Adam's POV

As soon as I walked through the doors of Degrassi, I could feel every pair of eyes burning into my skin. Whispers floated around me, and angry glares punctured me like knives. I looked straight ahead, trying not to pay attention to any of the students.

I made a beeline to my locker, which was next to Eli's. As usual, Clare was standing next to him, smiling and talking.

"Hi, Adam!" She said cheerily, smiling with her clear blue eyes.

"Hey, guys." I replied. I could practically feel my cheeks turning pink as I opened my locker. I hastily pulled out my Biology notebook. If I stayed for too long, I would definitely say something stupid in front of Clare.

"What's the rush, dude?" Eli asked, smirking slightly.

I smiled inwardly. He called me dude. For me, it was always a big deal when anyone did something like that. It showed that they accepted me as Adam.

"N-nothing. I just have to, um, pick up a book at the library before class."

"Oh, for the English report?" Clare asked.

"Uh, yeah," I lied feebly. I suddenly realized that this was my chance to get some alone time with her. "Mind helping me pick one out? I'm not the best at that kind of stuff."

"Then why are you in AP English?" She asked, a slight smirk on her face that was identical to Eli's.

I shrugged.

"I don't know. Luck, I guess. So, will you?" I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Yeah, sure. Eli, you coming?"

"Library? Ugh. You can count me out." He joked. "See ya." He lightly kissed Clare on the forehead, first glancing around to make sure that no teachers were watching. You could get a detention for a PDA. I felt a knot form in my stomach at the sight of them.

"Sorry about that," Clare said once Eli left. "It must be kind of annoying."

"Whatever, it's cool," I said, trying to appear as calm as possible.

Clare and I entered the library, which was a bit colder than the rest of the school. She shivered, and I couldn't help but think about how cute she was.

She walked over to the Shakespeare section, since our book report had to be about one of his plays. She pulled out a thick, green paperback book. A Midsummer Night's Dream.

"It's a comedy. I think you'll like it." She smiled. "Look, it even has a translator after every page for all of the old-fashioned words."

"Cool, thanks." I said, taking the book from her. My fingers brushed against hers, sending a jolt of electricity throughout my body.

Suddenly, the five-minute bell rang.

"Well, I better get to class. Bye!"

"Bye," I said, masking my disappointment with a smile. She ran out of the library, her curly hair flying behind her. I sighed. Would she ever like me back?

Clare's POV

I walked briskly down the hall, not wanting to be late for my next class. I wished that Eli had come to the library with Adam and I, but it had seemed that lately Eli and Adam weren't getting along as well as they used to. I brushed off the thought, though. Adam was going through a tough time; maybe it was just hard to connect with him.

I desperately wanted to be closer to Adam. I didn't have any guy friends, and he seemed really nice, despite all of the crap he's been put through. It sounds weird, but he's kind of my role model. He didn't let the bullies change who he was.

I remember when I saw him, dressed as Gracie, sitting at the picnic table. He had taken a hairclip and was burning his arm with it. That was just about the saddest thing I had ever seen. It makes me happy that he's better now, and is past that rough part in his life.

I slid into my seat just as the bell rang. I had AP English now, with Eli. Since we were editing partners, he sat in the desk next to me. He winked as I sat down, and I could feel myself blushing.

"So, did Adam find a book?" He asked, a touch of sarcasm in his voice. I nodded, ignoring his tone of voice.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream. I think he'll like it."

"Something's up with him," Eli said all of a sudden. I knitted my eyebrows together in fake confusion.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to sound like I hadn't noticed it as well. Eli sighed.

"It's kind of hard to explain. He's still nice and all, but sometimes I catch him giving me weird looks."

My mouth twisted into a worried frown. They had looked almost like looks of... envy. But what was Adam envious about? Was it the fact that Eli was born in a boy's body, the one thing Adam wanted? That had to be it. I felt moisture fill my eyes. Why did everything for Adam have to be difficult?

"Clare? You okay?" He asked. I nodded.

"I just, um, got something in my eye." He looked unconvinced, but didn't question me any further. I decided not to tell him my theory, for fear that he would think it was stupid.

I sighed, and let my mind drift back to Adam for the rest of the period.