Chapter 2
Paige was sitting on the steps of Degrassi a full half hour before school started. Despite having her bed back, she'd hardly slept at all – for the second night in a row. She'd woken before her alarm and then spent extra time on her hair and make-up. She'd even changed clothes three times. Nervous? No doubt about it.
Now she found herself sitting there, wearing something she hoped Alex would like, staring at her open physics book but not really seeing anything on the page. All she could think about was Alex and how this day would go.
Every time someone walked up the stairs, her head jolted up and her heart pounded. To anyone who asked, she answered truthfully that she was waiting for Alex. And to those who responded with quizzical glances, Paige offered them a smile and a challenge in her eyes. She wasn't about to relinquish her crown; she was still the queen of Degrassi.
"Marco!" exclaimed Paige, delighted to see a friendly face.
"Hey. Studying for the test?"
"No. Not so much. Waiting for Alex."
Marco took a seat beside her. "So you two are talking again?"
"A little bit more than that," she said, biting her lip to keep from smiling prematurely.
"Oh?" said Marco, raising his eyebrows.
"We're kind of a couple now."
"Kind of?"
"As in definitely." Paige let herself smile widely.
"Well, Paige Michalchuk! I never saw that one coming. I hope you plan on – "
"She's here!" exclaimed Paige, throwing her book into her bag.
" – filling in the details for me…later." continued Marco.
"Sorry. Bit excited."
"It's fine. I understand. Go on. She's waiting."
Paige skipped down the stairs, doing her best to walk and not run to Alex. "Are you ready?" she asked giddily.
"I'm doing fine, thanks for asking. And how are you doing today, Paige?"
"Sorry for the relationship faux pas. I'm just nervous…excited…beyond happy to see you." She took her hands, pulling Alex towards her for a quick kiss on the lips.
"They're already staring," said Alex, looking up at the front doors where a few dozen students were momentarily stopped in their tracks. Paige looked up too with concern.
"Are you ready?" she asked again.
"Hell yeah. You?"
Paige took a deep breath, dropped her smile, and tightened her grip on Alex's hand. "As ready as I'll ever be. Let's do it."