The ride to the closest Wal-Mart had been the most deafening silence of Craig Manning's life. He could feel the thick tension between him and Ellie. He could sense the anger and frustration fuming off of her, and quite possibly her strong urge to smack him across the face, even while he was driving. It scared the crap out of him. Not the potential threat on his life, but the thought that he had once again made Ellie this angry. He swore to himself a long time ago he'd never, ever hurt her…but here he was. History repeating itself.

But then again…why was she so upset?

This was supposed to be a friend date. They weren't together-together…they were supposed to be friends at the party, buddies even. Sure, it was kinda messed up to ditch her and make out with some random chick…but why did Ellie seem so riled up? What was the big deal if she did see him with her; she'd made it clear she moved on…at least, that's what Craig thought.

The Wal-Mart parking lot was nowhere near full. Maybe 5 cars minimum had littered the lot. Craig pulled to a stop in parking space, struggling a bit with parking gear and the brakes. They'd been acting weird for the past two weeks; he kept saying he'd get them fixed but never got around to it. Ellie wasn't hesitant to get out the car; she nearly slammed the passenger seat door shut. Craig sighed…he knew the rest of the ride back wouldn't be much more pleasant if he didn't at least try to talk to her. Maybe a good ole' slap was all she needed to get out of her system in order to feel better.

Craig got out the car and followed her lead into the store. She glanced back at him questionably.

"I'm only getting milk." She said.

"Yeah, but I have to pee…and I wanna-"

"Please, don't say talk to me. Like I said, I'm fine…"

"Really?" Craig asked rhetorically. He knew the answer, it was all in her body language. The two had just passed the automatic doors, leading into the store.

Neither one of them had any inkling that Craig's Porsche was easing back on its own out of the parking space; steering further and further away out of the Wal-mart lot.

Craig probably should've gotten those brakes checked the minute they started acting up.

…

"Yes, really I'm fine…contrary to popular belief, I'm not a bitter person. I can move on and forget the past just as well as the next gal." Ellie said, all on the defensive.

"Elle, I never said you were-"

"Of course you didn't! It's all implied right?" Ellie frowned a bit at Craig as they stopped in the lobby of the store. Craig was still confused by everything she'd said.

"I don't understand where this is coming from…" was all Craig could muster up. Ellie sighed miserably, almost as if she wanted to tell him, but thought to herself screw it on immediate impact.

"Umm, excuse me," came a woman leaving the nearest cash register. "We're about to close in 10 minutes, there's a snow storm headed our way. If you could make your purchase quick?"

"Yeah, we will." Ellie said. The woman walked off. Ellie turned her attention back to Craig. "Look, go take your piss…I'll get the milk and we can get out of here as soon as possible! Kay?"

Without a response, Ellie walked off. Craig was simply speechless. He walked in another direction, hoping to the find the bathroom quick…the sudden confusion actually did make him have to pee.

…

Ellie walked along the aisles searching for the dairy lane, she knew it was at least at the end of the store…that's how most of these stores worked, right? However, it wasn't on the left end, the end she had become accustomed to where the dairy products were located in the Wal-Marts back home. She turned around and made her way for the opposite end. Freakin' stores, what's the point in having a chain business if they're not all remodeled the same? Ellie thought to herself as she angrily marched in the other direction.

The place seemed nearly deserted, Ellie hadn't even passed a customer. She figured the cars outside belonged to the employees, so it'd probably be a matter of time before they left. She had to get the milk fast, the idea of being stuck in the house without it drove her crazy…well Paige would drive her crazy. She would of course constantly remind her that it was her fault that she didn't get the milk, therefore she wouldn't be able to drink her coffee "just right." Ellie rolled her eyes at the thought.

Ellie somehow came into the entertainment section. Her shoulders sunk with distaste. This place is stupid! She thought, frustrated with her navigation skills in the unfamiliar Wal-Mart. She started to leave the area, but something on a DVD display shelf caught her eye. She walked towards it, almost taken aback. It was a DVD entitled "The Last Rock Hard Days of Nirvana." Ellie found herself picking up the DVD and eyeing it closely. She'd recognize the cover anywhere, black and white…Kurt Cobain singing into a mic on stage, his guitar lassoed around his shoulder, the other members jamming behind him, the title across the top. Holding the movie in her hands brought back so many memories.

She and Craig would watch it almost every Saturday the summer before senior year, every other Saturday once school started up again, once every month after he'd gotten back with Manny. They only rented it, Craig never bothered to buy it. He claimed that if he had it at his disposal on a regular basis, he may never watch anything else. Ellie thought to get it for him for his birthday, but the fiasco with Ashley kind of motivated her more to throw him a party instead.

As she held it in her hands, Ellie seemed to have felt everything come back to her. Craig picking up his guitar and attempting to mimic Cobain's style, she showed off what little drum skills she had and did her best imitation of Dave Grohl, the band's drummer spotlighted in the documentary. They'd rock on, sounding terrible throughout the night and ruining Smells Like Teen Spirit repeatedly, but they didn't care. They were with each other…and they were having fun. That was all that mattered.

Ellie shook off the memories and found herself setting the DVD back down. She took a breather.

"Milk…that's what you came here for, Nash." She walked on in pursuit of the diary aisle once more.

…

Craig looked at his reflection in the mirror after dowsing his face with water. He studied himself, all the things that had changed about him in the last year. Not just the outgrown curls or the facial hair he sported, but the things that had happened to him, the choices he'd made that brought him to this point in his life. High School drop-out, up and coming musician, druggie, reformed addict, and now a new releasing rock artists. Some of the guys Craig met in rehab thought his life was something to behold, the perfect start to a successful and media-filled career. Some even spoke of doing the drug thing as soon as they were released from rehab, claiming that repeated stints would garner in a bigger fan base and thus jetting them to the top once the media received word of their struggle. They invited him to join in, even offered him a celebratory line of coke once he got out. Of course, Craig had refused, but something about that very moment triggered him to revisit a time in his life when cocaine wasn't even a temptation, when things were just simpler.

Sometimes Craig wondered if he should've just stayed at Degrassi, graduated with the gang, go to U of T, manage some type of relationship with Manny in hopes that his feelings for Ellie would die down. Live somewhat of a regular life…but no, Craig Manning just had to be famous. He had to do that first line at that club, he had to come back and screw things up with the people he cared about, the people he loved. And just when he thought things were getting better, he screwed up again.

I just can't get it right, he thought to himself. Craig took a paper towel from the dispenser and wiped his face, brushing some of the drenched curls away from his forehead. He left the bathroom, still unsettled with himself.

He walked out only to be greeted by Ellie holding a carton of milk and scurrying towards the girl's bathroom's across from him.

"Uh…what's up?" He asked. Ellie tried to push open the door, it didn't budge. She stomped a foot down, and banged a fist on the unmoving door.

"Now, I have to pee! Occupying the refreshments table at a party really isn't the best thing to do." She grumbled as she slammed another fist on the door, a little too hard this time. She pulled back with an "ouch."

"Well here, use the guy's bathroom." Craig stepped aside holding the door open for her. She looked at him as if he were crazy, but she didn't bother to protest. She headed towards the bathroom, handing Craig the carton of milk.

"Please keep watch!" she called as she disappeared into a stall.

"Uh…sure!" Craig called letting the door close. "Though I doubt anyone is even in here to watch out for…" he mumbled to himself.

Craig waited.

…

Ellie came out of the bathroom, nearly hitting Craig with the door about 2 minutes later. She didn't bother to say excuse me.

"Uh…you okay?" Craig asked noticing some heatedness in her demeanor.

"I had to pee, I wasn't in labor." Ellie retorted. "But I wanna get out of here before-"

The lights of the store went out, only a dim yellow glow ignited the place. Ellie and Craig looked up, that's when they realized…the place was closed.

"Oh no." Ellie said, she started pass Craig and headed to the front of the store. Craig followed.

…

"No, no, no!" Ellie came to the automatic doors, they wouldn't open. She pulled and pulled at them, they didn't budge in the slightest. In the distance she saw the last employee heading to her car, the parking lot was deserted. Ellie began hitting on the glass, trying to get her attention. Nothing. "Help! Come get us! We're stuck in here!" The employee was too far away.

Craig came along, a lot calmer compared to the panicked state Ellie was in.

"We're not stuck." He insisted. "My car is still in the lot, if she sees that then-" Craig looked out to the lot, his car wasn't in sight.

"Craig, where's your car?" Ellie frowned, looking out onto the parking lot as well.

"Um…" Craig was speechless.

The employee had just driven out the parking space, when the snow began to fall.

Craig and Ellie were stuck.

REVIEW! TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!