Disclaimer: I do not own the epicness that is Degrassi. I only have my stories.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Groaning, I rolled over and slammed my hand against the clock, shutting the annoying alarm up. It felt like I had barely closed my eyes before I was being woken up. Maybe that was because I had spent half the night up, running a fever.

My throat ached dully and as I stretched out, I realized there was a stiff soreness around my entire body. I buried my head deeper into the pillows, and went back to sleep.

Knock. Knock.

"Ugh. Now what?" I groaned out loud.

"Clare?" I heard my mom's voice calling on the other side of the door. "Are you up?"

"No," I mumbled.

The door opened, and I heard my mom walk in. "Clare, it's almost seven! You have to be at school in fifteen minutes!"

I threw the covers off my head and peered groggily up at her. "I don't feel good."

She rested her hand against my forehead for a moment. "Hm. I think you're running a temperature, honey."

I ran a hand through my messy curls, and sighed as I glanced over at my alarm clock. There was no way I would be ready in fifteen minutes. "Can't I just stay home today?"

Mom scrutinized me for a moment longer before nodding. "Alright. If you need anything, call me. I've got to get to work, honey." She leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the head. "If you feel better, call Dad. Maybe he can take you to school later."

I smiled weakly. "Thanks Mom. Bye."

I watched as she left my room and then buried myself under the covers again, letting the sleep overtake me.

The shrill ringing of my phone woke me up with a start. Figuring it was either Mom or Dad, I rolled over and picked it up from my bedside table.

"Mph. Hello?"

"Clare?"

"Eli?"

"Clare, what's the matter? I've texted you at least seven times."

I blinked the sleep out of my eyes. "Sorry Eli, I was sleeping. I don't feel too good."

"Are you sick?"

"It's just a cold, it's nothing. Don't worry about it," I leaned back against my pillow and felt soothed just by hearing his voice.

"Well, want me to bring you lunch?"

"Are you sure? You've only got half an hour to get here and back – "

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

I stared at the phone as the line went dead and hung up. Sighing, I got up, ignoring the dull ache in my muscles. I ran a brush through my hair, trying to make myself look somewhat decent but it was no use. Frustrated, I gave up and changed into jeans and a comfortable t-shirt.

The doorbell rang a few minutes later, and I hurried downstairs. A smile was on my face as I yanked the door open and saw my boyfriend standing there, clad in his uniform.

I threw myself into his arms. "Eli!"

He chuckled. "Nice to see you too. What, couldn't go half a day without me?"

"Don't ruin the moment." I pulled back and tugged on his arm, bringing him inside.

"Brought you lunch." He held up a paper bag.

"Aw, thanks." I took it from him, intertwined our fingers, and led him up to my room.

His fingers brushed against my arm as we sat down on my bed. "Clare, you feel really warm. Are you running a fever?"

I shrugged. "More or less."

He rolled his eyes. "Get back in bed, Clare. Here." He helped me under the covers and then pulled out a bowl of soup from the paper bag. "Want me to feed you?" He grinned as I grimaced, and took the bowl from him.

"That's okay, I think I can handle it."

I ate in silence for a few minutes while he watched me. "Stop staring at me, Eli."

"I can't help it. You're just so cute."

I groaned. "I look like a mess right now."

He leaned forward, his dark green eyes meeting my blue ones. "I think you look beautiful." His lips touched mine briefly.

Before he could pull back, I leaned forward and pressed my right hand against the back of his head, holding his face more secure to mine.

I felt him smirk into the kiss, as his tongue grazed my bottom lip and playfully tugged. An automatic reaction, I parted my lips wider and let his tongue slide smoothly in and begin to explore my mouth.

I felt his hand tangle into my curls, and suppressed a moan as he intertwined both our tongues. My other arm reached forward to wrap around his neck, bringing him closer –

Crash.

I jumped as the bowl of soup landed onto the carpet, staining it.

Eli and I looked at each other for a moment before he roared with laughter.

I leaped off the bed, and grabbed a bunch of paper towels from the corner. "It's not funny, my mom's going to kill me!"

Still laughing, he got up and took the paper towels from me. "Here, let me do that. You get back in bed."

Ignoring him, I began furiously mopping up the soup from the carpet. I tried not to look at Eli as he helped me clean it up, still chuckling.

"What, did you forget you were holding a bowl of soup in your hands while you were trying to scramble into my lap?" he asked me, smirking.

"I was not trying to scramble into your lap," I muttered, avoiding his gaze. "And this going to leave a mark!"

His hand grabbed my wrist. "Clare, relax. I'll handle it." He pulled me up and sat me back down in bed. "Your mom's going to kill me if she finds out I was keeping you from your rest."

I crossed my arms and watched him clean up the rest of the mess. With his stupid half-smile still in place, he threw away the last of the paper towels.

He climbed into bed with me and pulled me securely into his side. Automatically, I cuddled into him, resting my head against his shoulder. I began to feel worse, as I realized how hot I was feeling and I kicked the covers under my feet. My throat ached worse than before as I tried to swallow.

"Ugh," I leaned farther down and turned my face to nestle it onto his chest. "I feel really hot."

His hand rubbed my back gently. "You could always take off your shirt."

"Shut up, Eli."

He chuckled. "Kidding. Want me to get you some tablets?"

"No. Maybe later." All I wanted to do right now was sleep, and lying here on his chest felt comfortable and soothing.

I felt his hand brush my bangs aside as he rested his palm there. "You're burning up, Clare," he murmured.

Lifting my head, I glanced over at the clock to check the time. "Eli, it's almost 12:30!"

He pulled my head gently back down to rest on his chest. "So it is."

"You have to get back to school!"

"Ms. Dawes isn't going to miss me."

I growled, unimpressed. "You're not skipping again, Eli."

"I'm not leaving you home alone while you're sick, either," was his response.

"I'll be fine."

"Just go to sleep, Clare," he started tracing patterns onto my back now. My eyelids drooped, and I stifled a yawn. He lowered himself farther down onto the bed, and rested his head atop mine. "In fact…I think I might join you."

I sighed, knowing there was no use in trying to get him to go back to school. "Fine. But you gotta be out of here before my mom gets home."

His breath felt oddly cool against my skin. I felt his lips press against my forehead and my eyes fluttered closed. "Relax." His other arm went around my waist and he left it there, holding me somewhat possessively. "You know, I could get used to this."

I murmured in response, smiling slightly, as I snuggled deeper into his chest and fell asleep, with Eli's arms safely around me.

A/N: Yes, no? Reviews really help and are much appreciated!