[Clare's POV]

I waited outside of the library for 20 minutes before I saw the curly haired boy approach with his head down.

"Hey Wesley, thanks so much for...Oh my God what happened to you?" Wesley lifted his head and I saw the bruises on his face. His eye was swollen behind his glasses and his lip was busted. I stepped closer but he put his hands up.

"I don't really want to talk about it Clare. Sorry I couldn't get Connor to help but I'm here. What do you need?" He asked and I felt horrible I had pulled him into this mess and here he was so beaten up.

"I needed your computer expertise in looking up old doctor records." Wesley looked at me strangely.

"You want me to hack a doctor database? You know that's illegal right?" Wesley asked and I nodded.

"I'll understand if you say no. I just didn't know who else to turn to. You and Connor are the smartest boys I know and I'd never dream of putting either of you in harms way-" Wesley frowned but put up his hand.

"I'll do it...I owe you that much." He whispered the last bit and I put a hand on his arm making him wince.

"You don't owe me anything Wesley but thank you." I said with a smile as we walked into the library. This wasn't exactly the thing I wanted to do on a school computer so I was glad we had the weekend. I had woken up and made Eli breakfast and we walked to his therapy session but I told him I would meet him at The Dot afterward so I had about 2 hours to see what we could come up with.

I had written down as much information as I possibly could on Julia's life and Wesley went to work on just about every search engine known to man. The pictures that came up were of course the ones in the paper and news articles of her death.

"So this is Eli's old girlfriend huh? Anything specific we're looking for?" He asked me and I bit my lip.

"I'm looking for records on a possible pregnancy or abortion." Wesley looked over at me and I stayed silent as he typed away. Time started to fly and before I knew it Eli was calling my cell phone. The librarian eyed me and I apologized before stepping away from Wesley to answer.

"Hey is your session over?" I asked but he let out a heavy sigh.

"No they actually called Cece and Bullfrog in. This might take awhile." Eli explained and I became worried.

"Is everything okay? Do you need me?" I asked concerned.

"No it's cool. I just told them about my visit to Julia's old house and the doc feels like I should talk to them about it." Eli said sounding tired.

"Well I'm only a phone call away okay? Just call me and I'll be there as soon as I can. You're strong. Don't forget that." I heard Eli chuckle.

"You know I only believe that because you keep telling me right?" He said.

"Well then I'll keep reminding you." I said confidently. There was a pause where I felt like an I love you should belong but knew it was too soon for that again.

"I'll call you after okay?" Eli broke the silence and I nodded.

"Okay. Bye." I smiled saying it.

"Bye." He hung up the phone and I slipped mine into my pocket. I walked back over to Wesley who appeared to be getting frustrated.

"Still nothing?" I asked sitting next to him.

"Hacking isn't really my thing but I'm trying." Wesley said. I watched him work for a few minutes before he glanced over at me.

"How's Eli doing?" He asked surprisingly.

"He's...getting better. I'm trying to help him through right now but it's a day to day thing. He's stronger than he thinks." I explained and Wesley looked down.

"You are a really good person Clare. I hope Eli knows how lucky he is to have a girl like you love him so much." Wesley's words made me smile.

"Thanks Wes. I've sure missed having you around to talk to." I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"I'm always around." He said with a chuckle.

"Come to think of it, I really haven't seen you around though. Did you join a club or something?" I asked but he looked nervous.

"Uh..no no not really. Just uh- made some new friends I suppose." I pushed his glasses back on his face wincing again.

"I hope your new friends aren't the MMA fighters. You seem more like a lover then a fighter." I said trying to joke.

"My girlfriend would agree." He smiled trying not to look at me. I bumped his shoulder.

"Well don't be vague or anything. Spill." I said happy to be catching up with him.

"You know Hannah, well we started dating a few weeks ago. It's amazing. Honestly, I have no idea why a girl like her would ever waste her time with a guy like me." Wesley said and I put my hand on his arm.

"Because you're a great guy Wes. You truly are a catch. She's the lucky one. Congratulations." I said genuinely happy for him. His smile faded a bit.

"We had our first fight the other day. She doesn't really agree with some of the choices I've been making." He made eye contact with me but looked away quickly.

"Well I don't know what kind of things you've been doing lately but right now you are going out of your way to help an old friend and for that I will owe you immensely. Talk it out with her. She knows you have a good heart." Wesley looked like he was about to cry and shook his head.

"I don't feel like a good person anymore Clare. I'm just...I'm really sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone." Wesley broke down and covered his face. I didn't know what to do but put my arm around him and hug him.

"Listen to me Wesley, I've known you for a really long time now and I can tell you one thing. You have the kindest heart I've ever known. You would never do anything to intentionally hurt someone." I patted his back but he pulled away.

"You don't know...I've hurt people Clare. I didn't want to but I did." Wesley looked so upset and I felt like nothing I could possibly say would make him feel better.

"Whatever you did can be forgiven Wesley. I promise you that much." I wiped the tears off of his cheek and he sniffled.

"Maybe I should uh-go to Connor's. Get him to help me out. I can call you if we find anything." Wesley logged off the computer and got up abruptly making me stand as well.

"Um okay. Thanks for help. I hope things get better." I said quickly as he took off out of the library. I grabbed my bag and figured I had some time before Eli's session was over so I went to The Dot to get food. I'm sure he would forget to eat so taking him something would hopefully make him happy. I walked in to order and saw Alli in the corner. She caught my gaze and gave a sad smile. I ordered my food and walked over to where she sat.

"Hey." I said first breaking the silence.

"Hi." She said moving her spoon around in her milkshake.

"Can I sit?" I asked and she nodded. I sat down in front of her and tried to meet her gaze.

"I'm sor-" We both started at the same time and laughed when we realized it.

"I'm sorry for being so stupid with everything. I should have listened to you." I said and Alli shook her head.

"No you shouldn't have. The boy I was telling you was horrible for you ended up saving you. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if Eli hadn't been there. I just want what's best for you Clare and sometimes I just get blinded by trying to protect you." Alli explained and I nodded.

"Sometimes we just try to hard at protecting one another we end up hurting one another. I'm really sorry for all those horrible things I said. I didn't mean them." I put my hand out and she took it with a smile.

"I have to say that out of all the cat fights I've ever been in ours will probably be the most talked about." She joked. It was nice to be able to talk to Alli again.

"So how are things going with Eli? I take it you spent the night with him?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah I did. Nothing happened but to be honest, I wouldn't mind if it did. No matter how hard I've tried to fight it Eli will always be that one boy who can make my heart feel incredible things. I don't know if I'll ever truly be out of love with him." I sighed and Alli sighed.

"As much as he scares me I can tell his feelings are pure with you Clare. The boy is head over heels for you and as long as he makes you happy I promise not to interfere. However sex is a big deal so if you're serious about it please make sure you are protected. We've already got one baby on it's way." Alli said mentioning Jenna. I thought for a moment and looked at her.

"Would you go with me? Help me look for some...protection?" I asked squinting and Alli laughed.

"Why don't we eat first then we can go to the drug store. I don't know much about Eli's...goodies but we'll see what we can come up with." Alli said and I tried not to blush. We ate dinner together and I made sure to get something to go for Eli before venturing off to the drug store. I had no idea there were so many choices.

"Whoa." I said aloud. Alli picked up a few packs and we read them over.

"I can guarantee that the first time you won't like it. It hurts and most guys get too exhausted to actually help you along so you can at least getting a little bit of a big O." Alli was trying to give me a crash course in sex and I was trying to keep up.

"Maybe we should just get one of each. That way he can pick?" I proposed and Alli stared at me.

"You are really serious about this huh? Eli's the one?" She asked me and I didn't hesitate.

"Yeah, he's the one. I wouldn't feel safer or more loved with anyone else." I explained. Alli nodded at me before taking one of each and putting it in a hand basket and taking them up there.

"I'll buy them. Consider it as me contributing to a life changing moment." She smiled and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll wait outside." I said hugging her and walking outside. It was starting to get dark and I knew I needed to go home and grab clothes if I was going to be staying someplace else tonight. Keeping up with Alli and Eli was keeping my mind off of everything that was going on at home. The divorce was underway and dad had moved out for good but mom did everything she could to stay busy and out of the house. Alli came bouncing out of the store with the bag and we headed to my house. I opened the door and yelled to my mom but I knew she probably wasn't home.

"She's probably out buying new furniture. You know how she likes to decorate." Alli said with a laugh. She walked over to the counter and found a note.

"Or she's having dinner with a friend. Call if you need anything." She read the note to me and put it back down.

"I didn't think she'd be here. I just need to grab clothes. Think maybe I could stay Sunday and go to school from your place?" I asked.

"Sure. My parents love you so it's no big deal." She shrugged.

"Okay let me grab some clothes." I ran up the stairs and found my backpack and a suitcase to put some things in. I walked to mom's room to see the laundry basket on her bed. I grabbed some underwear and bra's before I noticed an open piece of mail lying under the basket. I pulled it out and looked at it. It was the divorce papers. I gave it a quick read before I felt my heart stop. I read it slowly over and over again trying to wrap my head around what I was reading. I sat down and gripped at my chest as I tried not to cry. I was doing whatever I could to push my parents back together in the beginning but when I realized the divorce was happening I blamed my mom. I thought she wasn't trying hard enough but here in black and white it was written. He was unfaithful. Not just once but multiple times. I was pushing her into the arms of someone who blatantly showed he didn't love her. I felt my chest start to rack with tears but I heard Alli coming up the steps. I quickly stuff the paper in my bag and wiped my face.

"Hey you almost ready? I don't know how Eli likes his spaghetti but I'm sure it's not cold." She teased and I nodded. I had to hold it together for Eli's sake. I couldn't take my problems into his house and throw them on him. I took a deep breath and smiled. I knew it was fake but I was hoping that the moment I saw him it wouldn't be.

[Eli's POV]

I had been in therapy for over 3 hours when we finally got home. Cece wasn't happy at all that I had ventured out to Julia's old home and that Clare had accompanied me. Bullfrog stayed silent for most of it but he didn't seem upset.

"I'll get started on dinner. I'm sure you haven't eaten all day." Cece said sounding annoyed.

"I had breakfast but I'm not really that hungry anyway." I said hanging up my jacket.

"Okay fine. Don't eat." She slammed the fridge shut and walked back into the laundry room.

"Give her some time. She just worries you will try to hurt yourself again." Bullfrog said and I nodded.

"I know the drill Dad. If I get those thoughts again I'll say something but I honestly haven't had those in my head lately. I've been getting help." I said sitting down in the living room.

"From Clare?" Bullfrog asked looking at me and I slowly met his gaze.

"Thing's are different now Dad. I'm being careful though. I know that things change all the time but you don't understand. The more I try to scare her with this and push her away it's like the more she holds on for dear life." I explained.

"I understand." I looked at him confused.

"You do? I thought you would be mad?" I asked and Bullfrog nodded.

"All the things that have happened between you two I've never once thought that girl didn't love you. At the end of the day she's still a teenage girl though and whether your mother realizes it or not she did the same thing with me." I felt my eyebrows raise.

"What do you-" Before I could ask Cece stomped into the room.

"Who's are these?" She held up the shredded dress of Clare's and I sighed.

"Elijah Goldsworthy, who do these belong to?" She asked waiting for me to say her name.

"Cece..." Bullfrog spoke up and she kept her eyes on me.

"They're Clare's. She had a mishap at a party and stayed the night on Friday." I said honestly. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Are you trying to set yourself up for a fall? Are you?" She asked me and I stood up.

"Mom, I'm not setting myself up for anything. Will you please just stop-" She cut me off.

"SHE LEFT YOU ELI! SHE LEFT YOU WHEN YOU NEEDED HER MOST! DID YOU FORGET THAT? OR HOW ABOUT WHY YOU DECIDED TO TRY AND KILL YOURSELF? DOES A SMILE AND HER NEEDING YOU MAKE ALL OF THAT GO AWAY!" She yelled at me for the first time in a long time.

"That's enough!" Bullfrog stood up.

"No it's not!" She said still looking at me.

"YES, IT IS!" Bullfrog raised his voice and her eyes were now on him.

"Dad-" Bullfrog put his hand on my shoulder.

"When I found out you were pregnant I panicked. I lost my mind and started drinking and you did everything to try and save me but you couldn't. It took you walking away from me when I begged you not to in order for me to get the help I needed and straighten my life out and I did. I realized that I wanted a family with you." Bullfrog made this revelation and Cece's eyes never once left his.

"I'm sorry our boy has the problems he has but you've got to let him love who he wants to love. You walking away from me saved my life and I still managed to marry you and have a wonderful family." He stepped closer to her and she had tears in her eyes.

"They're young just like we were. She was scared just like you were. She walked away just like you did and he fell apart just like I did. But here we are baby. You. Me. our boy. I love you more then life itself. I'd die for you. Give her the chance to love him the way I know you love me. Your love has made me a better husband, father and man." He put a hand on her cheek and I just stared blankly at them. I had no idea any of this happened with Cece and Bullfrog. I figured they were always crazy in love but it would seem no couple is perfect. She tried not to get upset but Bullfrog put his arms around her. She let tears flow and I felt horrible. This past year I had put my parents through the ringer and it was all coming to a front in my living room. She looked over at me.

"I just can't lose you babyboy. You're my child and I would die if I lost you. A mother is never supposed to outlive her baby." She said through her tears and I walked closer to her.

"I know mom and I'm so sorry for putting you through that but it wasn't Clare's fault. You've got to stop blaming her for my mistakes." I said sadly and she put her hand on my face. I took a breath and put my hand over hers. I heard a light knock at the door and remembered I gave Clare a key as the door opened.

"Hey it's me. I brought you some dinn-" She came around the corner and froze upon seeing my parents.

"I-uh-I'm so sorry." She started to stutter but I walked over to her.

"Last night when I got home from Julia's was the first time since the incident that I wanted to kill myself again." I looked over at Cece and Bullfrog and worry crossed their faces.

"The truth is, if I would have been alone with myself and my thoughts you would have come home to a dead son." Cece gripped her chest as I took Clare's hand.

"But Clare insisted on going with me. She kept reminding me of how strong I was and how I wasn't a horrible person. When I ran off she tracked me down and drove us all the way back home as dangerous as it was with having a measly learners. She helped me clean myself up and didn't even want to leave me alone in the bathroom to bathe by myself but when I did she was right there to bandage my hands and give me some tea with my meds." I explained to Cece more then Bullfrog.

"She volunteered to sleep on the couch so she wouldn't mess with my emotions but I told her I needed her and she held me through the whole night. She saved me Mom. Whatever you may think about her now, I can honestly say that she keeps saving me even with the smallest effort. She gives me hope to carry on. She makes me believe in myself." I looked back at Clare who still stayed frozen but I squeezed her hand.

"I love her. I'll always love her." She smiled at me and I could see tears in her eyes as she squeezed my hand back. I looked back to Cece and Bullfrog and Cece had composed herself sniffling and wiping at her eyes. She looked over my shoulder at Clare.

"And you think you're ready to handle all of this? Loving someone who has this kind of illness and struggles? You can't just come in and out whenever it gets too hard. You have to love him enough to work through the bad with him." Cece said and Clare stepped up to my side.

"I'm here, for real this time. The truth is...I love your son more than anything in this world. I need him just as much as he needs me. No one has ever made me feel as complete as he does no matter how much of a mess he may seem at times. I'm here and whether you like it or not I'm not going anywhere." Clare said confidently. Bullfrog smiled and gripped Cece's hand making her face lighten slightly after the challenging comment. She looked her up and down.

"What did you bring him?" She eyed the bag and Clare held her gaze.

"Spaghetti." She said simply.

"He doesn't like meat sauce." Cece informed.

"I know that's why I got him the regular sauce on the side with only a piece of garlic bread so it wouldn't give him heartburn." Clare said making Cece shake her head. We stood there kind of awkwardly for a moment before Bullfrog decided he'd break the silence.

"You know what they say. A way to a man's heart is through his stomach." He joked and I tried not to laugh until Cece should signs of lightening but she finally turned to him and put her hand on his heart.

"How do you think I've managed to hang onto you?" She smiled at him.

"I'd never let you go again baby." Bullfrog kissed Cece and I glanced over at Clare who looked unsettled. I pulled her into the kitchen and sat down at the table but she started heating up the food she brought.

"I'm sorry if I'm rushing things. You can just tell me to slow down." I said from the table but she took a breath before turning around and smiling at me.

"We can still take things slow." She said but something about the way she said it seemed unsettling. She plated the food for me just as Cece was walking into the kitchen. She walked up to Clare and looked at her as she held the plate. Without warning she wrapped her arms around her and hugged her. Clare held the plate out so it wouldn't fall on the floor but she slowly put her free arm on Cece's back.

"Thank you." She said to Clare as Clare took a breath.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance." Clare replied. She let go of Clare and touched her face. They exchanged apologies for what I assumed my mom slapping her but she kissed my head before leaving Clare and I in the kitchen. She handed me the plate and sat down in the chair next to me.

"So what did you do today to stay busy?" I asked as I took a bite of the spaghetti.

"Well I went to the library for a while and did some reading then I went to The Dot and saw Alli." I looked up at her.

"How did that go?" I asked curiously.

"We made up. She's come to the conclusion that you may not be such a bad guy after all." She said with a chuckle and I laughed.

"Well lucky me." I teased. I took a few more bites before I realized she was caught in her thoughts.

"What time are you going home? I'm sure your mom will start to get suspicious with you being gone so much." I asked pulling her from her thoughts to see her shift uncomfortably.

"Um no she's gone for the night so I packed enough clothes to last until Monday." She said brushing it off.

"Oh. Is everything okay?" I asked making her look at me.

"Yeah she's just been going out a lot lately. The divorce stuff is coming to an end so you know." She trailed off before getting up and washing her hands.

"You haven't said much about that. Is everything going alright with it? How are you holding up?" I asked picking my plate up.

"I'm fine. They fell out of love and are going their separate ways. It's for the best. My mom deserves better." She whispered as I cleared my plate.

"You seem to have a different view on things now. What brought on the change?" I asked curiously washing my plate but I turned to see she had pushed off the counter and was heading for the door.

"I've gotta go." She picked up her bag and I dropped the plate in the sink to quickly run to her.

"Clare, talk to me. What's going on?" I asked putting my hand on the door to stop her from going through.

"I'm not going to do this Eli. I won't put this on you right now. Not for a fresh start." I could tell she was trying not to get upset.

"What are you talking about? Just stop." I tried to turn her to face me but she wiped around to go for the back door.

"It's not supposed to be like this. I'm supposed to be there for you to lean on. Not the other way around." She said sniffling as she opened the backdoor. I threw my arms around her from behind and pulled her to my chest.

"No it's not supposed to be that way. You are supposed to let me lean on you and in return you lean on me when you need me. It can't work one way Clare. That's what killed us the first time. I'm here for you and I'm not going anywhere." I hugged her tightly as I talked directly into her ear. She only resisted for a moment before putting her hands on top of mine and relaxing into me. The moment I felt her sobs rack against my chest I turned her around to face me and she buried her face into my chest. I held her tightly as I walked us over to the chair and sat down.

"Talk to me, please." I lifted her chin and her eyes looked so pained. I hated seeing her hurting. She reached over to her bag and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper before handing it to me. I looked at it and saw it was the finalized divorced papers. I was just starting to get to the bottom of it when she spoke.

"He cheated on her...more than once." She said through her tears. I read the part she was so upset over and I suddenly felt helpless. How the hell was I supposed to stop this pain?

"All this time I was blaming her for not trying hard enough. I was pushing and pushing and it was probably killing her. I was pushing her to make it work with someone who was sneaking around with other women." She wiped at her face and I sat the letter down.

"Clare..." I took her hands and she shook her head.

"When did I become such a horrible person?" She looked at me with tears still flowing from her eyes.

"You aren't Clare. You aren't even close to being a horrible person." I said gripping her hands tightly.

"Look at what I did to you. I abandon you. I hurt Alli and pushed my mother into an unfaithful marriage. I'm a terrible girlfriend, crappy friend and a horrible daughter." She sobbed and I held her to my chest again. Cece and Bullfrog came around the corner and I shook my head so they would know it was a bad time.

"I'm sorry I'm putting this on you. You don't need this. These are my problems and I promised myself I wouldn't put this on you on top of everything else in your life." She cried pulling away from me. I shook my head at here.

"Clare you've been taking care of me and not letting me out of your sight for the past few days because you say you love me well you know how I feel about you and I will be here for you as long as you'll let me. I won't push you and I wont make you tell me things but I need for you to know that if you expect me to let you in that you've got to give me that same opening." I held her hands again and she just looked at me sadly.

"I don't want to set you back." She said in a high pitched voice trying not to get upset again. I glanced over at Cece who frowned. I rested my forehead against Clare's.

"I'm only moving forward with you Clare. I won't let you fall behind." I whispered to her. She put her arms around me and I hugged her for a few minutes before Cece and Bullfrog came in. She wiped her face quickly and tried to smile at them.

"I started a warm bath for you sweetie. I put some lilac and soothing beads in it to help you relax." Cece put a hand on Clare's back.

"Threw some extra pillows in Eli's room in case he hogs them." Bullfrog added. Clare shook her head.

"I don't know how you all can just accept me with open arms but I'll never be able to thank you." She said looking at them both.

"You don't have to thank us. Just take care of our boy and we'll do our best to take care of you." Cece touched Clare's cheek and smiled before glancing over at me. I helped Clare up and walked her upstairs to the bathroom. She turned around and looked at me.

"I don't have to stay if you guys are dealing with family stuff right now. I can go to Alli's." She said and I nodded.

"If you think my mom is going to let you go now you're crazy." I smiled at her and she finally smiled a genuine smile.

"Relax in the bath for a bit. I'm going to finish up my journal and maybe pick a movie for us to watch before bed. Okay?" I said and she nodded. I kissed her forehead before pulling the door shut. I walked into my room and forgot I had Clare's bag with me. I opened it up and pulled out some pajamas for her but as I pulled out the clothes a plastic bag got tangled around my hand. I didn't mean to glance in the bag but out of habit I gave a quick peek and saw the last thing I ever thought I'd see. I sat down on my bed and looked through the bag at the multiple boxes of condoms that Clare had purchased and felt a bit nervous. Clare and I were just starting to work on being this close again but I had no idea she had sex on her mind. I was reading through the boxes for awhile I guess because I didn't even hear Clare re-enter with a towel wrapped around her tightly.

"I wasn't sure what kind to buy." I jumped at the sound of her voice as she walked closer to me and sat down.

"Alli thought it would be best to buy one of everything so you could pick." She finished and I looked at her.

"I had no idea that you were thinking..." I looked at her and she sighed.

"I just want to be prepared in case we do decide to take that step." Clare said fiddling with the towel.

"I thought you were waiting until you got married?" I asked and she shook her head.

"What's marriage anymore? I was raised to believe I was supposed to wait until I'm married and my parents fell apart because my dad's a...I don't think marriage means you love each other. I think there's more to it." She put her hand on mine and I nodded.

"I respect your decision and if one day that comes up for us then I'd love to be that lucky guy but right now...Clare things are so all over the place for you and me I don't want to be a regret." I explained to her. She shook her head and smiled.

"I didn't come over to have sex with you Eli. I just like to have a handle on the future." I felt a bit relieved and put my hand atop the one she hand resting on mine.

"I'm honored that you bought these with me in mind." I smiled making her laugh.

"Think I could have my clothes now?" She asked before I moved to give her her clothes. She took them but before I let her walk away I grabbed her wrist. She turned back to me and I held up a box.

"Just for the record, these will work just fine." I said dangerously close to her face. She bit her lip and looked at me.

"Good to know." She replied before taking her clothes back to the bathroom. I cleared off the bed and pulled the sheets down. I changed into pajamas myself just as Clare was coming back in the room. She sat down on the bed and patted the place next to her. I sat down and sighed pushing a piece of her wet hair off her face.

"Everything's going to be okay." I said trying to reassure her. She shook her head before pushing me back to lay down with her but tonight she was resting her head on my chest. I laced my fingers with hers as we lay in silence.

"Do you still believe in a forever with me?" Clare spoke catching me off guard.

"I've learned that it's never good to plan too far ahead but when I think of the future I don't see you not being apart of it." I explained feeling her sigh.

"Good." Clare's breathing started to ease and I listened to her breathe softly until we both fell asleep.

[Clare's POV]

After spending most of Sunday with Eli and his family I spent the night over at Alli's catching her up on everything that's been going on with us and how we were supposed to take another trip next weekend to see Julia's mom. He seemed almost more nervous about visiting Julia's mom and he wasn't ready to explain why yet. I had called Wesley and he hadn't picked up so I assumed he was busy. Monday morning I got to school and saw Eli waiting out front for me. He said good morning to Alli and she replied pleasantly and I felt my world's collide nicely for the first time.

"How did you sleep?" Eli asked me as we started to walk inside.

"Pretty good. Sav was asking about you. Maybe you should have lunch with him?" I offered and he laughed.

"Setting up lunch dates for me?" He mocked and I hit his arm.

"Just trying to be nice." I started to walk in front of him but he pulled me back closing the distance between us.

"I know...thank you." He kissed my cheek before we headed into the school. We immediately noticed the security running around. Mr. Simpson came out to greet us.

"Eli I need to have a word with you. It's about those websites." Eli sighed.

"Honestly sir, I'd rather just forget about them." Eli said.

"Did you find the person who started it?" I asked curiously and Mr. Simpson looked at me sternly.

"We did but right now there is a lot up in the air. If I could just borrow you for a moment." Mr. Simpson pointed to the guidance office and I nudged Eli.

"I'll see you at lunch." I said hoping he would go. He nodded and followed Mr. Simpson. I glanced over at Mr. Simpson's office and saw Wesley sitting in a chair with his back towards the door. I noticed no one in the office so I walked in and looked at him.

"You? You started the site?" I asked in disbelief. Wesley's head shot up and he looked shocked.

"I'm sorry Clare. We didn't know what to do. We were scared." Wesley tried to explain but I was so angry I wanted to hit him myself.

"What do you mean scared? Scared of what?" I asked angrily. He shook his head.

"Ms. Edwards, you aren't supposed to be in here." The office attendant came in and I looked at Wesley who put his head in his hands. My first thought was to find Connor and get to the bottom of this. I checked his first class and realized he wasn't here today so I took the bus to his house. I still remembered where he lived with Mr. Simpson and upon arriving I knocked heavily. I waited a few minutes before knocking again and the door opened slowly. If I thought Wesley was bad then I had another thing coming. Connor was twice as bad and had an arm cast.

"Clare?" He spoke and sounded like he had a sore throat. I pushed past him and stomped into the house before turning around to look at him.

"How could you and Wesley start a hate site? You know how hard it is to go to school at Degrassi when people look down on anyone who is remotely different and you go out of your way to start a stupid website in order to tear someone down? How could you be so horrible? I thought I knew you and Wesley to be warmhearted people. Accepting of outsides like we once were. HOW COULD YOU!" I shouted finally.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Connor said discouraged. I stepped closer to him.

"Try me." I said almost threatening him but he huffed.

"Why would you believe us over your boyfriend?" His words confused me.

"What? I don't have a boyfriend." I said looking at him.

"Yeah well you might want to let Fitz know that." Connor said moving away from the door and into the kitchen. I let it sink in for a minute before speaking.

"Fitz did all of this?" I asked making Connor turn around.

"Fitz came to Wes and I. Told us that he needed help making a website. It wasn't until after we helped make the website that he was going to use it to hurt Eli. We tried to back out and he beat up Wesley. The worst things started to get the more I realized I would rather him beat me up then continue to hurt someone. He threatened us both and told us that he would turn us in or hurt Wesley's girlfriend but when I told him that Simpson would believe me over him any day he did this." He gestured to his arm and face.

"Wesley came over the other night and we finally decided to just turn ourselves in. That way Fitz had nothing over us and he would have no reason to hurt anyone else." He sighed sitting down.

"You will never know how sorry we are Clare. We didn't want anyone to get hurt, especially you." Connor looked down at his hands and I walked over and sat next to him.

"It's not your fault. Fitz had me fooled he was a good guy but I promise you I will make this right. You guys don't need to take the fall for someone like him. He's poison and he must be stopped." My words made Connor look at me.

"It's not worth it Clare. We were nobody's before so taking this rap wont be any worse." I frowned at Connor before taking a breath.

"He attacked me on Friday. It took almost being..." I stopped myself and Connor turned his body fully towards me.

"I won't let two people with kind hearts take the fall for someone who is so horrible. Trust me, he's had this coming for a long time." I said confidently. Connor stared at me with concern.

"Did he...?" He stopped and I shook my head.

"No. Eli saved me. Thank God." I said relieved.

"He's a good guy. I don't care what people say or whatever happened with the accident." I smiled slightly before it got quiet.

"I should get going. Eli's going to be expecting me at lunch." I stood up and Connor nodded.

"I'm sorry Fitz hurt you." I said walking to the door.

"I'm sorry he hurt you too." Connor responded. I walked out of the door and called a cab. I was back at the school just in time to run into Fitz putting a note in my locker. I tried to keep it together as I walked up to him.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked making him jump.

"Hey, I was wondering if we could talk about Friday." He stepped closer and I put my hand up.

"No I think we should talk about how you've been playing me this whole time." I said putting my arms across my chest.

"What? What are you talking about?" He played stupid.

"I KNOW THE TRUTH! I KNOW EVERYTHING!" I shouted at him. He still stood there dumbfounded.

"I know that you beat up Wesley and Connor. I know you threatened them to make that hate site and I know that you've been playing me against Eli this whole time." I said watching his face. He shook his head.

"What? Who told you those lies?" He stepped closer and I put my hands up.

"Don't. Don't try and tell me it wasn't you because I know it was. You've been lying from the start and I'm done listening to you. Whatever you thought we could ever be I want you to stop thinking it right now because I will NEVER be with someone like you. You are a liar and a sneak and everything that makes you who you are is everything that I despise. You are a sad, pathetic excuse for a person and I want nothing to do with you. You are scum." I watched his jaw clench.

"So what? Yeah I had the nerd patrol make the site and when they decided they wanted out I roughed them up. Everything I've done was to protect you from that psycho, Clare. You don't understand that because your mind stays wrapped around him but if you just opened up your eyes you would see that he's not right for you. He's a monster Clare. He killed Declan and he's constantly hurting you." Fitz stepped forward and I looked him straight in the eye.

"I could be perfect for you Clare. I would never hurt you again." Fitz put his hand on my cheek and I cringed as he got dangerously close.

"There is one thing that you are that Eli could never be." I said as he moved in to kiss me. I kneed him hard and remembered what Bullfrog showed me on Sunday after I talking to him about the attack. I squeezed my fist and pulled back before haling off and hitting him as hard as I could in the face sending him to the ground.

"A pathetic coward." I spat as he sat on his butt stunned. It only took him a moment before he gritted his teeth and jumped up backing me into the lockers.

"You little-" He was pulled off of me and picked up off his feet by Connor who held up up against the lockers.

"Don't touch her." He said through a clenched jaw.

"Get off of me geek. By the end of the day your ass will be out of here anyway." Fitz thrashed.

"Oh yeah? Not after I show Simpson that computer lab recording." Connor held up his cell phone and a video played of Fitz threatening the boys.

"Or how about the back alley security footage of you jumping Wesley?" He scrolled over and showed him that too while he thrashed.

"If all of those don't get you out of here how about Clare sits down and talks about how you attacked her? I'm sure someone is bound to listen." Connor was confident and strong as he held Fitz up.

"Someone already has listened." We all looked over our shoulders and saw Simpson standing with two security guards, Wesley and Eli. Security rushed over and took Fitz from Connor's grasp as Simpson walked over to the both of us.

"You could have told me. I would have believed you." He said to Connor. He just nodded and looked at me.

"You okay?" He asked me and I smiled before hugging him.

"I will be. Thank you." He winced at me crushing his arm before laughing.

"What do we do now?" Wesley asked.

"We head back to my office and talk about what we're going to do with Mr. Fitzgerald. We'll get to the bottom of this." He touched my shoulder and looked at me.

"I think you should talk to the Ms. Sovay though." I nodded at him before heading back to the office. I sat in Ms. Sovay's office for what seemed like forever when she finally let me out I was exhausted. Mr. Simpson stopped me as soon as I walked out.

"I thought you should know that Mr. Fitzgerald has been expelled and there will also be criminal charges filled by myself and Wesley's parents for his assault on the boys. I tried calling your mother to see if you always wanted to press charges but she was unavailable. Should I call her in for a meeting?" He asked and I sighed.

"No I just want him gone and he is. That's enough for me." I said rubbing at my eyes. He put his hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him.

"You are a very strong girl Clare. You should be very proud of yourself. I know one person who is." He glanced down the hall but I didn't see anyone.

"Take care of yourself." He said once more before walking back in his office. I was a bit confused but headed down the hall until I saw Eli sitting in front of my locker playing with the rings on his finger. He jumped up when he saw me and I smiled at him.

"Hey, you waited for me." I smiled but he just put his arms around me. I savored his arms wrapped around me for a few moments before he pulled away and looked at me.

"The next time you decide to pull a Harriet the Spy you think you could let me know?" He teased and I laughed.

"Sure thing." I replied resting my hands on his chest. He pushed some of my bangs out of my face with his thumb.

"You're always saving me." He sighed.

"Just consider it a running tab. You can save me the next time." I smiled at him. He finally smiled before looking down at my hand.

"Come on Rocky. Let's get some ice on that hand." He took my hand and we started out of the school.

"Bullfrog was right. Holding your fist like that helps." I said shaking my slightly pained hand out making Eli snort.

"Whatever happened to an eye for an eye?" Eli asked and I merely shrugged.

"Adam was right. Gandhi never met Fitz." I deadpanned.

Merry Christmas :)