Part 2

Hazel and Marco walked on either side of Paige down the hallways of Degrassi. The two of them shared a silent shrug as they followed along side their broken friend. She was spaced out, just walking on autopilot but neither knew how to help. As they rounded the corner all three of them froze.

Alex was at her locker. Paige had said, had thought, that Alex had left town. Her stuff was gone, her own mother hadn't seen her in 4 days.

The raven haired girl had yet to notice the 3 seniors staring at her. Marco nudged Paige. "Go talk to her."

Hazel then stood forward. "Paige. I love you and you're my best friend but your not exactly your normal spirit club self and if she can fix that then go talk to her."

Paige nodded, not quite trusting her voice. She'd spent the weekend thinking she'd never see Alex again. It felt like she'd died but now she was just at school like things were normal? No, Paige Michalchuk does not get treated this way.

"I want to talk to you." She told Alex, not asking.

Alex was more than a little scared by the look she was getting from Paige. "Laneway after class?"

"Why not now?"

Alex lowered her head not quite believing what she was about to say. "I can't miss class."

Paige was too shocked to fight about that so she mumbled 'after class' and left. Like she would concentrate on a thing Simpson said in MI.

Paige was pacing up and down the Laneway when Alex arrived.

"Hey... so, is this where you bludgeon me to death?" Alex asked not so subtly.

Paige scowled at her. "It is if you don't tell me what the hell is going on."

"What?"

"I went to your place. Your stuff was gone. I thought you'd left the city or the country. I kept thinking of you lying dead by the side of the road because some psycho truck driver you hitchhiked with cut your head off! Then your in school? Going to class? Why do you hate me?"

Paige had rambled herself through the entire rainbow of emotions and landed on the upset side of the scale.

"I don't hate you. I lo… left home. I wouldn't graduate if I stayed there. Not exactly great for studying. Although it does sound better than the hitchhiker scenario." She let out a nervous laugh.

"Your mom doesn't know and you left the clothes." She looked at Alex with tears in her eyes. "You swapped all your shifts so you never have to work with me."

Alex felt her insides twist. "I thought it'd be easier that way."

Paige let out a pained laugh. She felt like such an idiot. Sitting down on the step she began gesturing widely.

"I made such a mistake. I spent this entire time mopping and being heartbroken, thinking of ways I could get you back. I thought you actually liked me, that I just had to make you see that but… I was so wrong." She laughed. "I hope you won some big bet or something out of this cause this is just too weird. The popular cheerleader and the girl from the wrong side of the tracks? What was I thinking!?"

Alex was stunned at just how much she had screwed this up. She had Paige thinking what they had meant nothing, when really it meant everything. Dropping to her knee's in front of the blonde she tried to think of the right words.

She should add that to the list of things she is a failure at. All she could do was look Paige in the eye.

Paige, who had talked herself into a place where Alex hadn't cared about her, soon saw she wasn't right. There was one thing she was sure of with Alex, no matter how she acted or what she said, her true feelings were obvious by her eyes.

She slowly raised her hand and traced down Alex's cheek. "You have the darkest eyes but they don't hide a thing."

The other girl struggled to remain composed so she took Paige's hand from her face but failed to let it go completely.

"We can't. We've been through this."

Paige leaned forward, "why? Explain to me again because I don't know any good reason for you not kissing me right now."

This caused Alex to break eye contact. Staring at the concrete she tried to just keep breathing. She wanted to tell Paige again why they'd split up but at that moment she couldn't remember.

Looking back up she tried to say something, anything to make this better but nothing would come out. She hated when this happened. It was like her brain had so much to say but it would be too scared to let the serious stuff be said and cut itself off from her mouth.

Paige, seeing that Alex wasn't going to say anything, spoke up. "What is going on in there, hon?" she asked softly as she put a finger on Alex's forehead.

"Everything. You." She took a breath trying to pull it together. "I've moved in with my old neighbour, Maggie. She used to look after me a lot, let me hang out with her when my place was too rowdy or empty. She told me she'd have a bed for me if I ever needed it. And I did. She works for an ad company in the city, she's the one who taught me to draw. She's helping me make a portfolio. But I have to go to class, get decent grades, keep out of trouble."

Paige was stunned, of all the situations running through her mind this was not one of them.

"I'm going to apply to art school. Like you said. I probably won't get a scholarship this late in the year though."

"You will, your talented." Paige said sincerely.

"I was thinking about what I could do with my life, what I was good at. Sketching was all I came up with."

"That's not all your good at."

Alex smirked and Paige swatted her, "don't be so dirty minded."

Alex's smile faded as she became serious again. "There's one more thing. The art school I applied to, it's next to Banting. If your done with me, I'd understand."

Paige literally dived onto Alex knocking them onto the ground, their arms wrapped around one another while Paige made what were presumably happy noises.

When Paige pulled back she wasted no time in finding Alex's lips with her own.

When they finally broke for air, Alex pushed a strand of hair from the blonde's face. "I'm sorry I'm so stubborn. I'm not used to having someone like you in my life."

"Someone who's crushing you while remaining stylish?" Paige asked as she began to get off Alex who instantly protested and tightened her grip.

"I like knowing your there." Her eyebrows then knitted in fake worry. "And your not looking your normal stylish self today."

Paige rolled her eyes, she had walked herself into that one. "Yeah well, I go baggy when I've had my heartbroken."

Alex kissed her. "You're the most beautiful I've ever seen you."

"Suck up."

"Well, yeah, but it is true."

Paige leaned down and kissed her again. They broke apart when they heard voices.

"We should get up, go home. I want to meet Maggie. Does she know about… us? How old is she? Does she live alone? Apart from you obviously. I can't wait to tell Dylan. He's been giving me, 'I'm older and therefore wiser than you and I know all about relationships now I'm in college' advice all weekend. We should go on a trip of Banting and Art School. Maybe this weekend before they break for summer."

Alex tried for the third time to break into Paige's ramble. "Paige!"

"what?!"

"Breathe."

She did, realising it had been a while. "Sorry." she said as she got up gave Alex a hand up.

"Come to Maggie's with me? Stay for dinner?" Alex asked knowing the answer.

Paige grinned. "Yes."

Alex nodded, "good." She slipped her hand into Paige's and the two left the Laneway and rejoined the world as a couple.