Part Ten:
Ashley only lived about three blocks from where Carrie had dropped Craig off. And he figured that if he should tell her about Carrie, the time was now.
He arrived at Ashley's and was about to ring the doorbell when he froze. He remembered Toby yelling, "Ashley, your boyfriend's here!" It was embarressing, but when he looked back on it, it wasn't so bad. He knew that little siblings could be that way, whether they were five or fourteen. I can accept that, he thought.
He almost pressed her finger on the doorbell when another thought came back to him. The girls at the mall. Paige's suggestive comments. But then again...it WAS Paige. I can accept that, too, I guess, he thought. He really cared about Ashley, and if going out with her meant having to deal with the other crap, he knew he could do it.
If she'd take him.
And he rang the doorbell.
To his relief, it was Ashley who answered the door. But she didn't look so happy at the sight of him. "Oh, hi," she said. She sounded almost as cold as Sean had on the phone.
"Hi," he said, suddenly feeling very akward. "Um...can we talk."
"Yeah," she said, stepping outside. "We'll take a walk." Craig, who was feeling tired, had been hoping to sit down. But if she wanted to walk, he would walk.
For the first couple of minutes, they headed down the street. Craig didn't know what to say. But just when he'd thought of something, Ashley spoke: "What's been going on with you?"
She didn't know? "Have you talked to Ellie today?"
"No, what does that have to do with anything?" Ashley demanded. Her eyes widened. "You two haven't-"
"No!" Craig reassured her. He wasn't sure if that was worse then his real news. "No, no!"
"Okay," she said slowly. "Well...have you been seeing anyone? Why haven't you called me?"
"I..." Craig took a deep breath. He almost didn't want to tell her. He wanted to lie again, say he'd been thinking about his parents a lot lately. An orphan's faithful alibi. She'd buy it, he knew she would. But he knew that she deserved the truth. And he was tired of lying, especially to her. "I've been seeing someone."
"I figured," she said calmly. "Is it anyone I know?"
"I don't think so," Craig said. "It's, um, someone older."
"Oh?" In spite of her anger, Ashley actually sounded interested. "A grade eleven? Twelve?"
"No, no," Craig said slowly. "A bit older then that."
Ashley stopped short. "Um, Craig, what's been going on?"
It was time. "You know how I've been taking a photography class this summer?"
"Yeah," Ashley said. "Ellie's in it, too."
"Right," Craig said. "Well...see, there's this new teacher. She was going to teach History at school this year, but she's gone now."
"Why is she gone, Craig?" Ashley's voice was shakey.
"Because...we were seeing each other. And Ellie found out."
"Wait." Ashley looked like she was going into shock. "How old was this lady?"
"I'm not real sure," Craig said slowly. "28, maybe?"
"28?" Ashley's eyes were as wide as Craig had ever seen them. She was going into shock. Oh, God. "What in the hell were you doing with a 28-year-old?" she demanded.
"I don't know," Craig said. "It just...happened."
"Yeah, right." She looked like she was going to cry. Craig hated himself. "Look," she said after a minute of silence, "I asked you at the dance if you were okay, and you said you were. But if you're going around, fucking older women, then..."
"She's the only one!" Craig protested. "And I AM okay, this has nothin to do with my dad dying!"
The silence hung in the air for a minute. Ashley stopped walking and looked at him. "ARE you okay?"
"I told you I was."
"I think you lied to me," Ashley said angrily. She turned around. "Get help, Craig, okay?"
"Ashley!"
"Leave me ALONE, Craig!" she yelled. She turned around. "I can't keep doing this to myself. I can't keep waiting for you to come around. You always do, but...it's agony, you don't get it. I worry and worry about what's going on with you, and you don't even CARE-"
"I DO care, Ash-"
"Whatever," she said, turning on her heel. "Don't call me, don't come over. Goodbye, Craig."
"Ash!" But going after her would do no good. She had meant what she'd said, Craig could see that. There was nothing left for him to do but go home.
He'd really messed up. But he hoped that, maybe, he'd have another chance with her. Someday.
THE END.
**************
I know that a lot of you are going to be pissed off about the ending, but think about it: would YOU take him back? I put myself in Ashley's shoes, and I knew I wouldn't. Thank you, everyone that read this! All of your reviews, critics, praises, ect. were appreciated. I'll try to have another Degrassi story out soon.
Ashley only lived about three blocks from where Carrie had dropped Craig off. And he figured that if he should tell her about Carrie, the time was now.
He arrived at Ashley's and was about to ring the doorbell when he froze. He remembered Toby yelling, "Ashley, your boyfriend's here!" It was embarressing, but when he looked back on it, it wasn't so bad. He knew that little siblings could be that way, whether they were five or fourteen. I can accept that, he thought.
He almost pressed her finger on the doorbell when another thought came back to him. The girls at the mall. Paige's suggestive comments. But then again...it WAS Paige. I can accept that, too, I guess, he thought. He really cared about Ashley, and if going out with her meant having to deal with the other crap, he knew he could do it.
If she'd take him.
And he rang the doorbell.
To his relief, it was Ashley who answered the door. But she didn't look so happy at the sight of him. "Oh, hi," she said. She sounded almost as cold as Sean had on the phone.
"Hi," he said, suddenly feeling very akward. "Um...can we talk."
"Yeah," she said, stepping outside. "We'll take a walk." Craig, who was feeling tired, had been hoping to sit down. But if she wanted to walk, he would walk.
For the first couple of minutes, they headed down the street. Craig didn't know what to say. But just when he'd thought of something, Ashley spoke: "What's been going on with you?"
She didn't know? "Have you talked to Ellie today?"
"No, what does that have to do with anything?" Ashley demanded. Her eyes widened. "You two haven't-"
"No!" Craig reassured her. He wasn't sure if that was worse then his real news. "No, no!"
"Okay," she said slowly. "Well...have you been seeing anyone? Why haven't you called me?"
"I..." Craig took a deep breath. He almost didn't want to tell her. He wanted to lie again, say he'd been thinking about his parents a lot lately. An orphan's faithful alibi. She'd buy it, he knew she would. But he knew that she deserved the truth. And he was tired of lying, especially to her. "I've been seeing someone."
"I figured," she said calmly. "Is it anyone I know?"
"I don't think so," Craig said. "It's, um, someone older."
"Oh?" In spite of her anger, Ashley actually sounded interested. "A grade eleven? Twelve?"
"No, no," Craig said slowly. "A bit older then that."
Ashley stopped short. "Um, Craig, what's been going on?"
It was time. "You know how I've been taking a photography class this summer?"
"Yeah," Ashley said. "Ellie's in it, too."
"Right," Craig said. "Well...see, there's this new teacher. She was going to teach History at school this year, but she's gone now."
"Why is she gone, Craig?" Ashley's voice was shakey.
"Because...we were seeing each other. And Ellie found out."
"Wait." Ashley looked like she was going into shock. "How old was this lady?"
"I'm not real sure," Craig said slowly. "28, maybe?"
"28?" Ashley's eyes were as wide as Craig had ever seen them. She was going into shock. Oh, God. "What in the hell were you doing with a 28-year-old?" she demanded.
"I don't know," Craig said. "It just...happened."
"Yeah, right." She looked like she was going to cry. Craig hated himself. "Look," she said after a minute of silence, "I asked you at the dance if you were okay, and you said you were. But if you're going around, fucking older women, then..."
"She's the only one!" Craig protested. "And I AM okay, this has nothin to do with my dad dying!"
The silence hung in the air for a minute. Ashley stopped walking and looked at him. "ARE you okay?"
"I told you I was."
"I think you lied to me," Ashley said angrily. She turned around. "Get help, Craig, okay?"
"Ashley!"
"Leave me ALONE, Craig!" she yelled. She turned around. "I can't keep doing this to myself. I can't keep waiting for you to come around. You always do, but...it's agony, you don't get it. I worry and worry about what's going on with you, and you don't even CARE-"
"I DO care, Ash-"
"Whatever," she said, turning on her heel. "Don't call me, don't come over. Goodbye, Craig."
"Ash!" But going after her would do no good. She had meant what she'd said, Craig could see that. There was nothing left for him to do but go home.
He'd really messed up. But he hoped that, maybe, he'd have another chance with her. Someday.
THE END.
**************
I know that a lot of you are going to be pissed off about the ending, but think about it: would YOU take him back? I put myself in Ashley's shoes, and I knew I wouldn't. Thank you, everyone that read this! All of your reviews, critics, praises, ect. were appreciated. I'll try to have another Degrassi story out soon.