The next chapter is here! Hope you enjoy.


Craig's POV

This was the day, I kept telling myself.

After the weeks and almost a month of pushing it back, it was time.

Ellie herself had known about the situation, thanks to Emma being the talkative person she was, finding a way for the both of us the hear each other's statements, or at least Ellie's.

It was frustrating in a way, as Ellie had just broken up with her boyfriend, and was now already in some drama with me.

Of course, after the incident, I merely stated goodbye, and a possible farewell to Sean, before hopping on my motorcycle. I brought Ellie of course, but this ride back was a lot more eerie and quiet. We were both embarrassed and had nothing to say, so we didn't say anything.

Eventually, we did confront each other about a possible meeting about what transpired, however, me being the coward I am, kept pushing it back, under excuses like music or school drama.

The last part wasn't exactly false, there was a lot of school drama, specifically regarding the Lakehurst students who were transferred here to Degrassi. So at least I wasn't fully lying, because Toby was worrying me a great bit with his recent attitude and his weird obsession with fighting Lakehurst. It was strange but I digressed.

However, eventually we would have to confront this. We will have to talk about it. I just couldn't always make excuses to avoid something like this. I had tried it before with the wrecked hotel, and failed.

I knew this was similar. There was no escaping this.

Sending a text to Ellie, she said Marco and Paige were busy with either job or a school club, so it left her alone. After the breakup with Jessie, Ellie pressured to go in whenever Jessie didn't, to avoid any tension between the two.

Thankfully, she was granted that, and so she took that schedule. A change, but one she welcomed nonetheless.

What we really wanted was a confrontation that didn't involve any third party to ruin or split the outcome of this event, and we both agreed.

So, now, I stared, yet again at my vehicle. Sighing.

This was the time, I continued to tell myself. This was the time to confess.

It was going to be difficult, Ellie and I have a history of interactions together, both good and bad.

From her being hostile to me after cheating on Ashley, being a part of that band that tried to antagonize me, and for the right reasons, to a more positive one, our summer times when we hung out after Ashley left, those times with the group, when she would stay after-school and listen to me play some music, to helping her escape her once-alcoholic mother, there was a lot.

That made this so much scarier. What if this didn't go so well? What if I do the same mistakes? Would Ellie see me the same? Or would she see me just like Jessie.

I sighed, this was difficult, my chest was hurting, this was hurting more than going on stage.

Why? Why does my body function like that?

I shook my head, and made my way towards Ellie's room.

Looking at the door, again I took a deep breathe, taking in the atmosphere of the hallway. It was kind of ironic, when there was something you didn't want to happen, you would find the simplest things to distract you, just to increase the time between it.

Eventually, however, the door opened, only to reveal a redheaded lady with cute freckles on her face. That was Ellie.

I stared at her like an idiot for a solid minute, before she motioned me in, with a sarcastic idiot followed.

I chuckled at that, it seemed that Ellie was being herself, and that's what I liked.

"Thanks for letting me in." I said, and she scoffed.

"You didn't even knock." She replied, and I simply laughed as a response, she wasn't wrong.

"Yeah, I was just a bit nervous." I was scratching my head while my eyes were closed.

"A little?" She asked rhetorically, and I calmed down.

"No." I put my head down, "Very."

"I am as well, but Emma kind of forced this on us."

I nodded in response as a bit of a silence came up. It was still late morning, so there were some semblances of birds chirping in the background, and we knew that nearby roommates were definitely sleeping in.

"So, about what Emma said-" I started, only for Ellie to interrupt me.

"She could've just been lying, even though I know Toby and you are close, you were probably joking around." She simply said, and I stared at her in shock.

Not at what she said, but the tone and her look. It seemed disappointed, sad, filled with hopelessness. It churned by heard to see her that way. The last time I had seen her this down was when she left Joey's former residence.

I sighed, "Toby and I weren't joking." I started, and Ellie looked up to me with a curious face. "You got to remember Toby's this kind of serious, smart guy. He was very serious whenever you came up."

Ellie's face was still unsure but her tone was more professional now, "I can see that."

I nodded, "But Emma was a part of that group, and he probably told them as a sort of asking for help kind of thing."

"You didn't ask him why?" Ellie asked, and I sighed.

"I would, but the guy's kind of changed, and not necessarily for the better."

"What do you mean?" Ellie asked, noticing my saddened look.

"He's been picking fights more with Lakehurst students." I mentioned. "Not to mention that he and Spinner have been becoming more troublesome."

Ellie's face turned a bit shocking, "Wonder what Ashley would think. Doesn't she still go there?"

"I don't know. I'm been more focused on my career and just finishing the work. Not to mention Sean's gone, so there's that."

Ellie's face turned to shock. "Sean left?"

I nodded, "To Afghanistan, hope he's doing well."

Ellie sighed, and silence once again took over the room, but this silence was filled with more tension.

We both knew the real reason of this visit, and so we both were feeling anxious.

I sighed, thinking to myself that now was not the time to be a coward.

"Ellie." I started. "About what Emma said."

Ellie turned her face to me, and I immediately felt butterflies take hold of my stomach. The breakfast I had eaten felt like it was going to come out of my mouth, and I felt my cheeks heating up slightly.

It was nerve racking, but I powered through.

"It's the truth." I said, my head a bit down, her face just out of my vision.

"I'll be honest, I didn't see a lot about you until we got along in that group meetings, and when you would stay back and help me calm down, listening to music, I felt at ease."

I sighed, wanting to continue when Ellie interrupted, "When did you begin to, you know."

My face was probably blushing now, "When you moved in with me. That incident with your mother really made me realize how much I cared for you. Before I didn't realize it, but the panic in your voice made me terrified. I was so glad I made it before anything got worse."

I continued to look down, so I couldn't see Ellie's face, but she couldn't see mine either. We were both anticipating each other's next lines at this point, even though we were almost always off.

"Well, then why did you never advance?" She then asked.

I sighed, "I was a coward." I muttered, and I could tell she was confused, so I continued, "I was scared."

"Scared of what?" Ellie's tone was filled with a bit of confusion and anger, not that I blamed her.

"Scared, of repeating my mistakes." I said at last, and Ellie's soft breath gave me enough of her reaction.

I had to continue for her to understand, "The main thing that was preventing me was what I had done to Ashley. She probably told you the most about it considering you're her best friend, right?" I asked, a bit nervous to see her face.

She simply nodded.

"There you go, so you know how much of a jerk I've been, cheating on her." I muttered in hatred, mostly aimed at myself.

Ellie sighed, "But that was you back then, you've changed."

"Yeah, if he's been having that affair for a while, I don't know how he could do this." Her voice was haunting me.

"How can you be so sure about that? You now know what it's like to be cheated on! Didn't you say I don't know how he could be having an affair behind you back for a while?!" I wasn't screaming in anger.

Instead, it was filled with confusion, regret, guilt, and cowardice.

I sighed, "I don't want to repeat those mistakes with you. What would happen if we ended up terribly, like with Ashley and I?"

I heard Ellie sigh, seriously she really likes doing that. "You're still harsh on yourself."

I looked up to her in confusion, her tone was unusually soft for Ellie.

"W-what?" I asked.

"You're still filled with guilt and regret, despite the fact that you already redeemed yourself."

"That may be easy for you to say, but I still feel terrible."

Ellie put a hand on my shoulder, her face closing in as I could feel her breathe.

"That may be so, but I don't see you as an asshole like Jessie, instead I see you like an asshole like Craig."

What was that supposed to mean? I asked myself, and Ellie silently chuckled, reading my confused face.

"It means I don't see you like him. I don't see you as a cheating bastard, if that's what you want to know."

"Oh." I merely said afterwards as we broke into another laughing fit.

Unbeknownst to me, I didn't realize Ellie had put her hand on my shoulder as we laughed.

Eventually the laughter ended, and I looked at Ellie, suddenly realizing our close proximity.

"Uhh, Ellie-" I started but she didn't answer. Instead, she put her head near my left shoulder, between my chest.

I could feel my heart beating much more vigorously, as the sudden interacting was a clear surprise. Nervous, as well.

I heard Ellie silently laugh, "You're very tense today, Craig."

I scratched my head, "Uh yeah, I kind of am because, you know." I said, looking down, but her face was tucked onto my chest, her ear hearing my heart beat and rhythm.

It was a strange feeling, made stranger when she looked up to me and smiled.

"Why did you reject me that time?" I heard Ellie ask.

"The same reason. I was a coward." I merely replied, and Ellie's face turned to sadness.

"Are you really going to think to the past when trying again? That's such a stupid way to go about things." She mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"If you fail your driving test, are you going to never try it again?" Ellie asked.

"How does failing a driving test have to do with this?" I asked, not getting it.

Suddenly I felt a strong shove on my body. "Woah!" I yelped as I felt myself crash into a weird soft surface that definitely wasn't the floor.

I looked around and saw that I had actually landed in the couch, which I was thankful for, better your behind land on something soft than hard.

But what took me out of my thoughts was the feeling of soft, warm arms wrap around me, as I felt the same head, this time on the lower left part of my neck, near the collarbone.

I looked down and saw Ellie, again holding onto me.

"Um, Ellie, don't you thing-"

"Stop resisting, just hug me back, please." She mumbled, and I sighed, giving in to her.

"I understand you are scared, Craig, scared to repeat the same mistakes, you would be like that in a driving test." She started, as the vibrations from her voice was felt throughout my body.

"But when you go the next time, you remember those mistakes and you circumvent them, to get a better mark. You don't just give up thinking you'll make the same mistakes again." Ellie stated, and I knew what she was getting at.

"I know you cheated before, and I know what it feels like to be cheated on, but if you think in that mindset, you're just going to be hurting yourself. Instead of being scared that you'll make the same mistakes, you should try and learn from it to be better."

"I don't know." I said, my voice wavering.

"Well let me tell you this, if you try once, fail and then never try again, will you succeed in your driving test?" Ellie asked, her face now looking up to me.

"No." I said.

"Okay, but if you continue to try, learn from the previous mistakes, will you eventually succeed?" She asked, and my face turned to realization, knowing what she was getting at.

"Yes." I said a bit late than usual, but Ellie smiled, knowing what I was thinking.

"Craig, I do love you." She said, "Just so you know."

I smiled at that, despite it being the first time hearing it from Ellie, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. It wasn't as anticlimactic as I thought it would be.

It was rather smoothly brought up, just mentioned, and I was glad.

I looked down, seeing Ellie, her blushing face, her freckles, and her hair, and smiled.

"You too." I said, and Ellie's face pouted.

"You too what?" She asked, and I laughed.

"I love you too." I said, before I felt my lips occupied by another set.

I closed my eyes, knowing it was Ellie, and I pushed back, moving my tongue towards the entrance of Ellie's mouth, asking for permission.

It was granted, and I felt our tongues dance, in the blissful emotions that we were giving out just know.

Once we stopped, needing air, we simply smiled at each other, our heads touching as we stared in each other's eyes, before a TV, watching a movie together while Ellie cuddled next to me.

The only thing I could ask myself, "How did I get so lucky..."


Toby's POV

I found myself, as usual at the hospital, where Emiko would treat me for some of the injuries that wouldn't heal properly.

It was a weekly occurrence that never bothered me, as I got to see Emiko continuously.

The first time, I made the excuse that it was an accident while exercising, while the second I made the mistake that I had almost crashed my bike going out for a ride.

But the third time, Emiko had seen right through me. Apparently, she was texting Craig, as she worried for me, and he told her what I had been up to, picking fights with Lakehurst students.

Of course, me not wanting her to get involved denied it, but she knew.

This would be the fourth time I show up, and I sighed, knowing Emiko would probably berate me for this, but she did this last time, and so I would just say yep and I understand, and then repeat.

I wasn't expecting anything different, but of course it's when you don't expect anything does the unexpected happen.

Right now, I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and jeans, alongside my black headband, and the blue wristband Emiko had given me last week.

Truth be told, I had actually forgotten about it all week, until I looked at it earlier today, before picking it up. Maybe Emiko would be easier on me if she saw me wearing this.

So, I made my way to the hospital, not expecting anything else, of course until I saw Emiko.

She gave me a look of acknowledgement, "Hey."

I nodded back, giving her a smile, but she didn't smile back. Confused, I asked, "Is everything okay?"

She shook her head, "No it is not, especially when you keep coming here injured."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm just-"

But Emiko pulled me away from the entrance, to a backroom. "I'm just teaching them a piece of my mind, you always say that, but do you ever think that this is right?!" Emiko asked at last, in surprising ferocity.

I was surprised, even more when I felt a slap across my cheek. It wasn't too hard or soft, but it was there. I simply looked at Emiko in shock, her angry face turning to a concerned look.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you picking fights with them?" She asked.

"Because they deserve it, they murdered my friend, and tried to murder us. They pick fights like cavemen, thinking they're so high and mighty." I mumbled, and Emiko looked on.

"Toby, you do realize the people who did this are in jail?" Emiko asked, and I looked at her.

"Not everyone." I said, and Emiko sighed.

"Because of what happened to your friend you're blaming everyone on the act, did you ever ask them what they thought about it seriously?" Emiko asked, and I laughed.

"Of course not, but they do occasionally make fun of him while taunting us." I said, and Emiko sighed.

"I suppose it's a touchy subject, but that doesn't give you any right to fight them." She spoke.

"Are you saying I'm in the wrong?!" I yelled.

"I THINK YOUR BOTH IN THE WRONG!" She yelled, tears coming out of her eyes. This yell was shocking to me, as Emiko was usually this calm and collected person. She always seemed like she thought before she spoke, but here, she was clearly letting her emotions out.

"What?" I managed to ask, but she continued.

"Disrespecting the dead? Yes, it's horrible, but that doesn't mean they deserve to be beaten to the ground for that. Of course, they deserve some punishment, but beating them to a pulp clearly hasn't gotten them to back down, have they?" She asked, and I sighed, realizing her point.

"But, seeing them disrespect Jt like that, it's so infuriating."

Emiko put a comforting hand on my shoulder, very tender. "I know it is, I'll never understand what you had gone through during your times there, but what I do know is that there are better ways to handle them. Of course, it's easier said than done because I don't really know how your truly feeling, but you have to take control of your emotions sometimes. You've been getting out of hand, it's scaring me."

I growled, as I raised my hands, "So you're telling me to let them prowl on the very school they laid blood on?!" I yelled, bringing down my hands, before my eyes caught the unusual blue wristband on my arm.

Oddly enough, when I looked at it, I felt calmer. Not by much, but enough for me to focus on my breathing.

"It is said the colour blue helps relieve some sort of stress and tension, that's why I got the wristband in blue for you. I was hoping when you would see it you would calm down whenever you got angry. Maybe it being bought from me would also help." She said, eyeing the blue wristband.

She smiled, "I see you wore it today."

Seeing Emiko smile was nice, after what just happened, "Yeah, I thought it'd be a nice gesture, considering I was visiting you."

"Oh right, let's see what needs cleaning." She mentioned, taking me to a small room filled with some bandages and medical equipment.

I took off my shirt, letting her see my torso for any damage. She eyed it slightly before continuing to exam anything abnormal.

"Listen, you have a right to be angry, I understand you may not want them there." She started, "But sometimes you have to learn to cooperate with what you're given. I mean you used to hate Spinner, and now look at you two, actually fighting alongside each other against a common enemy."

I shrugged, "I'm not friend with him."

"Is that so?" She asked, "Sure the ways you two are dealing with this is wrong, but there's no doubt that at least you two are getting along. In my opinion it's better to just move on, than keep hating."

I rolled my eyes before I hissed from an unexpected pain above my ribcage. "Bruised ribcage, very common among altercations." She said nonchalantly.

She then moves onto my fingers, and I felt my face blush slightly, before I hissed in pain after she stretched my left thumb. "Pulled muscle near your trapezium."

I chuckled slightly, as she clearly was holding my hand for a bit too long, which I didn't mind, the warmth was nice.

I then found myself looking at the blue wristband, and suddenly I felt my head lighten, as I lied down, on something very soft.

"Oh!" I heard a voice, and numbly I asked, "Can I rest here?"

"Sure." I heard, as I felt my head light, and my eyes heavy. Not enough to sleep, but to leave myself in a sort of peaceful bliss. The blue wristband right in my face as the only thing my eyes could see.

Suddenly, I felt a massage on my head, with a pair of hands clearly trying to relieve me of any tension and stress I was having. It was very nice, and very comforting, as I felt my hatred, not necessarily go away, but fade a bit.

I smiled at the feeling, before I realized where I was lying down.

"Ah!" I exclaimed, getting up and looking back to where my head was. To my horror, it was in Emiko's lap.

"Sorry! I said, and Emiko chuckled, unexpectedly bringing my head back down before continuing to massage it.

"It's all fine, Toby." Was the last thing I heard before my eyes gave away and I fell in a deep slumber.

When I woke up, I felt my head lightly being rubbed. I looked up to see the face of Emiko, smiling back at me.

"How was your little nap?" She asked.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked looking in her direction, confused.

I got up slowly, facing towards her, realizing we were on the same hospital bed. "Around 30 minutes."

I nodded, "Okay, um, so is everything good with me?" I asked, referring to any injuries I might have..

She shook her head, "Nope, everything is good." She smiled, and I smiled back.

Getting up, I looked towards her, "Anyways, I'm going to head out now."

I began to walk, but a loud "Wait!" stopped me in my tracks, as I felt Emiko hug me when I turned around.

I stayed like this for a while, as I saw my blue wristband again, "Promise me you won't get into any more altercations, please." She begged.

I sighed, "I can't promise, those assholes deserve it." I wasn't as angry, but I still knew they deserved some beatings.

But she tightened her hug, "Please, it hurts me to see you constantly put yourself out there, in fights. I know your angry, but please, there are better ways to vent your frustrations out, okay?"

I sighed, not really know what to say. "Again, what if they taunt me, I can't promise I can hold back."

She then smiled, "Well I guess I can't argue with that, but maybe I can make it up to you for that."

I was confused, "uh, Emiko what do you me-" My question was left unanswered, or answered when I felt a pair of lips smash onto mine.

Tender, soft, smooth, not too big nor small, not too pushy, but not too careful. Not too much saliva, but not too little. With a bit of tongue, it was magical, I felt. This was probably the best kiss I had ever gotten from a girl, much one I liked this much.

Eventually we parted, and I heard Emiko sigh in relief, "I love you, a lot." She said, and my face said it all.

"R-really?" I asked.

She then laughed, "Of course, you're like the only one I've been worrying about all these weeks!"

I laughed slightly at that, but also feeling a bit sad at my actions causing her pain. "I'm sorry."

Emiko then hugged me again, "It's fine, but please, don't get into any more altercations."

I gulped, and when she didn't hear me answer, she tip-toed, her lips close to mine again. My heart began to beat rapidly as I realized she was going for another. But when I leaned in, she kept me just a bit too far away.

"How about we make a deal." Emiko said, her breathe making its way towards me, arousing me sort of, and the somewhat seductive tone Emiko had, wasn't really helping me neither.

I gulped as she continued, "If you come next time, without any injuries or hints that you were fighting, I can give you more of these." She said as her lips again connected to mine, this one much longer than the first.

Once we parted, she finished, "And maybe we can go out somewhere, like a date."

I looked at her a bit hopeful, and she saw that, and giggled, "But you have to not get into any more fights, got it big boy?"

I sighed, "Sure, but don't call me big boy!" I yelled, but she simply laughed in response.

I shook my head, this was interesting, I literally just promised to my new girlfriend that I wouldn't get into any more fights, so we can go out.

I put my hands to my head, this was going to be difficult, how was I going to endure seven hours of those assholes without wanting to beat their asses?

I sighed, regardless, I had to try. Maybe ignoring their bullshit will demotivate them into actually assimilating. I don't know.

Maybe I should talk to Spinner about this.

Of course, when I exited the room, I was met with a face I hadn't expected to see.

"Jay." Was all I said, trying to be respectful, but neutral, considering he was dating Manny. Yes. Manny.

"Toby, I've been hearing a lot about you, recently, fighting those Lakehurst students? Didn't expect that from you. Actually, maybe I did when we tussled back then." He laughed silently, and I sighed, looking down at the blue wristband, Emiko had given me.

Looking back up, I then asked, "What are you doing here? And what's with the flowers?" I did so in a neutral tone, not wanting to pick another fight.

Jay then looked surprised, "Wow, your fellow fighter has cancer and you didn't realize? Wow."

My eyes widened at that, "Cancer?" I asked in disbelief. This has to be a joke; Spinner was too young to be getting that.

"How do I know your not lying?" I asked.

To Jay's credit he spoke, "he's in the hospital right now."

I looked at him, looking for any remnants of maliciousness, but to my surprise I found none. Maybe I'm getting rusty? I don't know.

"How?" Was all I asked, and Jay shrugged.

"His father died of it. So, through family I guess?" Was all Jay said, and again my eyes widened in shock. So, his father was dead? Wow...

I sighed, "I guess I should see him, tell him to stop the fighting."

Jay then sneered at me, "And why should you stop? Spinner is understandable, but you?"

I sighed, "I just got told by my girlfriend to stop. Long story short."

Jay then laughed, "Wow, still dating Kendra?"

"What? No! It's actually someone different." I replied, surprised that Jay and I were actually having a somewhat normal conversation.

"I'm sure, who is this girlfriend of yours Toby?" He asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Her name is Emiko, she actually volunteers at this hospital, I was actually visiting her to patch me up."

Jay then chuckled, but with an impressed face, "Well damn, must be a serious relationship if she's willing to clean up her boyfriend after fighting."

I then chuckled at that statement, because it was rather true. Even though Emiko knew of what I had been doing, she still helped me, and it suddenly made me feel even worse when it came to worrying her.

It actually made me glad, knowing I had someone who cared about me like that.

I then turned to Jay.

"So is Spinner-"

"He's alright, they caught it early, so his five-year survival rate is almost guaranteed."

I nodded, "I see."

I then decided to pick back at what Jay had been teasing me about. "So, you and Manny, huh?"

Jay then turned to me, surprised, "Yeah, thought you knew."

"I did." I said, "Just never mentioned the fact that I did. Was a bit angry, but whatever."

Jay chuckled, "Wouldn't expect less from you Toby."

Another silence took over and I contemplated what was happening. It was weird. I was with a person who had, under the influence , thrown a glass bottle on my forehead, inflicting a scar that lasted a while, until the stabbing that is. It felt off, but not at the same time.

I shrugged, "This is weird." I mentioned. "Having a normal conversation with a guy I punched the last time I saw."

Jay laughed at that, "Hey, sometimes those are just another way for a friendship."

Before he then turned a bit sorrow, which surprised me, as I didn't know he had it in him. "Never really got to tell you sorry, about what happened to Jt."

I gulped; it still was a bit of a touchy subject. Jay, out of all people, was showing a bit of sorrow regarding me losing Jt? Surprising to say the least.

"It wasn't your fault he's dead, so it's fine." I said firmly, before sighing, "And considering we're apologizing, I'm sorry for punching you after that incident with Jt."

Again, Jay laughed, "It's fine, if anything it was surprising, that packed a punch, seriously."

I smirked at that compliment.

"Though I find it interesting, how you and Spinner out of all people actually got along." Jay then mentioned, and I looked to him confused.

"What?" I asked. Before I realized it, because Emiko had told me something similar.

"Oh." I mumbled.

Jay then chuckled, putting a hand on mine, "It's alright, it's fun to see you not just as a nerd, I'll let Spinner know you came to visit him, and wished him a get well soon, okay?" He stated.

I was a bit skeptical, as I thought he would probably find a way to twist those words, however, I realized, both through Emiko and the others that sometimes you got to trust others.

Sure, Jay may be a bad history, but if Manny can see some good in him, then maybe I can do.

So, I smiled, but my gut was telling me to see him myself. "Thank you, but I'd like to see him as well."

Jay then unexpectedly laughed, "Good choice, I would've told him you said some shit like 'recover soon so I can beat these Lakehurst shits' or something."

At that, I laughed at the sheer honestly, he had actually stated, before we walked in Spinner's room together, the sight of the two of us definitely shocking him.

As I watched the two individuals talk, it was weird. The two people I remember despising, blaming for the death of a friend, blaming for shattering a glass bottle at me, and blaming for most of my bullying, are now, in my sights, actually decent beings.

I don't know why, why I was able to tolerate and accept them now out of all these times. Maybe it was something Emiko said? Maybe it was a test for those other students?

Regardless, I knew now, that besides all their faults and wrongdoings, that Spinner and Jay, are actually decent people, who aren't the same as before.

Perhaps some good came out of those Lakehurst students arrival, after all.