Ick, sorry about the wait you guys! School has been really stressful lately and I've had a couple of big tests… um, thanks for your reviews anyway! I really need some ideas, but I already know how this story is going to end! Okay, now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of the characters associated with the show. I do own Lissa, though.

In this chapter: Lissa (no surprise), Lissa's mom, Marco, Paige and Spinner.

Onward…

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Tuesday, the seventh of September, 2004.

Dear Diary,

I finally decided to take this diary out of my "secret hiding place" and just put it in my room. There's too much going on in my life right now and I really need it here so… yeah.

Ellie's still not speaking to me. Gosh, I wish she would just get over it! Now I don't really see what I did wrong… so I was concerned about her, so what? Can't a friend be concerned about another friend? At least, I think she considered me as a friend… I hope so. You know what, Diary? I miss her. She was my first friend I made at Degrassi. Well, I still have Marco and Ashley. Marco, as you know, is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. He supports me. I even cried in front of him yesterday. I can't believe I did that, he probably thinks I'm a total fool. Sigh

Ashley's great, too, but I can never talk to her because she's always around Ellie. She's trying to get us to be friends again, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. I'm really - wait, let me rephrase that - I'm truly utterly concerned about her. I saw her cuts on her arms in the bathroom! I'm actually putting my love life on hold for the moment here to be concerned. Maybe she's depressed about something… I don't see what there is to be depressed about, though… but she's right, I hardly know her. Maybe there's something going on in her personal life that I don't know about. What could be so terrible that she wouldn't tell me? It's not like I would tell anyone… who could I tell, anyway? Shit, this whole thing is getting ridiculous.

I'm going to stop talking about Ellie for a while, and concentrate on my life. I'm not trying to be selfish or anything, but it's what I really need to do. My parents are fighting again. I'd thought they had stopped years ago, but I guess I was wrong. I heard my mom screaming at my dad for coming in late last night. He said that he had lots of work to catch up on, but my mom didn't buy it. She knew that he had been out at the bar because he reeked of beer. My dad got all red in the face and pushed her hard against the wall. She was crying. I just sat there and watched from the steps like the idiot that I am. The last time I interrupted one of their "arguments" my mom told me to go to my room and that it was nothing… I was nine years old, so of course I obeyed her. I knew I couldn't call the police or anything, so I just stayed in my room and cried myself to sleep… okay, I'd rather not revisit those memories right now (even though I kind of did already). Sigh My life is so screwed up.

Lissa xoxo.

Lissa closed her diary and sighed again. Maybe she and Ellie would never be friends again. Maybe Marco and her would never have a real relationship. Maybe her parents would never stop fighting…

'Maybe I should just go to bed,' Lissa thought exasperatedly. She closed her diary and hid it under her bed, walked into her huge bathroom and got dressed for bed. She turned and stared at herself in the mirror. Her dark hair was really messy and was falling freely onto her shoulders. Her bangs were swept over to the side. Her big, dark brown eyes were red and her face was tear strained. She looked a total mess.

'I guess the saying is right… money definitely can't buy happiness.' She thought. Turning off the light, Lissa got into her king-sized bed and immediately fell asleep.

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"Lissa! Honey get up!" a voice called over Lissa's bed. She groaned and turned over on her side, away from the voice.

"Come on!" It was her mother. Lissa immediately sat up and stared at her mother. There was an red handprint mark across her face. She knew that her dad had hit her, but she asked who did it anyway.

"Mom. What's that?" Lissa asked, rather irritated. She pointed at the mark.

"It's nothing, darling, don't you worry about it," Her mother replied, totally dismissing the subject. "Now get ready for school."

"Don't 'darling' me! I'm not nine years old anymore!" Lissa cried, hoping out of bed and staring at the mark, red-faced, "He still hits you, doesn't he? I'm calling the police." Her mother grabbed her arm, stopping her before she could get to the phone.

"Don't you dare talk to me that way," Her mother said through gritted teeth, "And you're not calling the police. You leave me to deal with him." she finished.

"I'm not going to just sit there and let him abuse you like this. Don't you get it, mom? Don't you know what he's doing to you? Or are you just too stubborn to see it?" Lissa regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth. The next thing she knew, her mother had slapped her right across the face. Lissa touched the spot, shocked. Her mother had never hit her before.

"Get ready for school." Her mother said again, and stalked out of the room, slamming the door on the way out. Lissa's hand was still on the spot where her mother had hit her and she knew that she had a red handprint mark there just like she did.

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Lissa walked into Degrassi, and immediately started looking for Marco. She found him talking to Spinner and Paige. She scowled, but walked over to him anyway.

"Hey," She said, totally ignoring Paige and Spinner.

"Hey," Marco said back. His eyes traveled to the spot on her cheek. Lissa knew what he was staring at.

"Don't mind that… I uh, fell." Lissa lied lamely (AN: wow, too much alliteration… okay, anyway…) Marco knew she wasn't telling the truth, but didn't press her on the matter.

"Oh." He said. Paige scoffed.

"Hun, it's pretty obvious that you were slapped." she said, running her fingers through her freakishly perfect hair.

Lissa blushed, but despite that she managed to say something back: "Nobody said anything to you, Paige." And then she walked away. Marco looked hurt.

"Maybe I shouldn't have--" He started, but Spinner cut him off.

"It's not you're fault, dude, it's hers. I told you that communicating with the vampires could be risky." he said. Paige scoffed again.

"Sugarbear, that made zero sense." she said.

"Yup, that's me, honeybee. I don't make any sense, but you picked me." Spinner said. Paige rolled her eyes, but kissed him on the cheek anyway. Marco still looked worried.

"Marco, don't worry about her," Paige said, breaking away from Spinner and looking at him with distaste in her eyes. "She'll be fine. Anyway, as we were saying before interrupted by freak show…" Paige continued rambling on and on with Spinner, but Marco wasn't listening. His mind was still on Lissa and what happened to her.

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Okay, short, I know but please review anyway! :D I hope that chapter wasn't too awful… I'm in the process of working on a picture of Lissa… I'll put the link here when I'm done.

See ya,

banana-milk-shake