WAHOO! New story... maybe I should update my other ones... hmm... ANYWAY! I just got into Degrassi and I'm hooked... so this is my story Degrassi/Palex story. I'm only going to make two chapters and the second should be up in a day or so as well as updates to my other stories... SO ENJOY! And one more thing, I don't own Degrassi!

Tough Love

Chapter 1: Yeah, Life Sucks

Alex starred blankly at the computer screen. Words from the night previous rang through her ears.

'I didn't want it to happen… it just did and I'm sorry if that hurts you!' Alex closed her eyes and let a shaking breath out. Her fists clinched as they hung loosely under her chair.

'I will always care for you, but I don't think I can keep this up. I just don't think that this is me anymore!' Blood began to trickle down her hand as the memories continued to plague her mind.

'We can still be friends, right?' No… Alex had, had enough of this.

"Mr. Simpson, can I go to the bathroom?" He nodded. Things became a blur for Alex as she got up out of her seat and almost ran to the girls' room down the hallway. She burst through the door and rushed into one of the stalls where she proceeded to empty her stomach of its contents. Just as she stopped, she felt herself want to do it all over again as the image of her pain walked into the bathroom.

"Alex? Are you in here? Mr. Simpson sent me in to see if you were okay. You stormed out of class like there was something wrong. Alex?" Paige's concerned voice echoed into Alex' stall and did nothing to dull the pain.

"Do you want to know the truth? I'm not okay and I'm not going to be for a long time. I opened up to you because I thought you'd be there for me. Then Matt came back… I'm just fucking peachy!" Moments passed and no one spoke a word. The silence finally got to Alex as she resumed throwing up.

"Please don't do this to yourself, Alex." Paige's weak voice barely reached Alex's ears as she wiped her mouth and straightened herself out. Alex opened the door to stare into Paige's puffy red eyes.
"I don't need this shit right now. I don't need any of it." And with that, Alex took off. She ran down the halls of Degrassi and burst through the front doors and let her legs take her in any direction available. She ran harder and faster than ever before in her life, even though she knew she wasn't followed. She ran until she realized she was lost in the sea of trees surrounding her. The sun was barely visible setting in the horizon behind the trees. Alex staggered before collapsing onto the ground and falling into a deep sleep. What had she done to deserve this fate?

Alex's Dream/Flashback

"YOU STUPID BITCH!" Something smashed in the background as Chad's foot connected with my stomach. I could taste the fresh blood in my mouth.

"CHAD! STOP!" My mother yelled. I could smell the alcohol coming from both her and Chad as he drove his foot into my ribcage. I barely managed to stand up.

"WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE GOING?" He tossed beer bottles at me as I dashed for the front door. The cool night air hit me like a ton of bricks, but I ran. I ran to the only place that I was ever welcomed. She answered the door.

"Alex? What the hell happened? Oh my god, come in. Come in!" She helped me up the stairs and into her bedroom where she fixed me up.

"Was it Chad again? Oh Alex… why do you keep going back there? You know you can stay here with me, out of harm's way." She continued to babble on about how fucked up my life is and how she wanted to be there for me. She was my angel.

"Paige…" She looked up at me. Tears filled her eyes as she pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Paige… I love you." I could feel the hot liquid fill my own eyes as the doorbell rang.

"I'll be right back." She got up and went downstairs. I listened as she opened the door and heard her talked to an unfamiliar male voice. Minutes later, Paige returned upstairs with a man I had never seen before.

"Hey Alex, this is Matt. Matt this is my girl-… my friend Alex." He nodded to me and rapped his arms around Paige. Paige couldn't look me in the eye. So this was Matt, the guy who dumped her and gave her weed.

"Excuse me, Matt. I have to talk to Paige for a second." I pulled Paige into her room and closed the door.

"I'm sorry Alex. I still have feelings for Matt. I can't tell him. I… I want to be with him again. I didn't want it to happen… it just did and I'm sorry if it that hurts you!" I could feel the blood boil in my veins.

"So you're dumping me to go out with this guy who dumped you, gave you weed, and it ended with you being stoned and losing your chance to go to Bantings? And people that I made bad choices when it came to men!" Paige glared at me.

"I only got stoned because it was the only way to get you to go to a college. Sorry if caring about your life is wrong. Listen, I will always care for you, but I don't think I can keep this up. I just don't think that this is me anymore." My temper flew out of my control and I slapped her.

"You don't think going out with another girl is you. I cared about you and I trusted you with everything I knew. I'm sorry if I make mistakes sometimes or that my mom is dating an asshole, but I kinda that you were better than that." She starred at me, pain so clear and visible in her green eyes.

"I'm sorry that your life sucks. I can still be there for you, as a friend. We can still be friends, right?" I pulled on my boots as I listened to this bullshit. Then I stood up to face her.

"Maybe, but right now, I don't think I can even be in the same room as you. You make me sick." And I left. I left and spent the night on a bench near the school. And the whole time all I could think about was, 'How could Paige have done that to me?' The real question I should have been asking was, 'Why did I do and say those things to her?' I was no better than I thought Paige to be.

End of Alex's Dream/Flashback

Rain poured down onto Alex's face. She awoke soaked to the bone and the chill of her clothes made her shiver. She stood up and noticed a box nearby where she had passed out. Upon farther inspection, she realized that the box was a crate full of whiskey bottles. Well, it was better then doing nothing. Hours later, Alex was once again passed out under the trees, the rain had stopped and the box was empty. Whiskey bottles lay everywhere. This is how Jay found her.

"Lexy? Lexy? What the hell are you doing?" Jay ran to her side and slapped her face a few times earning a groan from Alex. Jay picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. When Alex awoke again, Jay was hunched over her, watching her.

"Jay? Where the fuck am I?" She noticed the windows and the leather of the back of Jay's car. Jay himself was pulling his shirt off.

"What the hell are you doing?" He pulled off him sneakers and began taking off his belt. Then it dawned upon Alex what was happening.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME! GET THE FUCK AWAY!" She continued to scream and thrash around, but Jay held her down.

"Think I'm going to be rejected by I stupid fucking dyke. Think again, Alex." He forced his lips onto hers as he held her down. She continued to thrash and get Jay off, but he was stronger than she was. It seemed like hours before it was over and Alex couldn't have been more ashamed. She lay naked in the back seat of Jay's car, haven given up long ago. He pulled his pants back on and redid his belt. Alex just starred at the ceiling.

"Don't you feel whole again? Your back to being my Lexy again." Alex turned to stare Jay in the face and spat at him.

"Go to hell Jay. YOU JUST FUCKING RAPED ME! GET THE FUCK AWAY!" Alex grabbed her shirt and threw it on and pulled up her pants. She kicked Jay in the balls and ran out of his car. Knowing where she was now, she ran home. As soon as she opened the door, a beer bottle smacked her in the head. She fell to the ground and saw her mother surrounded by beer bottles asleep on the couch.

"WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?" Boomed Chad's very drunken and pissed off voice. Alex got back up and turned to leave, but was stopped by another beer bottle smashing into her head.

"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO RUN FROM ME AGAIN! YOU'RE IN A HELL OF A LOTTA TROUBLE YOU LITTLE BITCH!" And so the beatings began. Chad kicked her and punched her for what seemed like hours! Until her savior arrived. A knock came to the front door.

"Hello? Is Alex there?" The angelic voice of Paige barely reached her ears as Alex jumped up and ran out the door into Paige.

"Help!" Came Alex's weak voice. Chad came up to the door and glared at them.

"Alex is in trouble and has to come back in now. You can see her tomorrow." He grabbed Alex's collar and began to drag her back inside when…

"No, I think Alex is going to stay at my house for the night, unless you want the police to find out that you've been abusing her." Chad stopped in his tracks. He turned and glared daggers at Paige.

"Fine, the stupid slut can stay at your fucking house." He threw Alex out and slammed the door. Alex clung to Paige and refused to let go until Paige helped Alex into her van.

"I'm not gonna say anything until we get you to my house, okay hun?" Alex nodded and they set off towards Paige's house.

To Be Continued...

Well... what did you think? Reviews make me work a whole lot faster! Flames are good to... I just want your opinions! Chapter two is coming up soon!