Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi!
This is my first ever Degrassi fan fiction. I hope it's decent. Please review if you'd like.
Btw this is set, obviously before Eli and Clare got back together and when she and Jake are still together.
Chapter 1: Camping
On a chilly, Saturday morning a red truck pulled up to the front entrance of Degrassi. An auburn haired girl hopped out of the passengers seat and made her way to the back to being unloading the car. She grabbed hold of one of the luggages and struggled to lift it up. Suddenly a tall boy come up behind her, taking the suitcase from her hands.
"No, please let your big, strong boyfriend get that for you", Jake playfully said removing the luggage from the pickup truck and placing it onto the curb.
"Oh really? My 'big, strong' boyfriend, huh?" Clare innocently teased.
"Yup, not to mention funny, charming, and incredibly sexy", he added on.
Clare giggled and wrapped her arms around Jake's neck going up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. "I still can't believe you talked me into this", she said still remaining in his arms.
"Oh, Clare, come on. I promise it'll be fun. Besides I thought you'd love a chance to get away from our parents and out insane family for a bit", Jake argued.
"I do, I do. It's just...camping? Really?" Clare said slowly releasing herself from Jake's hold.
"Well I for one happen to love camping and nature, so when Degrassi offered a camping trip I jumped at the chance", he defended.
"I know, I just wish that you would have asked before signing me up, too."
"Stop being such a party pooper, it's only for the long weekend. Would you feel better if I guaranteed you a trip you'd never forget?" Jake suggested as he seductively pulled her in close once again by the waist.
"Well, how are you going to do that? What did you have in mind?" Clare asked.
"Well I thought maybe we could do a little of this...", he said placing a light kiss on her neck. "And this...", he said tenderly kissing her freshly glossed lips. "And maybe some other stuff, if you know what I mean."
"Right. In your dreams, Martin!" Clare said playfully pushing Jake away. "Well, I'm gonna go run to the bathroom real quick before the bus leaves. Do you mind unloading everything else?"
"Not at all. I'm your big, strong boyfriend, remember?" Jake smirked.
Clare smiled back before she leaned over and kissed Jake on the cheek. She then quickly sprinted up the stairs, through the doors, and down the halls of Degrassi. She had been moving so fast she didn't realize someone else had been walking through the hallways as well when suddenly she collided with them head on and fell to the floor. Clare sat a bit disoriented on the ground gripping her forehand before a hand appeared in front of her.
"Clare, are you okay?"
Clare looked up and saw Eli offering to help her up. She nodded as he took his hand and restored the balance to her legs. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. I'm sorry I ran into you", Clare timidly said. She and Eli had barely spoken after their break-up and have grown even more distant since she and Jake had started seeing one another.
"It's okay. No worries", Eli insisted.
"So what are you doing here?" Clare curiously inquired.
"Oh, I'm going on the camping trip", Eli said motioning over to his duffel bag that was set on the floor beside him.
"Really? I didn't take you to be the camping type."
"I'm not. My therapist thought it would be good for me to spend some time outdoors. She said all the fresh air would help to clear my mind and keep me at ease", Eli explained.
"Oh, that's great, Eli. I'm glad to see you doing better", Clare said sincerely.
Eli smiled at her. "So what about you, Clare? I didn't quite peg you as a big nature girl either."
"I-I'm here with Jake."
"Right, right, of course. I should have figured", Eli said as he head began to slowly sink down. "Well, I'll see you later I guess." He picked up his bad and threw it over his shoulder and he began to walk passed Clare.
"Eli, wait", Clare called out making Eli stop in his tracks and turn back toward her. "W-what about you? Who did you come here with? Adam? Fiona?"
"I asked Adam, but his mom didn't allow him to come. I swear, that woman can be so overprotective sometimes. And Fiona? Are you kidding? Like she'd leave her cozy loft to go live in the woods", Eli said as he let out a small laugh.
Clare laughed with him. "Yeah, I guess you're right. What about...uh... Imogen?" Clare nervously asked. Although she knew she and Eli were not together she could sense that something was going on between them. Part of her was happy to see Eli moving on, but she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. The thought of Eli and Imogen together made her ill.
"Imogen had plans with her father today and couldn't make it", Eli said.
"Oh, I'm sorry. So you're all alone?"
"Yup, seems that way." Eli began to turn his body once again from Clare.
"Eli", Clare called back for a second time, "You know if you get lonely or anything you're always welcome to hang with Jake and I", Clare kindly offered.
"T-thanks Clare", Eli finally said before walking out the front doors and headed toward the buses. Clare broke her gaze and continued her path to the bathroom, soon running back to the outside to meet up with Jake. She found him waiting on line to get onto the bus. Jake immediately draped his arm around Clare's shoulders and kissed her forehead.
"Hey, what took you so long?" Jake questioned.
"Uh", Clare began to say as she looked over he shoulder at Eli in the distance, "I just got caught up talking to someone."
"Oh, okay", Jake says stepping up as they finally reach the front of the line. "So, are you ready to go?"
"Yeah", Clare hesitantly says as they walk onto the bus and off to a trip that they'd never forget that would change everything.
