A/N: I've been wanting to write a Palex story for awhile now, this idea hit me while watching the episode last night. I really didn't like how it ended so I took the last part of the episode I enjoyed and wrote how I would have liked it to happen. I'll update every 2-3 days, I never start a story and then stop without finishing it. If you're familiar with my south of nowhere stories then you'll know I usually take forever to post. It won't be like that with this story. Chapters will be a lot shorter than what I'm used to but It'll all be good. sorry for mistakes thanks for reviews.
Disclaimer: Canada?? Owns Degrassi, not me. I don't know, I'm so used to saying Tom owns but that's not the case here. XD
The world seemed different as her legs carried her through the familiar streets. Her mind was on a different planet, her eyes vacant and lips tilted into a natural frown. Nothing seemed right, everything was a disaster, she thought back to high school, to Ellie. The blood she had seen spill from her friend's arm in the girl's bathroom, the fear that gripped onto her chest. Ellie cuts herself? Was the first question that popped into her mind, followed by 'why?' The answer never really hit her until now. The realities of life weighed too heavily on her shoulders, escaping that pain for a new pain, a colorful pain, was worth any amount of scars sentenced to stain her skin for life. But Paige wasn't the type of person to pull out a razor and watch blood drip from her body. Blood. The thought made her nauseas. Her blood would never be the same again. The healthy pure blood she once donated to a blood drive, that blood was corrupted by something she couldn't fathom. Six months would answer the millions of questions swimming through her head. In six months, she'll either be free from worry or sentenced to death. Paige stared down at her shoes as she continued walking. "I can't be HIV positive." She murmured. "People like me, don't get those diseases." She falsely reassured herself thinking HIV infected whores that sold their bodies to men on the corner of streets, heroin addicts, and the unfortunate souls in Africa. Not someone who was accepted to Banting. She almost laughed out, finding the situation ridiculous, why would she even get tested? She didn't have HIV. Paige looked up from the ground convincing herself she back to being fabulous.
It didn't last long.
Her mind drifted back to the virus she could have, the possibilities that it could be plaguing her body, convert into full blow AIDS- the thought made her stop. She leaned against a near by brick wall, fighting back tears as she stared up at the sky, she wondered if she'd go to heaven or hell. "You need to stop thinking Hon." She told herself finding the subject of death nothing less than depressing. She smiled sadly as she started walking again. "You need a hug."
The trip home was long and depressing, Paige regretted walking instead of borrowing Marco's car. At least the radio could have helped block out some of her misery. Paige snorted at the thought. Nothing could block the dread she was feeling. Everything filling her sight was blurred as she opened the front door and stepped inside. Her eyes moved over to her newly painted room and she wanted to cry all over again. Not only did she lose her health, but her chances with Griffen seemed dead. He had been an amazing lover, gentle at first and then faster and pleasuring at the end. He was better than Spinner and Jesse put together. But that didn't matter now, she was too angry to even think of kissing those gentle lips again.
Paige closed her eyes and took a deep planning her next step. She was relieved that Griffen had used a condom but there was still that percentage, small maybe, but it was still there, the chance that her life could be altered forever. She thought back to Griffen's room. All the pills he took, from A to Z, pink pills, white, green- that could be her reality. The thought made her shudder, she moved away from the door and stepped inside her room. Closing the door, she spent the next two hours on her laptop, website after website, forum after forum researching HIV and AIDS. When she finally closed the expensive notebook, she wasn't feeling any better.
The blonde fell back against a mountain of pillows, her gray eyes staring at the spinning ceiling fan, the room was dark, she could barely see it spin but felt the cool air. It was refreshing, she closed her eyes and focused on it, the air was amazing as it hit her face, she actually smiled and laughed a little bit. Her eyes opened and she sat up. Looking around the dark room, she realized her mood wouldn't change if she just sat there. Her depression would deepen, her mind would stay on the virus, she would hear Griffen's voice and become angry- No. She wasn't going to let a perfectly good night be wasted, especially after a raise and day off.
Getting off the bed, Paige rushed over to the light switch and turned it on. The room came to life, she moved over to her closet and scanned all the outfits that occupied the large space. "We're having fun tonight Hon." She said grabbing garment after garment.
The soft fur of the bunny caressed his fingertips as he lovingly stroked the rabbit in his lap. Marco looked down at the new addition to the family and softly praised it with loving words. "Who needs a boyfriend when I got you little guy." He smiled as his new friend shook his nose in response. There was a large text book next to his petite frame, Marco knew studying was going to be impossible with his new baby around. "You're worth the F." Leaning back against the couch, he reached out for the TV remote and turned the small television on. He was completely content sitting on the couch watching TV with his little friend. The contentment dimmed when Paige came to mind. Seeing the pretty blonde woman on the commercial brought her to mind. He didn't know how to help her, he didn't know how to feel about Griffen, the guy was cool but Paige would always come first in his heart. All Paige had to do was say the word and Griffen was out. Marco hoped it wouldn't come to that. Finding a new roommate would be a nightmare. "Hey El." Marco greeted hearing a door behind him open and close.
"Guess again Hon."
Surprised, the 19 year old turned his head and immediately stood up when he noticed the outfit Paige wore. He didn't even know the blonde was home. "Wow." Was all he could say as he took in the tight strapless black top with black mini skirt and matching high heels. Her hair looked a lot better than usual, sexy even, matching the well down make up and expensive prada bag. "You look amazing. Is Andrea having some kind of party thing?" He asked not recalling Paige saying anything special was going on tonight.
Paige smiled widely, showing off her perfectly white teeth, it was the first Marco had seen today. He didn't know whether to be concerned or happy for Paige. "I decided to go out tonight." She explained casually. "I don't work tomorrow, I have all this extra money, why sit here and pout all night when I can go out and have some fun?"
Marco would normally support Paige going out and having a little party time, but not tonight, not after everything that happened with Griffen. He found it strange that Paige, someone who hardly ever looked forward to clubbing, was so eager to leave, especially after finding out their roommate's secret. It was beyond suspicious, but on the other hand, Paige wasn't a stupid girl. Maybe it was exactly what she needed. "If you happen to come across any cute, available gay men, send em my way." He teased with a smile.
Paige giggled and hugged him around the bunny in his arms. "I'll bring them here and just tell Ellie they followed me home." She looked down at Pepper and carefully petted the fur between his long ears. "You're so adorable." She cooed. "Like your Daddy," She looked up at a grinning Marco and stepped back. "Can I Please borrow your car? I'll simply die if I have to walk everywhere in these shoes."
Marco didn't hesitate answering. "Say no more. My keys are in the kitchen near the stove."
"Oh thanks Hon." She leaned over and lightly kissed his lips. "You have no idea how much I need this night to myself."
"Just be safe Paige." He smiled reassuringly. "You look gorgeous and those shoes are hot. Good combination for an amazing night out in the town."
"I hope so." She kissed him a final time. "Alright wish me luck, I'm out of here."
Marco chuckled. "Good luck."
To say the club was alive would be putting it lightly. Every body inside the large dance club was moving, not one person could be seen standing or sitting still, it was just the kind of energy Paige wanted to lose herself in. Moving through the dance floor, she laughed and danced with a couple of people while making her way to the bar. The smile she had walked in with had brightened immensely, she wondered if her mouth was going to hurt the next morning. The bar tender, a tall muscular guy with long blonde hair greeted her with a smile and asked 'what can I get for you?' Paige intended on buying a coke, but staring into the Bar tender's eyes, she realized she could get away with ordering anything. "Vodka Tonic." She ordered over the loud music. The bar tender easily nodded his head and moved around to make her drink. Paige paid and thanked him, walking with a drink in hand, she moved back to the dance floor and closed her eyes, grinding against a group of people, she lightly sucked on the thin green straw as her hips moved in time with the music.
Alex couldn't keep her eyes off Paige once they fell on her. The way her body was moving, the outfit she wore, her hair- Alex wanted more than anything to go over there and- She looked away and focused on the girl moving against her. Sarah. She had met Sarah at Starbucks, sitting there, minding her own buisness, drinking coffee- the red head had boldly took the seat across from her. Alex was a little skeptical at first but loosened up once they started talking. The stranger had caught a glimpse of the necklace around her neck, it was two rainbow female symbols hanging on a silver chain, Alex had spotted it at Claires and thought it was cute. The end of her coffee was the start of a date. The two spent the rest of the day hanging out. Alex walked her home and easily accepted her invitation for another date. She had no idea they would be clubbing but wasn't bothered by it. She could never refuse a good party.
The body moving against her turned around in her arms, Sarah smiled seductively at her, Alex leaned forward, feeling a toned thigh move between her legs, she captured her date's lips and was disappointed when the kiss didn't last more than a second. "I'm going to grab a drink." She yelled near her ear. Alex nodded mentally congratulating her on great timing. The dark haired woman looked around, squinting her eyes, her gaze finally found Paige again. There was a new drink in her hand. Alex was beginning to worry, she didn't see Marco or Ellie around and a drunk Paige was not a very smart one. She vowed to keep an eye on her ex, despite everything that happened between them, Alex still cared about the blonde.
Sarah came back with two drinks, Alex thanked her and took a sip from time to time. She didn't want to get any kind of a buzz, she didn't even want the drink but thought it'd be polite for her to drink it in front of Sarah, who was beginning to get more touchy with her body. The tall tanned beauty didn't feel anything from the soft lips on her neck to the hand cupping her breast, all Alex could focus on was Paige. Watching as she downed drink after drink and allowed the hands on her body to get bolder and bolder, one guy even had the never to slip his hands under her skirt and fondle her ass.
The urge to go over there and beat the shit out of him was strong, Alex hadn't felt that angry in along time. She looked away from Paige for the 100th time that night and was met with Sarah's curious gaze. Alex realized they had stopped dance, smacked down in the middle of the dance floor and they were the only two not moving. "What's wrong?" She mouthed and leaned down allowing her date to answer in her ear. "You've been staring at that girl for the last 5 minutes. Are you attracted to her or something?" Alex met her gaze as she pulled away and sighed. "She's a friend from high school." She yelled in Sarah's ear. "She's incredibly drunk and I'm worried about her." She added before moving back.
Sarah nodded, understanding the situation, she looked around again. The blonde girl her date had been watching was nowhere to be found. Her gaze landed back on Alex and she watched her mouth the word 'shit' before leaning over to yell in her ear. "I'm so sorry Sarah but I have to go. Paige just walked out and she's in no condition to drive. I'll call you later."
Walking through the door, Alex felt terrible leaving Sarah alone in the club. Feeling the nice cool air against her skin, she was glad Sarah had drove them there, she'd be able to get home safely. Paige was a different story, she realized watching her ex be dragged away by the bastard who was touching under her skirt. She quickly stalked over to them, which wasn't hard to do. They were walking incredibly slow, stopping to kiss and touch every now and then, Alex shoved the man away from Paige the first chance she got, breaking one sloppy make out session. Paige stumbled, Alex saw it out of the corner of her eye and acted quickly, taking the blonde in her arms, she held Paige steadily against her while meeting the man's angry gaze. He was a lot older than she suspected, mid 30's early 40's, Alex knew Paige would be mortified if she woke up next to him in the morning. And that was the last thing her ex lover needed. Especially after Dean.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" The drunken man demanded with a slur.
Alex wasn't sure who to be more afraid of; the man twice her size screaming in her face or the woman in her arms beginning to nibble on the skin around her collar bone. The blouse she wore had thin red straps, exposing a lot of her upper chest. "I'm taking her home." She answered fearlessly. "Excuse us." She began walking passed the angry man with Paige attached to her, ignoring being called a bitch and a dyke. The blonde had wrapped her arms around her waist, her mouth attached to the skin on her neck now. "Paige," Alex started calmly knowing talking the blonde out of kissing her body wasn't going to happen. Paige was the complete opposite of an angry drunk, she was more of a horny always ready to fuck drunk. Not that Paige often got drunk, but when she did, Alex was always guaranteed sex. But that wasn't going to happen tonight. "Where are you parked?"
The blonde pulled away and with hooded gray eyes and silly smile on her face, she looked up at Alex. "Huh?" She asked not understanding the question. Not waiting for an answer, she buried her face back in Alex's neck, loving it's warmth. "Mmm, lets go..go home Baby," She slurred sucking more aggressively on her skin.
"Paige please don't give me a hickey." She groaned knowing Sarah would find it more than a little suspicious. Despite the bad date, she really liked the red head. She was attractive, nice, and meshed well with her personality. Alex didn't want to ruin things with her. "I need the keys." She said stopping, Paige said nothing as she slid the expensive purse down her arm. She had a hard time looking through the bag while keeping Paige from falling on her face. Smiling, she retrieved the keys and clicked the alarm button. The car instantly began screaming, it took Alex 5 minutes to find the car, 10 minutes to get Paige off her and gently urge her inside, and 1 second to go around and slip inside the driver's side.
Thankfully, the drive to Paige's house wasn't as exciting. The blonde immediately passed out leaving Alex alone with the road. She reached up and rubbed the area of her neck where Paige had been sucking. "When are you going to come out?" She playfully asked the sleeping blonde. "As a vampire." She added looking over at her. The blonde quietly slept beside her, it amazed Alex how she never snored after passing out, so unlike her mother. She thought looking back at the road.
Pulling into the driveway, Alex turned off the car and just sat a second. She wasn't sure how she was going to get Paige inside. Turning her head, she looked at the blonde and knew she wasn't going to wake up, at least not for a few more hours. It amazed Alex how much she knew about her ex, she didn't realize the extent of her knowledge until now. How she hated sleeping on a bare matress, how she thought it was incredibly gross to drink out of the carton, how her toes curled every time she had an orgasm- Alex stopped thinking and got out of the car.
The front door opened as she closed the driver side door. Alex watched a tall, black, attractive looking man step outside, looking very concerned. He didn't waste anytime rushing over to the car asking, "Is Paige alright?"
"Yeah, she just got a little carried away with the drinks. I thought I'd drive her home." She explained watching the guy rush over and check on her.
Griffen opened the door, thankful to see Paige in one piece. He looked at the tall dark haired girl with appreciate painted over his face. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me." He looked back down at a sleeping Paige. "How much she means to me."
Alex looked away uncomfortable watching Griffen kneel down and caress's Paige's cheek, kissing her face and murmuring soft words to her. Alex wanted to be anywhere but there at the moment. Her feelings for Paige weren't dead, she'd still take a bullet in the head for her ex lover, and it sucked hearing someone else treat her the way she wanted to treat her. "Can you help me bring her inside?" She heard asked behind her. Alex turned around and easily agreed.
With each other's helped, they got Paige inside the house and into her room, safely on her bed. Alex took a second to look around. The room was completely different, even the bed was new, there wasn't any resemblance to the room she used to share with Paige. The whole thing had been redone, Alex liked the old version of the room better, the color of the walls didn't appeal to her. Looking at the bed, she watched Griffen whisper something in her ear and kiss her forehead. Nothing in the room appealed to her.
"The name's Griffen." The attractive man held out his large hand to her. Alex kindly took it, finding Griffen to be a nice guy, better than Spinner and Jesse, it didn't really help the jealousy she felt, but as long as he made Paige happy, she forced herself to believe that's all that mattered. "Alex," She replied and noticed the look on his face change . He almost looked threatened by her, great, she thought, assuming he knew she was Paige's ex. It only made things more uncomfortable for her.
"Nice to meet you. Alex." He pulled his hand back and tried to force a smile on his face. "Do you live around here?" He asked conversationally.
Oh shit, Alex mentally cursed not thinking how she was getting home. She couldn't just drive away with Marco's car, it was too late to call anyone for a lift, and walking would be suicide. "I don't live anywhere near here." She sighed rubbing her temples with her fingers, there was a definite migraine coming on, perfect way to end the night, she thought bitterly.
"That's alright." Griffen reassured. "I can get you set up on the couch..." He trailed off as Alex began shaking her head.
"And have Marco or Ellie wake up to find me there. I don't think so. It'd be too awkward." She looked at the bed and noticed Paige curled up on the right side, leaving plenty of space for another body. She looked back at Griffen. "Would it be cool if I just crashed here until morning? I can call someone to pick me up the second I wake up." She hated having to ask this stranger but didn't have a clue if he was Paige's boyfriend or not. It was only fair to ask him if she could sleep with her ex, his girl.
NO Griffen's mind screamed, but looking into Alex's tired eyes, he couldn't say no. He was too nice of a guy to send her out walking. "That's fine." He answered looking at Paige, she seemed dead to the world, he had to smile at how adorable she looked. He looked back at Alex. "I'll see you in the morning. Night."
Alex watched him leave and close the door, leaving her alone with Paige, she turned and decided to remove the tight clothing off her body. She didn't look very comfortable. She gently and quietly removed everything but the thin black G string she wore. Alex only admired her ex's near naked body for a second before covering her up with a blanket. Standing, she removed her own clothes and got into bed in only a bra and underwear. She slept as far away from the blonde as possible, not wanting them to touch in anyway, she fell asleep as soon as her eyes closed, fearing what daylight would bring.
