Authors note: Aye o! You lovely readers! I have found a new inspiration for a story. After reading "How to love" by Katie Cotugno, I thought I'd write a fanfiction based off of it. It's also probably going to be a whole lot AU. I suggest reading it and reading my fanfiction… and maybe reviewing if you'd like me to continue.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Degrassi because if I did, it wouldn't have taken half of season 13 to get good a good plot.

Summary: This is the story of two teenagers falling in love not once, but for the second time.

Can't Help Falling in Love

Before

I tapped my fingers on the counter, hearing my long nails hit it one after the other. I watched the clock for a while, but then looked away. Mom is always saying a watched clock never moves and right now I believe that saying to be very true. The time seemed to be moving slower every second. The store was mostly empty at this time of night, not many people shopped for books at quarter to nine, but I still couldn't leave. I had another hour and fifteen minutes before I could leave, go home to sleep and let Jake do the closing shift

Jake is my stepbrother about six-foot, blonde and stupid most of the time, but somehow he still managed to graduate high school. He probably paid the gifted kids- like myself to do his homework and projects. I've known Jake since we were children. I was six, he was eight, and we went to the same church group even though he was nearly three years older than I was. That's how my mother and his father met and became friends. Then after my mother divorced my father last year she married Glen after a month of dating. I rolled my eyes just thinking about it.

It still amazes me just how quickly she had gotten over my father since I myself am still not over it, and it was a year ago and some since it happened. It made me wonder what the real cause of the divorce was. Everything changed so quickly after their divorce. All of a sudden there was a new house, new neighborhood, and a new bookstore that I get forced to work at most days after school.

I sigh looking at the clock again. The light hum of today's top forty played throughout the store. That possibly being the only thing keeping me awake right now. That and that I'm standing and I wish only for a chair to get myself off of my feet that happened to be killing me.

I could complain about this job, but there really isn't much to complain about. Unless I've got a late shift to deal with and a pile of homework to do before I could actually shut my eyes tonight.

I thought of sitting on the floor behind the counter, resting my eyes, or reading the book I now have placed on the counter beside me. I thought of flipping the sign that flashed 'open' in bright blue and orange off just so I wouldn't have to worry about people walking in, but I couldn't and I knew it.

I lied my head on the counter and rested it on my arms so my face wasn't pressed against the dirty counter. I let a loud tired sigh fall from my lips before hearing the ringing the door would make after a person would walk in. I whipped my head up quick hoping to see it was Jake, but it wasn't Jake and he wasn't coming early to his shift.

It was a shorter boy, maybe six inches taller than I was. He looked to be no older than Jake. He had shaggy black hair, but I couldn't see his face. The boy didn't look over at me while I couldn't help staring at him. I felt weird doing so, only because I knew I could be caught at any time. He kicked his black shoes against the black rug in front of the door to get the snow off of them.

He took his hands out of his pockets of his dark skinny jeans and brought them to his mouth to warm them up. I remembered just then how cold it would be outside, and the weatherman only said it was supposed to get colder. I hated the winter, the snow, and the cold. The long months of having to wear pants because it was too cold for my normal dresses. I groaned internally. I have to walk home in that tonight.

I finally look away from the boy. I picked up my book to make it look like I wasn't just staring at his backside as he stood near the door to warm up from the cold. I have Twilight in my hands, an old worn out copy that I must have read a million and three times by now. Bella was just finding out what Edwards is at the part I'm reading. The lion fell in love with the lamb, it is weird but still so beautiful.

Someone clearing their throat in front of me scared me just slightly. I had forgotten there was another person in the store along with me. I looked up at his face and noticed then the person was very handsome and I set my book aside.

"Sorry…" I mumbled.

He smirked and I just about died. "It's fine." He says. He has breathtaking green eyes, bow-shaped lips and a chiseled jaw line. I noticed what were probably birthmarks on his neck that could be mistaken as bites from a vampire. That or maybe I've read too much vampire fiction and it's starting to get to my head. I almost went weak in the knees. "A person gets lost in a book, I get it." He shrugs.

"Yeah." I say as he sets a book down on the counter. "Is that all?" I ask politely, picking up the book.

"Mmm…" He looks beside him and quickly grabs a gum pack out of one of the small containers, in the shelves beside the counter. "That's all." He nods and hands me the small packet of 12 pieces of Dentyne ice gum.

I suck on my bottom lip out of habit as I scan the two items. I often did this when I'm nervous but now as I hit a few buttons on the till I couldn't find a reason for it. That's a lie, there is a very handsome boy standing in front of me and it is starting to make me dizzy.

"twenty two fifty.." I manage to choke out. "Please."

"So…Where's Jake." He asks pulling out his wallet from his back pocket of his jeans.

I scrunched my eyebrows together and looked at him curiously. Jake knew this guy? This guy knew Jake? "Jake?"

"Yeah, Jake. He usually is working now." He pulls out a twenty and put it on the counter. "The late shifts."

"He's got closing." I tell him quickly.

He nods. "Oh, well I've never seen you before." He hands me the rest of the money.

"That's because I usually work the weekends because no one else is willing to." I say. I don't know why I was telling this guy this, for all I know he could be a murderer.

"I see…"

I count the money - a twenty, a toonie, and two quarters - I press the button, put the money in and close it before asking. "Would you like a bag?"

He shook his head no, so I passed him his book and gum, ready to pick up my book again. "I'd like to know your name though."

My eyes flew back to his face and I smiled softly. "It's Clare."

He smirks in return. "I'll see you 'round, Clare." He says and nods once before walking out of the store.

Even though I barely even spoke to him and had only just met him, something made me want to know him, know more about him. I wanted nothing more than to be able to look into his green eyes as long as I wanted to without it being weird. I stared at the now closed door and bit my lip as I thought more about the dark-haired boy whose name I didn't even know. But I knew one thing… I'll have to get more weekday shifts.