Disclaimer: Don't own Degrassi. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: I'm sorry my updates haven't been very frequent lately. I've been busy and just… haven't really been in a writing mood, I guess. But here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

X

And I Must Scream
Dinner Disaster

X

"We're having company tonight."

At the sound of her mother's voice, Clare glanced up from her laptop. Her mother stood some feet away from her, leaning against the threshold connecting the kitchen to the living room, holding a cup of coffee. She wasn't looking at Clare but rather past her, at the wall, seemingly lost in thought. Clare furrowed her brow in confusion, about to speak up when Helen continued. "The Martins will be joining us for dinner."

"The Martins?" Clare repeated disbelievingly.

Her mother nodded curtly, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Glen and his son just moved back to Toronto not too long ago." She explained. "You remember Jake, right Clare?"

Of course she remembered Jake Martin. It was hard to forget about the scrawny boy who used to pull her pigtails and throw dead frogs at her.

"Yes." She said flatly. "I remember him."

Unfortunately.

"Good, good…" After a pregnant pause, Helen went on. "Well, I just wanted to let you know. So if you've made plans with your friends, you'll have to cancel them. This is more important right now."

Clare narrowed her eyes.

She hadn't made plans, but that didn't matter. What if she had? What if they were just as important, if not more? Of course, her mother didn't seem to take that into consideration before making plans for the night on a whim, and that was what really bothered her. Hands curling into fists, Clare turned away from her mother and stared at her laptop. A few minutes later, Clare heard the shower turn on and realized her mother was no longer in the room with her, but continued to stare at the screen in front of her.

Anger melted into frustration as she tried to, once again, focus her attention on school, but her efforts were futile.

The page remained empty, and her mind blank.

Her inspiration was gone.

.

.

.

Hours later, Clare found herself sitting at the dining room table, opposite none other than Jake Martin. As her mother and Mr. Martin talked — about what, she didn't know, nor did she really care — she stared down at her plate, picking away at her food. Occasionally, she spared glances at the boy across from her when she thought he wasn't looking.

Jake hardly resembled the lanky boy she remembered. He was taller, broader… and definitely cuter. But he was also a pig, and seemed to lack table manners. Then again, perhaps she was just being nit-picky. Perhaps the eight-year-old inside her was still bitter from being tormented with frogs and worms and other creepy crawlies. Maybe she was just trying to find flaws.

"So… what brings you two back to Toronto?" Helen's voice shattered Clare's reverie and she looked up, tuning into the conversation.

Glen seemed to have much better etiquette than his son, and finished chewing his steak before answering. "Oh, you know… we sort of missed living in the city. There's a lot more opportunity here, and after the wife and I split -" out of the corner of her eye, Clare noticed Jake tense slightly, "- we really needed a change of scenery. Right, Jake?"

Jake nodded and smiled, but Clare could tell it was forced.

"I understand completely, Glen." Helen brought Clare's attention back to her, and Clare arched a brow when she saw how her mother was looking at Glen. She reminded her of a doe-eyed schoolgirl, and the thought made Clare cringe. Her parents' divorce hadn't even been finalized yet, and her mother already had her eye on another man? The same woman who had once condemned divorce? Clare felt as though she had been sucked into an alternate universe. "Divorce is hard — break ups too. Isn't that right, Clare?"

Clare shot her mother an incredulous look. "Mom!"

Helen clearly didn't hear her, for she went on. "It was an awful break up. All Clare does now is mope around the house."

Clare couldn't believe her ears. Her mother — her own mother — was actually gossiping about her, talking about her break up as though it was something silly and trivial and not worth being truly upset over. Her and Eli may not have been together for over fifteen years, but that didn't mean that their break up wasn't hard. She had no right — no right — to talk about her love life. Anger swelled up inside her as her mother continued to prattle on about her failed relationship and how she just knew that Eli was bad news from the start and how he had changed her. Never mind the fact that she, herself, hardly resembled the mother that Clare remembered growing up with.

"I knew he wasn't right for her. He was clearly disturbed. He drove a hearse and I don't think I ever saw him wear anything but black… no wonder Clare stays cooped up in her room all day. Being around that boy…"

Clare just about lost it, and stood up so quickly that the chair scraped noisily across he floorboard, no doubt leaving a mark. Clare didn't care, though, as she clenched her fists and tried not to lose her cool. All eyes were suddenly on her. Her mother was frowning, Glen was startled, and Jake looked torn between amusement and (if she read him correctly) concern.

Her blood was boiling, and she wanted nothing more than to scream at her mother — to tell her to butt out of her love life — but she knew she'd only get in trouble. Without a word, Clare left the table, paying no heed to her mother's, "Where do you think you're going, young lady?" as she made her way into the foyer. Grabbing her denim jacket and her purse from their respective hooks, she walked out of the house, slamming the door behind her so hard that the pictures hanging on the wall shook.

She was about halfway down the street when a voice called out to her.

"Clare!"

She spun around just in time to see Jake jogging towards her.

"What do you want?" She demanded, once he came to a halt in front of her.

"Your mom wanted me to keep an eye on you." Jake said simply, and Clare promptly scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"I don't need a babysitter." She muttered, turning away from him and continuing down the road.

"Where are you going?" Jake asked, quickly falling into step with her.

"I don't know." Clare said, growing agitated with his presence. "Alli's… the Dot… anywhere's better than here right now."

"I'll come with you." Jake suggested, and when she threw him a sceptical glance, he shrugged. "It's better than listening our parents flirt."

"Oh, you noticed?" Clare drawled, before shaking her head angrily. "I can't believe her. She's such a hypocrite."

Jake remained silent, stuffing his hands into his pockets as they made their way to their destination.

.

.

.

The Dot was crowded by the time they arrived. As Jake casually observed the local hangout, Clare peered around in search for anyone she knew. She recognized a few faces; Zane Park and Riley Stavros were sitting by the window, sharing a meaningful look that made her more than a little envious, knowing she probably wouldn't have that again for a long time. She also spotted Peter serving customers, and had he not been so busy, she would've talked to him. They hadn't really spoken since Darcy left for Kenya, but she knew he had graduated and was studying at TU.

There were other Degrassi students sitting around, but none she knew well enough to strike up a conversation with out of the blue — save for Jesus Club. Her eyes flickered over to the group, huddled at the back of the restaurant. Three tables had to be pushed together to accommodate them all. Once upon a time, she would have joined them, but when her parents started fighting, the club fell off her radar. She had only gone back once since the beginning of the year, and after that, they more or less shunned her.

They hadn't exactly taken kindly to Eli and his beliefs — or lack thereof.

On top of dating an atheist, her parents were in the middle of a divorce and they all knew it. They probably assumed that next she was going to throw away her vow and spread her legs for the first guy who asked, or start practicing witchcraft. To them, she was the weakest link — a stain on their otherwise pure club — and so they cut her out.

The door chimed, bringing Clare back to the present, but when she glanced over to see who had entered, she wished she hadn't.

Her heart stopped as Eli walked into the Dot — but he wasn't alone. He was accompanied by a girl with dark hair and thick-rimmed glasses. Clare frowned as he held the door open for her, and was about to turn away when Eli in her direction. Their eyes locked, and Clare froze like a deer in the headlights, her pulse racing. Her knees began to shake as he made his way towards her, followed closely by the dark-haired girl, and Clare took a deep breath, bracing herself for the inevitable talk.

Only to have him walk right past her, as if she didn't exist.

Whirling around, Clare watched in disbelief as Eli and the girl sat at a nearby table, far too close for Clare's liking. Her stomach twisted and churned as she looked on jealously, and after about a minute, she tore her gaze away.

She needed to leave.

Spotting Jake a few feet from her, talking — correction: flirting — with a redhead from her Chemistry class, Clare walked over and grabbed him by the sleeve of his plaid shirt.

"We're leaving," she said. "Let's go."

Jake opened his mouth to protest, but Clare wouldn't have any of it. She dragged him through the crowd, heading straight for the door, only to come to an abrupt halt when their path was blocked.

"Fancy seeing you here." Eli's voice was slightly raspy as he spoke.

"Eli," Clare nodded at him in greeting. She licked her lips before hesitantly meeting his gaze. "How… how are you?"

"Better." Eli said simply, his face impassive. He motioned to the dark-haired girl standing next to him. "You know Imogen, right?"

The name sounded familiar, but Clare didn't remember ever seeing her around.

She shook her head, giving him a wry smile.

"Not exactly." She said, before turning to the girl "I'm -"

"Clare Edwards." The girl — Imogen? — cut her off, adjusting her glasses and eyeing Clare with contempt. "Yes… I know all about you."

There was something unsettling about her statement, and the way she looked at her made Clare feel small. Cocking her head to the side, Clare was about to ask Imogen to elaborate when Jake suddenly made his presence known, draping an arm over her shoulders. Clare stiffened and she tried to shrug Jake's arm off, but Jake simply pulled her close to him. Her gaze shifted to Eli, who remained stoic, his expression blank.

"Eli, this is…"

"Jake." Jake finished with a grin, extending his hand to Eli. "And you must be the ex."

Eli opened his mouth to respond, but Clare interrupted.

"Well, would you look a the time! We better head home!" She said, laughing nervously. "It was nice catching up with you, but… we really have to go now. Come on, Jake."

Looping her arm through Jake's, she pulled him along, brushing past Eli and Imogen and pushing their way through throngs of people on the way to the exit. When they finally managed to get outside, Clare released Jake's arm and spun around to face him, planting her hands firmly on her hips and glaring daggers at him.

"Why would you do that?" She hissed, her cheeks red with anger.

Jake shrugged. "I thought I was helping."

"Helping?" Clare seethed. "Now he's going to think I'm some kind of floozy who hooks up with random guys on a whim!"

Jake let out a laugh. "Where do you come up with this stuff?" He shook his head, still grinning in amusement. "You really are clueless. He was parading that girl in front of you on purpose. He was trying to make you jealous."

"Eli wouldn't do that." Clare snapped.

"Either that or he's moved on. Would you rather believe that?" Jake countered, raising a challenging brow.

Clare balled her fists. The thought of Eli moving on so quickly made her sick to her stomach. After everything they had been through… after how long it had taken him to get over Julia… she closed her eyes, falling back against the brick wall behind her. After a couple of minutes, she managed to calm down, but thoughts of Eli and Imogen lingered in her mind. Had he moved on? She didn't want to believe it — after all, it had only been a few weeks since the accident — but what if he had?

"Maybe you should move on too." Jake's voice jarred Clare from her thoughts.

Her head snapped up and she stared at him in disbelief.

"Excuse me?"

Jake shrugged again.

"No use dwelling over him if he's with another girl. Get over it and move on." He said nonchalantly.

"It's not that simple!" Clare cried. "Eli and I -"

"Had something special?" Jake finished. When Clare fell silent, he rolled his eyes. "Everyone always thinks that their relationship is one of a kind, and then when it falls apart, they can't believe it. That's why I don't do relationships."

"Good for you." Clare deadpanned.

"I'm just saying… if you ever want to have a bit of fun with no strings attached…" He gave her a suggestive look.

"You're a pig." She muttered, crossing her arms.

"I'm sure many of my casual acquaintances would disagree." Jake said smugly.

Clare scoffed. "Yes, well, clearly your 'casual acquaintances' are desperate and have no taste."

"And you do?" Jake retorted. "Your ex looks like rejected member of My Chemical Romance."

A frustrated noise erupted from the back of her throat and she threw her hands up. Shooting Jake one last glare, Clare whipped around and started walking in the opposite direction. She ignored Jake as he called out after her, "Where are you going?" and when she heard his footsteps approaching, she walked faster.

She was no longer in the mood to deal with Jake Martin.

Practically breaking into a run, she had just turned a corner when a beat up looking car suddenly pulled up to the curb with a screech, bringing her to an abrupt halt. Then the passenger door flew open, revealing none other than Mark Fitzgerald, still in his work uniform.

"Get in." He told her, and against her better judgement, Clare wasted no time climbing into the back seat.

As she closed the door, the car sped off and she was flung to the left with a squeak. Sitting up straight, she quickly buckled herself in and glanced over her shoulder, where Jake's figure grew smaller and smaller until she couldn't even see him anymore. Clare let out a soft sigh and relaxed — that is, before she remembered whose car she was in. Biting her lip, she leaned forward.

"W-where are we going?" She asked.

Fitz's mouth twitched. "You'll see."

X

FINALLY.

This chapter was a bitch and a half to write, but it is longer than the last one. Actually, it's THE longest one so far. I don't know why I had so much difficulty writing it, but… I did, and it was frustrating as hell.

Also, this chapter has a serious lack of Bianca, but don't you worry… she'll be in the next one.

Also, Fitz… ehh. I was torn between making it him, Owen, or Johnny. I decided to go with him, though, because… I miss writing Fitz.

Anyway, once again… I apologize for the long wait. Hopefully this chapter made up for it, though.