A/N: Hi. ._. I've never published a thing in my life and this is promised to be terrible so you can't say I didn't warn you. I've written this one shot for my friend, Nina's birthday. So you should follow her on Twitter MunroCArmy and read her FF's under the name ViolatedImogeli. So yeah.
Future
Imogen Moreno, a senior at Degrassi, sat anxiously on the rooftop of her beloved school. She watched all the students walked toward the building, some at a slower pace than others. She pulled her IPhone from the left pocket of her khacki pants and unlocked her phone, heading straight for the Twitter app. Every single tweet for miles made her sick to her stomach. Tweets and retweets such as 'Graduation tomorrow!' and 'Last day at Degrassi...I'll miss it.' She cluched her stomach as she suddenly felt the urge to regurgitate her small breakfast of Captin Crunch.
The thought of graduation made her head spin. As a younger girl, she had her mind set on becoming an actress after high school but now she had doubts. She had applied for six colleges already and had heard from none of them, worsening the whole thing for her. Being nervous about the future is a normal thing of course. Imogen had never seen herself as "normal" though. It was overrated. Therefore, she hadn't expected to have to face the same problems as the "average teen".
She let out a moan when her phone began to buzz in her hand and a picture of her and her long term boyfriend flashed across the screen. "Hello?" She breathed, trying to sound as cheery as she would've been on any other Friday morning. "Was I supposed to drive you to school today?" Her love asked. He sounded a bit uneasy and she chuckled lightly at this. Imogen and Eli weren't perfect but they were without a doubt good for each other.
The both of them, especially Eli was nervous about making the smallest mistake. "No Eli. I walked today." She said, biting her lip as she saw his hearse pulls up in the parking lot. "Oh, okay. So I'll see you in Perino's class?" He questioned as he stepped out of the car, shutting the door and leaning against it casually. "Uh huh..." She replied, not very sure of the trueness of her answer. If it were up to her, she'd spend the rest of eternity sitting on that rooftop - Well maybe not, but the next seven hours would suffice. "You shouldn't talk on the phone while you're driving though. It's not safe." Imogen mumbled, swinging her feet over the edge. "Yes, mom." He said, smugly. Eli began walking toward the school building, searching around for his girlfriend who would usually be waiting for him outside. "Where are you, anyw-"
Before finnishing his sentance, Eli was struck in the head by a black and red polka dotted flat. "Whoopsies!" Imogen exclaimed. She looked down just as Eli was looking up and he smirked at her, picking up the shoe. "Missing something, Cinderella?" He asked, envoking a smile from his girlfriend. "How could I ever repay you?" She asked oh-so dramtically, wrapping her arms around her torso. Taking a few steps back to see her better, he waved her shoe around and used his empty hand to shade his eyes from the sun. "Well, you could start by coming down." She gulped, looking quickly at her Iphone. "Down there?" she squeaked. He nodded nonchalantly and squinted his eyes slightly. He didn't know of her uneasyness and just assumed that this was Imogen, simply being Imogen. "Uhm okay, I'll be right down! Just don't turn into a potato. That's how the story goes, right? Cinderella's prince became a potato?" She asked as she stood up. He chuckled lightly and began walking into the school, calling up before he entered. "Sure, that's it!"
Imogen found herself thinking hard all day long. Not to anything that came out of an administartors mouth, of course. But it was the last day and it couldn't have been that important. She sat at her desk, playing with her fingers absentmindedly and staring into space. Every now and then Eli would look over at his girlfriend and every time he did, she was in the same state as she was ten minutes ago. At the ringing of the bell that dismissed them to lunch, he stood up and walked to the door of the classroom, expecting for Imogen to be trailing beside him. But when he turned back, she was still sitting at her desk with her head in her left hand and her mind in the clouds.
Eli began to worry about her as she had been quiet all day; a rare thing for Imogen to do. He walked to the front of her desk and looked her dead in her large brown eyes. They were locked on his short mid-section but she seemed to look right through him as if he wasn't even there... "Imogen." He said softly. It was instantly that she blinked her eyes shut and looked up the raven haired teen. She then looked around them and saw that all the students and even Perino had left the classroom, leaving the two of them alone. "What were you thinking about, daydreamer?" He asked he as she stood from her seat.
He hid the worry from his voice because he didn't want her to think he was assuming that something was wrong. A light blush tinted her olive skinned cheeks and she looked down, leading the way out of the classroom and down the hall. "Nothing...You know me, just looking for ways to distract myself." She smiled sheepishly. Eli nodded his headthough not fully believing her. He bit his bottom lip and turned to face her, a mischevious glint in his eye. "You want to skip the rest of the day? It's not like there's anything important-" "Let's go." She interrupted, taking his hand eagarly. On their way out to the parking lot they crossed paths with Eli's best friend, Adam Torres, who approached them, smiling.
"Hey Eli, Imogen." He said, joyfully. "Adam, hi." Eli smiled. "I thought you said you were skipping the last day." he said in a questioning tone. "Well I was going to." Adam started. "But Drew and Bianca had the same idea..." He laughed, Eli laughing along with him. Imogen was only partially present in the conversation. She stood beside Eli, her hand in his but her mind was elsewhere as it had been for the whole day. "But anyways, he somehow convinced my mom to let him through a pre graduation party tonight. It's seniors only but I live there so having a friend or two wouldn't hurt." He smiled, looking between the couple. "Adam!" Eli exclaimed. "Are you asking me to the party?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. "Cool it, casanova. You know what I meant." Adam chuckled.
Imogen, who hadn't heard one bit of the conversation, let her eyes wander around the hall. She only took recognition of the blue polos and the students that occupied them. Owen Milligan was the first to catch her gaze. He was young, strong and not a complete idiot, she supposed that would get him somewhere in life. A few feet away from her stood Katie Matlin. 'Don't even get me started...' she thought. Katie had her life set for her. She had good grades all around and if that didn't get her into a school, her physical abilities would for sure. Even Imogen's best friend Bianca DeSousa had recieved a full scholarship to some school in the heart of Toronto.
"I need some fresh air." She said, cutting into Eli and Adam's conversation. She removed her hand from Eli's and almost ran outside the school leaving the two boys confused. "Um, I'll just see you two tonight then?" Adam asked. He wouldn't question Imogen's behavior because as far as he knew, she was crazy and he didn't want to offend Eli. "Yes, I'll text you later." He replied, turning on his heels to follow Imogen out.
"Are you sure-" Eli began but was cut off fiercely by Imogen. "Yes. For the seventh time, I'm fine Eli. I just have a lot on my mind." She sighed. Eli wasn't really annoying her, she just didn't want to sound like the idiot she thought she would by explaining further. "Why don't you tell me what's on your mind then?" He asked. She shrugged in response and watched him roll off the hood of Morty where they lay, to reach inside the car and turn the radio off. She blew some stray hairs from her face and crossed her eyes at a failed attempt to see her nose. She rolled her eyes, ending her mission when she felt a large hand, pulling her shoulder. She moved into Eli's hold and laid her head on his shoulder, feeling more at ease.
"It's just...I'm scared." She confessed. "Of what?" Eli asked, fully prepared to become her diary for as long as she needed him to be. "The future...You know, life after Degrassi..." She looked up to the clouds as they moved ever so slowly across the bright blue sky. "High school was never a big deal but what now? I've sent in a bunch of college applications and haven't heard a thing besides one rejection letter.." He looked down at her from under the dark hair that cascaded over his eyes. He paid close attention to her body langauge, her tone of voice and how every little word came spilling from her mouth.
"If I don't get into a college, who's going to hire me? Will I be a lonely artist, trying to sell my paintings on Craigslist from my parent's basement? Or I might stand on street corners and do monolouges, hoping that someeone will toss a quarter into my hat...People do that, you know? If you and me don't work out, I'll have no one. I'll have no job, no you, I'll- I'll-" She started but didn't seem to know what to say next. She huffed in embarassment when she felt heard Eli trying to stiffle a laugh. "I'm glad you think it's entertaining though.." He released his lip from under the grip of his teeth and sighed.
"Imogen..You have absolutely nothing to worry about." He said, leaning over and kissing her softly. "You're incredibly talented and if you wait just a little bit longer, I swear you'll be having a hard time chosing which acceptance letter to respond to." He smiled which in turned, cause her to smile. "And as far as we're concerned, I'm not going anywhere. I'll love you whether you're Imogen Moreno the Gemini award winning actress or that crazy lady doing plays on street corners...I swear it." In this moment, Imogen felt a lot better than she had all day. She still had a few doubts when it came to colleges and whatnot. But at least she knew that when it came down to her and Eli's relationship, they were solid as a rock.
"Agh!" Imogen squealed, breaking from her daze to see that the sky had opened up and the rain was coming down hard. The once blue sky was now gray. It was not any less beautiful than it was before, just in a different light. "I should go home now, shouldn't I?" Eli shouted over the loud downpour. "Yes, go change and I'll catch a ride with Bee to the party tonight." She giggled and kissed her now wet-all-over boyfriend. Shivering from the cold of her soaked clothing, she slid down from the car and ran into her house, smiling happily as she ran to her room.
"Pre-grad, Immy. You and Eli have any special plans? Bianca asked, wiggling her eyebrows seggustively while applying eyeliner to her already flawless face. Imogen looked at her friend and then into space with a confused expression until she processed both the word "Special" and the person whom she was speaking to. "Ohhhh...'special'.." She giggled and Bianca rolled her eyes playfully. "No, not that I know of. I mean, besides telling him the news... What about you and Drew? What are..what are your plans?" She asked with a curiosity lacing her voice. "I don't know what his plans are but I'm feeling lucky." She smirked, pulling a condom from her bra and twisting it between her pointer and middle finger. Imogen raised her eyebrows, staring at the silver package. "Oh. Well good luck." She smiled slightly as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "I'll see you inside?" Bianca nodded and muttered a "Mmhm" while coating her lips with gloss.
Imogen stepped out the car and straightened her dress a bit before walking into the house. Inside there were tons and tons of Imogen's fellow seniors, almost all of them with a drink in their hand. She searched around the first level of the house, looking for one person only, as if the rest weren't even there. "Imogen!" Exclaimed Eli from outside. She followed his voice over the blaring music and looked out into the small garden outside of the house. She smiled when she finally caught sight of him. "Hi," He smiled, shutting the glass doors behind her. "You look beautiful." She blushed, holding both of his hands in hers, swinging them lightly. "Thank you..You look really great, too Eli. You always do..." She said quietly. "Why are we out here when the party is in there?" She asked, biting her lip softly.
"I guess it just isn't my scene." he shrugged. She nodded her head in agreement. She was grateful for Eli not being the party type. She wouldn't classify herself as that type either. "Okay. Well, I have news." She stated, giddily. "I'm all ears." He smiled. "I got a full scholarship to this performing arts school in Windsor! I didn't even apply!" She exclaimed, smiling widely and extending her arms widely. Eli smiled at her. Meeting her halfway, he picked her up and spun her around once. "Congrats, Imo." He was actually reliefed that a letter came for her so soon. He only wanted her to be happy, it made him happy as well.
"So I have something for you. Think of it as a bonus to your scholarship." He said, taking a breath and unlatching their hands. She nodded her head and waited for him to speak. He took in a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. The idea had come to him earlier that day after their discussion. It wasn't thought out much but he didn't care. He wasn't one for thinking things through anyways. "I..I love you and you love me. And ever since you came into my life, I felt fixed. I didn't want to think about how I'd live if we had never met or if we weren't together. Then I realized..I don't think I could. Our talk today, it got me thinking. When we take off from Degrassi tomorrow, I want to know that our relationship is secure. I want to know that you care as much about me as I do about you. You hepled me forget the past, you keep me grounded in the present, I want you in my future."
Imogen's heart fluttered at the corny statement and her eyes teared slightly. Her palms began to sweat as well as Eli's. There was a pregnant pause due to Eli's nervosa and dry throat. At last Imogen couldn't take it anymore. She shook her head and moved forward, cupping his face in her hands.
"Eli, marry me."
