Sean had no idea how long this thing with Liberty was going to last but he did know that he was enjoying her presence as a girlfriend.
Too bad the entire student body was treating their relationship like the scandal of the century.
"I don't like having all of this attention on me, it makes me feel uncomfortable," Liberty said, frowning as they took their seats together in French class.
"Ignore them," Sean replied but inside he was getting irritated. Since this morning, everyone has been staring at them. They were getting looks of confusion, amusement, and disgust. What about them was so damn odd? He was sure that it wasn't the first time two people totally different from each other dated.
"I think it's because I'm considered the school loser. People are wondering why such a cool guy like you would even want to go out with me," Liberty explained, as if she could read his mind.
"Fuck them. Ignore them," he repeated, hating how she was thinking such a terrible thing. Already he could feel his protective boyfriend instincts kick in. "Only what I think matters, and I think you're great," he assured her.
She smiled sweetly and it made her face shine. Sean realized last night that Liberty Van Zandt, despite her nerdiness, was a beautiful girl . Her light brown skin was a perfect shade that reminded him of peanut butter, and her cheeks were round and adorable. What he liked the most about her was her hazel eyes, how they brightened up whenever she spoke. Her full lips were her second best feature and they looked super kissable…
"Hey Lib, hey Sean," Manny's voice said, interrupting his thoughts. Sean looked up and saw that she was standing right in front of them. She looked remarkably well adjusted despite recent events. She glanced between the two of them in suspicion before continuing.
"Are you guys an item?" Manny questioned.
"Yes. Is there an issue with that?" Liberty questioned back with a raised eyebrow.
"No…, but you and I do need to have some girl talk. Let's have it at lunch, okay?" Manny demanded, and her tone screamed that "no" wasn't an option.
"Okay…," Liberty accepted. The other girl nodded, giving him a hard look before going over to her seat and sitting down in her own seat.
Even after the teacher walked in and class began, Manny didn't truly take her eyes off either of them.
"I just don't get it. Liberty? What is wrong with him?" Emma ranted in anger to her boyfriend, Chris, during history class.
"What's it to you that they're dating?" Chris asked her, not nearly as concerned as she was about the situation. He was too focused on filling out the answers on their worksheet.
"Because it's weird! Sean has no business dating my friend and my friend has no business dating my ex. Plus why would he go for a girl like Liberty? People are now going to see me as the biggest loser!" She answered sharply. It has always been that while she was a dork, Liberty was the ultimate dork at Degrassi. She at least had some social skills while Liberty only lived to be a human dictionary. Sean under normal circumstances found Liberty irritating so was he only dating her to make her jealous?
"You can't be the biggest loser because you're dating the most fly guy in school, baby," her boyfriend reminded her with a sly smile but unhappy eyes. She knew that it was sounding like she still wanted Sean but she didn't. He was going down a path she couldn't support and Chris was the better option at the moment. He was safe. She just couldn't fathom why he would go from her to Liberty.
"Yeah, you're right," Emma replied to Chris with a grateful grin and they then shared a brief kiss. That was enough to satisfy her boyfriend for now.
But Emma made a mental note to confront Liberty about this situation later.
Manny arranged for them to eat outside during their lunch period, at a table away from others.
"How did you and Sean become a thing if you don't mind me asking?" Manny asked her.
"Last night when he took me on a date to The Dot even though I embarrassed myself earlier. He still found me cute. It feels so surreal but he's so sweet," Liberty gushed, getting giddy about it at the end. She had fantasized for three years about J.T. being her first boyfriend but Sean was already proving to be the much better option within the only eighteen hours they've been in a relationship. The way his strong muscles felt around her shoulders this morning made her feel so warm.
"But what about Emma?" Her friend asked her next with a frown.
"What about Emma?" She asked back, not even thinking about the blonde the entire time this entanglement with Sean started until now.
"She's your friend and friends aren't supposed to date exes," Manny reminded her. She couldn't stop herself from scoffing.
"Truthfully, when have Emma and I ever been friends? She always thought she was better than me," Liberty argued. It was something she was just now beginning to realize. Emma, as much as she liked to paint herself as this feminist, girl power activist, looked down on her as much as every other kid at Degrassi. She never seemed eager to hang out with her outside of school and even at school she treated her like a nuisance at worst. The attitude was hypocritical and it's why she was slowly distancing herself away from the "friend group". Was she ever truly anything to them but an outsider though? "She has a boyfriend so if she has a problem with it, that's her own issue," she continued as she ate the sandwich she brought from home.
Manny pursed her lips in skepticism at her answer. Even though they have gotten closer during the time period Emma had stopped speaking to Manny, now that the pre-school best friends were amicable with each other again, Manny was back to not prioritizing her as much. Liberty found it disappointing.
"If you say so. It's ultimately not my business," the other girl replied with a shrug, "I guess Sean Cameron has a fetish for smart girls."
"He joked to me last night that he needs to be in relationships where at least the other person has the brain," Liberty mentioned, causing the other girl to giggle.
Liberty took that as a good sign that there was going to be at least one person at this school who wasn't going to cause her and Sean grief.
Sean was in the middle of getting books at his locker when he sensed someone approaching him. It was J.T., who for some reason looked really pissed.
"How much money did Liberty pay you to do this?" His friend demanded.
"Do what?" Sean asked in confusion.
"Pretend to date her. Because that's the only rational explanation for what I've been seeing today," J.T. pressed, stepping closer to him. "Otherwise, you must have hit your head really hard last night to want to be in a relationship with Liberty Van Zandt."
"I can't really explain it, J.T.," he replied after sighing, "I felt bad, took her to The Dot, she went into a deep history about this type of motorcycle I'm really interested in having some day, and I got immediately attracted to her. You know me, I'm not a complicated guy when it comes to liking girls."
J.T. snorted. "You really are sinking so low. First the conversion into a Slim Shady knock off and now you're degrading yourself by hooking up with Dorkerty. Gross," he jeered.
Sean's temper flared to dangerous levels at that moment. He slammed his locker in fury, causing his friend to flinch. "Hey, watch your fucking mouth there…," he threatened the other boy as he glared viciously at him.
J.T., despite looking scared at his sudden change in attitude, for some reason kept talking. "Or what? Are you seriously going to pretend like you weren't disgusted by the idea of dating her up until yesterday? That you didn't dislike her more than any of us? Dude, if I think she's a pain in the ass, you thought she was the black fucking plague compared to Emma. Just because you suddenly think she's hot doesn't mean I'm gonna forget. Honestly I think it's batshit insane that she even wants a guy like you. Liberty is a genius, an academic superstar, a future world leader that's probably going to get rid of every stupid law that makes Canada look bad. And you're just white trash," he ranted.
Something clicked in Sean's mind at J.T.'s words while he debated beating his ass in the hallway. He was as blunt as a rock sometimes but he could pick up on jealousy from another guy when it was right in front of him. He realized what was making J.T. actually mad about him dating Liberty and he couldn't believe it.
"The only person whose opinion on me matters is Liberty, and she obviously doesn't mind that I'm white trash. Because at least I'm not the class clown who is less intimidating than a shrimp. She upgraded if you ask me," Sean countered snidely while leaning in close to his friend's face. Or soon to be ex-friend with the way J.T. was acting.
"If that's her reason for dating you then that's sad. Because even I know she can do better," J.T. fired back in disgust, adding more ammo to his suspicions.
"You're in love with her, aren't you?" Sean bluntly accused him. He knew he was one hundred percent right when J.T. went white as a sheet in response. Shock then fell over the other guy's features. Sean used this as an opportunity to go even further.
"Unfortunately whether you're ready to admit it or not, Liberty is my girl. And I don't share my girls. They're just mine," he continued.
"I'm not in love with Liberty," J.T. denied, but the childish tone in his voice gave away that it was a lie.
"You are, and I feel sorry for you. That you had all these chances these past three years to go out with her, and you fucked up each time because you're an idiot. Liberty is finally moving on from her crush to a guy who'll treat her right and that's making you mad. But I know one thing, you're going to quit talking about my girlfriend like a dog like you always do because the next smart remark that comes out of your mouth, I'm making you pick your teeth off the fucking ground," Sean threatened, and he wasn't playing around.
J.T. only glared at him at first, but then his lip trembled. Hurt fell over his face. He then left his presence without another word.
The whole time in geometry class, Liberty felt Emma's creepy stare on her. It was Emma's signature look, the one she always got when she made the choice of being in someone else's business.
When class ended, she left as fast as possible to get away from Emma but the other girl caught up to her quickly in the hallways.
"Liberty, Liberty, I need to talk to you," Emma demanded.
"I have Biology to get to," she rejected swiftly, only for Emma to grab her arm and stop her in her place.
"No, I need an answer for this and you're going to give it to me. Why would you go out with Sean behind my back?" The other girl demanded.
"Because I like him and he likes me. What's it to you anyway, Emma? You're dating Chris!" Liberty answered.
"Liberty, I know you're desperate because J.T. will never want you, but this is too far. Sean is my ex-boyfriend and you're making me look bad!" The blonde argued back.
"Desperate? I'm making you look bad? What's bad is you thinking in your self-obsessed mind that you're the only girl on earth that's allowed to date Sean Cameron even while you're with other guys. You don't own him," Liberty replied as she stared harshly into the other girl's eyes. She didn't understand why Emma kept thinking that she could intimidate her. Emma was tall and gangly but that's all she was.
"You're my friend, Liberty," Emma argued, just as Manny did earlier. Liberty huffed.
"We're not friends, especially since you're so quick to call me desperate. Do you really think I'm so beneath you?" She fired back before beginning to walk away from her in fury. She didn't need to hear this from her. She didn't like using such foul language normally but this was a special occasion that called for it.
"It's not going to last. Sean's just using you as a rebound from me. You're not normally his type. Someone who's as smart as you should be able to see that, but again, you're desperate. I'm really disappointed that you're doing this to me, Liberty," Emma sneered.
Liberty felt her emotions spiraling. Before she could even think, she whipped around to go face the other girl in fury.
"Go fuck yourself, Emma," she swore harshly before looking forward to where she was walking again, and tears began to well up in her eyes at the fear that what Emma was saying was true.
"I haven't seen Lib around since sixth period," Sean expressed in worry after school ended. Because his girlfriend hadn't contacted him to make plans for tonight, he was hanging out in the Ravine with his friends.
"Probably sitting at home drafting up plans to reinvent the school library or whatever nerds do," Jay remarked before taking a chug from his beer, "Is she gonna join us here anytime soon?"
"No, no. She doesn't need to be here," Sean rejected quickly.
"Why? The Ravine too good for her?" Alex asked him dryly.
"That's precisely it," he answered flatly. Jay chuckled.
"Precisely? She's already got you using fancy words. By tomorrow, you'll be showing up to school wearing sweater vests, slacks, and Penny loafers," Jay teased, making him roll his eyes.
"Shut the fuck up, Jay," Sean spat but his friend only descended into snickers. Some days, he wondered why he chose to befriend such an asshole. 'Cause you're one yourself,' he reminded himself dejectedly. The Ravine crowd with all of these burnouts, thugs, skanks, and bums were his people. They were the people that he was naturally drawn to with the childhood he had, they brought out his true self. Only assholes would steal a computer from their girlfriend's stepdad.
"I don't know why you're so scared of bringing her around this place. The girl dressed up in fake greaser getup to impress you. She's probably looking for an ample opportunity to impress you even more by coming here. She'll want to prove that she's not a goody two shoes," Jay said, "And besides, the Ravine isn't that bad."
"I stepped on at least two heroin needles while we were setting up chairs," Sean pointed out. He then heard someone approaching them by the sound of feet crushing leaves. He looked behind him and saw that it was Liberty.
"Liberty, hey," he greeted, confused as to why she was here. She looked…troubled. "What are you doing here?"
"Can I get a moment with you alone?" She requested.
"Ooooooohhhhh," Jay and Alex teased together in a sing-song voice. Sean glared at them before getting out of his chair. He walked up to Liberty and wrapped an arm around her.
"Yeah, let's go over to that tree over there," he accepted while leading her over to a more secluded area, away from the people. The less of the Ravine's toxic energy she absorbed the better. "What's up? I haven't seen you since before school ended."
"Am I a rebound from Emma?" She asked him out of nowhere, a nervous tic in her voice.
"No. Did she say something to you?" He asked with a frown.
"She called me desperate. She said I'm making her look bad by going out with you and that under no circumstances would you want to go out with me," she explained, shrugging his arms off of her. She then balled her fists up at her sides. "Tell me why she's wrong," she interrogated.
Sean was in disbelief that his ex could be so…mean. Paige Michalchuk was the regular bitch at Degrassi, not Emma.
"Because it's been three months and I've had enough time to get over her. What we had is over, Liberty, and I want you now," he assured her honestly. "Am I just a rebound crush from J.T.?"
His fight with J.T. earlier flashed through his mind. He hated to give the goofball's words any merit but he did worry that if Liberty knew the goofball was finally liking her back, she would drop him as a boyfriend. J.T. got in trouble in class because he was a jokester with bad grades, but other than that, he was a good boy. He on the other hand was a true troublemaker and even though he knew it was bad, he couldn't stop himself from spiraling away from the behavior. J.T. was right that Liberty could do better but it would have to be with someone who wasn't either of them.
"No, I'm done with trying to get J.T. to like me. It's never going to happen and I'm accepting that. I like you for reasons beyond that I expressed yesterday," she affirmed. He grabbed her hand gently.
"Then let's agree to not care about what either of those people think. Both Emma and J.T. are being dicks and we don't pay attention to dicks," he replied, and she gave him that cute smile of hers again, the one that couldn't stop even a guy like him from getting warm.
"You know, the real obstacle that's holding us back right now is that we haven't kissed yet," he said, letting go of her hand so he could cup her face instead.
"So, kiss me," she demanded, smirking flirtatiously. Without wasting another second, he leaned forward and lightly kissed her.
He discovered quickly just how perfect her plump lips felt against his own. When he pulled away, he was almost sad.
"It's not enough," Liberty said. When he raised an eyebrow in confusion, she quickly clarified what she meant.
"You have to kiss me harder," she demanded next before grabbing his hoodie roughly and kissing him passionately. The action caught him off guard but he only opened his mouth so their kiss could deepen. It was unlike anything he normally expected from Liberty but at the same time, it was hot. Sean bit down on her bottom lip, and sucked on it tenderly, making her gasp a little.
What Sean found was the best part of making out with Liberty Van Zandt was that no matter how deep she kissed, her lips remained soft.
