A/N: I don't own Degrassi. It would be cool if I did, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon…

*Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews! They are absolutely awesome!


Eli was happy it was the start of a new school week. He wanted to forget about last week (especially the Bianca thing) and start new. He walked over to Sav, Adam, and Drew. They quieted down as he approached them.

"Hey guys," Eli greeted.

"Hey," Sav had a huge smile.

Drew nodded awkwardly at Eli's direction while Adam kept quiet.

"What's up?" Eli asked slowly.

"I should say the same to you," Sav replied still smiling. Drew snickered and Adam remained silent.

"Ok…" Eli commented.

"You and Bianca?" Sav used his eyebrows, "Boiler Room? Dude."

Eli's eyes widened, "Where did you hear that?"

"Me," Adam answered, "I saw you two last week."

"Nothing happened," Eli defended.

"Whatever you say, dude…"

"Adam! You have to believe me," he pleaded.

The youngest boy sighed, "They why did you go with Bianca to the Boiler Room?"

Eli scratched his head, "I don't know. I guess I was upset and I let my emotions get the best of me. I went in with Bianca and she tried to make a move, but if felt so wrong. I got out a few seconds after, I swear."

Sav put a hand to his shoulder, "All right, dude. We'll take your word for it."

Eli let out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the hallways, Bianca waited for Clare to reach her locker. Once the redhead got there, she walked up to her.

"Hey Clare," Bianca greeted, "Have you seen Eli?"

Clare was immediately on the defense, "No, I haven't. Why?"

"Oh nothing," the curly haired girl replied, "It's just that we had a nice… talk the other day. Actually, there wasn't much talking… And we were in the Boiler Room so…"

The younger girl froze, "The Boiler Room?"

Everyone knew what went on in there.

"Just let him know I had a good "chat" with him and I hope we do it again," she gave Clare a once over and walked away.

Clare stood frozen at her spot. A flurry of emotions hit her – hurt, anger, betrayal, sadness… jealousy.

Not again – she thought.

"Everything ok, C?" a female voice broke her thoughts.

Clare turned around to see Fiona by her side. "C" was her new nickname for Clare.

"I don't know," the redhead answered honestly.

"Uh oh, does this call for another girls' get together at my place?" Fiona suggested.

"I wouldn't want to intrude," Clare said.

The fashionista waved her hand dismissively, "Nonsense, I love having you girls around. It's like having a bunch of sisters without the unnecessary drama. Meet me at my locker after rehearsals."


As usual, the cast took the stage to rehearse while the crew worked on the floor beneath. Clare had told Alli about the Bianca incident and the two avoided the guys. Eli was the first to notice.

"Clare hasn't spoken to me all day," he complained.

"Do you think he knows about you and Bianca?" Adam asked.

"I don't even know," Eli sounded scared, "I hope not. Nothing even happened."

"Just talk to her," Sav suggested, "See what's up and clear the air."

Eli let out a breath. He cautiously approached Clare.

"Err, hey," he said.

She faced him, "Hey Eli. Um, I have to get to work over here and… yeah…"

"Are you avoiding me?" he asked bluntly.

Clare hesitated, "I've – I've just got a lot to do…"

Eli was persistent, "Clare, what's wrong? Whenever something is wrong, you keep yourself busy."

She fiddled with the hem of her shirt, "Did you and Bianca… did you two go to the Boiler Room last week?"

Eli's face slightly paled. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Clare got her answer.

"I should get back to work…"

"Clare, it's not like that –"

"It's ok, Eli. I get it. You two went out and maybe there are still feelings there."

"But I –"

"Clare?" Alli's voice cut in.

The redhead was relieved with the interruption.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she told him.

Clare walked over to Alli, leaving Eli alone.


Clare, Alli, and Holly J found a comfortable spot on Fiona's couch. The hostess was getting snacks and drinks from the kitchen.

"So what's going on, C?" Fiona had come back.

The redhead hesitated, "Um, well… I think Eli and Bianca hooked up in the Boiler Room."

"Slut," Alli faked a cough.

"I know he's my best friend," Clare continued, "And he's free to do what he wants, but I just thought he would know better than get back together with her."

The girls remained silent.

"When Bianca came up to me and told me about the Boiler Room thing, I couldn't help but feel… jealous."

"Clare," Alli spoke up, "Are you crushing on Eli again?"

"I think so?" Clare whispered.

"You had a crush on him before?" Fiona quietly asked.

The redhead nodded, "It didn't start until I got to high school. I've always been able to push the feelings away and I thought they were finally gone, but I guess not."

"Why don't you talk to Eli?" Holly J voiced.

Clare looked at her, "And tell him what? 'Hey Eli, I've liked you since freshman year and I still do. You want to give us a shot?'"

Holly J rolled her eyes, "Well, maybe not like that. But you two could talk it out so it's at least out there in the open and you can move passed this."

"Or our friendship will be forever awkward," Clare groaned.

"Well, you can't avoid him for too long," Alli said, "You two see each other everyday."

"I need to get rid of these feelings once and for all," he redhead stated.

Are you sure it will work this time around?" Fiona asked.

"I don't have a choice," Clare replied. She was going to keep busy and she knew just what to do.


A/N: Review, please :) I won't be updating until sometime Monday? Will we be hearing from Eli? Hm…. Thanks for reading!

Oh oh, I've gotta say this again: nothing happened between Eli and Bianca. Ew, heck no!