Authors note: Somewhat long chapter actually it might be short, I guess it depends on what you consider long and short. You might really like this chapter, cause I do. Lots, some, I don't know a little bit? of Eclare fluff in this chapter and that is always great. Uh, uh, uh.. Enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Degrassi because if I did no of this clew stuff would be going on.

Summary: They're from two different worlds, both have two different friend groups and their lives are taking them on two different paths but when she catches her boyfriend cheating on her and he's failing. Those two very different paths cross…for the second time.

Holding on and letting go

You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.

Barbara de Angelis

Chapter 4

"Clare…" Eli called from behind her as she heard quick foot steps. She kept walking, not stopping or waiting for him. She knew she had no reason to be so upset over something so small, something not worth getting upset over, but knowing that didn't make her feel any different.

"Clare!" He pulled on her arm to make her stop.

"What?" She demanded. She turned to face him, and stepped back when she noticed how close they were.

"What's wrong?" He questioned.

"Nothing, Eli." She said but in her mind she knew that was the complete opposite, everything was wrong.

"Yeah?" He said with a rise of one of his eyebrow like he didn't believe her. "Because you're acting like something is."

"Nothing is wrong, I'm not acting like anything."

"That's what you said when we were eleven." He reminded her. "What is it?" He asked, care dripping from his voice.

Clare thought to tell him then. She thought at that very moment to tell him she couldn't do this because she didn't want to make Jake jealous. She didn't want a cheater back but she also didn't want to lose him… for the second time. She didn't know how she'd do if he left her for a second time. She want to tell him that it's only been a week but all those feelings she had for him back in grade nine came rushing back to her. The only thing wanted was for him to call her beautiful again like he use to, like when they were close. Back when they were best friends. Back when he would tease her about the first time she got her period and she would tease him about the first time he got a boner.

When they would watch their favourite movies together and Clare would stay up watching him sleep because she wouldn't be able to after the horror movie he always picked. Back when they were comfortable enough to change in front of each other without being weird about it. Back when they were comfortable enough with each other. Nothing was difficult, nothing was different back then but now she knew how much everything had changed, and she only wanted to go back.

So she shook her head and looked away from him, avoiding his eyes. "Nothing." She said quietly. "Can we just go now? Alli's waiting, the quicker we get this done the quicker you can leave." She said and turned on her heels.

Once again Eli stopped her from leaving by grabbing her elbow. "Is that what this is about?" He inquired. "Because you think I don't want to be here?"

She shrugs her shoulders lightly. "Doesn't really seem like it." A small amount of bitterness within her voice and she didn't know where it came from.

"I'm here for you, Clare!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Well leave then because Jake and Jenna are not coming!"

"What?"

"They're not coming, they're not going to be here. So leave if you don't want to be here." She turned and kept walking, not listening to his protests for her to stop.

"Clare! Over here!" Alli's voice shouted over the loud music. Clare looked for her friend when she spotted her, She made her way over.

"Howdy." Clare greeted with a tip of her hat.

"Ow! Ow!" Katie howled walking over. "Who are you trying to impress?" She laughed.

Clare blushed and opened her mouth to speak, but arms went around her waist and a kiss was placed in the crook of her neck. "Me." His voice said and she calmed down instantly., she knew it was Eli. "And it's definitely working." A shiver ran up her spine and she hoped he didn't notice.

With his arms around her waist everything she felt earlier disappeared. She told him to leave but he stayed, even after she told him Jake and Jenna weren't going to be there tonight.

"That's cute." Katie said with a giggle.

Clare felt Eli smirk against her neck, and she felt his breath tickling her skin, her heart was racing faster and faster every second he remained where he was. Clare blushed even harder than she was before and was glad the light was dim so no one would see her face that had to be eight different shades of red.

Eli kept his arms around her petite body until Alli and Katie went to find their dates and the rest of all their friends. "You do look great tonight." He says slyly.

And she didn't think she could blush any harder, she was wrong. "T-thanks." She stuttered.

Eli still had his hands placed on her hips when she turned around to face him. "you're cute when you blush."

She looked down at her feet, shook her head lightly probably hitting him with her hat, and pushed his hands away.

"What?" He questioned clearly confused.

"You can stop now." She told him.

"Stop what?"

"Pretending. You know… all the acting?" she paused. "They're not paying attention now so…"

"I'm not pretending." He interrupted her.

"Then what was that? I told you Jake and Jenna weren't coming, you don't have to be here."

"I don't want to leave, Clare. I want to be here."

"You want to stay? You don't really seem like the type to like school dances. There's dancing, and crappy music as you call it…"

"So? I'm here for you, I want to be here with you, can't you just accept that?"

"It's just hard to believe you actually want to stay."

"Well I do, we're friends aren't we?" He started. "And friends spend time together."

Clare sighed and finally gave in and looked up at him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"I think you just did."

Eli rolled his eyes and shook his head at her. "Why did you keep it from me that they weren't coming?" He asks her after a moment or two.

"I…." She paused. "I kept it from you because…. Because I wanted to hang out with you still and I thought if I told you, you would bail on me." She answered half-honest.

"I'm here, am I not."

"You are, yeah."

"Then can we stop arguing and enjoy this dance with horrible music and tacky decorations?"

Clare giggled and nodded her head. "Okay. "

Clare sipped on her root beer as she sat at the table with Eli and her other friends. Clare was amazed at how well Adam and Eli were getting along. If she didn't know that the two hadn't met until tonight she would have thought they've been friends for a long time. It made her smile knowing her favourite boys in the world were getting along so great. What also made her smile was that Eli's hand never left hers and she knew it was only because Alli and everyone else at that table thought they were dating but it didn't male her smile any less.

The song changed and Clare watch Alli's face light up. "Clare! Let's go dance!" Alli says excitedly

Clare nodded in response, got up dropping Eli's hand. "Let's." Clare giggled and the two girls joined hands and ran off to the dance floor area. The girls danced stupidly to the beat of the song. Jumping up and down, enjoying themselves. They laughed and sung along to the songs.

"It's going down!" Alli sung loudly.

"I'm yelling timber!" Clare sung the next line and the two laughed.

Clare was never good at singing, only in the shower. She wasn't good compared to her favourite singer. But that was okay because Clare danced better than what she could sing and she liked dancing better. She never took a class because she wasn't confident enough to join one by herself, she only have even danced out in public at school dances.

Clare was too involved in her dancing to notice that Eli had made his way over to the dance floor until his hand her on her hips. She saw the sharpie cover nails and immediately calmed down.

"Is it okay that I steal her from you?" Eli asked Alli.

"Go ahead." Alli smiled and went to grab Katie.

Clare turned to face Eli, she held the back of his neck and said. "I thought you didn't want to dance?"

"I forgot how good of a dancer you were."

"So I changed your mind?" Clare said with a rise of her one eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Maybe."

The song ended and soon another picked up, a fast beat one that didn't have a country feel to it at all. Eli quickly turned her around, holding her hips from behind again and the two started to dance against each other in a circular motion. Clare moved slowly not caring about how fast the music was. Clare didn't know what had gotten into her, she was grinding with Eli on the dance floor and it was wired to be doing this with him given their history of being best friends but knowing that didn't make her want to stop. She moved closer to him, any space that was in between them gone now. She bent her knees only slightly and tangled her fingers in his hair as they started to speed up ever so slightly. Clare pushed her ass up against him and that earned a groan from him, Clare bit her lip in satisfaction.

"Clare…" He says in her ear.

"Mhmm?"

"You have to stop, because now I have a growing problem and I blame you."

Clare's eyes widened in shock. She didn't think it would be possible for her to cause that to happen to him. She blushed the more she thought about it. Even though he had told her they needed to stop he didn't seem to be stopping his movement so she didn't stop right away. She only turned around so they were grinding face to face. One hand over holding his neck lightly while the other down at her side and Eli's hands roamed her sides.

"Clare..." Eli tried again.

She glanced down only for a second to notice he wasn't kidding, and that she really has caused him to get hard. So then she stopped. "It's not my fault you can't control your hormones. Think of something gross."

"I can't…" He whined. "Not while you're standing here."

"I'll leave then." She said quickly and turned away from him but for what seemed like the thousandth time that night he pulled her back to him.

"No way."

As the song changed to a slow song Clare let out a deep breath. "I'll be fine." He told her.

Eli held his hand out to her, and she took it. And he held her wait and she held around hid neck. It took her a few seconds of listening to the song that played but she finally recognized it. She remembers each word and so did Eli from the way he was singing softly along with it much like he did when they were younger. The song always played when they were kids, at his house, at her house. It seemed like back then, it was on a never-ending playlist.

"I forgot how great of a singer you were." She told him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Eli's eyebrows came together in confusion. "I'm not a great singer, trust me."

"You are." She smiled. "At least I think you are."

Eli smirked.

They stay quiet for a little while after that, just swaying back and forth, enjoying the song as Eli continued humming the song. "I missed it."

"Missed what?" He questions.

"You, your voice." She shrugged, and didn't look up at him, but if she didn't she knew there would probably be a smirk on his face as always. "I just missed you." She told him honestly. Clare finally looked up at him, the smirk she expected to see not there, but a goofy smile instead. She was surprised.

"I missed you too, Edwards." He says. Eli looked pasted her head and she saw his face drop. She turned her head and followed hid gaze to find what he was looking at. She saw Eli's friends Bianca, Owen, Drew, Dallas and the rest of them walking in. She heard Eli cruse from beside her.

Clare sighed. "Why are they here?" She questioned him, turning back around, and getting out of his hold.

"I told them I was going to be here."

"Why? So they can call me name and things I'm not?"

Eli shook his head quickly. "No! Clare." He ran his hand through his hair then sighed. "I didn't know they were going to show up. I didn't tell them to."

"And that makes this all better?" She crossed her arms over chest.

"Look, Them and I usually go out to parties on weekends and when told them I couldn't, they just wanted to know why."

"You couldn't have told them you were sick or something?"

"They wouldn't have believed me."

"Well now that they're here, leave and take them with you." She said angrily. "And go party and hook up with randoms for the rest of the night."

"What crawled up your ass and died? You were fine a minute ago."

"A minute ago they weren't here. A minute ago I wasn't in a room with people who took you away from me!"

"Is the honeymoon phase over?" Bianca says wrapping her arm around Eli's should and Clare's.

Clare pushed away from her. The smell of beer on Bianca, Clare wrinkled her nose.

"Because all you two seem to do is argue, and argue!" she says wide-eyed looking back and forth between the two. "Where's all the liplock?"

Before Clare even thought about what she was doing, she pulled Eli over to her wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He was shocked she guessed from the way he didn't respond to her lips on his, but then he did. He kissed her back with as much as he could. Their lips moved together and she felt dizzy from how amazing this kissing way. It was fast and sloppy but passionate like they both wanted to do this for some time. This kiss made her feel things she never felt kissing Jake. It felt like her whole body was on fire and she ached to get it put out, like electricity running up and down her body from her toes all the way to her head and she only wanted more. She only wanted more of him, more of his kisses and then she pulled away from lack of air.

And she remembered why she had kissed, why she was angry with him and the people he calls friends walking in. So she didn't say another word and walked away from them, biting her lip still feeling his lips on hers.

"Not gonna lie, that was kinda hot." Clare heard Bianca say. "Who knew Saint Clare had it in her."

"Yeah…Who knew." Eli says when Clare looked over she shoulder at him, before grabbing her things and walking out.

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