A/N: And inspired by tonight's episode, I give you something random~

Eli walked through the halls of Degrassi alone; he had stayed in the library after school to finish writing his play. He wanted to avoid running into everyone; he just wanted to be alone. But he could never be alone, and he realized that he wasn't the only one in the school an hour after dismissal.

He heard them before he could see them. They were arguing.

"I don't understand what the big deal is, it's not like we're officially together or anything," the guy explained, and Eli rolled his eyes. All these relationships were the same. When he heard the girl speak, though, Eli's heart stopped. It was Clare.

"But after we…y'know, I thought things were different—"

"Clare, all we did was make-out, and we had this talk already. I don't do relationships," Jake sounded exasperated. Eli turned the hallway corner just in time to see Jake throw up his hands.

"But I th-thought you liked me," Clare's voice shook. Neither of them had seen Eli yet, and he was thankful.

"Do you always believe everything you hear?" Jake laughed, and Clare's blue eyes were cast to the floor. There were unshed tears in them, and Eli wanted nothing more but to bash Jake's face in. "Whatever Edwards, when you're done crying and want to have some fun, you know where to find me." Jake walked away swiftly, leaving a crying Clare in the hallway.

Eli waited until he was gone before slowly making his way towards Clare. She had sunk to a nearby bench and was wiping her face as sobs shook her body.

"Clare?"

She looked up, surprised that she wasn't alone. "Oh, hey Eli," she faked a smile, furiously wiping at her tears. "What's up?"

"You tell me," he said softly, taking a seat beside her.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm fine," Clare lied, and her voice cracked.

"I saw what happened," Eli offered. "Martin's an ass." Clare bit her lip, trying to regulate her breathing. "Please, talk to me?"

"I can't," she looked at her hands.

"Why not?"

"Because it's you! It's all about you," she blurted, and then clamped her mouth shut. She shouldn't have said that.

"What are you talking about?" Eli was confused.

"I just…" Clare started, not knowing what to say. "You make it so hard for me to get over you," she confessed, looking into his eyes for a split second before looking at her hands in her lap. "You say that you hate me, you parade your new girlfriend all around school, and then you try to comfort me—"

"Imogen is not my girlfriend," Eli laughed, shaking his head, but Clare didn't even crack a smile.

"I'm trying to get over you by moving on with Jake, but it's not the same. I don't know what to feel when I'm around you," Clare drew in a shaky breath, "People tell me not to think about it, and just feel, but…I still love you, and I'm scared I always will."

Eli just looked at her, his green eyes studying her face. Tears ran down her cheeks and her eyes were red and puffy. "If it's any consolation, I still love you, too," He admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "These feelings aren't going to go away."

She finally lifted her head up and looked him in the eye. Her blue orbs met his green, and he was momentarily breathless. Even with puffy eyes and tear stains, she was still beautiful. Before either teen knew what was happening, their eyes closed and their lips came together. Eli's hands ran up and down her arms, while her hands pulled his shirt closer to her. His tongue licked her lip and she let him in eagerly, leaning into his touch. She bit his lip, and he let out a low growl deep in his throat.

"Ahem." The teenagers separated themselves, moving to either side of the bench. Clare blushed furiously as she saw Ms. Dawes walking away with a hand over her eyes. "I didn't see anything!" She called over her shoulder.

Eli and Clare looked sheepishly at each other, small smiles on their faces. Eli stood up, holding his hand out to Clare. "Are you coming?"

She smiled and laced her fingers with his, letting him lead her out of the school.

Things were complicated, but she loved him, and no one was going to change that.