A few notes from the author

- Ok, when I got a review from Flame31telling me not to drift off into the Mary Sue realm, I had no clue whatsoever as to what they meant by "Mary Sue"(I was seriously sitting here like,"WTF...?...there's nobody in my story named Mary Sue...") But I googled it,and now know what it means. And yes, I realize that I have been making Taren seem perfect. But do not worry, she's not.She's far from it,and I intend to bring out her flaws in this episode,as a matter of fact.

- Thank you to everyone who did review. I really appreciate it.

-I love the show Degrassi, but I rarely get to watch it.So if anything is out of character, then please let me know. I want my characters to keep their regular personalities.

-If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'll really appreciate it. Thanx!

-ALL FLASHBACKS ARE SEEN THROUGH HER EYES,AS IF SHE'S LIVING THROUGH IT AGAIN.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show of Degrassi.

Oh,and one final thing:This story takes place directly after West End Girls.(the episode where Manny and Paige go into full on battle,and Paige breaks her leg, and rips Manny's dress at the prom and it falls off,and all the other terrible things.)And just so you know,for my story, JT and Liberty had been dating, but broke it off in the tenth grade. JT,Emma,Manny,Taren,etc. are in 11th grade now. I hope nobody's confused.

OK...now that all of that is out of the way...LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Emma sighed as she stared out the classroom window. It was strange. Here she was, falling for a total stranger. There was something about it. Maybe it was his name: Jack. Such a sexy name. Maybe it was how cute he was. Or how he had saved her. Or maybe it was because he wore a black leather jacket. It gave him a good look.It was ery sexy. She sighed. She knew she should probably stay away. Her last boyfriend, Sean, had always worn a black leather jacket.And look where it got her. She knew she should just forget about Jack. But there was something about the bad boys...

ooooooooo

Taren sat impatiently on a bench in the mall. Paige had told her to meet her there. An hour ago. The sound of a loud laugh turned her head.Indeed,there was the blonde, walking through the doors. She saw Taren,smiled, and walked up to her. A girl with brown skind a little darker than Taren's stood next to her. She wore her dark hair in a ponytail. She smiled.

"Hey, you're here." Paige said casually, as if she hadn't realized she was an hour late. Taren forced a smile.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Well, this is Hazel. Hazel, Taren."

Hazel smiled warmly. At least she seemed genuine enough to care.

"How long have you been here.?" she asked. Taren sighed,"An hour."

Hazel winced. "Sorry. Paige here is always late. For everything. She was late for her own party once." Taren had to laugh.Paige smirked," Yeah, well I was high, ok?"

Taren blinked. She hadn't expected that one. Paige noticed the look of worry and shrugged."Don't worry,I'm not a druggie. It's an every-so-often kind of thing."

If I had a penny for everytime I heard that" she laughed. Hazel raised an eyebrow curiously.Taren's laugh had been on of bitterness,not pain.Paige hadn't noticed.She flipped her hair.

"I mean it. The last time I used the stuff was two weeks ago."she giggled.

Taren sighed."Paige, trust me.Don't use it.Somebody could get hurt." Her tone was slightly angry.Paige and Hazel stopped and stared at her.

Taren didn't notice.She kept on walking,not even aware of her surroundings anymore...

Taren left the house in which a wild all night party had been in process.She climbed into her car,and fastened her seatbelt. Her best friend,Amber, sat next to her. They both laughed hysterically before Amber passed out in her seat. Taren laughed harder as a light headed feeling entered her body.She blacked out,but instantly woke up again.She sat there laughing for five more minutes. Amber woke up.

"Are you ready?" Taren asked, giggling. She started the car, and pulled out of the parking lot. Amber squealed in delight.

"YEAH!" she yelled. They pulled out of the driveway, and started down the street...

"TAREN, LOOK OUT!"

Taren snapped out of it just in time to feel herself collide with a huge pile of books. She gasped and screamed as they all came tumbling down on her. The security guard came running,along with the owners of the display.Hazel and Paige followed suit. They arrived just in time to see Taren being helped out of the monstrous pile of books.

"You're lucky you weren't hurt."the security guard was saying.

"Oh my gosh, are you alright?" Paige asked. Taren simply nodded. Hazel said nothing, but studied Taren intently.Her eyes were blank. She looked exhausted. Paige went on."Didn't you see that giant pile of books?How did you manage to walk into it?" she ran a hand through her blonde hair.

"I don't know." she said.A strange expression crossed her face, but disappeared instantly.Hazel thought she hadn't actually seen it,but she knew she had.She shivered. The looked that had crossed Taren's face was a dark one. Her eyes had turned dark and blank.Her face, emotionless, almost...dead...

Hazel shook the thought,and finally spoke."Are you ok? You look kind of sad."

Taren sat there blankly for a slight moment, the brightened. Her eyes were twinkling once again, and a smile was on her face."Hey, I'm fine. Don't worry, it was just one of my 'moments' " she laughed. Paige sighed in relief.

Hazel smiled, but still studied Taren.Something was wrong. She knew it.

The security guard helped Taren to her feet.How did this happen? she thought.

"Thanks she said."

"Now, are you sure you're alright?" the security guard asked.

"Yes,I'm alright,sir."Taren spoke. Satisfied that nobody was hurt, the security guard left to walk to the food court.

She started to walk away with Paige and Hazel.

"Not so fast!" a voice said.

The three turned around to see a very upset looking woman. She was clearly the owner of the book display. "Now, I put hard work and many hours into that display.And it's very unfortunate that you collided with it.I'm glad you're ok, but somebody has to put this display back up.Who do you think that should be?"

"I don't know...maybe and emloyee?" Taren said, slightly annoyed.

Hazel looked worried.Taren was irritable now.And judging from how she responded to the saleswomen compared to her usaual merriment, they'd all be in trouble in a metter of minutes.But then, Taren had almost been hurt, so maybe they'd all be off the hook.

"I was thinking more along the lines of you." the woman spoke in the same tone.

"But I almost got hurt because of your display!"

"Your carelessness is of no concern of mine." she said.She picked up five of the 100 books.

Taren smirked.Paige and Hazel quickly realized what was going to happen.The woman had just set herself up.

"So I see you're picking up the books after all." Paige grinned. They all turned and ran as fast as they could.

"Hey! Come back here! Security!" she cried.

Hazel laughed."What's security going to do? They can't nab us for refusing to pick up books." Paige and Taren simply laughed as they reached the exit. They stopped running and walked across the parking lot.

"I can't believe we left without entering one store." Paige laughed.

"Yes, thanks to me,"Taren grinned.

"Ms. Stuntwoman."Hazel giggled. Hazeland Paige climbed into a blue car.Taren stopped. She stared at the car.

"Are you coming?" Hazel asked,still grinning.Taren shook her head."No,it's ok.I walked."

Paige cut in,"Well, I can give you a lift--"

"NO!" Paige and Hazel looked taken aback by her response.She cleared her throat,"Uh..no,it's ok. I-I need the excercise." chuckled. Hazel stared at Taren again.Something wasn't right. The thought was now occuring in Paige's mind too. She nodded slowly,staring at Taren.Her eyes were narrowed only slightly as she nodded. She finally stopped nodding and spoke."Ok...suit yourself." She put on a cheery face again."Hey, see you at school tommorow." Taren smiled again."Ok."

"See ya,"Hazel said softly.

Taren waved as they pulled out of the parking space, and drove away. She turned and headed for the sidewalk. She sighed as she walked, sinking slowly back into thoughts.

Taren drove the car along the road, and turned into the park. A scenic route would be nice.And at the other side of the park, there was bridge that you could drive across or stand on to stare at the waterfall. She drove, swerving slightly though the park. She was glad that nobody was around to see. The park never had many people in it on Mondays. They giggled hysterically. Amber banged her hand on the dashboard, then brought it up to her face.

"Hey, look!" she said,"I broke a nail!" There was a moment of quiet,then Taren snorted and started laughing.Amber was on the verge of not breathing from laughing so hard. Taren blacked out and her head fell onto the steering whell,the horn letting out a long single blare. Tires screeched. . .

Taren snapped out of it, realizing the tire screeches weren't a dream,but real. She was in the middle of the street. She gasped and leaped back onto the sidewalk.The man in the car started yelling at her as it started up again and continued down the road. She stared after it, dazed. She sighed and shook her head, then continued home. Once on the other side of the street, and safely away from the road, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. The phone rang.It rang five times before she heard a voice.

"Hey, you've reached JT. I'm not here,but...please...leave a message. I will be greatly touched."he spoke with mock sappiness.Taren smiled as the recording continued."Anyway, when it beeps, you know what to do." BEEP.

Taren sighed."JT? It's me.Taren. I need to talk to you. Please call me back,ASAP. I need help."she sighed,mentally deciding if she should say what she wanted to say next or not.She ran a hand through her hair, and said it."Something is happening..something bad."