Chapter Eleven: On Fire

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Degrassi.

Mirrioring what Vin was playing on his guitar only in a higher key, Penny was enjoying her jam time with both Hartley and Vin though Hartley hadn't said a word the whole time. Out of the blue, Vin stopped strumming and reached into his back pocket and turned on his cellphone which was vibrating.

"Hello?" He didn't recognize the number. "Tori?" He questioned a few seconds later. "She wants to talk to you." He handed his cellphone to Penelope.

"Tori?" Penny looked like she was listening intently. "What? Are you serious?" She pushed one hand through her hair and sighed, exsperated. "Okay, I'll be there as quick as I can." She sounded like she was trying to be assuring. "Just sit tight, okay?" She hung up the phone and held it in the air. "I'm sorry, I have to go, she needs me." Penelope packed up her guitar as quick as she could. "Man, I don't even know when an 81 is coming by, should I just call a cab?" She asked the very muddled twin boys while pulling on her winter coat. "Do you have a phone?" She asked Vin and he didn't say a word. She searched Hartley's face but he wasn't saying a word. "Are you a mute?" She asked him directly. "I need a phone, where's a phone!?" She was hysterical. "I have a phone." She realized that she was still holding Vin's cell phone in her hand. "What's the number for the taxi company? It's something like 1-800-cabs, 1-800-TAXI, what is it?"

"I'll drive you." Hartley came up from behind his drum kit and picked up her guitar case and put it in the backseat of the car that was parked in their garage.

Penelope was shocked that she'd just heard Hartley's speaking voice, she stood still for a second but, as Vin and Hartley backed out, she was brought back to reality and she hopped into the backseat of their car.

Working the till at her father's resturant, Sydney was bored out of her face. Monday's weren't ever very busy but, tonight wasn't even steady. She popped one of the complimentary mints in her mouth and stared aimlessly at the clock.

"It's only ten." She let out to the waiter standing next to her, reading over his scehdule. "I don't get off till midnight."

"Me either." The guy said in a bored tone. "You can probably skip out, you know? It's so dead in here Nicole can probably watch the front."

Sydney knew that was true but, she couldn't leave. This was all part of her punishment. Still, her rebelious side was kicking inside her - trying to take all control. She hadn't take her break yet, maybe she could run out to the ravine for fifteen minutes. Nobody would be the wiser.

"Actually, Tyler," She glanced over at him, she already had her hat and mittens on. "I'm just going to go out for my break, I'll be back in a few." She flashed a quick grin and with her coat in her hands she exited the resturant. She'd be in the ravine in a matter of minutes.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Emma shouted as she held onto Sean and checked over his bleeding nose. "Let's get you inside." She said to only him. Jay shook Alex off him and headed to the door.

"What are you doing?" Sean turned around and scoffed at him.

"I gotta get Tori." He said like nothing had happened between them. He exercised his Jay around in a circle to make sure it was still in place. Sean cautiously let Alex and Jay inside his house. Sean immeadtly felt embaressed for Emma, Jay and Alex to see his place but Alex and Jay were nothing but impressed and slightly envious.

"I'm going to get you two some ice." Emma disappeared into the Cameron kitchen.

"I'll go get Tori." Sean thumped up his staircase. He very rarely went up the the second floor of his house since it was basically just Penelope and Cody's room up there. He knocked on the plain shut door that led into Penelope's room. "Tori, uh, your mom's here." He thought that would be less frightening for the girl to hear. Inside he could hear nothing but the stereo on. "Tori?" He knocked again, no answer. "I'm coming in." He announced himself before pushing the door open. The room was empty, no Tori to be seen anywhere. His eyes settled on the open window and blowing curtains above it. Slowly, he came downstairs.

Alex and Emma both stood in the kitchen, putting ice in Ziploc bags. They stood in silence, they were never close in high school and after high school, they didn't bother to keep in touch with one another. Still, the bruise over Alex's eye worried Emma. Naturally, as a physcologist, she felt inclined to inquire.

"So, how are things going in your life, Alex?"

"Don't pry, Greenpeace." Alex muttered taking the ice bag over to her husband who was standing by the door, in a rush to leave. Emma was speechless. No one had called her Greenpeace in eons. It brought a nostalgic smile on her face, if only for a moment.

"She left out the window." Sean admitted when he reached the bottom step. Alex's face turned from pink to read in complete fear.

"What?" Jay roared and stomped up Sean's staircase. He opened every door harshly but not a single room revealed Tori. "You better watch your back, Cameron. You're in deep shit." Jay spat in Sean's face once he reached the last stair.

"Let's go drive around and look for her." Alex tugged on Jay's sleeve and the two worrisome parents left the Cameron abode.

"Some date, huh?" Sean shook his head and asked Emma.

"Unforgettable." Emma just grinned to try and keep him calm. "Now, think, where would she of gone?"

"I don't know, Em. I don't even know the girl." He held his head in one hand and ran it through his hair. "I can't believe this." Emma just pressed the icebag on his nose and wiped away he excess blood with her finger.

"You're one of a kind, Sean Cameron." She held him close to her and he put one hand on the small of her back. "We'll find her."

In the backseat of the Manning twins car, Penelope held the whimpering and freezing Tori Hogart in her arms. Tori was frozen since she hadn't bothered to grab her coat from Penny's living room. She just climbed out the window and into the boy's car. Penelope tried her best warming her up but it wasn't working.

"Here." While driving, Hartley took off his snowboarding jacket and handed it back to Penelope.

"Thanks." She wrapped Tori in it.

"Where are we going?" Vin asked no one in particular.

"I can't go home. I can't." Tori whimpered and shook her head.

"I know, Tor, I know." Holding her closer, Penelope shushed her and tried to be as much comfort as she could.

"Do you have any other family members nearby?"

Tori's grandparent's on her father's side lived in Montreal and mom's mom would most likely be of no help at all, she'd only make things worse even though she did like Jay. Tori just shook her head.

"What about my mom's?" Penny offered. Vin turned and watched the girls, waiting for an answer. Tori just shook her hands.

"Let's just keep driving." Vin nodded at his brother and turned on the radio station.

"Paige, hey." Gavin looked up from the cake he was icing at his old friend who appeared from the back of his kitchen. "What brings you to my favorite place?" He asked handing the batter to the line cook next to him.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine." He nodded while taking off his plastic gloves.

"You're not still upset with me? I am sorry. I emailed you." She was still dressed in her business suit and must've taken time off late night working to come over. Gavin just broke out in a smile.

"I'm not mad, Paige. That was a hard night, I don't ever want to repeat it."

"I know what you mean." The usual confident Paige didn't seem to be the one who was standing mouse-like in front of him.

"How are you, Paige?" He checked.

"I'm, I'm fine." She stuttered.

He nodded towards the door behind her and the two wandered into his office.

"What's going on?" He asked whiel shutting the door and turning on the light.

"It's Colleen."

"Yeah." Gavin tried to catch on.

"She won't stop talking about Austin Walters."

"A-ha." Gavin nodded. "So it's pretty awful being at home right now, huh?"

"No, it's fine, it's just - I don't want her to see him, not just him, I don't want her to meet his dad."

"Paige," He wrapped her in a hug and let her cry against his chest. It brought back a whole pile of highschool flashbacks for him and for her. "Maybe, you're reading into this. Colleen's had crushes before."

"Yeah but, she's like me. She goes after what she wants and doesn't quit till she gets it."

Paige most definatly had a point.

Sean and Emma were cuddled on the couch and enjoying each other's company. Emma's plan to try and distract Sean was working wonders - until the phone began to ring.

"No." Emma moaned as he unwrapped his arm around her shoulder to go and retrieve it.

"What if it's Tori, Em? Or Penny, cause she should be here." He checked his watch and then grabbed the phone on the kitchen table. "Hello?"

"Dad?" Penny asked on the other end, she was on Vin's cellphone in the car.

"Penny, where are you?"

Emma got up from the couch and wandered over close to him to hear what was going on.

"You have to not freak out, okay?"

"That's an awful opening line, Penny." Sean held his hip and clsoed his eyes to listen.

"I'm with Tori, she's fine."

"Penny, her parents are looking all over for her. You guys have to get back here." He tried just talking to her casually.

"Dad, I know you don't want to meddle but, this is important."

"Penny ." His voice was getting more stern.

"We're with Hartley and Vin." Sean hadn't a clue who they were. "We're just driving around."

"Come home right now."

"Dad," She took a deep breath. Sean was not liking where this was headed. "We're sort of - we're sort of out of town."

"What?" His voice went from stern to hostile. "Penny, you get your ass back here right now. That's a demand, you hear?"

"Dad, she just needs to get away."

"Penelope Joy, you listen to me, you get your little ass back here right now!"

Emma plced her hands on his back and began to massage to let him know she was there and to try and calm him down.

"No can do." It took everything Penny had to say those three small words and while her dad began to shout, she hung up.

"Penelope, you get back here. You turn that car around and get here!" It was then he realized she was no longer on the line. "Shit!" His voice erupted a yell as he hung up the phone.

"What? What's happening?" Emma asked to be clued in.

"Get your coat, we're going on a roadtrip."He walked right past his date to grab his car keys.

"You know, most guys just do dinner and a movie!" She called from the kitchen.

Seeing as it was a Monday, the ravine really wasn't that packed. Just the hardest of the stoners were there and the horniest teenagers. The first van she saw was shaking like an earthquake. She couldn't see Jayson anywhere but she did see Zac Cameron. She approached him cautiously but he was stoned it wouldn't matter how she wandered over.

"Hey Zac." She helped herself to one of the beers in the pack next to him on the picnic bench. It was still pretty cold from all the snow. He just stared at her with his glossy red eyes. She'd gotten used to guys like h im in the last few days. "Have you seen Jayson?"

Slowly, he nodded towards one of the vans. She opened the can of beer and took a large sip. She figured Jayson was waiting inside for what she had promised him. She thanked Zac and wandered over. She didn't even bother to knock, she just threw the van door open.

She gasped loudly at what she saw. Jayson with his pants around his ankles and a girl crouched between his legs. She couldn't believe it. She was really falling for the boy she knew in the back of her mind would choose a joint over her but, still, that didn't stop it from hurting.

"Syd!" Jayson sat up alert but, the girl never stopped between his legs.

She just turned around and took a large gulp of beer and started to walk down the snow path. She couldn't walk straight since it was so icy. Zipping up his jeans, Jayson followed behind him.

"Syd! Syd!" He called. Finally, he was close enough to put his palm over her shoulder. "Syd!"

"It's Sydney!" She screamed with a high pitched voice. Her eyes were welling up but, she'd been crying too much in her mind, so she tried her best not to let them rain out.

"Syd, why are you even upset? You and me, we're just having a good time. We're having fun."

"I like you." She weeped and then started to march away. Jayson just watched her leave but then she spun around and walked back over to him.

"Atta girl." He patted his hand down her limp blonde hair. She just reached up on her toes and slapped him as hard as he could. It was shocking but, he'd felt much worse. That done, she ran as fast as she could out of the ravine. She was already minutes late for work.

What'd you guys think? Let me know.

School begins for me tommorrow, so I probably won't be able to update as much but, I still will frequantly.

Review, please.

Also, I'm really unsure where I want the whole Ellie, Manny, Craig thing to go. Any suggestions?

On Fire - Switchfoot

A/N: I was asked if in this story Palex had ever happened and I suppose it doesn't really matter, I never thought about it. You can choose whether you want them to of been together or not.