Ode to Us

Story Summary: Sequel story to the oneshot "The Cure-All." "But when I looked into your eyes, I had found nothing. Where once was summer was now winter. Where once was love and passion, embers die. And where once there was us, now you and I reside."

Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters.

Warning! I am a detail whore! =b It's long 'cuz I like explaining things in a certain manner.

Chapter 1

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"Here we are, ma'am."

"Thank you." My hand automatically floating to my designer bag, I pulled out my wallet and glided my fingertips over the edge of the bills. "Um, how much?" I asked as I poked my head around the front passenger's seat.

"As much as that," responded my cabby pointing a finger towards the taximeter. He was obviously trying to cheer me up, but honestly, it wasn't working. Sheesh. It's not like I drove around half of Toronto in one day…did I? Whatev. I handed him the amount for my fare and picked up the several gazillion bags lying around me. There went half of my paycheck. I think I should ask for a raise. Can I do that? Who knew? It wasn't as if that job was getting any easier.

I sighed and slowly but surely got out of the cab. It had been yet another day of hectic disaster in the world of fashion that was my employment. Only, today was a little bit special. It had started out like any other day: I'd go out and grab coffee for Andrea and her co-workers, then she'd tack on a long list of things to do and remember in a really long sentence, quickly, I might add, and I'd have to write it down illegibly because she was going too fast, then I'd run out to the aforementioned stores and pick up the orders of hats, and stilettos, and fabric, and the many, many articles of clothing that Andrea just had to have for a special collection, then she'd make me make more orders to different shops which I'd have to get the next day. But, today, the…what was it, December the 12th? It felt important. Anyways, I kind of…overlooked a few appointments. But, it wasn't my fault! I had them written down. The problem was it was all too squiggly to read properly. Andrea needed to understand: a person can only write so fast when trying to write neatly!

And now, here I was, standing in front of the steps that led up to my apartment, or rather, Marco's, Ellie's, mine, and now Griffin's apartment, staring at the front door thanking God every step I took that Andrea didn't fire me. I had sworn that that would have been my first and final colossal slip-up as her assistant, and I was determined to make it stay that way. Of course, it wasn't without its consequences. For example: the enormous amount of bags that had hung loosely around my arms, some of them weighing so heavily that I was sure they were going to leave red imprints. It seemed like a total The Devil Wears Prada moment, but even if it wasn't real, I bet it would have definitely been cool to work for Meryl Streep.

I made my way to the top of the steps and stopped immediately in front of the door after I started wondering how I was going to get it open without the use of my own arms. Great. Hmm. Maybe I can kick it? I lifted my leg and just as it was about to make contact, the door opened.

"Paige?" Uh-oh. "Whoa!" I was going down. My face was about to greet the apartment floor with a loud bang, but all of a sudden, I felt a pair of strong hands grab onto my arms. I blushed at the contact but more at the embarrassment that flooded into my body. It was none other than Griffin who had taken upon himself to catch me before I did something completely stupid. I was sincerely grateful, but I wasn't exactly expressing that due to my current position of being half outside, half inside the doorway.

Clearing my throat, I gradually pushed away and straightened myself. "Griffin. Uh, so nice you were there! You saved my life," I said with a smile.

He laughed, and I couldn't help but feel my smile grow wider. "Paige, I don't think your life was in danger," he observantly stated. "I just stopped you from getting a red nose." Taking a step back, he took notice of the several bags I currently had in my possession. "Here. Let me help you." I suddenly felt the weight of a thousand pounds lift off my left and right arms, and I rubbed at them trying to bring them back to life. "You know, you are crazy for carrying all of these by yourself."

We both walked into the apartment, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, when you have a boss like Andrea, aka 'high-fashion Meeri,' life decides to beat you down with a large imaginary stick," came my reply as I found myself flopping onto the nearest chair I could find. With my face buried in my hands, I closed my eyes and tried to "de-stressify" my mind.

I heard a few distant footsteps walk into the living room. "Paige, have you seen my iPod?" It was light and sincere, and I had instantly recognized it. "Paige? Hey, what's wrong?" I was asked as I felt a hand to my back.

I looked up at him hoping my eyes would do all the talking for me. "Marco, I need a hug," I pouted.

Marco smiled. "Aw, Paige." He bent down and pulled me into an embrace. I quickly latched onto him. I needed something to get my mind off of today. "Was it work?"

I nodded into his shoulder. "Yeah. I didn't like it." I knew I had sounded like a bratty elementary school kid, but I didn't care. I wanted to vent. "It's hard."

Marco laughed lightheartedly. "Paige, you realize you sounded like my little cousin just now, right?"

I pushed him away and playfully smacked him in the arm struggling to control the grin he had caused. "Thanks for the support, friend."

"You know what you need?" He walked over to the table and picked up his previously missing iPod. "You need an outlet. Go in your room. Do the teenager thing. Pump up your music. Or you know…" He leaned back all smooth-like and pointed his finger towards the apple device in his hand. "I've got my iPod right here…" I laughed a little. Marco always seemed to know what to say in times like these in my life. I wondered how he could be ever be so amazing like this. "Or, hey. Oh, I've got it!" He ran over to me getting down on his knees to meet my eye-level. "I tried the coolest thing today. Ellie took me to a friend's, and I played the drums!" I gave him one of my looks, but he never faltered. "Okay, horribly, but still. You get to beat things! With sticks!"

"Well then, Ellie must have been really stressed out back then," chimed in Griffin. "Because, from what she told me, she used to practice all the time."

"Hmm. She was kinda goth in high school," said Marco. A laugh escaped my lips. I was definitely fortunate to have roommates like these.

"Well, gentlemen," I started as I began to stand up. "Music will have to wait 'til tomorrow. The inside of my eyelids are calling for my attention." As soon as I took a step towards my room, I heard a forced groan from behind me.

"Sleep? Paige, it's only 10, and your favorite quote isn't exactly 'The early bird gets the worm,'" I listened as Marco explained.

"Yeah," spoke Griffin. "Maybe you should take up Marco on his offer. Drums sound like fun to play."

I spun around and smirked at the child-like gleam in his eyes. "Of course they do, Griffin. You're a music junkie, remember?"

"Oh, ouch," he falsely flinched. "I'm trying to get help, okay?"

I rolled my eyes at the comment and started walking away. "I'm tired. G'night, guys. Have fun with your musical cravings!"

"Thanks."

"Yeah, whatever Paige. We all know you probably have a song stuck in your head right now."

Past the kitchen through the slightly cracked-open door had lain my bedroom. Compared to the rest of the building, it was as dark as a movie theater probably receiving the only light from the hallway. With thoughts of feeling the soft fabric from my bed underneath my back occupying my mind, I stretched my arms up, taking a big long relieving yawn and walked in feeling the wall on my right for the light switch. The room had suddenly turned brighter, and I only squinted in response. In the observance of my room, I noted the newly placed cluster of bags lying right next to my bed. I had the strangest feeling like they were trying to mock me by just being there. It made me begin to think that Andrea was purely using me for clothes space, but I had to suck it up. This was what I had wanted, and I was going to stick with it no matter what. I mentally thanked Griffin in my head and sighing, I casually jogged up to my dresser. Out came a pair of pink shorts and a gray shirt to accompany my sleeping attire with which, afterwards, I continued my preparation for dreamland in the bathroom.

Finally, armed with a clean makeup-free face, minty brushed teeth, a change of clothing, and a new outlook on why life was such a downer, I climbed into bed and pulled the sheets over me. It was the hardest thing to be able to fall asleep so casually when so much was going on in my mind. It was like a messy dorm room in my head with all the chaos included. One second, I'd be thinking about how my day went at work, a picture of Andrea giving orders clearly displaying itself in my mind's eye, and the next, I'd be thinking about Marco and his funny yet genuine comments taking into consideration the strangeness of me, Paige Michalchuk, laying hands on a drum set. I probably wouldn't sound that great. That brought a smile to my face. Sometimes even images of Griffin would float around up there just randomly, and I'd feel even more relaxed. I didn't know why. I suppose I felt comforted by being with him, or he was just fun to be around. I wasn't sure.

Today was a smidge different, however, not only on how everything had happened earlier on, but on how my emotions were playing themselves out. I knew that it was hard keeping up with Andrea's demanding nature, and I had, of course, not blamed myself for the incident that happened, but, for some reason, I was feeling a slight pang of guilt whenever I thought of something or someone in particular. Was it working for a magazine that had too much of a controlling boss who took up most of my time? No. Was it that I felt incompetent not being able to meet her requests with ease like I had seen so many others do quite a few times before? No. Was it because I was currently not enrolled in Banting like my mother had wanted for so long before my fiasco with term papers and grades? No, it wasn't that either…Was it something involving my roommates? Marco? Ellie? Griffin? Ouch. I felt it again: the twinge of shame. Griffin? There it was again. It felt stronger. What did I do to him? Did I not thank him properly for his help? Have I treated him horribly in any way within the past months he's been here? No. It was something else. But, what could it have been?

The difficulty of organizing my thoughts into a neat pile was starting to take its toll on me. As if a pair of heavy weights had been placed on them, I soon felt my eyelids begin to float down shutting the view of the ceiling away from me completely.

Yes, sleep. This is what I need for the next fifteen weeks or so. No interrupting, please!

And the next thing I knew, I was on a beach. It was so beautiful, so serene. It was calming to be in an environment so soothing that just looking at the water would take all the stress away. Wave by wave continuously crashed up against the shore. Take it, water. Take it, ocean. Take it all away. Clean my mind.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

I looked all around me. This beach was wide. The stretched out patch of sand seemed to go on forever on either side of me. A few protruding boulders decorated the beachfront. No one else was here. It was secluded. I had it all to myself, and I loved it.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Something was humming in the air. Or was it? I finally laid eyes on the sight before me. It was red, orange-red. The sky was starting to fill with a bright, warm and inviting purple. A few gulls flew by. The sun looked gorgeous. It was as if I was literally staring at a painting. Half of the sun seemed to be hiding underneath the horizon ahead, but that half looked to be replaced by the reflection on the deep blue water where the sun seemed to be kissing the ocean. My hands lifted themselves in front of me. I wanted to touch it, to be able to feel what beauty was.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

"Be quiet, buzzing!" I heard myself scream out as best I could. Before I knew it, the sun was beginning to fade into darkness. The patch of sand that I was standing on turned to white. All around me was nothing. "Don't go. I want you here!"

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

"Stop it!" I whispered loudly jolting forwards from my lying position. It had ended. That blissful paradise that I was so lucky to have entered through my dreams was gone. It was now nothing but a memory. But I yearned for that memory. I wanted to go back to that beach and feel the sand between my toes, breathe in the cool ocean air watching the sunset enhance itself with perfection as it steadily descended into the earth. It was so beautiful. Could there have been anything more picturesque to stare at for the entirety of my life?

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. So, the buzzing was real! My head immediately jerked to the left. In the darkness lit my cell phone with a bright blue glow on its front. I looked at the clock and had it already registered in my mind that this person was crazy for calling me at 3:35 in the morning. I picked up my cell and stared at the number.

Alex? Her face filled the very corners of my mind. What in the world? Did something…bad happen? How long has it been? One and a half, maybe two months since then? My heart picked up at the same pace of my thinking. What was today? December the 13th? Nothing special. But I had distinctly remembered the number 12 being unique when it came to months. I muttered curses under my breath and continued to chastise myself. I had done nothing wrong, but I had already forgotten. There was nothing to feel bad about at all, right? We were already through.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. The vibrating continued its relentless reminder that Alex was on the other side of the call. Just play it cool. I haven't exactly spoken to her in a while, but that doesn't mean I can't be casual about it, right? Right brain? I had wished someone would have answered back and assured me that what I was planning was the right thing to do. Just do it! The phone slid up, and I quickly glued it to my ear using my other hand to force it to stay there.

"Hello?" I hesitantly uttered hoping it was just a false alarm. Nothing. There was nothing. No one answered. Was anyone even on the line?

"Hello." I said with a little more force after my nerves had caught up with me. Honk. Wait, was that a car? Okay, so someone was on the line. But apparently they were either in a car with the windows rolled down or they were walking outside or something. It gave me a boost in confidence.

"Hello!" I practically shouted into the receiver. First of all, I was pissed that no one was answering the damn phone when they had my attention at 3 in the freakin' morning, and secondly, this call could have been an accident or joke, and I did not want to be the bearer of either. "Alex, hello?"

Was I hearing breathing? I wasn't exactly sure, but I was hoping for just a little bit that I had finally gotten the caller's attention. "Alex! Are you all right? Come on! I know that's you on the other side of this call!" Well, at least I hoped it was.

Utter embarrassment and annoyance took over as my impatience led my anger to rise in the pit of my stomach. She wasn't answering. What the hell? Fine. If Alex wanted to play games, she could play them by herself. I was not going to be a part of them. I was pissed!

"Look, whatever...Geez. Three in the morning? I'm headed back to dream world, 'kay?" I said in a voice that hopefully conveyed my exasperation.

But all the emotions that had went through me at that moment completely melted away as a tiny voice cut through the back-noise of the noticeable traffic and went straight into my ear. "Paige."

I froze not entirely sure about how my vocal chords were holding up. All I could do was breath. This was extremely awkward, but I felt panicky nonetheless. "I'm sorry…" Sorry? Sorry for what, Alex? Please continue. Sorry you called me so late at night…or early in the morning if you were an optimist? Who was I kidding? Of course Alex was. Why was she apologizing, though? I didn't understand…

Click. That was when I heard the line go dead. She had disconnected from me. Or I could just have bad signal. Or, Alex disconnected from me, plain and simple. Sighing heavily in defeat, I threw the phone back onto the stand next to my bed and plopped down onto my pillows. It was official. This day could not have gotten any more confusing…

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"Excuse me, miss?"

Pain. Pain. Pain. Headache. Migraine. That was all that was going through my mind. Ouch. Where was I? Could I open my eyes?

"Hey you! Whatever your name is," I heard a gruffly rugged voice address to me.

Great. Now someone was poking my shoulder, and it was pissing the crap out of me.

"Lady, hey! Wake up!"

Okay, fine! Slowly, my left eye-lid went up and the brightness of the clear morning sun pierced my pupil causing it to shrink in size and me to gasp from the shock. I tried again, this time squinting real hard due to the pain and the frustration that the light was initiating. I sighed irritably. In front of me was a very dull brick wall embellished, of course, with a few graffiti marks. To my right lay the sidewalk leading to the street running parallel to my own position with cars honking every once in awhile to speed the traffic up. To my left stood a rather skinny-looking oldman with white hair and a white beard looking down at me expressing a side of thoughtfulness. It might have been a caring look, and I knew it was a caring look, but his eyes yelled "wild" just like the worn and tattered clothes he was currently wearing. He smelled as if he hadn't showered in weeks. It took every ounce of control I had not to pinch my nose in fear of offending him.

"You shouldn't be here, miss," he said with a sincere voice. It soothed away some of the pain from my hangover. "It's not safe to lie here all day, even if there is daylight."

My heart went out to the poor man standing in front of me. He looked as if he was living on the streets and that was most likely his case. When my mind had finally caught up with the rest of reality, a gigantic burst of pain erupted from the inside of my skull. I had drunk too damn much. That was why. My hands felt bare, and that was when I looked all around me. I had no scarf from last night which I remembered distinctly having around my neck. My coat was gone. How the hell did that happen? I couldn't find my cell phone, and even the bottle of whiskey I had been guzzling down only hours before was nowhere to be found. Sensing the growing concern radiating from inside of me, the older man quelled the silence. "I'm sorry. You probably got picked clean."

Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch. "Son of a bitch!" I muttered out loud after having it ring through my mind several times. More cars honked along the side, and another surge of pain exploded in my head. This sucks. Happy December 13, the day after.

And by then, I, Alex Nunez, had already declared this day to be the day that officially sucked.

Sorry! :b It was long, yes. But hopefully, the chapters will get shorter. Criticism is greatly welcomed. If I'm doing something wrong, please tell me. That's the only way I know that can help improve writing: if I know what mistakes I'm making.