Thanks for reading everyone, I really appreciate those reviews.

Ok, so the beginning half of the chapter starts off with some scenes of Clare's visits with Eli. It's basically just dialogue, but some days are more detailed than others. It's still summer, but its coming to a close. The rest of the chapter deals with Clare's first day of school, and the new people she meets.

Sorry if you find any mistakes. I've been trying to proof read this chapter, but after a while at looking at a white computer screen, one tends to go blind.

As summer passed by, Clare had kept her promise on visiting her stranger-like friend. Like he stated when they spoke, she did have to venture outside to pick up a list of his favorite books. She learned that they had similar interests in authors, but different interpretations of what the books mean. They bickered like an old married couple, but secretly they both enjoyed it.

"Romeo was not in love, Eli. He was just looking for a rebound, and Juliet, being the naive teenager she was, became just that." Clare laid on the couch , a copy of Romeo and Juliet in her hands. She could not believe that he, of all people, would seem like the type to believe in love. In previous discussions, he would always seem the pessimist, saying that the character is internally disturbed, or has no hope of recovery. Clare was always the one to suggest the 'brighter' side of life. This time was different, when it came to reckless love, Eli was a supporter.

"You think that two people would sacrifice themselves for nothing? They had to be in love to kill themselves."

"Teenage hormones made them do that, they were so blind with lust that they were stupid enough to kill themselves. They were selfish."

"I saw their death as a way to escape together. Put each other out of their own misery." One thing Eli's mother had always tried to hammer into his head, was that there could always be a satisfying ending, although the outcome was far from happily-ever-after, love always holds one positive note. When he was little, the idea seemed silly, but having his lost many loved ones in the past, has made him stronger, and that was his satisfaction.

Another reason for his push for love, he was curious at how negative Clare was about it. "It's stupid," Her voice was monotone as she skimmed through her book, "Juliet could have still lived a good life, without Romeo."

Eli stared at the monitors with disbelief. "You're telling me that you wouldn't give everything up to be with the one you love?" Clare said nothing. "What if you find the man of your dreams? And what if your parents, society, morals even, won't accept him? Wouldn't you turn your head from them all, just to be with him?"

To Clare, the answer was obvious, "That's not fair, you know I would find any excuse to leave my life behind." She chuckled at her statement.

"Any? So having your parents neglect you, isn't an excuse?"

"Back to the point, Eli."

"Right, well I know most people won't believe that they were in love because they jumped too fast into it, but don't you think that love is about being spontaneous?"

"N-No,Love can be…planned."

"You've never been in love, have you." Eli guessed, making a his lips form a smirk.

"I-I'm too young to think I'm in love."

Watching her squirm was the best part of their conversations. Finally, Eli understood why his family loved to pick fun fights with the Edwards couple. It was like perfect chemistry. His smile faded as he started to remind himself that she would soon start school, and their little visits would have to be cut in half. He would have to make the most of their time.

AUGUST 15th

"You're kidding me. You're going to that dump of a school?"

Clare brought in her laptop and attempted to go through the assigned summer homework that she received in the mail.

"What's wrong with that school?" As if she already didn't have a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"What's wrong with it? Clare! They have the highest percentage of pregnancy, death threats, student on student violence, not to mention, a guy from that school was once stabbed, they've had outbreaks of STDs! Do you want me to go on?"

Clare continued to type her essays on the laptop and responded, "It's not like that right now, that happened a long time ago…"

"Keep telling yourself that blue-eyes."

"Eli, you have no right to talk, you haven't been out of these walls in a long time." Her eyes stayed glued on the computer screen.

"You don't know that for sure! You don't know how I look like."

"I can guess." She chuckled.

"What's that I hear Edwards? Has someone been fantasizing about how I look like?" It was funny how after two weeks of meeting, Clare had slowly developed a comfortable atmosphere with Eli, he knew that was the case because her blushes were reduced to a hint of pink. What amazed Eli most though, was that she started to back talk. " Tell me, am I better looking than that lame vampire you love so much?"

"Are you kidding me? I imagine you as a troll." She smiled and only typed.

"Hey I'm offended!"

Her eyes separated from the computer screen and went to the camera. "Tough."

He had to admit, he liked this Clare a lot. At first, he only felt a physical attraction to her, and thought nothing of it. Hormones are hormones, it could have been any other girl. But as the days passed, her true colors started to flourish in his dark world as she attempted to lighten every moody spell he got. She had a completely different perspective of everything. While he saw a glass half empty, she says she can fill it up. It was refreshing. It was endearing. It was his other half. She managed to be on his good side, something that many people tried when he was little. She was special.

She was his friend.

And in the back of his head, he knew that wasn't enough for him, but never fought to change the circumstance.

AUGUST 17th

"Ok who is this Justin Bieber person!"

"Wh-? Where did you hear that name?"

"You left your laptop here last night. I went on the internet and it was 'Trending'-whatever that means. And a bunch of photos were popping up..."

"Justin's a famous Canadian singer. Got popular using the internet, singing on the streets, and all that good stuff."

"Ah!"

"You want to listen to a song?"

"Sure, I want to know what all the buzz is about."

Clare opened up her laptop that sat on a dresser, and click clacked on to a website. She played a song.

As soon as the song reached his ears, Eli made a contorted face."Oh god, yeah that's not my kind of music. She has potential in 'mainstream' music, but I wouldn-"

"Eli. Justin Bieber's a guy."

"…"

"…"

"You're kidding, right?."

AUGUST 24th

"Eli. Let's play a game or something." Clare exclaimed while staring at the ceiling above, bored.

"Fine. Truth or Dare."

"Oh no, not that game."

"What's wrong with that game?"

"Eli, it's not fair! Every time you get dare, I can't even see if you're doing it!…And bedsides, you give me the weirdest dares…"

"I do not! Give me one example!"

"Eli. You asked me to speak in a British accent while juggling."

"I just wanted to see if you could do it."

"It wasn't even funny!"

"Fine you want a normal dare? I dare you to take your top off for the entire night."

"…How about we just forget I asked..."

"…fine."

SEPTEMBER 1st

"So what are you going to wear on your first day of school?"

"A uniform."

"Wait, I thought you told me earlier that there wasn't a dress policy…"

"There isn't."

"That makes no sense. Usually people try to break a uniform policy by wearing inappropriate clothing. Are you are wearing a uniform to promote a dress code?"

"No, I just want to wear it to be comfortable. Plain and simple"

"Oh."

"Yup."

"…Is it at least hot?"

"ELI!"

SEPTEMBER 3rd. FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.

Clare woke up early to get herself ready for the most dreaded day of her life. She already had bad premonitions, and Eli certainty did not help ease her fear. She took a quick hot shower to relax, but it did no good. She still had those school blues. Eventually, she took out her previous school uniform, it consisted of the usual: A plaid skirt (below the knee length), a collar shirt, and black sweater vest. After dressing, the young girl pulled her short wet hair and pulled it in a high pony tail. Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw what she always expected: A plain simple girl.

She sighed and told herself it was for the best, that she not draw too much attention. Clare ran down stairs and grabbed her school supplies, and with that she left the house. As usual, her parents were unreliable for rides, so to save them trouble, she took it upon herself this year to just walk. The idea of walking alone on the streets scared her at first, but her walking trail passed the Goldsworthy theater, if there were any form of trouble, she assured herself she could hide inside.

In no time, Clare could see the massive boarded up theater ahead of her. She thought about knocking at that moment, but figured against it, seeing as she didn't want to be late on her first day of school. As the theater came close, Clare just kept her eyes straight towards her goal: School.

Passing through the theater, Clare stopped momentarily because something caught her peripheral vision. It was a neon sticky note on the door. Slowly, she walked foreword, and removed the sticky note from the entrance door, and read it.

Good Luck Edwards!

She smiled and flipped it over.

Hope you don't get pregnant!

She laughed, and looked up towards the building. He sure did know how to get under her skin.

Folding the little note, she kept it in her hand and resumed walking to school. She didn't feel nervous anymore, one could say that all she needed was a little laugh to boost her mood. And Eli sure knew how to make her smile, whether it be his sarcastic remarks, or perverted comments.

Soon her destination came to view, and all the butterflies started to come back up.

"Come on Clare, be strong." She told herself as she squeezed the piece of paper in her hand.

Clare

"Clare Edwards, please report to the principal's office."

Barely setting foot in the facility, and already some boy with a group of friends purposely dropped her books on the floor, a girl with crazy hair called her a 'bitch' for bumping into her, the water fountain managed to spray fluids in her face, and now she's already in trouble with the new principal. Her feet dragged as she made her way to the main office. I think I might hate my life.

Standing in front of the secretary's desk, the lady looked up from her computer and pointed towards the door labeled "Principal".

Knocking, Clare opened the door and poked her head out. "You wanted to see me sir?"

The man held a smile and looked straight up to her. "Yes Miss Edwards, please take a seat." He gestured to the vacant cushioned chair in front of him.

Clare's face held a worried expression as she sat down and read the name plate on his desk. Mr. Simpson, great. I was hoping that letter was a typo…

"Miss Edwards-" He started, but hesitated and cleared his throat."-may I call you Clare?" She nodded slowly. "Clare. I called you in because I want to get everything straight with you." He stayed seated, not leaving eye contact. "I don't want you to believe I have any negative feelings for you because of certain… events from the past. I also hope you believe me when I say, I have no anger towards your family."

Clare stayed quiet. He stood up from his desk to grab a couple of papers from a file.

"I'm sure you're a nice girl, and we won't have any problems. In fact, I feel honored that you attend our school. When I saw your transcripts, and recommendations, I was amazed to say the least." He quickly glanced at the Edward girl's records, and smiled." I'm sure you will make a fine addition to this school." He sat on top of his desk and smiled assuring her. Mr. Simpson extended his hand waiting for Clare to shake it. She took it hesitantly. He looked at her worriedly and noticed her discomfort.

"Clare can I tell you my opinion on something?" She nodded again.

"Your sister, I saw her grow up, she was a really energetic and sweet girl. Very active in school, a little pushy, but that was a good thing." His smile reduced."Then something happened to your family. I have no idea what, but something bad." His voice was slightly off, as if remembering that time period. "-And I think the reason her life started to unravel was her inability to talk about her problems." Simpson looked across the room. "I remember her parents, and they were always strict on her life, and deep down she seemed like the complete opposite. Like she wanted to escape, but had to keep an image of a good little girl." He looked back at Clare. "Of course there is nothing wrong with that, but she needed moderation in her life. I think that's why she became …eccentric."

Clare looked down on her lap.

"What happened to your sister, shouldn't have happened. Any of it. That's why I feel no anger against her. It wasn't her fault how everything fell into place, and it wasn't her problem that no one understood her… I don't want the same thing to happen to you Clare." Clare had finally looked up.

The conversations she was having with Mr. Simpson reminded her of nights with Eli. Whenever they didn't have a comical, or random friendly conversations, Eli would attempt to be a therapist and talk to her about her sanity. He always complained that she seemed too reserved most of the time, he only saw her break down the night they met. Eli always pointed out how unfair her parents were, and how a little rebellion wouldn't hurt. He was trying to crack her down. At first she assumed Eli was being ridiculous, but now that her own principal had connected her to her sister's state of mind, she was starting to believe it.

"Promise me, that you won't bottle things up. If you ever go through anything, being family or friend problems, make sure that you have someone to vent to." He smiled at her. "And just know, that my door is always open if you can't find anyone."

Clare at last spoke, and offered a small smile. "Thank you."

"No problem. I hope you have a great first day."He warmly smiled back at her. Maybe Eli was wrong about this school being so bad.

The rest of the day Clare attended her classes, and nothing bad happened. No bad encounters, nothing. To the contrary she enjoyed her advance courses, and to her surprise she talked to a couple of students. Maybe spending time with Eli has made me a little friendlier. The students were a tad on the outcast side, but she enjoyed their company during her media class. One girl in the class, though, seemed to stand out. Her attire contrasted from everyone in the room. Her name was Alli, and she was the first person to speak to Clare.

By talking to her, Clare was quick to judge and thought she was in the wrong class, but quickly realized the dark skinned girl's intelligence. Clare chatted with the girl for most of her periods. She made Clare feel uncomfortable about the subjects they talked about. It was an odd thought, but the feeling of embarrassment and awkwardness, reminded her of her conversations with Eli. She's like a female Eli…with out the sarcasm. Actually, the girl was more outspoken than anything else.

"So tell me Clare, you have a boyfriend?" The bell rang, signaling their lunch break. Alli had picked up her backpack and started walking with Clare to the cafeteria.

"Um, no." Clare blushed slightly. "I don't really care about high school relationships."

"That's a shame. I saw a boy staring at you in our Media Class. He looked really into you." She spoke in a sing-song voice as she wiggled her dark eyebrows

Clare stayed silent and her blush took a turn for the redder.

"Oh I already can tell pushing your buttons is going to be fun." Alli laughed and hooked her arms with Clare, as she lead her to an empty table and they both sat down facing each other.

"So what about you? You have someone in your life?" Clare asked to keep the conversations from making the subject about herself.

"I wish, my parents won't let me near a boy I like…They are super strict on me, they expect me to dress like a nun basically." Clare took a double take at what she was wearing. Jean short shorts, a pink halter top, and her face was caked with makeup. Nothing relating to a woman who swears off men.

Alli took a harsh bite on her sandwich. "But that's not going to stop me. Nope."

"So you rebel against your parents? Don't you feel bad, or guilty?"

"I do sometimes, but I honestly don't see what I'm doing wrong." She continued to chew. "Just because they want to live their lives like that, doesn't mean I want to."

Clare bit her lip in thought. Clare had always made herself blend in with the walls because of her parents. True, they never told her, but their actions had made it a necessity for Clare to hide her person, to not bring attention to herself. If not, they assume she would be demented too. Eli's right, I care too much about what people think…

Alli's eyes lit up and she tried to swallow her food. "It's your secret admirer Clare!" She pointed.

Clare's eyes turned to the direction her friend was pointing to and was shocked. The boy walking towards their table was tall, well built, had a great smile, and… cute. She was dumbfounded at her thoughts, and turned back around to stare at her food. What am I thinking. Alli must have been wrong. He couldn't have been staring at me. It must have been someone else! Or maybe I had something on my face. I did get wet earlier…yeah that must be it.! Has to be.

"Hi there, mind if I sit with you guys?" Clare kept her eyes locked on her peanut butter and banana sandwich.

Alli saw the discomfort in her posture, and smiled. "Go ahead."

The tall boy smiled and took a seat next to Clare. "Thanks." He placed his school bought lunch in front of him. "So what are your names?" He asked glancing at both girls.

Clare just stayed silent and took a small bite of her snack. Alli looked at her disappointed, but responded to the stranger's question." I'm Alli, and this is my new friend Clare."

"I'm KC." He started to pick up a chili cheese fry and chew on it. "You guys are freshman too right?"

"Sadly. We are doomed to sit in the sidelines, while all the seniors have all the fun around here." Alli smiled and kicked Clare under the table, suggesting her to speak up. She jumped in her seat by the sudden bump. KC didn't notice due to him savoring his lunch. Clare was grateful for him paying more attention to his fries than to her odd reaction.

"I don't mind that," He smiled and looked at Clare for a brief moment. "I'd rather not get in trouble in this school. I hear a lot of bad stuff happens here. Like last year, there their was another breakout of STD's."

"So he wasn't making it up…" Clare whispered to herself, remembering Eli's attempt at making her fear Degrassi.

"Who's he?" KC took interest in what she said as he turned his whole body in her direction. He kept his smile intact, it seemed he was just happy she spoke. The sudden attention made her cheeks burn up.

Alli's face beamed. "Clare! I thought you told me you had no boyfriend! Is he cute?"

Right when Alli mentioned the hint of a 'boyfriend' and if 'he was cute', KC started to feel uncomfortable. Unlike Alli, Clare was aware of his little actions.

"El-…He's just a friend. A good friend at most." KC let out a small sigh. Alli folded her arms together and raised a single brow, not believing her.

"Does he go to our school?" Asked KC, while his grin resurfaced.

"No, I-I think he goes to another school. " Clare hated to lie, but she knew it was required to keep Eli's secret locked up. That and it was crucial seeing as how Alli had a sparkle in her eyes that craved to know more about her supposed 'boyfriend.' "But I forget which school."

"Hey maybe our school might play against his school in basketball game or something, he might show up in the crowd and you can introduce us to him." KC continued to eat his fries while staring at her. "I'm thinking about trying out myself, so I could probably tell you when there will be a game."

Clare wouldn't stop blushing. She had to end and change the topic, desperately. "I don't think so, he doesn't seem like the school spirited type. And besides, I'm not the biggest sports fan, so I wouldn't be able to follow the games."

KC wouldn't step down. "If you show up to a couple games, I'm sure I could explain it to you. Who knows, you could like it in the end."

After a long pause on Clare's side of the conversation, she stammered with her response. "It wouldn't hurt to try, right?"

KC took out on arm and gave her a friendly hug. "That's the spirit!" Alli looked back and forth between the two and grinned at Clare's embarrassed face. Mentally, Clare vowed to get Alli back for putting her in the situation in the first place.

The bell rang and KC said his goodbyes to the two young girls. Clare reminded herself, she just had one more class left, and then it was off to Eli's theater. She couldn't wait to hear his sarcastic voice, his witty remarks, and his stupid comments. With how long they have been hanging out, it was a routine for her to meet him.

"I think KC has a thing for you." Alli's voice broke her train of thought.

She quickly replied, "He does not."

"Does too! You would have to be blind to not notice! His face practically lit up when you said you would watch him play!"

"I said I would watch the games, not him."

"Clare why are you so stubborn? That's what he meant." Clare stayed silent for the rest of the walk to class.

Alli made a face at Clare and stepped in front of her. "Ok something is wrong here. Either you really are blind. Or… that friend of yours isn't just a friend?"

Clare walked on by her and searched for an empty desk. Seeing that Clare was trying hard to not give an answer confirmed Alli's suspicion. "It's true! I was right! Aw, how sweet, a summer love!"

"It was not summer love, Alli. What I told you was true. He's just a really good friend of mine. Like a-" Clare blinked twice."-a brother." It sounded odd against her tongue. Sure, she did find him very protective, like an older brother, and of course he gave moderate advice, like an older brother, but she couldn't find herself calling him that. She would rather call him a guardian angel than a brother. An Angel the curses and says inappropriate things. She privately laughed in her head as she found a seat next to the window.

"Then what's stopping you from seeing KC?" Alli sat in front of her and put her palm on her cheek. "And don't tell me you don't think he's adorable. I saw your reaction when I pointed to him." She smirked at Clare.

"Alli keep it down!" Trying to hush Alli, Clare lowered her voice to a whisper. "I admit, he's nice. But I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

"Really? I thought you were joking about that."

"Alli…"

"Fine, fine, I won't bother you anymore about it."

"Well, I hope you keep that promise."

The bell rang and all the students were broken off to groups right away for a project. Clare and Alli, sitting next to each other were assigned together and much to her pleasure, Alli kept her word, and spoke nothing of Clare's love life. They blabbed about everything else, they shared an interests in vampire novels, science, and music. They had a heated argument on who's was hotter, Edward or Jacob.

She would never have talked to Eli about these subjects. Don't get her wrong, she loved talking to Eli, but talking to a gal pal? It was a whole new experience. By the end of class, Clare realized that Alli Bhandari was a keeper.

Yeah, not such a cliffhanger this time. Lol. Well, actually I can tell you that next chapter will mostly be Eli's point of view. I want to say that jealousy might be the main theme of the next chapter, but I'm still thinking about it.

Oh and expect Alli to keep her promise. She's not going to push Clare to make a move. Yup.

Again, please leave me some love by writing a review. :]