She waited for a while, in hopes that someone would come and get her, if not Adam she'd hope her mom would notice her not being home. She sat down, on the ground. She was freezing. She only had on her skinny jeans and her shirt, not even her sweater that she left at home on purpose because her mom promised her a ride home. But no, she was too busy sleeping with Glen Martin, one of her parents old friends from her childhood. She scoffed the air bit her and bit her as it whipped her hair all around and she struggled to keep it tamed.

She opened her phone. 3:15. She sighed. School's been out for about 45 minutes, and Degrassi's been out half an hour. She pulled out her iPod and put it on shuffle as The Fray's Over My Head (Cable Car) came on. She softly sang along.

"Everyone knows I'm in over my head, over my head, 8 seconds left in over time, she's on your mind, she's on your mind..." She stopped when she felt someone tap my shoulder. She yanked out an earbud and jumped, turning around.

It was Eli, of course. He was nervous. Was he honestly going to ask this girl if she wanted a ride home? He mentally sighed. Of course he would. He'd ask anyone who wasn't part of everyone else here. Even if she did bring out the crazy in him, but deep down he knew that it wasn't her fault.

"Is there something you want?" She asked in a concerned voice. The look on his face was torn between two and she didn't know what he wanted.

"Oh, I was wondering if you needed a ride home? You look like you're waiting for someone whose not going to show up." She sighed, she knew that. But she wasn't going to admit that. She tried convincing herself that Adam was surely on his way in Mrs. Torres' van and Drew awkwardly sitting in the driver seat not fitting the van at all.

That was all thrown away when she opened her phone as it vibrated and a text came in.

Sorry Clare, my mom drove today and I asked her she said she couldn't, even though we both know it means she doesn't want to. Sorry, see you soon.

~Adam.

Clare sighed and looked up at Eli's green luscious eyes that were raised in an I-told-you-so look.

"Only if you're sure, and you're not going to be going all hostel locker guy on me again right?" She asked, making sure, but anyone could see the amused look in her eyes.

"Only if you're not going to go trying to break into any of my stuff anytime soon. Right?" He retorted back.

"Not on my life, scouts honor." She said mockingly holding up her two fingers together. He rolled his eyes and gestured towards the parking lot.

She chuckled slightly and shook her head climbing into the passenger side of the hearse.

That's not the reaction he was used to but shook it off. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

He got into the car and saw her looking around curiously. He was used to awkward glances, to the back, or people trying to hide their weireded out feelings. But Clare was just examining it all.

"So what do you think of good old Morty?" He asked, waving his hand in a gesturing motion in the air towards the back of Morty.

Clare wasn't as surprised as she should've been that he drove a hearse, it just seemed to fit him.

She just shrugged. "What is there to say? It's a car. Good job...?" She said awkwardly. He chuckled at her but shook his head and started the engine anyway.

He pulled out of the handicapped parking lot and made his way onto the street. Clare noticed that he was a really, really careful driver. He constantly checking his rearview mirrors and always had his eyes on the road, both hands on the wheel and the radio at a loud volume, but not so loud that you couldn't hear the car in front or behind him honking. Maybe he just liked to be... safe? She stupidly tried to reason with herself.

He noticed her eyeing him weirdly and he realized that he was looking at her instead of the road. He instantly tightened his grip on the steering wheel and faced the road, giving it an intense look.

Clare went to turn the radio station nonchalantly but Eli's cold voice stopped her. "Don't." He said harshly and she was kind of afraid of him.

She looked at him with uncertainty in her eyes. What was wrong with him?

"You know you can just drop me off right here, I know how to get home from here, don't want to be too much of a bother you know." She said awkwardly, even though they both knew she had no clue where she was or how to get to a home she'd never been to.

He sighed, realizing his mistake. Of course he'd freak her out. He pulled over, to the side of the road and put his hands in his face, sighing. He got jumpy when people were in his car, and he hasn't let anyone in it since Julia. This was the station she always played and he let her play it, even though it wasn't exactly his favorite, so when Clare went to change it his heart started to beat erratically.

He heard Clare sigh and then open the car door, and before he realized what he was doing he reached over and closed it.

"I'm sorry it's just, personal reasons. You can... um... change the station." He said and Clare sighed a breath of relief she knew all about personal problems.

"It's fine, really I didn't know I'm sorry." She said and settled back into her seat, leaving the station on what it was. Eli suddenly felt his heart calm down. Why was she so understanding?

He pulled back into driving and at a red light he stopped and pulled out a CD from the glove compartment. He put in the CD that he made a while back but never got the chance to listen to.

Clare smiled slightly as he nonchalantly put the CD in the CD player and it started a soft melody of the Fray, over my head (cable car). She started to sing along quietly and Eli smiled a little bit of a smile before pulling into her drive way four songs later.

"Thanks for the ride, and again. I'm sorry. I know what it's like to have personal problems that you don't want people in on. I'll see you tomorrow." She said, hopping out of the car before Eli could fully comprehend how amazing she was being about his craziness.

"Yea... I definitely know what it's like." He said five minutes too late as Clare was already in her house taking off her shoes and getting ready for the argument with her mom that was sure to happen.

"Clare, are you finally home?" Clare's mom called from what Clare assumedwas the kitchen. She came out with her robe on.

"Yea mom, I'm home. Why aren't you dressed? It's the middle of the day?" She asked, she was never one to wave her dirty laundry, in this case her sleeping with Jake's father.

"Because, this is my house I can do what I want. Now tell me, Clare. Why are you home so late?"

"I had no way to get home because getting off was more important then picking up your daughter from school and Adam's mom couldn't." She sighed and rolled her eyes as if Clare was the one being ridiculous.

"Well how did you get home then if you didn't know the way here?" She asked, smartly. As if she had one over on Clare.

"Thankfully a boy from my new hell of a school knew how to get here, because all I knew was the address to a place I've never been. Emphasis on I've never been!" Clare yelled in her face. They were really getting into it now.

"Don't you dare yell at me like that! I am your mother, Clare Edwards. You have no place to butt into my personal life and back talk to me no matter what!" Helen yelled back at her youngest daughter, wondering where she went wrong.

"Yea? Well I'm part of your personal life. I'm sorry if being my mom feels so boring and professional! Who you decided to fuck in our house is my business, and if you want me to treat you like my mother then start acting like one!" Clare hollered back at her mom before running upstairs and randomly opening doors and slamming them in attempt to find her bedroom.

When Helen caught on to what she was doing she yelled out "Clare don't go into the door on the right of the-"

"WHAT THE HELL!" She heard her non swearing daughter yell from what was probably the door she told her not to open.

"Clare, I can explain..." She trailed off, as if she didn't think what she was doing was wrong. Clare looked in the room and slammed the door shut as soon as she had it opened.

Her married best friend's father was laying naked upstairs in her mothers bed. She ran down the stairs and out of the house after fighting off her mothers pleading and grabbing at her.

She wanted to call Adam, to have him aid her but she knew she couldn't because of what she just witnessed. Would Adam hate her?

Omar Torres lay upstairs naked in her moms bed.

"Oh my gosh..." She trailed off, truly letting the seriousness of the situation hit her. Her loving, caring, best friend's supposedly faithful father, Omar Torres lay naked, upstairs in her own home wrecker of a mother's bed.

She thought her dad was bad? But her dad never slept with any of her friends parents. Sure her dad cheated on her mom but this was just as bad. She went from being home wrecked to being the home wrecker.

Her mom was a whore. A common whore that was looked down upon. She'd known girls who slept around, but in all honesty, when you're younger it's more rational to sleep around with guys, or girls for that matter than to be of Helen's age. Helen was a turned whore. She slept with married men. She's ruining a family for her own sick pleasure. What the hell was wrong with her?

Clare sighed and rubbed her temples. She'd never so much as cussed before in her life and she'd done so three times already if you counted 'hell' and Clare did. She even dropped the F-bomb, which surprised her as much as it did her awful excuse of a mother.

She didn't have anyone who she could talk to about this. She had no one, so she did the one thing she'd never think she'd do.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number she knew like the back of her head.

She put the phone up to her ear with shaky hands and waited for an answer.

"Hello?" The deep voice said.

"D-dad? It's Clare." She said, her voice breaking. Randal Edwards pushed aside the pile of papers on his desk he was working on and took off his glasses, sitting back in his chair. Another late night at the office.

"Clare honey? What's wrong? What do you need?" He was hurt and happy at the same time. He never thought he'd hear from her again, he was so pleased that she'd call him in a time of distress but at the same time he never wished his daughter the cards she was dealt in life. A father who couldn't keep it in his pants and an always angry mother. Her family was nothing like it used to be.

"Dad, I just," She paused trying to calm her breathing. "I need you right now." She finally spit out, looking up at the sky to blink back her tears that were trying to escape.

"Clare I'm on my way to pick you up. Where are you?" Randal pushed the desk so he could wheel his chair back and stood up, grabbing his jacket and brief case. He wasn't going to screw up this opportunity to fix things with Clare.

"I'm at mom's apartment. She's, she's, just come get me please." She whispered into the phone, she hoped that he couldn't sense the tears in her voice but of course he could.

"Don't worry, Clare. I'm on my way, calm down." He mumbled through the phone as he typed in the address into his car's GPS, not ever have actually been to he mom's house.

Clare nodded even though he couldn't see it and calmed down, before hanging up waiting for her dad. She had so many questions, so many to ask about what's happening and what she should do. What he did and why and they both knew this was going to be a long night.

Randal pulled up on the Curb and left his car running. He rolled down the window to tell Clare he was there but she was already pulling open the passenger side door.

The car ride to her old home was quiet and awkward they both felt it.

He parked the car into the side of the road and she opened the door as he pulled out his key to unlock to door. They sat in the living room facing each other.

"What's wrong Clare?" He asked, really wanting to know.

"Why did you do it?" She asked, ignoring his question. He sighed.

"Clare, what I did was stupid. I know, and the regret I feel is enormous but there's nothing I can do to change the past so we should just move on."

"Dad, if I asked you something would you be honest with me?"

"Yes." He said without a doubt. Knowing that if he didn't, he'd only push her farther away from him.

"Did you ever think of the families you were possibly ruining? Surely if it wasn't you it would've been someone else, but you were contributing in ripping multiple families apart. The girls you were sneaking around with, they had husbands, and they had kids. Their mom was whoring around with a married man. Did you ever think of them?... Did you ever... think of me?" She asked the last part quieter.

She needed these answers, she needed to know what he was thinking when he did what he did.

"Clare," He sighed, knowing he had to be honest.

"When I cheated on your mom, the only thing I felt was frustration. I knew I was doing something wrong and I guess that's why I liked it. My life was turning into something so repetitive and nothing ever changed. I had nothing too exciting going on and I guess it was a mid life crisis type thing. I know that's no excuse, and families? I always felt guilty afterwards, but I tried to push those thoughts to the back of my mind. I only ever felt guilty for you. I thought of how you'd take it if you found out, and that led me to thinking of their families, yes. I wanted to know what was happening to make them cheat on their spouse but I didn't dwell on it too much, honestly." He said, and sighed. Not knowing if he answered that right.

Clare appreciated that he was honest, even if the truth wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"Well, if I tell you something, can it stay between me and you?" She asked, hoping that he'd agree. He nodded reassuringly.

"Anything, you can tell me anything." She sighed and sat back into her seat, ready to tell her dad everything that she couldn't tell her mom, that she couldn't tell Adam, or Alli.

"It's just, everything!" She exclaimed.

"I didn't want to move schools period. At all. Then when I do, I realize it's nothing like Degrassi. I look forward to going home, and then when I do go home." She shuttered at the after school things.

"Do you know what she did?" He asked, referring to her mom. He shook his head indicating he in fact didn't.

"She called me while she was having sex to tell me that she couldn't pick me up from school, to find my own way home to a place that I've never been!" She was feeling her chest tighten as she got all of it off her chest.

"She doesn't even care about me anymore, and then I thought it was Jake's dad, for sure, but I got there and it was... It was my best friend's married dad. And I realized, she can't even be mad at you when she's just like those girls you were with. Just like them, just like you only she flaunted it in my face and even though I'm still upset about what you did, I'm not going to lie and say that my oblivious state was a good one. I loved not knowing what was going on behind closed doors more than I realized."

She said it all in one big breath and sighed rubbing her teary cheeks, wiping away the wetness. Her dad reached over and pulled his sobbing daughter into his chest, hugging her tightly whispering reassurance into her ear, and rubbing her back in a fatherly way.

Clare kept crying but they soon died down and she fell into her dad's embrace. Nothing mattered right now because she finally had someone who understood, someone she's been shunning for months on end, and she just wanted to sit and bask in the moment before she had to return to the world of Helen Edwards, and her late night conquests. Or her pathetic excuse for an education system of a school. Even her smirking, black wearing, hearse driving, angry locker guy named Eli she had to put with.

And she didn't even seem to mind that Eli wore black only, or that he was sadistic. He was sarcastic and a know it all. And that scared her most of all. Because she should care, she should care a hell of a lot.