Authors note: I'm on summer vacation now, so that should mean more updates more frequently, but don't hold me to that. Shout out to my lovely cousin for editing this crap fanfiction. Enjoy and review!
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Degrassi because if I did, the Degrassi timeline wouldn't be so hella confusing.
Summary: This is the story of two teenagers falling in love not once, but for the second time.
Can't Help Falling In Love
After
"Have a great day!" I say as the person walks out of the store. It is Tuesday and everyone in Toronto seems to be out buying up all the books in this little store. Tuesdays always seem to be the busiest for some reason. There are a couple of people in the store at different shelves browsing through the various choices of books.
My shift is almost over and mom will be here to take over. I don't have to worry about picking up Kayden today from daycare since Jake had offered this morning to watch him for me. I wouldn't trust Jake to do anything, aside from watching Kayden because he is actually quite good at it. He is a good baby sitter and he's free so that makes everything better. Kayden loves him and he loves Kayden so it's just great for the two of them.
It's nice getting a break from Kayden every once in awhile, even if it's just to go to work for a few hours a day. I don't go out much, I don't really have friends. I mean there is Alli but she's off to MIT finding the cure to cancer. All the other friends I thought I had stopped making time for me and replaced that time with partying and all those things I couldn't and still can't do because I've got a baby to take care of.
A lady comes over, books in hand and sets them down on the counter. I ring in all her things with a smile and I make small talk. I find small talk is annoying to the extreme and I'm glad that the lady left quickly. "Have a great day!" I tell her as she goes out the door.
My mother walks in after her. Mom smiled at me but I can tell there is something wrong just from the look on her face once she stops smiling. I want to ask her what's wrong but I don't She carries a few things with her: a purse, lunch bag and she holding an envelope. "Hello sweetie." She greets walking over to the counter.
"Hi, Mom." I reply. I grab my bag from underneath the counter. I look back at her after and she's holding the envelope out to me.
I look at her questionably "It's for me?" I reach out for it.
"It's got your name on it."
I let out a long breath and take it from her. I go to open it but she places her hand over mine and stops me. "Don't open it in here." And I finally read whom it is from…. a lawyer and I nod.
"Okay." I nod. "I'll open it at home."
I leave the store after hugging my mother goodbye and head out to my car. I can't wait to read this until I get home, I'm already shaking from the anticipation of wanting to open it and wanting to know why a lawyer would be sending me something.
I tear open the top with one hand as I try to put my key into the ignition with the other. I manage to get the keys in but I don't turn it on. I throw the now ripped opened envelope on the seat but have the papers from inside. I start to read and immediately regret it.
"The nerve of this man, I swear to God!" I say angrily. I throw the papers on the seat beside me and grab my phone from my purse. I dial Eli's old phone number, hoping it still works. A number I still remember off by heart by dialing a million times and hanging up just as many. I remember each number as if it were my own number. I remember it as if it was our old favourite song that I now refuse to listen to.
The line rings and rings for only a few seconds before he picks up. "Clare?"
"You're horrible, you know that?" I say turning the car on with the phone in between my shoulder and ear. "You're not going to gain any sort of custody, so I don't know why you're even trying." I continue angry and annoyed and he would have to be completely mental not to notice.
"He's my son too, Clare." He tells me as I turn out of the parking lot and on to the road. "A son I didn't even know I had, I think I have a right to see him."
"Not if I have it my way." I say into the phone. "You're just going to disappear again and I don't want Kayden to have to suffer though that. I'm trying my best to protect him and give him what's best for him and you're trying to take him away from me!" I slam my hands on the wheel making it honk.
"What do you think I've been doing since I left?" He asks as frustrated as I am at this point.
I cringe at the harshness of his voice. I have forgotten what he sounds like when he's mad, though we had only gotten into one or two fights when we were dating. I remember it scaring me back then but it was also a huge turn on.
"I don't know, why don't you tell me since you and I both know I'm terrible at guessing!" I say turning down a street.
I heard him let out a breath. "You seriously have no clue do you."
"No clue about what?"
"You haven't read a single letter I sent, have you?" He continues like I haven't said anything. He sounds sad almost, but I still have no idea what letters he was referring to. This is the first he mentioned anything about letters.
"What letters?!"
"Never mind, they're not important, you said yourself that you hate me, so the letter won't make any difference."
I shake my head as I'm stopped at a red light. "Why? What's in them?"
"All the answers to the question you must have."
"You couldn't have called?" I question.
He lets out a laugh. That one laugh hurts me more than his yelling through the phone a minute ago and I hadn't had a clue why. "I couldn't just pick up the damn phone whenever I wanted." He said and then the line when dead. He had hung up on me. The call ended and I put it on the seat next to me. He has left me with just one question as he hung up, where are these letters?
I sit there with the papers in one hand, making sure that Kayden didn't fall off the bed as he danced around to the music I had playing to keep him entertained as I looked over the papers again. I tried so hard to concentrate on those papers but my mind was elsewhere. My thoughts were on those letters. I ask Jake if he knows anything about them, he knows nothing. I ask Glen and he knows about as much as Jake does. I only have mom left to ask and she's to be home any moment now.
I'm not as upset about the custody papers anymore, though I am still pretty upset. I had talked briefly to Alli earlier as I put Kayden down for a nap. She had told me I should at least hear him out, talk to him and see if we can work something out with out needing a mediator or a judge. Alli is always right and I know that I have to do it. It's hard knowing I have to talk to Eli though in order to make a decision. So far all we've managed to do is raise our voices and speak horribly to each other. Or maybe it's a bit more one sided than I believe. He hasn't done so much yelling. Mostly it's just me.
"Mama! Dance!" Kayden says bouncing on his knees happily as the song changed to a different one I know he likes. I smile at my boy and put the papers aside.
"Alright, alright." I say and get up, taking him with me. I hold him on my hip and hold his arm out in a sort of slow dance position and I start moving around my room to the beat of the music playing. He's laughing and I'm laughing and I don't hear the knock on my door I just see mom pop her head in.
"There's pizza down stairs." She says watching with amusement as I continue dancing with Kayden.
"Okay." I say, "We'll be down in a minute." She leaves and shuts the door behind her.
"Ready to eat?" I say bouncing around the room with him still.
"Yeah!" He says quite loudly laughing.
"Okay, let's go." I say putting him down. I shut the music off, open the door and watch him go down the stairs one by one on his butt. Once we are both down the stairs he runs to mom. She picks him up and puts him in his high chair as I grab pizza for the both of us.
Mom never approved of my getting pregnant so young but that didn't stop her from loving Kayden. She spoils the boy, maybe it's just that he is her first grandchild from any of her children. Mom has a conversation with him as I cut up the pizza. He talks and she pretends to understand him by nodding her head and smiling wearing a large smile. I look over at Jake who has four pieces of pizza stacked on his plate, Glenn doesn't have as many. Jake keeps his eyes on his plate and Glen looks anywhere but at me, I feel like they know something I don't.
So I clear my throat after setting Kayden's pizza down in front of him. They all look over to me. "So... That envelope you gave me today is from Eli's lawyer." I say sitting down in my spot.
Mom's eyebrows rose. "Eli's lawyer?"
"Yes, He wants to see Kayden… I think I'm going to let him." I tell them all honestly. And I really don't have too much money for a lawyer myself if we can't settle on something. I guess I'll have to call him or something.
Mom's face drops "Clare, sweetie, you don't want to do that." She says.
I scrunch my eyebrows together. "Why do you say that?"
"He disappeared, honey. You don't want that for Kayden."
I nod. "Yeah, I know. But as much as I refuse to admit it he needs his father in his life… And I can't be both parents." I say. "Not when he's willing and wanting to be in his life." I add.
She sighs, the boys stay quiet and eat their pizza, except for Kayden. He nibbles loudly making noises while he eats.
I take a bite, chew and then swallow. "Do you know about letters that someone sent me, Mom?" I ask.
She freezes and I eye her up and down with a questioning look. She shakes her head "No, honey. I have no idea about any letters Eli sent you. "
She's lying to me. I never said a name. Usually she is great at lying but I don't understand why now, at this moment she decides not to be. Maybe she had thought I said Eli's name but either way I know she's lying and I know she's got an idea about where they are.
"Okay, Mom." I say and take another bite of pizza.
