Wrote this while watching the MMVA's. I have to say, that was a magical night for Degrassi fans on Twitter and Tumblr and I'm sure Munro had a fantastic night as well, presenting, getting compliments and laughs from Lady Gaga herself. If there's a lot of mistakes, it's because I was distracted by the thrill and awesomeness of watching the pre-show of the MMVA's and the new promo!

Chapter Two – Reality Checks

Eli was woken up by the smell of a homemade meal. At first he was a little confused as to where he was. Once he got up and rubbed his eyes he remembered that he was at "The Moonlight", in the best room of the place, with one other person. He also noticed that it was beginning to get dark outside. Going through the balcony door that was in his room, Eli stepped onto the second floor balcony and looked at his seaside view. He really had the most beautiful view he could imagine. The sun was just setting and the sky became a mixture of orange, purple, blue, and pink with the sea sparkling. He must've been standing there for a little while as he hadn't noticed that the girl who checked him into the inn was walking back from somewhere else. The girl was wiping her hands on her shorts and Eli looked over to where she had come from. He saw a large dumpster and figured she was throwing trash out. He looked back at her to see that she was cleaning off the outside furniture from sand. Her eyes went to his and he immediately looked away.

"Hey!"

Eli looked back to the girl. He was admiring the unique color, length, and style of her hair; auburn, short, and naturally curly. The originality of this girl was something he hadn't seen from anyone before. It was really refreshing to him to see a natural beauty. Everyone in the area he lived wore tons of makeup, spent hours on their hair- either getting a different style or dyeing it- and had clothes that left little to the imagination. This girl, whose name he still didn't know, was a great reality check.

"I figure that you're probably hungry," she called up to him. Eli found himself shaking his head and turning his attention back to what she was saying. "I have dinner cooking in the kitchen so when you want to eat just come downstairs."

"Okay, thank you," Eli replied. The girl smiled at him and walked back into the house. Eli went back into his room and decided to take a shower and change his clothes before eating dinner. Although it didn't seem that he needed to clean up for dinner, since he was the only person there, he still wanted to look nice for some reason. Not to impress the girl but he still felt the dirt and air of his town that he wanted to escape.

After a shower and a change of clothes, Eli walked downstairs and into the dining room of the inn. It was very small but was entirely too large for one tenant. A seating area was prepared by the large window overlooking the sea, much like the one he had in his room, and he sat down there and waited. Clanking of pots and plates was heard in the kitchen and Eli had that comforting feeling in his stomach. Suddenly he was thrown back to his childhood when he would wait for dinner prepared by his mother.

That thought consumed him that he didn't even realize that the girl was walking in with a full plate of food. He smiled at her slightly and looked down at his plate. Steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, an assortment of vegetables, and she then laid down a glass beside it. "Did you want a soda or something?" she asked him.

"I'll take whatever there is," Eli replied sheepishly. He didn't know what to say. He felt a bit awkward and he didn't know why.

"Is Coke okay?"

Eli nodded and watched her walk away. His eyes wandered to her butt and he immediately felt like a pervert. But he was a guy and lingering eyes were pretty much their thing. He was going to start eating until the girl walked back in again with a glass bottle of Coke. When she placed it on the table he grabbed it and grinned.

"Wow, I can't even remember the last time I had Coke in a glass bottle," he breathed, memories flooding back into his brain. "It's always in a plastic liter or a can but…never this glass bottle. I didn't even know they sold it anymore."

Eli looked back up and saw her watching him. She had a small smile on his face and was twiddling her thumbs. "Good thing they're a nice supply of them in the fridge," she replied lightly. Eli found himself smiling more so and he set back the drink.

"Enjoy your meal," she said bluntly and walked out of the dining room.

He didn't know why and he wasn't sure why but Eli had a feeling in his stomach. He didn't want to eat alone and even more, he didn't like the fact that this girl was waiting on him, making and serving his food, while she didn't seem to be getting her own food or eating. Soon Eli grabbed his plate and drink, walked into the kitchen, and sighed in relief when he saw a small island in the middle of the kitchen with bar stools beside it. He sat down, set his plate and drink on the island, and began to eat, all the while receiving a look from the girl who was washing dishes.

"Is...is the dining room not to your liking…or something?" the girl said awkwardly. Eli looked up after a bite and noticed the concerned look on her face. She had turned off the sink and was taking off the gloves she was wearing. Then Eli noticed a ring on her left ring finger but she was moving her hands and he didn't get a clear look.

"I…" Eli began. He took a deep breath and looked into the blue eyes of the still nameless girl. "I didn't really feel like eating alone."

The girl didn't move from the sink and it made Eli feel even more uncomfortable. Did she really not want to eat or did she not want to be around him? Did he give off a 'get away from me' vibe? He didn't want to. As much as he wanted to get away for the summer, he didn't want to be entirely alone.

"I guess I can eat with you?" she said questioningly. Eli nodded his head and she began to get a plate of her own. Eli continued to eat the food she prepared for him and if he didn't know that she had cooked for him, he would think that this was from some fancy restaurant. Or by his own mother. It tasted like heaven.

The girl soon sat down in the other chair and began eating as well. Eli noticed that she didn't have a lot of food on her plate and it made him look to her body. She was tiny in stature and skinny and bony. She didn't look starving or anything, she looked rather healthy, but he did notice the paleness and the bags under her eyes. She looked really tired.

Their ate in silence and although Eli hated silence with people, he preferred this than eating alone. She wasn't talking but to Eli, she was good company.

Eli began thinking of what her name could be. He thought of the girls he knew from his school, trying out their names on the girl he was eating dinner with, but none clicked.

Fiona? Too fancy.

Holly J? Too precise.

Anya? Too out there.

Jenna? Too prissy.

Alli? Too different.

Suddenly he remembered this girl he knew in his childhood. He was positive that it wasn't the same girl since his childhood friend had blonde hair and dark eyes and he still kept in random contact with her on Facebook but her name was Clara. He tried out that name on the blue eyed girl and it didn't fit. But then he thought Clare.

The name Clare was perfect.

She had to be a Clare.

He didn't know any other Clare's but he could see himself calling her Clare.

Clare. The name was beautiful, classic, and fitting for this beautiful girl beside him. Eli didn't feel anything for the girl but he couldn't deny her subtle beauty.

"This is going to sound weird," Eli started. He noticed that she was slightly startled and he smirked at the girl's small jump in her seat. "But…what's your name?"

The girl's eyes widened and put down her fork. "I had no idea that I hadn't introduced myself. Wow, I feel like an idiot now. I know who you are but you don't know who I am. I'm…Clare. Clare Edwards."

So she was a Clare. Eli smiled to himself, feeling victorious that he had guessed her name correctly. Clare. Clare. Clare. It just rolled off his tongue and was so perfect for her. "Well then," he smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

A blush crawled over his face when Clare flashed a big smile at him. Although he was caused to blush he finally felt content here. He had a place to stay, someone to talk to, and food. It was now perfect.

"Can I ask you a question? Well, since you asked me one." Clare had asked so innocently that Eli was compelled to nod his head, which he did.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

Eli was expecting her to ask why he was there. He admitted earlier that day that he needed to get away and he figured that she would ask what he needed to get away from. But she didn't.

"Toronto," Eli replied. "It's about two hours from here."

"Really? One of my good friends lives there."

That caught Eli's interest. Maybe he knew Clare's friend. But he figured not, Toronto's a big place. "Who's that?" he asked curiously.

"Oh you wouldn't know her," Clare laughed nervously.

Silence overcame them once again.

"So…" Eli trailed off, looking around at the kitchen. "My turn to ask a question? You didn't actually answer the one about your friend so I'm guessing it's my turn."

"Go ahead," Clare said.

"Do you live here or…?"

"I'm just working here," Clare answered. "For the summer. You know, need extra cash. Hard to find jobs nowadays."

Eli nodded in understanding. "It just seems odd to see a young girl working an inn by herself."

"How do you know I'm young? I could be forty for all you know." Eli's eyes widened but when he saw Clare smirking as she looked down at her food, he smiled.

"But you're not forty are you? This would be a little creepy. I'm seventeen…if you're wondering."

"I actually wasn't," Clare shrugged. Eli rolled his eyes. "I'm sixteen."

Now that, Eli believed. But realizing how young she really was, he asked, "Is this even legal?"

"You're allowed to work at sixteen you know."

Eli saw that this girl would be challenging him with her sarcasm all summer. "Alone? Unsupervised? Alone? With a strange boy?"

Clare looked up and he saw her laughing. "You're not that strange. You seem quite normal."

Or so you think. That's because you don't know me at all. "Still. Just to see one person running this place is strange enough but seeing a sixteen year old running it? Unheard of."

"Well I don't think things normally. Like you, I needed to get away and here I am, doing something pretty different but also very enjoyable. I get to get paid for tending to one tenant the entire summer and enjoy a wonderful view of the sun every single night. It's not weird. It's just summer. A time for new experiences."

He believed every word. He found summer to be a time for new experiences too, a time for a different reality instead of the fake one, the hurting one, back home. Eli got up and grabbed another bottle of Coke, handing it to Clare after he opened it, and he held out his own.

"To new experiences," he cheered.

"And new beginnings," Clare added. They clanked their bottles and drank.

This truly began their summer adventure.

So this new promo…I can't even find words for how I'm feeling. There's hope for Eclare, I can see it. :) Also Connor, Wesley, and Owen made second appearances but that's okay because at least we see them! But I want to see Ziley and Katie Matlin!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. PLEASE review. Thanks for the reviews and alerts so far but please tell me what you think of this new story! I'm a sucker for romances during the summer. :P

Thanks for reading! Please review!