Sean woke up the next morning still exhausted. He still wore his clothing from the night before and his neck felt stiff from sleeping without a pillow as he had given his to Craig.
He staggered to his feet, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He walked into the living room, stubbing his toe on a box and nearly tripping on the carpet. Craig was still asleep on the couch, snoring slightly. Not quite ready to think about the events of the night before, he turned away and went into the kitchen. Quietly, he tiptoed over to the refrigerator and took a swig from a carton of orange juice. The phone rang suddenly, causing him to spill some down the front of his shirt. He heard Craig moan on the couch and hurried to pick it up.
"Yeah?"
"Sean, honey, it's Mom."
"Oh, hey."
"Everything okay?"
Sean glanced at Craig who was rubbing his eyes wearily. "Yep. Great. Everything's great, I'm just a little out of it because, uh, I just woke up."
Mrs. Cameron chuckled. "Of course. I should have known two PM on a Saturday would be too early."
Sean managed a weak laugh. "Yeah. Well I gotta go take a shower and meet up with some old friends." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Craig sit up and look around blearily.
"Okay. School going all right?"
Sean suppressed a sigh. His mother never knew when to take a hint. "Yes, Mom."
"Did you talk to the principal about transferring your credits from Henley over to Degrassi?"
"Yes. She said it's no problem."
"She? I thought Mr. Radditch…"
"He left. There's a new principal. Look, Mom I-I think my friends are here. I'll talk to you later."
"You're not having a wild party or anything are you?"
"Yes Mom at two in the afternoon."
"Okay, okay. I trust you Sean, I do. And I miss you."
"Miss you too," Sean replied quickly. "Bye." He hung up then turned to Craig who was still sitting on the couch, his eyes only barely open. "Hey."
"Mmm." Craig did not look at him.
"How ya feeling?"
"Mm-mm."
"That crappy, huh?"
"Did I happen to get run over by a jet last night?" Craig looked at him squinting, his normally clear blue eyes looking bloodshot.
"Something like that." Sean cleared his throat. "Um, do you want anything to eat? I don't really have much food around but I think there's some cereal…" He started for the kitchen.
"I don't think my stomach can handle anything right now." Craig winced as he stretched, arching his back. "Tell me I didn't do anything completely idiotic last night."
Sean fixed him with a look. "Besides everything?"
Craig looked down at his hands.
Sean sighed. "Look—"
Craig looked back up suddenly with a look that would have silenced the bravest of men. "Are you gonna lecture me now? Tell me that I'm ruining my life? Well you can save it."
"Craig—"
"Thanks for letting me stay. I'll just get out of your hair."
I don't need this. "Fine," Sean said aloud. "I'll see you then." He went over to the kitchen and pretended to be busy getting something from the cabinet. He waited until he heard the door close then slammed the cabinet shut with a loud bang. His return to Degrassi had seemed to be going so well. He should have known it would go downhill soon enough.
No, he thought with sudden conviction. He had promised himself that this time would be different. He had been given a second chance, which was not an opportunity everyone got. Things had changed immensely but this time around he was determined to make them better. They had to be better.
Sean called Craig later that evening and convinced him to meet at the Dot. As he sat at the counter making small talk with Spinner, he could not help but worry. Every time the bell on the door rang his heart took a little leap. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, when he turned to see who had entered, Craig stood in the doorway. He looked a little better than before but had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was a rumbled mess.
They greeted each other awkwardly then Sean stood up and they went over to a table in the back.
"I'm sorry I freaked," Craig said after a moment of silence. "I was just feeling crappy and worried about last night and I took it out on you."
Sean nodded. "Yeah, you did."
Craig half smiled. "You know, I was surprised you called."
"Why's that?"
Craig shrugged. "I figured you'd be through with me after I blew up at you. No offense, but you're not usually the first one to reach out."
"I…I guess I just wanted this time to be different. No more stupid fights or regrets."
Craig nodded slowly. "I get that. And I'm glad. So are we cool?"
"Yeah, we're cool." Sean felt immense relief as Craig grinned at him.
"And…" Craig hesitated and leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Um, are you really mad about what I told you last night?"
Sean bit his lip. He wanted things to be okay between him and Craig but he still was not sure he supported Craig's experimentation. After a minute of indecision, he decided his friendship with Craig was the most important thing right now. He could deal with the other problem if it got really out of hand later. "No."
Craig grinned widely this time. "Great! In that case, I think we should get out of here. There's a rave going on downtown and it's supposed to be awesome. That girl I met at the party last night told me about it."
Sean tried to change the subject, not eager to go to a rave where plenty of drugs were sure to be available. It was his first weekend back and he did not want to be so reckless already. "You've turned into quite the pimp."
Craig shrugged. "Not really. It's all been mostly just flirting. I'm not really looking for anything more right now. Hey speaking of which, how are things between you and Ellie? Did you guys get a chance to talk last night?"
Sean's phone beeped indicating he had received a text message. He pulled his phone out of his pocket.
Why did you leave last night? Give me a call.—Ellie
"Uhh, not really. Hey, why don't we get going to that rave?" Sean deleted the message and shoved the phone back into his pocket. Suddenly he was in the mood for recklessness.
More soon...don't forget to review please!
