Disclaimer= I do not own Degrassi.
Like I said, the time skip will start at the beginning of this final chapter. I had a blast writing this story but all good things must come to an end. This chapter was going be a #rare super-chapter with lengthy flashbacks and those tender romantic moments that I love writing about, but this final chapter revolves around graduation and events that lead up to it for the current seniors. The remaining loose ends will be… eh, I think I'll leave said loose ends as is.
Thank you Moxxy for taking the time to read Trig and leave thoughtful reviews :)
Enjoy reading Trig and leave a review!
Fiona has come a long way. Finally being her true self after coming out to her mother, she has done the dating thing with Charlie, which went nowhere. It has been only a few months since that time, the lips swollen as ever yearning for more of what was supplied to it.
I remember it like it just happened… there I was with her atop the attraction with the town lights shining below us. The scene was perfect- I don't recall what I said, but I could feel that gravity and an unnamed force was pulling me closer to her. Who was I to stop what I wanted for so long to happen, kissing the girl that went by the name of-
Fiona's moment of remembrance was interrupted by her phone ID barking who was calling her.
Call from, Holly J.
"Hello Holly J!" Fiona was pleased that her best friend was going to attend her graduation. They hadn't seen each other for a long time since she went away for university. Sure they stayed in touch via video chat, phone, and FaceRange; however, nothing could compare to seeing someone you truly cared about face to face, which Fiona was going to do before the sudden knock on the door.
"Open the door Fiona, I'm here!" Fiona's heart did a kick flip as she practically flew to the door in order to open it where sure enough, Holly J was there looking great and bearing a gift basket.
"I wasn't sure of what you would like, so I figured,"
"OH MY GOD, IT'S PERFECT!" Fiona had Holly J in a bear hug, tears flushing down her cheeks. She sat down on the couch and opened up the gift basket, the smile on a constant with what the contents were.
"These products haven't even hit stores yet, I'm so glad to have gotten these. You're going to smell gorgeous."
"I appreciate this so much Holly J, you have no idea."
"Oh Fiona, it's nothing,"
"Seriously," Fiona said as she scooted to the intimate distance from Holly J, the latter not bothered by the close up.
"You have 3 hours until you graduate, you're already ready to go?" Both laughed, with Fiona shrugging on account of her being so excited of the day.
"This year was exactly as I would hope it turned out to be. I made new friends, started shit with people which is always fun," Fiona paused for a quick chuckle before resuming, " I missed my brother… and I missed you Holly J."
"Aww, me too. We would've had the best year at Yale being roommates," Holly J said, but that's all she said as Fiona uncharacteristically puts a finger on her best friend's lips. Fiona is trembling badly, but she cannot suppress these feelings she has no longer.
"Do you remember when I came out of the closet?" Holly J nodded as the finger stayed planted on her lips, "You asked me if there was a love interest, to which I said that there was… I lied about the love interest."
"Not every lesbian finds love quickly,"
"I did…" Fiona took back her finger and curled up as much as she could.
"You just said that you,"
"Holly J, don't you get it? I'm in love with you." Holly J was stunned with this confession from her best friend but then again, something was odd with Fiona she thought as soon as she came out. Something about the way she looked at her gave her minor indications, nothing that was worth exploring because Fiona was a nice girl.
"I don't know what to say, I know you kissed me once when you won the case; however, that was purely a joyous moment was it not?" Fiona did not want to make a scene, but her body was strongly resisting that command. How could she reject her like that, her subconscious told her. How could Holly J Sinclair not return the feelings she had?
"I'm sorry Fiona, I wanted to say,"
"Go to hell." Fiona stormed off to her room, where she would cry until it was time for her to head to Degrassi for graduation.
"I'm over it, take care." Drew ended the call as he was adjusting the cap. These caps are so lame, he told his girl, who laughed at the man she loved more than anything struggle with something so simple.
"Was that Holly J?" Drew told Bianca that it was, once again telling her what had happened, which caused Bianca to roll her eyes.
"Life is finally perfect Bianca," Drew told his girl as Mother Torres was walking in the room, unbeknownst to them.
"I realized who I need, and we're going to the same University,"
"Like hell if I allow you to attend the same school with that." Drew got pissed off and was about to verbally go at it with his mother, until Bianca tossed her cap aside with gale-like intensity.
"Ms. Torres, I'm going to let that comment go. I realize that you do not like me because of my past and you know what? I don't care anymore about whether or not you like me. I've changed for the good, and my life has turned 1000% better because of it. I love your son more than anything in the entire world! He can be clumsy at times, but then again, a man is not a man without being clumsy. He respects me, treats me with such grace, and I return those same feelings. I cannot comprehend why you still think so low of me when you know damn well I've changed because if I had not, would I have several scholarships right now? Would I have had every university in Canada and the United States begging me to sign with them? Please understand Ms. Torres that I'm a different person, that I love your son and he loves me." Bianca got down to her knees, exhausted and ready to cry."
"Get up Bianca!" Mother Torres barked, as Bianca did so in a shaky matter. She got face to face with her son's girlfriend, and then gave her a hug.
"Ms. Torres?"
"Call me Audra." Drew could not believe that his mom did a 180 regarding Bianca, much less let someone that was not a close friend call her by her first name.
"I'm very protective of Andrew, so that's why I was a bitch to you. You remind me of me, when I shouted at my parents back in the day that my then boyfriend (whom I later married) was the one for me. You're a very strong woman Bianca; I admire and respect that about you. You have my blessing to continue seeing my son."
"Thank you Ms Torres, I mean, thank you Audra!" Drew smiled as he handed Bianca back her cap.
"I thought that thing was long gone,"
"your man is an athlete, remember?"
Speech! Speech! Speech!
After many months of turbulence, Katie has finally arrived to the one of the most important days of her life: graduation. The whole (Speech!) diatribe was playing inside her head, as she had imagined her peers would shout that when the announcement of her being valedictorian was made. I know how it will go, Katie told Marisol and her family, they'll feign being hyper and to try and jerk me one last time, they'll yell SPEEECHHH! at the top of their lungs.
"Correct!" Marisol told her best friend, sitting down across from her. Katie took a break from rehearsing her speech to ask Marisol how many times they were going to cry before "we go out there."
"Haven't we cried enough? As a matter of fact… I'm sorry!" Marisol suddenly burst into tears, and Katie was ready to use her handwritten speech as Kleenex. She didn't care because 1) she didn't even know if a speech was going to be given and 2) aside from her family, she hated seeing her best friend in tears. Luckily Marisol used a handkerchief she was given to wipe her tears away.
"I'm sorry about that Kates, we women sure love our spontaneous cries,"
"Hey I would not have objected to using my speech as Kleenex. By the way, how did you get that handkerchief?" Marisol… told Katie of how Adam went to the next town to find a quality one.
"Do you want to know the source of my spontaneous cry?"
"Please tell me!" Marisol touched her phone a few times and once more to zoom in and showed Katie, who immediately smiled and teared up.
"That's so sweet of him Marisol, you've found a keeper!"
"Aww you're going to make me cry again!" Katie jokingly offered her speech as Kleenex and Marisol countered with a "phantom fly swatter," acting like she was shooing the paper away. As far as the phone goes, it was a picture of Marisol and Adam, holding each other in a way that signaled the pinnacle of their love. Adam had that cheeky smile he's known for and as for Marisol? Her face told the story of a girl who was truly happy, a girl who finally realized who she was truly meant for.
*FLASHBACK*
Marisol noticed that Adam was coming for her, to have a long sit down conversation with her. She couldn't "avoid" him forever and he was going to let her know about it! He was going to tell her off, letting her know how horrible of a person she was for treating him like dog crap. To the complete shock of Marisol, Adam said no such things of that nature. What Adam did was as soon as he was seated; he kept it cool and asked how were things.
"Good… how are you?"
"I'm quite gravy… and I miss you so much." Marisol laughed at the gravy comment; always with the jokes, she thought. Then when she absorbed the next thing Adam said, he pulled her mouth close to his and laid the best kiss he could do and boy, were Marisol's eyes that were shocked snapped shut as she returned the kiss with equal fervor.
"I miss you too Adam, I'm sorry for freaking out during that time. I underestimated your worth… I won't do that anymore I promise." That's where the passion instantly got sucked away. The reintroduction of their vibes simply went kaput. Adam got up, as did Marisol.
"You're not going to stalk me, are you?"
"Where are you getting at? Why did you stop your passionate feelings just now?"
"Whoa now, one question at a time… Alright, where I am getting at is that when you dropped the DVD's during our movie date way back when, the red flag could not have been clearer. What that told me was that you were not on the same page as me in regards to us. Do you have ANY idea how much that hurt me Marisol?"
"Adam I was just freaked out about what you said. It was as if,"
"exactly, you don't know WHAT I was going to say next. I had something prepared after making that comment, but as soon as you dropped the DVD's I completely forgot about it, hence me behaving monotone the rest of the night. When you left, I had to fight back tears. My sniffing was so loud that my own mom woke up worried about me, asking if I had a heart attack! I was never having a heart attack, I told her in the calmest voice I could muster, given the circumstances."
"How could I tell her that I just had my feelings hurt, no, my heart broken?" Adam had tears streaming down his face as he sat back down in the chair. Marisol was stunned by all of the venting Adam did, making her feel much worse than what she had already been feeling.
"I thought you were different Marisol- I thought you were going to be a different girl than the rest. One that would not hurt me and one that would accept me for who I am; however, that was never going to be the case."
Never say never…
"You let one thing I say dictate your emotions and what's worse, you did not let me finish what I wanted to say." Adam took the rose he had in his pocket and tossed in on the floor, in front of a dejected Marisol. He started to walk away before the girl he left sitting down to bawl out said his name one more time.
"I… I had hoped you and I would be together for a long time. What I wanted to say immediately after that, before you dropped the DVD's, was that I know that's wishful thinking, that I'm sure you would rather we not be exclusive and date other people."
"Go ahead and do that Marisol. Date other guys because what, you're soon going to be a senior and then graduate and then attend some swank college and completely forget about me. Best you start now since the inevitable is going to happen." With that, Adam ran off, leaving the "dumped" Marisol Lewis to bawl her eyes out. The crying grew louder and louder to the point that Katie and many of her peers raced to her side in order to calm her down. Adam had many powerful words just spoken, Marisol thought to herself later on when she returned home, but he was 100% right. It would have to be just as he said, date other people.
Though Marisol ended up finding a new boy to date, it was not what she had expected. Little by little, some of Marisol's bad habits were reawakened, habits that she swore she would never do again. Mo, as nice and as sweet he was, was completely clueless in regards to how a relationship worked. After the umpteenth time he asked Marisol why they didn't make things official, she explained why,
"Mo you're a nice and a very sweet guy and all; however, this is your first relationship correct?"
"Yea, what's the issue in that?"
"You're very inexperienced regarding relationships. I, on the other hand, have been in a few so I know how it works. I realize that at this age, boys are just dating and wanting to make out with girls and I don't fault for that way of thinking. I simply want a guy that I can date exclusively OH MY GOD.
"You okay Marisol?" Marisol had an epiphany that rocked her mind back and forth with the power and truth it contained. Mo kept asking if she was okay, and it was getting annoying.
"Mo, you and I do not have longevity together as a couple… I'm so sorry." Mo was crushed (had to be), but he did his best to not seem so affected.
"I, um, understand. Now that you're single, you can go after Adam."
"How did you know that Adam," Mo cut off Marisol, explaining what he saw in the cafeteria last year and while they were in the library, her demeanor did a complete 180 when Adam walked by. He and all of her friends knew that Marisol still had feelings for Adam.
"Go for it, you deserve to be happy." That was the last nice thing Mo said before Marisol took off for the library in order to find Adam, heart beating loudly.
I never wanted to make things official with Mo and I now know why… the reason that I did not want to make things official was because I do not want to be in public with a boy I was not happy with!
After checking the library and several classrooms, Adam was nowhere to be found. Desperate, Marisol headed outside with the hopes of finding her true man, but he was not there either. Her heart squealed when her phone buzzed with a new text message.
My last text I swear! Heard from Adam's ex that he's being "destructive" at the Ravine... –Mo
Ex? Marisol had no time to contemplate what that meant as she raced for the Ravine in order to talk to Adam.
School was done for the day as Adam sat near a tree at the Ravine. Huge bags under his eyes were had, quite telling of a troubled person whose love life was non existent.
"Date other people… what a great idea!" Adam said while a flashback was happening. He remembered how one of the 9ers, Tori , setting up on a blind date with one of her friends. Yeah, well that ended up in a huge misunderstanding. He advised Tristan to stay true to himself that someone worthwhile will come along. For the days and weeks after that, Adam saw couples being what they could given what the rules stated. He opened his locker one day, and overheard a couple talking.
"We've been dating for some time huh?" A voice that clearly belonged to Marisol said that indeed, "we have been seeing each other for a while." Adam was crushed because he didn't think Marisol would move on so quickly. The other voice of Mo Mashkour was recognized as well, all of which made Adam feel even more saddened. It was during the lunch hour, and he would have no problem burying his face in his locker for the duration of it.
I dumped her, so why do I have such a tough time moving on! It should not be this way; it should never be this way for the person who instigated the dumping! I'm so crushed that my scars are opening up and feeling fresh.
"Hey, are you going to hide in your locker all lunch?" A 9er-sounding girl woke Adam from his dark gloom, so he quickly closed his locker to find a short blonde girl with glasses staring at him, smiling.
"Hi, um…"
"Maya Matlin, what's your name?"
"Adam, Adam Torres." The way Adam said this; his face felt like it had layers and layers of rolls on it, which raised Maya's eyebrows.
"Are you okay Adam? You look like you haven't slept at all, what with your eyes having that much baggage,"
"Don't rub it in Maya." Adam immediately apologized, citing family issues affecting his sleep cycle.
"I realize that we don't know each other very well, but thanks for being so observant. You seem like a girl that's not afraid to speak her mind, that'll serve you well. Take care, I'm going to scarf down whatever healthy slop they're serving us today."
"May I join you?"
"So that's how it started with Maya," Adam said aloud to himself as he had his arms around his backpack, opening up the side pocket. He used the tips of his fingers to search for the items in question and as soon as said items were felt, he smiled. Adam usually maintained his appearance since as a high school boy, he wanted to look as fresh as possible for all the baby girls. Not a single iota of care was given to his wild appearance at this time, long discarding his beanie into the crackling fire. More flashbacks ensued.
xxx
Maya tried her best to explain to Tori regarding Zig and his skateboarding not needing to be a priority over her cheerleading.
"Ugh, I hope she understands,"
"Everything okay with you and Tori?" Adam appears and sits next to Maya, putting an arm around her for a quick hug. Maya explained what Zig was doing, how selfish he was being etc.
"I'm trying to get through to her, but she's incredibly hard-headed. Hopefully she listens to me because as her friend, I'm looking out for her best interests." Adam nodded, admiring how strong the girl sitting next to him was.
"Say, do you want to go to the Ravine after school?"
"The Ravine?"
"Yeah, it's the woods behind the school…" Adam looked away, embarrassed that he even asked. Too soon man, he told himself.
"I have Cello practice after school; I can leave my instrument at school and walk with you to The Ravine?"
"Let me know when you're done with practice, okay? I'll be in the library studying and reading up on stuff."
Damn, she actually went with me!
Adam had the two items in his hands… oh how nostalgic did they feel. The only reason he still had them around was to remind him of the low point in his life, when he was made fun of for having been exposed as an FTM. His good friend Clare Edwards was there to save him from further hurting himself.
You don't have to change who you are, THEY DO!
The first few times they went to The Ravine, Maya was at first skeptical about it. Then she got used to it… and got used to Adam. They first just talked for an hour or so at the Ravine, but then the subsequent times after had them bringing snacks and the occasional smoothie from the Dot.
"Here I'll light the fire." Maya watched as Adam fumbled around in his backpack to find the lighter to use on the twig he held. He looked very eager to start that fire because when he lit it up, the flame was very close to his thumb, so it burned him a little. That would make any person shriek with pain since the blue tip was the one that made contact, but Maya saw that Adam didn't flinch at all when the flame burned him, which she found odd but let it slide.
"Good job," a beaming Maya said. Adam took a seat at a safe distance from the campfire. It was getting cold, so Maya hustled and sat next to Adam, putting her head on his shoulder.
"We can get warmer faster if we, um, cuddle. I don't want to pressure you into doing that if you're not inclined to do so." Maya got up and stood in front of Adam, who was confused.
"Don't be afraid to take a chance Adam. I know that you know that I am not afraid to speak my mind, but I find it very attractive when a boy steps up verbally."
"Alright, let's cuddle by the fire,"
"You got it… TRUST FALL!" Adam positioned himself to catch Maya, who trust fell into his arms. They shared a laugh and then quieted as they looked at the campfire.
That was great because she was so chill and stuff, she really was not afraid to speak her mind.
With each recalled memory, Adam lit up the clip even more and it soon was charring. For another shot of nostalgia, he started another campfire and sat in the same spot he did when cuddling with Maya.
The first kiss was kind of awkward, but then they were white hot!
They were really getting passionate with their kisses. After catching a movie, they told their respective parents that some ice cream was in order "for major discussion of the wack movie they saw." In all honesty, they went to the Ravine with cups of iced coffee that were already downed.
"Have I told you how pretty you look Maya?"
"Only 500 times Adam, and each time I replied with a smile and letting you know how guapo you look." Maya set her Cello down against the table as Adam quickly made a campfire. Adam went to the table and set one of his playlists to shuffle.
"Let's dance," as Chubachin started playing. Maya's eyes widened as she heard the opening sounds of her favorite cello player.
"Oh my goodness, how did you download Chubachin? I love Chubachin!"
"I always have an ear for good music, hence expanding my horizons to the sonatas." Maya closed in on Adam, intent on thanking him for his thoughtfulness. Adam pulled Maya close to him as the latter's arms loosened up. They looked in each other's eyes as their faces closed in on each other. Maya was intent on having a great make out session with Adam, but something started ringing wildly in her mind. She quickly flashes back to when Adam had his head in his locker and when she asked if he was okay. It was that same face Maya saw again.
Damn… she stopped hanging out with me because of that? Wow uh hmm, honesty can be very brutal sometimes.
The sun was fast setting down, revealing a gorgeous sunset. That beauty could not quell the screaming Adam did the further he pressed the clip down his skin. Cosmetics cleared the marks he made before; but in his current state, he was intent on making a sleeve.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO YOURSELF ADAM!" Marisol screamed as she tackled Adam to the ground, tossing the lighter and the clip aside. Gathering his bearings, Adam recovered enough from the force of the tackle to crawl towards the lighter and clip in the hopes of resuming his sleeve-making. Marisol didn't take any chances, pressing her body against Adam's as hard as she could. Adam gave up, letting out all of his emotions and pain via crying.
"I relapsed Marisol, I'm so sorry. I never meant to do this, I was scared as hell,"
"It's okay babe, I'm here for you and I'll never leave your side."
"But weren't you getting chummy with Mo," Adam said as he flipped around in order to look at Marisol. He wanted to cry even more because of the beautiful girl that was holding onto him had a look of extreme worry on her face.
"I know I said all that time ago that we should date other people… but I don't want to date other people anymore, I want to be with you!" That was enough for Marisol as she grabbed the lighter and tossed it into the campfire, where it made a huge boom. Adam pulled his girl back to a safe distance and looked into her eyes once again.
"I look ugly right now,"
"I don't care, kiss me."
*/FLASHBACK*
"The morning after I spent the night at his house since it was a Friday when that happened, we ate breakfast and spent the entire day together, culminating with the picture that you just saw. Amazing, isn't it?" Katie could not help but cry at how her best friend and Adam got back together but those tears were short-lived.
"Shoot, my makeup is running. I left my kit at home,"
"Girl, I always keep a backup kit in my locker, let's go. You can paraphrase your speech to me along the way to the locker and the restroom." They got to the locker and grabbed the kit and went to the restroom in order to wipe away the runny makeup and reapply.
"How are things with you and Declan?" Katie immediately eyed Marisol's backup kit.
Jitters before graduation, Katie hasn't cried enough!
One more chapter, the extra one ;)