a/n: So yea i know it's been a little while since i have published a new chapter but trust me I have been in a writers rut! This chapter was quite hard to write with balancing out the depressing people moments of drama with the happiness I wanted to lead into the next chapter which will be full of happiness! I hope..Anyways happy early 4th of July here is my gift to you Chapter 6 of Holding Back the Truth. (: Enjoy though it is kind of lenghtly.

Thank you to everyone who has been commenting on this fanfic especially the ones who do on almost every chapter, from the begining to now, or with positive reviews that i can't help but smile at. You know who you are, but if you don't thanks to: KarenIsCoolio, XxRed-as-a-RubyxX, xBreakingxSanityx, 927natalie, and lastly Marie Beau. Thank you all for your advise and reasurence with this story it means so much to me and I love the critism you have given me, it hopefully can only make me better. (:

Italics as always mean thoughts and or prayers, noises, songs, text that is being read or written, a text, to add emphasis and flash backs.

Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi no matter how much I wish that I did, or the Band Relient K, their song 'The one I'm waiting for' either. I only own this idea for a story/fanfiction.

Chapter 6: One Call is all it Takes

Tyler's POV

"Okay well I'm going to go get ready. Thanks for super CeCe." I pushed my chair back from the table causing an awful screeching noise to be produced. "Sorry." I quickly spoke my face turning three different shades of red.

"It's okay Tyler, have fun." My Aunt CeCe told me. She was always so bright and cheery. Of course you wouldn't have thought that when you first saw her. She wore leather, band tees, and lots of metal. CeCe looked like she had stepped out of an 80's rock video. She even had the hair down! However, once you really got to know her she was nice, caring, and optimistic.

Rushing into my room, I dropped to the floor in front of my bed and pulled up the new gray and blue comforter, searching for my bag, I found it near the head of my bed it was just out of my reach. Standing up I walked over to the other side of my bed and reached for the black over-night bag. Getting my fingers around one of the straps, I pulled it towards me. Looking at it in the light I saw something move making me scream. Leaning in closer to see what it was I screamed again - even louder this time. There sitting on my bag as if it were perfectly normal was a huge hairy brown spider, a little smaller then the size of a half-dollar.

"ELI! Come up here! Now!" I shouted as loud as I could, not taking my eyes of the intruder.

I could hear his feet hitting the stairs as he came running into my room. "Where's the fire?" he asked jokingly while painting.

"Oh, Haha Eli not funny, now come here." He didn't move just crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the doorframe. "Please?"

"That's more like it, now whats the problem?" I stepped back pointing to the bag at my feet.

"So there's a bag, big deal." I could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"No. On. The. Bag." I pointed in the direction of the creepy-crawly. Eli just gave a confused look in my direction. "Spider. Brown. Big. Kill it!" I whined.

Eli looked at the bag again this time noticing my uninvited guest. "Oh it's just a spider, nothing to be scared of." He stepped closer to it and I stepped farther away from it.

"It's huge! That is something to be scared of." I shuddered when I glanced at the spider again, who still had not moved from its spot on my bag.

Eli kneeled down in front of it with a look in his face as if he was staring at an adorable puppy not a spider. My cousin was strange. "And why am I up here?"

I sighed rubbing my forehead. "Because I want the spider gone out of my room! It's creepy, and I want you to get rid of it okay? God, Eli just kill it, or take it somewhere, put it in your room, give it to Adam, or eat it I don't know! I don't care what you do with it just get it out of here!" this time he sighed shaking his head while giving me a look. Reaching his hands out he coaxed the spider into his palm using his other hand to cover it up so it would not jump or fall out of his hands. "I hope he bites you." I joked while sticking out my tongue.

"Your welcome." he responded while walking out of the room and into to his. Oh, my lord he was going to keep it!

"Thank you Eli!" I shouted at him before he shut his door.

Snatching my bag off the ground and dusting it off I went over to my dresser and started to throw some clothes into the bag. Taking a quick shower and brushing my teeth, I changed into a clean pair of faded jeans and a short-sleeved white v-neck with my new black vest.

Remembering about church in the morning, I went over to my closet grabbing a nice dress outfit.

The doorbell rang while I was walking into the living room. Right on time. I thought to myself while opening the door. "Hey Tyler, are you ready?" Clare smiled.

"All set. I'm leaving CeCe!" I announced before shutting the door behind me.

I followed Clare to her car and got in back behind the passenger seat. It was a quick drive over to her house. Grabbing my bag, I stepped out.

"Okay Clare, I'm going to be at the condo call if you need anything. Your mom should be home in about an hour though." her dad told her. I couldn't help but notice the certain way he had said your mom. It just wasn't right. I would have to ask Clare about it later.

Nodding her head, she waved goodbye to the back end of her father's speeding car as it rounded the corner not being able to get off this block fast enough for his liking. Clare's arm dropped to her side limply. Without giving me a pacing glance she quickly walked past me taking the lead, we slowly walked up her sidewalk to her house. Now I was worried about her; anyone could tell something was wrong. There was a certain feeling in the air around us, a certain tension, that was caused by her father's words. A tension that was not going to be letting up anytime soon by the looks of it. With her shoulders drooping more and more with each shuffled step to the door, I heard a small quiet sigh escape her lips. Things weren't going to be peachy and pleasant the remainder of the time I was here, it occurred to me. Things were not right in the Edward's Household; I had to give it to Clare though, she was good at hiding her pain. Something she probably learned from Eli no doubt. I've seen a lot of pain in my lifetime and personally experienced a lot of pain myself, and I didn't pick up on it. Maybe I was blinded by my own suffering or I just didn't want to see it, just wanted one friend not to be suffering from something.

Alli: Drew cheating on her then lying about it.

Eli: Julia's death, correction; her murder.

Adam: Constantly being bullied because of who he was.

Jenna: Having a boyfriend who was half-in half-out about her pregnancy and his child.

It was a hopeful wish. A hopeful, stupid, idiotic, senseless, wish that I didn't have the right to wish.

I continued to follower her though, without protest, without saying anything about the thoughts in my head about what was going on here. One thing I have learned about being in pain is that you will tell people the cause of the agony when your ready not when their ready. Therefore, I wouldn't push it and I would give Clare her time.

While this realization was happening to me, another was happening to her.

Clare's POV

I was shaken up by my father's words, I'm not entirely sure why though. If it was by that hateful underlying tone in his voice and his words, that hid behind that innocent grin he plastered onto his face everyday, or that fact that the divorce was final, the papers were written up just waiting for the final stamp of approval. Nothing would change my parents' minds. Not even a daughter who was breaking down from the inside-out right before their ignorant eyes. All they cared about now was getting away from each other, in life, in marriage, in the eyes of the law; if that meant avoiding the problems their daughter was facing then so be it. I just prayed that it wouldn't last long.

Reaching the steps, I reached out with my hand for the railing, missing, losing my balance only being saved by my side slamming against the railing itself causing it to wobble back and forth. Regaining my composer, I steadied myself trying again to grab a hold of the rusted black metal railing. This time I was successful, smiling in victory, I looked down at my hand that was gripping tight to the tiny frame. My hand was shaking, not a lot, but enough to be noticed. Quickly I pulled my hand away hiding it away in my jacket pocket from Tyler. She couldn't see this, not now, please God not now. Soon I could feel my whole body shaking with violent tremors as I tried to unlock the door.

I dropped the key cursing my self in my head but maybe Tyler wouldn't notice with this distraction, muttering my apologies I stood back up sliding the key into the appropriate lock on the door. Stepping inside I breathed in deep trying to hold in the tears that were - for reasons unknown to me - starting to cloud my eyes. Was this what a mental breakdown felt like?

I hoped not. I always thought it would be obvious to everyone - the person having it and everyone standing around watching - why, or at least most everyone. That at least the person having one would have some idea why no matter how tiny or stupid the reason may be, but I didn't and this might be my mental breakdown. So maybe, not…?

I heard Tyler's footstep behind me then stopping for what I assumed would be so she could hang-up her coat on a hook.

Quickly walking in the direction of the kitchen I told Tyler, "You can sit your bag down by the couch and pick something to watch on the television I'm going to get us something to eat." I didn't turn around to see her face; I was not going to risk it.

"Okay…" she replied with a hint of concern in her voice.

Maybe she knew what was going on with me. Did she see my hand shaking when it was on the railing? My tremors? In her eyes was I having a breakdown? Or did I just look completely normal to her? More questions swam through my head as I made my way over to the fridge.

Tyler's POV

It was becoming more and more clear to me that Clare was not okay, by any means. Ditching what I had learned about pain I followed her into the kitchen shortly after she had gone in, asking on my way through the doorway, "Clare, is everything all right?"

My eyes widened at the sight of Clare on her tiptoes leaning half her body over the sink with tears running down her face like a waterfall as they went down the drain, some clinging to the walls of the sink. It looked like she was about to be sick. Slowly I made my way over to her resting a hand on her back while I spoke just as slowly her name. "Clare."

Startled she looked at me confused for a moment making the tears momentarily stop their descent down her wet cheeks. Realizing it was me the tears came back to her and she turned her head so she was staring back at the drain, watching the tears slide down.

Again, I said her name, this time it didn't grab her attention. "Clare. Clare what's going on?"

She did not look up at me but at least this time she answered me. "So much…" She whispered not finishing. Putting my arm around her back incase she slipped I gently pulled Clare down and away from the sinks edge; she didn't protest. I walked her over to the dinning table and motioned for her to sit in one of the chairs; she did exactly that, her elbows meeting the tabletop while her hands caught her head. I took the seat across from her not sure who I should call. Her dad? No way, not a chance. If anything, he was the cause of this. Her mom? She was still at work. Eli? Adam? Alli?

They all had the potential to over react before Clare could get out what she seemed to need to.

Before I had a chance to think about it anymore she started talking again. " M-my parents are getting a d-di-divorce and they wouldn't even tell me before it was almost final. Th-they always taught my sister Darcy and me to cherish a marriage, especially when that marriage was yours. They told us to not rush into things and make sure you did love the person the way that you thought you did before you made such a big commitment like marriage. All the while they were growing apart and staring to resent each other. They hid it though, of course. Maybe they thought it would get better I don't know but they had told both of us their marriage, their commitment as the example of that kind of ideal marriage. Turns out it was the kind that they always wanted us to avoid." She took in a deep, shaky, breath not looking up at me. She shouldn't feel ashamed by all of this. She shouldn't have to feel that way.

"What's happening to them doesn't have to do with you Clare; it's not because of you. It isn't your fault." I looked at her concerned even more now.

"I, I know that now, but they're too caught up in their own hate for each other that they don't even realize I'm there anymore or h-how it's affecting me. I could just leave one day and they wouldn't know till someone asked them where I was." Wiping her eyes Clare sniffed loudly and looked me in the eye. "It just isn't fair."

"No it's not fair at all Clare." I went over to where she was sitting and gave her a tight hug.

"Thanks for listening to me whine Tyler." Clare half-smiled at me.

"You weren't whining Clare." She just shrugged not really believing me. "Anytime you need to talk I'm here for you okay? Don't even hesitate. I'm not the only one who is here for you though, you've got Eli, Adam, and Alli too." she nodded.

"I know." Clare gave me another hug whispering in my ear, "Thanks."

Clare's POV

Watching the credits roll across my television screen for 'Mama Mia!' I looked to my left and saw Tyler fast asleep in my dad's recliner. A shot of pain went through my heart but I quickly recovered from it.

"The item isn't the memory Eli, the memory's in your head, not in this, bucket." I told him, never breaking eye contact.

"But, but what if I forget?" he asked me holding the popcorn bucket tightly to his chest.

"You won't." I replied instantly. If he was going to get past his hording, I could not hesitate in the slightest with a simple question like this or he wouldn't believe me.

Holding the yellow bucket over the trash, he clutched the rim in his hand, and then he clenched his eyes shut turning his head away to the side and dropped it. After a few minutes he still hadn't opened his eyes. Reaching out my hands, I grasped his between both of mine. Slowly his eyelids fluttered open; I smiled at him trying to reassure him that everything would be all right.

Looking into those beautiful green eyes of his I spoke confidently, "You did good today Eli, we don't have to do anymore for now if you don't want to." he just nodded.

The flash back was over, it was from one of the many times that I had helped Eli clean his room. Some days were harder then this particular one I was taken back to, but he never gave up. That was one thing I admired about him; he never gave up on something when everyone else around him knew that he should. Sometimes it worked out for the best like it did on that day in his room.

I understood why I had come back to this certain memory, the recliner. My dad's recliner was apart of so many of my memories there were to many to count, but the recliner was not the memory. I knew that, it was something I had told Eli countless times during the process of getting rid of the things that he didn't need - like the popcorn bucket - though I had never actually knew what it had felt like for him to get rid of the item in question, for good. Now I did, and I realized how hard that it actually was. Seeing Tyler in the recliner looked wrong and it made me want to throw her out of it and never let her touch it again. It was the one thing that belonged to my dad that he hadn't taken with him when he moved out because he didn't have enough room for it in his hew house. I was holding onto it and the memories that went with it because it was the only thing that I had of him that could remind me of a happier time.

I quickly brushed the feelings away though because that recliner was just a chair, just a piece of furniture, not a memory, just a part of many memories.

Nudging Tyler's shoulder she stirred some before opening her eyes, rubbing at them she gave me a confused glance then looked towards the TV and sighed frowning. "I feel as sleep didn't I? I never get to finish that movie and I want to know what happens in the end, something in that movie always makes me fall asleep." Shrugging she stretched out her arms above her head. "So what do we do now?"

Looking at the clock on the way it was only eight at night, we had plenty of time before we should go to bed. "Uh, I guess we can just go up to my room and talk?" I suggested to her and asked at the same time.

"Okay." Tyler replied picking up her blanket and the bowl of popcorn that was sitting on the table. "Well, lead the way."

Once we had gotten into my room and settled I asked her, "So you and Adam eh?"

She spun around to face me her face visibly turning red and getting darker. "What do you mean 'you and Adam'?" I held back a large smile.

"Oh you know how you two are totally in love with each other." I said nonchalantly while dragging out the o in love.

"Clare! You know that's not true! Come on it's Adam were talking about here were just friends and you know that." Tyler's face was still a bright crimson red, making it obvious that she was lying.

Not wanting to let the subject go I kept talking, "Yeah the same Adam that's always starring at you when your in the room and talking about you constantly when your not. Yep it's pretty obvious he likes you."

Looking up from her bag, she looked doubtful, "Really?"

I nodded.

"Nah, even if I did like him, which I'm not saying I do, he wouldn't go for someone like me." She shook her head and went back to searching for something in her bag.

"Tyler I really think that-" I couldn't finish because Tyler cut me off.

"And that's that." She said in a huff throwing down her brush and walking into my bathroom. I knew how to take a hint when somebody did not want to talk about something but seriously? Throwing a tantrum, was that really necessary?

If Tyler hadn't of interrupted me I would of said to her I really thought he did like her and so did everyone else on planet earth. I would of sworn on a fifty foot stack of bibles if I had to prove my point, over dramatic I know but everyone else could see it why couldn't she?

We didn't talk that much afterwards not of anything involving Adam anyways, I wasn't stupid; no way would I be bringing that subject back up again. Crawling into my bed and under my sheets, I forgot all of my worries and the events of today when my head hit the pillow I was fast asleep and off to dreamland.

Eli's POV

There was a knock on my door that I decided to ignore. Turning over in my bed away from the door I starred at my shelf not taking anything in, it was just something for me to look at. Whoever it was did not seem to know how to take a message and knocked again. Silence from my end. After a few minutes had passed, I thought Maybe they finally went away. I could only hope. No one was going to ruin my Sunday morning if I had anything to do with it.

Falling into a light sleep the knocking returned. Angry I threw my black sheets back off my body and stomped over to the door. Yanking it open, I cringed at the sight. "What do you want." it was not a question, just a statement, just something to say to fill the awkwardness.

"What can't I come by and see a friend?" my uninvited guest stepped into my room, once again uninvited. I had to side step so he wouldn't trample me.

"No you can't, not on a Sunday morning at," I glanced at the analog clock hanging on my wall, "seven in the morning uninvited and full of cheer." I stayed by the door keeping it open. Maybe if I were rude and 100% unfriendly they would take the hint and leave.

Sadly, no such thing happened.

"Just because you have to get up for early Sunday church Adam doesn't mean that I have to too." sighing I moved away from the door and took a seat on the floor by my bed. If that wouldn't make him leave nothing would, or at least that's as much effort I was willing to put into getting him to leave right now.

"Okay look here's the thing; I need to talk to you about something." I just shook my head, typical Adam to stop by right when he needed to talk to me instead of being normal and calling me like everyone else on the planet.

"Well couldn't you have at least waited till it was a decent hour of the day?"

He put his hands up in defense, "Hey, don't get upset with me cranky head your moms the one who let me in and I quote 'Adam! Its so good to see you, we're leaving for the day, you and Eli can hangout but Eli won't wake up for me, maybe you'll have better luck. He just hates getting up early!' so here I am." He spoke surprising me how he had gotten my mothers perky tune just right. "And no I couldn't."

Getting up from the floor I dusted myself off and rested on the edge of the right corner almost eye level with him. Rushing a hand through my hair preparing for the worst I spoke calmly, "Okay sit down. Shoot."

Tyler's POV

I woke up in haze to the sounds of pots and pans banging together, looking to my left, Clare was gone. She must already be up, I thought. Untangling myself from the blankets that had seemed to wrap themselves around me in the middle of the night while I was asleep on the floor; I walked to the door and down the steps to the source of the noise. The kitchen. I saw Clare in front of the stove flip a pancake, catch it in the pan and not ruin the pancake at all. Something I could never successfully manage. "Wow, nice."

Startled she almost dropped the pan with the pancake resting inside of it, "Oh I didn't hear you come in." she stated, going back to focusing on the food cooking inside the pan.

"What are you doing?" It still felt like I was in a haze, in the in between of being asleep and being awake, so I felt like I should ask.

Laughing she tried her best to hold it in while she spoke, "Making breakfast of course! I got up and thought Hey, why not?" joining in on the laughter I grabbed a plate and a glass of milk and sat down at the table. Glancing at the clock on the stove it read 6:34 AM. It wasn't even eight yet and here I was up and fully awake now, getting ready to eat pancakes.

~After Breakfast~

"I didn't know you cooked so good Clare! Or that you really cooked at all…" I said while putting my dishes in the sink.

"Yeah, when my parents weren't fighting my sister, mom, and me would all cook together on the weekends, holidays, and stuff. Though Darcy wasn't very good." Clare replied.

Walking back to my chair I commented, "Well at least she tried." Clare nodded in response.

"So, on that note about my parents fighting…" she hesitated, losing confidence, apparently not sure about where she wanted this conversation to go anymore. Though she quickly decided, and continued. "I'm sorry about me kind of freaking out on you; I'm not even really sure why I did. I think it had something to do with what my dad said to me yesterday, it just didn't fit right with me. I've been getting stressed a lot about it lately; the way they act has been upsetting me more and more every time. Therefore, I apologize for going kind of psycho on you."

I just shrugged it off waving my hand in the air, as if it would brush off everything she had just said to a pile of non-important, nothing to fret over, words. If only that was truly possible. "I'm sorry too about how I kinda, sort of, freaked out on you, when…when you uh, you brought up Adam." Returning the gesture of shrugging and waving her hand in the air, Clare still wiggled her eyebrows at me like I had said I was crazy for him and her bringing him up set off a panic/jealously button inside of me. Perfectly explaining why I had acted the way that I had. Which it had, but I didn't tell her that or was I going too, but to her, it was completely 100% implied. All I could do was shake my head and try not to smile and give myself away.

All too soon, it was time to get ready for church, with me in a white spring dress with light sky blue embroidery, white flats with little silver buckles along the sides, and a gray and blue bolero. Clare on the other hand, wore a bright yellow dress with large and small whimsical purple flowers on it, with matching black flats. The outfit as a whole was amazing and made her blue eyes 'pop' even more then they already did.

At church I felt, well good. Great actually, it felt nice to be back and it felt safe, something I hadn't fully felt in a while; like I was feeling now. After reading from the bible and singing a few religious songs, we had a group prayer for people who were not there today, church members who were struggling with things like death, injury, divorce - when he said this I saw his eyes shift in the direction of Clare and her parents. Something that upset me a little because most of the older women spotted it too and followed his gaze - and family health problems. Lastly, we were lead in prayer for the people in Haiti and Japan who were still recovering from the devastating tragedies that had struck them resonantly. "Amen." we all chanted in unison.

As people in the back of the room started to file out of the pews and out the door, I quickly said a prayer for my brother. Dear lord, please let my brother be okay, I know that the chances of him being dead now are very high and getting higher every second but if he is still alive, please let my family get him back, guide the police to him please God, please. He's my little brother and I love him and miss him so much, I just want one thing in my life to go back to normal like it was before, and getting him back would mean everything to me. This prayer might be short but that doesn't mean I don't care enough, because I do. Even if you don't send Liam back to us at least keep him safe and alive please keep him alive. That's all I want. Amen.

Rising along with the rest of the people in my row, I kept my hands clasped together from my prayer; walking down the aisle, I followed the Edwards out of the building and to the car.

Adam's POV

It was Sunday afternoon and I was hanging out with Tyler after my talk with Eli, I still wasn't sure on what to do or where things stood for me but I decided to ignore them for the time being and just enjoy the time I was spending with Tyler right now.

I was trying to explain my favorite comic book to her to no avail my efforts were useless.

"I still don't understand why he hides behind the mask. I mean his undercover person is full of confidence and pride - he would be proud of his achievements as this super hero and for people to recognize him - he even said that he doesn't care at all if people knew who he really was. It makes absolutely no sense, what-so-ever." I couldn't help but smile at the confused look on her face as she shook her head back and forth slowly.

Sighing, I decided not to explain it to her, everything else didn't seem to make much sense to her either and this probably wouldn't as well. "It's complicated." It took me a while to understand it myself but I finally got it and could relate though it was something that was very difficult for me to put into words.

"Got that right. I'm glad that super hero's aren't real, they are way too complicated and way to deep for me to understand." Tyler answered causing a chuckle to escape my lips.

"So fall back on all of your premonitions, and just learn to listen, to those who have more wisdom then you. And just stop, putting so much stock in all of this stuff, live your life for those you love. And I'm still waiting for you to be the one I'm waiting for." The chorus from 'The One I'm Waiting For' by Relient K started to play from Tyler's phone.

Snatching it up off the ground before the last word could end she opened it up and spoke softly but quickly into the receiver, "Hello?" a look of surprise crossed her face then so did shock, fear, relief, fear again, worry, and joy as a small smile spread across her lips.

"Who was that?" I questioned her only making her smile grow bigger.

So I didn't hit all the points and ideas i had for this chapter -and yes i do make a list- but I like how this ended. I know i never said what Adam and Eli talked about but that will be out in the next chapter in possible forms as a flashback maybe? Along with what happened in the call hopefully Adler (adam and tyler) will be getting closer in the next chapter which didn't work out as i had planned to for this one. But I swear it WILL happen, eventually. And some other things i can't tell you or it would totaly spoil the two cliff hangers that i have all set up for you.

Please review this because it makes me happy to see what you guys think and if you have any ideas and i mean ANY ideas on what should happen next please feel free to tell me because I might just use them. I give you hours and days of my time you can at least give me a few minutes of yours to let me know how im doing. (:

Happy Fourth of July AKA Independence Day, Everyone here in America and other people/countries who celebrate it too!