CHAPTER 12-First loves die hard

Manny POV

I had spent a guilt-ridden night thinking about that make-out session on the porch swing. I had to break up with Craig. Today. Then everything would be perfect and Jimmy and I would get married and have twins and be happy forever. I called Craig and told him I would be over at his house in half an hour. I felt kind of bad for Craig. He was about to have his heart broken.

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Craig POV

Manny was coming over in half an hour, and I had to break up with her. I was in love with Kate, and I think I deserved a chance at love. I needed to be happy again, and Kate was the key. I felt bad for Manny. She was about to have her heart broken.

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Manny POV

"Craig, I'm in love with Jimmy. I'm sorry." I said.

Craig sighed and put his head in his hands. Was he crying?

"Craig, I know you must be upset, but you had to know." I said.

"Manny, it's okay. I hope you and Jimmy are happy together." He replied.

I smiled and hugged him.

"Craig, wow. I'm surprised you're taking this so well. I mean, I have been nervous about this for, like, a day." I said.

"It's fine. Go to Jimmy." He replied.

I was so relieved. Jimmy was the next step. Manuella Santos Brooks. It was perfect. I dashed out of Craig's to find Jimmy. I got a taxi to take me to his apartment building, and saw on the mailboxes that Jimmy was on the top floor. I raced up stairs, too excited to take the elevator. I knocked on Jimmy's door. As it opened, I saw what was going on inside.

"What is going on?" I asked, looking around.

There were moving boxes everywhere and they were all labeled with Jimmy's name on them.

"What are you doing here, Manny?" Jimmy asked.

"I broke up with Craig. I love you." I said.

I leaned forward to kiss him, but was pushed away.

"Jimmy!" I said, shocked.

"I can't do this. I'm leaving in a few days for LA." Jimmy said.

"You're moving?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Maybe if you talked to your parents, they would-"I said.

"Manny, I'm going by myself. It's a school with a great basketball program. I might even get drafted somewhere." Jimmy said.

I nodded, my eyes flooding with tears.

"I just thought that we were..." I trailed off.

"I know," said Jimmy.

I laughed at myself. Manny Brooks? I wasn't going to marry anybody. EVER. I ran away. I couldn't look at Jimmy anymore.

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Ellie POV

Here I was, back with together with Sean. But was it where I really wanted to be? Sean had become a really sweet guy. Kissing me, asking if I was feeling okay, checking up on me every night. I truly enjoyed the attention, because, let's face it, I was definitely not getting any at home, and I loved being loved. I was walking to Sean's as I was thinking this.

"Ellie, hey." Sean said as he opened the door.

I stepped inside. Sean had attempted to be romantic. He had lit a couple candles and actually set out plates for once. Suddenly I felt this rush of happiness. It was then that I realized I was in love with Sean. I grinned and wrapped my arms around him. His sweet grin had made me want him again. He picked me up, sensing what I wanted and carried me to his room. And I had a feeling the second time was going to be a lot better than the first.

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Kate POV

JT had finally forgiven me, and I decided my boyfriend was way more important than my friend who was actually kind of a jerk. JT was a nice guy, and I had put him and myself to through too much to hang out with Craig anymore. I was finally comftorable and happy. JT was over every night, and we snuggled up together on the couch and watched scary movies. I also had made good friends with Ellie, Marco and Ashley. One night JT came over with a red rose, and I knew something was up. He sat on my couch and I followed him, cautious. JT was in a weird mood. He pulled me on top of him and kissed me. We continued to kiss like this, until something interrupted us. I looked down at JT's jeans.

"Whoa, JT." I said.

He blushed and shifted in his seat.

"Um.... Do you think we could go up to your room?" he asked.

I raised my eyebrows at his blatant suggestion. But at the same time, I found it adorable. I led him upstairs and we fell onto the bed. As his hand reached under my shirt, I had a flashback of when I brought Craig up here. I kind of missed him.

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JT POV

I was finally going to lose my virginity. With Kate, who looked like a supermodel. I was finally becoming James, with a beautiful girlfriend and cool friends who had the best parties. Not JT, geek who looked at porn with Toby and was too short for any girl except Liberty to have a crush on. But Kate seemed kind of in a dream world and not as into this as I was.

"Kate, is something wrong?" I asked.

"No, nothing." She said quickly.

I leaned in to kiss her again and I missed because I was shaking so badly.

"Sorry, I've never done this before." I said.

"Me either." She replied.

Whoa. Kate was a virgin! This was crazy! She gave off this vibe like; I've done everything. And in a strange way, it kind of turned me off. I had expected cool, older Kate, and instead I was getting a girl as scared and inexperienced as I was.

"I have to go," I said in a soft voice.

"JT, I'm sorry if what I said upset you." She said.

As I headed for the door, I saw Kate's face look relieved. Did she even want to have sex with me at all? I needed to leave. To think about everything.

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