Title: Something New
Rating: PG-13 for themes and language
Characters: In this chapter: Marco, Dylan, Marco's parents, Carlos, Paige, Ellie, Sean, Jay, Towerz, Tom
Pairings: Marco/Dylan, Spinner/Paige, Ellie/Sean, not sure of any others.
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Degrassi. If I did, this all woulda taken place right after Pride premiered. =D
Author's Note: Seriously, you guys rock! All of the reviews make me feel happy. There's a fight scene in this chapter - and I'm sorry if it's way off base. I've never written a fight before. I hope I do all right. :D Yeah, so woo… crickets chirp
Someone mentioned Marco was a little too emotional. I'm sorry, that's the way I figured he would be but I can try my best to lighten up on that, lol. Anyway, please review and stuff! Thanks guys!
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"Where are we going?" Marco asked, as Dylan drove the car down the street.
With only a glance into the mirror, he replied, "Well, the guys are getting together at the hockey rink. We could go there. They're not expecting me until later, but if we go now we can play some."
Uncomfortably, Marco said in a low voice, "I don't know, um, how to play hockey."
Dylan laughed. "I'll teach you." With that, Marco nodded. Raising his eyebrows, Dylan looked into the mirror again. "Man, this car's right on our tail." He sped up a bit, surprised to find that the car inched up, once again, right behind them. "Well, good thing we're here."
As he pulled into the hockey arena's parking lot, Marco turned around to get his first glance at the car. His face went pale as the car parked right behind theirs, blocking any exit they may have had.
"What's wrong?" Dylan asked the younger one, worriedly.
"It's my brother," he whispered, closing his eyes. Eyes widening slightly, Dylan looked back again. Carlos, fuming, was getting out of the car. He advanced towards Dylan's car, in which both boys were silent.
"Well, let's get out," Dylan bravely said, unbuckling his seatbelt. Simultaneously, they got out of the car and stared at Marco's older brother. "Hello Carlos," Dylan said, forcing a smile.
Instead of replying, Carlos stared down his younger brother. He took a big step towards him. "Not a fag, huh, Marco?" he asked, in a sleek, cold voice. The question surprised Marco, and his jaw dropped open a little bit. "You're not a fag, right?"
"Carlos, I -" Marco started to stutter, but Carlos cut him off.
"You kissed him, Marco! You kissed another guy! That's disgusting!" he yelled, voice rising. Marco had no reply, and Carlos turned on Dylan.
"I told you to stay away from my brother."
"And I told you no," Dylan said in the same tone. He wasn't backing down. Watching between the two, Marco could hardly swallow.
"You made him think - you got him believing - I told you to stop hanging out with him," Carlos hissed, pointing vehemently at the other.
"I didn't do anything," Dylan said, equally irate. "But if you lay a hand on him -"
"You can't tell me what to do with my own brother."
"No, but I can tell you what will happen if you do."
With that, Marco watched in horror as Carlos, on not a moment's hesitation, threw the first punch. Dylan was quick to hit him back, and then they were on the ground, rolling and punching as hard as they could. Marco wanted desperately to stop them, to get in between and separate the two. But he was too weak; he wouldn't be able to do anything.
At that time, the door to the hockey rink opened. Heading to his car, Brad stopped mid-stride when he saw his best friend and another guy, in the middle of a dirty fight. "Guys!" he shouted indoors, and ran towards the two.
Slightly shaken, Marco was relieved to see him flying across the parking lot, and the three or four guys that quickly followed. When Brad got there, he lunged forward and attempted to pull Dylan out. More punches were thrown as he tried to heave the two apart, stumbling.
Scott was the next one to arrive. He grabbed Carlos around the waist, and pulled him back. Michael automatically stepped in between Scott holding Carlos back, and Brad holding Dylan back. "What the hell is going on?" he shouted, as both boys struggled to break free.
"Don't touch me, faggot," Carlos mumbled, elbowing Scott in the side to try to attack Dylan again.
"Get off, Brad!" Dylan added, but he wasn't being aggressive with his friend.
Hands still out to separate the two, Michael glimpsed at Marco, who was still looking a bit dazed. "What happened?" he asked the youngest boy, head cocked slightly to the side.
"I… I… Carlos saw me and… he attacked him and…" he stuttered heavily, with shuddery breaths. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and then focused them on Dylan. There was already a dark ring around his left eye forming, and a bleeding cut on his cheek. He stared for a few seconds, and then turned to his brother. Carlos' lip was swollen, and blood was gushing from his nose. It looked like he'd have a black eye as well.
At that time, Carlos had managed to pull his hand loose from Scott and without hesitating a second, he brought back his fist and slammed it into his captor. Surprised, Scott completely let go of his grip and he stormed towards Dylan. Ty, however, standing nearby, slid the hockey stick he was holding under Carlos feet, causing him to slip and fall backwards.
Violently, he reached forward and grabbed the older Italian boy by his shoulders and slammed him into Dylan's car. He was actually enjoying this, since he'd had a grudge against Carlos and his friends from the day they'd ganged up on him. "I think you're forgetting that there's six of us and one of you." For added effect, he slammed him into the car once more. "It's a nice change."
Finally, Brad released Dylan and looked at him concernedly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He cast a look at Marco, who realized he was staring at him and reddened. "I'm sorry," Dylan said.
"Sorry for what? Defending me?" He forced a smile, and out of the corner of his eye looked at Carlos. He'd stopped struggling, and was now wiping some of the blood from his nose off.
"I'm going home," Carlos announced, shoving Ty away a bit. Looking skeptical, Ty took a step behind him so he could leave. "Come on, Marco," he continued, pointing to his car. Hesitating, Marco looked in between his brother and Dylan. He knew it'd be bad if he got in the car, but it'd be worse if he didn't. Still, he needed to stay with Dylan.
Sucking in his courage, he said steadily, "No."
Carlos' cheeks grew red, but he wouldn't start another fight there. He knew better than that. He shook his head. "I always knew there was something wrong with you. Hanging around faggots all the time. Of course, now I know better!" He laughed bitterly. "You are a fag. Just wait 'til Dad finds out I saw you making out with Homochuk."
Just to be careful, Brad grabbed Dylan's shirt. Glaring loathingly at his older brother, Marco shook his head. He was too angry to speak. "See you at home, Marco," were his departing words, in a sweet tone with a final evil grin. He ducked into his car, backed away, and left.
Marco stared after his car, and continued staring even when it was out of sight. Finally, he turned around and saw all of the guys were looking at him, and guiltily, they turned away. Feeling it was his turn to apologize, he said to each of them, but while looking at Dylan, "I'm really sorry. I can't believe he - well, I can believe it but…"
"It's okay, Marco," Dylan reassured him, placing his hand over his. "You didn't ask your brother to do it." He paused, raised an eyebrow, and then jokingly continued, "…Right?"
Taken aback, he did a double take, eyebrows furrowed, until he realized Dylan was kidding. He forced a laugh, which sounded more like a painful cough, and looked around.
"So, uh, you guys want to stick around?" Ty asked skeptically, motioning towards Marco and Dylan. When Michael cast him a dirty look, he immediately said, "Nah, I'm sure you just wanna head home. Get some ice on that. I - I think I'm tired, anyway." The other guys were quick to agree.
"See you tomorrow, Dyl," Brad said, clapping a hand on his best friend's shoulder. He nodded at them, and one-by-one they all departed, leaving only the two. Sighing, Dylan brought his hand gingerly up to his face, and then brought it down to look. Blood, which was rushing from the wound on his cheek, was now caking his hand.
"Looks like that hurts," Marco offered, and he silently cursed himself for saying something so stupid.
"A bit."
He waited a bit before daring to say anything else, but when he did, Dylan just cut him off. "I tried to-"
"I know."
Cheeks growing hot, he stared at the ground and willed himself not to speak. Everything's ruined, he thought bitterly. Dylan hates me now, Carlos hates me, my pa hates me. No way would Dylan want to give me another chance. That's when it began to sink in. Dylan, who usually lit up the conversation, was saying nothing. He was about to suggest he walk home, even though it was miles away, when Dylan finally spoke. His voice was oddly strained, but Marco was relieved to recognize the same quirkiness in his tone that he was infamous for.
"So, do you want to just head back to my house?" When Marco finally braved it enough to trail his eyes upward hopefully, Dylan added, "I doubt you'd want to go home, now." And then he smiled, a genuine smile, and relief washed over Marco's body.
"Yeah," Marco agreed, nodding slightly. "Are you sure you parents… they wouldn't mind?"
Shrugging, he responded nonchalantly, "They'll get over it." And then, with a grin, "But tonight, you're taking the couch." Marco started to playfully object, but Dylan held up his hands and firmly shook his head. "Last time, you rolled and kicked and just about beat me black and blue in your sleep. Oh, and you snore too."
"I do not snore!" Marco protested.
"You snore worse than my grandpa," Dylan teased.
"I do not snore!" he repeated one more time, then cleared his throat, as if to say End of conversation. Dylan laughed, and Marco felt as if the event that had just taken place were dissolving before their very eyes as he climbed back into Dylan's car.
"What do you think?" Dylan said, as he pulled out of the parking lot. Marco didn't have to ask what he meant.
"I think today was a very… long day."
[Journal entry 9]
Marco del Rossi
Talk about a day of mood swings. Let's have a recap of my day: it all started when Dylan asked me to tag along with him and Tom. That was great. Fast forward to the "date". It was horrible. Tom was hitting on Dyl left and right, and right in front of me.
Then came the movie. First, the jerk tried to hold his hand. I don't know whether or not Dylan knew that or not, but I'm very thankful to his untied shoe. And then… and then he kissed him. My mind went blank. I had this feeling, like everything that had been happening between Dylan and me - it was all over. But Dylan pulled away quickly, and told Tom that we were together.
And then we kissed. And it couldn't have been any better, because he's a great kisser. But unfortunately, knowing me, something bad happened. And this something was just about the worst something bad that could have possibly happened.
Carlos saw us.
I guess maybe it was my fault, because we were doing it in public, in the open view. But that thought didn't even cross my mind. I didn't even see Carlos, until he started following us, right to the hockey rink.
And then he and Dylan got into one of the worst fights I've ever seen. They both ended up hurt. I wanted to stop it so bad… there was nothing I could do. But then Dylan invited me to go to his house, so we'll see what happens there. I'm not sure what to think right now.
Ciao.
[/Journal]
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"Ellie!" A voice, urgent, whispered into Ellie's ear. Groaning, she tried to ignore the frequent hisses, to pretend it was all a part of the rather nice dream she was having. "Ellie!" The voice insisted, not ceasing, and it's volume increasing. She had no choice but to feebly open her eyes, but in the dark she could only see a dark figure standing over her bed.
She had the brief thought of screaming for help, because it wasn't often that strangers were in her bedroom at two in the morning, but the drowsiness she felt decided against it. Besides, this figure knew her name. They couldn't be that dangerous.
"Ellie!" This person wasn't anywhere near ready to give up. Suddenly, the room went pitch black again as she could no longer make out the bright red numbers of her clock, and it took a second for her to realize the figure was leaning over her.
"Ellie, wake up!"
"I'm awake," she whispered to the figure, feeling really stupid, as if she was giving consent to a kidnapper that could possibly be standing over her.
"Good." The bed sank somewhere near her feet, meaning the figure had sat down, and she could see the clock's red lines once more, almost shrieking 2:04, with a glowing dot to confirm it was in the dead of the morning. She tore her eyes away from the glow, and focused them on her visitor.
The person swept a hand over their head, and pulled a hood down with it. She was a bit shocked to find out it was Sean that was in the middle of the bedroom, but she was relieved as well - it was better him than a stranger.
"What're you doing here?" she demanded in a whisper, knowing her father was only a few doors down. Being in the military had taught him to become an extremely light sleeper, and she didn't think he'd find Sean in her bedroom this early as comforting as Ellie had.
Sean didn't answer right away; he was digging almost furiously into the pockets of his hoodie.
"Look, Sean, my dad likes you but if he sees you here at this time, well… his weapons are going to be put to use pretty soon," she explained, shaking her head. Sean only grinned at her, as though that made his adventure even more fun.
"How did you get in my house?" she asked when he continued to say nothing.
"Your kitchen window was slightly open," he finally spoke, smirking. She noticed he didn't bother to lower his voice too much - did he want to get caught? Sean, on the other hand, was proud of himself for making it all the way up to her bedroom, without being caught at all. Yet.
"Well there's a soothing thought," she said sarcastically, shaking her head once more. Her hair bounced wildly around her face; obviously infected with a bad case of bed head.
"Why are you here?" she asked again, now that he'd stopped fiddling with his clothing.
"I wanted to show you something."
She pointedly eyed the clock, whose glowing "4" had now turned into a "7". "It couldn't wait until morning?"
"Nope."
"Well," she said after a short hesitation. "What is it?" And then thoughtfully, she changed her wording to, "Where is it?"
But Sean obviously wasn't in the mood to elaborate. "Get dressed," he said simply, and then with the courtesy of a gentleman, he left the room and quietly closed the door, without making a sound.
Suspiciously, she threw the covers off of her and pulled on a sweatshirt and pants. She didn't know why she was going along with his odd instructions, but if Sean had risked his life by breaking into her house, it had to be good. She quietly opened the door, to find Sean waiting silently for her. With two fingers, he beckoned her forward and crept through the hallway with her trailing, quiet as mice.
When they got to the kitchen, Sean pulled open the back door and the two slipped off into the night. "What are we doing?" Ellie asked again, looking around the deserted street.
"Follow me," he said, and his grin was so intriguing that she obeyed. He led her to a park, and he stopped abruptly. "Close your eyes," he said, and she eyed him distrustfully before doing so.
Putting his hands on her shoulder, he continued to guide her forward through the park. Finally, they stopped. "Now, open your eyes," he said, in a somewhat quieter voice. She did as she was told, and her jaw dropped slightly. She was amazed to see what she did.
"Sean -"
"What do you think?" he asked, interrupting her babble. "Not bad, huh?"
Ellie had been through the exact location in that park many times; on the way home from school, at times when she'd cut class… But it suddenly occurred to her that she had never seen it at two o'clock in the morning. Everything looked different. The moonlight seemed to reflect off of everything, and it looked straight out of a fairytale. But best of all, there was a blanket in the middle of the beautiful grass, which had been purposely placed there.
He took her hand in his, and together, they lay down on the comfy blanket. "Just wait," he said, tilting his head so he was facing the sky.
Ellie marveled slightly as she waited for the next surprise; she'd never met a guy so full of surprises. Of course, he was the resident "badass" or "gangsters" or whatever else was on the extensive list of names he'd been called, but Ellie hardly ever saw that side of him. What she saw was a sweet, caring, gentle guy… a terrific boyfriend.
And suddenly, right in front of their eyes, the sky seemed to explode into all different colors. Reds, and blues, and wonderful golds… She watched, breathless, as the fireworks continued going off.
"How did you--?" she tried to ask Sean, but he only supplied her with a secretive smile.
Sean, however, was also contemplating his actions. He obviously cared for her more than anyone else he'd ever come across. He quickly racked his brains, trying to remember if he'd ever done something like this for anyone else. Well, I surprised Amy with tickets to the mud fight one time… Nah, that didn't count. I stole them. He shook his head slightly and looked over at Ellie, smiling.
As the last of the fireworks exploded against the otherwise black sky, Sean put his hand on Ellie's face and turned her towards him. Without any words, they leaned in and kissed. It was a sweet, loving kiss. Marco doesn't even compare, Ellie thought with a laugh, which she quickly stifled as their lips met again.
"We better go," Sean announced quietly. "Don't want your dad getting worried."
"You mean you don't want my dad tearing off your head," Ellie corrected him, laughing.
"That too," he admitted finally. Standing, they linked hands and walked back to her house; where she left him with a kiss on the cheek as she stole silently back inside.
To her delight, as she passed by her parents room, both snores were present - her mother's quiet, more-like-breathing ones, and her father's, a bit louder, long ones.
She was too awake at that moment to attempt to go back to bed, so she rummaged through her things, and brought out her journal. She's grown oddly close to the journal, as Kwan as hinted they might a while back. She scoffed at the idea at the time, but she liked to write in it now. She smiled as she stared down at her own words on her first entry. I'm just not the "express your emotions" type of person. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud; she didn't need her father's interrogation at that moment.
I've changed, Ellie thought to herself. Sean changed me. She paused for a few seconds, and then flipped to an empty page. And as she began writing, she smiled widely. Because everything was right.
[Journal entry 9]
Ellie Nash
Life is so good right now that they only thing I have to complain about is the lack of things to complain about. My mom's never been happier… or nicer, for that matter. All of the alcohol, excepting a really valuable bottle of wine locked away in the basement, has been thrown out. My dad's great too. He's like my best friend. I love having him home so much.
Today, my dad announced we were going to watch The Wizard of Oz. When I was really little, we always used to watch that right before my bedtime. It was an excuse for me to stay up longer, because it got me so terrified that I couldn't sleep. Can you blame me? Those monkey things are horrible. But it was great, just me and my dad.
Sean completely surprised me tonight. And just about gave me a heart attack, too. I will have to hide this journal after I'm done with this entry, though, because if my dad found out… he would have a heart attack!
Anyway, at 2 in the morning, I heard someone whispering my name. At first I thought it was part of my dream, but it was someone in my room! I found out it was Sean, though. But we didn't do anything! He told me to get dressed, and then led me outside to the park. It was SO beautiful there… like something I'd never seen before. And then, there were amazing fireworks… Real ones, I mean, that's no metaphor.
He's a great kisser, though! And I love hanging out with him. I really do think what my dad said today was right. When the movie ended, (and Dorothy and Toto were safe once more!) he turned to me and said, "Sean seems like a keeper." We didn't discuss it anymore, that's all he said. Really made me happy.
Well, I better try and get some sleep! Who knows what will happen tomorrow!
[/Journal]
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"Dylan! What - what happened to you - your face…?" Paige gasped, staring at her older brother with deep concern. From behind her, Spinner too was looking curiously at the cuts and bruises; he, however, tore his eyes away and glanced at Marco oddly.
"Long story," Dylan said simply, flashing them a somewhat fake smile. "Look, I need to get some ice or something, my eye's starting to sting…"
He brushed past his little sister and her boyfriend, and Marco rocked on the balls of his feet uncomfortably.
"Mom's in the kitch-" Paige tried to warn him before he got too far. However, Mrs. Michalchuk had heard her only son's voice and came rushing into the room.
She uttered a slight shriek as she saw him, and pulled him close to inspect his injuries. "Good Lord, Dylan, what happened to you?!" Without waiting for an answer, and ignoring his protests, she shook her head and said heatedly, "I thought this was over! Dylan, honey, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Mom," he tried to assure her, rolling his eyes slightly.
"You most certainly are not! We put up with this for at least a year. I thought it was over, I thought they'd all moved on…" she moaned, a few tears shimmering in his eyes.
"The boy says he's fine, dear," Mr. Michalchuk said exasperatedly, also entering the room from the kitchen.
"I am! Nothing a little ice - and time - won't heal." To his mom's unconvinced looks, he added, "I've been hurt worse in hockey, and you don't make a big deal out of it then." He flashed her a brilliant smile. "I promise, I'm fine." He disappeared into the kitchen, and returned a few seconds later with an icepack attached to his darkened eye.
Despite Dylan's arguments, Mrs. Michalchuk insisted on putting a Band-Aid over the cut on his cheek, and he finally gave in.
As though just realizing there were other guests in the house, Mr. and Mrs. Michalchuk smiled warmly at Marco and Spinner. "Hello Spinner," Mrs. Michalchuk said, and then stopped when she got to Marco.
Paige took the liberty of making introductions. "This is Marco, Mom. Dylan's -" She paused, looking to the boys for help.
"Boyfriend," Dylan finally finished for her, and the whole room seemed a little tense. Marco tried his best to conceal a very large smile, for that was the first time Dylan had used that term, but he was losing very badly.
"It's nice to meet you," Mrs. Michalchuk said sincerely, smiling again. Mr. Michalchuk smiled down at him as well, but he couldn't stop thinking how young and small Marco looked…
The adults finally left the room, and the tension immediately melted.
"Who did that to you?" Paige demanded, crossing her arms.
"One of the very fine members of the del Rossi clan," Dylan grinned, and Marco squirmed uncomfortably.
"Marco's dad did that?!" she almost shrieked, and they both laughed a little.
"No, no, no. Carlos. His brother."
"What a jerk!" Paige muttered, then stopped and looked at Marco. "Sorry," she added quickly, but he shook his head fervently.
"Trust me, jerk is an understatement."
"So he found out?" Spinner said, looking surprised. "Did you like, tell him? And, what, just beat you up?"
"Uh, actually he saw Dylan and I, um, together," Marco said nervously, hoping they didn't notice the squeak he had emitted when he said the last word. "And followed us to the hockey rink, where -"
"We got in a grueling fight, and some of the guys broke it up," Dylan concluded. "Of course, I think I bloodied him up a little worse than he did me…" He winked at Marco, who grinned.
"You're really lucky he was alone," Paige said, her eyebrows pointing straight up. "I've seen some of the guys he hangs out with. Really big guys. And muscular." She grinned suddenly. "I do think the brown haired soccer player is pretty cute-"
"Hey!" Spinner interjected, looking offended.
"But not as cute as you, Honeybee," she said, kissing him slightly.
"Well, we're going to head up to my room," Dylan said. "Spin, are you staying the night?" He nodded, knowing the Michalchuk adults trusted him enough, though he slept in the living room. "Oh, well, guess the couch is occupied. Guess you're taking the floor then," he added as an afterthought to Marco, grinning.
They went up to his familiar, hockey-adorned room and closed the door in silence. They sat down on the bed, both wanting to talk about what happened but dreaded bringing it up.
Marco fidgeted slightly. The awkward silence was getting to him. He didn't want to talk about the fight, really. He was afraid Dylan would change his mind and blame the whole incident on the youngest del Rossi. So, when Dylan opened his mouth to speak at least, he did the only thing that made sense to him at the moment.
He leaned over a bit, put his hand on the back of Dylan's neck, and kissed him. He knew he had permission, because though Dylan was surprised at first, it didn't take him long to start kissing him back. Before long, their tongues met and the kiss deepened. Marco was in pure bliss when Dylan leaned back onto the bed, taking Marco, and still kissing, with him as he went. Dylan ran his hands through Marco's dark hair affectionately.
After a little while, they pulled away and met eyes. Both were grinning deeply, and Marco was lost for words.
"You owed me that," Dylan laughed, and Marco looked a little surprised.
"Oh really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "What for?"
"For Carlos," Dylan joked. "And for me not getting a chance to show you how to play hockey."
"Well, that's two things, then. I guess I still owe you." And with that, he leaned over again, but this time it was only a soft peck on the lips.
"Well," Dylan said, not able to fight off his grin, "now that we're even, what would you like to do?"
"I don't care," he said, feeling as though nothing could bring him down at that moment.
Dylan picked up the remote, and flipped on the television. His face lit up as the screen filled with hockey players, on what was evidently a game he'd been dying to see. "Great!" He then side-glanced Marco. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Nah."
"Great," he repeated, watching the game with wide eyes.
Knowing the only thing that would make Marco want to watch a hockey game was if Dylan was playing, he closed his eyes and daringly leaned back into Dylan, so his head was nearly resting on his shoulder. Almost automatically, Dylan snaked his arm comfortably around Marco's shoulders.
The game continued to be played; Dylan kept letting out little cheers or grunts every so often. But then, Marco turned his head toward the window when he heard quite the familiar sound. It sounded exactly like the clunk-clunk-clunk his dad's truck made every time it was on the road.
He grew more nervous at the clunk-clunk-clunks grew louder. And then, as quit as they started, they stopped. But it was too close… he heard a car door slam.
That's when the doorbell rang, and he heard Paige answer it. Dylan muted the television when he heard the heated, strong Italian voice from downstairs, and soon Paige came thundering up the stairs. She burst into Dylan's room without knocking, seeing a terrified looking Marco and an utterly confused Dylan.
"Uh, Marco. Your dad's here," she said, stating the obvious. "He said you better come down now, or, uh, or else…" She paused, searching for the exact words the angry father of her friend had said. "Or else that's it."
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All righty then! Bit of a long chapter, you think? Sorry I didn't update sooner… I was planning on finishing it last Friday before I went to Arizona for a week, but I ended up leaving sooner than I expected. Oh well.
Well, how was it?! I really need to know what you think! You better review! ;D I don't care what you say, just review! =)
Rating: PG-13 for themes and language
Characters: In this chapter: Marco, Dylan, Marco's parents, Carlos, Paige, Ellie, Sean, Jay, Towerz, Tom
Pairings: Marco/Dylan, Spinner/Paige, Ellie/Sean, not sure of any others.
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Degrassi. If I did, this all woulda taken place right after Pride premiered. =D
Author's Note: Seriously, you guys rock! All of the reviews make me feel happy. There's a fight scene in this chapter - and I'm sorry if it's way off base. I've never written a fight before. I hope I do all right. :D Yeah, so woo… crickets chirp
Someone mentioned Marco was a little too emotional. I'm sorry, that's the way I figured he would be but I can try my best to lighten up on that, lol. Anyway, please review and stuff! Thanks guys!
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"Where are we going?" Marco asked, as Dylan drove the car down the street.
With only a glance into the mirror, he replied, "Well, the guys are getting together at the hockey rink. We could go there. They're not expecting me until later, but if we go now we can play some."
Uncomfortably, Marco said in a low voice, "I don't know, um, how to play hockey."
Dylan laughed. "I'll teach you." With that, Marco nodded. Raising his eyebrows, Dylan looked into the mirror again. "Man, this car's right on our tail." He sped up a bit, surprised to find that the car inched up, once again, right behind them. "Well, good thing we're here."
As he pulled into the hockey arena's parking lot, Marco turned around to get his first glance at the car. His face went pale as the car parked right behind theirs, blocking any exit they may have had.
"What's wrong?" Dylan asked the younger one, worriedly.
"It's my brother," he whispered, closing his eyes. Eyes widening slightly, Dylan looked back again. Carlos, fuming, was getting out of the car. He advanced towards Dylan's car, in which both boys were silent.
"Well, let's get out," Dylan bravely said, unbuckling his seatbelt. Simultaneously, they got out of the car and stared at Marco's older brother. "Hello Carlos," Dylan said, forcing a smile.
Instead of replying, Carlos stared down his younger brother. He took a big step towards him. "Not a fag, huh, Marco?" he asked, in a sleek, cold voice. The question surprised Marco, and his jaw dropped open a little bit. "You're not a fag, right?"
"Carlos, I -" Marco started to stutter, but Carlos cut him off.
"You kissed him, Marco! You kissed another guy! That's disgusting!" he yelled, voice rising. Marco had no reply, and Carlos turned on Dylan.
"I told you to stay away from my brother."
"And I told you no," Dylan said in the same tone. He wasn't backing down. Watching between the two, Marco could hardly swallow.
"You made him think - you got him believing - I told you to stop hanging out with him," Carlos hissed, pointing vehemently at the other.
"I didn't do anything," Dylan said, equally irate. "But if you lay a hand on him -"
"You can't tell me what to do with my own brother."
"No, but I can tell you what will happen if you do."
With that, Marco watched in horror as Carlos, on not a moment's hesitation, threw the first punch. Dylan was quick to hit him back, and then they were on the ground, rolling and punching as hard as they could. Marco wanted desperately to stop them, to get in between and separate the two. But he was too weak; he wouldn't be able to do anything.
At that time, the door to the hockey rink opened. Heading to his car, Brad stopped mid-stride when he saw his best friend and another guy, in the middle of a dirty fight. "Guys!" he shouted indoors, and ran towards the two.
Slightly shaken, Marco was relieved to see him flying across the parking lot, and the three or four guys that quickly followed. When Brad got there, he lunged forward and attempted to pull Dylan out. More punches were thrown as he tried to heave the two apart, stumbling.
Scott was the next one to arrive. He grabbed Carlos around the waist, and pulled him back. Michael automatically stepped in between Scott holding Carlos back, and Brad holding Dylan back. "What the hell is going on?" he shouted, as both boys struggled to break free.
"Don't touch me, faggot," Carlos mumbled, elbowing Scott in the side to try to attack Dylan again.
"Get off, Brad!" Dylan added, but he wasn't being aggressive with his friend.
Hands still out to separate the two, Michael glimpsed at Marco, who was still looking a bit dazed. "What happened?" he asked the youngest boy, head cocked slightly to the side.
"I… I… Carlos saw me and… he attacked him and…" he stuttered heavily, with shuddery breaths. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and then focused them on Dylan. There was already a dark ring around his left eye forming, and a bleeding cut on his cheek. He stared for a few seconds, and then turned to his brother. Carlos' lip was swollen, and blood was gushing from his nose. It looked like he'd have a black eye as well.
At that time, Carlos had managed to pull his hand loose from Scott and without hesitating a second, he brought back his fist and slammed it into his captor. Surprised, Scott completely let go of his grip and he stormed towards Dylan. Ty, however, standing nearby, slid the hockey stick he was holding under Carlos feet, causing him to slip and fall backwards.
Violently, he reached forward and grabbed the older Italian boy by his shoulders and slammed him into Dylan's car. He was actually enjoying this, since he'd had a grudge against Carlos and his friends from the day they'd ganged up on him. "I think you're forgetting that there's six of us and one of you." For added effect, he slammed him into the car once more. "It's a nice change."
Finally, Brad released Dylan and looked at him concernedly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He cast a look at Marco, who realized he was staring at him and reddened. "I'm sorry," Dylan said.
"Sorry for what? Defending me?" He forced a smile, and out of the corner of his eye looked at Carlos. He'd stopped struggling, and was now wiping some of the blood from his nose off.
"I'm going home," Carlos announced, shoving Ty away a bit. Looking skeptical, Ty took a step behind him so he could leave. "Come on, Marco," he continued, pointing to his car. Hesitating, Marco looked in between his brother and Dylan. He knew it'd be bad if he got in the car, but it'd be worse if he didn't. Still, he needed to stay with Dylan.
Sucking in his courage, he said steadily, "No."
Carlos' cheeks grew red, but he wouldn't start another fight there. He knew better than that. He shook his head. "I always knew there was something wrong with you. Hanging around faggots all the time. Of course, now I know better!" He laughed bitterly. "You are a fag. Just wait 'til Dad finds out I saw you making out with Homochuk."
Just to be careful, Brad grabbed Dylan's shirt. Glaring loathingly at his older brother, Marco shook his head. He was too angry to speak. "See you at home, Marco," were his departing words, in a sweet tone with a final evil grin. He ducked into his car, backed away, and left.
Marco stared after his car, and continued staring even when it was out of sight. Finally, he turned around and saw all of the guys were looking at him, and guiltily, they turned away. Feeling it was his turn to apologize, he said to each of them, but while looking at Dylan, "I'm really sorry. I can't believe he - well, I can believe it but…"
"It's okay, Marco," Dylan reassured him, placing his hand over his. "You didn't ask your brother to do it." He paused, raised an eyebrow, and then jokingly continued, "…Right?"
Taken aback, he did a double take, eyebrows furrowed, until he realized Dylan was kidding. He forced a laugh, which sounded more like a painful cough, and looked around.
"So, uh, you guys want to stick around?" Ty asked skeptically, motioning towards Marco and Dylan. When Michael cast him a dirty look, he immediately said, "Nah, I'm sure you just wanna head home. Get some ice on that. I - I think I'm tired, anyway." The other guys were quick to agree.
"See you tomorrow, Dyl," Brad said, clapping a hand on his best friend's shoulder. He nodded at them, and one-by-one they all departed, leaving only the two. Sighing, Dylan brought his hand gingerly up to his face, and then brought it down to look. Blood, which was rushing from the wound on his cheek, was now caking his hand.
"Looks like that hurts," Marco offered, and he silently cursed himself for saying something so stupid.
"A bit."
He waited a bit before daring to say anything else, but when he did, Dylan just cut him off. "I tried to-"
"I know."
Cheeks growing hot, he stared at the ground and willed himself not to speak. Everything's ruined, he thought bitterly. Dylan hates me now, Carlos hates me, my pa hates me. No way would Dylan want to give me another chance. That's when it began to sink in. Dylan, who usually lit up the conversation, was saying nothing. He was about to suggest he walk home, even though it was miles away, when Dylan finally spoke. His voice was oddly strained, but Marco was relieved to recognize the same quirkiness in his tone that he was infamous for.
"So, do you want to just head back to my house?" When Marco finally braved it enough to trail his eyes upward hopefully, Dylan added, "I doubt you'd want to go home, now." And then he smiled, a genuine smile, and relief washed over Marco's body.
"Yeah," Marco agreed, nodding slightly. "Are you sure you parents… they wouldn't mind?"
Shrugging, he responded nonchalantly, "They'll get over it." And then, with a grin, "But tonight, you're taking the couch." Marco started to playfully object, but Dylan held up his hands and firmly shook his head. "Last time, you rolled and kicked and just about beat me black and blue in your sleep. Oh, and you snore too."
"I do not snore!" Marco protested.
"You snore worse than my grandpa," Dylan teased.
"I do not snore!" he repeated one more time, then cleared his throat, as if to say End of conversation. Dylan laughed, and Marco felt as if the event that had just taken place were dissolving before their very eyes as he climbed back into Dylan's car.
"What do you think?" Dylan said, as he pulled out of the parking lot. Marco didn't have to ask what he meant.
"I think today was a very… long day."
[Journal entry 9]
Marco del Rossi
Talk about a day of mood swings. Let's have a recap of my day: it all started when Dylan asked me to tag along with him and Tom. That was great. Fast forward to the "date". It was horrible. Tom was hitting on Dyl left and right, and right in front of me.
Then came the movie. First, the jerk tried to hold his hand. I don't know whether or not Dylan knew that or not, but I'm very thankful to his untied shoe. And then… and then he kissed him. My mind went blank. I had this feeling, like everything that had been happening between Dylan and me - it was all over. But Dylan pulled away quickly, and told Tom that we were together.
And then we kissed. And it couldn't have been any better, because he's a great kisser. But unfortunately, knowing me, something bad happened. And this something was just about the worst something bad that could have possibly happened.
Carlos saw us.
I guess maybe it was my fault, because we were doing it in public, in the open view. But that thought didn't even cross my mind. I didn't even see Carlos, until he started following us, right to the hockey rink.
And then he and Dylan got into one of the worst fights I've ever seen. They both ended up hurt. I wanted to stop it so bad… there was nothing I could do. But then Dylan invited me to go to his house, so we'll see what happens there. I'm not sure what to think right now.
Ciao.
[/Journal]
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"Ellie!" A voice, urgent, whispered into Ellie's ear. Groaning, she tried to ignore the frequent hisses, to pretend it was all a part of the rather nice dream she was having. "Ellie!" The voice insisted, not ceasing, and it's volume increasing. She had no choice but to feebly open her eyes, but in the dark she could only see a dark figure standing over her bed.
She had the brief thought of screaming for help, because it wasn't often that strangers were in her bedroom at two in the morning, but the drowsiness she felt decided against it. Besides, this figure knew her name. They couldn't be that dangerous.
"Ellie!" This person wasn't anywhere near ready to give up. Suddenly, the room went pitch black again as she could no longer make out the bright red numbers of her clock, and it took a second for her to realize the figure was leaning over her.
"Ellie, wake up!"
"I'm awake," she whispered to the figure, feeling really stupid, as if she was giving consent to a kidnapper that could possibly be standing over her.
"Good." The bed sank somewhere near her feet, meaning the figure had sat down, and she could see the clock's red lines once more, almost shrieking 2:04, with a glowing dot to confirm it was in the dead of the morning. She tore her eyes away from the glow, and focused them on her visitor.
The person swept a hand over their head, and pulled a hood down with it. She was a bit shocked to find out it was Sean that was in the middle of the bedroom, but she was relieved as well - it was better him than a stranger.
"What're you doing here?" she demanded in a whisper, knowing her father was only a few doors down. Being in the military had taught him to become an extremely light sleeper, and she didn't think he'd find Sean in her bedroom this early as comforting as Ellie had.
Sean didn't answer right away; he was digging almost furiously into the pockets of his hoodie.
"Look, Sean, my dad likes you but if he sees you here at this time, well… his weapons are going to be put to use pretty soon," she explained, shaking her head. Sean only grinned at her, as though that made his adventure even more fun.
"How did you get in my house?" she asked when he continued to say nothing.
"Your kitchen window was slightly open," he finally spoke, smirking. She noticed he didn't bother to lower his voice too much - did he want to get caught? Sean, on the other hand, was proud of himself for making it all the way up to her bedroom, without being caught at all. Yet.
"Well there's a soothing thought," she said sarcastically, shaking her head once more. Her hair bounced wildly around her face; obviously infected with a bad case of bed head.
"Why are you here?" she asked again, now that he'd stopped fiddling with his clothing.
"I wanted to show you something."
She pointedly eyed the clock, whose glowing "4" had now turned into a "7". "It couldn't wait until morning?"
"Nope."
"Well," she said after a short hesitation. "What is it?" And then thoughtfully, she changed her wording to, "Where is it?"
But Sean obviously wasn't in the mood to elaborate. "Get dressed," he said simply, and then with the courtesy of a gentleman, he left the room and quietly closed the door, without making a sound.
Suspiciously, she threw the covers off of her and pulled on a sweatshirt and pants. She didn't know why she was going along with his odd instructions, but if Sean had risked his life by breaking into her house, it had to be good. She quietly opened the door, to find Sean waiting silently for her. With two fingers, he beckoned her forward and crept through the hallway with her trailing, quiet as mice.
When they got to the kitchen, Sean pulled open the back door and the two slipped off into the night. "What are we doing?" Ellie asked again, looking around the deserted street.
"Follow me," he said, and his grin was so intriguing that she obeyed. He led her to a park, and he stopped abruptly. "Close your eyes," he said, and she eyed him distrustfully before doing so.
Putting his hands on her shoulder, he continued to guide her forward through the park. Finally, they stopped. "Now, open your eyes," he said, in a somewhat quieter voice. She did as she was told, and her jaw dropped slightly. She was amazed to see what she did.
"Sean -"
"What do you think?" he asked, interrupting her babble. "Not bad, huh?"
Ellie had been through the exact location in that park many times; on the way home from school, at times when she'd cut class… But it suddenly occurred to her that she had never seen it at two o'clock in the morning. Everything looked different. The moonlight seemed to reflect off of everything, and it looked straight out of a fairytale. But best of all, there was a blanket in the middle of the beautiful grass, which had been purposely placed there.
He took her hand in his, and together, they lay down on the comfy blanket. "Just wait," he said, tilting his head so he was facing the sky.
Ellie marveled slightly as she waited for the next surprise; she'd never met a guy so full of surprises. Of course, he was the resident "badass" or "gangsters" or whatever else was on the extensive list of names he'd been called, but Ellie hardly ever saw that side of him. What she saw was a sweet, caring, gentle guy… a terrific boyfriend.
And suddenly, right in front of their eyes, the sky seemed to explode into all different colors. Reds, and blues, and wonderful golds… She watched, breathless, as the fireworks continued going off.
"How did you--?" she tried to ask Sean, but he only supplied her with a secretive smile.
Sean, however, was also contemplating his actions. He obviously cared for her more than anyone else he'd ever come across. He quickly racked his brains, trying to remember if he'd ever done something like this for anyone else. Well, I surprised Amy with tickets to the mud fight one time… Nah, that didn't count. I stole them. He shook his head slightly and looked over at Ellie, smiling.
As the last of the fireworks exploded against the otherwise black sky, Sean put his hand on Ellie's face and turned her towards him. Without any words, they leaned in and kissed. It was a sweet, loving kiss. Marco doesn't even compare, Ellie thought with a laugh, which she quickly stifled as their lips met again.
"We better go," Sean announced quietly. "Don't want your dad getting worried."
"You mean you don't want my dad tearing off your head," Ellie corrected him, laughing.
"That too," he admitted finally. Standing, they linked hands and walked back to her house; where she left him with a kiss on the cheek as she stole silently back inside.
To her delight, as she passed by her parents room, both snores were present - her mother's quiet, more-like-breathing ones, and her father's, a bit louder, long ones.
She was too awake at that moment to attempt to go back to bed, so she rummaged through her things, and brought out her journal. She's grown oddly close to the journal, as Kwan as hinted they might a while back. She scoffed at the idea at the time, but she liked to write in it now. She smiled as she stared down at her own words on her first entry. I'm just not the "express your emotions" type of person. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud; she didn't need her father's interrogation at that moment.
I've changed, Ellie thought to herself. Sean changed me. She paused for a few seconds, and then flipped to an empty page. And as she began writing, she smiled widely. Because everything was right.
[Journal entry 9]
Ellie Nash
Life is so good right now that they only thing I have to complain about is the lack of things to complain about. My mom's never been happier… or nicer, for that matter. All of the alcohol, excepting a really valuable bottle of wine locked away in the basement, has been thrown out. My dad's great too. He's like my best friend. I love having him home so much.
Today, my dad announced we were going to watch The Wizard of Oz. When I was really little, we always used to watch that right before my bedtime. It was an excuse for me to stay up longer, because it got me so terrified that I couldn't sleep. Can you blame me? Those monkey things are horrible. But it was great, just me and my dad.
Sean completely surprised me tonight. And just about gave me a heart attack, too. I will have to hide this journal after I'm done with this entry, though, because if my dad found out… he would have a heart attack!
Anyway, at 2 in the morning, I heard someone whispering my name. At first I thought it was part of my dream, but it was someone in my room! I found out it was Sean, though. But we didn't do anything! He told me to get dressed, and then led me outside to the park. It was SO beautiful there… like something I'd never seen before. And then, there were amazing fireworks… Real ones, I mean, that's no metaphor.
He's a great kisser, though! And I love hanging out with him. I really do think what my dad said today was right. When the movie ended, (and Dorothy and Toto were safe once more!) he turned to me and said, "Sean seems like a keeper." We didn't discuss it anymore, that's all he said. Really made me happy.
Well, I better try and get some sleep! Who knows what will happen tomorrow!
[/Journal]
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"Dylan! What - what happened to you - your face…?" Paige gasped, staring at her older brother with deep concern. From behind her, Spinner too was looking curiously at the cuts and bruises; he, however, tore his eyes away and glanced at Marco oddly.
"Long story," Dylan said simply, flashing them a somewhat fake smile. "Look, I need to get some ice or something, my eye's starting to sting…"
He brushed past his little sister and her boyfriend, and Marco rocked on the balls of his feet uncomfortably.
"Mom's in the kitch-" Paige tried to warn him before he got too far. However, Mrs. Michalchuk had heard her only son's voice and came rushing into the room.
She uttered a slight shriek as she saw him, and pulled him close to inspect his injuries. "Good Lord, Dylan, what happened to you?!" Without waiting for an answer, and ignoring his protests, she shook her head and said heatedly, "I thought this was over! Dylan, honey, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Mom," he tried to assure her, rolling his eyes slightly.
"You most certainly are not! We put up with this for at least a year. I thought it was over, I thought they'd all moved on…" she moaned, a few tears shimmering in his eyes.
"The boy says he's fine, dear," Mr. Michalchuk said exasperatedly, also entering the room from the kitchen.
"I am! Nothing a little ice - and time - won't heal." To his mom's unconvinced looks, he added, "I've been hurt worse in hockey, and you don't make a big deal out of it then." He flashed her a brilliant smile. "I promise, I'm fine." He disappeared into the kitchen, and returned a few seconds later with an icepack attached to his darkened eye.
Despite Dylan's arguments, Mrs. Michalchuk insisted on putting a Band-Aid over the cut on his cheek, and he finally gave in.
As though just realizing there were other guests in the house, Mr. and Mrs. Michalchuk smiled warmly at Marco and Spinner. "Hello Spinner," Mrs. Michalchuk said, and then stopped when she got to Marco.
Paige took the liberty of making introductions. "This is Marco, Mom. Dylan's -" She paused, looking to the boys for help.
"Boyfriend," Dylan finally finished for her, and the whole room seemed a little tense. Marco tried his best to conceal a very large smile, for that was the first time Dylan had used that term, but he was losing very badly.
"It's nice to meet you," Mrs. Michalchuk said sincerely, smiling again. Mr. Michalchuk smiled down at him as well, but he couldn't stop thinking how young and small Marco looked…
The adults finally left the room, and the tension immediately melted.
"Who did that to you?" Paige demanded, crossing her arms.
"One of the very fine members of the del Rossi clan," Dylan grinned, and Marco squirmed uncomfortably.
"Marco's dad did that?!" she almost shrieked, and they both laughed a little.
"No, no, no. Carlos. His brother."
"What a jerk!" Paige muttered, then stopped and looked at Marco. "Sorry," she added quickly, but he shook his head fervently.
"Trust me, jerk is an understatement."
"So he found out?" Spinner said, looking surprised. "Did you like, tell him? And, what, just beat you up?"
"Uh, actually he saw Dylan and I, um, together," Marco said nervously, hoping they didn't notice the squeak he had emitted when he said the last word. "And followed us to the hockey rink, where -"
"We got in a grueling fight, and some of the guys broke it up," Dylan concluded. "Of course, I think I bloodied him up a little worse than he did me…" He winked at Marco, who grinned.
"You're really lucky he was alone," Paige said, her eyebrows pointing straight up. "I've seen some of the guys he hangs out with. Really big guys. And muscular." She grinned suddenly. "I do think the brown haired soccer player is pretty cute-"
"Hey!" Spinner interjected, looking offended.
"But not as cute as you, Honeybee," she said, kissing him slightly.
"Well, we're going to head up to my room," Dylan said. "Spin, are you staying the night?" He nodded, knowing the Michalchuk adults trusted him enough, though he slept in the living room. "Oh, well, guess the couch is occupied. Guess you're taking the floor then," he added as an afterthought to Marco, grinning.
They went up to his familiar, hockey-adorned room and closed the door in silence. They sat down on the bed, both wanting to talk about what happened but dreaded bringing it up.
Marco fidgeted slightly. The awkward silence was getting to him. He didn't want to talk about the fight, really. He was afraid Dylan would change his mind and blame the whole incident on the youngest del Rossi. So, when Dylan opened his mouth to speak at least, he did the only thing that made sense to him at the moment.
He leaned over a bit, put his hand on the back of Dylan's neck, and kissed him. He knew he had permission, because though Dylan was surprised at first, it didn't take him long to start kissing him back. Before long, their tongues met and the kiss deepened. Marco was in pure bliss when Dylan leaned back onto the bed, taking Marco, and still kissing, with him as he went. Dylan ran his hands through Marco's dark hair affectionately.
After a little while, they pulled away and met eyes. Both were grinning deeply, and Marco was lost for words.
"You owed me that," Dylan laughed, and Marco looked a little surprised.
"Oh really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "What for?"
"For Carlos," Dylan joked. "And for me not getting a chance to show you how to play hockey."
"Well, that's two things, then. I guess I still owe you." And with that, he leaned over again, but this time it was only a soft peck on the lips.
"Well," Dylan said, not able to fight off his grin, "now that we're even, what would you like to do?"
"I don't care," he said, feeling as though nothing could bring him down at that moment.
Dylan picked up the remote, and flipped on the television. His face lit up as the screen filled with hockey players, on what was evidently a game he'd been dying to see. "Great!" He then side-glanced Marco. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Nah."
"Great," he repeated, watching the game with wide eyes.
Knowing the only thing that would make Marco want to watch a hockey game was if Dylan was playing, he closed his eyes and daringly leaned back into Dylan, so his head was nearly resting on his shoulder. Almost automatically, Dylan snaked his arm comfortably around Marco's shoulders.
The game continued to be played; Dylan kept letting out little cheers or grunts every so often. But then, Marco turned his head toward the window when he heard quite the familiar sound. It sounded exactly like the clunk-clunk-clunk his dad's truck made every time it was on the road.
He grew more nervous at the clunk-clunk-clunks grew louder. And then, as quit as they started, they stopped. But it was too close… he heard a car door slam.
That's when the doorbell rang, and he heard Paige answer it. Dylan muted the television when he heard the heated, strong Italian voice from downstairs, and soon Paige came thundering up the stairs. She burst into Dylan's room without knocking, seeing a terrified looking Marco and an utterly confused Dylan.
"Uh, Marco. Your dad's here," she said, stating the obvious. "He said you better come down now, or, uh, or else…" She paused, searching for the exact words the angry father of her friend had said. "Or else that's it."
-----
All righty then! Bit of a long chapter, you think? Sorry I didn't update sooner… I was planning on finishing it last Friday before I went to Arizona for a week, but I ended up leaving sooner than I expected. Oh well.
Well, how was it?! I really need to know what you think! You better review! ;D I don't care what you say, just review! =)
