This is my first fanfic, so please be kind with your criticism :) Though, any comments are appreciated! Not sure exactly how long this story will be yet, but I plan to keep adding to it as long as I continue to enjoy writing it and you guys continue to enjoy reading it. More chapters to come!

**disclaimer-I do not own Degrassi nor any of it's characters**

Chapter 1- The Carpal Tunnel of Love

Imogen squinted her eyes as she felt the liquid running down her throat, leaving behind a slight burn. For so long she had avoided tasting any kind of alcohol, nervous of the consequences that may have come with it. Now, as she felt her face flush with heat, she couldn't believe she had waited so long to try it. What's the worst that could happen? she thought.

The girl had been through a rough year. Her father's condition continued to deteriorate, despite all of her best efforts to keep his mind current. She had been living with Natalie pretty much full-time, minus the occasional weekend whenever Louis was having good days. Though things with Natalie were more comfortable now, their relationship still did not compare to the one she had perfected with her father after years of practice.

Her second senior year started off much like her first one did. She was once again starting the school year without friends, being as Eli and Fiona had both graduated and moved on to the next chapters in their lives last May.

Adam had passed away during the summer, leaving Imogen with a sense of guilt over his tragic accident. She knew deep down it wasn't really her fault, but still could not grant herself complete forgiveness while feeling that somehow she could have prevented it.

It wasn't until her unexpected friendship formed with the unlikely Becky Baker that things started to feel okay again for Imogen. She had someone to talk to again—to gossip with, and to laugh with, and to gab about secret crushes. The latest of which was Degrassi's own Jack Jones.

Jack mesmerized Imogen. The girl seemed to be an endless supply of talent and radiated a certain coolness that left Imogen feeling completely inadequate at first. She could not believe that this free spirited beauty would have any interest in her weird and eccentric self.

But the truth was that Jack really liked Imogen. She enjoyed how nervous she made the quirky girl and found her unjustified insecurity irresistible… It also didn't hurt that she found Imogen incredibly adorable.

After spending enough time around Jack, Imogen had begun to let go of her inhibitions. She was no longer afraid of taking risks and was becoming more open to the many experiences life had to offer the quirky girl.

While handing the flask back to Jack, she planted a quick kiss on her girlfriend's lips. She leaned against the girl's shoulder as the two of them sat on the floor of the dance studio, enjoying each other's company. "I hope you're happy with yourself, Miss Jones. You have successfully corrupted a once silly and innocent young girl into a rebel without a cause," Imogen joked. "You bring out my bad side!" she exclaimed while giving her girlfriend a slight nudge.

"Your bad side? You don't have any bad sides!" Jack could not contain her smile as she thought about how endearing her girlfriend was. "Any teenager that still wears Hello Kitty pajamas and sleeps on PowerPuff Girl sheets is simply incapable of having a bad side. It's physics."

"Hey! PowerPuff Girls are bad-ass!" her voice was slightly defensive. "And I can have a bad side. If not, would I be able to do this?" Imogen grabbed the flask away from Jack's grip and began taking swigs before the flask was tugged away from her possession.

"Okay, okay, you're a regular James Dean," she conceded, "now can you lay off the booze long enough for me to make out with my girlfriend in this stinky, sweaty dance studio?"

Imogen's heart raced at the request. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol beginning to take effect or if it was legitimate lust for the other girl, but in that moment she wanted nothing more than to comply. Wrapping her arms around Jack's neck, she answered the girl's question by pulling her in close and eliminating the space between their lips.

A couple hours passed as the girls continued goofing around in the studio.

"One last swig before we go?" Imogen asked.

"Not for me; I'm driving. Wouldn't want to endanger my newly corrupted girlfriend or anything" Jack grinned.

"I know sarcasm when I hear it, Jack Jones. But one day I will prove to you just how hardcore I can be. Don't be fooled by the pig-tails…all part of my master plan," she winked, before finishing off the liquid that remained in the flask.

"Enjoying your first tastes of adult beverage, I'm assuming?" Jack was astonished by how much Imogen was drinking, given the harsh taste that came with the flow of whiskey.

"Very much so, Jonesy! I feel so liberated!"

"What is Natalie going to think whenever I drop you off smelling like a sailor on leave?"

"Natalie can think whatever she would like. I've been through enough rocky seas to deserve to enjoy my fleet week," she countered, proud of herself for continuing the metaphor.

"Aye Aye, Captain," Jack whispered close to Imogen's lips. "And don't ever call me Jonesy again" she smiled.

As she leaned in to give the girl one last kiss before they left, Imogen's phone buzzed with a text from her mom.

7:24 PM-Imogen Moreno, this is getting ridiculous. Answer your phone, I'm getting worried!

She realized that this was the sixth text she received while being at the studio, along with three missed calls. Her phone had gone unnoticed while she was busy being intoxicated by both the liquor and by Jack's charms. Scrolling up, she read the other messages that her mother had sent to her:

5:35 PM-You and Jack going to be late tonight? I ordered Chinese, it will be in the fridge.

5:49 PM-Don't forget, curfew is 9:00 on school nights…

6:45 PM-Hey…someone just stopped by to see you. I think you'd really want to be coming home soon.

7:00 PM-?

7:16 PM-When will you be home? It's rude to keep someone waiting.

"Jeepers!" Imogen said, annoyance evident in her voice. "Natalie is having a meltdown of epic proportions right now. I can't even go a couple hours sans my phone without her freaking out."

"Aren't you going to reply?" Jack did not want Imogen to get in trouble, and definitely did not want Natalie to think that she was influencing Imogen to ignore her mother.

"No, I'm not. We're going to be on our way back soon anyway, and she needs to learn that I'm almost nineteen and she can't expect me to just drop everything I'm doing whenever she decides to act like a concerned mother. Besides, whoever is waiting for me at her house should have informed me of their plans to visit instead of dropping by unannounced. I can't just sit around waiting for unexpected visitors." Imogen leaned into Jack to finish their interrupted kiss.

Hearing her girlfriend say these things sent a sting to Jack's heart. She knew it was probably just the effects of the alcohol causing Imogen to talk so callously about her mother, but it was still unnerving to hear. She much preferred her girlfriend's bubbly attitude to this newfound blasé one. Jack felt a pang of guilt ring through her as she suddenly realized that maybe Imogen, though she was only joking, was right—Maybe she was bringing out a bad side of this innocent girl.