Right, so I actually really love Manny, so I feel like it's only fair to give the girl some closure. This is still a Crellie story though, obviously. And I KNOW this should have been posted yesterday, but it's still Sunday on the west coast, so... Sorry! Enjoy!
12 August 2011
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world… and they actually walked into hers.
Well, not hers, as she didn't own it, but she frequented it enough to call it a second home and, well, you get the point.
Los Angeles may be a large city, but the only thing that surprised her was that she had managed to go years without bumping into him. It came as no shock to her, even after all that's happened, that they were here together. It was inevitable, like bad morning breath or, well, running into an ex in a big city, for instance.
No, it didn't shock her at all, even though it probably should have. After all, there was a reason for all of the catty remarks and petty little threats shared between the two girls back in high school. Oh, the silly things boys led otherwise perfectly reasonable teenage girls to do.
An image of Ellie popped into her head – delicate curls framing her face, makeup soft and subtle. So different from the darkdarkdark image that normally came to mind when she thought of the pint-sized former punk/goth hybrid. "He really messed with us," softer Ellie says, flashing an awkward half-smile at the brunette before dispersing into the crowd.
If it were anyone else, truthfully, Manny would be judging her right now. But she knew Craig, and she sort of knew Ellie, and more than this, and much to her chagrin, she knew them. It was as stupid to think that the same rules applied to them as it was to assume you could somehow get between them. She certainly hadn't been able to, L.A. girls obviously haven't been much successful, and even goddamn Ashley Kerwin, the great star-crossed love of his life, hadn't been able to sway him too far off track when she unexpectedly decided to up and join him on tour that one time.
Although she had moved on, she decided it would be best to avoid them. She stayed at her end of the bar and turned her attention back to her friends. Portia, a pretty brunette who reminded her so much of a taller, less religious Darcy Edwards, continued to rant about her newest boyfriend's commitment issues, an arguably more polite Peter Stone.
You can move to a completely different world and still find things that remind you of home.
Or actual traces of home. Her eyes shifted back to Craig and Ellie, who were seated in a booth at the other side of the crowded room, both of them picking at the plate of cheese fries set between them on the table. Ellie crinkled her nose as she laughed at something he said, presumably.
Her mind began to drift off in wonder if they were actually a thing or still doing that awkward "just friends" dance that never really fooled anyone. She also couldn't help but wonder if they'd slept together or not. She tried to read into their body language, but couldn't make much of it, other than that they looked pretty comfortable together.
Manny's attention dropped downward to where their feet were touching underneath the table.
She expected herself, again, to feel bothered, but she didn't seem to mind that the boy she loved throughout most of high school was playing footsies with the girl she had once been so threatened by.
She took one final glance at the pair and smiled, returning her attention back to her own life for good.
In a strange, somewhat detached way, she felt happy for them. But mostly, she just felt happy. For herself. About herself. She hadn't thought about Craig in a long time, but the Manny he knew wouldn't have reacted the way this Manny had.
The Manny Craig knew wouldn't have been okay.