Hey guys...
Remember me?
You probably don't...
I know, I know, if there's still anyone reading, don't be angry with me.
I had a minor case of Writer's Block and not enough time to work through it, so I'm sorry.
I have NOT given up, but I was given sudden inspiration to upload when one of my very favorite fanfiction authors(The Cliffhanger Girl) reviewed. Like, I died of happiness on the inside.
So, to make up for my short hiatus, I rushed this, so excuse any cheesiness or mediocracy or grammar errors because there may be some.
but love me for updating, (sooner better than later, right?)
*DISCLAIMER* I do not own Degrassi or If I Never See Your Face Again by Maroon 5. All that's mine is this story idead (which, I can assure you, is MINE!)
Love Always,
~Pho:)
Chapter 5
It's Hard Not to Give In
It's been a week since Clare and Eli's little spat in English, and not much had been changed between the two. The only thing that has seemed to have changed, (to Adam at least), was that Clare wasn't trying so hard to avoid Eli anymore. She realized it was an inevitable fact; Eli, for the rest of the semester, was a part of her life. Asking Miss Dawes to switch partners would be childish, and she was better than that. She'd have to deal.
Adam thought it was only sexual frustration causing a wedge between them now. But who knew? They were speaking; that was all that mattered.
As Eli and Clare sat in their English class, they spoke with Adam about different irrelevant nonsense like the football scores and next weekend's weather predictions. A loud booming noise scared them back to reality as Miss Dawes flew into the lecture room like a bat out of hell, her hair in a tangled mess atop of her head; her robe like dress flew about her doing nothing for her rather petite figure, and her wire-rimmed glasses rested just on the tip of her nose.
"If we have to be here on time, why is she always late?" Adam questioned.
"Was there something you wished to say, Mister Torres? Or may I begin my lesson? The floor is yours, if you so please, " No matter how crazy she seemed, Miss Dawes' senses were spot-on.
Very much afraid of public speaking, Adam shook his head timidly, "No thank you, Miss,"
She smiled and nodded politely to him. She walked around the room once, twice, three times, before she finally began, "I trust you all emailed your papers to my mailbox by midnight last evening, yes? Great. Right on to your new one, shall we?" She danced back down the aisle grabbing a stack of papers from her desk – the outline for the assignment.
It was a rather creative paper – even for someone as spontaneous as Miss Dawes- and a very interesting concept. It would take most of Eli and Clare's time, nearly all of it would have to be together. They had to come up with a topic in which they disagreed greatly on, understand and argue the other's point of view, and make it believable. There was much Clare and Eli didn't agree on, it was a point of deciding what they disagreed on so much, it'd be perfect for this paper.
"Say one of you listens to country music and the other prefers hard rock? I want you to argue in your partner's favor; make me truly believe you feel so strongly about something you may in fact greatly disapprove of. On the rubric, put your names and the topics you've decided. I want this in my email by twelve AM Sunday morning. No extensions. No exceptions. This assignment could do nothing to your grade or be worth a quarter of it. That, I have not yet decided," On that note, she took off her glasses and stuck them in the mess on her head, sat in her chair and opened her book; a Miss Dawes signal to begin.
Eli leaned up to Clare's shoulder, causing a shiver to go down her spine as he spoke, "Oh, Blue Eyes, what to do, what to do?" in a husky whisper in her ear.
Deciding to shoot him down with sarcasm rather than cruelty, "I don't know, I mean, there's so much we disagree on," She said with a smirk and a lightness to her tone.
Mocking hurt with a coy smile playing at his lips, Eli sunk back into his chair, "Our definitions of things slightly differ," He stated.
"An example, Mister Goldsworthy?"
"What I see as passionate, romance between a man and a woman, you confuse with a meaningless one night stand,"
Clare's smile dropped, we're back to this? she thought to herself, "Because in most cases, including ours, that is all it ever is. And we can't write about our fling in this paper," She scolded.
"Our 'fling'?" Eli questioned.
"Would you prefer I use subtly? Because all it was, was a drunken hookup," Clare argued.
Eli shook his head as if he'd been slapped, "No, Clare, just no. We had neither a one night stand, nor a 'Fling,' whatever the fuck that is…"
"Well, for now, let's just agree to disagree, because we need something controversial to write about that won't get us kicked out of class and sex, does not qualify," She said.
"I beg to differ," He argued.
"Of course you do…" Clare murmured, "Please, just think of something?"
It was silent for a few moments until Eli spoke.
"I've got it!" He exclaimed.
"Okay…care on sharing?"
"God," He stated.
"Well, this is a two person project, I need to kno-" She began rambling offended.
"No, no Clare. We can write about God," He said.
"I'm still not seeing-"
"You believe in it. I don't. You're a practicing Christian, I'm a non-believing Atheist," He explained.
"How did you know-" She began and was yet again, cut off.
"You remember Adam? Good ol' Adam. He told how much of a Bible Thumper you were in high school. He even showed me a picture of you and him when you were wearing that cute little Catholic school uniform. You wouldn't happen to still have that would you, because that would be really-"
"Stop talking," She demanded, "Your point? She asked through clenched teeth.
"Someone who once worshipped something so strongly couldn't possibly write in the point of view of an atheist," He explained.
"Oh? And if you're such a big bad atheist, what makes you think you know anything about Christianity?" Clare challenged.
"I know enough that I'll get the better grade," He said place his arms behind his head, assurance radiating from him.
"Are you always this cocky?"
"If you want to talk about cocky-"
"Stop. Talking." Clare seethed, causing Eli to chuckle.
"To answer your question, yes. With cockiness, there's assurance," He shrugged his shoulders.
"No, I think the proper statement is with cockiness there's arrogance," She rebutted.
"Do you doubt my skills?" He asked, placing his hand over his heart in feign shock.
"As a matter of fact, I do," She said.
"And you think you can bad mouth your "Higher Power"?"
"I wouldn't be bad mouthing Him, I'd simply be writing a research essay in your point of view," She justified.
"Why don't we make this interesting, huh?" Eli mused.
"What exactly did you have in mind?" Clare asked, now intrigued.
"Just a little bet. If I win- get the higher grade- you, my dear, must run through Terrance Hall,"
"Is that all? Easy. I'll have you know, I was on my high school's Track and Field team," She beamed confidently.
Eli's smirk only grew wider, she's so naïve, he thought.
"No, doubt, no doubt, but Clare, I wasn't finished," this caused a cold sweat to break on the back of her neck, "If I win, you'll have to run through Terrance Hall, naked," He said with a sly grin.
Clare swallowed hard and looked him in the eye, "O-okay," she began timidly, I mean if his paper was better, she was risking expulsion here, "But when I win, you have to dress up as Peter pan, green tights and all, and stand in front of the Dot screaming at the top of your lungs, 'I AM PETER FUCKING PAN!' for an hour. Or until someone calls the police," She laughed inwardly at herself and her childhood obsession with a flying twelve year old that never aged.
"Deal. Because that's never going to happen. Because I'm going to get the higher grade," He said, not sounding too sure of himself anymore.
"Uh huh. Who're you trying to convince, me or yourself?" She questioned with a teasing smile and the bite of her lip.
"Oh, keep talking, Edwards. You'll see. I'm going to win this war," He said, eyeing her challengingly.
"Don't count on it, Goldsworthy," She said raising her eyebrows at him. They stared each other down for a good sixty seconds before Miss Dawes spoke.
"Class dismissed,"
"I'll meet you at the Dot for information?" Clare confirmed, still a competitive look many people would cower from in her eyes.
"Sure, if you need it," Eli mocked, pushing passed her in the doorway, looking back to chuckle and smirk.
"He is just so…urg!" Clare muttered to herself shaking her head back and forth as she walked towards her dorm.
xXx
"Clare Bear, come on," Alli whined from Clare and Bianca's doorway.
It was Thursday night and none of the girls or Owen had class in the morning. Alli had decided it was time for a movie night and she had to grovel for three days to make Owen go see The Vow with them, (though in truth, she was the only one that wanted to see it,) and she wasn't letting anyone ruin her plans. She even let them all pick to have dinner at Little Miss Steak's, to which in Alli's opinion, was gross, tacky, and fattening.
"Alli, you don't understand-" Clare droned, no sense of emotion on her face as she typed away at her Dell.
"'I have to get a higher grade than Eli if I value my self respect and reputation,' I know, I know, but Jesus Christ! What's he gonna make you do, wash his underwear for a month?" She questioned annoyed.
Clare stopped typing momentarily, "Worse. Much worse," She shook in disgust and went back to typing.
"Come on! You have all day to work on it tomorrow, give up four hours and have a good time tonight!" Alli argued.
"I'm sorry, Als. Bianca, why don't you call Drew and invite him, Alli, you've got Owen; make it a date night. I'd only be a third wheel, and you know, I'm not much of a chick flick type of gal," She defended.
"Says the girl who's already bought her tickets for the midnight showing of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part Two," Bianca laughed.
"Guys, I can't. I just can't. I really need this night, but I need more to finish this, and do it well," Clare said.
"You know what, fine, fine!" Alli threw her hands up in the air, "Go ahead and sit here all night, you'd be no fun with your mind on your stupid paper anyway," She screamed theatrically as she stutted down the hall.
Clare let out a relived sigh and turned to Bianca.
"You can't come out for a few hours?" Bianca asked, a lot nicer than Alli was being.
"Sorry, Bee. But could you pick me up a piece of Little Miss Steak's chocolate lava cake?" She asked.
"Sure thing," Just as Bianca was about to leave she turned around, "Hey, what exactly is this bet you and Eli have going on anyway?" She asked curiously.
"If he gets the higher grade…I have to streak through Terrance Hall," Bianca started laughing.
"And what if you win?"
"He has to dress up as Peter Pan outside the Dot and scream 'I am Peter fucking Pan' for an hour," Bianca laughed even harder.
"Type your little ass off, Escritor Pequeños, and make sure I'm working that day," She laughed as she left the room and walked down the hall to invite Drew.
Clare giggled and went back to her typing.
xXx
Adam and Eli sat in their dorm playing Xbox with Drew when there was a knock on the door. Adam paused the game to open it and saw Bianca standing there.
"So Alli is dragging me to see the Vow and then go to dinner with her and Owen and Clare bailed because she is working on her English paper so I was wondering if you would help me not be a third wheel," She spoke to Drew.
"The Vow?"
"We're going to Little Miss Steak's after," She said quickly.
"Alright, I'm in. Later fellas," He smirked at them as he grabbed his blazer and Bianca's hand.
"They're not even dating and he's whipped," Adam complained as he slammed the door, just barely missing Drew's ankle.
"Aw, has Adam not found his special girl yet?" Eli teased, pinching his cheek.
"No, I just choose to live in the real world. You know, where guys don't go around chasing girls like they're the bitch," he snarked.
"Hey now, watch it, Torres," Eli warned, teasing with an undertone of seriousness, "What about that Alli girl? She's…pretty," He couldn't help but chuckle at his friends little crush.
"She's something, alright," Adam said, "Hey, you!" He called, scaring Eli half to death, causing him to spill his soda everywhere.
"Adam, what the actua—"
"Yeah, yeah, what the actual fuck, did you finish your essay?"
"What essay?"
"Oh, you know, the one Dawes assigned us that just happens to determine your fate as a self-respecting student here at the University of Toronto," Adam said nonchalantly.
"You mean the bet? Oh, I've got that down pat. There is no way Clare Edwards is gonna beat me," He said cockily.
xXx
"There is no way Clare Edwards beat me…" Eli said sorrowfully as he stood outside the Dot in a large trench coat covering his green, his ten year old female cousin's green shirt, placing the cap with the red feather which Clare handed him on his head.
Clare's grade: Ninety-eight.
Eli's grade: Eighty-seven
"Oh, but you did, Kid. I have your essay right here. Oh, look, Miss Dawes even wrote a little note, 'Great writing, but not quite believable. It was see-through,' Do you want to know what she wrote on mine?" Clare boomed with excitement.
"No. Thank you," Eli seethed through his teeth.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there!" She pushed him, taking out her flip camcorder silently thanking her father for that more than convenient birthday present.
"Oh, you're gonna pay for this, Edwards!"
"Not likely! I hope you've had a lot of water!"
"May as well get this over with…I'M PETER FUCKING PAN!"
Peter Pan was like my childhood obsession.
Don't judge me!
Again, so sorry for the wait and how much this chapter has epically failed.
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~Pho:)