Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, Eli, Adam, or any of the canon characters featured in this story. However, I do own Chase.

And Munro Chambers ;)

A/N: Alright, so I decided to try and re-write my story We Don't Fight Fair, since I've 'evolved' from that writing style. I put a lot of heart and soul into creating the character, and I tried my best to write it, but it ended up not working like I planned. So this is a different version of the story, but using all of the same characters.

Enjoy :)

Chapter 1

I took in a sharp breath, knocking on the door of Eli's house. It'd been a few weeks since I'd seen him last; our parents went to a rock concert, and we hung out at my place. He was my best friend, one of the only people I could really count on. Ever since he moved away from Wasaga, I hadn't been the same, and neither had anyone else.

Cece answered the door, pulling me into an enormous hug. "Chase, darling! How are you?" she exclaimed, pulling me by my arm into the house. "I'm fine, how about you? My parents just dropped me off, and my stuff's outside on the porch." I replied, directing to the suitcase. She squealed, "I'm so glad you decided to move in. Eli could use another friend down here. The school has changed a lot, though. Are you sure about all of this?" I nodded, offering a small smile. "Cece, I've been wanting to go to Degrassi for a while. And besides, you guys are like family."

Eli bounded down the stairs, walking into the living room. "What's up?" he asked, clasping his hands together. "Hey, Chase, how are you? Fine, Eli, thanks for asking." I said jokingly. He flashed me a sarcastic smile, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yea, hey. What's going on?"

"Well, Chase is moving in!" Cece explained excitedly, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

A smirk crossed Eli's face, "Really, now? Apparently we can't get enough of you." I shook my head, trying to hide the slight blush that crossed my face. "Very funny. You're carrying my suitcase." I countered, handing it to him. He dropped it on the floor unconsciously, picking it up quickly. "Jesus Christ, how much did you pack?" he muttered, hauling my bag up to the former guest room. "You try fitting half the stuff you own into a suitcase." I replied, carrying my duffel bag.

That was pretty much impossible for Eli; even though he'd stopped hoarding, he still had a few stray boxes in his room. Clare, his girlfriend, had been helping him for the past few weeks, and they'd gotten a lot done in that small frame of time. I was impressed, even bought him the new Dead Hand CD to congratulate him. I'd seen a few signs something wasn't right after Julia, but still...Eli wasn't always open.

Eli and I go back about 7 years. We'd known each other since we were ten and nine; our parents met at a Guns & Roses concert.

We didn't exactly like each other at first, but we grew to know each other, learning more and more about one another over the years. I was the one who introduced him to Julia, my friend in my Grade 8 History class. I was dragged along on dates so often, I was pretty much the definition of a third wheel. She'd always bring along some guy for me, either a cousin or friend or some random loser she met at the mall. They'd only be interested in her, and would leave once the date was half-over.

"Alright!" Eli exclaimed, dropping the bag onto the bed. The room had dark hardwood floors, sea-foam green walls, and a queen sized bed. I smiled a little; I'd stay in this room whenever I would sleep over at Eli's house. It was like my second bedroom already. Cece and Bullfrog had attempted to get me to sleep in Eli's room on occasion, but I'd denied; it would be a little beyond awkward for the both of us.

I smiled at him, sitting down on the bed. Eli took a seat next to me, falling back onto the white comforter. "When did you decide to move in?" he mumbled, covering his face with his hands. I fell back next to him, looking over. "Maybe last month? Your mom suggested it. My parents were ecstatic that I was leaving." I replied. My parents were 'free spirits'. I was surprised they managed to even raise me as well as they did.

Eli slid his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. "Well, I'm hanging out with Clare and Adam later. You're coming." he said blankly, as if we'd already talked about it. "If you insist." I sat up, leaning on my knees. "If you don't mind, I'd like to start unpacking. Unless you'd wanna help..." I started, smirking.

"I'm gone." Eli jumped up from the bed, walking out of the room at a fast pace. I laughed, starting to unzip my suitcase.

...

I sighed, opening the passenger side door of Morty. "I swear, they won't like me." I told Eli blankly, pursing my lips. He shook his head, "Nah, they'll love you. You met Adam last time, and Clare's not one to judge. Besides, who can't love you?" He smirked, opening the door to the Dot for me. I smiled, walking over to an empty booth. I took a seat, Eli sitting down across from me. He tapped his fingers softly on the table surface, looking out the window. "They should be here soon." he informed. "Thanks for the commentary, Elijah." I laughed, playfully sticking my tongue out at him.

Eli raised an eyebrow challengingly, kicking my shin lightly. I scoffed, "You really wanna go there?" He smirked, "Bring. It. On."

I kicked his anklebone as he attacked my shins, laughing the entire time. "Damn! You're not winning!" I exclaimed, wide grins plastered on both of our faces. I heard someone clear their throat from behind Eli, and looked up; Adam was standing next to the booth, a look of pure amusement across his face. "You two are something else." he said bluntly, sitting down next to me. I rolled my eyes playfully as Eli smacked his shoulder lightly. "Ah, Goldsworthy. Abuse is never the answer." He said, only to hypocritically poke Eli's arm.

He feigned a look of hurt, a pouty expression on his lips. I blushed a little, shifting in my seat. Adam and Eli didn't seem to notice, only continuing an argument about abuse. "Swear to God, I can kick your ass, man." Adam argued, laughing a little bit. Eli contemplated it, shaking his head no. "Um, children? Cease the arguing." I cut in, smirking lightly. Eli raised his hands in defense, Adam merely shaking his head, trying to stop the laughter.

A petite girl with dirty blonde hair walked towards the table, smiling as she stopped in front of us. "Hello there." I offered, waving lightly. She waved in return, "Hi. You must be Chase. I'm Clare." she replied, sitting down next to Eli. I raised my eyebrows slightly, taken aback just a bit. Eli surprised me big-time by informally telling me this was his girlfriend. She didn't seem like his type at all, but, hey, he never ceases to amaze me. I smiled in return, "Pleasure to meet you. Eli's told me a lot about you, you know." Eli glared at me, earning a slightly nervous laugh from Clare. "I hope nothing incriminating." she replied, blushing red. I shook my head, "Only good things from that one. Not that there'd be anything bad, I hope. He doesn't need much to set him off most times."

Eli fake-coughed, "You realize I'm still here, right?" I nodded, smirking as I tilted my head to the side. Adam rolled his eyes, groaning. "Is it possible to be a fourth wheel?" escaped his lips. I lay a hand on his shoulder, "Talk, Sir Torres. Enlighten us with a story." He blushed slightly, sitting up a little straighter. I smiled warmly, turning back to Eli. "That's how you make people feel wanted, Goldsworthy." I mouthed, winking. He laughed, pulling Clare a little closer to him.

The waiter came over a few minutes later, taking our drink orders. Clare and I got waters, while Adam and Eli decided on coffee. "Yea, like you two need to be any more hyper than you already are." I said sarcastically, nudging Adam in the shoulder. He shook his head, "I'm a dead man walking. Sue me if I want to have a cup of coffee!" I laughed, "Alright, if you say so." He smiled confidently, looking over to Eli as the guy brought over our drinks.

"I have some news, in case Eli hasn't told you yet." I announced, looking over to him. He shook his head, signaling for me to tell them. "I'm going to be coming to Degrassi this semester. Starting on Monday." Clare smiled, Adam raised his eyebrows, and Eli sat back in the seat smirking. I laughed at their reactions, "I'll take those as good signs?" Clare nodded, "Yea, it'll be great. I could show you around."

"I can too," Adam cut in, blushing slightly at his outburst. "I-if you want me to, that is." He covered up. I smiled, "I'd love you to, both of you." He smiled shyly in return, taking a sip of his coffee. Clare looked over to Eli, who had been surprisingly silent throughout the conversation. "So, Eli, does she have a place to stay?" Clare asked, looking up at him. He nodded, "She's staying at my house." He nonchalantly lifted his coffee cup, taking a small drink. Clare raised an eyebrow, "Oh. Um, where...exactly?" I laughed a little, "In his guestroom. It's like my second home already, and his mom was the one who suggested it." Clare nodded, sitting up in the booth. Eli shrugged, taking another sip.

The rest of our time in the Dot was silent. There was an aura hanging in the air; a type of haze that I couldn't define at first. I eventually figured it out, once Eli and I had arrived back at his house. Was Clare jealous of me? Eli and I were friends, nothing more. He obviously cared about her, maybe even loved her, so why would he be going after me? It bothered me slightly that she would make an assumption that quickly. I sat down on the couch, propping my head up with my hand. "Well, that was fun." I said, slightly sarcastic. Eli nodded, obviously not taking the hint that I wanted to talk about something slightly deeper. "Clare's nice. She seems to think I'm alright. I'm not sure she 'approves' of the living situation, though." I confirmed bluntly, looking to Eli. He sighed, sitting down next to me on the couch.

"I already told her we're just friends. She's just a little confused, seeing as when she tried to spend the night, I...kinda...sent her home." he said slowly, looking down at his hands. "Eli, she's your girlfriend. And maybe next time she wants to sleep with you, reciprocate." I pushed his shoulder lightly, smiling at him. He shrugged, "I feel like I need to protect her. I'm not a good guy, I don't understand what she sees in me; why she keeps giving me chances." I wrapped my arm around his shoulder, leaning my head on it gently. "Eli, you're amazing. She's crazy if she thinks you'd try and hurt her."

He made a 'hn' sound, leaning his head on top of mine. I smiled a little to myself, closing my eyes.

A/N: Over 2,000 words? Le Gasp! :) I hope you enjoyed this new perspective.

Review!

Muchlove, darlings.