Clare ran one last hand through her hair, sweeping her bangs and tucking them behind her ear before taking a breath and stepping out of her Mother's car, swinging her suitcase behind her. She promised to be good to her mom one last time, thankful when she turned and drove away.

Out of sight, out of mind.

In front of her stretched out three buses, a large group of students, and Mr. Simpson, looking frazzled and confused. With a sharp intake of breath, Clare prepared herself.

When Mr. Simpson had suggested a "Peace Mission" across Canada to help even out the harsh feelings after Vegas Night, it hadn't been received well. But after some persuasive (more like pleading) arguments, Mrs. Torres and the rest of the school board had agreed.

Tentatively.

The idea was that seeing the great, historical wilderness of Canada over two weeks with half of your student body would magically make everyone fall in love with each other. It was far-fetched to say the least and no one really wanted to go, but, as Mr. Simpson had kindly pointed out, it was worth half your semester's grade.

Needless to say, everyone was going.

And that included, thought Clare with a mild shudder, her "boyfriend," Eli. (Though, really, how can you call him that? They hadn't spoken in a week.)

Shaking her head, Clare was determined to forget about him. Or at least not think too hard about him.

Not now, at least.

It was going to be a long two weeks.

-x-

Eli pulled into the parking lot of Degrassi, seeing the front of the school filled with buses and students alike. Everyone seemed busy and confused. He expected to see excitement in some of their faces, but found it in not so many.

Previously Eli had cleared with Mr. Simpson that he would be driving Morty for their trip. The principal was hesitant to agree, but said he was short on bus seats anyways, making Eli's proposal easy to accept.

After parking, he headed into the mob to find the principal, Eli needed to let him know he had arrived. After Vegas night, the school staff was on pins and needles, keeping all students on short leashes. After checking in, Eli headed back to the hearse.

On the way, he saw Clare, who had just been dropped off by her mother. Eli's heart skipped, he hadn't spoken to Clare all break. He sucked up his worries, and headed over to the girl whom he still called girlfriend.

"Clare," He said, getting her attention. "How are things?" Eli wasn't much for conversation. After all, what could you really say to a beautiful girl, who possibly had a burning hatred for you?

Hearing a familiar, low voice behind her, Clare turned sharply, almost knocking him over.

"E-Eli. Hi. I've been... alright." She decided her words carefully, they felt thick and fake in her mouth. She gave him a long once-over, taking in his dishevelled hair, the darkness around his eyes, and the awkward fidgeting of his spindly fingers. A pang shot through her heart.

Clare was still mad, sure, but with her, sadness was more prominent. She just wanted to bury herself in his chest and forget about everything else, but with everything else, it seemed like the wrong thing to do. So instead, she busied herself with adjusting the strap of her shoulder bag.

Eli watched her nervously fidget with her carry on, "You don't sound alright, Clare." He wasn't going to take a fake answer; he could tell she was upset.

"I'm fine, Eli." She insisted, her eyes on the ground, lip caught between teeth. "How're you?"

Deciding to leave it alone for now, he didn't force her reply. "I've been keeping myself busy," He said, which was true. If he didn't keep himself distracted, he would be found staring at the phone, alone in his room. Eli had wished his phone to ring, but never was the wish granted. It worried him, not knowing how Clare was.

As she stood in front of him, he smiled, not for any reason but the girl he was looking at. "Listen," Eli said, with a sigh. "Did you want to take the first leg of this journey with me? I'm sure we have a bit to talk about, and I'm not going to be on the bus," Eli gestured towards Morty, parked beyond the fence.

Thankful that he didn't force her to reply, she nodded. The prospect of alone time with Eli was tantalizing in the worst and best ways ever; part of her wanted it, part of her feared it. She needed answers, though, so she responded.

"That sounds a lot better than being stuck on the bus listening to Alli moan about Drew and Jenna gripe about her pants not fitting." Said Clare with a slight blush, not meaning to insult her friends, but finding it came easily.

What was it about Eli that brought out the truth in her?

"I just have to sign in with Mr. Simpson," she said, gesturing to their principal. "I'll be right back."

She didn't let him respond, just tersely walked to Simpson, her heart racing.

Two hours. With Eli. Alone.

While Clare signed in with Simpson, Eli headed over to his parking space and leant against the hearse. He wasn't sure if Clare would be allowed to ride with him, so he kept an eye on their conversation. Eli could see it was mostly smiles and nods, coming from both Clare and Principal Simpson.

After she was done their exchange, Clare took note of where Eli was, and walked over. He took stretching his hand out, offering to take her bag, and suitcase. There was plenty of room in the back of the hearse. "Is he okay with you riding in the big, scary, death mobile?" He teased her.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure he's just wondering where Saint Clare went."

As Eli pulled her bag from her hands, their fingers brush, sending an involuntary shudder up her spine. Looking away, she blushed. Now was not the time to be rethinking all this. She was mad at him, right? Clare coughed awkwardly, hoping her infatuation wouldn't show.

Eli smirked as their hands brushed, making Clare avert her face. He could tell she was blushing, trying to hide it under a cough.

He opened the door for Clare, then headed to the back to put her things away. In the back of the hearse he had a small bag of his own monotone clothing, as well as a pillow and blanket. Eli figured if things didn't go right, he could always sleep in the hearse. Sure it would be a bit cold, but it wouldn't have been the first time.

He walked to driver's side door and let himself in. Looking over at the mob, they started filing into their respective buses. "Clare," He said, looking over, resting his hands on the wheel, "I'm sorry I didn't call you over break, I didn't think you'd want to speak to me."

"Honestly," she wrung her hands in her lap, trying to find the right words for this moment. "I didn't want to talk to you. But. I got over that. I mean..." her voice shook slightly, and she cursed herself for being so vulnerable. "I missed you too much."

She stopped moving her hands, letting them rest on the dashboard.

Inside, Eli was ecstatic to hear Clare didn't hate him, even missed him. Outside, he simply smiled, looking at her. She looked uncomfortable, like her shield had just come down.

"I missed you too, Clare. A lot," He said, hoping to catch her blush. "I was scared you'd never speak to me again," Eli said, still watching her, taking in her beauty. He didn't feel worthy.

The buses were almost loaded, only teachers remained outside.

At his words, Clare blushed crimson, the familiar tingling heat filling her cheeks that she'd missed so much.

"I was scared for a lot of things." She spoke carefully. They were treading dangerous waters, and she knew she couldn't dive in yet. "But I don't think not talking to you will make anything better."

She wrung her hands again, hating the tension that filled the seemingly wide hearse. She looked outside, desperate for a distraction, and noticed the buses pulling away.

"You should probably, um, get driving." Clare said, not giving him a chance to respond. The hearse didn't have seat belts, so she leaned back and rested her head against the window, wondering when things got so complicated.

Eli broke his steady gaze from Clare, and her burning cheeks. He laughed, mostly at himself, and how easily he became distracted. He pulled out of the parking spot quickly, and followed behind the closest bus.

"What if, talking to me made it better?" He offered his thoughts. "Because, talking to you has made my day," Eli said, trying to be as honest as possible. A lot of the time, Eli had put up a barrier between himself and others. Usually that barrier came down during a fight, or argument, letting nasty thoughts out. This time it was different, he wanted her to know how he felt, about her. There was nothing negative about those feelings.

Clare's heart skipped a few beats at his words; she was unused to this sort of blunt honesty.

"It made your... what?" She asked, feeling like an idiot for her inability to form words.

"You made my day," Eli said, keeping his eyes of the bus in front of him. "Not talking to you, sucks." He went over the words again in his head after speaking; he sure wasn't being as 'wordy' as usual.

Turning in her seat to face him, Clare's blue eyes scanned his face for any signs of humor or lies, but all she could find was the same, open honesty that Eli had sported when he told her about Julia.

Clare's voice cracked with compassion as she responded, "That's exactly how I feel." Her hand covered his tentatively, not wanting to rush or ruin this new found honesty, but craving some feel of his warmth. "But I was really scared. I guess I couldn't handle it- thinking of that." she clarified, her voice cracking again. She was really too emotional for this.

"I'm glad we're on the same page," Eli said, turning to her for a moment. He held her hand, only keeping one on the steering wheel. He smiled at Clare, making sure to keep an eye on the road. Eli was a fairly good driver, but with such a distractingly attractive female in the front seat, why would he want to look at the road?

"When you're ready to talk, you know where to find me," He said, laughing under his breath. "You realize you're like, 3 feet away, right? I don't bite," Eli smirked at Clare, "Actually, you'd probably like that too much."

Clare laughed, genuinely, and then blushed quickly as she realized the truth in his words. His hand was warm in hers and she sent a quick prayer to whoever was listening to her thoughts; it was nice to have things be simple for a bit.

"Talk about what?" fearing too much seriousness, she added with a laugh, "And any closer and you might get us in an accident." There. That should cover up her blush and her awkward fumbling, right?

"Have ye no faith, Saint Clare?" Eli asked sarcastically, smirking. "And you know, Vegas Night." He said, shuddered at the thought of it. He had blocked the night from his mind, not wanting it to drive himself crazy. "It was messed," He said simply, while brushing his thumb along her hand, trying to make her comfortable.

Grateful for his simple gestures, Clare returned his ministrations with that of her own, running the pad of her thumb over his warm flesh- (why was he always so hot?) and debated what to say. Throwing her head back, she groaned.

"Is it wrong that I just want to forget that night ever happened?" She begged, running her free hand through her curls; a frequent habit and sure sign of distress or uncomfort.

"I'm sorry I ever went with Fitz-" she shuddered at his name. "-It should have been perfect, and I feel like I ruined every chance of.. of..." she almost said, of 'us being together,' but her mouth thick as cotton and she shrugged instead. "Of normalcy at Degrassi. I just wish I could have a redo."

"Maybe things will go back to normal," Eli said. "But, was normal really that good?" He asked Clare. Things hadn't been perfect, not for either of them. The only thing that had been going well for Eli, was Clare, and that was put at risk. Things still didn't feel resolved, but he enjoyed having her near, it was all he could ask.

Clare bit her lip, unable to answer. Somehow, a voice within her said, life with Eli- friends or otherwise, would never be normal.

Eli nodded towards to dash at a small pile of maps and other papers.

"What's on the agenda for today?" He asked. Simpson had given them a list of landmarks and locations that needed to be visited. Their first stop was Niagara Falls, where they would be seeing the Skylon Tower, Clifton Hill, and of course, the falls themselves.

AUTHORS NOTES

For those of you who know who CatrienStardust is, that's me. ;D I hope you guys enjoy this, it's a bit different but it's been so much fun.

-Catrien

Yo, it's Lacy :) You know, Liekomgz? Yeah, me. I'm super stoked on doing this story with my bestest twitter lady, Catrien. I love her, and she loves me. Please consider this to be our first child. :)

-Lacy