Author's note: Assume the Degrassi canon with the following changes. Clare didn't sleep with Eli or get cancer. Adam didn't break up with Becky or wreck the car. Clare knows Eli's living with Lenore, and she's a lesbian. Any other changes will be told in the story.


"Are you ready to go, Clare?"

"I need 5 more minutes, Mom!"

"Okay, Dear!"

Clare was getting ready to visit Eli at NYU for his birthday. It was a surprise and what a surprise it would be. She had been planning this with his roommate Lenore, who she was weirded out by at first, especially since she was really pretty, but she's really cool (and a lesbian). Lenore picked up wine, chocolate, rose petals and candles for tonight. If it wasn't obvious, Clare was giving Eli her virginity tonight. He was going to be so thrilled.

She got the last of her stuff in her bag and ran downstairs. She was so excited, she almost ran into Jake, who had come home to help his father with a project. He didn't want to go to college, but he agreed to go to trade school. His first discipline was welding. Jake wouldn't admit it, but he loved it, and Clare wouldn't admit it, but she suggested it to Glen.

"Have fun, Sis," Jake teased, knowing of her plan.

"You too, Jake."

Clare said goodbye to Glen, and she got in the car with her mom.

They talked in the car. "Be careful, Honey. New York is a big city; it can be really dangerous."

"Don't worry. His roommates picking me up from the airport and bringing be to his room. I won't be alone."

"Well call me as soon as you land and again when you get to his apartment."

"I will, Mom. She hugged her. It was time for Clare to go."


This would be her first time in the United States. She was so excited. She went through customs and got on the plane. She sat next to a married couple on the flight. They were celebrating their anniversary in New York. How sweet! Clare hoped that she and Eli would be like this one day. The flight was short, barely 2 hours. She went through customs again and here she was, in Newark, NJ. Not exactly the sexiest title, but whatever. She did what Lenore told her to do and got on the NJ transit to NY Penn Station. She went to the Jamba Juice, and there Lenore was.

"Hey Clare. It's great to finally meet you." She greeted her with a hug, and they proceeded to walk to the metro. They got on the subway and chatted about girl stuff. They get to their stop and here it is NYU. Lenore starts pointing out hangout spots, where to get bagels, study, the bars they like. Soon, their in the student apartment. Lenore calls Eli to see were he is, and Clare calls her mom to let her know she's at the apartment.

"I'm in the library, can't talk now. I'll be back at 8PM."

"See you later."

Clare goes to her wallet and gets out money to pay Lenore for the items. They go out for some real NY Pizza. Lenore takes her to Grimaldi's, and they share a pepperoni and capers pizza. It was amazing. Clare could really love NYC. Columbia was looking really good right now. After the pizza, they take off for the apartment. Time to get ready for Eli. Lenore had stealthily stolen his spare room key. Clare takes it and goes to open Eli's door to set up for their night of love.

As it turns out, Eli was in his room, with another woman, in his bed, having sex if that wasn't obvious. Clare screams and runs out.

"Clare?" FUCK! Why was she here? How did she get to NYC or into his room! Before he can get answers, she ran out crying, barely remembering to grab her bag as she took off.

Lenore was stunned. She ran into his room! "The FUCK are you doing?"

Eli has on pants at this point. "What's going on?"

"Clare flew from Toronto to surprise you for your birthday, you asshole."

"You just gave her my room key?"

"You said you were in the library not banging some bitch."

"Hey I'm not a …."

"Shut up!" they both yell at her.

Clare just took off running, trying to get away, but it's dark, and she has no clue where she is. It was drizziling when she ran out, but now it's pouring. She's got no umbrella and she's scared. Her eyes are swollen with tears, and she's starting to get cold.

Dale and his friends just got beer for their party. He was visiting his friend, Kirk, at NYU, and his Kirk's friends would be joining them. He was getting his beer in the car, when he saw a pretty girl, who was soaked sitting in a bus stop. He put his beer in the trunk and went up to her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. Do you have anywhere to go?"

She didn't answer. Clearly, she did not.

"You should come with us."

"I don't know you."

"You don't, but if you stay here, you'll stay cold, wet and around a city full of people you don't know. Your odds are better with us. I'm Dale, Dale Howard."

"I'm Clare. Aren't you a bit old to be trying to pick up a high school girl." This man was tall, almost 2 meters tall, dark hair, eyes, broad chest and shoulders.

"I'm only 17. I'm a senior in high school."

"You're in high school," she said, incredulously.

He handed her his drivers' license. He was from California, and was 17, December 13, 1995.

"Well, imagine that?"

"Come on. We'll get you some dry clothes."

Clare already had other clothes, but she was not sure if she would get a better option, Clare gets into the car.

"This is Kirk," Dale tells her. "Kirk, this is Clare." Kirk had dirty blond hair and brown eyes. He had no mustache but some scruff for a beard. She couldn't see much else of him through the mirror.

"Hi Clare. How did you end up out here? It's pouring."

"Long story," one she did not want to relive. They got to Kirk's apartment. She went to go change. Dale put the beer in the fridge.


Clare was relieved to be dry and warm, but now that she was, the reality of her situation sank in again. She started to cry. Dale got her some tissues and took her hand in his. His hands were huge and strong. She leaned back, and he just let her fall onto him as she cried. He didn't ask her any questions. Eventually, she started to tell her story.

"Eli has been my boyfriend, on and off for about two years now. He was there for me when my parents split up, and he promised me we wouldn't end up like them, but we did. My dad left because he was having an affair. Today was Eli's birthday, and I flew here to surprise him. Tonight was supposed to be our first time, and his roommate helped me get everything, (the rose petals, chocolate, wine, candles) but when I got to his room, he was with another woman. I just feel so dumb. I even got a job at the Dot, so I could save up for this weekend, and all of this time, he didn't even want me anymore." Her tears came back.

Dale's fingers ran through her hair as her head fell to his shoulder. "You're going to be just fine. It's his loss." Dale never had a girlfriend who was ready to do anything like this for his birthday, or any day really. What a jerk this guy was!

Clare kept crying until she noticed Dale's thumb rubbing her hand, it felt nice. Kirk overheard their conversion, but he didn't want to interrupt, so he went in his room, and began to call his friends.

"Maybe we should reschedule."

"What happened?"

He explained how they found this girl, and she was crying and she just broke up with her boyfriend who she flew to see from Toronto.

"We should definitely come over; take her mind off the jerk and show her a good time. We're in the world's best city. No reason to cry over an asshole."

"Alright. Party it is."

Lenore was pissed. She helped Clare do all of this stuff for Eli, and he just turned out to be a total cad. She felt betrayed too, even though she wasn't the one he cheated on. All those times he said he was studying and she would tell Clare that he wasn't there, he was probably fucking some bimbo. She had grown to like Clare and didn't like the fact that she was an accomplice in his crap.

Eli didn't know what to do. He didn't want to break up with Clare, but that seemed inevitable now. He didn't even go after her. He loved her, well he thought he had loved her, but he hadn't had sex in years. It was time for him to have a more "adult" relationship. Clare just wasn't ready for one. Lenore didn't come out of her room for the rest of the night. Great, more roommate drama.

Dale and Clare got to talking about their favorite books and movies and Dale couldn't believe that Clare had never seen Howl's Moving Castle. He had to remedy this. They only got half way through the movie before the doorbell rang.

Kirk got the door. It was Jenny and Steve, classmates of his since high school. "Hey guys."

Steve showed up with a bottle of rum, and Jenny had some weed in her purse.

"Dale, Clare, this is Steve and Jenny." Steve was from Hong Kong, until he moved to NYC when his dad got a job at Merrill Lynch. Jenny was a native NYC girl, who never planned to leave. She liked traveling, of course, but the big Apple would always be home. Dale got up to shake their hands. Clare was a bit shy and waved from across the room. It was adorable. Suddenly, everyone heard a rumble.

"Time to eat," said Dale. "Who wants pizza?"

He called in an order as more people spilled into the apartment. They got their drinks in hand and started chatting. Clare was mostly a wallflower, hearing the conversations of Kirk's friends, who seemed like a fun crowd. She wondered if they were the popular kids when they went to high school.

Steve asked Clare what Toronto was like, and before she could answer, the doorbell rang. Dale paid for the pizza, and people started to grab slices. Dale grabbed the wings he ordered for himself and offered some to Clare. She normally was not a fan of buffalo wings, but she liked these ones. Maybe the Dot just has bad buffalo wings.

After they ate, the drinking really began. People began downing beers and taking shots of rum. Clare wasn't much of a drinker, so she just sipped away at her rum and coke. Dale normally was a drinker, but he decided to slow it down tonight. For the first time, Clare actually looked at Dale, like really looked. He was quite handsome with his dark hair, big brown eyes, smile, and he looked quite formidable. He caught her gaze. "Did you want to see the roof?"

"Sure."


The two went off. The roof was nice. It had a pool, furniture and you could see the skyline. The two sat down and really began to talk about themselves.

Dale told her about his older sister, Lorelei and his parents who were both in law enforcement. She was at Yale, and he was trying to pick schools for next year. He was likely going on a football scholarship and was thinking about UT Austin. Clare told him about her sister Darcy, who was still in Kenya, and how her mother had remarried, and how she used to date Jake and how she, Adam and Eli were the best of friends, and she didn't know what to do now.

"You'll figure it out," Dale told her. Man, she was beautiful. How did Eli just let her get away?

"I hope so." Clare didn't want to think about Eli. It just made her sad, and he made his choice. He didn't even try to stop her, not that she would have listened.

Dale's hands went through her hair again. Clare really enjoyed his touch.

Clare asked him about his dating past. He had three girlfriends before. The first one ended it when she went to Stanford for college. She was a senior when he was a freshman. The next girlfriend got arrested for drugs, and she tried to blame him for it, so he dumped her. The third girlfriend found out she was pregnant and it was her ex's, so he ended it, so they could try to make it work. He had a couple of hookups in between, but he used protection, got a clean bill of health on his last check up and never cheated. If he wanted out, he got out. Clare told him about K.C. and how he ran to Jenna the first chance he got. She had already told him about Eli and Jake. The next thing they knew, the party was on the roof.

Jenny had rolled some joints, and they were ready to smoke. Clare had never done any drugs, even when she lived with Summer. She wasn't going to take any, but then she saw Dale take a puff and exhale. He just assumed she smoked instead of drinking. She was Canadian after all.

Clare took the joint from his hand and mimicked him. That tasted weird. She exhaled. Her mind started to feel floaty.

They kept passing the joint until it was gone. Clare felt giddy. It was nice to feel good. She felt something on her stomach; it was Dale rubbing her. She smiled at him.

"Would you like a massage?"

"Yes."

His hands started with her shoulders and he began to rub her. He had strong hands which felt very nice. He found the knots in her back and forced them out, causing her to groan, "Don't stop."

The others chuckled as his hands made their way down her back, to her lower back onto her hands and then, he began to massage her feet.

"That tickles," she giggled as his hands rubbed her.

Helen called Clare, but her phone was in the apartment. When she couldn't get an answer, she called Eli, asking him to put her on the phone.

"I can't do that," he said.

"Why not?"

"Because she's not here."

"Where is she!"

"Pizza with Lenore. I had a tummy ache so I stayed home," he lied.

"Oh! Well tell her to call when she gets in."

"I will." SHIT! He lost Clare. Her mother was on his case. What a shit birthday!

Clare didn't want Dale to stop touching her. Her eyes looked sad when her massage ended. Dale didn't want to stop touching her, but he was getting too tempted by her soft flesh. She just broke up with her boyfriend. She didn't need him trying to go for it, although he really wanted her.

Everyone else could see how they longed for each other. Jenny asked Clare if she could help her with something. Steve went to talk to Dale.

"So Dale's a nice guy," Jenny started as they went to the kitchen.

Clare blushed. "He is."

"Do you like him?" Jenny was making rum punch.

"I don't know. I just broke up with someone and …."

"Steve told me about that."

"He did?" How did he know? Kirk must have told him.

"Look. You're only here for two days right."

"Yeah."

"Then why not have some fun."

Steve and Dale were setting up the hookah

"So Clare's a pretty girl."

"Isn't she gorgeous? I can't believe that cad was cheating on her."

"So make your move."

"But they just broke up. She must be reeling."

"She's been smiling at you, a lot. Make her feel good. Make her forget about that scumbag."

"But what if I scare her away?"

"All you have to do is ask."

The girls came back with the punch. The boys started the hookah. Clare didn't know what it was.

"It's flavored tobacco," Steve started.

"Let's shotgun it," Jenny told him.

"What's that?" Clare was even more confused. Jenny and Steve demonstrate. He inhaled some and exhaled into Jenny's mouth.

"Why don't you show her, Dale?"

"Do you want to?" He whispered into her ear. She nodded.


Dale inhaled some smoke. He pulled Clare towards him and exhaled into her. His lips were fruity and soft. Clare lost most of the smoke, but she didn't care. Her fingers found his hair, and she began to kiss him. His hands found her waist, and he pulled her closer. Their tongues started to slowly dance about, and it wasn't long before they were lying down on the ground. The others continued to smoke and drink and the two teenagers were lost in their own world.

Clare couldn't believe she was on top of a guy who was practically a stranger, all though he felt like he was an old friend at this point. He was just so honest and open, no secrets, no hidden doors. He wore his heart on his sleeve. Dale wanted to be on top. He flipped Clare onto her back and began to kiss her neck and jawline. She moaned out loud as he switched sides and began to kiss her collarbone. "Let's go behind the vent," he whispered into her ear. He wanted them to have a bit of privacy. They were right next to their friends at the moment. They went to the other side. Jenny and Steve grinned at each other.

Kirk was stunned. Clare was a crying mess when they found her and she was already head over heels for Dale. How did he work so fast? He must be magic. Kirk went down to his apartment to go to the bathroom, when he saw Clare's phone. She had a bunch of missed calls from mom. She called again. He answered. "Hello?"

"Eli, is that you? Can you put Clare on the phone, now?"

"I'm Kirk, and I can go get Clare."

Whodafuck is Kirk? He went to hand the phone to Clare, who was being necked by Dale. Maybe he shouldn't give her the phone right now. Clare spotted him. "Is that my phone?"

"Yeah, your mom's on the line." Clare stuck out her hand.

"Hi Mom!"

"Clare, where the hell have you been? I've been trying to reach you for hours."

"Sorry mom, I forgot my phone in Kirk's apartment."

"Who's Kirk?"

"He's my friend."

"Where's Eli?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since we broke up."

"You broke up? He said you were with his roommate eating pizza."

"Well, he lied. (What's new) I'm staying with my new friends this weekend."

"You just met them. Like hell you are."

"Well, I'm not going back to Eli and his new girlfriend."

"He has a new... Clare I'm so sorry."

"It's okay Mom. I'm fine, and I'll see you on Sunday. I'll call tomorrow."