A/N: So I still don't have my laptop, yeah... So halfway through writing this chapter the first time around I decided to take it in a different direction, yep. Hopefully I can have the next one out at least by next week.
Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or it's characters. However next week I will own a bean bag video chair =)
There's a saying that says friends are the family you choose. Well I definitely believe that and because I believe that I feel like my family hasn't been a very good family lately. All of us haven't hung out lately like a family. I've been spending most of my time with Beth, Alex, or helping out with Matisse. Alex has been spending most of her time with me, talking on the phone with Sage, or playing with Matisse. Yeah, Alex is actually a big fan of babies believe it or not. The rest of the gang has been up to God knows what. Alex, Beth, and I are leaving to go back to Florida in two week which is why I decided to set up a little gang get together. Alex, Beth, Ellie, Marco, Paige, and I are all going to be at Paige's house hanging out, drinking wine, and remembering the good ol' days. We were going to invite Jimmy but he's off somewhere in Europe and I didn't think it'd be a good idea if Alex and Spinner were in the same room with each other.
I'm currently getting ready and dressed since we're having the get together at Paige's place. I know Alex is in the house somewhere but I don't know what she's doing or if she's even getting ready. I walk into her room. Alright she's not here. I walk into the music room. Once again she's not here. Where is she?
"Who's the best baby in the world? You are."
What the hell? I walk into Matisse's nursery. Alex is holding Matisse making funny faces and talking to him in a weird baby voice.
"Here comes the tickle monster," Alex tells Matisse and starts tickling his baby belly.
Matisse is giggling his little baby butt off. I find this cute yes slightly disturbing. I've never seen this side of Alex.
"Aw, and people think you're a bad ass but you're really just a big softie," I say out loud.
Alex looks up and narrows her eyes at me. "If you tell anyone about this…"
"You'll kill me with your monster tickles?" I ask seriously.
Matisse giggles. I smile and take him from Alex.
"Yeah, your favorite sister made a funny," I tell him.
Alex gets up from the rocking chair and walks over to Matisse and me. She looks at Matisse.
"Obviously Jordan doesn't know who your actual favorite sister is," she tells him.
"Obviously Alex has forgotten who can give you a kidney or a piece of her liver if you ever need one," I tell Matisse.
Alex sighs. "You always pull the kidney/liver card."
I'm nodding my head. "Yep."
Matisse yawns. Aw, nothing is cuter than a baby yawn, trust me.
"Time for someone to go to sleep," I say. I kiss Matisse on his forehead. I hand him to Alex. "Go ahead and put him in his crib and I'll tell Mom and Dad we're leaving."
Alex nods her head. "Ok, I'll meet you downstairs."
I walk to the 'rents' room. I knock before I open the door and stick my head in. They're both in bed reading. Mom is wearing her reading glasses while reading a parenting magazine and Brian is reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. My father is a weird man.
"Alex just put Matisse to sleep and we're about to leave for Paige's," I tell them.
"Who's driving?" my mom asks without looking away from her magazine.
"I think I am," I tell her.
"Will there be drinking?" Brian asks.
"There will be wine. If I'm not fit to drive either Alex will drive back or we'll sleep over at Paige's."
They're both nodding their heads.
"Be safe," my mom says.
"Always am," I tell her. I close the door and walk down the stairs.
I walk into the kitchen where we keep all the keys. Alex is standing with her keys in her hands. Oh God…
"I'm driving," she says while smiling at me mischievously.
"Only if you go the speed limit," I tell her sternly while pointing my finger.
"What's the point of having a mustang if you're not going to go fast?"
I'm shaking my head. "You're going to kill me and yourself. Plus I'm pretty sure you don't want Mom and Dad to find out about anymore speeding tickets."
"They won't find out since I pay my own insurance."
I'm shaking my head at her because as usual, she's wrong. "They ALWAYS find out, trust me," I tell her seriously.
"Psh, whatever," Alex says.
Alright, you're my witness. When Alex gets in trouble with the 'rents I'll be able to say "I told ya so" without her getting mad at me about it. I can't wait. I love the moments when I'm right and Alex is wrong.
"What are you smiling aboot?" Alex asks suspiciously.
Oops, I guess I was doing my 'I'm going to prove you wrong' smile. "Nothing," I lie. Oh it's going to be another sweet moment.
After A Crazy Drive to Paige's:
Oh my God, I'm alive. I have my hands all over my body to make sure I'm in one piece.
"Thank you God," I whisper.
"Shut up, my driving is not that bad," Alex says.
"Can you not read the speed limit signs? The speed limit is 50km you were going 80!"
"You're such a pansy sometimes."
We've arrived at Paige's place, in one piece, surprise surprise. I can't believe I let Alex drive. What the hell was I thinking? I open the car door quickly and jump out of the car. I see Beth getting out of her car. I run over to her and hug her.
"It's nice to see you to," Beth says.
"I didn't think I get to see you again," I tell her.
Beth raises an eyebrow. "Why?"
"I let Alex drive."
OW! Beth just hit me really hard on the arm. I think I'm going to have a bruise on my arm tomorrow.
"What have I told you about letting Alex drive?" Beth seems a tad bit angry.
"Ya know my driving really isn't that bad," Alex says behind me.
Beth looks around me at Alex and points a finger at her. "Next time you think about endangering my girlfriend's life, don't," she says sternly.
"Fine!" Alex throws her hands up in the air. "Then you can drive her home tonight. I'm going inside."
Alex walks angrily to the front door of Paige's condo and rings the bell. Beth and I look at each other.
"I'm thinking after this maybe a drive to the park and THEN a drive home?" I ask suggestively while wiggling my eyebrows.
Beth sighs. "Sometimes I feel like I'm dating a guy," she mutters. "Why does it seem like all you think about is sex?" she asks me.
I smile and put my arms around her. "Because I have a very sexy girlfriend," I answer.
Beth pats me on the shoulder. "Just because you throw a compliment in there doesn't make your chances of getting into my pants any higher."
"Eh, we'll see." I wink and she just rolls her eyes.
I help Beth get the wine out of her car and we walk to the front door of the building. We reach the front door and it opens.
"Hey!" Paige greets us excitedly. "Come on in." Paige moves to the side to let us in.
I'm looking around and I shouldn't be surprised that it's really nice in here. I'm pretty sure she emptied out the IKEA store to furnish this place. Ellie and Marco are already here because I can hear them talking. We all take off our shoes.
"Paige, where do you want me to put the wine?" Beth asks.
"Go ahead and put it on the coffee table in the living room hon," Paige tells her.
Beth walks into the living room to put up the wine while Paige turns her attention to Alex and me.
"So would you two like the grand tour?" Paige asks us.
I can tell Paige really wants to show us her place. Also it does seem nice so a tour wouldn't hurt.
"I'd love a tour," I tell her. "I want to see how much IKEA you actually bought."
"I'm ok," Alex says. "I'm just going to go hang out with the others."
Alex walks to the living room where the others are. Paige looks at me and I just shrug my shoulders. I throw my arm around her shoulders.
"How about the grand tour I was just offered?" I ask.
Paige smiles at me. "Right this way," she says while pointing up the stairs.
I follow Paige up the stairs. She shows me her bedroom which looks like it came right out of the IKEA catalog. I notice that there's only one picture of her and Griffin and there's hundreds of pictures of the rest of us. I notice she has a picture of Alex in a fighting pose but smiling. She also has the same photo of her, Alex, Beth, and me at the amusement park we went to during spring break senior year. I pick up the picture and smile.
"That was a fun trip," Paige says.
I place the picture down and turn around to look at her. "Yeah, it was."
We leave Paige's room as she shows me the rest of the upstairs. The bathroom is covered in pink, which doesn't surprise me but sort of makes me want to puke. After the bathroom she takes me to the study. Now this room is nice. There's a desk for her laptop, a bookcase, a grandfather clock in the corner, and she even has one of those sketch desks. I walk over to the sketch desk and pick up some of her sketches. Wow, these really good.
"Paige, these designs are amazing," I tell her in awe.
"You really think so hon?"
I turn to look at her. "I know I don't know that much about fashion but these are really good. Have you showed them to Andrea?"
Paige scoffs. "Yeah right," she says. "The only thing Andrea wants me to show her is a latte."
"One day Paige Michalchuk, that woman will be working for you," I tell her seriously.
Paige smiles at me. "I'm glad you have so much confidence in me."
"The important thing is to have confidence is for you to have confidence in yourself. Now let's get back downstairs before all the wine is gone."
Paige and I walk downstairs. I walk into the living room while Paige walks to the kitchen to get the wine glasses. I sit down on the couch closely to Beth. I wrap my arm around her and kiss her on the cheek.
"Did she show you the study?" Beth asks.
"Yes and I found it to be very classy and nice," I tell her.
Paige walks into the room with the wine glasses in her hands. She sets the glasses down on the coffee table along with some coasters.
"Yay, wine time," I say excitedly. "I feel so adult."
"I don't know why," Alex says. "You're just drinking apple wine."
"Hey! Wine is wine!"
Beth is just shaking her head at us. She starts pulling the wine out of the bags. There's red wine, white wine, apple wine, and sparkling apple cider.
"Who is the cider for?" Ellie asks.
I grab the cider and put it down on Ellie's side of the table.
"You," I tell her simply.
"Wait, why do I have to drink the cider?"
We're all looking at Ellie. No one really wants to say what we're all thinking. As usual I have to be the way to say what everyone else is too afraid to say.
"Ellie your family doesn't really have a good track record with alcohol," I tell her. "Also we all heard what happen at the Caitlin Ryan thing. We've all sort of agreed that alcohol is not your friend homie."
"Oh come on!" Ellie whines.
I'm shaking my head no. "Nu-uh, you don't get any wine missy."
"Just let me have some of your apple Jordan."
I point a finger at her. "Apple wine is still wine. Now drink your cider and stop being a pain."
I open my wine and start pouring some of it in the glass while everyone is doing the same. Paige and Marco are more of the white while Alex and Beth are more about the red. Ellie is pouring her apple cider while muttering angrily. We're doing this for her own good.
"So has anyone been to Degrassi to visit since we graduated?" I ask.
"Psh, after doing my extra semester there I vowed never to go back," Alex says.
"I was going to go visit but then the whole Lakehurst – Degrassi merger thing happened and I wanted to stay clear of that chaos," Marco says.
We're all nodding our heads, agreeing with. All of us heard about how Lakehurst burned down and that they had to send a majority of their students to Degrassi.
"I don't know whose idea was that," Paige says. "I mean after JT was killed I don't know why anyone would merge those two schools together."
"You can't blame the whole school for something one kid did," Alex says.
"No offense but I've seen some of those other kids from that school hon and they all look dangerous to me. I mean Heather Sinclair's sister went there."
I slightly choke on the wine I was drinking. "Heather Sinclair has a sister?" I ask.
"Yeah, Holly J.," Beth says.
I turn and look at Beth. I've been trying to forget that at one point she dated Heather Sinclair.
"That girl is an evil spawn, just like her sister," Paige says and take a sip of her wine.
"Holly J. is actually worse than Heather," Beth says.
"See! See! I'm glad this whole merging nonsense happened AFTER we left."
"I don't think I would have been able to handle it," I tell them. "I mean Lakehurst is so different from Degrassi, from what I've heard. I mean I heard all they've been doing is causing trouble at that school. Liberty Van Zandt even told me that one of those Lakehurst kids said that JT deserved to be killed. Plus how exactly did Lakehurst burn down? Did anyone think about that?"
"I can't believe you're judging these kids and you don't even know them!" Alex exclaims.
"Lexi, one of them killed JT, our friend," Paige says.
"One kid did that, one kid, not the whole damn school. Ya know I use to live in the same neighborhood with those kids, not all of them are bad."
"Yeah, but you never killed anyone," Paige says.
Alex and I look at each other. Her face is unreadable but I can tell that her jaw is clenched. There's an eerie silence in the room now. No one knows about Alex's involvement in the whole Rick prank thing except for me.
"I think what Alex is trying to say is that if we all judge a group of people by the actions one person did then no one would ever get to know each other and the world would just be in chaos from judging everyone," Beth says.
I kiss Beth on the forehead. Sometimes while the rest of us are being crazy Beth is the one to bring us all back from Crazyville.
"Let's change the topic," I say quickly.
"Yeah," Ellie agrees. "Alex, how's Sage doing?"
I look at Ellie with my 'Are you serious?' look. I look over at Paige and her body seems to have tensed up a bit. I can see that Marco has noticed as well. Although Marco wasn't at the mini-golf game I know Paige probably told him everything that happened.
"She's good," Alex says, answering Ellie's question. "We're both really excited about this upcoming school year. I know she was here two weeks ago but it's hard to be in a relationship with someone who's so far away."
"Yeah but you two seem to be doing is successfully."
Alex is nodding her head. "Well I really like her so I'm going to try to make this work."
"Paige, how's Griffin?" Beth asks Paige quickly.
Is tonight 'Let's ask questions that cause tension and awkwardness' night? I look over at Alex and her jaw is clenched. Hmm…
"Um he's good," Paige says. "I mean he's been busy and I've been busy so yeah…"
Alright, that wasn't weird at all. It seems like Paige doesn't really want to talk about Griffin all that much.
"Marco, how's Eric?" I ask. I mean since we're just talking about relationships anyway.
"He's great," Marco answers. "I'm still getting use to his love of jazz but he's really great."
"Oo, could he be the one?"
Marco laughs. "I'm not sure about that. We've haven't been dating THAT long. What about you two?" Marco points to Beth and me. "You two look all lovey dovey over there. When are you two going to tie the knot?"
"We didn't tell you?" Beth asks. "We're getting married next week in Vegas."
"Oh yeah," I say playing along. "Elvis and Dolly Parton are going to be there."
"Oo I love Dolly," Marco says excitedly.
I give him a strange look. "You are one weird little man," I tell him seriously. "For real though, we're doing great." I look at Beth and she smiles at me. "Going strong and I think we're going to keep going strong." Beth kisses me.
"Ew," I hear Ellie say. "It's bad enough I'm the only one not in a relationship, I shouldn't have to watch you two making out."
I pull away from Beth and look at Ellie. "El, what I'm about to say I'm saying because I love you," I tell her. "Stop dating douche bags and you can be happy one day."
"I don't date douche bags," she says defending herself.
"The first time I met Jesse my douche bag alert went off. I even told Alex that."
Alex is nodding her head. "Jordan did tell me that," she says.
I point to Alex. "See," I tell Ellie. "You need to find a nice guy who will appreciate you and who's not a douche bag."
"You make it sound easier than it is," Ellie says.
"El's right," Marco says. "It's hard finding the perfect person out there and just when you think you do he goes off to Switzerland to play hockey."
All of us are looking at Marco now. Obviously part of Marco is still hung up on Dylan. I'm thinking although Marco is with Eric he'll never truly be happy unless he gets completely over Dylan over he's with him. I grab a bottle of my apple wine and pour more into my glass.
"All I'm saying is that there's someone out there for everyone," I tell them. "Sometimes it just takes time for those two people to find each other and sometimes it takes time for a person to realize the one they were looking for the whole time was right there in front of them."
I notice Alex and Paige look quickly at each other and then back down at their glasses of wine. Now I can't say with 100% confidence if these two are meant for each other but I can say that whatever they had with each other definitely isn't gone.