Many Conversations on the Telephone

"This isn't working." Craig complained.

"Give it a chance. We're still working out the kinks since … your little girlfriend left." Dani convinced him.

"Replace her." Craig demanded angrily. "She's ruining everything and taking too long to learn simple choreography!" He yelled with a deep conviction but the truth was the new girl wasn't holding them up. Craig was.

Manny not being here was more of a distraction than Manny being here.

"Craig, come on." Aaron pleaded, ready to get this rehearsal over with.

"No. This sucks." He muttered, dropping his microphone onto the ground. "I can't do this plastic Ken doll gig. I'm through playing the heartthrob." Craig hurried down the stage stairs with Dani yelling behind him.

"You're under contract … for ten years, we own you."

"I can't do this right now. I have to go back. I have to see her again." He explained. Craig rushed to the hotel to pack and find an emergency flight from L.A. back to Toronto, but before he could begin, Craig's phone started to ring.

"Where did you go? I had to cover for you." Marco tracked down Alex after school.

"I had business to take care of. Look Marco, I can't go to the student government meeting today."

"Why not?"

"Do not make me answer that question." Alex sighed.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Life or death. I need to come up with a couple hundred by the end of this week." She explained. "I hate asking this but … you wouldn't happen to have a wad of cash lying around, would you?"

"My money's tied up in my trust fund and savings bonds. I can try and see what I can get my hands on, but Alex, it would help if I knew the whole story."

"You can't handle it." Alex explicated running over her other options. As of now, the best one was Jay and if that plan failed, she would have to become a stripper like Lindsay Lohan in that really weird movie.

"That makes me even more curious. Will you tell me eventually?" He pried.

"If I make it out of this, sure del Rossi."

"Would you stop sulking about Craig already? It's been--"

"Too long. I'm not sulking, just practicing my sad face. Do you think it's too late to get into drama club?" Manny joked as he waited at her locker.

"Have you tried calling him?" Gianni questioned.

"I don't call guys, they call me." Manny answered smugly as I noticed two dudes staring at her.

"Have you noticed that ever since you did that huge speech, even more guys have been checking you out?"

"Those two are friends of Kiowi, just trying to intimidate me, but I don't give a damn." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, pulling her skirt up a little. "If they're going to talk, I might as well give them something to gossip about."

"Well … they'll have even more to say after we go out on our double date. I found someone for you and we made these really good surprise plans for this weekend."

"This weekend? Don't you know this is weekend is prom weekend. The prom. The biggest event of the year."

"Then why are you just now mentioning it?" Gianni wondered. "I thought chicks lived for this shit."

"Only ones who have their fairy tale endings with their prince. I don't like in Disney Princess land and any guy who would seriously go with me now is either a sleaze or a loser."

"DO you think so lowly of yourself?"

"No. I think lowly of Degrassi boys." Manny closed her locker, walking by a prom sign and tearing it down. "A Walk to Remember." She read. "Garbage, garbage, and more recycled garbage." She complained. "I guess all the girls have to come as cancer patients and the guys as total losers."

"Despite your complaining rant, I know you really want to go which is why I'm taking care of your date … and don't worry prom isn't the big surprise. I've got something bigger planned for you."

"Ooh. Exciting." Manny smiled, hooking her arm in Gianni's pleasantly. "Do I get a clue?"

"Nope."

"Okay, so I won't tell you who your girl is either. Just give me a color so you can match."

Tuesday night and Alex was racking her brain. Actually, she had snuck into her mom's hospital room with the plan to stay there tonight. Being near Dante again made her want to puke. And besides, she had to figure a way out of this.

Luckily, Marco hadn't busted her chops for skipping out on Student Government when the big A Walk to Remember prom knight was here, but she would have to go back and help them out eventually. And this Friday was the due date and the prom day.

Alex had been dialing Jay's number non-stop, despite having to swallow her pride, but her didn't pick up. All she had done was listened to close to two hundred rings and waste valuable money taking a cab over to his house only to find out that no one was there and it was completely empty.

She could always ask Emma where he was, but how would that look?

There just had to be another way to get 700, the money back… now she was wishing that she hadn't snuck all that weed to Gianni and Scott. To be honest, they were the ones who had contributed to this dilemma now. So, they should have to pay at least half.

Alex started to dial Gianni's number first and then decided not to. It was late, sure … nearly 2am and she didn't want to just show up at his house, but then again she didn't even know where Gianni lived.

But she knew where Scott lived … and Alex also knew that money wasn't a thing in his world. But she hadn't talked to him and he wouldn't … but she had to try.

"Okay … give me a hint." Manny begged. "Please, tell me who is it … someone new, someone old?" Manny asked, unable to focus on the open baseball field in front of him.

"He's old, real old … like fifty." Gianni muttered sarcastically as Manny's pitch barely went three feet. "Hey, can you concentrate."

"You're the only Canadian I know that's this serious about baseball!" She yelled from the center of the field.

"Damn right. I plan on getting out of here as soon as I can!" He yelled back hitting the pitch perfectly.

"Look … if this ball goes over the fence, that's it. I'm tired of running after these." Manny complained, making another successful pitch.

"You're getting better!"

"Thanks! Hey … Can we have a time out?" She ran closer to Gianni, tucking the mitt under her arm.

"I'm not telling who it is." He responded, taking a sip of his bottled water that was sitting in the batting mound.

"Well, I'm not telling you who yours is either."

"So." Gianni shrugged, throwing the rest of his water, at Manny.

"Hey! White t-shirt.'"

"Oh, I didn't even notice that. Didn't you always want to be in Playboy? I can help you get started with that." He joked.

"No way. I think Kiowi did that job better than anyone else." Manny pouted as Gianni gave her a side hug.

"He'll get his."

"Yeah …" She mumbled, hiding her own water bottle and then waiting for the perfect time for payback which resulted in 20 ounces of ice-cold water on the top of Gianni's head.

"So, what if I say no?" Scott asked feeling awkward in this school closet with Alex.

"Then everyone finds out about your mother and I tell Ms. H everything and that you started the fight by hitting me first. What do you think will happen then?" Alex began. "Make this deal and I will keep my mouth shut." She promised, her eyes piercing his.

"No going back on your word?"

"You do this and that's it."

"How much do you owe?" Scott wondered.

"This week seven hundred, in total … I don't know." Alex replied truthfully as Scott started to ponder this. It sounded like a huge plot or scam. He didn't know Alex that well, but the alternative was worse.

Dad knowing that he and Elaine were returning to their old ways… or a possible return to the Horizon camp for drug addicts and other delinquent kids.

"There's one more condition."

"Name it. Anything but kissing and sex in any form or nudity … I'll do anything but those things." Alex proclaimed her legs swinging back and forth on one of the shelves that she was sitting on.

"Prom."

"Dream on." Alex slid off the shelf and started to leave.

"I'm serious. Take it or leave it."

"Already left.'" Alex answered hastily. She knew what prom meant and she was utterly opposed to it … well, at least she was now. Prom night was when she was conceived, when her parents had 'done it' at their big formal.

What a disaster that had been. Alex would just have to swallow her pride and beg Dante for another chance to "dance."

"How do I look?" Manny asked Emma who was equally as dolled up.

"Like a Filipino Princess. Manny this dress is so--"

"Over done. My mom went wacko on me and completely designed this uber-big wedding dress. That guy is going to take on look at me and back away—no, run away.

"So over-dramatic. Your dress is this super bold red and so much more stunning than the year before.'"

"It's a coral Cinderella dress."

"That makes you look better than any Disney Princess." Emma noted, grabbing Manny's hands and twirling her around. "How do I look?"

"Fab in yellow."

"Too bad Jay is going to miss it and leave me to go to prom with Toby. I guess it could be worse." She stated.

"Jay … you were supposed to break it off with him."

"Oops. I guess I was." Emma shrugged. "Maybe he beat me to it."

"Okay, now I totally feel selfish about everything." Manny began. "Why don't you and Toby do the limo thing--"

"Are you sure?"

"Totally. It makes since. Me and you, like it should be."

"I am so psyched to see who it is." Manny gave Gianni a hug gratefully. "Thanks for not getting me a loser." She smiled although the mystery guy had yet to be revealed.

"If we guess, will you tell us?" Emma asked as Gianni shook his head firmly.

"Why don't you all stop asking him? It's starting to get on my nerves." Toby interjected.

"Fine, but we're getting your date first." Manny promised as the limo stopped suddenly. The tinted windows prevented anyone from seeing who it was until the door opened and revealed Ellie Nash.

"Did hell just freeze over?" Gianni whispered to Manny who tried to hold in a smile.

"No. I'm just that good."

"Well, wait until you see your date."

Alex felt like she had never felt before, beautiful. She had gone back to Scott with the deal which he accepted and now here they were, at the steps of Degrassi, seconds from seeing everyone's reaction.

The guy had even offered to buy her a dress, which Alex agreed to only because the one she had was being saved for a very special person and occasion, Jay. Him ditching her didn't make any sense and even though Alex was more than caught up with her homework … she was actually doing well in school, she would have traded it all in to be bantering with Jay.

Scott reached for her arm, clumsily knocking her corsage as Alex pretended not to notice. Tonight, she was going to try and not talk to Scott and let the night pass by. She'd play it cool.

The plan was going accordingly until Alex saw Ellie Nash walk in with Gianni. It completely blew away her ideas on being calm. Now, the only thing she felt like doing was giving him a piece of her mind.

"Out of all the people in the world, I never thought I'd see you again." Manny commented, tears in her eyes.

"I know you don't want me to be here, but my mind was just racing and racing when I went back to the group. I realized how stupid it was."

"What?"

"Work. And all the pictures and videos--"

"You mean video. I knew it would leak." Manny looked down sadly. "I really wish that you hadn't watched it."

"I could tell you were uncomfortable and that you didn't want to do it, so why did you?"

"I felt like I owed Kiowi whatever he wanted so that he would forgive me for you." She shrugged. "But you see that was a mistake. I was ashamed for not being pure enough for him and for not wanting to be with him."

"And me?"

"Craig … you're this huge ball of confusion and past." Manny began. "I don't want it to be like it was. I want to fix myself first. I told you that."

"I'm a little broken myself." He admitted. "I never got over you Manny Santos. And when you got that abortion--"

"Craig, please."

"I have to … I felt like part of me died. It did. And I just wanted to be there with you and for you, but it was too hard." Craig exclaimed. "What I've had with Ashley and every girl after you just doesn't compare."

"Do girls like study up on how to say the right things and make promises that they can't keep? You're making this so hard." Manny sighed.

"Then give me a chance. We can start slow."

"How slow?"

"Super slow."

"Okay." Manny agreed. "Let's start by dancing at my prom and then we'll move up to friends and when I finally get it together, will you be there?"

"I will."

"Move on quick?" Alex accused Gianni angrily. If it was anyone but Ellie, she wouldn't care but Alex hated Ellie deeply.

"It's prom. Manny set me up."

"Sure did." Ellie chimed in.

"Can we have a second?" Alex looked at both Scott and Ellie.

"No way." Ellie smirked. "This is way too much fun."

"How do I say this nicely?" Alex pondered, slapping her hands together and pressing them to her nose. "Either move or I'll kick your scrawny self-mutilating ass."

"Like to see you try pot head." Ellie challenged.

"Ellie, let me talk to her." Gianni jumped in, taking Alex's hand. "Want to dance?"

"Not in this lifetime." She muttered, but followed him anyway. "It's a real slap in the face to be here with Nash."

"Why are you acting like such a girl?"

"Because I am one." Alex whispered. "And … this is stupid." Her mind started going back to Jay. "I shouldn't be here with Scott."

"And I shouldn't be here with Ellie."

"Jay should be here." Alex explained, making it clear that she didn't have feelings for Gianni this way. "I'm not interested in you."

"I get it, but why continue to sleep with me?"

"Why … I guess I wanted to piss Jay off and it just felt right."

"What are you feeling now?"

"Honestly Gianni? I think it's supposed to be like this. How it is. For some reason, Jay's not here, but you are and … this is so weird." She laughed. "We're having this 'deep' conversation on the dance floor and beating around the bush."

"What is it that you want to say?"

"For one, I shouldn't be here. But besides that, I'm totally stuck on Jay, you and Manny have got this chemistry thing going on and our dates… are two seconds from hooking up." Alex chuckled. "Look at them." Gianni turned around to see Ellie and Scott hand in hand.

"Maybe you're right about some things, but I am not stuck on Manny." He answered.

"You are, but you don't realize it yet." Alex retorted. "I was just like that too. When someone comes and tries to take her away, you'll be so angry and you don't know why and then you'll start to drift apart but she'll always be in your thoughts."

"I don't know what to say to that." Gianni whispered.

"I have to find him." Alex breathed to herself, ceasing to dance. "And tell him." He looked at Gianni. "Thank you … for this…"

Alex searched for Jay everyday, but it was a lost cause. He had disappeared from her life, but surprisingly her life was of a mess than when he first left. Her mom was doing better, Dante was paid off, Ellie was out of her life for good, and Alex was making her goals a reality.

She had applied for five different schools and had already been accepted to three of them. It was almost easy to forget about Jay in the mix of all the good things that were happening to her. Thinking about "the plan" brought that reality back into her mind.

The plan was for the two of them to make it out of Toronto and go to college together… now, here Alex was packing up boxes of her old hand-me-downs and used goods in hopes of starting a new pathway at Madonna University.

Graduation proved to be Jayless as was every other day of her life for the past four and a half months. There was only thing left to do. Get over him, like Marco said.

"You're having a Jay moment again aren't you?" Marco wondered, sitting on one of her suitcases and trying to zip it close. "This here … is not working."

"I don't want to show up with a million boxes and plastic bags. What kind of impression will that make?"

"You care about your reputation?" Marco laughed. "Wow Alex, you've really changed. You're becoming a … normal Canadian girl."

"I am just trying to stay out of the trailer park for the remainder of my life. Government assisted housing, dealing illegal substances, etc, etc … I want out." Alex sighed. "You suck as a Jay substitute."

"Ditto. You're nothing like Ellie." Marco answered back.

"Was that an insult or…"

"Actually you guys are a lot alike which makes this whole feud ridiculous. You're fighting over a guy that neither of you has feelings for."

"But I'm dating him." She laughed. "Ridiculous or what?"

"Fate. You and Gianni work. Jay bailed. Forget him. Your first is hard to get over, but I've been Dylan-free for … two weeks now." Marco declared proudly.

"Mr. Almighty two-weeks sober tell me that it gets easier that I'll stop having these dreams about him and that I'll stop calling and texting, and being a pathetic needy female."

"You will. But be prepared. When you've got everything balanced and working out, that's when he'll come back."

Alex nodded. It happened to Jisela, her mom, plenty of times. The difference was that Jay wasn't poison. He could see through her bull shit, all of it.

"Mr. Almighty, I think I need more of your guidance. Do you feel like dropping me off at Madonna University?"

"That's if Mr. Magiano doesn't mind."

"Bring Ellie if you want." Alex shrugged. "And Scott. Whatever will make you feel comfortable … thanks Marco."

"For?"

"Rocking my life back on track."

"It was all you the entire time."

(A/N: I am completely trying to finish this story in one more chapter!! Hopefully, by the first week of August you should see my Degrassi fic come to an end. Make sure to review. --NL)