Chapter 2

Jay didn't stay at The Dot for very long, just long enough to finish his fries and get a lecture from Alex about how he needs to get a tutor like Spinner suggested. The last thing Jay wanted right now was to be getting lectured by his friends. Since when was Lexi so concerned with how he did in school anyways?

Jay drove home to his apartment, music blaring. He was grateful for the temporary distraction from his problems. Unfortunately, the ride to his apartment was a short one, so his relief didn't last long. He pulled into the parking lot, grabbed his stuff from the back seat, and headed inside.

After the crappy day Jay had just had, the last thing he felt like doing was homework. He wanted to go to The Ravine to drink and maybe fool around with some girl in the van, but he knew that if he wanted any hope of leaving Degrassi, he had to stay in and try to figure out what the hell his teachers were talking about. The Ravine would just have to wait.

Jay entered his apartment, tossing his stuff onto the ground beside the couch. He headed toward the small kitchen area to grab himself a pop. If he couldn't get drunk, he may as well get a sugar buzz. He flopped onto the couch, flipped on the TV for background noise, and got out his homework, laying it across the coffee table in front of him. He glared at the papers and books, wishing they didn't exist and that he didn't need to worry about high school. As much as he hated it, he knew high school was a necessary evil if he ever hoped to get a decent job and make something of himself.

With that thought in mind, he grabbed his English binder and started going over his notes, hoping to at least grasp some small points about the book they were reading. He didn't understand why they were forced to read Shakespeare. The man made no sense. They may as well be making him study Japanese. What does this guy even know about my life anyways? He's just some dead poet, Jay thought moodily

He spent the next hour staring at the pages before tossing the binder at the wall in frustration. This is hopeless, he thought. None of this makes any sense. What the hell is Kwan even talking about? Damnit. I'm going to have to ask Greenpeace for help after all.

Jay groaned at the thought of having to ask Emma for help. It was bad enough knowing that he needed help, but to need it from her of all people... He sunk back into the couch, running his hands through his hair in frustration. How did my life get so screwed up? He wondered.

After sitting like this for ten minutes, wallowing in self-pity, Jay finally decided he had to do something. Begrudgingly, he picked up his phone and dialed Spinner's number.

"Hello," Spinner greeted upon answering his phone

"Hey, it's Jay… About what you said today…" he begun hesitantly

"I knew you'd call!" Spinner said with excitement.

"Well at least someone finds this situation entertaining," he replied gruffly.

"Man, it's not that bad… Emma is a miracle woman!"

"Huh, we'll see about that," Jay said with a smirk only he could see.

"So, you want me to put a good word in for you?"

"Somehow I doubt anyone will be able to convince her to help me, I mean, I basically tortured her our entire time at Degrassi, but if you think you can convince her, then yeah. I hate to admit it, but I need the help."

"I know what that's like. Yeah man, I'll put in a good word. She's helping me study for a math test tomorrow, so I'll mention it to her then and get back to you."

"Thanks man. I appreciate it."

"Anytime. I gotta go though, still on the clock. See you tomorrow."

"Later."

Jay hung up the phone and tossed it onto the couch. Well, may as well grab a beer, he thought. It's not like I'm getting anywhere tonight. He sat on the couch watching some show on his little TV and drinking his beer. He must have dozed off because next thing he knew it was 9 o'clock.

Jay yawned, stretched, and stood up to go toss his beer can in the trash. Hmm, maybe if I start recycling, Greenpeace will consider helping me, he thought with a smirk. Yeah right!

He contemplated what to do now. He wasn't tired enough to go to sleep, but there wasn't much point in going to The Ravine, not if he wanted to get any sleep before school. As much as he would rather sleep-in and skip class, Jay knew he had to stop doing that, that's part of what got him into this mess in the first place.

He decided to do some of his other homework. He grabbed his science stuff and got to work. Science was his only decent subject. Something about blowing stuff up and lighting things on fire was rather appealing to him. He found himself able to actually focus in class and somewhat understand what was going on, simply because he found the experiments interesting. He was getting a C+ in that class, which for him was a pretty good mark, but he'd still like it to be higher.

He read over his notes to refresh his memory before looking at the homework questions. He was able to finish with science in half an hour. Now it was time for media immersion, which was another impossible course in his eyes. Jay groaned as he opened his notes.

He flipped through the pages, trying to make sense of what he had written, but it was no use. The more he looked at them, the more frustrated he became. He felt like an idiot for not understanding this stuff. He wished he had paid more attention in school all these years, rather than wasting time with his idiot friends. Maybe then he wouldn't need to be begging Emma for help.

Jay looked at the time on his phone. 11 o'clock. Wow, who knew I could focus on media immersion for so long. It's been what, an hour and a half? That must be some sort of record for me. Jay was actually kind of proud of himself. Sure, he had no idea what any of it meant, but at least he had tried. That was a step in the right direction.

He decided he had had enough homework for one night, so he packed up the notes and books back into his bag then headed to his room. He stripped down to his boxers, pulled down the covers, and made his way into his bed. He let out a contented sigh, feeling his body relax into the mattress. He hadn't realized how tired he was until now. Before long, Jay was fast asleep.