Chapter Two: Did I Ever Tell You, How You Make Me Weak?

"Good game." Adam said, followed by the rest of the Ridge Runners and Cliffhangers. Ivette was last in line, hoping to escape having to see Augie and touch his hand without completely loosing it.

"Good game Ivette. You did good out there kid." Augie smiled a friendly smile at her. How could he smile at her like that and pretend like nothing was wrong? Didn't her broken heart mean anything to him? "Don't be afraid to say something back chica."

Ivette shivered. She use to love it when he called her chica, but now it just made her even more depressed. It made her see what she had lost. "I'm not going to even waste my time talking to you."

"She's too good for you Ciercos. Get over it." Adam wrapped his arms around Ivette's waist.

"Are you two an item now?"

"You've got Juliette. What does it matter what I chose to do?" Ivette asked, playing along. Augie shook his head and walked towards Juliette, kissing her. They began to make-out right in front of Ivette.

"Don't worry about him." Adam let go of Ivette.

"How can I not? They're always in my face … everywhere I go." Ivette looked and sounded defeated. "This is not what I thought I was getting myself into when we started to go out. God, I wish I could take it back."

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" Daisy asked Ezra. Ever since she decided that her "thing" with David was over, Ezra had been giving her looks, and following her around.

"I can't help myself when I'm in the presence of a beauty like you." Daisy rolled her eyes.

"I'm not going to change my mind. We already tried this thing Ezra."

"Who said I wanted to start a relationship with you?" He shot back. Daisy held back her surprised look.

"What do you want then?"

"Friendship."

"I could've guessed. Once again the cat is outsmarted by the mouse." Daisy looked down at her hands, feeling a moment of insecurity and weakness.

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment … let's start over …" Daisy began to smile, but she saw the two couples walking towards her. There were three if you counted Raquel and the new guy, Morgan.

"So, what's going on with you two?" Scott wondered a little too loudly.

"What does it look like?"

"It looks like Ezra just asked you out, again." Juliette smiled friendly.

"Two people of the opposite sex conversing does not have to result in one being attracted to the other. In case you've forgotten, the platonic thing and the relationship didn't work out. And, I don't believe in second chances." Ezra winced as she said her last statement. Everyone was quiet for a while.

Ivette lay her head on her pillow. Despite the game and the numerous

encounters with Augie, her day had been fairly decent. However, being optimistic was never something Ivette was very good at. All the bad out-weighed the good when memories of Augie kissing Juliette kept flowing back. Then, there was the break-up. She'd lost her boyfriend, her happiness, her life …

"Guess what I got you for your birthday?" Ivette asked Augie, as she began to search through her bag.

"Why don't you just tell me?"

"I'd show you if I could find it." Ivette smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. It was amazing what a year and three quarters of braces could do for you.

"Don't worry about it chica." Augie wrapped his arms around Ivette's hips. She smiled as he kissed the side of her face. The other girls walked in, but as soon as they saw Ivette and Augie, they walked the other way. Juliette looked especially crushed, but she was the one who had chosen to cheat on Augie and THEN dump him. In Ivette's eyes, she had it coming.

"Does it get better than this?" They sat on Ivette's bed, facing each other.

"How about I show and you tell me?" They both grinned as Augie's lips probed into hers. The sensation penetrated throughout her entire body. This was something that she had always written about and prayed for. Who would've thought that she would find it in a place that seemed like "hell."

It was actually a far cry from it. Anything could beat the painful memory of watching your parents tear each other apart until nothing mattered anymore, not your feelings, your existence … Ivette shut her eyes, trying to hold back the pain. Instead, her true feelings came out with tears that shed from her eyes. She still didn't know where things stood with Augie, but was just content to lay there with him forever.

"You're not dating Adam, are you?" Augie asked as Ivette looked into his eyes dreamily, shaking her head.

"I miss this … I mean you and me just hanging out." She explained as Augie suddenly began to talk.

"Gotta go chica." He whispered as soon as Ivette started to get comfortable, kissing her on the check before walking out. Ivette's heart dropped. He had that way with her every time.

"Would you stop staring at me? I know we have to work together, but seriously." Raquel complained, roughly thrusting a heavy dish at David. She knew that he didn't like her and was through trying to be everyone's best friend. One Juliette was more than enough.

"Can't I bask in your beauty?" He wondered, reminding her of someone who had stolen her heart with non-existent charm.

"You can help me finish the dishes." Raquel responded as David shrugged. At least he had tried. "Oh my God." She began, dropping a glass that should've never even been there in the first place.

"Good job." David said sarcastically as Raquel pushed him playfully.

"It was an accident." She reached down to pick up the glass, but jumped back as she realized how sharp it was. "Shh. I didn't know it was that sharp." Raquel explained to David, who just nodded and went for the first aid kit. Noticing that there were no cotton swabs left and nothing to wipe up the blood, David delicately sucked the blood into his own mouth, spitting it out in a near-by trash can.

Raquel breathed in suddenly as David wrapped her hand with some gauze. "I don't know whether to thank you or be grossed out."

Maria heard Ivette crying. She didn't know for a fact that it was her, but it was a good guess, considering that the sobbing sounds were coming from the bed right next to hers. Maria quietly climbed out of bed and walked over to Ivette's as the crying stopped.

"I know you're crying. I can hear you from a mile away." Ivette continued to pretend like she was sound asleep. Maria made herself comfortable and sat down on Ivette's bed. "I know it hurts…" She stroked Ivette's hair.

This was an unusual act for Maria, who was use to always being the one who needed advice and a shoulder to cry on. But, what kind of friend would she be if she just left Ivette alone in the dark like that? "You're obviously avoiding me, but when you decide that you need someone, tell me. I'll be there."

Ivette laughed, inside, at that one. I'll be there? Yeah right. What bull shit. Who had been there until the end? No one. Absolutely no one. Not Augie. Not her parents, and definitely not Maria who was more concerned on who she was gonna "do" next. Life's a bitch. That's the best conclusion she could come up with … but who says that it has to be for all time? Who said one couldn't take everything into their own hands?

(A/N: This is an old story I started two and a half years ago, but I'm fixing it and continuing it. We can all thank Hayden Christensen for that because he starred in Star Wars III, I went to see it, remembered how gorgeous he was, and was inspired to continue writing my old Higher Ground stories. Plus, writing Degrassi stuff gets boring after a while … and confusing. Hope you guys are still interested … and it's funny to see how the people that were my friends in this story aren't close to me anymore. Lol That's life. –NL)