Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Degrassi: The Next Generation. I only own any character that I produce through my own imagination.
Authors Note: Nearly the end! Remember to review please!
The bright light stings at Evette's eyes as she opens them and realizes that she is still lying on her front step. She shivers in the cool morning air and all of a sudden she feels like crying. She digs around in her bag for a marker and writes "Go home, please."
She opens the door and quietly closes it behind herself. Eric will not wake up for at least another half an hour. She drops her bag in her room before walking into the bathroom and turning on the hot water. The room fills with steam before she turns on the cold water. She allows the water to pound at her face. It burns at her eyelids and turns her skin a bright shade of pink. For the longest time she stands there unable to move a muscle hoping, though she knows it is quite impossible, that time will just slip away.
Craig opens his eyes slightly his head is pounding. Spinner has spun himself a cocoon of blankets and Jimmy is practically kissing the wall. Craig sits up just as the door is flung open. The banging sound the door makes rings in his ears.
"Paige!"
He screams and in the process effectively wakes up both Spinner and Jimmy. Gabby walks into the room she smiles and holds a glass of water and 2 aspirins in her hand. She hands them to Craig.
"They help...a little bit but you'll be fine by lunch."
Craig smiles gratefully and swallows the little white pills before handing the glass back to her.
"Well, it's the first day of the holidays I'm planning to go shopping. Paige? Hazel? Do you want to come with me?"
"Definitely!"
Exclaim Hazel and Paige simultaneously and skip out of the room obviously satisfied with the days plan.
A half hour later Craig, Spinner and Jimmy are dragging their feet along the ground as they walk and watching the 3 girls in front of them giggle.
"Eve!"
Exclaims Gabby suddenly and she runs awkwardly up to a figure in front of them. Craig hangs behind them partially wanting to disappear.
"Gabs...Paige, Hazel what are you guys doing?"
"Nothing much we're just shopping."
Evette smiles and her gaze is fixed somewhere behind where Paige, Hazel and Gabby are standing.
"We'll I've got to go."
"Where are you going? Can we come?"
Spinner calls out from behind them. Evette smiles and shakes her head.
"I don't think you'd want to go. I'm just going to the marina for a while."
"Cool count me in."
Exclaims an almost bored to death Jimmy as far as he is concerned anything is better then shopping.
"Ok...well whatever."
Evette says quietly before turning and walking away silently. They follow her. Or rather they allow Craig to walk in front of them as he follows her. Finally they reach the marina and Evette climbs onto a hand rail and balances precautious in her high heels. She turns around and discovers that everyone has disappeared except for Craig.
"Evette..."
He whispers his voice almost being blown away in the wind.
"So what are you guys doing here?"
She asks masking any emotion that she might feel.
"Evette...I broke up with Ashley."
"I'm surprised you're still talking to me I mean I did call you boring. Remember? Sorry about that."
Evette rushes as if she hasn't heard what he has just said.
"Evette...I'm here because of you."
Evette stops she lowers her gaze unto the water pounding at the wooden pillars below.
"Craig...I don't need you anymore."
"Evonne..."
Craig has let it slip she spins around loses her balance and falls to the ground.
"What...What did you just call me?"
"I read it, I read the notebook."
Tears begin running down Evette's face.
"You're wrong. My name is Evette Margaret Scott. My brother is...my brother was Jason Hunter Scott. My parents are Gary Mitchell Scott and Helen Kirsten Scott."
She hides her face in her lap Craig crouches down next to her.
"I know who you are. I know who you've become. And I want you to know that I..."
Craig's voice trails off. Evette looks up at him almost expectantly. He can see that she expects him to run away.
"I think I love you. I know I love you. Evette, you broke my heart the first time you disappeared and then you reappeared and then you acted like you hated me. Then when Jason died you stopped talking and it was like losing you all over again. Then you say all those things to me and it didn't make me hate you. Then you left again."
"Craig..."
Evette whispers. She wipes away the tears streaming down his face with her fingers. As she pulls them away from his face he catches them in his own hand.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave you. They made me. Then they gave me a new life and I was happy because I was this San Francisco cheerleader. And then we moved to Degrassi. And Jason he was like my rock, he left. It hurt a lot; I lose everyone that I love. First my mom, then Jason and Craig, I don't want to hurt you."
Tears are falling from her own eyes now; the wind blows her hair and dries her face. She moves away from him and adjusts her high heels. She grabs onto the rail behind her and pulls herself up. Craig stands up with her.
She brushes his brown hair away from his eyes. She stares at him for a long time.
"What are you doing?"
Craig asks softly. She smiles at him sadly.
"I'm making a memory."
He leans down and attempts to capture her lips with his but she moves away.
"Craig...I really don't want you to get hurt. Maybe if we wait a few months. Wait until we graduate. Go back to Degrassi Craig."
"But..."
"I mean it."
Craig hangs his head he is overcome with a sense of failure. He begins walking away as Evette gives him an encouraging push. He holds his breath and refuses to let the tears fall. He doesn't look back, if he looks back all his emotion will burst out of the dam that he is building over his heart.
"Craig!"
He hears. He stops but still doesn't turn around or lift his head.
"Craig!"
This time he turns around sucking in a deep breath and looks up at her. She looks so beautiful, so beautiful and she is walking towards him. She is soon so close to him that he can feel her breath on his neck.
"For the record, I think I love you too."
