Disclaimer, warnings, etc. are in the first chapter.
Notes- I didn't like the way it formatted last time, so I'm putting extra spaces in.
Thanks to TeenageStarlet, Dark Spell, PsYcHoJo, and dylanlover(). Also, thanks to my sister for letting me use her computer while I'm here to write whenever inspiration hits.
Chapter two; Ellie
"Ellie?" Marco gasped out. "What's wrong with El?"
"Some wave must have got her and dragged her under. We couldn't find her; we thought she'd gone back up to talk to you. But then her-"his voice broke slightly. "Hair- I felt her hair around my leg- oh god...god...I thought it was seaweed-but it was so soft..." he had yanked open the door to the air- conditioned beachside building and they were walking quickly through it. His face was a broken mask of emotion.
"Sean," Marco started, but had nothing to say. They had reached a room. Broken, wet coughs sounded from inside. "El!" He barged in and the others politely left, so he was left alone with her.
She was all wet. He had known logically that she would be, but it was still somewhat of a shock. She looked so- vulnerable. It was such a far cry from how she normally was that Marco wanted to hug her. But something- perhaps their fight-held him back. They had stripped off her black shirt and her pale skin glistened in the light, her hair deepened to a blood red by the wetness. She was hugging her knees, hiding the scars that decorated the inside of her arms. Even her rubber bands and bracelets had been taken off. She looked up at him with tear filled eyes, and- all fights forgotten- he rushed to her, kneeling by the foot of her chair and wrapping his arms around her. She sobbed into his chest, clutching to him fiercely.
"I thought you weren't going to come," she said softly into his chest.
"Oh, no," he cooed into her hair, standing slightly and shifting into chair with her to stroke her back. "No, no, no. I would never refuse to come to you when you need me. Oh Ellie. You're my best friend. I know you have Ash and all-"
"I met you first. I know you best," she said, silencing him. "You're my best friend, Marco." She breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of ocean, sunscreen, people, and Marco- just Marco, a heavy hot smell that filled her nostrils and instantly helped to relax her. Wrapped in towels and blankets and him, dripping dry, she relaxed, and fell asleep.
Marco held Ellie close. He felt as if he had known her forever, though he hadn't really. When she had moved to Degrassi during their ninth year, they had become friends fairly quickly. He knew that he would hate it if they fought for long.
After a while, the others came back in. Sean gazed at him uneasily, sitting in the chair with Ellie practically on his lap, but Dylan rested a comforting hand on Marco's shoulder and for once this calmed Sean instead of agitating him.
"I tried to find you," Dylan said softly in his ear. I went to look for you but Ellie wouldn't say where you were, and the next thing I know-"he gestured around the first aid building. Marco nodded grimly. Ellie shifted slightly and one long, pale arm fell limply from beneath the towel. Crisscrossed scars decorated it, and Marco cringed. He'd never seen her scars before. To his shock, his initials were engraved in very faint, small letters one her forearm. He swallowed hard.
A lifeguard came in and smiled at the group, his eyes lingering on Marco.
"And you must be- Marco, is it?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"She's was asking about you, when we first woke her up. Apparently, she really likes you." He threw a wink at Marco. "Pretty too- she's a keeper." He grinned widely, while Marco froze in the chair and paled. Sean gave a low growl but said nothing.
"If you don't mind me asking...what's happened to her arm?" The young man said, staring openly at it.
"We mind you asking," Marco said harshly, while at the same time Sean said, "she used to cut herself." Marco shot him a glare.
"What?" Sean mumbled. "Everyone at schools knows, and she doesn't have a problem with it. The first time I really met her showed them to me and asked if she freaked me out. Why shouldn't he know?"
Marco gapped. Ellie had never shown him her scars. She avoided the topic. In fact, the one time she'd talked to him she'd been very stiff and asked only if it had scared him into not being her friend. He had assured her that it hadn't.
"Oh," the lifeguard said awkwardly. "Well-um- everything seems to be in order here. I would suggest taking her home though." Sean nodded immediately, but Marco glanced at Dylan.
"That's all right, isn't it? You'll take us home?"
"Of course," Dylan said promptly. "Why don't you just carry her out so we can get her home while she sleeps?"
"Sounds all right to me," Marco agreed. "Sean? Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah," he muttered, but there was a frown line between his eyebrows. "Sure. Whatever."
Marco rose slightly from the chair, trying to support both Ellie's weight and his. She wasn't heavy, but she wasn't unhealthily thin either, and Marco was short. It took three tries for him to stand from the chair, and then he had to implore help from both Dylan and Sean to get Ellie situated comfortably.
As they walked to the car, ignoring the strange looks people were giving them, Sean continued to glare openly at Marco.
Sea knew he was being unfair- Marco said he hadn't chose to be gay, and besides that, Marco was really a pretty cool guy. He'd been lying to himself and Ellie for too long- the fact that he was gay didn't bother him. It was the fact that he was Ellie's best friend that did. Quite simply, Sean was jealous.
She talked about him all the time. They were closer than close, they understood each other. She was comfortable with him, more so than with Sean. And she never got jealous of Marco's other friends or boyfriend or anything, because she knew that first and foremost in his mind was their friendship, even if at times Marco and Dylan flustered her.
But with Sean, she seemed more...careful. Like she was treading on thin ice- and she loved it, but there was always that risk. And she wasn't as comfortable with him- Marco was her friend, but he was also gay, meaning she pretty much had the best of both worlds. She could say anything to him, share anything with him, and it wouldn't be interpreted the wrong way.
And he was jealous. Even more jealous than usual, because Marco had her held so comfortingly in his arms, and she was so peacefully asleep and vulnerable. He was jealous that she had run off with Marco to talk, jealous that he couldn't comfort her after their fight, jealous that she had seemed so torn up about it. And he was jealous that when she had awaked, the first thing she had asked for was Marco. So he had gone to find him for her. He would have done anything to make her happy.
"Sean," Marco's voice broke through his reverie, sounding slightly exasperated.
"What?" he snapped.
"I just- you seem upset about me- carrying Ellie. And I'm sorry, okay? That's just how it happened," Marco seemed defensive.
"Yeah, whatever." Now that he thought about it, his jealousy was the biggest problem. But the two homos drove him insane as well.
I'm not really jealous. I'm just- concerned. No one should put some gay ex- boyfriend best friend over her boyfriend. It's unreal. Yeah, that's it- I'm concerned.
Sean had almost managed to convince himself.
The drive home was quiet and painful. Ellie was still draped across Marco, but they had managed to prop her up in a seatbelt, leaning against him. When they reached her home, Marco searched the house with his eyes.
"No one's home," he lied to the others. "I'm going to stay with her."
"So am I," Sean volunteered quickly.
"She's my best friend, and I know her parents. I'll stay with her." Marco was adamant.
He got out of the car and went up to her front door, pulling the emergency key from under the welcome mat. This was an emergency.
After he had unlocked the door and propped it open, he went back for Ellie. Sean gave him a glare and picked her up easily, brushing past him to get into the home. Marco frowned but said nothing.
"Her bedroom is up the st-" he began to tell Sean.
"I know where it is," he snapped shortly. Marco looked taken aback. He went back to the car, not because he really thought Sean deserved time with Ellie, but because he wanted to say goodbye to Dylan. Dylan smiled up at him.
"Didn't go exactly the way we'd planned, did it?" Dylan asked him.
"No," Marco sighed. "I guess not. So I'll see you later, k?" Sean was coming down the path towards the car.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. See ya," Dylan said, before giving him a soft kiss on the cheek and pulling back. Blushing slightly, Marco smiled and walked away. The look on Sean's face was priceless.
He walked into the home and up to the bedroom, where Ellie was submerged under the covers and breathing deeply. He looked at her, still wet, her hair stringing, and felt an overwhelming sense of protectiveness.
He went into the bathroom closest to her room and found several towels, which he rubbed over her arms, legs, and hair. He examined her scars silently and then continued with his work, until she was more damp than dry. Then he went to her closet hesitantly.
He didn't want to get into her stuff, but she needed warmer clothes. With a frown he reached for it.
"Second drawer," a voice said behind him. "That black shirt that's too big for me is in there." Marco whirled around. Ellie was sitting up and smiling.
"El," he muttered, rushing to her bed and pulling her into a hug. She held onto him gratefully.
"I'm getting you all wet," she said.
"That's all right," he muttered softly into her hair. There was a pause. "El, what I said today-"
"No, you were right," she interrupted him. "He was being rude and hypocritical."
"But I shouldn't have said that, about...you know..." Her bedspread suddenly became extremely fascinating, and he traced a finger over the black and red design.
"No," Ellie said. "You shouldn't have, but...I did some things I shouldn't have either." Marco smiled apologetically at her and she hugged him again.
"So...would you like to tell me what was really bothering you?" Marco ventured. Ellie looked up at him sharply.
"What so you mean?"
"I mean-"Marco hesitated. "We both said a lot of things that we didn't mean- but I think there's something that was- is- really bothering you. You can tell me anything, El, you know that."
"No," she said.
"What?" Marco said, bewildered. He pulled away from her and stood up.
"I can't tell you anything...because- because I just can't. It would cause more problems than it would solve. You'd better get out of here, Marco. I'll call you later."
Marco left, feeling very confused.
Notes- I didn't like the way it formatted last time, so I'm putting extra spaces in.
Thanks to TeenageStarlet, Dark Spell, PsYcHoJo, and dylanlover(). Also, thanks to my sister for letting me use her computer while I'm here to write whenever inspiration hits.
Chapter two; Ellie
"Ellie?" Marco gasped out. "What's wrong with El?"
"Some wave must have got her and dragged her under. We couldn't find her; we thought she'd gone back up to talk to you. But then her-"his voice broke slightly. "Hair- I felt her hair around my leg- oh god...god...I thought it was seaweed-but it was so soft..." he had yanked open the door to the air- conditioned beachside building and they were walking quickly through it. His face was a broken mask of emotion.
"Sean," Marco started, but had nothing to say. They had reached a room. Broken, wet coughs sounded from inside. "El!" He barged in and the others politely left, so he was left alone with her.
She was all wet. He had known logically that she would be, but it was still somewhat of a shock. She looked so- vulnerable. It was such a far cry from how she normally was that Marco wanted to hug her. But something- perhaps their fight-held him back. They had stripped off her black shirt and her pale skin glistened in the light, her hair deepened to a blood red by the wetness. She was hugging her knees, hiding the scars that decorated the inside of her arms. Even her rubber bands and bracelets had been taken off. She looked up at him with tear filled eyes, and- all fights forgotten- he rushed to her, kneeling by the foot of her chair and wrapping his arms around her. She sobbed into his chest, clutching to him fiercely.
"I thought you weren't going to come," she said softly into his chest.
"Oh, no," he cooed into her hair, standing slightly and shifting into chair with her to stroke her back. "No, no, no. I would never refuse to come to you when you need me. Oh Ellie. You're my best friend. I know you have Ash and all-"
"I met you first. I know you best," she said, silencing him. "You're my best friend, Marco." She breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of ocean, sunscreen, people, and Marco- just Marco, a heavy hot smell that filled her nostrils and instantly helped to relax her. Wrapped in towels and blankets and him, dripping dry, she relaxed, and fell asleep.
Marco held Ellie close. He felt as if he had known her forever, though he hadn't really. When she had moved to Degrassi during their ninth year, they had become friends fairly quickly. He knew that he would hate it if they fought for long.
After a while, the others came back in. Sean gazed at him uneasily, sitting in the chair with Ellie practically on his lap, but Dylan rested a comforting hand on Marco's shoulder and for once this calmed Sean instead of agitating him.
"I tried to find you," Dylan said softly in his ear. I went to look for you but Ellie wouldn't say where you were, and the next thing I know-"he gestured around the first aid building. Marco nodded grimly. Ellie shifted slightly and one long, pale arm fell limply from beneath the towel. Crisscrossed scars decorated it, and Marco cringed. He'd never seen her scars before. To his shock, his initials were engraved in very faint, small letters one her forearm. He swallowed hard.
A lifeguard came in and smiled at the group, his eyes lingering on Marco.
"And you must be- Marco, is it?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"She's was asking about you, when we first woke her up. Apparently, she really likes you." He threw a wink at Marco. "Pretty too- she's a keeper." He grinned widely, while Marco froze in the chair and paled. Sean gave a low growl but said nothing.
"If you don't mind me asking...what's happened to her arm?" The young man said, staring openly at it.
"We mind you asking," Marco said harshly, while at the same time Sean said, "she used to cut herself." Marco shot him a glare.
"What?" Sean mumbled. "Everyone at schools knows, and she doesn't have a problem with it. The first time I really met her showed them to me and asked if she freaked me out. Why shouldn't he know?"
Marco gapped. Ellie had never shown him her scars. She avoided the topic. In fact, the one time she'd talked to him she'd been very stiff and asked only if it had scared him into not being her friend. He had assured her that it hadn't.
"Oh," the lifeguard said awkwardly. "Well-um- everything seems to be in order here. I would suggest taking her home though." Sean nodded immediately, but Marco glanced at Dylan.
"That's all right, isn't it? You'll take us home?"
"Of course," Dylan said promptly. "Why don't you just carry her out so we can get her home while she sleeps?"
"Sounds all right to me," Marco agreed. "Sean? Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah," he muttered, but there was a frown line between his eyebrows. "Sure. Whatever."
Marco rose slightly from the chair, trying to support both Ellie's weight and his. She wasn't heavy, but she wasn't unhealthily thin either, and Marco was short. It took three tries for him to stand from the chair, and then he had to implore help from both Dylan and Sean to get Ellie situated comfortably.
As they walked to the car, ignoring the strange looks people were giving them, Sean continued to glare openly at Marco.
Sea knew he was being unfair- Marco said he hadn't chose to be gay, and besides that, Marco was really a pretty cool guy. He'd been lying to himself and Ellie for too long- the fact that he was gay didn't bother him. It was the fact that he was Ellie's best friend that did. Quite simply, Sean was jealous.
She talked about him all the time. They were closer than close, they understood each other. She was comfortable with him, more so than with Sean. And she never got jealous of Marco's other friends or boyfriend or anything, because she knew that first and foremost in his mind was their friendship, even if at times Marco and Dylan flustered her.
But with Sean, she seemed more...careful. Like she was treading on thin ice- and she loved it, but there was always that risk. And she wasn't as comfortable with him- Marco was her friend, but he was also gay, meaning she pretty much had the best of both worlds. She could say anything to him, share anything with him, and it wouldn't be interpreted the wrong way.
And he was jealous. Even more jealous than usual, because Marco had her held so comfortingly in his arms, and she was so peacefully asleep and vulnerable. He was jealous that she had run off with Marco to talk, jealous that he couldn't comfort her after their fight, jealous that she had seemed so torn up about it. And he was jealous that when she had awaked, the first thing she had asked for was Marco. So he had gone to find him for her. He would have done anything to make her happy.
"Sean," Marco's voice broke through his reverie, sounding slightly exasperated.
"What?" he snapped.
"I just- you seem upset about me- carrying Ellie. And I'm sorry, okay? That's just how it happened," Marco seemed defensive.
"Yeah, whatever." Now that he thought about it, his jealousy was the biggest problem. But the two homos drove him insane as well.
I'm not really jealous. I'm just- concerned. No one should put some gay ex- boyfriend best friend over her boyfriend. It's unreal. Yeah, that's it- I'm concerned.
Sean had almost managed to convince himself.
The drive home was quiet and painful. Ellie was still draped across Marco, but they had managed to prop her up in a seatbelt, leaning against him. When they reached her home, Marco searched the house with his eyes.
"No one's home," he lied to the others. "I'm going to stay with her."
"So am I," Sean volunteered quickly.
"She's my best friend, and I know her parents. I'll stay with her." Marco was adamant.
He got out of the car and went up to her front door, pulling the emergency key from under the welcome mat. This was an emergency.
After he had unlocked the door and propped it open, he went back for Ellie. Sean gave him a glare and picked her up easily, brushing past him to get into the home. Marco frowned but said nothing.
"Her bedroom is up the st-" he began to tell Sean.
"I know where it is," he snapped shortly. Marco looked taken aback. He went back to the car, not because he really thought Sean deserved time with Ellie, but because he wanted to say goodbye to Dylan. Dylan smiled up at him.
"Didn't go exactly the way we'd planned, did it?" Dylan asked him.
"No," Marco sighed. "I guess not. So I'll see you later, k?" Sean was coming down the path towards the car.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. See ya," Dylan said, before giving him a soft kiss on the cheek and pulling back. Blushing slightly, Marco smiled and walked away. The look on Sean's face was priceless.
He walked into the home and up to the bedroom, where Ellie was submerged under the covers and breathing deeply. He looked at her, still wet, her hair stringing, and felt an overwhelming sense of protectiveness.
He went into the bathroom closest to her room and found several towels, which he rubbed over her arms, legs, and hair. He examined her scars silently and then continued with his work, until she was more damp than dry. Then he went to her closet hesitantly.
He didn't want to get into her stuff, but she needed warmer clothes. With a frown he reached for it.
"Second drawer," a voice said behind him. "That black shirt that's too big for me is in there." Marco whirled around. Ellie was sitting up and smiling.
"El," he muttered, rushing to her bed and pulling her into a hug. She held onto him gratefully.
"I'm getting you all wet," she said.
"That's all right," he muttered softly into her hair. There was a pause. "El, what I said today-"
"No, you were right," she interrupted him. "He was being rude and hypocritical."
"But I shouldn't have said that, about...you know..." Her bedspread suddenly became extremely fascinating, and he traced a finger over the black and red design.
"No," Ellie said. "You shouldn't have, but...I did some things I shouldn't have either." Marco smiled apologetically at her and she hugged him again.
"So...would you like to tell me what was really bothering you?" Marco ventured. Ellie looked up at him sharply.
"What so you mean?"
"I mean-"Marco hesitated. "We both said a lot of things that we didn't mean- but I think there's something that was- is- really bothering you. You can tell me anything, El, you know that."
"No," she said.
"What?" Marco said, bewildered. He pulled away from her and stood up.
"I can't tell you anything...because- because I just can't. It would cause more problems than it would solve. You'd better get out of here, Marco. I'll call you later."
Marco left, feeling very confused.