A/N Hey! So instead of continuing stories on "It Takes One Kiss," I decided to create a new story instead. This story will be a future fic to what we've already seen in the promos and previous episodes. Although the season finale might not match my assumptions, I still wanted to post it anyway. I must warn that the second chapter will be much shorter and more "mature" I suppose than this one. I made it somewhat lighthearted and fluffy, so I hope you guys enjoy it.
Forgetting something simple like her planner was only a reminder of her slim chances at that college acceptance letter. She thought she had Ivy League schools in the bag from all the years of acing at Honors English and her other classes along with hours of extra-curricular activities. Then the side effects of chemotherapy screwed everything up. It could've been worse obviously. Clare could in fact be lying in the hospital bed waiting until the final stages of her cancer take over her body. She has to take thank God and medical advances.
But she still couldn't help but sigh at all the years of hard work being spent for seemingly nothing. Just like everything beyond the moment Eli Goldsworthy ran over her glasses with that car he destroyed for her had been everything but easy. And all that they went though together had been for nothing. He ended up cheating on her in the span of six weeks of being apart. Out of all the fears of the things going wrong in their relationship, unfaithfulness hardly surpassed Clare's mind.
No.
Thinking not only of her cheating ex boyfriend but her cheating father as well would only lead to a car accident. What she needed was to focus on the last place she left her planner.
It could've fallen between the seats of the couch while her and Drew watching A Game of Thrones while taking a break from brainstorming ideas for the spring event. Jake and Katie weren't using that show as an excuse as some cover for shacking up during their "study sessions." They were truly watching it to witness Khaleesi kick major ass. At least that's why the "twenty minute break" continued for three hours for Clare anyway. For Drew, it was probably the endless amount of sex scenes. It was practically a medieval porno.
Or maybe she misplaced her planner in Drew's room when they were making final touches to the tickets that Imogen had designed for them. The tickets were for the winter event, Mr. Panther, a male upperclassmen beauty pageant that was meant to be light-hearted. The guys were chosen from each club and sports team. Whoever won would get prize money. It was Drew's idea, surprisingly. The inspiration may or may not have come from watching Little Miss Sunshine together.
Now if only they figured out the spring event. Clare really wanted to come up with this idea on her own, too. Since Jenna and Alli had come up with a Masquerade Ball for Valentine's Day, dances were out of the question.
The older Torres's room was surprisingly clean. With the way he carried himself before this year, she assumed the messy room would be included in the slacker package. He certainly has proved her previous prejudices wrong. His beginning actions were a reaction to the much recent death of Adam while having all these new pressures. Losing someone that close so suddenly is painful. If the sense of loss hit her then she couldn't imagine what Drew was going through.
But he rose above it. He has proven to be a leader, despite all he's gone through. Even after Bianca broke the engagement, he didn't stop his streak. His qualities have been admired to say the least. Clare was proud to call him her friend. Nothing more.
There was no answer, despite three consecutive knocks. Please answer, I don't want to die of frostbite tonight. Drew's parents were out of town this weekend but it's not like their son is completely deaf. Of of all the things Drew could do in his house and he chooses to work on student council matters and watch Game of Thrones with his "veep."
Dallas also had a game tonight and an after party to attend, as Drew claimed. The team and its fans would either throw a party to celebrate the win or throw a party to forget the loss. Either way, there would be alcohol, marijuana, and good ol' premarital sex. All of those things Clare would not partake in one night. Surprisingly, Drew has been following suit. With the tutoring in Pre-Calculus he gets from Clare and the hours they put into student council, she practically spends more time with him than alone. And she knows if the same case went for her, then it goes for Drew. Unless he somehow sneaks in attending a party during his bathroom breaks or sacrificing his sleep, Drew's social life is just as inactive as hers.
Using the backdoor would be a much better idea. Besides, the Christmas lights were absolutely stunning if they were on at this time of night. They weren't. But maybe they could be on if she asked politely enough.
She was strictly here for the planner and then she would be on her way.
Had the music been always on or did it start to play after she descended to the backdoor? It was at the chorus of that ridiculous song from Pitch Perfect. A movie she didn't watch four times obviously. Oh God. Could this possibly mean…?
Her eyes adverted to the room behind the glass door and to her shock and amusement, Drew was playing the red solo cup and singing to the tune of the song on his coffee table. In nothing but boxers. Not that she was admiring the visual aspect or anything.
Warmth blasted through as Clare opened the door. It was unlocked to her surprise, and in that same instance, Drew looked up and swatted the cup. Soon after, he sprinted to his iHome speakers and turned them off. She couldn't help but laugh.
"It was on the radio, okay," he attempted to cover up.
"You know, you should really lock your doors and put on a shirt. Even if the heater is working perfectly in here," she commented.
"I was also working out earlier, too. And besides, you know you can't resist," Drew playfully responded as Clare rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, nothing gets me going like a guy being all damp and smelly from the cup song," she tried to insult as much as possible.
He went to the hamper to grab a towel to wipe the sweat off his body and a t-shirt to put over him. As he was walking back, he said, "Please don't tell anyone about that. Especially Dallas. He'll never let me live that down."
"Or what? Do you think I can't be as manipulative as Dallas?" Clare said as she sat on the couch.
"You, a black-mailer? Please. But why the sudden visit? You couldn't have texted me or knocked?" he said as he sat next to her.
She did forget to text him.
"Okay, you got me at the texting part. But I did knock on your door upstairs. It's not my fault you were so preoccupied," she said as she slid her hand in between the cushions.
"Shut up," he said with a smile of defeat. "How'd your stepdad let you drive his truck over here at this time of night. Oh, right. Your parents aren't home for the weekend either,"
"Yeah, the perks of church retreats for married couples. I mean they took the truck but I still get access to my mom's car,"
"You still haven't answered my other question. Why are you here? And what the hell are you trying to do to my couch?"
"Could you get up for a second? I'm trying to see if my planner fell around here," she requested, still continuing to move her hand around.
"Oh, it's in my room," he casually answered, prompting to Clare to free her hand and smack him with it. "Ow! What the hell?"
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? You see me practically trap my hand into the abyss of your couch. Or at least text me so I didn't have to drive all the way here," she protested.
"I was going to text you tomorrow morning because I figured you probably were you asleep by the time I found it," he said.
"Yeah, I would've been. But I wasn't sure what time my doctor's appointment was on Monday and it was in my planner. And I couldn't go to bed unless I knew for sure,"
"Of course. Well, I'll go get it but you have to promise me you'll crash here once you find the date for that appointment. I don't want you to be driving this late at night," he said as he stood.
"Drew, no. I got here just fine, didn't I?" she posed.
"Yeah, but I don't want you to press you luck. You look exhausted," he commented.
"Well, I'm not. But thanks for saying I do, though," she remarked.
"You know what I mean. Look your parents aren't home. My parents aren't home. You've got nothing to lose if you just stay. We'll watch some more Game of Thrones if you're not tired," he insisted.
The temptation was rising. He really knew how to negotiate.
"Just go get it," Clare rolled her eyes and half-smiled.
"I'm taking that as a yes," he smiled as he ran up before she could object any more.
She couldn't help but smile. His persuasiveness really cute, she had to admit. No, she didn't admit.
Her boots were discarded.
Wanting to be preoccupied, her eyes trailed down to a familiar title of a book on the coffee table. It was titled Battle Royale, which was a name of a Japanese film Eli made her watch. He claimed she would like it, since it's like the Hunger Games, without the "bullshit of beating the games by attempting suicide." The graphic images of Japanese middle school students killing each other flooded into Clare's mind. Not to mention the rant Eli always brought up that this book and movie should have gotten more attention than the Hunger Games did, since it was written before and less of a "wannabe dystopian novel trying to cover the cliché love triangle." Clare could disagree but since she doesn't understand the "mechanics of story arcs and cinema," her opinion would automatically be wrong.
She certainly didn't miss the pretentious attitude he had about that subject.
"Oh, that book is awesome!" Drew exclaimed, interrupting her thoughts. She turned around, eyeing her planner, as he took initiative and handed it to her. But it wasn't opened yet.
"How would you know?" Clare asked, not realizing how mean her question was.
"Because, believe it or not, I actually read it," Drew answered, as he leaned against the pillar once again.
Beat red with guilt, she tried to cover it up, "No, I didn't mean it like that, it's just it's such a big book and all and-"
"Clare, it's fine. Like I'm honestly not butthurt or anything. I know I give off the vibe that I don't like to read which is true because, I don't. It was Adam's," he started. "Whenever he had free time, he'd be reading that book. Me and Dallas would be going hard while playing NBA 2K13 or working out, and he was unfazed with that book in his hands. With summer camp and Becky drama, he didn't have time to finish it. So I did. It just felt like he could still be here if I went into a little part of his world, you know? It didn't hurt that I actually enjoyed the book."
"Now you make me want to read it," Clare finally said.
"I mean, you can if you want. There's a ton of violence, though, I must warn. It's kind of like the Hunger Games, but with a lot more gory details. And it's definitely more fucked up," Drew admitted.
What was he implying exactly? Did he not think she could handle it? What exactly were they watching for three hours today? A medieval fairytale about princesses singing and falling in love?
"I know, my friend made me see the movie," Clare commented, applying the "He Who Must Not Be Named" rule to this case.
"Damn, there's a movie! Was it any good?"
"I mean I suppose. I prefer the Hunger Games, though," she admitted.
"I get it. Katniss is a badass. And played by my future wife."
"Get in line," Clare snorted.
"Whatever. Could you imagine if we had to fight our classmates, though?" he posed. Then it hit Clare.
Drew still continued, "Like I don't know, I'd like to say I'd fight to win the title but underclassmen are starting to get a little beefier these days. Dallas said the guys on the team thought they were taking 'roids when some kid just fooled them with some vitamin pills. But I don't know, sometimes I feel threatened by these freshmen walking around the hallways. Like they're going to take my money for a protein shake or something."
Clare wanted to laugh at his goofiness but was too focused on formulating her new idea.
"We should do that for the spring event,"
"Take steroids and steal people's money? Are you crazy?!" Drew cried.
"No, not that-" now she couldn't stop laughing, "—the Hunger Games."
"The spring event should be kids fighting until the death in a closed arena? Yeah, good luck getting Simpson's approval?"
"Oh my God. Obviously not. Let me elaborate. So we have two guys and two girls from each grade volunteer for this type of event. If too many volunteer, then we'll have a raffle which-"
"Okay, first off, that's really awesome," Drew admitted, "but if we're going to do this event, we need people who are in shape for this. It's going to get boring fast if people tired out too easily but obviously there should be fair game in this. So for each grade, there should be separate raffles for girls and guys that are from sport teams and girls and guys that aren't."
"That's fair. Then the choices will be heard either through intercom or we can have a mock reaping. We'll get someone to dress like Effy," Clare proposed.
"Who?"
"That is mahogany!" she imitated as Drew immediately caught on.
"Okay, so how do we make sure this will be safe enough for Simpson's approval yet exciting enough for the school to get behind," he posed.
"Uh, for starters, it will be in the outside field. We could have nerf guns, foam swords, cardboard shelters, fake shields, I don't know what else. I never had those type of things as a kid. I would maybe think you'd have more of a sense," Clare said.
"Yeah, Adam and I had toys like that growing up. Actually, my younger cousin has one of those electric cars you can ride in. With the right materials, we could easily make it look like a cheap-looking tank. That might be funny," Drew added. "Connor seems like the type who could be good at that. I'll brainstorm with him and Dallas about that."
"Perfect. We could also get Degrassi TV and the film club to team up on making a live vlog of the whole thing so if kids wanted closer shots of the event, they could look it up on their phones or something,"
"Hell yeah this could actually work. But before we get too crazy with this, we should talk about it with the student council on Monday," he advised.
Although Clare wanted to discuss it more, she knew she couldn't get carried away with it. And she commended Drew for mentioning that. He was truly forming into the leader Degrassi needed after all.
"Oh, of course. It was just an idea," she claimed.
"A motherfucking badass one at that," he complimented.
"Thank you. I honestly needed to top yours. Like do you have any idea how many girls have swarmed me about when the tickets will be sold?" she admitted.
"The number would double if I was competing in it," Drew boasted as he leaned back with his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, you could do the 'Cup Song" as your special talent," she teased. "I mean you did get over fifty likes on my FaceRange page."
Wiping the cocky grin off of Drew's face was absolutely priceless.
"Take it off now!" he demanded. Never had Clare seen this side of him before. All hot and bothered. It was quite amusing.
He started to eye her bag but she snatched it faster. She thought she had the upper hand until Drew grabbed her from behind before she could get up to run. The former athlete forced her back onto to the couch as he hovered over her.
It was surprising that her wig didn't fall off or something in the process.
She immediately put her bag underneath her, guarding it with her hands. It still didn't stop him from reaching for it. This was starting to turn into a game, and the two didn't realize how much they enjoyed it. In the position she was in, Clare knew that she was no match for him.
"Okay, I was just kidding. I never even took a video!" she panted, letting Drew take the bag from under her back. When she admitted defeat, Clare didn't realize how out of breath she was. Drew seemed to be as well.
Not breaking body contact, he replied, "I don't care at this point," before dropping the bag gently on the floor.
He then leaned in for a short kiss. Then the two briefly held eye contact until their lips crashed against each other. The rest followed instinctively. Clare spread her legs and held the nape of his neck while Drew positioned himself even closer than before and cupped her face. The heat was building up throughout her body, making her sensitive to his every touch. It didn't help that they were already warm enough as it is, with the previous antics and the heater going on.
His hand left her face and trailed down from her neck to the end of her blouse. The fingers brushed across her bare upper body until he cupped under the bra, erupting a quiet moan out of Clare's throat. Victorious, Drew grinned as he continued to lock lips with her.
Shortly after, Clare frantically reached for his boxers, only to realize her actions. She reacted to this by quickly dropping her arms to her sides and widened her eyes.
This prompted Drew to open his eyes to notice her bugged-out ones, take his hand out of Clare's shirt, and take his mouth off of hers to open it with a concerned, "Why'd you stop? Are you okay?"
"Fuck!" she cursed as her hands covered her face in agony, taking Drew aback as he still hovered over her. "We promised the last kiss was a onetime thing but I let it happen again. And it escalated even farther,"
"Yeah and I enjoyed every minute of it," he grinned.
"I have to go," she said as she pushed him away and went to grab her overcoat.
"Come on, don't be like that," Drew pleaded.
"I have no choice. Look, I think it's best if we keep our distances for a while," she declared as she stood with her coat on.
"You know we can't do that,"
"Then this needs to stop, okay? We both just got out of tough breakups and we have a school to run. Let's not even forget college applications. We have enough on our plate as it is. Getting our emotions involved will only add to that. We're better off as friends," she advised as she headed for her boots until Drew stood up to face her.
"I know, you're right. But I can't stop thinking about the first kiss we had. And every time we hang out, I want to be more than friends," Drew confessed. "You honestly can't tell me you don't feel the same way."
She hated how he could be so sure of himself. She hated even more was that he was absolutely right.
"Fine, I can't," she conceded, looking into his eyes matching the small that crept over on his face. "But there's no way we can be together. I don't want to try to make you seem like the bad guy but you cheated twice, one of them being my best friend, with a girl who you eventually got engaged to. I can't compete with that. And I won't,"
"You're scared. I get it. I know I don't exactly have the best track record with relationships, but Bianca and I are done. We might not have ended them on horrible terms, but we ended them for sure. And I'm also competing with the guy who crashed his car for you. So I'm kind of scared of what this can be, too. But I'm willing to try it out if you are," Drew challenged as he held both of Clare's hands.
And cliffhanger. But don't worry, it won't be long. But seriously, how hilarious would it be if Degrassi had a mock male beauty pageant and the mock Hunger Games. Mine, like many schools, have one and I remember how much I enjoyed doing backstage work for it. My cousin and his friends also created their own Hunger Games at their school, so I can't honestly take all the credit. Anyway, I digress. Please share whatever thoughts you had on this chapter!