Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or anything pertaining to it except my own writing.

A/N: I don't even know what this is, honestly…

The alarm clock pierced into Emma's dreamscape before she was fully awake, and her eyes flew open. She lifted her hand to her forehead and cringed. She'd gotten sick on Friday, and it had progressed–badly–over the weekend. It was now Monday and, at only 6:00 in the morning, a migraine was already forming.

Emma turned off her alarm and, going to sit up, felt how stiff her muscles were, another downside of not being 100 percent. Pulling herself out from under her blankets and doing her best to somewhat stretch out her muscles, Emma grabbed the clothes off of her bed before going into the bathroom to prepare for the day.

"Hey, whoa; what d'you think you're doing?" Spike asked her daughter as she entered the kitchen.

"Um," Emma said, spooning Frosted Flakes into her mouth, "eating cereal before going to school?"

"No, you're not, you're staying home, Em," Spike said, shaking her head. "You haven't been well for days."

"I feel totally fine, seriously," Emma assured her mother. "I can't miss school. The one day I miss it is gonna be the day the teachers assign a crap load of homework and other stuff I'll just end up having to make up. Not happening."

"Emma–"

"Mom, please, just let me go to school," Emma said as she got to her feet. "I'm actually begging here?" She put her bowl in the sink, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. Facing her mom, she waited. Spike pressed her lips together. If her daughter was actually asking to go to school when she had a clear pass to miss it, how could she refuse?

"Fine. But I swear, Em, you don't feel right, you call me and I'll come get you; alright?"

"'Course," Emma said, pecking her mother's cheek lightly before walking past her and out the door.

.^.^.^.

"Seriously? I would've stayed home," Manny said.

Emma set her History textbook on top of her binder and closed her locker with an eye roll. "Manny, this is high school. Missing a day would be like missing three and I just don't wanna waste my free time when I don't have to by doing work I could've done here because I felt like staying home. It's a headache, not cancer."

"But you're sick! It's a pass!" Manny pointed out.

"Not a pass not to do the work. Let's just go."

Manny rolled her eyes, disbelieving, but followed Emma. "Hey, hold up; I gotta put on my lip gloss."

"Then go," Emma replied. "I'm going to class."

"Who peed on your sheets last night?" Manny muttered, turning around to enter the bathroom. Emma shook her head and continued walking. They still had to go upstairs; she didn't have the time to wait for Manny to use the bathroom when she'd had all morning to do so.

As if karma came around early, a fresh sting was added to Emma's migraine It caused her to wince and she grimaced. Damn.

Clutching her books to her chest, Emma made for the stairs. Just keep moving, she told herself. Just reaching the top step of the staircase, Spinner shoved into Emma, not watching where he was going in his haste to his first class. Her hand flew to her head once more, the worst of the sharp pain making her eyes shut. Without even realizing it, she had lost her balance and was falling back.

Spinner looked behind himself at that moment, going to yell an apology to whoever he'd run into, only to be astonished by the sight of Emma tipping backwards. His mouth opened and with a shout of her name he ran back up the steps. She landed right in his arms as students who had stopped their morning procession to class watched and murmured among themselves about the debacle.

Spinner, ignoring them, looked down at Emma; her cheeks were flushed, her eyelids drooping. "What the hell…?" he murmured, reaching carefully under her knees to lift her up against his middle.

.^.^.^.

Emma awoke in the nurse's office. She was laying one of the few beds, hands flung haphazardly beside her head on the pillow. Spike stood a few feet away at the window, worry clear on her face. Through her peripheral vision she must have noticed her daughter move because she turned and hurried over. "Em," she said, hugging her tightly. Emma returned the hug, if only because she didn't know what else to do.

"Mom," she said, her throat a bit scratchy, "what's going on?"

"Honey, you fainted. In the hallway, remember?"

Emma crinkled her eyebrows together. "I guess so. All I can remember is falling, after Spinner knocked into me on the stairs."

Spike nodded, relieved that Emma could recall this. "And then he brought you here."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "Spinner? Spinner Mason carried me here?" Emma echoed in disbelief. "We don't even talk."

"Well, apparently he's nicer than you've let on. It could've been a lot worse if he hadn't caught you. You have a fever, Em. You're going home, and this time you are not leaving that bed until you're completely better. I mean it."

"Okay," Emma muttered, still unsure of how to react to Spinner's piece in her morning's strange story.

Spike offered her a hand. "Need to lean on me?" Emma nodded, her head still aching, and her mother's arm held her waist as she got to her feet.

Spike paused to speak with the nurse, and Emma could see that the bell must have gone off just before she had woken up. Students were streaming through the halls, oblivious to her. Spinner's locker, a few locker rows down from the nurse, was open. At it stood its owner, just haphazardly shoving a textbook back inside. Emma pulled away from her mother and Spike frowned, looking down at her.

"Just have to do something really quick," Emma told her. "Please." Spike pursed her lips but agreed, and Emma left the office.

"Hey," she said to Spinner. The older boy turned to the voice, his eyebrows lifting upon seeing who stood behind him.

"Emma," he voiced. "Why aren't you home?"

"I was in the nurse's office and saw you out here," she informed him. "I wanted to say thank you, for saving me."

"No big deal," he shrugged. "I'm the one who shoved you."

Emma nodded, glancing at the ground. "Yeah. Right. Anyway, thanks. See you… whenever I come back." She went to go back to her waiting mother, and heard her name from behind. She stopped and looked back at him.

"Glad you're okay," Spinner said. "Feel better."

"Yeah. Thanks."