So these are just ideas that I've been having. This is my way of threading them together. I hope you enjoy it. Please check out my other work. I'm always looking for new ideas and concepts. I love Reviews, so please, whatever emotions or judgements you have at the end of this, please leave a comment.

Now, without further interruption, here is the first chapter of...

Goodbye, My Lover

She hadn't expected to see him here. Honestly. Okay, sure, there was that small fragment in the back of her mind that kept tinkering with the idea these past few months, but, alas, her judgment always ruled it out.

She had been taken hostage by Alli about ten minutes earlier. Alli, her BFF from high school and college, had recently gotten engaged by none-other than Dave Turner. Gushing excitedly, moving her diamond engagement-clad finger so it caught the dimmed light of the gymnasium that now occupied the Degrassi Class of 2011, she went on about Dave's proposal for the fifth time in the past 48 hours.

Yeah, Clare knew that Alli was beyond happiness at this point. And why shouldn't she be? She had gotten her true love in the end (regardless of how many false dates in college it took for her to finally realize, 3 years post-graduation, that she loved him beyond comparison to whatever boyfriends she "loved." And now, nearly 3 years into their courting, he popped her the question after stopping in the middle the road in Times Square on a short vacation to New York. Alli always loved to stop traffic). Clare was happy for her, truly. I mean, she was now going to be the maid of honor.

However, it was always moments like this, when her colleagues got married or her friends proposed to, that she would feel her heart flutter at forgotten emotions and once more leave her stomach full of led and a need to step into a hot shower and let the steam pull her away.

She looked past Alli's bright eyes for a moment to see if she could find Adam to drag away from her misery when she spotted a figure in a dark suit and messy brown hair talking to another figure but who was dressed casually. The latter was Adam, dressed in a black skinny tie, white shirt, and dark-washed jeans. Even though he was nearly 30 ("Ancient," in Adam's own words), he still would, on occasion, wear his grey beanie cap which was now placed on his head still covering his short hair.

The former, though, caught her in a moment of contemplating contradiction. Her heart instantly told her Eli while her brain told her not possible. What the hell? She tilted her head to the side as she gazed more intently, this time her brows furrowing as she focused on the two men before her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and for one long moment, took a closer look.

He was tall. At least, compared to her, he was. His hands were shoved in his pockets but a silver glint caught Clare's blue eyes. It had to be a ring on his thumb. His hair mimicked Adam's in length, but he won the award for Hair Fury as he went to brush his fingers through his hair one more time. It just made it more perfect.

But that instant ended too soon when Adam gave a single point in Clare's direction and the man turned, eagerly looking for her, and Clare shot her eyes back at Alli who was now getting to the end.

"And then he took my hand and said, "My one true love, will you marry me?" Alli fell into a sleepy smile as her cheeks flushed a joyous red.

Clare gave a short, curt smile. "How charming," Clare saw Alli's mouth begin to open and instantly rushed through her second comment. "Listen, I have to go grab Adam and head home. I have some papers I need to fill-out before work tomorrow. So rain-check on the rest of the details?"

Alli nodded and began looking around Clare to spot whoever else she could tell. Clare swept in with one quick hug and turned sharply so her back was now to Alli and made her way over to the coat-check set up in one of the open classrooms at Degrassi.

Grabbing her tan coat and Adam's own black one in her arms, she took a moment to catch a breath in the abandoned room. What was she doing? No need to panic. She took one more calming breath and then slowly made her way out. She walked slowly, attempting to take as much time as she could on getting to Adam. She was strolling really.

She walked past a locker that caught her eye. You know, the one where they shared a kiss or two. And then there was the room where they shared that Detention together after skipping Advanced Junior English together and headed to their bench and she screamed. Damn, she wanted to scream in frustration so badly at this moment. Pressing her two of her fingers to her lips, she silenced whatever noise would possibly escape her and went on slowly.

Her black heels clicked on the floor as her only noisy companion. She got closer to the gym door and paused. She was paranoid about seeing him if it really was him but then again it's not like she went up to him and went, "Hi! I'm Clare Edwards. And you are?" But then again, who was she to introduce herself to him when they hadn't spoke in years…

She peered into the gym searching for Adam. Sure enough, in his Adam ways, he was by the food table munching on pretzels in order to fill his mouth to keep himself from telling Alli to shut up about her engagement already. Clare walked quickly over and handed him his jacket. With a quick, "See you later," to Alli, Clare grabbed Adam's hand and lead him to the exit and out towards the parking lot.

They rushed out, Adam following Clare intently as they made their way to the parking lot. Opening the passenger door quickly, Clare threw herself in and shut the door with a slam. Staring out intently through the front windshield, she bit her lip to keep from crying as Adam got in the car slowly, gaping all the while at the frenetic and frustrated girl who was now sitting next to him.

"That went well," he said after a pause. He gave Clare a small smile as revved the ignition and backed out of the spot. He began to drive as Clare sat there stoically, void of all furious emotion. Her eyes glimpsed a chance at the rear-view mirror. Her eyes caught the outline of the front steps of Degrassi. There he was standing there with his fingers in his pockets and his head looking in her direction. Her heart fluttered and her back tingled.

It was just your imagination.