Roses are red
And they smell sweet
Meet me at five
To grab a bite to eat
The Dot?
Paige found this poem along with a rose taped to her locker door. Alex came up behind her and read it over.
"Cute. Are you going to go?" She asked.
"Ha-ha. It must be from that weird guy, Brennis. He's always staring at me and following me around." Just as she said this Brennis came walking down the hallway. He wasn't entirely bad looking. Sure he did wear huge coke bottle glasses and his longish hair could definitely use a washing. And maybe it did look like he got his wardrobe from his grandfather or possible his great-grandfather but if he tried he may have actually been presentable, possibly even cute.
But Brennis didn't try. The only thing he tried to do was win Paige's affections. Even if Paige hadn't happily been going steady with Alex for seven months Brennis still didn't have a chance. As he passed them his eyes briefly passed over Alex and then locked on Paige until he was out of sight.
"Creepy. Maybe I should teach him a lesson about what happens when he stares at my girlfriend." Alex suggested.
"No although that is sweet. He's harmless. I mean look at him, hun. He's like a hundred pounds soaking wet. Besides you need to focus your attention somewhere else." Paige said with a smirk.
"You mean on our big Valentine's Day plans? They're all set."
"Then why won't you tell me what we're doing?" Paige said pouting.
"Because it's a surprise. Just remember to pack an overnight bag. My mom and Chad are in Ajax visiting some family this weekend. I got to go. See you at lunch."
Alex gave Paige a peck on the lips and walked down the hall. On her way to class Paige wondered what Alex had planned.
Paige arrived at media immersion class just as the bell was ringing.
"Ms. Michaelchuck, so nice of you to join us."
"My pleasure, Mr. Simpson."
She took her usually seat between Marco and Hazel. As Mr. Simpson started talking Paige sent Marco and Hazel an instant message. 'Do either one of you know what Alex has planned for Valentine's Day?'
'As if she would tell me.' Hazel answered.
'I''m not saying a word.' Marco answered.
Paige looked at him. He had a smirk on his face. She had found her weak link. After class the three friends walked towards the cafeteria.
"Please, Marco. You have to tell me."
"No, I promised Alex I wouldn't. The only reason she told me her plan was to make sure you would like it and believe me sweetie you're going to love it."
"Oh Marco you can't say something like that and then expect me to wait patiently. You just made me want to know that much more."
"Sorry." He said.
They sat at their usual table along with Jimmy and Alex.
"No lunch, Alex?" Hazel asked.
"Uh no. I don't have any money."
Paige pushed her plate towards Alex and they shared the mystery meal the lunch ladies had served that day.
"Check out your stalker, Paige." Jimmy said and nodded at Brennis who was sitting at a table by himself two table behind theirs. He had a sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other. He seemed to be making notes in a notebook while staring at Paige.
"You sure I can't beat him up?" Alex asked.
"No he just has a little crush. No big deal." Paige said trying to sound lighthearted but because of a freshman year experience with a basketball player named Dean she was kind of scared. She knew how dangerous and violent a boy could become if he didn't get what he wanted. Paige knew that Alex knew she was lying. Alex's dark eyes were looking in Paige's blue ones and Alex could see how vulnerable her girlfriend was. This was part of the reason Paige and Alex were so good together. No matter how different they were they had at least one huge thing in common. They couldn't hide from each other. Both of them acted tough around everyone else. Paige had the persona of the queen bitch who ruled the school. She was in control and people bowed before her because she had the power. Alex wouldn't think twice about kicking someone's ass if they made her angry which meant she had a different kind of power. People were intimidated by them. They gave a new definition to the term power couple.
It was different when they were alone together. Paige didn't have to be the ruler. She didn't have to be in control or paste a big fake smile on her face so no one could see her weaknesses. She didn't have to wear makeup to look perfect because Alex always thought she looked perfect. She could be herself completely. It was the same for Alex. Alex didn't have to act tough and like she didn't care about anything. She could be weak and vulnerable and know that Paige loved her and she was safe. She could open up to Paige like she never had to anyone before. This was why their relationship was so strong. The students at Degrassi knew that Paige and Alex were a force to be reckoned with but a lot of them didn't understand exactly why they were so good together and that was the reason.
After lunch Alex walked Paige to her locker to get her books for the next class. Another poem was taped to her locker along with another rose.
She has no money
Nothing she could possibly give
I have it all
Come be with me, honey
"That's even cuter than the last one." Alex said sarcastically as she crumpled up the poem and threw it in the trash with the rose.
"Don't let it bother you. You have a lot to give. You've already given me more than anyone." Paige said as she grabbed Alex's hands.
"It's not that that bothers me. It's him creeping all over you."
"I'm sure he'll get over it. You should be focused on our Valentine's Day plans. Marco talked it up like it was the second coming or something."
"Yeah he would."
"What time should I come over tonight?"
"Like six. Mom and Chad will be gone by then."
"Okay. I just have to go home and pack some stuff then I'll be over."
After school Paige had spirit squad practice and Alex went to the gym like she often did to watch as she did homework-only because Paige insisted she had to do homework so she could get into a good university. While she was there she saw Brennis sitting on the bleachers away from everyone else. He was staring at Paige and had a notebook out which he occasionally wrote something in. Alex decided she had had enough of this. He couldn't continue to follow Paige around and watch her every move. She walked over to him, grabbed the notebook, and threw it on the floor.
"Listen, loser, Paige isn't interested in you and nothing you can do will ever make her want you. You're creepy and obsessive so stop leaving stupid poems on her locker. Stop following her around. Stop looking at her. If it has anything to do with her stop doing it or you'll have me to deal with. Do you understand me?" As soon as Alex had started speaking all other activity in the gym stopped and everyone watched the scene including the spirit squad. When she finished she waited for Brennis to respond. After a few minutes of looking down avoiding Alex's eyes, Brennis got up and went to pick up his notebook. Before he could Alex grabbed him by his shirt.
"Hey, are you deaf or dumb? Answer me. You either leave her alone or I'll beat the stalker out of you. Do you get it?" Alex was right in Brennis face now. All he did was nod his head slightly. Then he grabbed his notebook and his backpack. Alex wasn't satisfied with his response so she went to grab him again but Paige came over and stopped her.
"Alex, he's not worth you getting suspended. Relax."
Alex did because Paige asked her. Not like she cared about getting suspended but Paige cared and that stopped her.
Brennis left the gym and the practice continued. Alex left before the practice ended to get ready for the plans she had for tonight.
"Okay everyone good job. Have a great weekend." Paige said when practice was over. She changed and walked to her car. There she found a third poem with another rose under her windshield wipers.
Your dyke won't always be there
She can't protect you
I'll always be around
I am everywhere
Paige threw the two items on the ground and quickly got into her car and locked the doors. Brennis was taking it too far and she was really starting to become seriously scared now but she was determined not to let him ruin her weekend and Alex's plans for them. She drove away from Degrassi.
When Paige arrived home she was on high alert. Her parents were spending the weekend on a second honeymoon and Dylan was on a date with Marco. Every noise she heard she thought was Brennis and everywhere she looked she thought she would find another poem. She took a quick shower and packed a bag so she could spend the night at Alex's apartment. When she went in her closet to grab a pair of shoes she thought something was missing, a shirt or something, but she couldn't figure out what so she shrugged off the feeling. This whole thing with Brennis was making her paranoid. She left her house and made sure she deadlocked her front door.
By the time Paige arrived at Alex's apartment she was feeling better. Soon she and Alex would be alone together. They were young and in love and right now no one else mattered. As she walked down Alex's hall she had a huge smile on her face until she got to Alex's door and found a fourth poem and rose taped to it.
All those other boys were dogs
They treated you bad
So you fell for a bitch
I'll help clear up the fog
You need a real man
To be inside of you
To make you come
You know I can
Paige now had a nauseous feeling and she was worried about Alex. She tried the door and it wasn't locked. Inside the apartment she found Alex unconscious on the couch. Just as Paige dropped her bag and started toward Alex an arm wrapped around her waist and a napkin was placed over her mouth. Within seconds she was out.
When Alex came to the first thing she thought was it felt like she had been run over by a truck. The second was that that little fucker, Brennis, had shocked her with a taser. She stood up and saw Paige's bag on the floor. A sense of panic washed through her body. She ran down to the street and saw Paige's car parked. Alex fell to the ground and put her head in her hands. This couldn't be happening. Paige was gone. But where? Alex had to do something. Paige was gone. Alex felt tears running down her face. She sat there for a few minutes crying. Then she realized this wasn't helping. She had to find Paige. She ran back up to her apartment and found the poem on her door. As she read it rage boiled up inside her. Brennis was going to pay. She turned the paper over to see if there was anything else. On the back was a letterhead. The address was some old abandoned hotel in town. Alex grabbed Paige's keys and ran to the car.
Paige woke sitting in a chair with her hands tied behind her back and her ankles bound together. She looked around. She could tell she was in a room at an old hotel. It was dirty and there were sheets covering the dresser and bedside table. The only thing that looked clean was the bed.
"It's the only thing that matters in here. I made sure it was nice. I bought new sheets and comforter set so our first time will be special."
Paige turned her head and saw Brennis standing in the doorway. He looked different. He had cut his hair and spiked it. The glasses were gone. He wore a pair of skinny jeans, converses, and a flannel shirt. Paige could've mistaken him for cute if only she hadn't known that he was crazy. He must've realized that she had noticed the obvious difference in his appearance. He chuckled.
"I know. This look," He motioned to his body, "is much more appealing than my other one. Like I said I want this night to be special so I gave myself a makeover. I thought this way I would be more attractive to you. Aren't I thoughtful?" he said as he walked over to Paige. He knelt down and laid his hands on her knees.
"What do you want?" Paige asked.
"Silly," he said as he stroked her cheek, "I want you. I want you and I to be together. I know you got a little lost. I mean really, Paige, what were you thinking dating that dyke?"
"Don't call her that."
Brennis slapped her. "Don't defend her. She's a whore. She'll end up a prostitute working the streets. And rightly so. At least she can give those men the pleasure they crave. As for you, you know she can't satisfy you. She can't fuck you properly like I can. Only a man can give you what you need. Let me show you."
Brennis picked Paige up from the chair and put her on the bed. As soon as he touched her Paige began to scream and squirm.
"Go ahead. We're so far away from people. No one will hear you."
Brennis got on top of Paige and leaned down to kiss her lips. Then he just lay on top of her. Paige closed her eyes. The memory of the party freshman year came back to her. Dean on top of her holding her down. Panic began to rise inside of her.
Then another memory came back to her. It was her and Alex on her bed. Paige's parents were out. Alex and she had been doing homework but ended up on Paige's bed making out. They had started to go further. Alex had taken Paige's shirt off and was now unbuttoning her jeans. Paige grabbed Alex's wrist.
"Stop." She said and Alex did immediately. That was the day Paige told Alex about being raped freshman year. Alex held her as she cried. When Paige had finished the story Alex said, "I'll never hurt you and I'll never let anyone else hurt you either."
"Alex," Paige whispered as Brennis lay on top of her.
"No," He yelled, "Not Alex. You don't belong to Alex. You belong to me. I guess it's time to prove it." He got off the bed and took something out of a bag on the floor. "I just need you out for a couple of more minutes. This dose isn't nearly as strong as the last. Ten minutes max. Don't worry. The fun won't begin until you wake up." He placed another napkin over her face. Paige tried not to breath it in but her efforts were futile.
As soon as she was out Brennis got to work. He untied her hands and took her shirt and bra off. Then handcuffed her to the bed. Then he untied her ankles and stripped off her jeans and panties. He tied her left leg to one side of the bed and her right to the other side. While he worked he tried not to look at her. He wanted to see her naked when she saw him naked. He placed a sheet over her body so just her head and arms were visible. Just minutes later Paige began to open her eyes. She noticed she felt different and realized she had no clothes on.
"You truly are beautiful when you sleep." Brennis said when she was fully awake.
"You sick pervert, what'd you do to me?"
"Nothing yet. I told you I would wait for you. Believe me it was hard. I can't wait to feel our naked bodies touching and your warm wet center as I thrust into you."
Paige could tell he was getting turned on as he spoke. She felt like throwing up and crying and screaming. She pulled on the handcuffs but couldn't break them. She was helpless. Brennis was still talking dirty about all the things he was going to do to Paige as he undressed himself. Just as he started walking towards the bed there was a crash somewhere down the hall. Brennis stopped moving, looked at Paige as if she knew what was going on, and went into his bag to grab his taser. Then Alex kicked the door in and tackled Brennis before he could even react. She knocked the taser out of his hand and slammed his head against the floor hard enough to knock him out but not hard enough to do any serious damage. He was weak and easy to take care of as long as he didn't have any toys. After she was sure he was out Alex ran to Paige.
"Paige, are you okay? Did he..."
"No you came just in time." Paige said as tears streamed down her face.
Sirens were heard in the distance as Alex untied Paige and gave her her clothes.
"I called the cops on my way here. That should be them coming now." Alex took the handcuffs and put them on Brennis in case he woke up. She and Paige left the room and went to greet the cops.
Two hours later Brennis sat in a jail cell while the cops tried to contact his parents. Paige and Alex were back at Alex's apartment cuddling on the couch.
"It was a great Valentine's Day, right?" Alex said sarcastically.
"Can you at least tell me what you had planned?"
"You were supposed to come to my place and then we were going to go to dinner at that fancy restaurant you've been wanting to try. I had Dylan take one of your dresses from your closet so I wouldn't give away the secret until you got here. After dinner we were going to go to the Hilton. I booked us a room for one night. It was going to be very romantic and then tomorrow we would've gotten room service breakfast in bed."
"Alex, you're so sweet. That sounds wonderful."
"Yeah but we missed our dinner reservations and I think you've hand enough of hotels at least for one night."
"Well I can still give you your present." Paige said. She grabbed a box off the floor that was wrapped in paper covered with hearts that Alex hadn't seen earlier.
Alex opened it and pulled out a leather jacket that she hand been admiring at the mall weeks before but couldn't afford.
"Thank you. This must've cost a fortune."
"Just a small one but you're worth it. I saw you looking at it and realized it would look really good on you, hun." Alex smiled and kissed Paige.
"Just because our plans were ruined doesn't mean I don't have a present for you." Alex said. She could see questions in Paige's eyes. "I won on a scratch ticket and couldn't think of a better way to spend it. It funded our Valentine's day."
Alex got up and went into her bedroom to retrieve Paige's present.
"Here." She said as she handed a small box over to Paige.
Paige opened it. Inside was a necklace. On it was heart outlined in silver with a stone in the middle but it was more like two halves of two different stones that were put together to make one.
"This half," Alex said pointing to the left side, "is your birthstone and the other side," she pointed to the right side, "is my birthstone. I'm incomplete without you. We belong together."
"Alex, I love you." Paige said as she threw her arms around her girlfriend.
"I love you too. So much. When he took you tonight I felt like I would die if I didn't get you back. I've never felt that away about anyone before. Paige, I'm yours."
"I know the feeling." Paige said as she looked into Alex's eyes.
That night Alex held Paige while they slept and neither one had ever felt more content. In the morning Paige reached out for Alex and she wasn't there. She began to panic again. Had Brennis escaped? Had he come back for her?
"Alex?" she called out as she sat up.
Just then Alex walked back into the room with two plates in her hands.
"Breakfast in bed. Heart-shaped waffles with strawberries. Okay misshaped waffles with strawberries but you have to give me an A for effort." Alex said as she handed a plate to Paige and got back into bed.
"You get an A plus plus plus for effort and for being the best girlfriend I could ever imagine. I love you."
"And I love you."