I'll Cover You
Author's Notes: I don't own Degrassi nor any other literary or pop culture references. I would be more than happy if you follow me on twitter at takethecurve.
Chapter 14
Cornered
The sun rose Monday morning just like any other day, but Eli couldn't help but feel like the world was on the verge of crashing into a million pieces. He knew that today he would have to see Fitz in the hallways of Degrassi, and today he would have to put his plan into action.
He woke up earlier than usual, showing up at the curb in front of Clare's house promptly to escort her to school. He watched as she stepped into the passenger side, yawning as she sat.
"Long night, Edwards?" he teased.
"I got distracted before I went to sleep," she admitted.
"Another late night writing binge?" he smirked.
Eli chuckled as Clare threw a steely glare at him.
"I can't help it. Once I get into a really good plot point, I can't help myself. I have to finish," she explained.
"Which is why I'm sure you'll make a fantastic writer someday," he assured her, leaning over to place a light kiss on her temple.
"Will you still be my editor when I'm rich and famous?" she teased.
"I will be your editor as long as you'll have me," he smiled, putting the hearse into drive and pulling away from the curb.
Once they disembarked at school, Eli was quick to glue himself to Clare's side. Before the first bell rang, there was scarcely five inches of space between them. After walking Clare to her first class, he watched reluctantly as she took her seat before darting down the hallway to his own first period class.
To be honest, he had expected to see Fitz as soon as he arrived that morning, but so far, he had been out of sight. After walking Clare to each of her next three classes, Eli finally found Fitz sitting in the back of the room when he walked into European history. The faint hint of anger began bubbling behind his rib cage, but he stifled it, taking his seat on the opposite end of the room.
The class began to drag until Mr. Perino assigned a project on the French Revolution where they would be divided into pairs. Eli found himself silently begging the powers at be that the pairs weren't handed out alphabetically. Fitzgerald and Goldsworthy were just too close for comfort. Luckily, he had them number off and he was paired with Adam's brother, Drew.
While Eli hadn't spent much time around Drew, he had heard enough from Adam to know that he sucked at school and was a bit of an ass. Despite these less than ideal qualities, he knew anyone would be a better partner than Fitz, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey man," Drew greeted as he sat down in the desk in front of Eli, turning to face him.
"Hey," Eli replied, keeping it simple.
"So… when do you wanna work on this? I just finished up with football, but basketball tryouts start tomorrow, so I basically only have lunch free the rest of the week," he explained.
Eli inwardly groaned. The last person he wanted to spend his lunch with was this guy, but the work had to be done.
"That works, tomorrow in the M.I. lab?" Eli suggested.
"Deal. Should be a piece of cake though, right? Everybody knows the British lost the French Revolution," Drew chimed before heading back to his seat.
Eli felt his palm crash into his forehead. This was not going to be pleasant.
As the bell for lunch rang, Eli was thankful that he didn't have to work on the project today. He sauntered off towards Clare's locker.
"Rough morning?" she asked as he leaned into the locker next to hers.
"You have no idea. Perino just assigned a big project on the French Revolution," he explained.
"And? I thought you liked history," she postulated.
"I did, until I got assigned a partner," he complained.
"Who? Because if it's Heather Poulette, you're gonna have to tackle that beast on your own," she laughed, putting her books away.
"I would gladly slay the evil Poulette dragon any day than to have to babysit Adam's brother, Drew."
"Why? I know he's a jerk, but I thought you got along okay with him," Clare asked.
"He just told me the British lost the French Revolution," Eli stated flatly, looking her straight in the eye.
"Wow… You've got a long road ahead of you," she pointed.
Together, they strolled off towards the cafeteria, eyeing Adam who was saving their usual table. Eli noticed Clare's face break into a smile as she noticed that he wasn't alone. Beside him sat a very attractive brunette girl, whom Eli surmised must be the infamous Fiona Coyne.
"You've got company today, I see," Clare chimed as she took her seat.
"Indeed, Fiona, this is Clare and Eli," Adam introduced.
"Yeah, I remember you from the musical last year," Fiona nodded to Clare.
Eli chuckled as a faint blush rose to Clare's cheeks.
"Fiona worked on costumes," Clare explained to Eli.
"I'm trying to talk Adam into working backstage with me this year, but he keeps worming his way out," Fiona teased.
"I don't know anything about theater. What help could I possibly be?" Adam complained.
"There's tons you could do! Sound, lighting, sets, props, seriously, you should sign up!" Clare pointed.
"Fine, I'll make you both a deal," Adam began, eyeing both Fiona and Clare suspiciously. "I'll sign up if Eli does."
That sneaky little bastard.
"Well, I think that's a capital idea," Clare teased, turning to Eli.
Eli weighed the option in his head. On the one hand, he would get to keep an eye on Clare while she stayed after school for all the rehearsals. On the other hand, he loathed extracurriculars.
"I hate you," he glared at Adam.
"Yes! Oh, I'm so excited!" Clare exclaimed. "Okay, first meeting is Thursday after school."
"Joy…" Eli rolled his eyes.