NEXT CHAPTER! SORRY IT TOOK A LITTLE LONGER TO UPDATE BUT ITS HERE! OH AND IN THE AUTHOR'S NOTE I HAVE BEFORE THIS CHAPTER, WHEN I SAID I HAD AT LEAST 4 MORE CHAPTERS TO GO UP BEFORE IT WOULD TAKE LONGER TO WRITE THIS STORY, IT'S NOW MORE LIKE 2 CHAPTERS :O MY TERRIBLE MATH SKILLS HAHA BUT IM KEEPING MY PROMISE AND I WILL TRY TO UPDATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! ENJOY!

Clare -

I searched around the gym for Eli with no luck. I asked Adam and he said he was looking for me. I told him about the knife and to tell Mr. Simpson. He looked just as scared as I did. He, too, knew Fitz was gonna go after Eli.

I ran through the halls until I finally found him. He had his back up againt a locker with his ear buds in. I ran over to him and pulled them out.

"Come with me, Fitz has a knife!" He just stared at me, not moving. "This is where we run, let's go!"

"I'm not gonna let that jerk scare me." Is he serious? He doesn't even listen to me when some guy with a knife is coming after him?

"Eli, he has a knife!"

"Aw, don't you two look cute." Fitz was standing down the hall, knife in hand, blade out. My heart dropped.

"You should go," I said, trying not to scream my lungs out in the process.

"And let that pretty boy make time with my date?"

"Please, Fitz, don't do this-"

"Shut up, bitch!" I jumped when he said that. Why did everyone call me a bitch?

"Get away from me," Eli said as he pushed me aside. "Look, I'm sorry about before, about everything. You win."

"Heard that before." Fitz was getting closer to him.

I could feel the tears coming to my eyes. They were this close to falling down my cheeks.

"Stop, I'm being serious."

"So am I." He pushed Eli more until he was backed up into a corner. "You've had this coming for a while. What's wrong Emo Boy? No smartass comments?"

"Please, don't do this."

I could see the fear in Eli's eyes. The blade was getting so much closer. He sounded like he was trying to hold back tears too.

"Someone's gotta shut you up."

No. This can't be happening. Fitz lunged the knife. Eli screamed and grabbed his side. Then I screamed. The tears were pouring out by now, and I could barely breathe. Eli looked up at Fitz, just as breathless as I was. He slid down to the floor. I ran to him as fast as I could. There was no blood. No knife sticking out of his body. I looked up and there was the knife, sticking out of the wall. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, you can bleach out urine stains!" Really Fitz? This was all some sick joke to get Eli scared. Luckily the cops showed up two seconds later and arrested him.

Simpson ended the dance and we all left through the front doors. There were police cars outside, their lights flashing.

"When I was nine there was this kid, Mike," Eli started. "His hobby was beating me up. No matter how fast I ran he was always faster." We stared as Fitz was being dragged out by police and pushed into the cop car.

"You're not nine anymore," I said, still a few tears left in me.

"Well neither are the bullies, so what am I supposed to do?"

"I don't have the answer. But if it's this...then I don't think I can be with you." I didn't wanna say it, but I felt I had no choice. I loved Eli, more than I ever loved anyone else, but if he was going to keep scaring me like this, then I didn't think I could be around him.

"Someone mind explaining to me what happened?" Simpson asked. He was not happy at all.

We explained everything that had happened, and I admitted to setting off the stink bomb. Then an officer came out dragging Sav and Holly J with her, mentioning something about stripping. Simpson just walked up the stairs to the building.

"Sir, I am so so sorry-," Holly J started.

"I don't wanna hear it!" Yup, he wasn't happy. "I trusted you, all of you! I've never been so disappointed in my life."

"We didn't mean for any of this to happen," Holly J said.

"Yeah, there must be something we can do to make it up to you," Sav said.

"Oh, it's too late now. There's gonna be changes. Big changes. When you all get back from break, you won't recognize this school at all." And with that he left, leaving me more confused then ever.

Eli -

I blew it. It was over, and it was all my fault. If I hadn't started this whole thing with Fitz, this never would've happened. He scared the living crap out of me with that knife! It just brought me back to when I was nine. I had flashbacks of running down an alley one minute, and then getting punched in the stomach the next.

Then I saw Clare, her beautiful face plagued with fear, running towards me. I let out a sigh of relief as she held onto me. I would never forgive myself for ever scaring her that way. I thought it would be the last time seeing her ever again as Fitz would come closer with his knife.

Then Clare said she couldn't be with me if I continued to get involved with bullies. That made my heart shatter. She didn't talk to me again that night, even after I brought her home. She just silently left the car and never looked back.

I knew she was going to be at her grandmother's for the next two weeks. She was leaving the morning after the dance, but I wanted to have a chance to talk to her. I got up around 7 and drove quickly to her house. Luckily her and her parents were still packing the car with luggage. I parked and got out quickly.

"Clare," I yelled, running towards her. She looked up at me, but didn't say anything back. She was just about to close the car door when I shoved my hand in the way. "Clare, I need to talk to you. Now!" She looked over to her mom, who was giving me a suspicious look. Then she just nodded her head and went back in the house.

"Look Eli, I meant what I said. I don't want to be around you if this is how you're going to keep handling things."

"I can change Clare! You know I'd do anything for you!" I took her hands with mine and looked into her perfect blue orbs. She pulled away and started back towards her car.

"I thought I lost you. I watched as Fitz came closer with that knife and you almost died! I'm sorry if I'm not ready to accept the fact the most important thing in my life almost left me forever. Just give me some time, Eli. Please."

I just nodded and watched as her car drive away.

Clare -

I tried to keep myself from crying in front of Eli. Once we drove away I let a single tear slip out. I loved Eli so much, but everything else always had to get in the way of that. I spent the whole ride to my grandma's house thinking about him. Sometimes I just wanted to strangle him. And then there were the times where I just wanted to lie in his arm and fall asleep, knowing he would never let me go.

The first few days at my grandmother's went by pretty smoothly. Eli and I talked, but he wasn't pushing for me to make my decision. He was so understanding. He acted the same way I had when I gave him space to deal with the whole "Julia" thing. I missed him so much. Him, Adam, Alli, even Jenna. Grams was calling me downstairs for dinner. I missed this kind of bond we shared. Other than Eli, she was the only person who really knew what was going on. She was one of the only people who really understood me.

"Oh don't worry, honey. If this boy really likes you, and you really like him, it'll all work out in the end."

"I know." I sighed as I pushed my food around my plate, not really having that much of an appetite.

"If it makes you feel any better, I know this boy would go anywhere and do anything just to see you."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Intuition, wisdom, or the fact that he's standing on the front porch."

I looked out the window and there was Eli, standing on my grandmother's porch, holding a single red rose. I looked over at her and she just winked at me. I got up and went to answer the door.

"What are you doing here," I asked as I stepped out the house.

"I missed you too much. I just had to see you. I'm not here to push you or anything, but I just couldn't stand to be away for another day."

I could see the honesty in his eyes. He handed me the rose and I smiled. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"You didn't have to do this, Eli. We could've just video-chatted."

"Nothing could ever compare to the real thing."

I wanted to kiss him so much!

"Do you wanna come in?"

"I don't think I should. It's a long drive back. But I'll call you as soon as I get home." He kissed my cheek and turned to walk away. I grabbed his arm and he gave me a puzzling look. I pressed my lips againt his. It was short and sweet. I missed those lips.

"What was that for," he asked.

"The real thing is so much better than my dreams," I said smiling. He smirked and walked back to his car. I waved good bye as he drove off, watching him until he was completely out of sight.

"So, how'd it go," Grams asked as I went back inside, holding the rose close to me.

"Eh, ok, I guess." But I knew I couldn't hide the huge grin on my face. I couldn't look at her without giggling. Finally I bursted out in screams and laughter, ignoring that the thorns on the rose were digging into my palms. After talking with Grams some more, I went upstairs and got ready for bed. I sniffed my rose one last time before placing it on the bedside table. I had nothing but sweet dreams all night.

The rest of my time at Grams couldn't have gone better. We bonded and caught up on so much stuff. Eli and I talked everyday, making me miss him even more. He didn't visit again, but I didn't mind. It just showed me that he was listening to me asking for space.

It was finally the day to go home. Grams drove me home so we could talk a little longer. We pulled up to my house, and I noticed something sitting on the first step. I picked it up. It was a bouquet of 13 yellow roses. There was a card attached. Turn around, it said. So I did. And there was Eli standing right behind me, giving me the smirk I'd missed over the past 2 weeks.

"They're so beautiful," I said, meeting his perfect emerald eyes.

"One for everyday I missed you."

"Why are all these yellow and this one's red though," I asked, holding the red rose in my hand. It hadn't even started to wilt yet.

"That day was too special to compare to every other day you were gone." He took the rose out of my hand and placed it in the bouquet. Our fingers intertwined and we looked into each other's eyes. The moment was perfect...until Grams beeped her horn and told me to come get my bags out of the trunk. Thanks Grams.

Eli -

Things were finally starting to go back to normal. Clare and I were back together and stronger than ever. This time I wasn't going to let her go so easily. I had about a week of suspension, but everything else was good. Fitz was gone since his parents decided to send him to military school after the whole knife incident. Fitz's parents even apologized to me for him. The only thing that changed was Degrassi.

Simpson had promised we wouldn't recognize the school at all. He was right. Degrassi now looked more like airport security than high school. There were metal protectors and bag checks every morning. Security guards were on every corner of the property. They even had random locker check-ups. They didn't have the right to go through our stuff! It was an invasion of privacy! But the worst part about it all...uniforms. Different colored polos, depending on your grade, and khakis. They weren't even comfortable. At least mine was red. I could deal with it for a few more months.

As I was finishing up the morning security check, I passed by a poster with a list of the new rules.

Rule #1: The dress code must be followed at all times.

Rule #2: Students must have ID cards with them at all times.

Rule #3: No PDA (Damnit!, I thought) and students are not allowed in a room without supervision.

Great. So one kid brings a knife to the dance and the whole school has to suffer from it? The school system is just becoming more and more unfair as we speak.

THATS THE END OF THAT CHAPTER. WHAT DID YA THINK? REVIEW! :DD