Ch. 13 Catching Up With The Past

Rating: PG13 (Discussion of rape and brief strong language)

(Three hours later…)

Paige took a deep breath. "Okay Paige, relax. You just have to get through the front desk." Plastering on a fake and pained smile, she wanted up to the front desk of the hotel. "Hi. I'm Paige Michaelchuk. I need to talk to my father, Greg Michaelchuk, but I forgot his room number." She gave an innocent smile.

"Okay." The guy looked up the room number. "Room 176."

"Thank you." She gave him a flirty smile and walked over to the elevator.

170, 172, 174, 176…

Paige finally made it to her father's room. She politely knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Paige recognized Shelby's voice.

In an accent, she answered back. "Room service." The door opened revealing her father and Shelby, in robes, with wine, arm in arm.

"Paige!" Greg lost his smile. He quickly put his wine glass down and tightened his robe. "What are you-"

"What am I doing?!" Paige finished for him. "I just came to tell you that Dylan was in a car accident. Yeah! An accident! And he didn't survive!!" Paige didn't know why that had been the first thing to pop in her head, but it seemed effective. If it was at all possible, even more color drained from her father's face.

Deciding not to stick around, Paige darted for her car.

I can't believe this. How could he, my father, do this? So this is what all his late work hours, business lunches, and business trips were. Dates...

Paige pulled the car over at a burger joint. She wasn't hungry, but learning from Dyl's accident, she knew she shouldn't be driving. She decided to sit outside, far away from everyone else.

"Welcome to Burger World. How may I help you?" A happy, bubbly blonde walked up to her.

Paige looked up as if this girl was the scum of the Earth. Deciding against saying something she'd regret, Paige got up and stormed off to the bathroom.

Since the bathrooms were in the back of the building, Paige had to push through plants and trees. Just as she was about to open the door, she saw smoke coming farther down. She didn't have to go or anything, so she decided to check it out.

"Hello? Is anyone back here?" Just as she pushed back a branch that was blocking her way, she saw a familiar figure. "Terri?" The girl was donning a Burger World uniform and smoking a cigarette. She had her head turned away from Paige, so Terri didn't realize who it was at first.

"I'll be there in a sec!" Paige could tell she was annoyed as she threw her cigarette on the ground.

"Well I'll be damned. Little Miss Terri smoking. Who would have ever thought it?" Normally, Paige probably wouldn't have been such a bitch, but considering the past circumstances, she found it understandable.

"Paige?" Terri turned around. "Of course." Terri didn't look very surprised. "Who else could give such a warm welcome?"

Now, Paige was surprised. This was not the Terri that had left Degrassi less than a year back. "Sorry…" Paige mumbled.

Terri rolled her eyes. "Whatever." Literally pushing Paige out of the way, she started walking off.

"But Ter…" Whatever bad mood she had previously been in was now gone. Now, she was just concerned about Terri.

"I gotta get to work. What?" She crossed her arms and stared at Paige.

"Can we talk?" Paige's cover was completely stripped away now. She was practically begging to reach out to Terri.

Taking one last glance at Burger World, she caved. "Fine. I know this place."

"I'll just have an ice water," Paige ordered, handing her unneeded menu to the waiter.

"A martini on the rocks please?" Terri handed her menu over as well.

"May I see an I.D.?" The waiter obviously didn't believe Terri was over twenty-one.

After a minute of rifling through her purse, Terri pulled out an I.D. "Here." She smiled and handed it over.

"Thank you Miss." The waiter handed it back and left.

"Oh my God." Paige snatched the card out of her hand. "A fake I.D.? Where did you get this?"

"Off the street." Terri took it back and threw it into her purse.

Paige looked at her in amazement and shook her head. "What?" Terri saw her. "You want one?"

Her eyes widened. "No! God Ter, what happened to you?" Paige gave her a look of disgust.

"What?" She snapped back. "Just because I'm not little Miss timid, stands in the background, and follows the rules girl you have to get all over my case?!"

"Terri! You're smoking, drinking, and you have a fake I.D.!" Totally ignoring Paige, Terri stuck a cigarette in her mouth and went to light it. Before she could, Paige swiped it and threw it in a glass of water.

"Do you mind? Those aren't cheap!"

Paige rolled her eyes. "Seriously, what happened?"

"People change."

"There's always a reason." Paige tried to study Terri's face to see if she could figure anything out by her expressions.

"People change. You did." Terri sat, unmoved.

"Okay, I'll make a deal. You ask me anything and everything you want, and I'll answer. Then will you consider telling me what happened?"

Terri thought for a second. "Fine. Why did you steal Spinner from me?"

"What?" Paige looked at Terri like she was joking.

"You heard me. I had the biggest crush on him. Then the night of the dance you get me drunk, throw me on Spinner, and the next day you hook up with him. Why?" Her eyes pierced into Paige.

"Because… I was jealous." Paige looked down into her water guiltily.

"Of what?" Terri thought she was crazy.

"The fact that Spinner liked you, not me. I just hated the idea that someone could have something that I couldn't."

"Okay." She thought again. "Did you ever think of us as friends?"

"Hon! Totally!" Paige took Terri's hands in hers.

Terri smiled. "Okay, now tell me, what really happened the night of the party with Dean?"

Paige's smile faded. She released Terri's hands and looked away. "Pass."

"Excuse me?"

"Pass. Ask me something else."

Terri bit the side of her tongue and shook her head. She stood up. "I can't believe I thought you'd changed."

"Okay! Fine! Sit down." Paige looked down as she tried to collect herself. "We went to the party. I was having fun. Then Spin showed up so I asked Dean if we could go somewhere private. He took me upstairs to a bedroom and…" deep breathe Paige, "and he raped me. Happy?" She looked up to find Terri in tears. "Hon, don't cry. I'm fine, really." She rubbed her shoulder.

"No. It's just… me too."

Paige looked at her in disbelief. "You were-"

"Raped."

Dun dun dun...