CLARE'S POV:

I still couldn't believe it. I was going to be one of those kids who parents weren't married. I would have to switch over from Mom's house to Dad's house. I'd known people who had divorced parents. It didn't seem to bother them, but how could it not? Your parents are supposed to love each other!

I should've seen this coming with their constant fighting. Normal parents didn't fight like that. I should've asked them to go to marriage counseling, or something. Or even made them. It was too late now, and it was my entire fault.

I couldn't sleep that night; I kept thinking about my parents. All these years… meant nothing to them. I meant nothing to them. I was a mistake. I should've never been born. I bet my parents hated me, too.

I cried through most of the night.

When I woke up, I was literally a mess. I hadn't washed off my makeup from yesterday, and now my mascara had run down my face. My hair was a tangled mess, and my eyes were still so red. I felt like I was about to cry again.

I couldn't go to school today. Not if I was just going to break down, whenever something reminded me… of what's happening in my life right now.

And I couldn't let Eli see me like this, now could I? I knew what I needed to do today, and it wasn't going to be school. I was going to skip. This was the first time I was skipping a full school day. I didn't like what I was doing, but it seemed reasonable at the time.

"Clare!" Mom yelled from downstairs.

"Coming," I replied, patting my face with a towel. At least my face is clean, now.

I walked downstairs, seeing my dad filling in some paperwork. I wondered if those papers had to do with the divorce.

Probably.

"Did you leave your bike at school, yesterday?" Mom asked me, washing dishes.

I guess I'd forgotten about it when she picked me up, yesterday. Oops. "Yeah, sorry, Mom. I'll pick it up today, though." Okay, so I lied about that last part. I felt bad for lying immediately.

"I'll give you a ride to school," she offered.

"You don't' have to," I quickly said. "I want to walk."

She looked surprised. "You sure, Clare? It's such a long walk…"

"It won't take that long," I lied, once again. "Maybe twenty minutes, tops."

She yawned. "Okay, honey. You better eat something first, though."

My stomach felt full. Full of nerves. It was almost the same feeling I had when Eli and I shared our first kiss, but this was a bad feeling.

"I'm not hungry," I said. Before she could reply to me I grabbed my bag and went outside. I walked the opposite way of Degrassi. I wasn't sure where I was going, but wherever it was, would be better than school.

ELI'S POV:

Hopefully school would be better today. In other words, hopefully I'd see Clare today.

"Eli," a girl called. I turned around, finding Alli. Why was she talking to me?

"Umm, hi," I looked behind her, hoping to find Clare. There was no sight of her, anywhere.

"Do you know where Clare is?" she questioned, tapping her foot.

"I was looking for her myself." I was still trying to find her. She was usually early to school. I hoped she was okay. There are probably a lot of freaks here in Toronto.

She looked at me weird, as if I were the bad guy, and then left. I never really liked her. But I wasn't going to be rude to her. She was one of Clare's best friends, after all.

I walked to English, alone.

Adam was already sitting in his sit when I walked in the classroom. Still no sign of Clare. Ugh. Where could she be? She's never missed a day of school. I don't think she was sick. Maybe I should text her, or call her, or something.

Where are you? was the text I sent. I slipped my phone into my pocket, and hoped it would vibrate soon. I had to know why she was gone.

"Adam," I turned around, facing him. "Have you seen Clare today?"

He looked at me, annoyed. Maybe he was tired of me talking about Clare constantly. "No, why?"

"Just wondering, that's all." Really, it was because I missed her, and I hoped she wasn't in any trouble or anything.

She couldn't be.

CLARE'S POV:

My phone rang. I'd gotten a text… from Eli. "Where are you?" it said. I could imagine him saying that now. His worried voice asking me. Oh, how I wanted to see him right now! Why did I decide to skip school? I was bound to get in even more trouble. What would Simpson say? I was already in too much trouble, and what about my parents?

My parents. The two people who meant the most to me. The people who cared for me since the day I was born. I can't believe I believed for one minute I actually meant something to them.

I want to go away, and never come back.

I leaned against an old wooden fence, and slid my body down to the ground. I felt raindrops hit my head, but I didn't care. I didn't care about anything. There was nothing I wanted more right now than to die. Or, at least never been born. Then I wouldn't have caused anyone any trouble. I closed my eyes and thought to myself for a moment.

"So we meet, once again," I heard a voice call. I hoped I was hallucinating, and it wasn't who I thought it was.

But then I felt two arms pick me up, harshly, and throw me into the backseat of a car.