Manny Santos - Season 5

Season 5

Manny is now a junior in high school, and drama is following her now more than ever. She is pursuing a new goal of becoming an actress, battling bad decisions, and exploring old relationships as she appears to have restored her friendship with Emma. She considered plastic surgery and went so far as to make a deposit on her credit card, when her parents found out. Her controlling, abrasive, and verbally abusive father scolded her for being a "loose girl" and a "slut." She stormed out of the house in tears and ran off to a party that the new boy Peter Stone (who Emma liked) invited her to. After a couple of blonde girls made fun of her body, she retreated to the bar, where she proceeded to get drunk on vodka. She took Peter into the bathroom and talked with him, though Peter hoped they would make out. Drunk, she exposed herself topless to Peter and he recorded it on his camera phone. After Manny sobered up, she asked Peter to delete the video but he refused, unless she went out with him. Manny tried to steal Peter's phone but she was caught by Peter. He proceeded to blackmail her into buying a new camcorder. In an attempt to switch tactics, Manny agreed to go out with him in exchange for the video but Peter turned her down and sent the video to the entire school. As a result, Manny was kicked off the squad, Emma became angry with her, and her parents kicked her out of the house. She later moved in with Emma. However, Peter got in trouble with the school officials and his mother, who was also the school principal, for distributing pornography on school grounds.

Through all of her trouble, Manny and Craig seemed to be getting close after he protected her from Peter and sympathized for her current situation. Craig later invited her to a wedding gig his band had, leading Ellie to become jealous of the two and almost got into a fight with Manny. The next day, after some confusion over feelings for Ellie, it seemed Craig still had some feelings for Manny; the two shared a romantic kiss when he visited her at Emma's house where Manny was staying for the time being and proceeded to get back together. Later in the season Craig catches the attention of a music executive while performing in a music competition which leads him to Vancouver to record a demo, leaving Manny behind.

Manny also managed to snag a major part in a Kevin Smith film, even getting picked up by an agent, Bernice Vine,who had made her consider plastic surgery. With Emma's life going downhill, they both stopped eating (Emma for control, and Manny to lose weight for her auditions). Manny and Emma's diets work great but Emma took it far more seriously than she did, even trying to force Manny to throw up even though Manny has already reached her target weight. Manny realizes that Emma might have an eating disorder and she and Peter (Emma's no longer secret boyfriend) tell Emma's parents which causes Emma becomes furious with her. Emma tries to make Manny leave but in doing so, has a panic attack and falls to the floor. Manny visits Emma, who has been diagnosed with anorexia, in the hospital and tearfully tells her she needs to stop or she's gonna die. Emma agrees to get help.

In the season finale, Darcy Edwards, Spinner's new girlfriend, is jealous of Manny and Spinner's past relationship because she believes that they still like each other (which they don't). The two get into a fight where Darcy calls Manny a slut.