Viva Forever
A/N: You people should so totally review. I like the reviews. Like it? Say that. Hate it? Say that. Just say something, please! If you wanna be useful, if I mess something up and you notice it point it out. I wanna stay as close to the series as I can.
Chapter 4 – Paige
It's a Sunday afternoon. The sky is overcast, but the neighbor's kids are playing outside as if the sun is shining as brightly as ever. They've drawn a hopscotch board with sidewalk chalk. I watch them hop up and down taking turns. I needed a moment to breath, I've been doing homework for hours. It's my senior year, I would have thought teachers would be a little less aggressive with the homework load. They know we have a lot to do, what with the planning for college, applying to college, and doing a zillion and a half extra curricular activities just for college. Yet they still assign more reading every week than I had done all summer long! I've already had to write an essay too. We haven't even been at school for an entire month! There just may be some kind of plot to keep us seniors at Degrassi another year. I am on to them.
"You doing okay honey?" My mom asks. She is passing by and has noticed me leaning on the kitchen counter, staring out the window. I don't know how long I've been standing here. I just wanted to get out of my room for a minute. When I go back up there I've got to prepare the new routine we're practicing for the upcoming games. Losing Manny has been a huge loss, almost a detrimental loss. She was one of the smallest girls on the Squad, and she was a naturally talented gymnast. She really tied a lot of our routines together. As much as we don't get along on some issues, she was a part of the Squad. Why she had to go and do something so stupid as to get her breasts aired all across Degrassi, I really don't understand. Even without her on the team now, that was a shirtless cheer leader. We have reputations to up hold. "Paige?" I still haven't responded. My god I'm out of it.
"Yeah, mom." I turn around to look at her. I put on a smile, I have nothing to be upset about right now. I'm just busy, and a little stressed out. "I'm doing great. Have you heard anything about my resume?"
"Nothing yet" She says, "But don't you worry about it. It was a wonderful resume, I know she'll love it."
"Right." I shrug, "I've got some more homework. I'll be down for dinner." I head back up to my suffocating room. I didn't really expect news back so soon, I know she is probably very busy. I technically still have to complete the application process anyway.
There's a college fair on Wednesday, just for us seniors. I have a handful of packets, and pamphlets. I need to look through them, but I've been putting it off. I'm suppose to pick a couple alternative choices just in case Banting doesn't happen. Of course Banting is going to happen. I have to jump through the hoops like everyone else though. I'll play along, the college fair will have a ton of resources on any other colleges I might consider. It'll be interesting, I'm sure, but I already know Banting is where I'm going. The college fair is really meant for people like Alex. People who don't have a plan. This will be perfect for her. Maybe she can actually do something good with herself after high school, she's already come a long way since hurricane Jay. University is obviously the next big step, she just needs a little push in the right direction.
I come up with a potential routine for the squad. It only takes me a little over an hour, and it might be just good enough. I won't know for sure until I get everyone into position at school tomorrow. It's going to be so nice to pass on the reigns of the Spirit Squad to someone else next year. My heart is just not on the squad like it used to be. I'm already almost too busy to spend very time on this stuff, it's just not as good as it used to be. I put the notebook in my back pack and pull out another. I'm suppose to brain storm some ideas for the year book. I'm so sick of homework right now. I can smell food down stairs and it's enticing. I abandon my room once again, dinner calls.
I eat my dinner, enjoying it more for the excuse to put off the last of my homework than for the food itself. I talk casually with my parents, as most family dinner conversations go. I just say whatever comes to mind at the time, it's not like dinner is special. We talk about the weather, and about how the day was. Boring. University comes up, of course. I'm very confident about Banting, and so is my mom. Dad doesn't really care, he goes along with it all though, for mom's sake. That's the typical Michalchuk dinner conversation, especially without Dylan around.
University is almost all I ever think about these days. I'm too pre-occupied, there's not much more to say. In a way I am really glad I'm pre-occupied. If I wasn't I'd spend a lot of time thinking about Matt. I miss him so much. I wasn't happy about him leaving in the first place. I still don't see why he had to go so far away for a job. I feel like I have a part of me missing, the romantic boyfriend part. He was so wonderful, and we were so in love. It was worth all the trouble we went though. He was worth it. One of these days he'll be back in Toronto, done with his summer job off planting trees and improving on the environment. Then we can finally have the real relationship that we had to hide before, and now it'll be out in the open. Everything is going to be utterly perfect.
I'm going back upstairs, and the phone starts ringing. I'm almost to my door when my dad yells up to me that it's for me. I go into my room to answer it. I expect it's Hazel, I haven't talked to her in a few hours. She's probably making sure I finished the routine.
"What's up?" I say into the phone, I can hear my dad hang up the down stairs receiver.
"Paige?" It's not Hazel. It's him. I've been thinking about him every night for months. It's actually him. I just knew he would be coming back soon. This is the first time he's called ever since just a couple of weeks after school let out. Just hearing his voice had me all giddy.
"Matt! How are you? Why haven't you called? Are you coming back?" I'm so excited, I want to know every detail. He should be starting his term at University soon too, he has to be heading home. I know that's what this call is about.
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I haven't actually been around that many phones. My life is kinda chaos right now. Look, um, I'm coming in to Toronto Tuesday night."
"You're coming back! I knew it! I've missed you so much." Tuesday I'll be reunited with my boyfriend. It's felt like ages. I'd wait ages longer for him too. That's how love works. It's eternal. "What time?"
We planned dinner. I am going on a date for the first time since last school year. I'll just need to get Alex to take my Tuesday shift. If she doesn't I can always call in sick, and she'll get called in anyways. It's not like she has a life, she can do it. I'm so excited! Everything is falling into place for me. I'm going to put off looking through these pamphlets until tomorrow, I'll do it at work or something. Alex needs to look through them to anyway. I can put off the year book thing until my Women's Athletic Society meeting tomorrow morning too. This new is too good to ruin with homework. Matt is coming back! My boyfriend is coming back! YES!
I take a shower. The comfort of the warm water brings memories of Matt to my mind. I remember his shiny dark brown hair, and the way it fell across those dreamy eyes. It was love at first sight for me. He is the most handsome man I've ever seen, well, at least in real life. Or, well, let's just say he's in the top ten most handsome men I've ever seen. He always treated me so sweetly too. He should have let me take the fall alone, it ruined his career. It tore us away from each other. He was valiant though, he couldn't let me ruin my career with a lie. He's a good man. I know he's missed me just as much as I miss him. I hope he has.
I turn off the water and reach out for my towel. I dry off and put on my pajamas. I'm lay down to bed early tonight. This is going to be one of the first nights I've gone to sleep this early since school started. A mischievous smile crosses my face, I'm going to dream about you tonight, my love. I'm already day dreaming about our date. It's romantic in every way possible. He gives me a bright red rose, and a long passionate kiss. He doesn't care that people can see us, not now.
After we're re-united there are so many other possibilities too. We'll have the whole year together, and then after I graduate he can come with me to Kingston. He can transfer to be with me. We can get a cozy apartment, and maybe even a cat or dog. Maybe both. Matt and I in Kingston with a cat and a dog. We have our whole lives ahead of us, but these last two days are going to seem like forever. I'm eager to fall asleep and pass the time quickly, I want Tuesday night to be here.
I don't dream about Matt, like I had intended to. I dream about an average day at school, except that Dylan is there. Dylan and Marco, always adorable together. Maybe it isn't so Average after all, because Alex has taken up Manny's position on the Spirit Squad. She's doing a better job than Manny ever did too. I'm smiling in my sleep. Alex as a cheer leader, why does this even enter my psyche? In my dream, I know I'm dreaming. Dreams are so weird. In the end of the dream it's just the four of us, Dylan, Marco, Alex and I. We all go out to eat at the Dot. What a silly dream it is, though not bad at all. I'd like to see Dylan and Marco get back together. They had something special. As for the weird Alex stuff, I have no idea what it means.
By mid-morning I will have forgotten about the dream entirely .