Better prepare yourselves, my lovely readers. This chapter is about to be I-N-T-E-N-S-E!

It would be pretty cool to own Degrassi…but I don't.

Enjoy:

My phone beeped for the tenth time, and I groaned. It was eleven a.m., but Jordan and I hadn't gone to bed till 3:30, so I was feeling pretty groggy.

"Why don't you just turn it off," Jordy mumbled into her pillow.

"What if it's important…I just don't have the energy to get up and check."

"If it's important now, it'll still be important in another couple of hours."

"Wise words, my friend."

"The only kind I speak," Jordy agreed, rolling over to smile at me. "Damn it, now I'm awake."

I laughed, sitting up. "It's funny how that happens, huh?"

I attempted to rub the sleep from my eyes, but they still felt raw; today was going to be difficult, I could feel it. I was already kind of cranky…I needed some coffee.

"So who interrupted our sleep anyway?"

I reached for my phone- I had one new text from Sam telling me, again, what a great time he had. I smiled. The other three texts and five missed calls were from Munro.

"I wonder why he's so desperate to get a hold of me," I mumbled under my breath to myself. Every single text was a slight variation of him requesting that I call him. Like I couldn't figure that out from the missed calls, dummy. Louder, to Jordan, I said, "Munro and Sam…but mostly Munro."

"I smell a love triangle a-brewing."

"Don't even joke like that; Munro's like an older brother to me."

I blushed, and my heart skipped a beat…the same way I usually reacted when I was telling a lie. Which was silly because Munro and I were like brother and sister- despite our crazy chemistry on set. Ugh, clearly my lack of sleep was doing weird things to my brain.

Jordan waggled her eyebrows at me, shooting me a knowing look. I threw my pillow at her face.

"Someone's crabby this morning."

"I need coffee, STAT. Want to go make some breakfast?"

"If by 'make breakfast' you mean pour myself a bowl of cereal I am so in."

"You're such a cheap date."

"Sam will be so upset to hear that you're cheating on him."

"Hey, you will always be my number one. If Sam can't deal with that then we are going to have some serious problems." I winked at Jordy and she threw the pillow back at me.

"So…coffee."

I immediately jumped to my feet. "You just said the magic word; right this way!"

My phone, Munro and Sam momentarily forgotten, Jordy and I made our way to the kitchen. I grabbed us both a bowl, and as she poured a generous amount of cereal into each as I put some coffee on for brew.

"So, let's revisit some details from that date of yours."

I turned to find Jordy eyeing my curiously. "What details, exactly?"

"You love Sam, huh?"

I mentally cringed, remembering the look Jordy had given me much earlier this morning when I had skimmed over that detail of the date. I should have known she was going to bring it up again. She knew me well enough to see that it was the part of the date that I wanted to talked about the least, but needed to the most.

"I…think so?"

"I hope you were more convincing when you were declaring your feelings to him; poor Sam."

"So, maybe I regret saying it, just a little. I mean, in the moment I felt it. I do love Sam. I'm just not sure it's the same love he was talking about. Oh, God, Jordy; am I a horrible person?"

"Horribly misguided? Yes. Horrible in general? Never."

I sighed. "So do I…retract what I said?"

"Not necessarily. But you probably should have a nice, long talk with Sam about the direction this is headed…blah, blah, blah."

"I feel like we've already had so many of those talks. Oh, well. I do like him…a lot. He's worth it."

Jordan nodded, clearly pleased with the sincerity in my voice. I really did like Sam; I wasn't leading him on. This was just all kinds of complicated.

But nobody said relationships were easy, right?

-Sam's Point of View-

Despite the early time I had to rise after going to bed so late I was on Cloud 9 by the time I was on set. Seriously, I felt like rainbows were coming out of my ears!

"When are you going to give up the cloak and dagger act, and tell me who the hell is making you so happy?" Jessica asked me again on our lunch break.

She had been harassing me every chance she had; somehow guessing the second she had seen my face that some girl was involved. Well, not just some girl- the girl. Or maybe I was getting ahead of myself. I tended to be a little too intense for some people…

"Maybe if you guess right, I'll tell you if you're right. But you only have three tries, missy."

Jessica smiled like she had already weaseled the information out of me. I rolled my eyes at her; there was no way she was going to get this.

"Just tell me one thing, is it someone I know? Because if it's not this little game of yours isn't really fair."

"Well, my friend, I suppose you'll just have to guess and see for yourself."

"So I do know her!" Jess exclaimed excitedly.

"I didn't say that, crazy. Just guess someone."

"It's Aislinn."

I choked on the apple juice I had just taken a sip of. "How the hell did you do that?" I asked, befuddled.

Jess laughed. "Mindy saw you two having lunch yesterday. Remember, word spreads like wildfire in this cast."

"No kidding. Wait; does Stephen know? And is he angry if he does? This does not bode well…"

"Calm down, silly. I don't think Stephen knows…but you might want to tell him yourself before he hears it through the grapevine."

"I will….just not today."

"Chicken," Jessica challenged.

"It's not that…I just want Ace and I to get out footing before we make any kind of public declaration, you know?"

"Oh, you loooovvveeee her," she sang, winking at me.

"Yeah, I really think that I do."

-Aislinn's Point of View-

"Are you going to get that; it's driving me crazy?"

I looked up from my e-mail at Jordy. "What are you talking about?"

"Your phone," her tone suggested that I was mentally unstable. "It's been vibrating for the past five minutes straight, and you somehow have been able to ignore it just as long. But I can't take it anymore!"

"Oh, sorry, I was reading the script changes that Stephen e-mailed to me for tomorrow. I was kinda absorbed."

"You're telling me."

Jordy picked my phone off of my bed, and tossed it to me where I was sitting at my desk. I caught it just in time for it to start ringing again.

"Someone's mighty anxious to get a hold of me," I said as soon as I flipped my phone open.

"Finally," Munro's voice rang out on the other end. "I was about to drive over to your house to make sure you were still alive. Did I piss you off, or something; I've been calling you all morning?"

"Sorry, Jordy is over…don't you know it's rude to talk on the phone while you have company?"

I saw Jordy roll her eyes at me, but I saw her smile fondly before I turned my attention back to Munro.

"You couldn't have, like, told me that? I was freaking out over here."

"You don't say? Is that why you called at least 50 times in the last three hours?"

"You're not funny."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Fine…you're funny. I need to talk to you."

"I had kind of inferred as much."

"Like, in person."

"Oh, well, okay then. I'll call you after Jordy leaves, okay?"

I heard a sigh leave his lips, but it didn't sound impatient…more like nervous. It was just a tiny action, probably something someone who didn't know Munro well wouldn't have even picked up on, but it immediately made me concerned. "Yeah, that's fine. But it's, um, kind of important, Ace."

"Okay. I'll kick her out as soon as possible." Jordy looked up at me, obviously having been listening to the conversation. Not that I minded, I would have done the same to her. "Meet you in the park in 20?" I suggested.

"Yeah, that's awesome. Thanks…for, um, meeting me. Tell Jordy I said hi."

"Will do," I assured him absentmindedly. There was something really eating away at him; I could tell. Munro wasn't ever this awkward unless something heavy was weighing on his mind. I hoped like hell nothing was wrong with him, or Thomas…or anyone for that matter.

I hung up the phone, and Jordan was still waiting expectantly to hear what was going on. "How's Munro?"

"I'm not really sure, actually. He says hi, though."

"Uh, oh; I smell trouble. The park is on the way to my house- are you going to walk me home?"

"But of course…I'm going to shower really quickly, though. I don't want to expose Toronto to my mega stink."

Jordy laughed at me, rolling her eyes. "I'll be here when you're done."

I stuck my tongue out at her sarcasm, and then hopped into the shower, all my thoughts focused on Munro. I was tired, cranky, and wary of whatever he had to say. All I wanted to do was stay inside with Jordy all day, do some homework, and possibly snuggle up with a blanket and a movie. But Munro was one of my best friends, so I would meet him regardless. I just wouldn't be extremely happy about it…

I got out of the shower; towel dried my hair, and quickly dressed in a pair of sweats and my favorite tee shirt. I took a quick look in the mirror and decided not to bother with makeup. 'Glamorous,' I thought, taking in my entire reflection.

Oh well, it wasn't like it matter what I looked like. Munro's news probably did not require me to dress up.

-Munro's Point of View-

"I'm heading out. I'll see you…when I get back."

"Wow, that was profound," Thomas mocked me. "You're awful fidgety."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. There was no reason for me to be this nervous; I was only going to meet Aislinn. To profess feelings that I had been hiding for a while now. And there was the complete possibility that she might shut me down. And I could ruin our friendship. Yeah, no reason to be nervous at all.

"Bro, you need to take a deep breath…or five."

I took Thomas' advice, sucking in as much air as my lungs would hold. "Yeah, well, bye."

"Got get her, man."

I rolled my eyes. I hadn't told Thomas of feelings for Ace exactly- he just kind of knew. So when I had told him earlier who I was so desperately trying to get in touch with he had only smiled at me and wished me luck. It was a simple sentiment, but it was nice to know that I would always have at least one person on my side, rooting for me no matter what.

The walk to the park was short and refreshing; the cool, spring air doing wonders for my muddled thoughts. I had never been this nervous or excited before in my life: not for an audition, or any time I got on a Trampoline for a competition, or my first kiss. It was a strange kind of high that was so strong my stomach literally ached in anticipation.

I almost turned around once to go back home, but I remembered Aislinn was probably already on her way. There was no going back; I had to put this piece of news out there- I had to.

Aislinn was more than worth it.

I stopped at the park's entrance, doing a quick sweep with my eyes to see if Aislinn was there yet, but I didn't see her, so I sat on the curb and reminded myself to breathe.

I was about to pull my phone out to call her and see if she was at all close when I spotted her headed directly for me.

She was wearing a bright purple, form-fitting tee shirt, baggy gray sweats, and her hair was stuck in a state of disarray- half of it curling unruly, and the other half relatively straight. The soft sun was catching the auburn highlights in her hair, and her eyes were focused on me; tired and droopy, but still the bright blue that I loved.

Damn, as cliché as it was, all I could think as she walked toward me was that she had to be the prettiest thing I had ever seen, even when she wasn't trying.

My stomach suddenly clenched nervously, and I was sure I was going to hurl. That was, until a smile lit up Aislinn's face, making her so beautiful it literally broke my heart.

'Here goes nothing…'

-Aislinn's Point of View-

I smiled tentatively at Munro as I approached; taking note of the nauseous look on his face and I let several worst-case scenarios run through my head. But, as soon as I gave him the small smile, his lips turned up into the goofiest grin I had ever seen. What in the world was going on?

"Hey, Ace," was Munro's anticlimactic greeting as soon as I was within ear shot.

"You know you had trembling with anxiety at the urgent nature of news. Why did you need to talk to me so badly?"

Munro swallowed, suddenly looking a little green. But, just before the green undertones appeared, I hadn't missed the look of surprise and hurt as he registered my curt tone.

"Hey, sorry, I'm running on only a few hours of sleep. I didn't mean to snap at you. Let's sit down." I eagerly led him to one of the benches. I couldn't help think that less than twelve hours ago I had been sitting on a similar bench with Sam professing my kind-of love for him. The thought made me dizzy. My life was a little too complicated for my liking. "You and Thomas are okay, right; nobody is hurt or dying?"

I don't know what I was expecting Munro to do or say, but laughing was the furthest thing from my mind. Except, there he was…cracking up like I had just told the funniest joke ever; he had some serious explaining to do.

"You thought…really…ha!...that's classic Aislinn, I guess."

"You have about five seconds to tell me what the hell is so funny before I storm off angrily."

"Wow, you really didn't sleep a lot last night did you? How was the, um, date?"

He shifted uncomfortably on the word date, and I noticed. Pieces of a puzzle I was suddenly sure I didn't want to complete were falling into place, ready or not.

"Decent…alright, I'm not going to lie; it was probably the best date ever. I'm just a little…confused. Sam and I really need to talk about 'us'."

"That's great!"

Munro's hand suddenly came up to smack over his mouth- like he was trying to push his words back in.

"It is?"

"No, but…I mean, God I was hoping to lead up to this a little more; be a little more graceful. I really need to tell you something, though, Aislinn."

I suddenly felt as nervous as Munro looked; more nervous if that was even possible. "So, tell me."

Again, my words came out angrier than I wanted them to, and Munro flinched. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath the steady himself.

When he opened his eyes he deliberately met, and held, my gaze. There was so much emotion in the green depths that I wanted nothing more than to look away, but I just couldn't for the exact same reason. I was mesmerized.

"Ace, you're my best girl friend. I tell you everything, and I trust you with my life. But there's been something I haven't been telling you." Munro gently took my hand from where it was lying limp in my lap, and clasped it between his two larger hands. My stomach rolled uncomfortably. "I…I love you, Aislinn."

His words hit me like a truck. So many different emotions flooded my mind at the same time: confusion, relief, surprise, affection… joy…then, finally, anger. White hot anger that made me quiver. I wished, just for a moment, that I could play dumb, pretend his words didn't mean what they did; that he was telling me he loved me as a friend like we always did. But there was no way to deny the sincerity and genuineness of his emotion. It was all laid out, plain for me to see, in his eyes.

I ripped my hand out from between his. "You can't," I challenged viciously.

Despair washed over Munro's innocent features. "What do you mean?"

"You can't love me, Munro because I…I don't feel the same way."

He started to say something else, but I could stay, couldn't hear him plead or submit. I had to get away as soon as possible, so I stood up and started sprinting.

XXX

I sprinted all the way to my house and up the stairs to my bedroom. My mom, having heard my entrance, immediately came to see if I was okay, but I locked my door, and started to pace my floor, shouting at her to leave me alone.

I was a liar and a horrible person. But mostly a liar.

I did have feelings for Munro. Intense feelings that weren't the kind of feelings one friend felt for another. But, unlike Sam, Munro and I worked together every day. If something went wrong it wouldn't be as avoidable as if something happened with Sam. Unlike Sam, Munro was much older than I was. He was probably more experienced, and I didn't know how to handle that. Unlike Sam, I couldn't risk everything with Munro because it would kill me if things ended in a mess.

I collapsed on my bed, letting the tears flow freely. Who was I kidding? Things already were a mess.

Why couldn't we save all the drama for on-screen?

I sighed and grabbed a tissue from my bedside table. As I dabbed my eyes, I contemplated my next move.

After putting my pride to rest, I decided I really owed Munro an apology for blowing up on him. It was unwarranted, and he was my friend. He deserved to know the truth, and I needed to grovel for forgiveness.

So, I snuck out of my house, trying to avoid the questions my mother undoubtedly had for me, and headed for Munro's house.

I stopped at his front door, taking several deep breaths to calm myself. Every time I had talked to Sam I had taken careful measure to think about what I wanted to say. With Munro I was winging it. It made me nervous as hell.

I gathered every last bit of strength I had left, and knocked. Thomas answered.

"What are you doing here?" the accusation in his voice was clear.

"I really, really need to talk to Munro…I screwed up."

"I don't really think Munro's in a talking mood right now. In fact, he locked himself in his room, and I can't get him to come out."

"Please Thomas; I need to at least try."

"For his sake or for yours?"

I thought about his question only for a moment before answering, "Both."

He stood there glaring at me, taking note of my red, puffy eyes and tear stained face. "You have ten minutes, got it?"

I flung myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck. "You're the best, you know that? I owe you big time."

"You both do," I heard Thomas mutter under his breath as I raced up the stairs.

-Munro's Point of View-

I royally screwed up. Like, I had never, ever felt like such an idiot.

I was staring at my ceiling, expecting it to tell me how to mend the shatters of mine and Aislinn's friendship, not to mention my heart, when there was a soft knock at my door.

"Thomas, I've told you at least a million times that I don't want to talk right now."

"How do you feel about listening?"

I sat up as soon as I heard Aislinn's voice ring out on the other end of the door. She sounded out of breath, and her voice had a tiny hitch in it that told me she had been crying. But she didn't sound angry anymore. I tried to keep my hope at bay, but it was hard.

"I honestly don't know how I feel right now, exactly," I answered cautiously, getting up and waking to the door. I placed my hand over the knob, but didn't open it just then.

"Munro, I am beyond sorry. I told you before that I'm only running on a few hours of sleep, but that's not really an excuse. I really don't have a good reason for yelling at you like I did…except that your confession frightened me. Terrified me, actually. Because, if I'm being honest with myself, I love you, too. And there are just a million ways this could screw everything up. Sam is safe because, although I like him, I'll never feel the way about him that I do about you"

She stopped and I heard her breath catch in her throat as I flung my door open, getting a good look at her face. "You really mean it…you feel the same way?"

She met my gaze, her blue eyes incredibly clear. "Yes, I really do. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm with Sam right now. He and I really need to talk."

I didn't hear anything she said after 'yes'. There was just too much joy in my brain to allow for any other kind of information to be processed.

She was staring at me like a dog just waiting to be kicked, but all I could do was smile and laugh. "I forgive you, Aislinn. I forgive you anything and everything. I can't help it."

"I know; I really should have figured this out sooner, huh?" She smiled at me then, small and sad, but she was gorgeous, and I simply had to know what it felt like…

I leaned in quickly, my lips seizing hers in a hungry attack. She gasped, surprised, before responding.

I couldn't believe this was happening…I was kissing Aislinn, and she was kissing me back, and I had never been happier.

-Aislinn's Point of View-

I was dizzy. Everything had happened so fast. And now the impossible was being done…

Munro was kissing me. Not Eli kissing Clare; Munro was kissing me. And it could not have been more different.

But it was the best kind of different.

All my thoughts of Sam fell away as I kissed Munro back, matching his urgency.

And the world faded away.

Sorry for the amount of cheese at the end. Something tells me most you won't mind too much, though.

Believe it or not, this is not the last chapter. I still have a couple more before this comes to a close, but the end is near.

Thank you so much for reading. You're all amazing!