Craig sat in second period, Media Immersion, fidgeting. Ashley was sitting next to him, focused onthe lesson completely, but Craig was anxious. Anxious to get out. He couldn't help but feel as though he was trapped, just hopelessly trapped. What did he want? He had Ashley. She was sitting right next to him -- they couldn't get much closer than that. He was being rather despondent; he knew it was only a matter of time until someone noticed.

"Craig, are you alright?"

Craig nodded, not looking in her direction. He was staring at nothing imparticular, just anything but Ashley.

"You can't sit still."

He nodded again. "I know." He sighed. "I've got to get out of here."

What had Sean said to Emma this morning? Had they gotten back together? The bell now chimed off, signaling Craig to get the hell out of there as fast as he could. He bolted out of the classroom, backpack swinging from his arms. His attention was unfocused, once again. He was speed walking, running really. And then he collided. Emma was kneeling before him, shocked.

"Emma!" Craig sputtered, arms outreaching to help her. He knelt next to her. The hallway was thinning of people. "I didn't see you at alll, where'd you come from?"

This was his chance to ask her about Sean.

"Hey, Emma --"

"Craig, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." She looked as if she had something else on her mind. "I'll see you at Jack's party, okay?"

She walked off before he had a chance to stop her. The hallway was completely empty now. So there Craig stood lamely, backpack at his feet, feeling completely ignored.

Craig was in the locker room, donning a pair of red boxers and a white shirt. He had tried to talk to Sean about Emma earlier, but he was despondent and shy to talk. The whole gym class, he had stood in the corner while Armstrong yelled for him to participate.

"Hey, Sean," Craig said, throwing his towwel to the side.

"What?" Sean replied, apparently bothered as he stared into his locker.

"Nothing, I was just..."

Sean rolled his eyes and slammed his locker shut, striding to the showers. Craig felt a little dejected, but decided to push it off as Spinner approached his locker. Marco gave him the coldest glare as he passed. Craig knew there was still a bit of bad blood between the two since last year. Everyone had pretty much stopped shunning Spinner except Jimmy, Hazel, and Marco.

"Okay, Craig, I was at the Dot, and I was just working like it was nobody's business, right?"

"Right."

"So Manny walks in, and she starts --"

There was suddenly a loud crash. Swiveling around, Craig saw that Sean had wrestled Jay into a locker and the two were going at it heavily. Sean took Jay's head in one hand and started banging it against a locker, determined not to stop, to finish what he started. The violence was getting Craig's adrenaline pumping, and like a fool, without knowing what he was doing, he jumped in and separated the both. He stood, arms spread out between the two, looking nervously from one side to another. The two boys were looking as though they were about to kill each other, Craig standing in between them. And that's when it all came out.

Sean went first. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Craig stared. "What'd he do?"

The pair ignored him, both still glaring at one another.

Jay smiled, blood trickling from his forehead. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you think you can do that to Emma?"

Craig's hands suddenly dropped.

Sean was seething with rage, and Craig was just in a timeless stupor of curiosity, tinged with dread, just standing there. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately; standing and staring, letting his mind take control.

"Dude, what does Emma have to do with this?" Spinner asked. "Get back to the fighting."

Jay looked over. "Shut up, Spinner."

"No!" Sean shocked everyone by the tone of his voice. "Tell him Jay! Tell the whole world how disgusting you were!"

And Jay simply stood, glued to his spot. Craig was honestly dreading what he knew he was about to hear, and he didn't know why. The thought of a major locker room brawl being centered around Emma was just too awkward, and the thought of Ash knowing that it meant so much to him, that he had been clinging on to every word, was just way too obscure.

Why did these things get to him?

Jay's eyebrows then cocked themselves in one motion. "Don't."

"You made Emma give you a blow job!"

Right there was when Craig felt his knees go weak.

"Craig, are you okay?" Spinner asked from the sidelines.

The query went unanswered. Craig was feeling some sort of strain on his head. It was all to much information to take in at once. Emma... and Jay? An unexpected layer of hate soothed over him. At Jay, for being the one who got the girl, at Sean, for being the one who didn't, and Spinner... for sitting there like an idiot.

"I didn't make her do anything!" Jay retorted. "She did it herself, okay? And you know what, Sean? You missed out! Okay? Is that what you were worrying over or something?"

You missed out. The words replayed ove and over in Craig's head. "So... she was good?"

Craig immediately regretted asking those questions. He felt like slapping himself on the forehead.

"What?" Spinner said, completely awed. "Dude, what did you just ask? Did you seriously ask that?"

Craig looked away, ashamed and reluctant to speak.

"Spinner will you shut up?" Sean asked through clenched teeth.

"No, Spinner," Jay ordered, "Don't."

"Jay, shut the hell up! You go around giving Emma ghonnorhea--"

Craig's eyes widened. "She got ghonnorhea?"

"--And you don't even care! She was my girlfriend!"

Sean went forward to release a splur of swear words before Jay pushed Craig aside and pummeled him. The two fought for a time before Craig came to his senses and broke the two apart, the whole locker room chanting in excitement.

"You don't know what she meant!" Sean suddenly yelled, the two of them straightening their clothes and fizing their rumled hair. "You had no idea what she meant --"

"Sean," Spinner said warningly, "I know you're upset, or whatever, but I think you need to calm doen before Armstrong hears you."

But it was too late. Vision clearing to give a good view, Mr. Armstrong was standing in the doorway, arms folded and face smug.

Craig stood outside the locker room ten minutes after Sean and Jay had been driven off by Mr. Armstrong, his hands shaking. For some reason, visions of Emma doing unspeakable acts lingered in his head, and on his hands. He swore he could feel her under his fingertips, the way Jay had... but that was just his foolishness, he guessed. Everyone was out about around him, unsupervised, laughing and mimicking the event that had taken place before him. He shook his head once more to clear his head of the unexpected thoughts, and sunk to the ground against the wall. Marco, looking over from his group of acquaintances, approached him. Craig spoke first.

"Well, that was interesting wasn't it?" His face was full of disgust and anger.

"Yeah," Marco said, trying to lighten the mood. "I mean it was --"

"Where do they think they can get off, anyway?" Craig interrupted, hardly noticing his disruption. "Talking about Emma like that to everyone."

Marco shrugged, clueless. "I don't know." He looked at the clock. "The bell's about to ring. We should get up."

Craig nodded and stood with Marco. His movements somehow seemed to be shy, and nervous, almost as if he were expecting something horrible. The bell rang and Craig moved on sluggishly, his thoughts gaining speed, tending to be a lot more embarrassing as time went on.

"I'm sorry to have to do this to you," Mrs. Hatzilakos said moments later. "But you know the rules of Degrassi School. If you haven't been updated on the Code of Conduct, I suggest you read it. No fighting is permitted in this school." She looked from Jay to Sean, who both gave off an impassive face. "I have to go get your detention forms. I'll be back in one minute."

She stood from her chair and left the room, leaving both Jay and Sean alone. It was a silent room for a few moments, very silent indeed.

Jay looked over in revoltion. "Why'd you have to say anything?"

"Shut up."

"No. Look, I didn't wanna say anything 'cause I didn't want to tell the whole world Emma's business."

Sean was suddenly a bit bashful. He looked up from his bleeding hand. "I didn't think about that."

"Obviously. To fcking mad half the time to think straight."

"What, Jay? I have a right to be mad, okay? What you did -- it was disgusting, and you did it to iEmma/i."

Jay smiled again, glancing down to his lap. Sean threw his hands into the air.

"You think it's funny."

And with the way Jay continued to laugh, Sean suspected that he did.

Why was it that girl's preoccuppied his mind? That he felt way too much than he was supposed to when it came to girls. And why was the girl was of choice Emma lately? Craig sat in his room, on his bed, hand to forehead, way too tired to move, but too curious to sleep.

Hopeless romantic. He was a sucker for girls, and he wasn't supposed to be having these feelings. It was pitiful, really -- it was girls that were supposed to fall into obsession, and fantasize incessantly. If anyone were to know of how school girl-like he could be, with his bashful hopes and shy insecurities, it would be a spectacle. He would be exposed for everyone to see.

"Craig, still moping, eh?"

Joey had come to the door, apparently in a good mood.

"C'mon, get your things. We're going to Snake's for Jack's party."

Craig's jaw dropped. His gaze lifted as he moved the pillow from his lap. "To Emma's?"

Joey's eyes narrowed although he was still grinning. "Are you okay? Did something happen between you two and Ash?"

"Ash? No, no, she's fine."

Joey nodded. "Okay, well, then, invite her."