Chapter Three: I Wanted to Tell You that My Heart's in Your Hand

"Sean!" Kendra ran up to him in the parking lot, interrupting the catching up he and Ellie had started to do.

"Koki. I'm in the middle of something." Sean whispered as Kendra tried not to feel the weird vibes that were definitely circulating.

"Look, I know how important this is to you, but … I really need you to do something for me." Kendra took Sean aside as Ellie stood back, watching closely.

"Can't it wait? Ellie and I have plans." Sean responded.

"Just go out with her tonight. It'll be more romantic and … I can't do this without you. I mean if Spinner knew about this, he'd totally freak--"

"Is it illegal?" Sean lowered his voice as Kendra shook her head.

"No, but I need you to help me pass off as a guy."

"So your sister is totally going to stop that whole grunge phase she's going through, I'm here and when she comes in, she'll be a completely different person." Manny blurted out, unable to control her anxiousness. She opened her purse and started to search for her lip gloss.

"What? You're turning Kendra into your next experiment?"

"No. She's going to look like and smell like a girl for once. What's so wrong with that?" She wondered. "You love it on me." Manny paused to kiss Spin for a second, biting his lower lip a little.

"Yeah, but I don't want my sister to … I don't want the guys to think that she's…"

"So it's okay for me to dress and act this way, but it's not good enough for your own sister? What are you trying to say about me Spin? Don't beat around the bush with it." Manny demanded, giving up the search for her lip gloss. Spinner would probably kiss it off anyway.

"You know I'm not downing you, but I know what guys at Degrassi are like and I don't want her to get hurt." Spinner pleaded, wrapping his arms around Manny's waist. "You know you mean a lot to me." He kissed the side of her face as she reluctantly began to smile again. He always knew just what to say, which made him the complete opposite of Craig who always said, and did, the wrong thing.

"Thanks." Kendra whispered as she and Sean walked out into the field. She knew that he wasn't really into football, but Kendra needed someone to go out there with her … actually, she just wanted to spend time with her best friend, like they used to do.

"Spin will kill me if he finds out about this." Sean responded.

"But he'll never know. I'm just as good, if not better, than all these guys out there. The real reason why they have that rule is because they're afraid that some girl will come in and show all of them out." Kendra replied, sizing up her competition. Most of the guys that were trying out were semi-gorgeous, but she didn't notice. The one who she really wanted to be with was walking directly beside her.

"So what's the plan now?" Sean wondered after practice was over.

"What do you mean?" Kendra asked, completely out of it. Practice had gone great, she would definitely make the team, and Sean was spending time with her, not Emma or Ellie.

"The showers??"

"I'll just take one with you." She smiled as Sean gave her an odd look. "It's just a joke. I'll wait until everyone's out and you can be my body guard? How does that sound?" Kendra continued grinning at Sean, unaware that the time for her to make a move was running out.

"Don't take forever. I'll be waiting outside." Sean shook his head, trying to erase the thought of him and Kendra in a shower together. It was weird because she was still a child … right?

"Greenpeace." Jay greeted Emma who had just wrapped up an event with the young environmentalists club. It was her attempt at normalcy and overcoming the shooting and then her embarrassing acts at the ravine.

She waved back at Jay without looking at him. The idea of Sean being here kind of changed things, sort of. He was possibly the only one at Degrassi who didn't know that she wasn't quite so pure anymore, and that Jay had been the one to sully her reputation.

"You're acting cold today." Jay noted as Emma pressed her lips together, trying to think of what to say.

"Sean's back."

"Uh-oh. I know that look. You're ready to ditch me for him aren't you? Just so you know … I won't make you choose and I'm good at keeping secrets." He responded, sliding closer to Emma and wrapping his arms around her from the back. "I don't mind sharing." Jay repeated, kissing the side of her face.

"Well, you should." She pushed him off. "You should be doing everything you can to make me want to be with you and not with Sean."

"I haven't left you. Is that reason enough?"

"No." Emma answered, but kissed him anyway. It was an empty kiss, given by a girl who was still terribly lost and looking for answers in the strangest places. "We only have a few minutes before I have to go." She stated as Jay kissed her back in between gasps.

"I'll be quick."

Sean stood waiting for Kendra to hurry outside of the boys' locker room. He had received a couple of text messages from Ellie and was in the middle of replying when loud footsteps started to approach him.

"You locking up the school tonight?" Emma joked, hoping that he couldn't see that she was hiding something. She was.

"No. Just waiting on someone."

"Do you want company?" Emma started to sit down beside him, letting her blonde hair spill over and make contact with his skin.

"Sure, I guess…" Sean's voice trailed off once he saw Jay. "Hogart!" He motioned to his friend, excitedly as Emma stood up as well. Not now. She couldn't pretend like nothing was going on between them after what they just did.

The memory was still in her mind. Emma could still feel his lips on her—

"What's up man?" They slapped hands or backs … whatever guys do and Emma looked down, trying to think of something far, far away. They started talking and Jay kept giving her these looks like he was … undressing her with his eyes.

Emma blushed and after he made a couple of gestures she decided to dismiss herself. "Looks like you two need time to catch up." She started. "See you later Sean." Emma gave him a warm hug as Kendra busted out of the locker room saying, "Ready."

"Whoa … is something going on in there that I don't know about?" Jay wondered.

"Sean…" She whispered, feeling uncomfortable.

"Ummm… No … nothing's going on… the showers in the … girls' locker room were all taken so I asked Sean here to … make sure there were no more guys in there…" She shot back, but not without many pauses.

"Hmm … interesting." He answered as Kendra gave Emma a death stare.

"Okay. I'm leaving." Emma announced.

"Me too. See you later Cameron." The two walked off in opposite directions as Kendra tied her wet black hair into a tight ponytail.

"Good looking out." She bumped him playfully as they walked towards his car.

"Sorry Koki. I got bored." He answered, hanging his right arm over her shoulder as they engaged in a conversation. When he started to tighten his grip, Kendra answered, "Don't even try it."

"Fine." Sean sighed, leaving his arm there as Kendra's lightly placed her left arm around his waist. It was … nice and comfortable and totally … Oh yeah.

Spinner was less than happy about Manny's sudden interest in his kid sister. That's what she was and would always be to him, a child but for now … something much bigger was plaguing him.

And his guilt was completely surrounded by the fact that Jimmy Brooks was back. So far, Spinner had gone out of his way to make amends with him, even convincing Coach Armstrong to re-name the MVP basketball trophy as the 'Jimmy Brooks Trophy.'

But knowing that he was half the reason Jimmy was in a wheel chair now, it was eating at him. Eating, eating, eating. Soon, if he didn't say anything, he'd explode.

(A/N: Review. Luv. –NL)