Disclaimer: Naturally, I don't own anything Degrassi.

Summary: There was just no denying it anymore: Eli had changed.

Author's Note: I realize that there's a possibility that this might not actually happen on the show, but I saw someone think it may happen and I decided to go with it. It may contain OOC character elements, but that's usually how my fanfictions turn out. Anyway, enjoy and please feel free to REVIEW.

In the end, she had nowhere else to turn.

Clare Edwards didn't know whom else she could trust with this disturbing turn of events. Her mother and stepfather would not be able to understand, although they may try. Jake was Eli's friend, making him of no use to her either in this situation. Part of her wanted to blame Jake for this. Had he not shown Eli how to smoke weed, this might've been avoided. But as much as she wanted to, this wasn't Jake's fault. This was someone far more sinister. Someone who – much to Clare's dismay – had nearly managed to end Eli and Clare's relationship.

Talia.

Saying the name now in her mind only caused her heart to hurt more, and her vision to swim with unshed tears. She was the one who had led Eli astray. She was the one who had tempted Eli, and he'd succumbed.

Now he was addicted, and he didn't even know it.

"Oh, Eli," Clare whimpered, covering her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears. "Why? I thought you were stronger than this!" Clare couldn't deny that it felt good to let this emotion out that had been tormenting her these past two weeks. It had been slowing devouring her from the inside out, and she had to try and be strong for Eli. He wasn't himself anymore.

There was just no denying it anymore: Eli had changed.

And for the worse.

Clare began to sob for some time before a voice interrupted her sobs. She didn't even want to look up at this stranger that had probably been watching her cry and was wondering where her parents were to take her home. She didn't want to go home. She didn't want to see the unsuspecting expressions of her parents, and Jake. She didn't want to go to her room, where she and Eli used to go as a place of peace from the world – where it could just be her and him, all alone. She didn't want to go there and be reminded of the invasion of privacy, and the betrayal.

She didn't want to go home because it would only remind her of Eli.

"All right, all right," Clare said as the person continued to keep shaking her shoulder. "I'll leave. I'm sorry for disturbing you –"

"Clare Edwards," The voice of Imogen Moreno finally shined through the fog of her mind, "The only person you're bothering is this tree with your tears."

Clare looked up and in something she couldn't control, wrapped her arms around the older girl and hugged as tightly as she could. A year ago, hugging this girl would've been out of the question. Now, though, in Clare's time of need, she knew she had a friend in Imogen.

She was her only hope.

"Whoa, whoa," Imogen said, wrapping her arms around Clare weakly and giving her a hug back, "What's wrong, Clare?"

"So many things, Imogen," Clare said, wanting to bury her face into the older girl's neck and cry until she had no more tears left in her body. "So many things are wrong right now."

"Sounds to me like you need someone to talk to," Imogen murmured softly, "I know just the girl for the job."

Clare laughed despite the tears in her eyes. Imogen was so quirky and interesting, but was mature beyond her years behind those glasses. Clare finally released her from the hug. "That's why I'm here," Clare said, sniffing. "I came all this way to talk to you."

"Well, your journey had come to an end," Imogen said, a frown creased on her lips. "Tell me what's wrong and I'll see what I can do to help."

"You might want to sit down," Clare said warningly. "This might take a while."

Imogen heeded her warning and sat down next to her, leaning against the tree for comfort. "I'm all ears, Clare Edwards."

Where to begin, where to begin... "I guess I should start by telling you that my problem has nothing to do with me."

It didn't take Imogen long to catch on. "So this is about Eli, then."

Clare nodded. "A couple of weeks ago he met this sophmore name Talia in Drama Club. I – I didn't think anything of it at first. They were hanging out a lot, and that's fine. Eli doesn't see much of the people he considers friends anymore." She spared a glance at Imogen, who was supposed to be Eli's good friend. Anger clenched Clare's stomach as she found that she wanted to blame Imogen, too, like she wanted to blame Jake. She shook her head mentally. This wasn't Imogen's fault, either. This was on Eli and Eli alone. "So, I was happy to know that he'd found someone else to spend time with until he could spend time with me." Clare's expression darkened. "But I only find out later that she's been manipulating him, planting seeds of doubt inside his mind. He... read my diary."

Clare didn't know if Imogen kept a diary or a journal or anything, but Clare pleaded with God to let Imogen know how serious that was for a girl.

"That's very unlike Eli," Imogen acquiesced, her frown still ever present. "So this Talia is getting to him somehow?"

"I think she's part of a cult," Clare murmured.

Imogen's eyes widened behind her glasses. "A cult?"

"As I'm sure you're aware, I'm a devout Christian," Clare said, looking up into Imogen's brown eyes, "This has never been an issue with Eli or I before. We've been content with just letting that part go without saying. But I think with college approaching... Eli expected something to... remember me by."

Imogen nodded her understanding of what Clare was saying, and thankfully didn't ask her to elaborate further. "So that was probably the beginning of Talia's manipulations, but that doesn't explain why you think she's in a cult."

"I think that Eli has always secretly resented me for being so devoted to my religion. The appeal of a cult, something he might be able to relate to more than than me, that's why he was open to listen to what Talia had to say." Clare explained.

Imogen didn't agree. "I don't think Eli would've been... seduced, as it was, to join a cult because of conflicting religious views," Imogen said, thinking out loud. "I think there's something missing from this story that you're not telling me."

"I haven't gotten to that part yet," Clare retorted, and then sighed. "I think... no I know she's gotten him addicted to drugs."

If Imogen hadn't been listening for the majority of the conversation, she was listening now. "Drugs? Like what kind of drugs?"

"Something far more serious than marijuana." Clare said, feeling new tears threatening to spill. "I just don't know what. There's so many of them, and none of them go well with his disorder."

A pregnant silence followed as Imogen looked away; playing with a small twig that was near her as a welcomed distraction. Clare looked away, fighting back the tears that wanted so desperately to spill. She'd told Imogen everything. Sure, she felt better knowing that she'd told someone that cared about Eli about his recent actions. Maybe the two of them could come up with some sort of plan to save Eli before he destroyed himself.

Finally, Imogen spoke up. "Natalie, my mother, works at a hospital. She may be able to help us figure out what to do if we know what drug Talia has Eli hooked on. She deals with realities – we can't go to her with simple assumptions. Let's give her something concrete."

Clare blinked. "What exactly are you suggesting, Imogen?"

"We're going to do what Eli did to you," Imogen explained with a small smile. "We're going to raid his room and see if we can find a drug sample we can bring back to Natalie."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Clare said earnestly, "How are we going to get past his parents?"

"If my memory serves, you and Adam Torres managed to crack the code to get into Eli's bedroom when he still had it locked up," Imogen said, looking into Clare's eyes. "You lied to his parents – who knew that Eli kept his room like that, mind you – but still let you in anyway."

Clare felt a pang of regret as Imogen brought up lying to Eli's parents. They're good people. Their son was just burdened with a disorder and at that time burdened with remorse that no seventeen-year-old should have to deal with. Although she wanted to argue against going, Imogen had a point. The both of them together could probably convince his parents to let them in and raid his room. "They're not bad people," Clare murmured.

"No, they're not," Imogen agreed. "But if they care about Eli like we do, they'd understand."

Clare tilted her head to the side. "Aren't you going to ask me why I didn't go to them first? Bullfrog would put Eli straight – we both know that."

Imogen reached out and put her hand on Clare's shoulder reassuringly. "I know why you didn't go them first. You don't think that they'd be able to help you, or understand."

Clare smiled, slightly. "So you'll help me?"

Imogen stood up slowly. "I don't know about you, but my mind is almost halfway to Eli's house."

Clare looked up as if she was seeing the older girl for the first time and smiled a genuine smile for the first time in almost a month. "I owe you one, Imogen Moreno."

Imogen offered Clare a hand to help her up. "There are no debts between friends, Clare Edwards."

Just as Clare had expected, it wasn't as easy to coax Bullfrog to let Imogen and her inside a second time.

"Eli would've left your stuff out for you, Clare," Bullfrog explained, gesturing behind him. "I don't see anything of yours on the table."

"But, Mr. Goldsworthy, I need that for school." Clare protested with all of her acting might. "And Imogen will not be able to keep her good grade point average if I don't have it."

Bullfrog looked from Clare to Imogen and back again. They'd managed to sync their frowns and he caved, allowing them room to pass. "You both know where to go."

"We'll make it quick, Mr. Goldsworthy, we promise," Imogen exclaimed happily, skipping past him and Clare followed behind her quickly. Clare felt better letting the blame fall, albeit a small amount of it, to fall on Imogen's shoulders. Clare had neglected to blame Adam at all the last time. Imogen went straight into Eli's room and Clare shut the door behind her quietly.

"We've bought ourselves about a minute, a minute and a half at most." Imogen said as she began by looking under Eli's bed. "Look in every inconspicuous spot you know of to see if you can find any stash of drugs, or something that looks like drugs."

This, Clare realized quickly, was when her naivety was a bad thing. She barely knew what marijuana looked like, but yet here she was supposed to be looking for something she didn't even know what it looked like. But she didn't have time to contemplate what drugs might look like. From what she could remember of health class, they could come in pill form, plant form, needle form, powder form, etc. Clare looked in Eli's drawers, pushed passed his clothes and found nothing.

Time was counting down until Bullfrog became suspicious.

Just when Clare was about to give up her search, Imogen spoke up. "I think I found them."

Clare quietly rushed over to where Imogen was to find her holding what looked like dot candy from her youth. "What's that?"

"It might be acid, or ecstasy," Imogen murmured, "But it's good enough for now. Let's get out of here before Eli arrives."

Almost as if on cue, Clare and Imogen hear the front door open and slam shut.

Eli was home.

"Quick, out the window," Clare whispered, opening it wide enough for Imogen to get out. Imogen hopped off the bed and landed like a cat outside. Clare wasn't nearly as flexible, but still managed to get out and close the window and duck down just in time as she heard Eli's door open.

"What the hell are you talking about, Dad?" Eli shouted. "No one's in my room."

Clare looked over to Imogen who hadn't, to Clare's surprise, abandoned her. She gestured for her to start making her way around the house where they could escape into the neighbor's lawn and to freedom.

Imogen made her way slowly around the house and Clare followed, keeping an ear open as she could hear Eli rummaging though his stuff looking for the drugs they'd gotten.

"Son of a BITCH!" Eli shouted again.

Taking that as they had very few seconds left to get away, Clare and Imogen bolted through to the neighbor's lawn and away.

"Call your mom!" Clare shouted, once they were far enough away. "Eli's going to be looking for me at my house. I can't go there until the coast is clear."

Imogen slowed her pace and nodded. "I guess that mean you'll be staying with me for now."

"If that's okay with you."

Imogen nodded, but frowned. "You're going to have to confront him, you know. You can't avoid him forever."

"I know, I know," Clare said, frowning herself. "I just want to be able to make sure I can help him. I think we should talk to some more of his friends."

Imogen tilted her head to the side. "Who else did you have in mind?"

Clare smiled mischievously. "Oh, you'll see."

Well, I think that's enough for now. Please leave me a review and let me know how you liked this start, and if you'd like to see me continue!

Thanks!