The next day, Clare told her mother that Drew had invited her over for dinner, and she was going to have a heart to heart with Audra. "Well, at least she talk to somebody's mother," Helen muttered as she left for school.

Drew won his game yesterday. He would have come over to celebrate with Clare, but he heard from Jake about the drama and thought it best to stay home. Drew, did, however, greet his lady with a kiss this morning. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just needed to get it off my chest."

"Well, good. Because the only thing I want on your chest is me."

"Mr. Torres," Ms. Oh started. Drew went off to class.

Katie grilled Jake about the stripper in person. "It was just a sham," Jake assured her. "She left some lipstick on my chest to piss off my dad, and he didn't say anything. I don't even think he noticed."

"Really?"

"Clare was right. Everything she does is scrutinized, but nothing I do is noticed at all. It's kind of weird."

"It actually isn't. You're the guy. If you get a girl pregnant, her parents are stuck with the medical bills. It's up to her to prove you were the father, and she has to chase you for child support, but if Clare gets pregnant, they get stuck with the mess. So they watch her obsessively where you can do what you want."

"Hardly seems fair."

"It isn't, but life isn't either."

"I guess I just expected better from my dad."

"He can change his ways. I know I have."

Jake kissed her. "That will be detention for both of you," Mr. Simpson said as he walked by.

"Oops."

"Well, if we already have detention," Jake kissed her again.

At lunch, Imogen was sitting alone as usual. What was unusual was the fact that Clare sat down with her.

"Here to gloat."

"No."

"What then?"

"You have no friends. Maybe that's your own fault, but you should have at least one friend."

"Who said I wanted you as a friend?"

"You didn't. Actually, I'm pretty sure you don't want me as a friend, but you don't have any friends, so you really can't afford to be picky, can you?"

Imogen smirked. "So what if I want to be left alone?"

"You don't."

"And you know this how?"

"Because you sat at a lunch table. You could have taken your lunch and eaten alone all over campus."

Imogen smiled at her. Maybe she wouldn't be so bad after all.

"What is Clare doing?" Adam asked Eli.

"Trying to befriend everyone, like Clare always does."

"Imogen?"

"She tried to befriend Fitz, remember."

Adam groaned at that memory.

After lunch, Drew had practice and Clare worked in the library. Afterwards, he drove her to his house.

Audra greeted her warmly. "Oh Clare, you can meet Drew's girlfriend with us. Drew where is she?"

"You're looking at her, Mom!"

"What! You and Clare. Since when?"

"It kind of happened at movie night." Drew didn't elaborate on which one.

"Well, it's about time you brought a nice girl home."

"Alli was nice-ish."

Clare giggled at that. She knew what Drew meant.

"Well, Clare, what does your mother think of this?"

"I don't know what she thinks of it, but her fiancee is not happy."

"Why not?"

"Well, he thinks that every boy is trouble, even one of Darcy's friends who just gave me a ride home once. I just can't catch a break."

"You're almost 16. Of course you can't."

"But Jake can do whatever he wants," Drew added. "He even had a stripper over yesterday, but they didn't bat an eye."

"A stripper?"

"I was trying to prove a point."

"Did you?"

"In my own way."

They had dinner. It was a lovely affair. Afterwards, Audra asked Clare to stay for a chat.

"Can we talk, woman to woman?"

"Sure." Clare had no idea where this was going, but at least Audra recognized that she wasn't a child.

"Well I'm not blind, and Drew couldn't stop looking at you for two seconds, so I'm going to take a stab in the dark and assume that you two have become very close."

"We have," Clare didn't give anything away, but she didn't have to.

"I have also noticed that Drew's grades have been improving, and I'm guessing you had something to do with that."

Clare nodded.

"I think you're good for him, and I have always liked you, but I don't think you two are ready for what I am sure my son wants in your relationship, and what you may want as well. Do you get where I am going?"

"I do, and if I may, I know that this is the same clash that parents, and their teenagers always have, but I have always been one to decide when I am ready for something, on my own time-table,. If I am ready for anything, I will proceed with appropriate precautions."

Well, Audra didn't agree with Clare's position, but she was brave enough to make her intentions clear instead of trying to sneak in through the window like Bianca did. Audra had to admire Clare's honesty, and her courage. She could be a scary mom to face. Audra tried to keep a stern face, but she cracked a smile. "Well, I don't think we see eye to eye, but at least we understand each other."

"That we do. Now can you explain me to my mom, please?"

"You're on your own for that, Miss. Edwards." Audra said with a laugh.

Clare gave Drew a kiss goodnight. He wanted more, but his mother was downstairs and awake. Clare wasn't about to disrespect Audra like that. Clare said goodbye to Adam, and Drew drove her home. As soon as she got in the door, it was an argument.

"Where were you?" Glen demanded.

"At Drew's house. He invited me for dinner with his family."

"What part of grounded did you not understand?"

"I understand it perfectly, but I'm not grounded, so it wasn't applicable to me. Audra says hi, Mom, and congratulations on your engagement."

"Aw thanks, Honey."

"Helen!" he hissed.

"What? I like Audra."

"Not that. Your daughter and her attitude."

"She did tell me she was going to Drew's."

"What!"

"I said she could go."

Glen stalked off. He could be such a child.

Clare went to her room. Helen didn't want to face Glen, so she started with Clare.

"Did the dinner go well?" she asked Clare.

"You can come in, and yes, the dinner went well."

"Does it always have to be like this?" Helen asked her.

"Like what?"

"You and Glen feuding."

"Well, we have fundamental disagreements. He sees me as a spoiled child, and I see myself as a young woman, struggling with being talked down to. How do you see me?"

"A little bit of both."

"Ouch, but I guess I deserved some of that."

"What happened to my little girl?"

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Mom. I've grown up. I am a young woman, with wants and needs and desires of her own. I can't just be everything to everyone anymore."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Darcy needed me to be the nerdy sister, so she could be the cool older one. Eli needed me to be his sanity when he lost his and I couldn't take it. Alli needed me as her wallflower friend, so she can stand out. Jenna needed me to be a trusting twit, so she could make off with K.C. (not that I'm bitter about that, I was way better off in the end). I need to be me, and focus on my needs for once, and Drew gets that. He lets me be me without asking for anything in return. You asked me if I can be happy for you and Glen, and I try to be. I don't like him, and he clearly doesn't like me, but he makes you happy, and I want that for you. Can't you just see that Drew makes me happy too?"

Helen hugged her daughter. "See, this is the adult in you. The child in you makes snarky remarks and turns people away before they can see what you're holding inside. I need you to let me in, Clare. I can't read your mind."

"I'll try."

"That's all I ask. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Are you and Drew," Helen bumped her hands together.

"You need me to say it out loud?" Clare kind of thought even her mother could tell by now. All of Degrassi knew, even the alumni. She bet Simpson knew, and probably half the faculty.

"Really?"

"Yes, and I'm on the pill, and I have been using condoms before that."

Helen sighed. She wanted a different path for her daughter, but Clare would pick her own path. She just needed to get used to it. "I just have trouble seeing you as a woman, but I have to get used to it."

"You will."

"And I need you to stop feuding with Glen."

"That's a two part problem."

"I know, but can you do your part. If something upsets you, please just take a breath and explain why, instead of putting him on the defensive. I think you make him feel dumb sometimes with your big words."

"I'll try."

"How was your father? You never said."

"You promise not to get mad."

Helen looked at her. "I can't promise, but I'll hear you out."

"Dad didn't want me to visit. I called, but he rejected me, like always. I felt sad about it, so my friend made up the tape, and I went to a cabin with my friends for the weekend."

"CLARE DIANA EDWARDS."

"Mom! You said you'd hear me out."

"I will; then I'll yell."

"I just wanted Dad to want me in his life. I call and write him letters, and I get no response at all, and it hurts Mom. It really does, and my friends just wanted me to have a special weekend to get things off my mind."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because you hate Dad, and that's hard for me to deal with because I love him."

"I don't hate him. I don't love him anymore, but I love you, and Darcy and no matter how much he hurt me, I'll always be grateful that you're my children and I couldn't have had you without him."

"Really?"

"Of course, but now I'm about to murder him. How dare he just cut you off like that?"

"Mom!"

"Don't Mom me. He's your father, and he's going to act like it even if I have to fly to Calgary and slap him myself."

"I'd pay to see that!"

Helen went and called her ex-husband. Of course he didn't answer. She found the number for his girlfriend, called her and she answered. "Put Randall on the phone," she demanded. The girl complied.

"RANDALL EDWARDS HOW DARE YOU IGNORE OUR DAUGHTER! YOU MIGHT HAVE DIVORCED ME, BUT SHE'S STILL YOUR KID, AND IF YOU DON'T MAN UP AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL REOPEN OUR DIVORCE DECREE AND HAUL YOUR ASS BACK INTO COURT." She said this all in one breath.

Clare couldn't believe what she just heard. Did her mom really just do that for her? She owed it to her now to try and get along with Glen. She knocked on their bedroom door.

"I'm not ready to talk, Helen."

Clare went in anyway. "It's a good thing I'm not her."

"This isn't your room."

"I could have told you that last month."

"Why are you here?"

"Because my mom loves you okay. I don't know why, but Jake's pretty alright, so you must have done somethings right in your life."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"It's more than you've ever given me. Look. I love my mom. You love her too, and our fighting is driving her insane, so we need to find a way to get along, or at least pretend to get along, so she can sleep better and drink less."

"You noticed the drinking."

"And the bags under her eyes. She does not need them at her age."

"Well, you cause her a lot of stress."

"Like you don't. I'm not here to argue. I just want to call a truce."

"Really?"

"Yeah, on one condition."

"What?"

"Pay more attention to Jake."

"What?"

"He's your son. You should get on his case sometimes. It lets us teens know you care."

Well, needless to say, Clare's Dad called her right away and agreed to a Skype chat at least twice a month and to pick potential dates for an actual Calgary visit. She knew this was obtained through blackmail, but that was okay. She still wanted to talk to him, and it let her know how much her mom really loved her.

On Friday, Clare told Drew all about it at lunch.

"You told her, about the cabin?"

"Not everything." That would have killed her.

"Did you record her phone call to your dad?"

"I wish." It was so good.

"Do you want to come over after school?"

"Is your mom going to be home?"

"Sure, but I can sneak you upstairs."

"I don't want you to sneak me up. We're mature enough to make our own decisions. We shouldn't have to act like criminals."

"Have you met my mom? She flipped when I had Bianca over."

"Yeah, cause you snuck her through the window in the middle of the night and got caught. Come over to my place."

"Like your mother would let me in your room. If she knew we were having sex..."

"She does know."

"What!"

"I told her."

"Why?"

"Because she asked me, and I didn't want to lie. You're not my dirty little secret. I don't want to hide you."

Drew kissed her. "Wait! You didn't tell my Mom, did you?"

"No. Well not exactly."

"What exactly did you say?"

"Basically, she said, I like you, you're good for Drew, but you two aren't ready for sex, and I said that I was the one who would decide that I was ready, and if I were to decide that, then I would use protection."

"Did she kill you? Are you a ghost?"

"No. She appreciated my honesty, and we left it at that."

"Well, she must love you because my honesty gets me a head slap and grounded."

"Well, she can't ground me, and I'm too cute to slap." She kissed Drew.

"So I'm coming over to your place."

"Yes."

"To fuck you."

"Yes."

"And I don't have to climb through the window."

"That's right."

"Damn!" He kissed her again.