Flip of a Coyne

A Coyne Twins Story

Chapter 37: Declan and Fiona's Bond

"Why do you look so spooked?" Fiona asked while holding up a fabric. She studied the fabric, made a face, and then put it down in a box to pick up another fabric.

"I'm trying to find out when my life turned into a soap opera," Mack replied, spinning on the top of the swivel stool she was sitting on. She tilted her head back and let out a loud groan.

"Run this by me again," Matt said while scratching his head. "You talked to Fitz."

"Yes."

"And he spewed some crap about you being his constant or whatever."

"Yes."

"And then he kissed you.

"Yes."

"And you told him you were dating Drew when you're not."

"Yeah, that's about the size of it," Mack replied.

"You dug yourself your own grave, sister dear," Matt laughed while Fiona placed a fedora on his head. She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head, looking at him in different directions before taking it off. "What're you freaking out about, Fi?"

"I was talking to Chanty," she explained.

"And she actually said something worth listening to?" Mack joked, taking the fedora from Matt and putting it on her own head.

Fiona laughed and continued what she was saying. "Anyway, with exams coming up and Christmas coming near we figured we should do something that would get everyone into the Christmas spirit so the Power Squad and I came up with the idea of having a fashion show! Anyone and everyone can participate and we'll have a contest. One person is the fashion designer and their partner is the model. The designer gets the best response from the audience wins a prize," Fiona gushed, her eyes sparkling in excitement.

"And Mr. Simpson is going along with this?" Matt asked.

"Yes, he loved the idea."

"What about the play?"

"The play's not until next semester," Fiona said with a wave of her hand. "Soooo…I was hoping my favorite twins would be my models."

"I don't model," Mack replied, taking off the fedora.

"Sadface," Fiona pouted.

Mack rolled her eyes. "That's not going to work on me, Fi. You can threaten me with whatever you want but I'm not doing it." She leaned back on her stool and turned her attention to her phone. "Why a fashion show, anyway? What makes you think people would go with exams coming up? These fun starved students would want a dance, wouldn't they?"

"It's to showcase what the fashion club has been working on," Fiona replied while wrapping a scarf around her neck. "If you won't model at least help me with the designs."

"And if I don't?"

"You don't pass Fashion club," Fiona replied.

Mack lowered her phone. "Because of a stupid show?"

"I mean, you'll have a better chance of not passing if you don't help in some way."

"Fine." She flipped her phone shut and checked the time. "It's getting close to Electives. I'll see you guys later."

"Hey sis," Matt called, stopping her at the door. She turned and lifted an eyebrow. "He's not Blake," he stated. She gave them a little nod followed by a two finger salute and left the room.

Fiona smiled as she moved around, collecting fabrics. She loved how concerned he was for his sister and wasn't afraid to show it. With her and Declan she knew that he cared but he usually wasn't willing to show his feelings around others, only in private. "Are you OK?" Fiona asked, noticing the way Matt's eyes were squinting.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, shaking his head.

"Are the voices getting to you?" Fiona asked, suddenly alarmed. "Are you having any hallucinations? I can call my therapist if you need to talk anything out."

Matt tilted his head. "You have a therapist?" He questioned.

She sighed and nodded. "Being abused kinda messes you up, you know?"

Matt smiled and took her hands. "How do you know so much about my symptoms?"

She smiled in return and played with his fingers. "I wanted to make sure I knew it was going to happen before you freaked out on me," she replied. "I, um, I really care about you." She bit her lip and looked at the ground as her cheeks bloomed. She wasn't one to be upfront with her feelings. She usually kept it all bottled inside, using her pokerface to shield whatever she was feeling but with him, she didn't need one. He was crazy, and apparently so was she. They could work.

If possible, his smile got bigger. "I love you," he told her. She stiffened in his arms. He could feel her breathing pattern change, as if she were internally panicking. He didn't blame her. They weren't officially-official yet and he was already blurting out that he loved her. But he knew what he felt and he wanted her to know it.

"I….Matt, I," Fiona stuttered. "How can you love someone like me?"

He chuckled. "Fiona, you've seen me at my worst. I'm crazy…and you don't seem to care at all. How can I not love you?"

"Because I'm crazy too?" She muttered.

"Well then, that means we're soul mates, now doesn't it?" He asked, drawing her into his arms. "To be honest I liked you since I first met you. I knew you were more than just a Coyne." He brushed her hair off of her face and her cheeks turned redder. "Are you nervous, Ms. Coyne?" Matt asked, lifting his eyebrows. "I didn't say 'I love you' to hear it back, I just wanted you to know," he explained. She relaxed in his arms and stepped forward, placing a kiss on his mouth.

It was moments with him, like that, that she loved. It was moments with him that easily took her mind away from her crumbling family.

Holly J stormed down the hallway of Degrassi. Anyone who was in her path rushed to get out of her way. She was a few seconds away from going on off the nest person that spoke to her. She burst into the classroom where their French class was held and slammed her books down on her desk.

"Ooooh, I'm guessing Declan screwed up somehow," Mack commented once she turned around in her seat. Across the aisle Fiona looked on in worry.

"You can say that again," Holly J said while rolling her eyes. "He kept saying how much he missed me and then the next thing I knew Bianca comes strutting by and gives him money and thanked him for his time or something."

"Bianca?" Fiona asked.

"The Walking STD?"Mack clarified, raising her eyebrows. "Why would he deal with her? She's kinda…"

"Out of his league?" Fiona supplied.

"Well, I was going to say that on a larger scale but that works."

"You know Bianca's Boiler Room reputation," Holly J reminded them.

"I hardly think that Declan did that with her," Fiona said in a firm tone. "He's not like that anymore, you've changed him. He's said so."

"So why would he go messing around with Bianca?" Holly J demanded.

"Well, he is a boy and he's only human," Mack pointed out with a shrug.

"That's no excuse!"

"Hey, whoa, don't snap at me! I'm only giving in my two cents," Mack said as she held up her hands as if to shield herself from Holly J. "Geeze, they say things about an Irish temper but I never believed it until now."

"Har dee har har," Holly J mumbled.

"Why do you care? If you're broken up I mean. It shouldn't bother you what Declan does and with who." Mack knew full well that Holly J still cared. The red-head wouldn't be fuming if she didn't but their whole dancing around the truth routine was starting to get to her. So she figured, why not have fun and torture her?

"Ignore her," Fiona said, while holding up her hand in Mack's face. Mack stuck her tongue out behind it. "Declan loves you. I know it for sure. He's said it on many occasions and he doesn't drop the 'L' bomb unless he's 100% committed. But…" She sighed. "He is a boy and they do make mistakes and if anything happened I'm sure that's all it was. A mistake."

"Whatever," Holly J muttered; flipping open her notebook to a blank page right as the teacher came in. She knew that they had a point, but she couldn't fight off the idea that he was going back to his old ways. Everyone knew about Bianca's reputation and boys do make mistakes but it felt like there was something else there, something that felt off.

She had an idea what it was but she was hoping she wasn't right.

"Come on, Declan, cheer up! You've been a Negative Nancy the entire ride home," Fiona begged, following him into the condo. "It's about Holly J, right?" Declan ignored her and walked straight back to the kitchen. "C'mon, Decs, talk to me." She let out a huff and dropped her purse on the couch. "You know, you've been acting strange all day. What's going on?"

"Nothing, Fi," Declan finally replied, sticking his head in the refrigerator. "Guess who called me today."

"Ummm…Adele?" Fiona guessed.

"Mom and Dad," he replied, turning away from the refrigerator. Fiona eyed the beer bottle that was in one hand and the champagne bottle in the other. He let out a bitter laugh. "If you could call them that now," he added, putting the two bottles down on the counter and then went in search for a glass. "Yep, they were saying something about not wanting to see each other again, not wanting us to communicate with the other, and who're we're going to live with." Declan emerged from under the sink with a glass. He popped the cork on the champagne bottle and poured the pale yellow colored liquid into the glass. Then he popped off the bottle cap to his beer and held out the glass to Fiona who took it hesitantly. "Dad wants to move me to New York, or maybe Paris, and Mom wants to take you to London to live with Adele."

Fiona looked up from her champagne and looked at Declan as he took a sip of his beer. "You were drunk," she stated. Declan merely lifted an eyebrow. "At school. You weren't drunk, weren't you?"

"Before or after my talk with Holly J went south?" Declan asked.

"Declan!" Fiona sighed in exasperation.

"Hey, you're can't preach to me about drinking, Fiona," Declan pointed out. "I've heard many stories from the Montgomery camp, OK?"

"At least I don't drink in school," she shot back.

"I didn't hurt anyone," he said with a wave of his hand,

"What if Simpson found out?"

"What can Simpson do? Expel me? I'm scared." Declan rolled his eyes and took a large gulp of his beer.

"Why're you doing this?" Fiona asked.

"Because Holly J doesn't want me back," Declan replied. "Mom doesn't want me. Dad wants me just so I can be used as his personal punching bag. Harvard doesn't want me. Stanford doesn't want me. Do you want me to keep going?" He walked around the couch and collapsed on it.

Fiona could only gape at him. What happened to her ever-confident, smooth-talking, the-world-is-at-my-fingertips twin? What was it that could easily have made him unravel and fall apart at the seams? She didn't know how to handle it. Usually he was the stronger older brother that she could lean on when times got tough, not the other way around. She didn't know how to comfort him or help him so she did the only thing she knew how to do.

She drank.

A/N: Here's the next one. This story is close to being over. As I've mentioned before I'm working out my ideas for the sequel so there will be one. I have to get through the second half of their senior year after all. Any questions or suggestions for this story (or about/for me as an author) can be sent to my formspring: http:/www. formspring .me/CrystalManning (without the spaces). I'd love to see what questions you can come up with.

Happy reading.

~C.M.