Chapter four. I declare Declan and Kiran's Halloween costumes in this chapter but if you've got creative ideas for Holly J, Sav, Anya, or Peter, let me know. Also, let me know what you think. I like that, too.

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.


"So you mentioned that you gave Holly J proof that she was happier with me than she is with Sav," Declan spoke up as he and Kiran browsed the racks at a Toronto costume shop. "What kind of proof?"

Kiran thought back to the look on Holly J's face after showing her the videos. "Just a couple of security clips I found in the AV room."

"You're in the AV club?" Declan scoffed.

"Why does everyone assume that?" she muttered. "No, I bribed a grade ten with an invitation to the Halloween party."

"But if you're not in the AV club, how did you know the videos existed?" he pressed.

Kiran smirked. "Let's just say I'm working on a little montage in my spare time that might save us from the prison Degrassi has become."

"Interesting," Declan mused, though he said nothing more on the subject. "So, what sort of costume am I looking for?"

"Well, I have a feeling Sav is going to go for something trendy so I was thinking you should take the classic route," Kiran declared. "Maybe Zorro?

Declan frowned. "That's boring."

"It's understated," she corrected. "A simple mask will give you mystique." She paused. "Or you could go as the Phantom of the Opera! That would be good. I'll bet I could even convince HJ to go as Christine Daae."

"No, I like Zorro better," he told her. "Just a black shirt and pants, a cape and hat, and a mask. Fiona can whip that up in five minutes." He looked to her. "What about you?"

"Oh, I always go as a movie or literary heroine," she reported. "In grade nine, I was Scarlett O'Hara. In grade ten, I was Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Last year I went to a party as Holly Golightly and for my party, I'm dressing as Daisy Buchanan."

"Very nice," he commented. "How do you think Holly J will dress?"

"Hard to tell," Kiran answered pensively. "It will probably be something creative and fancy, because Fiona will offer advice, but I'm sure it will blow us all away." She grinned mischievously. "Did you not see photos of her outfit at Casino Night?"

Declan shook his head. "No."

"Someone took several and posted them to his Facebook account," she stated, pulling out her iPhone. "Would you care to see them?"

"Okay," he agreed, looking over her shoulder as she pulled up a random grade eleven boy's profile. "Oh, wow."

The photos had been taken just after Fitz had been hauled off in the police car. Holly J stood with Sav's jacket around her next to her boyfriend, staring in shock as Principal Simpson gave his speech about changes at Degrassi.

"That's Fiona's outfit," he stated. "She wore it for a party we went to last year."

Kiran closed Facebook. "Maybe HJ will go as a burlesque dancer? It would be a way for her to openly show that she and Sav have a lasting relationship and that she isn't letting what happened that night break them up."

"You confuse me," Declan admitted, walking away from her. "You make solid points about why they should break up but then you turn around and give them ammunition for staying together."

"If you want me to break them up, I have to think how she'll think," Kiran explained. "Right now, to prove everyone—especially you and I—wrong, Holly J is looking for ways to strengthen their relationship."

"I told her I love her yesterday," he said quietly. "I said it while we were at the Dot."

Kiran raised an eyebrow. "And how did she handle that?"

"She said it couldn't be that simple, to which I said it was, and she walked away," he replied.

"One of the videos I showed her was of you two from last year," Kiran told him. "You both come storming out of what was Hatzilakos' office, speak for a moment, and then you pick her up, swing her around, and kiss her. It's really sweet. The second video was of her and Sav from last week and it's uncomfortable. If she won't listen to my words, I'll show her taped evidence. I'm sure I can find more but I could see how upsetting it was for her."

"Then don't," he shook his head. "I don't want you to upset her that way."

"Declan, I'm going to do what I can because I genuinely think you're a decent person, but I'm going to need your help," Kiran said as they left the shop. "At some point, you'll have to get her to truly hear your apology for what happened a couple months ago. Otherwise, I'm grasping at straws."

He was stoic as they walked in silence. "Do you think she'll ever give in?"

"I don't know," Kiran answered honestly. "I think you should talk to Fiona; she's Holly J's truest friend right now and will know more than I do. I can only guess based on observations but eventually, I think we'll smoke her out, so to speak."

"I don't think I've thanked you for what you're doing," Declan murmured. "It means a lot that you've taken on a task from someone you barely know, being me, and someone you don't really care much for, which is Anya."

"Well, it's less for her and more for you," Kiran smirked. "She just reaps the side benefits of your reward."

"You said yesterday that saying what you did to Holly J was completely out of your character but I'm glad you did it," Declan added. "No one talks to her like that. Most people are afraid of her. But you weren't."

"She's a seventeen-year-old girl," Kiran shrugged. "Her only threat is to hurt someone socially but since I don't really rank anywhere on that ladder, there's really nothing she can do to me. I'm just not scared of the great Holly Jeanette Sinclair."

Declan smirked. "You know what the J stands for?"

"You mentioned it in that video we watched today," she laughed. "What is it about her that you love so much?"

"She's not like any girl I've ever dated," he stated. "Before her, I dated girls who were perfectly content to settle on the Upper East Side and spend their days in salons or shopping. They were easy to please as long as I was spending money. And then there was Sophie, who was far richer than even my family but had no use for the wealth. All she wanted to do was sit around at dingy clubs and listen to indie rock bands. But I loved her so I tried sticking to low maintenance girls after that because I thought that was the kind of girl I worked with best. When Holly J came along, I was a little shocked that I liked her so much because she's the kind of girl I had to work to impress. Fiona did a lot of digging for me and I worked harder to get her than I had in a long time. She's ambitious and determined and beautiful. She calls me out on my bullshit and doesn't back down from an argument. She's intelligent and a little abrasive and yet incredibly kind-hearted, whether she wants people to know that or not."

"I don't think she does," Kiran interrupted. "She likes the 'intelligent' and 'abrasive' parts more."

Declan chuckled. "Yeah, that's probably true. But those traits are in there."

"I'll just take your word for it," Kiran laughed. "So, tell me something about yourself, Declan Coyne, that isn't about a girl you've dated."

"I don't know what I want to do with my life," he admitted. "My sister wants to be a fashion designer and my parents expect me to have plans for the future but I don't. I like a lot of things but I can't find the one thing to settle on."

"Settle on?" Kiran repeated. "You're seventeen, Declan. No one should expect you to have the next ten years decided. Go to college, take random general education classes, streak across campus. But don't settle too quickly." She paused. "And don't join a fraternity."

"I will not," he assured her. "What about you? Any idea what next year holds for you?"

Kiran sighed. "I don't know. I'd like to go to Columbia and study to be a documentarian but we'll see."

"Documentaries, huh?" Declan asked. "What kind?"

"Actually, I'm interested in making one about music," she told him. "I want to spend time following around bands I like to get into their minds while they go through the creative process. It would be a four-part series."

Declan kicked a rock ahead of him. "What bands?"

"Um, in my dream world, I'd follow the Strokes, Kings of Leon, the Kooks, and Ray LaMontagne," she said. "But I won't hold my breath."

"They all make good music," he stated. "I especially like the Strokes because I remember being pretty young and sneaking into some of their earliest shows in New York."

Kiran frowned. "I'm jealous, though I did see the Kings of Leon at a dank club in Nashville in 2003, just before the release of their first album and that was really cool. I was only eleven at the time but I knew they were onto something major even then."

They walked in silence for a bit until they found themselves standing outside the Dot.

"Want to go in?" Declan offered. "I'll splurge for a hot chocolate and a cookie."

"Well, you make it so hard to turn down," she laughed, pulling back the door. "Mayday."

Declan looked up and noticed Holly J behind the counter with Peter. "Think you can distract her while I find a table?"

"Sure," Kiran shrugged. "I love a good afternoon confrontation." She made her way to the counter. "Hello, Dot employees."

"Hi," Peter smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"Um, two hot chocolates, a peanut butter cookie, and a double chocolate chip," Kiran stated. "Declan's buying."

Holly J frowned. "Are you two doing this to torture me?"

"Doing what?" Kiran asked.

"Hanging out here?" Holly J answered. "Are you hanging out together to make me jealous?"

"We're not," Kiran shook her head. "You brought up being jealous all on your own, Sinclair. Declan and I were out discussing my Halloween party."

Peter looked up from the register. "You're having a Halloween party?"

"Yes," Kiran confirmed. "You'll both be invited. Sav will be invited, as well, but no couple costumes. They're tacky and usually stupid."

"Who says I want to come?" Holly J asked.

Kiran smirked. "You will."

"I'll come," Peter shrugged. "Are costumes required?"

"Absolutely," Kiran nodded. "What's a Halloween party without costumes?"

Peter made a face. "I hate trying to come up with good costumes."

"Well, if you ever want any help, you're welcome to ask me," Kiran offered. "I just love the idea of being someone you're not." She looked to Holly J. "Don't you, HJ?"

"Stop," Holly J demanded. "I'm working."

Kiran looked around at the nearly empty restaurant. "Yes, I see that." She picked up the two drinks and cookies Peter set out for her. "Thanks."

"Sure," Peter said.

"Holly J does not like us hanging out," Kiran stated as she joined Declan at their table. "She thinks we're doing it to make her jealous, which is an interesting turn of events because I honestly never looked at it that way."

"Me either," Declan replied. "I don't want her to be jealous."

Kiran scoffed. "Of course you do. If she starts getting jealous, Sav will notice and it will cause tension in their relationship. That's our end goal, is it not? It's not like you and I will be doing anything but hanging out. The jealousy thing is all on her."

Declan looked down at his drink. "I just don't want to be the bad guy."

"Don't worry," Kiran assured him. "When this is all over, you'll have your lady back and I'll be the only villain in her book. None of this will be penned back onto you, I promise. I won't even blame Pom-Pom."

"How big of you," he teased. "I don't necessarily want you to look like the bad guy either."

"In every situation like this, there's a bad guy," Kiran explained. "And girls like Holly J need someone to blame when the shit hits the fan. I'm gonna be that someone but I've accepted that. This is fun for me."

Declan laughed. "You've been pulled out of social Siberia."

"I chose it," she murmured. "I'm not a people person."

"No freakin' kidding," Holly J grumbled as she breezed past their table.

Kiran smiled proudly. "Oh, I can just tell that when all this dust settles, Holly Jeanette Sinclair is going to be my BFF."

"Or your gravedigger," Declan joked. "But we shall see."