Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi.

"You don't have to change who you are, everyone else does."

It really began when she sat behind him in English. She presumed he was a thug of some kind with his baggy clothes and beanie, but when he turned around to pass back the syllabus; his clothes didn't suit his face.

He wasn't smiling, but he struck her as friendly.

There was something about his eyes that were so warm and inviting, and she smiled at him, thanking him as he turned around.

She didn't talk to him until she began to eat lunch with Eli, since Alli was too busy for her these days.

Adam would talk to her, but only if she initiated the conversation. She didn't know if it was because he didn't like her, or if he was shy.

Or maybe he was upset that she was imposing on the would-be subjects of him and Eli.

Either way, she'd eat with them, munching quietly on her food, throwing her input on their discussions every now and then, and learning about the oddities of the male gender.

"Why did you help me?" he asked quietly as he threw on a hoodie.

"Because," Clare said simply, throwing his girly jacket in the trash, "what I said was true."

"Not then, before, with the tampons."

Clare was confused, and then suddenly her eyes widened in clarification. "Oh. Why wouldn't I?"

Adam shrugged. "Not many people would."

"Well I'm not many people, then."

Adam felt his lips twitch into a grin.

"You're a good person, Clare."

"So, what exactly did happen with you and Eli?" Adam asked, not looking up from his comic as he sat beside Clare on the bus ride home.

She looked over at him, seeing the hint of a grin on his face, ruining his façade of indifference instantly.

"Well if you must know," Clare told him, teasing him as she poked the side of his face, causing him to slap her hand away. "We're not together."

"Obviously," he said, setting his comic down, looking directly at her, waiting for the details of their discussion.

"Eli isn't ready for a relationship," Clare said, setting her hands on her lap, "so I told him I'll wait."

"That's pretty generous of you," Adam said, his eyebrow raised.

"What?" Clare asked.

"Nothing," Adam said, shrugging, "I'm just surprised is all."

"Why?" Clare asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I guess I didn't expect much maturity from either of you," Adam said, causing Clare's jaw to drop, until she saw the playfulness in his blue eyes.

"You're such a jerk!" She said laughing as she play smacked him in the arm.

He laughed, "You have to admit, though, it is kind of true."

Clare stuck her tongue out at him, resting her head on his shoulder as he went back to reading his comic.

"This is pretty romantic," Clare commented, handing him up a set of lights. "You must really like Fiona."

Adam bit his lip, unraveling the lights as he looked for a way to respond. "I feel like she'd accept me."

"Is that why you want to be with her?" It wasn't accusatory. It was a soft spoken question, marred by hesitance. She tilted her head, looking up at him, patiently waiting for a response.

"At first," Adam admitted his cheeks red as he became far too interested in the task at hand. "But she's different. There is something about her, Clare. I think she might understand me." He sighed, setting the lights down on a branch and looking at Clare. "It's hard to explain."

Clare nodded, accepting this. "I just want you to be happy."

Adam grinned. "Thanks, Clare."

"But Eli is right," Clare said, untwisting some tangled lights, "we're definitely not party throwers."

Adam looked around at their subpar completed work and sighed. "Oh well, all we have to do is make a few adjustments, maybe add some more lights and maybe a few candles."

"Candles?" asked Clare, looking up from her strand of lights.

"Intimate Atmosphere 101, Clare," Adam said teasingly. "Candles set the mood." He drew out the word "mood" making kissy faces at her.

"Adam Torres! You're in a place of worship!" Clare said, laughing.

Adam snorted, picking up the lights, reaching to set them on a higher branch. "Don't be such a buzz kill, Saint Clare."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "If you weren't on a ladder, I'd hit you," she scowled playfully.

"Well it's a good thing I am. I don't know how much more Clare Edwards abuse these arms can take."

"Oh please," Clare said, "you're so dramatic. I'm sure you'll live."

"I'm going to need a therapist! Your friendship is very abusive and I don't approve."

Clare giggled. "I'm going to rip a page out of your comic books if you keep this up!"

Adam gasped. "You wouldn't dare! You're far too nice for that."

"Am I?"

Her lips twitched, and he laughed. "Yes," he said simply.

She huffed, feigning irritation. "Fine, yes, I'd feel too bad. And besides, you'd probably cry, and it'd be like kicking an innocent kitten."

"First," Adam said, "I don't cry. Secondly, did you just compare me to a baby cat?"

"Yes," Clare said, laughing, "and oh, my mistake. I must have mistaken the other Adam Torres who cried finding out that he could go see The Dark Knight twice because I agreed to go with him."

"That wasn't crying that was my joy overflowing down my face. It's manly."

"Mhm," Clare hummed, playfulness shining in her eyes as she teased him.

"I'm going to get Eli to help me with the lights," Adam declared. "I tire of your bullying."

Clare gasped, throwing her mitten at him as he walked by.

He was trying not to cry, and her heart was breaking at the sudden helplessness she felt. His eyes where clenched, and tears were escaping down his cheeks.

He'd texted her, but it'd been so incoherent, that she'd called him, worried if he was okay. When he asked her to meet him, she didn't hesitate.

"Adam," Clare whispered, taking his hand.

"She didn't love me, Clare." He said, and then he let out a laugh. It was a bitter, pained laugh that was cut off by a sob. "She lied to me." He shook his head, resting his head in his hands, a sob escaping him, and she threw her arms around him, bringing him close.

It was far too heartbreaking to see him shatter. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him broken. She'd seen him at his worst, and she never thought she'd see him there again. Not because of someone.

Clare closed her eyes, trying not to cry. This wasn't about her pain, and she wouldn't cry and turn it into something about her.

"Am I going to be alone because of who I am?" Adam asked, pulling away from her, and her eyes widened, and she grabbed his face.

"You listen to me, Adam Torres, and you listen to me good! What Fiona did to you was disgusting and unforgiveable, but you are not fated to be alone! Don't let Fiona Coyne shatter you, just don't!"

Adam tried to smile, tried to believe it, but instead, he fell back into her embrace.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked her softly, taking her hand into his own, squeezing it gently.

He knew it was a stupid question, since tears were rolling quietly down her face, but he didn't know what else to say.

She sniffed, trying to smile, but she couldn't. Grimacing, she leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling comforted. "I will be," she whispered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, knowing Clare was more of the talkative type. One rant from her, getting everything off her chest, and she'd be closer to feeling back to normal, but he wasn't all that surprised when she shook her head.

"No, not now… Not yet, anyways."

Her dress was wrinkled, and her makeup was smeared from crying. She'd tried to have fun at the dance, clinging by Alli's side, trying to forget about what had happened hours before at the hospital, but upon seeing Adam she'd shattered. She looked at him and instantly felt her eyes fill with tears, knowing that'd she'd single-handedly ruined their happy threesome.

Adam had scooped her into a one armed hug and led her to the hallway where they sat. She'd cried, and gave him the minimal details: she and Eli were over, he'd crashed Morty, she'd left him alone, and it was over for good. The boy listened, holding her hand, letting her cry and carry on without a word or sigh in protest.

He'd assured her that nothing was her fault and that no matter what happened, he was still going to be her friend, and more importantly, everything was going to be okay.

"I just want to go home," Clare murmured tiredly.

"Okay," Adam said, "I'll take you home."

He pulled out his phone, calling his mom as Clare rested against his shoulder and he rubbed her palm with his thumb soothingly.

"I can't decide between The Dark Knight or Spider Man, so you pick."

He placed the DVDs on her lap, scooping up the bowl of popcorn and digging in.

"Hey, don't hog it," Clare said, balling up her napkin and tossing him at his head, setting the movies down on the coffee table. "The Dark Knight, by the way. It's just far more superior."

"I should have known. You're such a biased Heath Ledger fan," Adam said, shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Clare shrugged. "His performance was amazing, you can't even deny that."

Adam gasped. "I would never!"

Clare giggled, her feet curled under her bottom, her hand clasping at her mouth.

They were in his basement for their annual movie night. It was a tradition that three of them used to have, but slowly, it had become their private thing to do.

Sometimes they'd watch the movie without saying a word, other nights they'd talk about anything to analyzing the movie, to simply talking about the homework they had yet to complete.

Tonight, Adam sat there starring at the boxes, his eyes distant for a moment, and then a sigh escaped his lips.

"I think I'm in love with Becky Baker." He said it as if he were admitting defeat. Shame coated his voice, and his head bowed down to the carpet, unable to face her. As if he was betraying her.

Her brow wrinkled in confusion. She knew Adam and Becky had had a thing, and Eli had found it a big offense, considering this was the girl who had almost ruined the play and had quit. But Clare never held the same views as her boyfriend.

For Clare, she found Becky misguided. She was once the same way, unknowing of anything, and believing in a book that held only questions, not answers. She hated that Adam had been hurt, but couldn't hate the culprit, try as she might.

She placed her palms into her lap. "Have you told her?"

Adam's head snapped up, his eyes searching her, then his face fell and he turned to the side. "Of course not," he said bitterly. "Why would I?"

"Because she loves you, too," Clare said softly, touching his shoulder.

His jaw clenched, "I thought she did."

"She's probably really scared," Clare said quietly. "It's new to her, and she doesn't understand. That doesn't make her a bad person, does it?"

"No," he whispered.

"If you love her, if you truly and deeply love her this will work." Clare grasped his hand. "I know this will work out for you, Adam."

He looked over at her. "What if I blew it for good?"

Clare bit her lip. "You have to take the risk, right? Fight for her. Don't let her get away so easily."

Adam nodded. "Yeah," he said. "You're right."

He picked up the movie and headed to the TV, pausing. "Clare," he said, not turning his head to face her.

"Yeah?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Thanks."

"For what?" the girl asked, taking a handful of popcorn and putting it in her mouth.

"For getting it," he shrugged.

Clare smiled, "Of course. Now pop in the movie! I want to see this before sunrise, you big goof!"

"You're so demanding! Hold your horses!" He laughed.

They were lying in her hospital bed, tucked together as monitors beeped. The TV was playing a pointless show – background noise that neither of them cared to pay attention to, but pretended because neither knew what to say.

"I'm afraid, Adam." Clare said, not looking to him, but when he looked at her, he saw her eyes were flooding with tears. "I feel selfish, because everyone says I should think positive, but I'm afraid of dying."

Adam clenched his eyes for a moment, trying hard to keep his tears at bay. This was about Clare's pain, not his.

She clenched his hand tightly, and he squeezed her back.

It was funny how the two had drifted back and forth through friendship since her and Eli's breakup.

She'd tried to move on, and he had been lost in the current, and then he had his own life to deal with. They'd drifted apart, but always managed to collide again. They were important pieces in each other's lives. No matter how far they parted, the division would crumble, and suddenly they'd be back together.

Without Clare, Adam couldn't even imagine it. Before her, he'd had no one, but she was always there for him. He could talk to her about anything, and she loved him, just as he did her. They were like siblings.

Adam's lip quivered dangerously, and he drew in a shaky breath.

"I'm so selfish," Clare whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Death can't be that bad, but I'm scared of everything going on without me. Of what I'd miss if I'd suddenly not be a part of the equation anymore."

Adam shook his head, his eyes shut, and tears spilling down his cheeks. "Clare," his voice trembled, and Clare looked over, guilt taking over her.

"Sorry!" She said hoarsely, "I shouldn't talk like this! It's not fair to you; you don't deserve to hear this."

"No, you don't deserve to keep this bottled up inside of you! Stop acting like you're so selfish, because you're not, okay? You're just not!" Adam held her gaze, a fire growing in his blue eyes, and Clare's eyes widened slightly. "Stop putting everyone else first, and putting what they do and do not want to hear, you're the sick one, okay? Not me. Not Eli. Not your mother or anyone else who walks into this room. This is about you!"

Clare's lower lip trembled, and she threw her arms around him, a sob escaping her. He always knew what to say, even if he'd refuse to believe it.

"Thank you," she whispered softly, and he only responded by hugging her close, trying desperately to keep her with him for as long as he could.

It was a surprisingly bright day when she got the news.

Her mom had come into her room and looked at her, not saying a single word, but the look in her eyes and the frown on her face let her know something was wrong.

Clare's voice was caught in her throat, unable to escape to voice her growing fear to find out what had happened. She waited for her mother to say something, her heart hammering in her chest as she went through a mental checklist of everything that could possibly be wrong, wanting to scream at her mother to just spit it out.

Helen took her hand gently, caressing it with her thumb, and not looking at her daughter. "Clare," she said softly, "something happened to Adam."

Those five words were all it took for Clare's world to shatter into a million pieces. She could almost hear the sound her fragile glass world exploding, being blown apart by the blow of the sentence.

After some begging, she was allowed to leave to see him. Of course, she was so tightly wrapped to head to the ICU, the nurses had made her have everything but a rubber ball to travel in, but she didn't care. Adam was fighting for his life, and she refused to sit in her room and wait. She needed to see him, and she'd do whatever it took to do so.

It was like she was in a fog ever since she got the news. Like she was having an out-of-body experience in another dimension, and she felt dizzy as she tried to comprehend it all. Adam couldn't be dying. Not Adam. He'd never do something so stupid, so carless. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real.

Her breath gripped and clawed at her throat, hitting the mask surrounding her face like hot steam, heavy as she moved forward. She thought she was going to be sick when she entered his room and saw him.

He looked like a broken doll lying on the bed, battered and bruised, and a sob gripped her.

"Adam," she whimpered, her legs collapsing from under her, and Mr. Torres caught her right as she fell.

"Clare," Audra said softly, "you should be –," but the sentence failed her. She knew, they all knew, nothing would keep these two apart.

"We'll leave you two alone," Omar said, guiding her to the chair that Audra had previously occupied beside her son.

When they were alone, she hesitated reaching for his battered hand, but grabbed it gently, feeling his burns and bile rose in her throat.

She closed her eyes, trying hard to keep the tears at bay. "How could you?" she asked, her voice quiet and harsh in its anger. It was the voice that usually made the boy cower before her, but it gave her no response now. "You better get better, Adam Torres! Do you hear me? You can't fail on me, not yet!"

A beep went on the monitor, and she gasped, gripping his hand and leaning forward. "You can hear me! I know you can! You better fight for us, okay! People depend on you, we all need you! This year is ours, remember? We'll get through this together like we always do, okay?"

She closed her eyes. "I need you with me, okay? We need to get better together and live happy lives. You promised me it'd happen for us, so it's time to live up to that promise." She brought his hand to her masked mouth and kissed it, knowing it wasn't the same, but not caring. "You're going to be okay, Adam. You're gonna get through this. We both are."

Author's Note: I decided to end it on a bittersweet note, because we all know Adam dies, and honestly I think the writers not having a plot where Clare deals with it is pretty shitty, but what can you do? Whatever, Cladam friendship to the end, f the writers!