Someone Else
Summary: Takes place after the "Lexicon" episodes. Hazel and Paige's friendship is fractured as Paige turns to a life of partying to cope with all the new, major changes in her life. Meanwhile, Jay is still trying to get Alex back—or at least make her life as miserable as possible. Hazel, without a boyfriend for the first time in years is feeling alone and empty as other characters will make their cameos spontaneously.
Chapter One: Just Cause I Can't Go On
Paige Michelchuk hugged Alex tightly before they headed their separate ways. Since the Matt disaster, and the Spinner hurricane before, a wave of serenity was finally within reach. Paige just never thought that Alex would be the one to help her through it—be there more for her than anyone else in her entire life. Now, she just had to deal with Hazel. Wondering what to say and how to start again, Paige headed towards her lunch period, knowing Hazel would be there.
Hazel would sit expectantly, waiting for Paige to apologize. Then, she would want Paige to make up some lame lie as to what was really going on. Yet, she wasn't going to lie this time.
"Paige Michelchuk, just the girl I wanted to see." Jay slid into her pathway, slithering slyly like a snake, but still as transparent as ever.
"What do you want?" She rolled her eyes. As usual, Jay was the delay.
"Besides Alex back, I want you to come to my party." He held up a flier and Paige snatched it as Jay smiled, knowing he had already won.
"You party? Since when did you get the money to host something?" She laughed in disbelief as Jay shrugged, sliding his arm around Paige's neck.
"See, the way I see it—we had such a great time last time and the time before that and the time before that, that I knew I had to make you my permanent party buddy."
Paige's smile faded. "Look Jay, no on is supposed to know about that." She looked around paranoid that someone had heard, not bothering to think about all the people that had probably seen her passed out and drunk out of her mind. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I'm back in school." He smiled. "Took some courses during the summer at Toronto High and I'm back."
"Yeah right." Paige chuckled. "But seriously, you're the reason why I was even at those parties' If you hadn't told Hazel … and now she's giving me the cold shoulder ever since I went back on what I said." Paige frowned, looking down at her hands. How grimy and dirty they looked, just like how less-than-perfect her life had become—but she was on her way to fixing that. And then a much-needed manicure.
"You don't owe me an explanation and I'm sure she's over it by now." Jay looked at Paige as though he had worked his "magic" somehow. He probably blackmailed Hazel into talking to Paige or something. "Just come." He urged.
"I don't do ravines." Paige stalked off, trying to leave Jay behind before rumors got started.
"I know. But I've never taken you to a ravine part—and it's not a club either. It's a college party."
"When you hear this you are going to love me!" Paige squealed as Hazel tried to hold onto the grudge that she had been holding onto for a month. Now, with Paige all enthusiastic, which was very Paige-like, Hazel couldn't even pretend to still be upset. It was stupid.
"What is it?"
"Well, guess who's going to a college party tonight." Paige flashed the flier in front of Hazel's face.
"Not you. Don't you remember what happened at our first college party?" Hazel wondered, concerned.
"Yes. Of course." Paige looked away, trying not to get upset over it. "But Dean doesn't exist to me anything. I don't want to let that stop me. All college parties don't end like that." Paige wiped away the tears that started to well up in her eyes. "I'll just have to bring my two favorite people to protect me." She joked.
"You mean Alex?"
"And you silly."
"And I'll be 'the crowd.' Thanks, but no thanks." Hazel poked at her own watered down mac-n-cheese. She didn't know why she was being so grumpy lately. With everything that had been turned upside down lately, Hazel desperately needed some fun. She looked up, catching a glance of Jimmy and Ellie. Now they were eating together. How disgusting.
"You're supposed to be over him." Paige nudged as Marco sat down across from Hazel.
"It's not like I miss him or anything." Hazel recovered as Paige and Marco exchanged glances. "I just forgot what it feels like to be single. It sucks … a lot."
"That's why if you go with me tonight you'll find someone new and probably older. It'll be awesome."
"Older? That sounds bad." Marco shook his head. "I know. Paige knows--"
"I'll go … if you leave Alex behind."
"Paige, what are you doing?" Hazel whined as her best friend picked up another shot glass, downing it in a couple of seconds.
"Chill out. I'm watching my drinks." She giggled. Jay appeared and Paige hopped onto him, completely uncoordinated and—drunk.
"Glad to see you too." Jay smiled as he and Paige started grinding on each other and taking drink after drink. "Have one."
"No thanks. I have to take care of her remember?" Hazel rolled her eyes. What was the point of going to a party if you weren't there with someone you knew? Paige was totally gone and the drinking and grinding thing wasn't her style. Never was.
Ready to just call it quits and wait on the porch, Hazel felt cold beer splash all over her white coat. "Great! Thanks!" She muttered sarcastically as the drunk guy that spilled it on her stumbled over his two feet.
"Hey Timmy, wait up!" A cute, and completely sober guy called after him.
"You know that jerk?"
"Yeah. He's really cool … when he's not intoxicated. I'm Mo." He introduced himself as Hazel nodded, giving her name back.
"Yeah, well … I'll see you around."
"Wait!" Mo met her at the door, joining her on the porch.
"I can't believe I'm even here." Alex walked into the house. It was already trashed, like she expected it to be. But she was here because Paige couldn't go out tonight and … actually, she didn't know why she was here.
"Lexi!" One of the guys called as she nodded in recognition. Even after trying to stay clear of this lifestyle, she was still pretty well-known.
"You seen Jay."
"There or somewhere! Don't know!" He yelled as a bunch of guys ran past them with a keg and a funnel. Alex smiled. She used to remember when she and Jay used to do really dumb stuff like that … before she realized that she didn't want to become her mother.
"Hey!" Another person called as Alex couldn't sworn that she saw Jay dancing with a blonde. Good. At least he'd have someone else' life to interfere in now.
"Jay! I'm here." Alex walked over to him, stopping in her tracks as she saw that the blonde was Paige. There she was, the girl who was on her way to becoming Miss Universe, with Jay who was likely to be on America's Most Wanted. "No way."
"Join us!" Jay screamed as Alex punched him in the arm. "Whoa."
"Paige, I thought you had to study or something."
"Or something." Paige giggled, grabbing Alex's hand and trying to get her to dance.
"No. I'm through with both of you."
"I just hate how everyone is changing. One minute everything makes sense and it perfect and then everyone had to go and get all dark and affected. You know? I mean my ex went all artsy on me and now my best friend is nearing the road of being bi-sexual. And where does that lead me? Do I have to start puking after every meal just to keep up?" Hazel asked sarcastically.
"That's what happens though. Especially in high school … people change and what seemed to work doesn't work anymore." Mo offered, remembering his days at Degrassi."
"And this is so not the atmosphere to be talking about deep stuff like this." Hazel laughed as Alex practically knocked the door off its hinges in anger. Jay soon followed and Paige swaggered out fifteen minutes later. "Guess that's my cue. I'm on babysitting duty." She joked.
"I know how that is. Umm … see you?" Hazel nodded as Paige intervened.
"It's soo sooo want … number …" Her slurring was so bad that they could only catch every other word.
"Don't be stupid Paige." Hazel was embarrassed by now.
"But she's right. I'll just give you mine." Mo handed Hazel his number as Paige tugged on her arm and they started down that dusty road home.
"Come on Lexi, you didn't think she would get tired of you and throw you out for something more conventional?" Jay tagged along after his ex, knowing exactly what to say to get under her skin.
"You're conventional. I think not. I'm with someone else now Jay." Alex's eyes flashed at him angrily.
"But is she with you?" His eyebrows rose as Alex flashbacked to the scene at the party. Paige. Jay was all over her and she wasn't even fending him off. It was almost as though she wanted it.
"Look Jay, just stay out of it." Alex opened the door to her apartment as Jay followed her in.
"No! I want to know what she has that I don't Lexi? We fit together. It works. It makes sense. I don't…" He stopped, before completely breaking down in front of Alex.
"Just because you've used up everyone else and are lonely, it doesn't mean that you can come and ruin my life! Paige is … I don't know, but I won't be my mother."
"Your mom is awesome Alex." Jay suggested, confused.
"Her life isn't. I don't want you or some other trailer trash to beat me down everyday because it makes him feel better. I don't want to get drunk to forget my pain—I just want a REAL future." Alex pleaded.
"And how far do you think a dyke will make it in this world?"
"Out! Now!" Alex shoved him until he fell on his butt, but at least he was out of her apartment. Alex slammed the door behind her and started crying. Part of her knew that he was right … they were the same and they did make sense. And down the path Alex was going … she just wanted to be better. And whoever was going to make her feel better—male or female—she was going to be with. Sp why was Alex beginning to feel so torn over Jay?
(A.N: This is completely not my topic to be writing on, but I was so sad after watching the Lexicon episodes … and confused for Paige. I don't know if this will be more than one chapter, but it's good to be writing again—I just hate all the dialog all the time. Review and much love! –NL)