A/N: I've been dying to write this since the premiere.

Wonderwall

Ch. 1

If you'd believe it's in my soul,
I'd say all the words that I know

The uncomfortable silence is forcing me to shift slightly in the way too soft cushion. I find myself staring at the dull shine of my nails as I feel her eyes bore into the top of my head. My face is bowed, my sidebangs falling into my eyes as my eyes flicker to the fresh bandage assaulting my wrist. It shouldn't be there. I shouldn't be here. I hear the tapping of a pen against a clipboard, and a click of it signalling the scrawling of note thereafter. Forcing myself to look up at the sound of her voice, she says my time is up. I nod and make my way out into the halls of Degrassi, the sound of my footsteps echoing as I hurry to get to class.

"Are you okay?" The soft tone makes me jump, and I swallow the bile back into my throat as an arm graces itself around my waist.

The frantic beating of my heart is betraying my will to stay calm. Swallow, breathe. I repeat the mantra inside my head effortlessly. I ease myself out of his caring arms, finding myself murmuring some noise of acknowledgement. He nods and looks at me with concern and love reflected in his eyes.

He waves and looks back at me while I continue down the tiles, counting which ones gave dried gum on them as I go along to properly distract myself. The downside of this being I'm not looking where I'm going, and collide clumsily with the new cheerleader on the squad. Holly, I think her name was. She twists her face into a scowl and steps forward to invade my space. On a normal occasion I would have stepped even further, but it's not a normal occasion. It hasn't been for a while now. I hang my head and murmur an apology. "The slut is apologizing, alert the media," she laughs, and I flinch as she leans in to slap me.

I shut my eyes and await the blow. It doesn't happen. Instead, a body intervenes and places itself in front of me. Shielding me. I open my eyes and see a head of soft, dark locks. I know her eyes are glaring harshly at our teammate, full of hate and anger. I'm glad I'm not on the receiving end.

"Say another word and it'll be my fist colliding with that pretty little nose of yours," she says with venom,"Which, by the way, your plastic surgeon missed an important bump." With slight amusement I watch her stalk away, defeated as she raises a hand delicately along her nose in self conscience. My defender turns and faces me; I flinch and wait for her to touch my arm or hug me, something. It doesn't come. "We should get to class," she suggests softly, picking up my books from the floor and looking at me expectantly.

I follow, because I'm still unsure of what just happened. I feel I should thank her somehow, but I every time I open my mouth no noise comes out. Closing my mouth stupidly, I settle into my seat and feel her putting down her bag next to me. I tug at the sleeves of my jacket to cover my wrist, feeling as if the entire class knows. I'm not my usual, bubbly self. Someone saw me coming out of the counselor's office. Someone saw me drunk. Someone put two and two together. They know. I feel their eyes on me and I feel my chest contract as I struggle to breathe. My breathing is quickening in pace.

I see her open her hand tentatively between our seats. Not out on the desk in the open, not close enough as to threaten my newfound phobia of touch. I stare at it, and I know she's the only one not looking at me. Her eyes are directed over at the computer screen, looking over at today's agenda while everyone wonders what the hell happened to me. My hand reaches out to her open palm; I'm shaking. My body defies me at the last second, jerking my fingers away and back into the comfort of my pocket. I want to apologize, but again I can't talk. She returns her hand into her lap, not looking at me but holding the most gentlest of looks I've ever seen. "It's okay," she whispers just loud enough to hear. Needing to talk, I open my mouth again yet to be drowned out by the instructor's voice calling out role. I sink back in my seat dejectedly and settle on staring at her hand, just moments before opened to me.

My name is Darcy Edwards and my world has turned upside down.