A/N: So here's my new Degrassi story! Elijah has captured my soul, and Clare is so sweet, so in the spirit of the new season and all the redundant "what-I-think-is-going-to-happen-in-the-new-episodes" stories, I give you an AU! Now, I know this whole, Eli being a rockstar thing has been done before, but not like this. Adam and Drew are not in a band with famous Eli, Clare has never met him before, that type of thing. Let me know what you think!
She sighed once again as she typed faster on her laptop, she bit on her bottom lip as she continued to write the article that she had been working on for the past two weeks, it was almost finished and she was hoping to get it to her adviser before the day ended. She looked over quickly at the clock in her cubicle, it was almost five, if she hurried she could place it on his desk before he left and then she would have the weekend free.
She typed the last sentence, saved the file on her computer, and pressed print with a smug smile on her face. Her phone started to buzz in her pocket as she took the papers from the printer, practically jogging down the hall to her Editor, "Alli, whats up?"
"Why do you sound totally out of breath right now?" She gasped, "Oh, am I interrupting something?"
She rolled her eyes as she dodged the mail cart and various reporters, "Because I'm trying to get my piece in before the end of the day, that way I can actually relax this weekend instead of doing more work. Not because of the imaginary 'sexy-time' your deluded brain decided to concoct."
She heard Alli chuckle, "Wow, Clare Edwards actually wanting to relax instead of do work? What is the world coming to? And I resent that statement."
"Is there a reason you called Alli? Or was it just to fill your 'mock Clare' quota for the day?"
She could literally feel Alli's infamous eye roll at her statement, but then again, Alli should be use to her incessant sarcasm by now.
"Actually, I was wondering if you would help me move some of my stuff into Drew's new appartment."
She was nearing her boss's office and just wanted to get Alli off the phone so she could go home and take a bath, she realized after she had agreed to help her move that it probably wasn't the greatest idea she had ever had. She had basically just signed her weekend away, agreeing to help Alli with one thing and then end up doing eight other, irrelevant, things. Thinking about it, there was more questions than answers in her request, like why Drew couldn't help her move her bullshit, or why she was even moving into his apartment at all seeing as how she was still in college and was paying to dorm...
"Yeah Alli, of course I will. I gotta go though, I'll call you later."
She hung up the phone and knocked on the door, waiting for the gruff 'come in' of her boss. She knocked again and heard him wrap up a conversation, it sounded important, with his voice all reassuring and calm, it intrigued the hell out of her.
"Yes, yes, I promise you that I'll be sending my best...She's highly qualifyed...Trust me, shes the last person thats going to get on anyone's nerves...No...I said no...Fine, fine, we'll discuss it more when she arrives...Yes, good hearing from you as well...Good bye."
She knocked once more, hearing him hang up his phone, he called for her to enter, his eyes lighting up as he saw who it was entering his office.
"Ah, Edwards, just the person I wanted to speak to."
"Oh, really Sir?"
She sat down in front of his desk, with her interest piqued, she placed her printed article on her lap, and waited for him to continue. He looked down and noticed the paper in her hands, an excited expression coming to his face, he reached his hand out for it.
"You finished it! Great, just what I was looking forward to reading over this weekend." He took it from her hands, speed reading some of it over. "This looks good Edwards, I'll look it over, but I think it'll definitely be ready for Monday."
She smiled bright, "Thats great sure, I hope its what you were looking for. So, what is it that you needed to speak to me about?"
He looked up from her paper and smiled as he placed it on his desk, his folded hands on top of that. "Well, as you know, you're the youngest journalist I've ever hired, and probably one of the most gifted." She nodded, wanting him to continue or get to the point, because she really just wanted to get home and relax. "I know that this isn't your dream job, I remember you telling me when you applied for the position that you wanted to be a novelist, but I strongly feel that journalism becomes you. You have a way with people my dear."
"Thank you Sir."
He smirked at her, and she suddenly wasn't sure if she was going to like what he was about to tell her. She mentally groaned, he was probably going to send her on yet another political, or environmentally, boring job that she was suppose to work wonders on and make it an interesting piece. Great.
"Which is why I'm promoting you."
Her eyes widened and she stared at him blankly for a moment, the information processing slowly through her brain. Well, that certainly wasn't something she had been expecting.
"What? Are you serious?"
Mr. Gallagher chuckled, nodding his head, "Very. Clare, you're a great writer, you're smart, charming, and like I said before, you're astounding with people."
She jumped up, smiling so wide that her cheeks hurt, it was in this moment Mr. Gallagher realized just how young Clare Edwards was, and just how soulful her writing tended to be because of it. She certainly was gifted, sometimes he wondered if she had lived ten lives instead of the short one she was currently in now, and he was so glad that he had scooped her up before some other magazine had.
"Thank you Sir! Thank you so much! I - I don't even know what to say!"
"Its fine Edwards, but you can start by saying goodbye."
She quirked her brow at him in confusion, "Goodbye?"
He nodded, "Yup, because you start your first your first new promotion piece on Sunday."
Her face fell sightly, "Sunday, Sir? Where am I going exactly?" She had traveled around the country for an article before, it was Viva! Vee! Magazine after all, one of the world's largest and most renowned magazines ever. But she had really been hoping to do nothing this weekend, and now she had to go...somewhere, for her knew promotion piece. Stellar. She had gone from her cubicle in Toronto, to hopping around on her weekend off to go do some big story for Viva! Vee!...she really wasn't looking forward to this.
"To the States. Texas, specificly. You're going to be joining Elijah and his band mid-tour."
"Wait, Elijah, as in the Elijah, as in Elijah and the Valor's?" He nodded at her, a smug expression on his aging face. "But, he never does interviews, like ever. Like, never ever, and for no one."
"That's right, but this is Viva! Vee!, he made an exception, and to get the real story behind all of his smoke and mirrors, I knew that I needed to send the best. The best is you Clare. Congratulations."
She bit at her bottom lip, it was a nervous habit she had picked up years ago and had stuck. He wanted her to fly out to the states, accompany the Elijah, pretentious, stuck up, famously bad, Elijah and his band mid-world tour, and interview him. It was alot to take in, especially since no more than ten minutes ago she had agreed to help Alli move in with her boyfriend and planned on spending her weekend free of work and watching movies while she vegged out.
"Sir...are you sure about this? I mean, you have a building full of accomplished writers that have been here much...longer than I have - "
He cut her off before she could continue, "Edwards, I told you, you're the best I have. Especially when it comes to people, you just have this charm about you, it gets people to spill their secrets, they actually want to talk to you. That's a trait that writers, reporters, journalists can only dream of acquiring. Not many have it, and you do. So you're taking the job. I know I'm springing this on you, but I just got off the phone with Elijah's manager and confirmed it. You leave on Sunday for Dallas, Texas, and you'll be accompanying them on the rest of their tour."
"For the rest of their tour? Sir, that could be months!"
"That's the point Edwards, this isn't just some article that's going to be posted in the magazine somewhere. You're going to be doing the full cover story, and a online blog complete with video diary. This is huge Edwards, he's never done an interview before, so its got to be grand. I want no other interview he might do to top ours, that's why we're pulling out all the stops on this one." He noticed her expression and sighed, "I know its alot to take in kiddo, but you're meant for big things and I think this will be the start of it."
"I know Sir, I'm just a little...blindsided. I know this is an amazing opportunity and I thank you so much for giving it to me."
He nodded and stood from his desk and handed her a folder full of information, before shooing her out of his office and home to start packing. She went back to her desk and grabbed her purse and laptop, she paused and looked around it, seeing if there was anything she would need before she left.
She was a little, numb, she wasn't sure what to feel about this exactly. She was nervous, so insanely nervous, Elijah had a reputation for being, well for lack of a better word, a total asshole. She was putting not only the magazine's creditability on the line, but hers as well.
What if she screw up? Like, insulted him or something, and he kicked her off the tour bus?
She bit her lip, the probability of that actually happening was slim to none, but she was still incredibly nervous. She was also excited if she was being completely honest with herself, she had never really been outside of Canada, so to see America and different, exotic, countries excited her.
Her life up until this point had been typical, that was the word she used most often when describing herself or the events that taken place. She was a good girl, graduated high school top of her class with honors, made it through her parents messy divorce with pride, maintained her vow of faith, even though she could admit it wasn't as strong as it used to be, graduated college a year early, got a job at one of the world's largest magazines, and was still best friend with the same girl since they were eleven. All in all, her life wasn't amazing, she wasn't the type of person who took big risks and lived dangerously. She owned a two bedroom, lived alone, had lunch with Alli every Thursday, called her Mom at least once a week to check up on her, and kept working on the same book she had started years ago.
She wasn't interesting, she didn't have dark secrets or a fancy fashion sense, hadn't travelled or really even lived. She drank too much tea and loved to read, she had two cartalige peircings, she never had sex and only had one past relationship in her whole life.
She was just Clare, plain, boring, Clare Edwards.
But she could write, and that's what was about to make her life very interesting. So, as nervous and intimidated as she was, she was excited, she was ready. This was a new chapter in her life, one that would be filled with sarcasm and insanely attractive men, distant cities, and long nights. She was ready.
She walked into her appartment, looking around at her home for the past few years, she wondered if she would come to miss it in the months that she would be away. She threw herself down on the couch, placing one of the cushions over her face and breathed in deeply. Her life was about to get turned upside down in a matter of days, and all she really wanted to do was sleep.
She lifted the pillow from her head and picked up her over sized bag off the floor, she took out the folder Mr. Gallagher had given her with all the information she would need. There was a plane ticket with flight times, the name of who would be picking her up and accompanying her to the hotel/area that he would be at, a list of what she would need, to whom she would need to address, and of course a list of mandatory questions she was to ask Elijah. Apparently she could ask him anything she wanted, getting a straight answer out of him was going to be the hard part.
Her phone started to ring while she was reading a list of requirements and on-bus etiquette, "Clare Edwards."
"You never called me back!"
She sighed, "Sorry Alli, I just got some...interesting news."
"Oh really now, spill."
"Well, I got a promotion."
She had to pull the phone away from her ear at Alli's excited scream, "Clare-bear! That's awesome! Congratulations! We so have to go out and celebrate!"
"Yeah, sure Alli. That parts great and all, but the other part...not so much."
"Thanks for being vague Clare, wanna expand on that?"
"Well...with my promotion comes new jobs, and I start my first new job on Sunday."
"Jeez, Sunday? Why so soon?"
She got up from her couch, knowing that Alli was going to start screaming when she told her the news, she put the phone on speaker and walked into her kitchen for a drink. The distance, in all honestly, was really for the sake of her ear drums, which Allie had a tendency to break when she got over excited.
"Because Elijah and the Valor's are going to be in Dallas, Texas for a few days and that gives me enough time to pack and make arrangements before I have to live with them for the next few months."
She wasn't sure if it was the casual way in which she said it, or the way it felt to say it, but she had almost convinced herself, and she hoped Alli, that she was comfortable doing this. And totally not nervous at all.
"WHAT?"
"You heard me Alli - "
The line went dead before she could continue, she knew it would only be about fifteen minutes before Alli strutted through her door, demanding details and begging to come along. Elijah was hot stuff, any girl would be literally dying to be in her place, yet she was shockingly caviler about the whole thing.
She decided that it would be easier to just wait for her, so she took out her lap top and pulled up her music as she sat back down to continue to look over the folder Mr. Gallagher had given her. She was to catch her air plane on Sunday at nine in the morning at Toronto International, it was a short flight, about four hours or so, and she would be landing at Forthwoth airport in Dallas.
She knew someone would be picking her up, that she would most likely be brought to the hotel first and then to the arena. Where she would meet Elijah. Where she would have to meet Elijah, attempt to be charismatic, and charming, and sophisticated, and smart, and hope that this whole thing wasn't a giant mistake.
She bit her lip ans furrowed her brow, she hoped to God that he wasn't as big of a douche bag that people said he was. She wasn't soft by any means, she had worked with environmental protesters, gotten stories from animal rights activists, she was a tough cookie, but there was just something about this boy that made her...nervous.
She pulled up a new tab on her Internet and googled him, yes, she just googled him. It might've seemed a little petty and well, weird for lack of a better word, but she just needed to re-confirm what she was getting herself into, or more of a who actually. It was the perfectly kempt, dark hair, the deep green of those slightly narrowed eyes, those perfect lips pulled into that signature smirk.
...This might be harder than she had previously expected.
"You need to tell me everything right now!"
The door to her apartment slammed open and quickly closed, the pixie-like girl stormed in and threw herself down on the sofa next to Clare. Her eyes were wide, she was bouncing and excited, it was very reminiscent of early Degrassi Alli, but it was slowly becoming the norm yet again now that she and Drew were going strong.
"Okay, so it started with the promotion..."
Alli listened with rapt attention while Clare told her everything that had transpired from earlier in the day, even showed her the folder that her boss had given her as 'proof'. Alli hadn't believed her at first, she had thought that Clare was just trying to freak her out, but with the obvious papers and the look of sincerity on Clare's face, Alli started to focus more on the fact that her best friend would be in the presence of the Elijah and the Valor's for an intense amount of time.
"Well...aren't you going to say anything?"
Alli shook her head and shrugged her thin shoulders, "For once Clare, you have rendered me speechless."
Clare chuckled and rose her brow, "Huh, I never thought this day would come...should I be proud or worried?"
Alli tapped her finger to her chin in a mock deep thought, "A little bit of both I suppose." she let a chuckle escape her lips before looking over at her best friend. "So, how do you feel about all this?"
How did she feel exactly?
"Well, I'm excited, this is an insane opportunity. Nervous I suppose, really nervous..."
"I'm just going to say that A) if you don't want to go I'll happily take your place, and B) you better call me everyday and send me pictures of all the amazing places that I'll never go to and tell me all about Eli - "
"Whoa, whoa, Alli slow down." She chuckled out
Alli took a breath, calming herself, and attempting to keep the bubble of excitement inside and most of it out of her voice. "Okay. Let's go get some celebratory dinner and then I can fill you in on everything Elijah, as well as the Valor's, who all have real names."
Clare laughed at Alli's enthusiasm, standing and grabbing their bags they made their way out of her apartment, closing the door behind them, although Alli's loud voice still echoed through out it.
"Yeah, bye Alli!"
Dinner with her best friend had been...for lack of a better word, interesting, as it always was. She had learned everything and more about the celebrities that she was going to be following around for the next while, things that she hadn't even thought to look up, but things that she would inevitably learn during the trip.
Alli's rant about the stars, which was basically just like pulling up a Wikipedia page on them, had given her so many questions that she wanted to ask. She had quickly pulled out a notebook from her oversized bag and began to write down tid bits of information that Alli was spewing. The questions came easily, the more she found about them, the more she wanted to know.
She closed her door and walked further into her apartment, she walked down the little hallway to her bedroom and laid herself down. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, she knew that she would miss the smell of her bed, honeysuckle, it was the same fabric spray her Mother used to use when she was a little girl. It reminded her of home, always had. Even when no place and no one had really felt like home, her bed and that smell had. It comforted her, reminded her of better days.
She rolled over and pulled her cell phone from her large purse, she looked at the text message from her Mother, again. So proud of you darling! Call me when your plane lands on Sunday xoxo Mom. She had called both of her parents to let them know the big news, they were happy for her, proud of her, all the parent-ly things they were of her. But she got the distinct feeling that they didn't care all that much, ever since their divorce they had developed into completely different people, and while she was glad that they had moved past the hatred and petty vindictive stage, she missed how they used to be.
Sighing, she threw her phone somewhere beside her on the bed. She kicked off her shoes, shimmied out of her skinnies, and tucked herself under the comforter. The days events had definately taken a toll on her already tired mind and body, and she never did get to take that soothing bath of hers.
She supposed that she would just have to take relaxing soak tomorrow after she packed practically every article of clothing that she owned, which included her whole closet and a dresser or two. It would be like an reward, one that she had thoroughly earned.
She snuggled deeper into her bed, pulling the blanket up higher around her shoulders, effectively cocooning her. She tried to clear her mind, tried not to let the anxiety and excitement of her up coming situation keep her from sleep. The last thought she had before drifting off was of piercing green eyes and an intense smirk, exciting far off places, and of course honeysuckle.
So? I would love to know what you think, review!