Chapter 15: Judgment Day
"Craig…? What are you doing here?" Manny stood up and hugged him tightly. She hadn't had the time to say goodbye before she left, and she was excited to see him.
"We're here to visit you guys." Craig said as Manny let go of him. He looked at what she was wearing, and he was a bit surprised. She was wearing a black t-shirt that printed 'So I like beach boys, sue me' in faded white, some black capris, and some black socks. He had never seen her so covered up before.
"We?" Alex asked as she stood up and they all walked into the living room. Hazel was sitting in the chair by the TV, Ellie was on the couch, Marco was sitting on the back of the couch, and Paige was standing in the doorway. Manny smiled at everyone around the room, but when she saw Paige, her smile faded instantly.
"What is she doing here?" Manny whispered to Craig as Paige sat down by Jimmy, who had just come into the room.
"Manny, calm down. She's not here to start anything, alright?" Craig said, and Paige waved at Manny. Manny waved back as a sign of approval.
"Um, hey." Paige said, standing in Manny's doorway, while Manny was flipping through the TV. Manny looked up and smiled weakly.
"Hey…so, how boring has it been since we left?" Manny asked as she pointed to a chair in the corner, signaling Paige to sit.
"Well…Emma wanted to come, but she was sick…and Ashley is back. However, she and Craig aren't together. AND, I have a crush on Craig…"
"WOAH. Rewind and Pause, when did this happen?" Manny asked as she stood, actually interested in this discovery.
"Well, we've been hanging out a ton, and I guess it kinda developed." Paige said as Manny smiled.
"You've had drama, I've have drama…" Manny said casually. It was Paige's turn to sit up to listen.
"Wait, what kind of drama?" Paige asked. Manny looked at her and smiled weakly.
"Alex and I...we both crushed on Jimmy. Then he decided that he wanted to be with Alex. I don't mind, though." Manny said as she picked up a magazine, and flipped through it nonchalantly.
"So, you don't want to be with him?" Paige said, a bit surprised. She didn't expect Manny to accept them being together.
"I do…but I promised myself, after what happened, that I wouldn't do that again." Manny said, looking at Paige with sincerity. This was the first time that she and Paige were actually civil to each other.
"I see…but, not to be prying, but what do you like about him?" When Paige asked that, Manny's eyes immediately lit up.
"Hmm…where do I begin…oh yeah! His eyes…they're so deep, and beautiful. And his smile, it makes me happy. HE makes me happy…he was willing to take me in when Emma didn't even want to. He's been so sweet to me, and he really cares about me, and Alex. To tell him the truth, I…I-I…love him." Manny looked at the ceiling, sighing at the fact that she told very intense secrets, to Paige.
"You love him? You need to tell him, then!" Paige said sternly. Manny looked at her as if she was insane.
"I can't! Alex will find out, then kill me, and then bury me alive." Manny said as she turned off the TV.
"Well, write a letter to him, explaining everything. Then just forget about it. Don't prolong it, don't tell Alex, and don't continue to push the situation." Paige said. Manny nodded her head slowly, and then reached for her purple notebook.
"Okay…Dear Jimmy…" Manny said as she wrote in her notebook, and Paige sat beside her, helping her with the letter.
"So, you're going to get surgery?" Craig asked as Jimmy clicked on the surgery page.
"Yeah. It's sort of a surprise for Alex and Manny. I haven't been able to hang with them, and I want to be able to, for both of them." Jimmy looked at Craig and smiled. "You think you can take me tomorrow?"
"Um…sure, man. Are you sure that this is safe?" Craig asked as he sat on the foot of Jimmy's bed.
"Yeah, I went there today, and she's qualified in everything. She says that it may take a month or two to recover and everything, but it'll all be smooth." Jimmy said as he smiled to himself.
"Well, okay. As long as you and the girls are happy." Craig said, and both of them laughed.