Be sure to check out the premiere of my newest story Alone on a School Night which will go up shortly.
Remember to check out the DeGrassi Saviors website for clues for the latest story, the 200 pictures gallery as well as news. Some of you may already know I'm beginning to take some of my stories from here and convert them to be publishable works; in other words taking out anything with a copywrite or otherwise owned by someone else. I'll be posting more on this later and have links on the DeGrassi Saviors page, as well as possibly my profile pate.
Alright enjoy this chapter!
Ch. 6 Every Night Tears Come Down From My Eyes
(DREW)
"How was the movie?" Mom asks when we get home from movie night.
"Fine," Adam and I both reply together.
"I'm going to take a shower," Adam says.
"I'm going to play video games in the basement, I'm not tired," I tell Mom.
"Alright don't stay up too late, I'm going to bed," Mom replies.
She hugs us both and then she and Adam go upstairs. I turn on the basement TV but I don't turn on the gaming system, I'm too pumped from what Julian taught us this evening. I get up and start practicing the punches, I must do it for a while because Adam's voice startles me.
"What are you doing?"
I turn around, Adam is in pajamas but his hair is still wet. He's giving me a concerned look as he comes down the stairs.
"Just full of energy felt like working out," I reply.
"By shadowboxing?" Adam questions and the only response I can think of is to shrug.
"Let's play video games, I'm guessing you're not that tired either," I comment hopping over the back of the sofa to sit down.
"Okay but will you tell me where you and Clare really were during the rest of the movie, and what you were doing?" Adam requests sitting next to me as I put on the gaming system.
"We were just talking, in the memorial garden," I lie. I'm worried about telling him what we were really doing because he'll worry. Well Clare wasn't learning to fight but I'm not sure telling him Clare was hiding from Eli is the best idea either.
Adam finally sighs and takes a controller, I think he believes me but I'm not sure. We play video games until after three in the morning before we go to bed. It takes me a while to get to sleep and at first I have a dream about the video games Adam and I were playing. But then my dream shifts and the guy with the gun turns into Vince, I mash on the video game controller but it does nothing so I toss it and try to fight him but all I can do is punch, I punch the gun and Vince shoots me.
"AAAAGHHH," I scream sitting up rapidly and panting hard. I'm sweating, my blankets are soaked and my door bursts open as Adam runs into my room.
"Are you okay? You were screaming bloody murder," Adam says coming over to my bed.
"Yeah it was just a dream," I reply falling back against my pillow as I notice the sun is out. "Where's Mom and Dad?"
"Out running errands. Drew these nightmares aren't getting any better and you couldn't even sit through the movie last night with Marisol," Adam says sitting on the edge of my bed.
"Going out with Marisol was a mistake and being at a dark movie wasn't great either," I reply.
"That's my point Drew you're afraid all time, you're having nightmares every night you need help Drew."
"I'm fine Adam, I just need some time now will you get out so I can get dressed?" I request.
Adam gives me a look but he does leave my room. I get up and get dressed, I think about what Adam said but the only time I haven't been worried about Vince and his gang is when I was with Julian and Owen fighting. After dressing and using the washroom, getting deodorant on and checking my hair I go down to the kitchen and make breakfast. Adam must be in the basement but he comes up while I'm eating breakfast.
"Clare called, she was worried about you, said she texted last night and never heard back from you. I told her we stayed up late and you slept in," Adam comments sitting down at the table with me.
"Shit my phone was still on silent from the movie and she must have had a nightmare. Is she okay?"
"She said she was fine and got back to sleep. I told her you'd call," Adam tells me.
"Thanks I'll go call her now."
"What about the rest of your breakfast?" Adam questions as I get up from the table.
"I'm not that hungry you finish it," I reply running up the stairs and retrieving my phone. I see Clare's text asking if I'm awake. I click on her picture and the phone icon to call her and she answers almost instantly.
"Guess Adam told you I was worried."
"Yeah sorry I slept right through your text, woke up after a nightmare of my own a short time ago. I didn't mean to worry you."
"It's okay Adam said you were up late. You want to talk about the nightmare?"
"No it's okay, I was actually thinking of calling Julian to see if he could teach me more. Do you want to come?"
"I don't know if Julian would like that, and I have to spend the afternoon with Mom, Jake and Glen. They really want us to do things together. Just promise me you'll be careful Drew," Clare pleads.
"I'll be alright and I'll make sure my phone is on if you need me tonight," I tell her before we hang up.
After hanging up with Clare I call Julian, he says I can come over and gives me his address. He's pretty close so I get my shoes on, grab my wallet and phone then call to Adam that I'm going to Julian's. It's not until I'm walking down the street that I start to feel like I'm being watched and I run the rest of the way. I ring the bell and lean on the wall to catch my breath.
"Did you run all the way here?" Julian asks.
"Yeah," I nod.
Julian shrugs and steps aside so I can come in and takes me to his room. It's pretty messy, Mom would have our hides if Adam and I let our room get this dirty, but he has a big punching bag hanging from his ceiling. Before he says anything I picture the punching bag as Vince and start hitting it as hard as I can, I send it swinging and Julian catches it.
"Hold it Hurricane you keep punching like that you're going to break your hand."
"Sorry just got some pent up anger," I tell him.
"Yeah I can tell, just take a breath alright. We'll work in the living room my parents are gone for the day we'll just have to clear some space, you can leave your stuff in here," Julian tells me.
I take off my shoes and socks, take my wallet and phone out of my jeans before Julian gives me a pair of sweat shorts to wear. I change in his washroom and we start walking back to the living room.
"About that girl watching us last night, Clare right?" Julian questions as we begin moving his furniture so there's space.
"Yeah Clare, don't worry she won't say anything," I reply.
"No I don't care about that, I wanted to know if she'd go out with me she's hot."
"No," I reply quickly and Julian gives me a look, "she just got out of a bad relationship not a good time to ask her out. She even ran from her date last night."
Julian shrugs and we finish moving furniture. He has me stand in a fighting stance to be ready and he does the same across from me. All I can think is that if I learn as much dirty fighting as I can Vince won't be able to get to me ever again. I spend a couple hours with Julian, we do various punches and elbow strikes first and then kicks and knees. Julian has us stop before his parents get home and get all the furniture back into place then we go up to his room, I change in his washroom again before getting my stuff.
"Thanks Julian I feel better," I smile.
"No problem we'll do more Monday, I talked Armstrong into giving me the key to the gym for extra practices at lunch. If we're going to do it after school we may need an alternitive," Julian tells me.
"Cool I'll see you Monday," I grin before leaving his house.
I still feel a little exposed walking home but I start punching the air on my way back, pretending it's Vince's face and I feel better. When I get home, going to the basement door, Adam is down here playing video games with Eli. After Clare told me she was hiding from Eli last night my instinct is to punch him but I refrain.
"Hey Drew," Adam nods to me without looking away from the game.
"I'm going to shower," I reply going up to my room.
After I shower and get dressed again, including a clean shirt because the one I wore to Julian's is all sweaty now, I go down to the kitchen to get some lunch and our parents come home. I spend the rest of the afternoon in my room to stay away from Eli. Unfortunately Eli stays for dinner and I still want to punch him but I stop myself, at least his Mom picks him up after dinner. After we clean up from dinner Adam and I watch TV in the basement until going to bed. I fall asleep pretty quickly but it doesn't take long for the nightmare to begin, I'm just in the worst part of it when the sound of my phone ringing wakes me up. I reach over to my nightstand and hit accept without even looking at who it is, I don't need to only person calls me at this hour.
"You have no idea how good your timing is," I say into the phone.
"A bad one?" Clare asks.
"Yeah and weird too, I was fighting Julian just sparring at his house and then I was hitting Eli a…"
"Why were you hitting Eli?" Clare interjects before I can finish.
"Well he was here today playing video games with Adam, and you told me you were hiding from him at movie night but you never said why."
"He cornered me as I was trying to leave, he wanted to talk but he shoved me into some lockers. I was scared so I kicked him and ran," she confesses and now I want to punch him more.
"Next time I see him I will punch him."
"No don't do that I don't want you getting in trouble and you didn't tell me the rest of your dream."
We talk for over an hour before hanging up because we're tired. I fall asleep soon after hanging up with Clare this time I only dream of punching Eli for scaring her.
(CLARE)
"Clare I'm leaving for school," Jake calls up the stairs while I'm trying to hide the dark circles under my eyes with makeup. He came over an hour ago with his dad and has been helping him working on the downstairs while I get ready for school.
"Coming," I call back setting the makeup down. You can still see the dark circles but it will have to do. "By Mom, bye Glen," I call bounding down the stairs and out to Jake's truck.
"In a hurry to get to school?" Jake teases unlocking the truck and we get in. "Or are you just trying to hide the dark circles?" Jake asks as he starts the truck.
"Are they that obvious?"
"Have you slept at all in the last few nights? I thought the nightmares were getting better?"
"They were but yesterday my dad called, he heard from someone that Mom is dating Glen. I don't know if he's trying to compete or what but he wants me to meet that woman now. I don't want to meet her it's not the same as my mom dating your dad. Mom and Glen knew each other and just began dating, after the divorce proceedings began. My dad has been cheating on my mom with this woman for who knows how long. I don't want to meet this woman, not now and maybe not ever."
"You don't have to meet her Clare and he can't force you to. But if you're dad only called yesterday why didn't you sleep last night or the night before?"
"Well Friday night when I left the movie, I was about to leave when Eli grabbed me and shoved me into some lockers. He wanted to talk, I told him I wanted to go home but he wouldn't let me go. He was scary, sort of crazed. I was afraid he was really going to hurt me so I kicked him and ran. I ran into Drew and stayed with him and I guess Eli went home but he's been in my dreams the last few nights," I confess.
"If he does something like that again you'd better tell me," Jake says as he parks at the school.
"Hey I did kick him and get away I can take care of myself," I retort.
"I have no doubts I still want to hear about it, from what little I've seen of and heard about Eli he's dangerous," Jake comments while we grab our backpacks and begin walking into school.
"Eli's just passionate and he has trouble letting go of things. His first love ran out of his house after an argument and got hit by a car. She was killed and then he began hoarding a…"
"None of that makes me feel any better about him," Jake comments cutting me off.
"I can handle Eli," I assert.
"Okay you can handle him I still want to hear about it if he bothers you again," Jake asserts and I roll my eyes. "There's Katie, I'll see you later Clare, and stay away from Eli," Jake insists before running over to Katie.
I smile and go inside, Jake and Katie are cute together. I walk inside and start heading for my locker when Drew runs over to me.
"You know we're going to start looking like raccoons if this keeps up," Drew comments running his thumb under my eye.
"Yeah that's us the racoon twins. Did you get back to sleep last night?" I inquire.
"Yeah at about three, what about you?"
"Yeah shortly after we hung up but I woke up a couple hours later after a dream where my dad forced me to marry Eli because I wouldn't meet Dad's girlfriend," I reply twisting my face at this thought.
"Has Eli bugged you again?"
"Not since Friday but I don't really want to see him today either."
"I can always hit him," Drew offers.
"No I don't want you to get into trouble. Jake already insisted that I tell him if Eli bothers me again."
"I knew I liked Jake," Drew grins. "Why don't you come over after school, you and Adam can do homework until he goes to his therapy appointment and then maybe we can take a nap. At least then if we have a nightmare we'll be together," Drew offers.
"Yeah that sounds good," I smile.
"Good then I'll see you at lunch," Drew grins.
"Lunch? Are we eating lunch together?" I question.
"No Julian got the key to the gym to show us more MMA, you'll come and watch right?"
"Yeah I'll be there."
Drew's grin grows a little and he walks off. I walk to my locker and open it, I start getting out books when Adam comes to his locker.
"Hey Clare," Adam greets me.
"Hi Adam," I reply closing my locker. "Drew invited me over after school," I tell him and he closes his locker arching an eyebrow at me.
"You would tell me if you two were dating right?"
"Adam! There's nothing going on between me and Drew, he just thought you and I could do homework together until you left for your appointment. And then maybe Drew and I can get some sleep, at least if we have nightmares we'll already be together."
"That's the best idea I've heard in a while, you two are starting to look like raccoons."
"Yeah I know and now my dad's stressing me out, you know between him and Eli I haven't even had a nightmare about Vince since Thursday night."
"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Adam replies.
"Neither am I," I respond as we start walking to class.
"Heard from your dad again?"
"Not since yesterday but he's bound to try again. I don't know how else to tell him I don't want to meet his girlfriend."
"Well you don't live with him just tell him you're not ready for that. I told Eli to back off when he came over on Saturday and that what he did was not cool, he said he'd back off but you should still be careful."
"Yeah, thankfully I have no classes with Eli and I'll keep my distance from him in the halls," I reply as we sit at our desks.
"If he doesn't back off tell me," Adam asserts.
"You sound like your brother and Jake," I reply and Adam laughs.
(DREW)
"Hey Drew," Jake greets me as we're both entering English class.
"Hi Jake, so Clare told you about Friday night?"
"About Eli? Yeah I told her to tell me if he does that again. I still think we should talk to him," Jake replies sitting at his desk.
"Agreed," I reply just as Eli walks in. He sneers at us both before sitting at his desk.
"We'll get him after class," Jake whispers to me and I nod.
Katie and Marisol come into class, Katie grins at Jake while Marisol glares at me like she wants me to die. Miss Dawes begins class by reading a short story to us and then we're supposed to take the theme of it and write our own short story, we have to turn in a final draft on Friday. I have no idea what the theme was and spend all of class wondering what I'm doing in this class. Actually I wonder what Eli is doing in this class, I thought he was supposed to be really good at English. Jake and I leave class together and wait for Eli outside the door, and when he exits Jake grabs him and we take him down the hall.
"Let go of me you…" Eli starts and I shove him against the wall.
"Didn't Clare tell you to let her go?"
"Stay away from her Eli, from what I can tell she's better without you," Jake says. Eli snarls at us but with a bunch of kids staring at us we let Eli go and turn away from him. "So any idea what the theme of that story Dawes read to us was?" Jake questions as we walk away from Eli.
"Not a clue, I'll ask Adam and Clare later, she's coming over to do homework with Adam after school."
"I'll probably ask Katie, she is editor of the school paper so she must be good at English and we both have a spare 3rd period."
"Guess you were happy with your date to movie night," I grin.
"Yeah we actually get along well," Jake smiles.
"That's cool, you two are cute together. You think you can convince Marisol not to kill me?"
"Good luck," Jake laughs as we part to go to our different classes.
"We'll meet Julian at the gym after class. If a teacher or someone else comes we're just practicing drills," Owen says when I get into auto shop.
"Cool," I nod. I know when Eli walks into class because I can feel him trying to stare holes into me.
"Whoa if looks could kill. What's that about? Is he still jealous that you're friends with Clare?" Owen asks.
"Yeah probably but that look is actually more likely because Jake and I confronted him after class for scaring Clare on Friday night."
"She said she was hiding from him. Do you know what he did?"
"She said he grabbed her and shoved her into some lockers wanting to talk so she kicked him and ran."
"I still don't get what she ever saw in him," Owen shrugs.
"Yeah me either. She's coming to watch us at lunch," I tell him.
"You mean she's coming to watch you," Owen grins. I don't have time to shoot back a reply as Mr. Ehl begins class.
When auto shop is over Owen and I washup and walk out together. We get to the gym and find it open, Julian is already in here with Clare.
"Lock that door, I have the other one locked and we'll work away from the windows again. Remember that if someone does come in we're just working on agility and strength drills," Julian says as he begins setting out mats.
Clare is sitting on the bleachers and waves to us as I lock the door. Owen and I go into the locker room to change into our gym clothes so we're not trying to fight in jeans. Clare watches us and eats her lunch while Julian shows Owen and I various moves and we practice on each other. It's like wrestling and kickboxing which I've never done, but there are even some elements of football, of course karate and other martial arts are mixed in.
We stop 20 minutes before lunch is over, we clean up and change and then the three of us hurry to get something to eat before the bell rings. Owen and I stuff the last of our lunch into our mouth before going into our 3rd period communications class. Bianca is in class but barely looks at either of us. In 4th period Owen and I get paired for a project due in two weeks. He has hockey practice tomorrow morning so we'll do MMA after school, Julian will let us know where, and we agree to start working on the project at lunch tomorrow.
When I get out to the steps after school I find Adam and Clare waiting for me. We walk home together and get a snack before sitting down to do our homework. Clare and Adam explain to me what Miss Dawes read and what the theme of it was, and then they help me think of something to write for my short story. Even though I only have homework for two classes they still manage to finish before me.
"So what are we doing for your birthday Adam?" Clare questions since his birthday is Wednesday.
"Well I was going to do a party on Saturday but…"
"Adam you should have a party you're turning sixteen and I would hope Eli and I could put things aside for one night for our best friend," Clare encourages him.
"Are you sure? I want you both there but I don't want you to be uncomfortable," Adam comments.
"I'm sure Adam, I want to celebrate your birthday. Besides it's not like we'll be the only three there, Drew will be there and your other friends," Clare says.
"She's right Adam you should have a party, even if Eli is there," I remark and Clare gives me a wry smile which Adam doesn't notice.
"I'll talk to Mom tonight," Adam grins.
"ADAM TIME TO GO," Mom hollers from upstairs.
"I'll see you both later, try and get some sleep," Adam says as he gets up. Adam runs upstairs to leave for his appointment and I look at Clare.
"I can put the TV on," I offer and Clare nods.
I turn on the TV and find something mindless and easy to watch. Clare gets comfortable on the other end of the sofa, I lie down and in a few minutes my eyes close. We're not next to each other but I know she's close and that's comforting enough that it lets us both get to sleep. Our bodies must need the sleep because we sleep for hours, we sleep through dinner and I don't wake up until I hear her sobbing quietly and I sit up. Assuming she had a nightmare I move over sitting next to her and wrap her in my arms. She turns into me and sobs on my chest soaking my shirt with tears. It's kind of funny but I don't remember dreaming at all, if I had a nightmare then her crying brought me out of it and wiped it from my mind entirely. Even after she stops crying she stays in my arms, her hand tugging at a fold of my jeans from the way I'm sitting.
"Must have been a bad nightmare," I comment.
"It wasn't a nightmare, not really I was dreaming about my dad. I can't understand why he would do that, how he could be that unhappy. Did he even try to work things out with my mom? If they stayed together for us I wish that they hadn't, finding out this late and the way I did I'll never look at my dad the same. I hate him for what he did to my mom, to me."
I don't know what to say to her, how to comfort her. I cheated on Alli with Bianca but I'm a teenage guy, I'm not married, and I don't have kids, and Alli and I had barely been dating a month. I can't offer any reason for what her dad did or give her any comforting words. So I just keep holding her and gently stroke her hair the way my mom used to do when I was little. After some time she sits up and wipes her eyes, I can barely see her in the dim moonlight filtering through the basement curtains.
"I guess I should probably get home," she remarks.
"Clare it's late look how dark it is," I reply and look at the kitchen to see the clock on the microwave. "It's after eleven, we've been asleep for seven hours, we slept through dinner, I'm pretty sure my mom called yours to say you were sleeping over. Are you hungry? I'm sure there's dinner for us upstairs I can heat it up."
"I am pretty hungry," she nods.
We go up to the kitchen and I do indeed find the remains of the soup Mom made for dinner. I heat the pot on the stove and put some bread in the toaster for us. We take our dinner down to the basement and I put the TV back on, someone must have turned it off when they got home. We watch TV and eat dinner, washing our dishes down here when we're done. We're not tired any more so we watch a movie, when it ends I make sure to put the rest of the soup back in the fridge upstairs now that the pot has cooled down. We watch a couple of movies finally falling asleep again around three in the morning and are then woken just after six by Mom coming downstairs to get us up.
"Clare sweetie I'll run you home in a few moments so you can get ready for school," Mom tells her.
"Thanks Audra," Clare smiles.
She yawns and stretches, her shirt is askew from sleeping and I notice a mark on her arm that was hidden by her sleeve. I move over and pull her sleeve down to clearly see the mark, a fading bruise but now I see another on her other arm in nearly the same place. I know instantly who did it but I want confirmation.
"Did Eli do that?"
She looks away biting her lip, nodding slowly is response. I tense up, my fist clenching instinctually, Clare notices and puts her hand on my clenched fist. At the feel of her hand on mine I force a breath out.
"I kicked him and he hasn't done anything since, he has trouble letting go but I think he got the point."
"I know his moods can be unpredictable just be careful."
"I will," she smiles.
Clare gets up to get her shoes on and grab her stuff then she leaves with Mom a few minutes later. I get up and go upstairs to change into clean clothes, after changing I go into the washroom and get ready for school. When I get downstairs to have breakfast Adam is eating breakfast and Mom is back from dropping Clare at home.
"Well at least you two got some sleep," Mom remarks.
"Maybe Clare should just move in, at least then they'd both get sleep," Adam says with a somewhat sarcastic tone but I think he's actually serious. I think I'd actually be happy if Clare moved in.
"Seems like she should at least sleep over one or two nights a week, or you should sleep there. Does appear that the only way both of you get a good night's sleep is when you're close. At least until you both are able to…" Mom pauses and looks at me. I'm pretty sure she was going to say get over our fear but she doesn't finish that sentence. "Well for the next couple of months anyway," Mom says before she goes upstairs.
"I'm having my party on Saturday, texted everyone last night, well besides you and Clare. They're all coming, Mom and Dad will be out, six to midnight at the house. I'll tell Clare at school," Adam informs me.
"Cool so who's coming?"
"Alli, Jenna, Hannah, Connor, Dave, Wes, K.C., Fiona and Eli. And you and Clare obviously, Jenna said Lisa would babysit so she could come."
I smile and finish breakfast, Mom takes us to school. Adam stops to talk to Dave and Wes just inside the foyer and I walk to my locker. I see Eli talking to Imogen and I'm tempted to go over and hit him for what he did but I stop myself. Instead I open my locker, stash my books and leave their vicinity before I'm tempted to hit him again. I wish he wasn't also Adam's best friend because I don't want him at the party or anywhere near Clare, but I'll keep him away and I'm sure Jake will help.
Update soon either starting later the same day or the following day which is Adam's birthday. Next to go up will be the premier of Alone on a School Night.