A/N: I know I haven't updated in a while, but I'm going to take a bit of a break from Pretty Girl. Only a week or so, because I've been working really hard on a Sean/Marco story (don't ask). By then I'll be ready to work on the rest, and give you some of the Paige/Ellie action you're begging for. smiles

The next morning at school, Paige didn't speak to me. Or look at me. I doubt she even thought about me. Amazing. I meet a girl who can make me go into cardiac arrest just by touching me, and she's pretending I don't exist. Fantastic.
Marco seemed not to notice that anything was different, because he still sat with me at lunch. He chattered inanely for a few minutes before he stopped mid word and leaned forward.
"Look, Ellie, I've been rambling for fifteen minutes and you haven't said a single word. If I know anything at all, it's that Paige followed you when you left the Dot yesterday. Are you going to tell me what happened or not?" he demanded.
"I'd give you ten points for bluntness, but you seem to have taken your time getting around to it. Nothing happened," I said.
"Liar. Tell me," Marco said.
"Marco. I swear to you on this piece of chocolate cake, nothing happened," I said. The cake came with my meal, otherwise I wouldn't have it. I'm allergic to chocolate. Apparently Marco wasn't, because he seemed satisfied finally.
"If I ever find out you're lying to me, I'll make you kiss Spinner. And that is the worst thing I can think of," he said.
"Evidently some people don't think so," I said before I could stop myself. Because I could see Paige sitting next to Spinner, and she was leaning on his shoulder. I wish I were Spinner. Marco rolled his eyes.
"Paige acts like that with everyone. All flirty, with stupid nicknames," he said.
"Not everyone," I said. Marco paused, his fork halfway to his mouth.
"Are you saying that because it's true or are you saying it because you aren't everyone?" he asked. I pushed my tray at him, feeling sick.
"I'm done. You can have the cake," I said. I swung my backpack onto my shoulder, probably almost hitting someone with it, and tore out of the cafeteria. The hall was empty, which didn't surprise me, so I sank onto the floor in front of one of the lockers. Her locker, I realized a moment later. It made me want to laugh, but what came out was a choked sob. I tilted my head up and stared at the ceiling.
"Is this some sort of sign?" I asked coyly. There was no reply, because I was the only one in the hall. I elbowed the locker sharply, and a tingling pain shot up my arm. IT faded after a minute, so I straightened my legs out and busied myself folding the pleats in my skirt. With about fifteen minutes left to lunch, she came out of the cafeteria. Well, technically Spinner, Hazel, Jimmy, and Marco came with her, but I wasn't noticing them.
"Um... El? Are you okay?" Marco asked slowly.
"I'm fine," I said, but I was still crying.
"Are you sure you're okay? You can go to the office and have your mom pick you up," Marco said uncertainly.
"I'm fine. By the way, Paige, if anything fell off the door in your locker, sorry," I said. I then buried myself in the confines of the girls' washroom and sat on the counter, banging my heels against the wall behind me. Once I'd gotten myself under control, I reapplied my eyeliner in the places where it had been washed away, and went back to my locker. Marco was there.
"Ellie, if the reason you were crying was because of what I said, I'm sorry," he said before I could speak. I grabbed him by the shoulders and moved him to the side.
"I'm fine now, Marco, that's all you need to worry your pretty little head about," I said through somewhat gritted teeth. I pressed my knee against the locker door and dialled in my combination. The door swung open. Paige taught me how to do that. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. How long would it be before this went away? I opened my eyes and glanced at Marco.
"I wasn't this crazy in my old school," I said. Marco laughed.
"I hope so. So... do you want to come over after school? We can talk," he said. I shook my head, grinning slightly.
"You're the only guy on the planet who likes to talk. Sure. I'll just follow you home, okay?" I said. Marco nodded.
"I'll meet you here when the bell rings," he said, and he headed off to... I didn't even know his classes. I blinked at my locker. I didn't need anything from it. I slammed the door and headed to science. Paige was in that class too. So was Marco. Oh. That's where he went. I sat down next to him.
"Guess what?" he said.
"What?" I asked, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.
"I have a note for you," Marco said, holding out a folded piece of paper.
"And you couldn't give it to me when you were at my locker less than a minute ago," I questioned, beginning to unfold it.
"It's not from me. It's from Paige," Marco said, rolling his eyes. I refolded the note and handed it back to him.
"I don't want it. Give it back to her and tell her sorry, I hate her," I said. Marco took the note from my hand, but put it back down on my book.
"No. She gave me the note to give to you. There was no 'And if she says she hates me, take it back because I accept refunds'. So take it, and read it. Or give it back, or throw it out, or whatever. Just don't make me go explain to Paige why I'm too much of a loser to get you to take the damn paper," he said. I glared at him, and tried to put the note in my pocket for several seconds before I realized my skirt doesn't have any pockets. Marco shot me a strange look, so I simply sat there through the entire class with the note in my lap. The bell rang, and I stood up.
"Marco, could you tell Armstrong that I don't feel well?" I asked weakly, my hand on my stomach. Marco nodded.
"Will you be alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, I just want to go up to the nurse's office," I said. Marco nodded again and headed off to math. I took my time getting my stuff together and stayed in the washroom until the bell rang. Then I forged a note from my mother to the front desk, turned it in, and sat on the front steps with the note in my hand. At the old school, all of my friends would ask me to fake their parents' signatures, or write notes so they could get out early so they'd have six hours to get ready for a date, because I was the only one who didn't write in squished, fat, round letters. I guess it came in handy.
I unfolded the note and smoothed it out against my leg until it was perfectly flat. I folded it back up, went to sit on one of the benches that wasn't in plain view of the front doors, and unfolded it again. Once I'd made it flat again, I set it carefully on my lap and crossed my arms. I'd lied to my only friend at Degrassi, forged my mother's signature, and skipped school to read this damn thing. It had better be worth it.

A/N: It's a bit shorter, and the next chapter might be too, because there's a chance it'll only be the note. I dunno, I'm sort of improvising.