Degrassi: The Third Generation
By: Ithurtssogood
Episode. 2
"Don't Bring Me Down"
Named After The Song by Electric Light Orchestra
The alarm clock blared the new Madonna song in Aaron's ear. Ugh, he thought, that old hag was still singing at nearly seventy. Groggily, he stood up and flicked off the radio. He yawned and scratched his golden hair.
It was Monday in his fourth full week of school and he was already sick of the routine.
"Aaron! You up?" Came a voice downstairs.
"Yeah, Pop! I'm up!" Aaron called back, rubbing his flat stomach. "Is breakfast ready?"
"Yeah, come on down!" Another voice said. In a matter of seconds, Aaron had sped out of his room and down two flights of steps and into the kitchen. His fathers were there, one cooking, one eating.
"What's for breakfast, Pop?" Aaron asked, sitting next to his father at the table. Dylan looked up from the skillet and smiled.
"Eggs and bacon, of course."
"Again? Why can't we ever have pancakes?" Aaron sighed as Dylan walked over and shovelled some scrambled eggs and a few pieces of bacon onto his plate. Marco giggled and looked up from his newspaper.
"Remember when I tried to make pancakes and they never turned out right," Marco questioned the others, scratching his still long dark brown hair. "Well I was so angry at them that I threw away the whole box and never told anyone about it."
"You got angry at pancakes, Dad?" Aaron giggled, stuffing bacon into his mouth.
"Some people can't cook like your Pop, Aaron." Dylan chuckled, giving Marco a quick kiss on the cheek. Aaron smiled, Marco giggled and continued reading.
"I thought they said all Italians can cook!" Aaron said, finishing his scrambled eggs. Marco just laughed and hit his son with the newspaper.
"Go and get ready! It's almost time for school."
"Mom! Do you know where my boots are?" Eve called as she sped out of her bedroom. The platinum blonde haired girl whizzed down the hall towards her parent's room, her feet sliding her down the hardwood floor. Her mother, Paige Mason, stood in the doorway to her bedroom with a pair of knee high black stiletto heeled boots.
"Evebaby, why do you keep calling them your boots?"
"Because, they're fun to wear."
"I thought you weren't interested in fashion."
"I'm not. I'm just interested in anything black." Eve smiled, snatching the boots out of her mother's hands. Paige giggled and covered her eyes.
"Eve, I won't be home this afternoon, Marco and I will be working late. Then after we'll be going down to Hazel's restaurant, Sea Breeze." Paige called out to her daughter as she heard her pound down the stairs.
"Fine, mom!" Eve shouted back. She sat on the bottom step, slipped her small feet into her mother's designer boots and zipped them up. The blonde stood up and waltzed over to the full length mirror leaning on the wall. Today she wore a black (of course) HIM Heartagram T-shirt, a wispy black ballerina tutu, and of course the black stilettos. She looked like some sort cross between a ballerina, an Emo, and a model.
She swiped some eyeliner on, a little lipgloss and then tied her Heartagram necklace around her thin neck. Eve was finally ready. She grabbed her backpack off of a chair in the dining room and headed towards the front door.
"Hey!"
Eve froze in place and wheeled around. Her father, Gavin Mason, lay on the sofa in the living room, his eyes fluttering half-closed. Eve's grey eyes darted to the floor next to the sofa, a small mountain of empty beer bottles lay on the floor.
"Dad, I'm not going to talk to you when you're drunk."
"I'm not, Eve! Listen to me! Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"To school Dad!"
"Not at this time!"
"Dad it's the morning."
Gavin huffed and turned around. He slid his finger through the blinds and was greeting with blinding sunlight. Eve crossed her arms over her chest.
"See." Without even saying goodbye, Eve turned around, opened the front door, and slammed it shut.
The first bell of the day chimed through the halls. Students rushed into their homerooms and slid into their seats. Their teachers greeted them before the daily announcements began on the TV screens mounted on the walls.
Aaron was the last to enter the classroom and found a seat in the front of the room. Today he wore a yellow T-shirt, with a green track jacket, and khaki coloured cargo pants. His homeroom teacher, Mrs. Mackenzie, sat at her desk reading book while Mariana Aoyama talked about basically nothing on the TV.
He turned around and saw his cousin, Eve, chatting with her Emo friends in the corner of the room. Her eyes caught his glance and he gave her a small wave. She rolled her eyes in response. Aaron pursed his lips and faced the front again. None of his friends were in his homeroom so he looked forward to sitting quietly in his seat every morning.
Yeah, right.
He really only had two friends: Scott and Tucker. He would talk to Madison, Miranda, and the other Grade Seven girls but none of the other guys seemed to want to talk to him. And Aaron knew exactly why. Ever since Aaron told people he had two dads, they've been hesitant around him. It's like they thought he was gay.
Aaron was nowhere near homosexual! He has no problem with them, but he's never been attracted to a guy. Aaron has had lots of girlfriends and has been attracted to nothing but girls, but people are so narrow-minded: Gay parents equals a gay child.
Aaron tapped his foot on the tiled floor impatiently. First period today was gym, his favourite subject. Mariana and Kelly finally finished the announcements and the bell to pass to first period rang. Aaron grabbed his backpack off of the back of his chair and darted out of the room.
He turned into the main hall and reached the gym. He went straight into the boy's locker room. He hung his bag on one of the hooks in the hall and entered the changing area. Tucker and Scott greeted him as he walked in.
"What's up, guys?"
"Nothing, just wishing this day would go by faster." Tucker sighed, peeling off his shirt and placing it in his locker. He grabbed his gym shirt and pulled it on over his brunette head.
"Why?" Scott questioned, putting on his gym shirt.
"Spanish test." Scott and Aaron groaned in unison. Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a pack of boys spilled through the doorway. One boy in particular had his eye on Aaron and his friends. Aaron noticed this and rolled his stone blue eyes.
"Hey 'Tuck, Scott, why are you hanging out with a fag," The beefy looking boy questioned. "Especially in the locker room! He's probably checking you all out."
"Hey, Stan, c'mon. Stop it." Tucker said, walking up to Stan.
"Yeah, he's not gay." Scott said, following after Tucker. Aaron stood at his locker, his eyes narrowed. Why couldn't people just leave him alone? At least he had good friends that won't punk out on him.
"Suuure." Stan laughed, he turned around and him and his friends rushed off in a flurry of laughter. Tucker and Scott walked up to Aaron.
"Don't worry about it."
"Of course not. I'll just pretend every guy in Degrassi doesn't hate me."
Eve kept her blonde head down as she trudged through the corridors. Her greys were fixated upon the tile: White tile, green tile, white tile, green tile. An endless pattern. Her locker just had to be in the worst hallway, the Jock Hall. This hallway was infested with popular sports stars and cheerleaders.
Ugh, gag me.
She could feel the eyes burning into her back as she finally reached her locker. Eve spun the lock and whipped open her locker. Her hands reached for her Math book but by accident she knocked it to the floor. Sighing, she knelt down and grabbed the book off of the tile. Eve looked up to see a group of cheerleaders snickering at her.
"What kind of Emo wears stiletto boots?"
"Isn't her mom, Paige Michalchuck?"
"The Tribune's Fashion editor? How? She's so stylish!"
"When Paige was in Degrassi, she was a cheerleader!"
"And look at her daughter."
The last comment stung Eve. Why do people think she's so worthless? It's not like she doesn't keep up her hygiene or her appearance. It's not like she comes to school and beats the crap out of people. So why do they hate her so much?
The blonde girl stuffed her Math book into her backpack and slammed her locker shut. The cheerleader's eyes watched her as she click-clacked down the hallway towards her first period class.
Eve's Math teacher, Mr. Furey, stood outside the door. Eve looked up and gave him a small smile and entered the classroom. Once again, eyes were on her as she took her usual seat at the front of the class next to Stephanie.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Stephanie questioned, turning to her friend. Eve looked up into Stephanie's bright green eyes.
"Nothing…just people." Stephanie nodded knowingly. People troubled her about her choice of dress and attitude also, so she knew exactly how Eve was feeling. She reached out and patted Eve on the shoulder and gave her a warm smile.
"Don't worry about it."
"Okay, I'll just pretend that everyone at Degrassi doesn't hate me."
"Why don't we like Eve again?" Kelly questioned, propping her head up in her hands and turning to Mariana. The two best friends sat in the last two desks in the back Mr. Furey's first period Math class.
"You don't remember," Mariana responded. Kelly shook her head. "Remember in fourth grade when she spilled paint all over my new white dress?"
"You mean the one your mom bought you for that banquet that the local news station was holding?"
"Exactly," Mariana whisper-shouted, flipping her black mane over her shoulder. "And now she's dressing all Emo! Just to stand out. She always has to be the centre of attention." Mariana narrowed her brown eyes as she stared at Eve who was chatting with Stephanie Carmichael.
"So what are you saying?" Kelly questioned, leaning closer to Mariana.
"I'm saying, let's really make her the centre of attention."
Aaron stepped out of the steam filled locker room shower, a long white towel wrapped around his thin waist. He was always one of the last people to shower after Gym, he just felt weird showering with other guys. He padded over to his locker, his wet feet slapping against the floor.
He yanked open his locker and grabbed his clothes out. Aaron stopped when he heard another pair of feet approaching. He shook his head as Stan turned the corner.
"Hey fag."
"Shut up, Stan." Aaron grumbled, not even looking at the muscular boy.
"What? Why can't I call you what you are? You come from an entire family of 'em!" Stan spat. Aaron shuddered as a chill went up his spine.
"Stan, I'm not gay," Aaron said, turning around and glaring at Stan. "My fathers are, but I'm not." Stan folded his arms over his beefy chest and smiled big and wide, his white teeth contrasting against his tanned skin.
"If you're not gay, stop staring."
"At what, Stan? You're the one who was staring at me!" Aaron roared. Stan scrunched up his face, his thick eyebrows bunched up. The burly teen boy stomped over to Aaron, who stepped back. Stan was at least six feet tall and one hundred and eighty pounds of muscle, while Aaron was five feet and eight inches and about one hundred and fifteen pounds of…skinny.
"Back off, Stan."
"Or what, fag?" Stan questioned, pushing Aaron into a locker. Aaron's face contorted in pain as he felt his back smash into the hard metal. Growling, Aaron charged forth and pushed Stan into the opposite lockers. The robust boy bit his bottom lip and swung a giant fist at Aaron, hitting him in the side of the face.
Aaron fell to the ground on impact, he could feel his face burning. He hopped up to his feet and slammed his own fist into Stan's face. Stan didn't fall but her did hit the lockers again.
"Hey, hey, hey!" A voice shouted. The two boys stopped their fight and turned and saw their gym teacher, Mr. Ross, running towards them. Aaron sighed and rubbed his hot cheek.
"I told you to back off, Stan."
"Did you hear about Eve Mason?" A cheerleader questioned her other cheerleader friends. The group of peppy teens skipped through the corridors heading for third period.
"No, what?" A brunette cheerleader asked.
"Well, Mariana and Kelly caught her and Stephanie Carmichael having sex in the upstairs bathroom."
"Really?"
"That's gross."
"No one does it in school!" A redhead one squealed. The group of cheerleaders erupted in a fit of high-pitched giggles. Mrs. Chang, one of the Guidance counsellors, just happened to overhear their conversation.
A few minutes later, Ms. Kennedy's voice blasted over the intercom: Eve Mason, please report to the Guidance Office! Eve Mason, please report to the Guidance Office!
Five minutes later, Eve sat with her arms folded across her chest in the Guidance Office. They had yanked her out of her favourite class, Art, so she could sit in the waiting room? What could they possibly want?
"Ms. Mason?"
Eve looked up to see Mrs. Chang, her Guidance Counsellor, towering over her in her strict looking business suit. Eve gave a half-smile and followed after the tall Asian woman into her office.
She took a seat while Mrs. Chang closed the door.
"Mrs. Chang, may I ask why I'm here?"
"You don't know?"
Eve shook her platinum blonde head.
"Well, I heard that you had sex in school."
Eve's grey eyes widened in horror. Who would say something like that?
"What? No! With whom?"
"Stephanie Carmichael," Mrs. Chang said sternly, folding her hands in her lap primly. She watched as Eve's jaw practically fell to the floor. "Ms. Mason, sex in school is completely against our code."
"I didn't have sex," Eve screeched. "You're going to believe a rumour?"
Mrs. Chang hung her head and flicked her dark bangs out of her eyes, "I'm sorry, but I have to investigate. I need to know if what I heard was true."
"You're kidding? I didn't have sex! Especially not with my friend! I'm not a lesbian!"
Mrs. Chang pursed her lips, "Please, Eve, quiet down. I've already contacted your parents and your mother is on her way to pick you up." Eve stared at her Guidance Counsellor in shock.
"Ugh." Was all that she could say. She hopped up from her chair and went to sit in one of the chairs in the waiting room. Someone must've brought her backpack since it was lying next to the chair. The sound of muffled shouts brought Eve out of her angry haze, she looked up and saw her cousin Aaron storm out of another Guidance Counsellor's office.
He plopped down in the chair next to her.
"Hey." Eve said softly.
"Now you want to talk to me?" He said, his face red.
"Sorry about earlier. You know we don't have that good of a relationship," Eve continued, her voice making almost no noise. It felt weird talking to her cousin again, they hadn't really had a decent conversation since they were little. "What's going on?"
Aaron chuckled slightly and brushed his golden hair behind his ear, "I got into a fight."
"With who?" Eve asked, surprised her skinny cousin would fight.
"Stan Goodman. He kept calling me a fag."
"You're kidding! You mean wrestler built Stan?" Eve questioned, bewildered. She turned in her chair to face her cousin. Aaron nodded and chuckled again.
"What about you?"
"Someone started a rumour about me," Eve sighed, hanging her head and running her fingers through her fair locks. "They said I had sex in the bathroom with Stephanie." Aaron's eyes widened.
"Did you?"
"No!"
The two cousins laughed animatedly, it had been a long time since they've been able to do that around one another. Way too long.
"So now they have to investigate and they're sending me home."
"Me too." Aaron stated, a smile spread across his face. Mrs. Chang stepped out of her office and gazed upon them.
"You're parents are waiting outside."
The two grabbed their bags and swung them onto their shoulders. They exited Guidance which was only a few steps away from the main entrance. They pushed past the glass doors and spotted their parents cars from the steps.
"Well…tell Uncle Dylan and Uncle Marco that I said hello." Eve stammered.
"Yeah, tell Aunt Paige and Uncle Gavin…that I said hi." Aaron said.
The two cousins bounded down the steps of Degrassi Community School and approached their family's cars. They waved to one another and hopped in. Eve slid into the front seat of her mother's convertible.
"Eve, you know we have to talk."
"Mmm…yeah, mom. I know."
"And don't worry. I experimented with girls too."
"I didn't have sex!" The car roared off down the road, both of their blonde tresses trailing behind them in the wind. Paige beeped the horn as she passed her brother's car. Eve waved as she saw Aaron climb inside.
"So you got into a fight, huh?" Dylan asked as his son snapped his safety belt on. Aaron rolled his eyes, he could hear the pride in his father's voice.
"Yeah, some kid kept calling me a fag," Aaron said quickly. He could see his Pop tense up a little at the mention of that word. Aaron licked his pink lips and continued. "He hit me first though. So I had to hit back."
"Good…I mean, bad. Don't fight." Dylan said. He turned around and looked at his son. They burst into laughter. Dylan started the car and raced down the street.
Note: Episode. 2 completed! I decided to name the rest of the episodes after songs from the '80s. Read and Review. I'll try and make episodes shorter from now on. Key word: try. I'll keep writing, look out for Episode. 3: Crazy For You soon!