Chapter Thirty-One: Epilogue: My Escape
I've given up on giving up slowly
I'm blending in so you won't even know me
Apart from this whole world that shares my fate
This one last bullet you mention
It's my one last shot at redemption
Cause I know to live you must give your life away
Jimmy
"Welcome Degrassi Class of 2006! It's been 10 long years and here we are together again! Though I was supposed to graduate with you all, I didn't. So technically, I'm not supposed to be here. But thanks to the great Mr. Simpson, now DCS Principal, I get to at least hold the microphone. Would anyone like to come up here and share something?"
The room remained silent. It seemed as though everyone was sticking to their old groups of friends, which seemed a little sad to me. After all these years, no one tried to get to know anyone new.
But I didn't really let it get to me. Our huge group of friends that developed ten years ago was sticking together. We had so many differences, but we managed to keep some type of contact with each other. We all made new friends in our last years of high school, and they were friendships that would last a lifetime.
"No takers?" I asked, waving the mic around. "Well then, try to have a good time!" Everyone cheered to that as I made my way off the stage.
"Jimmy Brooks you just haven't changed have you?" I heard a familiar voice from somewhere behind me.
"Ellie Nash! How are you?" I asked, hugging my old friend. I hadn't heard from her in a year and a half.
"I'm huge," she complained.
"You look great," I told her.
"Thanks. Well, come on. Let's go find everyone."
Marco
"Just what do you think you're doing missy?"
"Uncle Marco! I'm just getting some food," she answered while piling mini sandwiches and cookies on her plate.
"Just how much are you going to eat?" I asked her.
"This plate's for Mom," she told me. "Have you seen how big she is?"
"Yes, I have," I said, laughing. "Let's go bring her this food before she gets too cranky."
I followed her to a table nearby.
"Hey Ellie, look what I found," I joked.
"I can't believe you found her! I thought she was lost forever," she said. "I was getting worried that I wouldn't get any food today."
"Thanks a lot Mom."
"I'm just kidding. Thank you for the delicious sandwiches Sophie."
"I can't believe she's so big," I said to Jimmy, who'd found his way to the table before I did.
"Who; Ellie or Sophie?" he asked, grinning.
Emma
"How are you?" I asked Paige, throwing my arms around her. We hugged for a minute and separated.
"I'm good, how about you? You look so good!" she squealed. "I haven't seen you in so long!" I'd obviously gained back all the weight I lost all those years ago. And I probably gained more on top of that.
"Thanks," I said, tucking my hair behind my ear. "We haven't seen each other because you went to New York City! And became a famous fashion designer," I added.
"I'm not that famous," she said, blushing a little.
"Oh please! If we've heard about you here, then you're definitely famous."
"How about you? I read your book. You're famous in the states! Why haven't you done a book tour?" She was talking about the book I wrote about my high school experience, including everything that happened with Jordan and Toby, and getting married when I was a junior.
"I've been really busy," I said. "I might do a tour next year."
"You have to call me and let me know. I have that book up on display in my store. You have to come there!"
"I will, don't worry. Why don't you come sit at the table with us?"
"Who's here?"
"So far it's me, Jimmy, Ellie, Sophie, and Marco. Let's go."
We linked arms and made our way over to our old friends.
Manny
"I love your movies!" I heard a voice yell from halfway across the room. I walked toward it with a huge grin on my face.
"Marco! It's so good to see you!" We hugged and kissed each other on the cheek.
"I always knew you'd be famous." He put his arm around me and started to lead me towards the tables.
"I've only done one movie Marco."
"Only one? It was number one for three months! I must have seen it about five times. And those two TV movies you made count too," he added.
"Those movies were terrible!" I protested.
"I loved them, and that's all that should matter. What are you working on next?" We stopped halfway towards the tables.
"I'm doing a love story. I can't really tell you all the details, except that Chad Michael Murray plays my professor and I fall in love with him. We start filming next week."
"I love him! He's still as gorgeous as ever. You are so lucky!"
"Don't worry Marco. I'll let you meet him."
"I love you!" He threw his arms around me and we continued walking.
"You have to tell me what you've been up to!" I told him as we got to the table.
Jay
"Dad!" Sophie yelled, running at me. "What took you so long?"
"I just got out of work. But I'm here now."
"Well, it's about time. I thought they'd kick mom and me out since she didn't graduate with your class!"
"No one's getting kicked out."
"Well, she's eating all of the food." I laughed and picked her up.
"Are you sure? I think you're the one that's eating the food. You're so heavy that I can barely pick you up!"
"You're finally here!" I heard Ellie squeal. She jumped up and threw her arms around me.
"I just saw you this morning," I told her, kissing her.
"It's been a long time since this morning," she said. I pulled her chair out for her and sat next to her.
"Young love," Marco remarked. "It's amazing."
"You're still together?" Paige asked, grinning.
"Of course. I wouldn't be pregnant if we weren't!" Ellie said.
"And you look like you're about to burst!" a familiar voice said from behind me.
"Hi Craig," Ellie said, rolling her eyes. "And I saw you yesterday. I'm no closer to "bursting" than I was then. They're not ready to come out yet."
"They?" Jimmy asked.
"It was supposed to be a surprise," I said. "We're having twins!"
"Both boys," Sophie added excitedly.
"Yeah, Jay forgot to mention that his mom has a twin," Ellie said. She squeezed my hand, so I knew that she wasn't actually mad about it.
"Congratulations!" Paige squealed, getting up to hug Ellie.
"Did you ever get married?" Manny asked.
"Of course," I said as Ellie waved her hand around to show her wedding band.
"We waited until Sophie was five," Ellie said.
"And I was the flower girl!" Sophie added.
"It was a beautiful wedding," Marco told them.
"What about you two?" I asked Manny, meaning her and Jimmy. It was obvious that they were still together. He had one arm around her, with his other hand reaching over to touch her leg.
"Nope, not yet." I could tell that Manny was disappointed.
"We've been dating on and off ever since we graduated," Jimmy informed us.
"They don't need to know all of the details," Manny snapped. Everyone at the table grew quiet.
"I'm thirsty. Anyone else want a drink?" Paige suddenly asked.
Craig
"I'll go with you," I said, standing up. No one else said anything, so we made our way over to the bar. I got a beer and Paige grabbed a soda.
"Emma's acting strange, isn't she?" Paige asked.
"Yeah. Do you know what's wrong with her?"
"No. Do you think she got a divorce? Or that she and Spinner had a fight? He's not here," she pointed out.
"I don't know. But I hope she's okay.
"So, how have you been?" she asked me.
"Great actually. I just got my doctorate in psychology. Ellie and I opened up a practice together," I told her.
"Oh, so you're Dr. Manning now, huh? I never would have thought."
An awkward silence fell between us. I didn't like people to call me Dr. Manning. My father was Dr. Manning.
"I go by Dr. Craig," I said.
"Sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
"Are you seeing anyone?" she asked. I knew she was just curious. Everyone knew that Paige Michalchuk lived for gossip. Even after ten years, she still was.
"Yeah, actually I am."
"Who's the lucky lady? Anyone I know?"
"You could say that…" I didn't offer up anymore information. "How about you?"
"Yes, I have someone waiting for me at home," she said. We started to walk back to the table.
"Anyone I know?" I asked, using her strategy.
"Yeah." But she didn't offer anything more either. Once we got back to the table, everyone was back to normal, friendly conversation.
Paige
"I still love gossip," I confessed as we sat down. And since I've been in New York, I want to know what everyone's been up to! I don't care how many times you've told the story. You'll have to tell it again," I said. "Who wants to go first?"
"I will," Emma said. I hadn't expected her to say anything at all. But she did. "As you all probably know, I wrote a book called The Best and the Worst. I tried to come up with a better title," she explained, shrugging.
"Anything else?" I asked. I really wanted the dirt on her relationship with Spinner, but she shrugged.
"Sorry I'm late." Speak of the devil. Spinner pulled the chair out next to Emma and sat. I knew instantly that they weren't divorced or even fighting. The look on Emma's face explained that for me. She leaned in and kissed him.
"Okay, I'm dying to ask. Are you still married?" I couldn't help myself.
"Yes," Spinner said, raising an eyebrow. "And…"
"I'm pregnant!" Emma blurted out. "I've been quiet all night because I wanted to wait until Spinner got here."
"Oh my gosh, why didn't you tell me?" Ellie asked. I knew they'd stayed really close all these years. They were still best friends.
"Well, we've been trying for almost a year now, and nothing happened. I just found out this morning, and I wanted to surprise everyone."
"Congratulations," Ellie said. We all agreed.
"So, Spinner, it's your turn now. What have you been up to? Aside from making babies," I added.
"I formed a band with some friends I met at the community college. We all graduated with associate's degrees in general studies, but we decided to try out for a local battle of the bands before deciding what to do. We found our agent at that show, and since then we've released three CD's. We just got back from our tour last night. Emma always comes on the tours with us. We have a lot of fun," he explained.
"Are you guys gonna settle down now that you're having a baby?" I asked. "If you don't mind my asking," I added.
"Yes," Spinner said.
"We don't know yet," Emma told me, smiling at Spinner. "I know he really loves the band, and I won't take that away from him. We still haven't decided if we'll take the baby with us on tour, or if they just want to play local concerts for awhile. For now, we're at home in a house near the school. I'm starting as a substitute teacher at DCS. I got my Master's in English, and I'm going to do a little teaching while I write my next book."
"I'm so happy for you two," I said genuinely. "Now, Marco, it's your turn. What have you been up to while I've been away?"
"Well, my dad died last year after his cancer got worse."
"I'm sorry." A lot of people echoed my response.
"It's okay, really. He wasn't supposed to live that long. He had a horrible brain tumor. The doctors operated on him about eight years ago, and he was okay for a long time. But now I'm studying to be a neurosurgeon. I'm doing my internship right now. In a year I will officially be Dr. Del Rossi."
"I'm so jealous," Jay said. Ellie smacked his arm. "But I have a beautiful wife and daughter and I will have two little men, so I'm all set." He kissed Ellie on the cheek and grabbed onto her hand. It was so cute.
"Okay, you're next," I told him.
"I just told you the best part. Aside from that, I got my Master's in Elementary Education and I have been a first grade teacher for three years now. Ellie and I got married when we were twenty-three and lived with her dad for another year after that. We had an apartment for a year, and just bought a three bedroom condo. That's about it," he explained. "But I do have to add that Abby is a sophomore at DCS this year. She just had her Sweet Sixteen last week."
"I can't believe she's that old!" Emma remarked. "That makes me feel old."
"Me too," Jay agreed.
I didn't have to tell anyone when it was their turn to talk after that. We just went around the circle.
"When I was 20, I went to night school and got my GED. My dad was able to take care of Sophie because he was out of work by that time. After that, I waited to go to college until Sophie was in preschool. She was four and I was 22. Two years ago, I got my bachelor's degree in Psychology and opened up a practice with Craig," Ellie told us.
"I have been pursuing art and I have a few paintings in some galleries in New York City," Jimmy said.
"I saw those! They were amazing," I told him.
"Thank you. I am also a basketball coach for a kids' wheelchair basketball team."
"That's awesome," Ellie said. "Those kids are lucky to have you."
"Thanks Ellie. I thought that I could relate to the kids better than a coach who wasn't in a wheelchair. And apparently the kids think so too."
"Dr. Craig, you never took your turn," I said, just realizing it myself. He'd been sitting next to Marco, but he let Jay talk instead.
"You're a doctor?" Manny asked. "That's awesome Craig."
"I'm a doctor of psychology. And I opened up a practice with Ellie, as you already know."
"Any hotties in your life?" Jimmy asked. Manny smacked his arm. "What? He always had a hottie. You were one of them," he added. That got him a kiss.
"Yeah, you could say that," he said. "I'm dating a doctor actually."
Marco snickered.
"Marco, are you still with Tim?" Craig asked, turning to face him.
"No, actually, I'm not."
"Aww what happened?" Emma asked. "You two were so cute together."
"We dated for two years after I graduated. But then we just sort of figured out that we weren't meant to be together. We're best friends though. And he met someone at work recently."
"Did you meet someone?" Craig asked, smirking. No one else knew what the joke was, but apparently Craig knew Marco's boyfriend.
"Yes, I did. I'm dating a doctor too."
They both started grinning like crazy. Then, they took all of us completely by surprise when they leaned forward and kissed. No one said a word. We just sat and stared at what was unfolding in front of us. Craig and Marco?
"Since when are you gay?" I found myself blurting out.
"I'm not," Craig said, turning to face me. "I'm bi."
"I never would have thought," Manny said. Her mouth was still hanging halfway open like most of us.
"I'm just glad that both of you are happy," Spinner said. We all nodded our heads and stopped acting like idiots.
"So Paige…you haven't told us anything. I mean, we all know that you're a famous fashion designer, but what else is there?" Ellie asked. "Any special person in your life? Married, kids, dog?" she asked.
"Well…"
"Mommy!" I heard the voice and saw the little girl running towards our table.
"Who here has a kid they didn't mention?" Jimmy asked.
"Hi sweetie," I said, opening my arms to my daughter.
"Oh, so this was who you were hiding from us," Emma said. "Paige, she's adorable."
"Thank you. Guys, this is my daughter Elisabeth. She's seven," I told them.
"Do you always let her roam around by herself?" Marco asked. "Or is her dad somewhere here? Is it JT?"
"Yeah, that's my daddy's name!" Elisabeth answered from where she was then perched on my lap. "But he doesn't live with us."
"Did you get a divorce?" Jimmy asked me.
"No, we were never married. We were together until I got pregnant. Then we slowly drifted apart. But we're best friends. He lives in an apartment a few blocks from ours," I said.
"Did he come here with you?" Jimmy asked.
"No, Daddy couldn't come. He had to work. My other mom brought me." She answered for me.
"You mean your step mom?" Manny asked her.
"No. My dad isn't married. I mean my other mom. She lived with us."
Everyone turned their attention on me. I smiled but didn't say a word. Craig's eyes lit up. He'd known all along. After all, Elisabeth's other mom was his best friend.
"Since when are you gay?" he asked me, joking around. Everyone else stared just like we'd all stared at Craig.
"Yeah, since when?" Spinner echoed.
"She's not. She's bi," Craig answered for me. "Just like me."
"Well, who is it? Who's the lucky lady?" Emma asked. I could tell everyone was dying to know.
"Alex?"
Alex
Paige turned around as soon as Manny said my name.
"You rang?" I asked, smiling at her. Craig jumped up to hug me and kiss my cheek.
"How have you been?" he asked me. I took the last empty chair at the table, right next to Paige.
"I'm great. I have a wonderful wife and a darling daughter. I work in Paige's store, as the manager. I have everything I could ever ask for," I told him, as well as everyone else at the table.
"A wife?" Spinner asked.
"We got married three years ago in Massachusetts," Paige explained.
"Congratulations you two," Jimmy said.
"Thanks," we replied at the same time.
I kissed her then, right there in front of everyone. We held hands the rest of the night, and I was so happy that everyone finally knew about us. Of course, Emma, Manny, Spinner, and Jimmy were the only ones who hadn't known. We told Craig, Ellie, Jay, Marco, Tim, and Paige's mom a long time ago. Craig and Marco took time off and came to the wedding together.
I was just happy that I could finally be myself, and I was with the woman I fell in love with ten years before that. I couldn't ask for more.
Ellie
Every single one of us was sad when the reunion started to come to an end. People got ready to leave, and we all moved over in front of the stage as Jimmy dragged Manny along with him to say goodbye to everyone.
"I'm sorry to say that our night has come to a close. I want to thank each and every one of you for coming, especially my great group of friends."
He pointed over to us and we all started to cheer.
"But before I hand this mic over to Mr. Simpson for his last words, I'd like to say something." He turned away from us so that he was facing Manny. "I can't exactly get down on one knee," he said.
I knew what was coming, and everyone else probably did too.
"Well, I could, but I'd need a lot of help getting back up," he joked. I saw him pull a box from his pocket, and hold it out to Manny. "Manuela Santos, will you marry me?"
"Yes!" she squealed. He placed the ring on her finger.
"Ahhh!" I screamed out. But everyone must have mistaken it for 'awww,' because they all joined along.
Manny hugged Jimmy onstage as I doubled over in pain.
"Ellie?" Jay asked, noticing that I was holding my stomach.
"It's time," I said.
"Okay everyone, my wife's having our babies!" Jay yelled to the entire room. My cheeks grew hot but then I shoved away my embarrassment.
That's my Jay, I thought, as everyone cleared a path for us to walk through.
I was scared. I vividly remembered the pain of giving birth to Sophie. And now I'd have to have two kids on the same day! I tried not to think about it and just gripped Jay's hand. I had everyone I needed. I had so much help that I didn't know what to do with it all.
And I knew that I was going to be fine.
Spinner
Jimmy and I made up during our senior year of high school. It was the second best day of my life, the first being my wedding day. I was happy to have Jimmy back, and now, ten years later, I'm happy to say that I have all of my friends back. Even if we go back to our lives tomorrow and don't see each other for another ten years, we all know that we have each other. We know that if any of us needs help, we have so many people to ask.
The last time we were all at the hospital, Ellie was having a baby and planning on giving her up for adoption. Jimmy was in a coma, and we didn't know if he was going to wake up.
But this time, we all sat in the waiting room, talking and laughing. Ellie was having twins that were planned for and that she knew she was going to keep. Jimmy was here with us, and the room wasn't awkwardly silent.
Jay came waltzing into the room and started handing out cigars.
"What are their names?" I asked.
"Alexander Michael and Damian Marco Hogart," he announced happily.
"Those names are perfect," Alex and Marco said together.
"You better name the next one after me," I joked.
Everyone in the room laughed. It was a great sound.
We were together again, and we were all happy.
I knew that we were all thinking the same thing.
Ten years ago, a shooting tore us all down. We suffered a huge trauma, and needed some way out of it. We needed an escape.
And we found it.
I gotta get out of here
I'm stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake
I gotta get out of here
And I'm begging you, I'm begging you, I'm begging you to be my escape
A/N: I apologize for not getting this posted sooner. I knew everything that I wanted to happen, but I didn't know how I wanted to go about it. I tried to keep the story realistic and at the same time, keep good couples together…which is why some people (like Marco and Tim) didn't end up together in the end, and why Jimmy and Manny still weren't married yet…it happens. Anyway, the title of the chapter, the lyrics at the beginning, and the title of this story all comes from "My Escape" by Relient K and they own it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters.
However, I do own the plot of my story and Sophia, and Elisabeth. Do not use any without my permission!
Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers! I'm sorry to say that my participation in will decline now…I will be writing oneshots from time to time, so look out for those. But the two chapter stories that I have ideas for will not be posted for a long time. I need to focus on school and work. It's been great though. Thanks!