. She could hardly even string together coherent sentences, let alone answer a question like that.
"I'll love you no matter what," he promised, knowing it was true. She shook her head. "Manny, I love you. I really do. I'm just worried about you…"
"I'm worried about me, too." She opened her mouth, about to tell him her horrible secret. She'd killed thier baby, she was using drugs, she wasn't the girl he'd fallen in love with. She had these little fits because she had taken something- she couldn't even remember what, except that Riley had given it to her. She was lost, and scared, and nothing was going to be alright, because she hated herself for what she did. And no matter what he said now, Manny knew that if he found out, he'd hate her, too. And she couldn't lose Craig- he was the one thing that kept her from just completely going over the edge. Losing him would be worse than dying.
"I love you, Craig," she whispered. I just wish I could love me, too.
Author's Note- Finally Updated! There will be more about Sean and Riley in the next chapter, so keep reading! And probably more Paige/Spin/Jimmy. And whats going on with Ellie and Sean?! Please keep reading and reviewing and give me any ideas (I could use them.) THe song in there is "So Cold" by Breaking Benjamin. And check out my other stories, too! THanks!