A/N: Here it is finally. I tried my hardest to make a longer chapter, and will be stretching them out more as we go on. I hope this chapter is suitable -- thought it was time for a little more conflict.

Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, or the lyrics used in this story. Those are owned by Mr. Marilyn Manson.

"DEFORMOGRAPHY"

\IN SPACE THE STARS ARE NO NEARER
JUST GLITTERS LIKE A MORGUE
AND I DREAMED I WAS A SPACEMAN
BURNED LIKE A MOTH IN A FLAME
AND OUR WORLD WAS SO FUCKING GONE/

The bedroom was dark and quiet as Alex slept, the only sound her soft breathing. But the other place, where Paige was, was much different. The lights were harsh and bright, the room intensely loud. It was completely surreal. She was surrounded by what seemed like millions of people, all clamouring around her. Paige covered her ears in pain, head throbbing. Everything around her was spinning and swirling, and everything suddenly went black.

When her eyes fluttered open, she was surrounded by whiteness. Her mouth was dry and cottony, her head still hurting. She looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was. Then it hit her. She was in the hospital. She tried to remember why, but couldn't. Paige frantically pressed the button on the bed labelled 'Nurse', and a few seconds later a woman came in, carrying a glass of water and some pills.

"Here you are. Some aspirin for your head," The nurse smiled politely, putting the glass and pills on the nearby table. When Paige didn't say anything, she continued. "You're probably in shock right now. It's pretty scary waking up in the hospital and not knowing why. You were at some party when you passed out, and someone called for an ambulance. You had to have your stomach pumped because I guess you had an overdose." She frowned, touching Paige's head lightly. "You can't be very old. It's sad to see you in here, dear."

"Alex. Does she know I'm in here?" Paige asked suddenly, overcome with worry. What if Alex didn't know anything yet? How would they have known to contact her? The nurse did all the necessary check up procedures before she answered, leaving Paige feeling frustrated.
"Miss Nunez? Yes. You were concious long enough to tell us to contact her, and we already have. She's waiting outside for you. She was just waiting for you to wake up. You take that aspirin and I'll have her come right in."

Paige couldn't help but feel ashamed. Last night she'd probably worried Alex to death, disappearing like she did. She went to a party, and one thing led to another until she was totally messed up. She couldn't even remember what she took, but obviously she took too much, because here she was. She could've died. That's what scared her so bad. Paige needed help, and she knew it. She just wasn't sure how to go about getting it.

"Thank god. I was worried sick about you." Alex planted a kiss on her forehead, not hesitating to give her a hug. The blonde squeezed her close, loving the electricity that shot through her body everytime they touched.

"I'm so sorry." Paige broke down into tears suddenly when she saw the look in Alex's eyes. One of worry and sadness. She could tell Alex was tired, and also upset with her.

"You could have DIED. I got a call at four o'clock in the fucking morning, Paige. I rush over here and wait until you wake up, and I've been here for hours. I couldn't leave, and I damn well couldn't sleep. You scared the shit out of me. Why would you do this? I thought you were done with the drugs and the booze." Alex shouted.

"I have a problem," Paige bit her lip, hanging her head in shame. "I think I might need to go to rehab." She admitted, in a whisper.
Alex laughed, turning around and burying her face in her hands. She spun back around to look at her, laughing again in disbelief.

"No shit. As soon as you get out of here, you're going there. Because I'll be damned if you stay in my house while you're doing this to yourself. I can't stand to see you hurting, and I don't know what I would've done if you died. You need to get over this...this addiction you have. All you're doing is killing yourself, and I can't just sit here and watch it happen. Oh yeah, you're definitely going to rehab." Alex replied bitterly, taking a seat in the nearby chair.

Paige knew she was right. She could feel her body breaking down every time she swallowed a pill or snorted something, she felt it deep to her core. Her bones were shrieking out at her, and she felt like she was going insane. Why couldn't she just be normal? Why did she feel the need to do the drugs, drink the booze? What was wrong with her? Was she too weak to say no?

As scary as rehab sounded to her, Paige felt she had to go. It was the only way she could get the help she needed. Professional help that worked. She didn't care HOW long it took. She was breaking her addiction. No more partying. No more drugs. No more doing this to Alex. Once was enough for her. She couldn't bear to imagine seeing this disappointment a second time.

"I'm sorry." Paige said softly, looking over at the brunette.

"You had me worried sick. I care about you, whether you believe it or not. You're -- you're the only thing that matters to me," Her voice broke. "I realized when I got that phone call that I do love you. I do want to be with you. But this can't happen. Not until you're healthy. And sober."

A few moments later the doctor came in. He had wispy gray hair and the lines in his face were evidence to his old age. He stood there, reading the clipboard. He looked concerned as he took note of why Paige was there. He stood at the foot of the bed and sternly observed both of the girls in silence. He blinked a few times before he spoke.

"You're going to be just fine. Make sure we don't end up seeing you again. You can sign yourself out in a couple of hours."

She was released soon after, and the drive home was quiet. Alex was all talked out. She didn't know what else to say, but she was still upset. Her head was buzzing about athousand thoughts a minute, and she was holding onto the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were turning white. She kept her eyes on the road, not daring to look at Paige. All of this was close to home. She'd already lost her mother to addiction, and couldn't bear to lose anyone else. Especially Paige. Paige had quickly become her best friend, and she loved her. She loved her like a sister, but also in another way. She ached to be with her, to kiss her, hold her tight. But it was selfish to want all that right now. Alex needed to send her away to get some help. As much as she was going to miss her, it's what she had to do. It was the right thing to do. She had a chance to save her, and she had to take advantage of it. She didn't get to save her mother, but this time she was going to do it right. Paige was going to be okay.

"I just wanna go back to bed. We'll eat whenever I wake back up." Alex grumbled, getting into bed. Paige followed suit, not saying a word. When the blonde tried to put her arms around Alex, she pulled away. She couldn't deal with this right now. She just needed to sleep. Then she wouldn't have to think about it.

Paige was the first to wake up. She didn't dare say anything to Alex. She made her way into the living room, flipping on the television. She turned the volume down a few notches and started watching Who Wants To Be A Millionare. The show was about halfway through when Alex emerged from the bedroom, yawning.

"Alright. Time for dinner. I'm cooking." Alex announced, stepping into the kitchen.
"You can cook?" Paige asked her, surprised.

"Hell yes. Looks like we're having spaghetti tonight." Alex took out the hamburger and began to brown it, then boiled some water, dumping the noodles into the pot. She even put some garlic bread into the oven. About 45 minutes later, the dinner was done, and both girls were starving. They filled their plates and took a place in front of the television, eager to eat. The heaping mounds of spaghetti disappeared quickly, and both of them had seconds. By the time they were finished, Alex and Paige were stuffed.

"So I'm going to set up a meeting tomorrow for your rehab. We're gonna meet with a psychologist first for an evaluation, and then you should be on your way. There's a nice rehabilitation camp not far from here. It even allows visitors on the weekends, so I can come see you."

"Alright. Sounds...okay." Paige's stomach churned at the thought of rehab. Staying at a place she'd never been with people she didn't know, who could be even crazier than she was. It was an eye opening thought. She wanted to cling to Alex for dear life and beg her not to make her go, but Paige knew it was for the best. As she stretched out on the couch, she couldn't help but wonder what this rehabilitation camp would be like. She'd find out soon enough, she guessed. But did she want to?

\ALL MY STITCHES ITCH
MY PRESCRIPTION'S LOW
I WISH YOU WERE QUEEN
JUST FOR TODAY/