You Really Got A Hold On Me

by BlackSansaStark

Summary:

A Now or Never AU where Marisol has a massive crush on Eli and will do anything to win his heart even if it means signing to for a role in Love Roulette.

Notes:

Your favorite crackship truther is back at it again with a new fic! In an AU of Now or Never, Marisol is involved in Love Roulette and attempts to win the heart of Eli. Will she succeed? Song title is You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me by The Miracles.

Chapter 1: Prologue

The beginning of Junior Year

Inside her car, Marisol Lewis cheerfully pulled into a parking lot at school with her best friend Katie next to her.

Today was the first day of her Junior year at Degrassi High School and she was more than excited. She had it all ruled out. She wanted to be elected cheer captain by the end of the year, run the school with Katie, have fun with some cute guys, and solidify her position as the most popular girl in school. She had simple goals and simple taste.

As she looked in the mirror and applied a fresh coat of cherry lip gloss to her lips, Katie began chatting to her.

“I can’t believe it’s already our junior year,” her best friend said with a sigh, “It feels like time flew since our freshman orientation.”

“I know!” Marisol exclaimed. “I’m so ready for this year to be over already but first we must establish our mark here. What are our goals, Katie?”

“For us to run the school, to get me a boyfriend, and for you to be cheer captain while dating the hottest guy in school,” Katie recited to her, somewhat flatly. Sigh. Her best friend never seemed to care about those things for some reason. Katie never even had a boyfriend. They were so different at times it was almost confusing.

The girls got out of the car, and began to walk towards the entrance of the school.

“I think we should work on me getting the hottest guy in school first,” Marisol stated with a playful tone. The hottest guy at school had to be more attractive than her ex-boyfriend Owen Milligan, who was a total dickbag. The only good thing about him is that he was great in bed. He was her first boyfriend in high school, and at first things were sweet between them freshman year. Then he was caught on video having sex with two of her fellow cheerleaders at a party and that was the end of them. He still tried to talk to her afterwards but she blocked his number, blocked him on every social media site, and avoided him at school. “Maybe someone who’s like the complete opposite of Owen. He’s still sexy but sweet, caring, smart, str-“

“What the hell?” Katie asked in shock, and Marisol turned her head around to look where Katie was looking.

Everyone in the area watched as a hearse pulled into the parking lot, and whoever was driving it was blasting some loud, obnoxious death metal music.

“Did someone already die before school even start?” Marisol asked, frowning. It was already traumatizing enough that some senior got murdered at a party she and Katie went to in their freshman year. Degrassi was truly an insane place.

A white boy stepped out of the funeral car, and grabbed his backpack out of the car, and then loudly slammed his car door. Marisol immediately had three thoughts.

One, his hair was hideous. It looked like a cross between a dead otter and a wet mop on top of his head.

Two, he was obviously one of those goth kids because he looked like he just stepped straight out of a Marilyn Manson video. He was dressed in black from head to toe, with a skull ring on his finger and a spiked bracelet on his wrist. She could see his sharp eyeliner from where she and Katie were standing, and she could also see the badly chipped black nail polish. He probably had a tattoo of a pentagram on his chest or something.

Three, he was actually....kind of hot. Whoever this guy was, he had the prettiest green eyes she ever saw. They were like perfectly cut jades. Marisol scoped out the rest of his facial features and noticed pink and full lips, a strong jawline, and a strong chin. He was no where near beefy like Owen, but he had a confident swagger to him.

Marisol found this boy mysterious, and she even got bad boy vibes from him. Hmm.

The boy threw his backpack over his shoulder, and glared at everyone who was staring at him. The crowd quickly dispersed, but the whisperings continued as he walked past them.

“What a freak,” Katie said in disgust, narrowing her eyes.

“Yeah,” Marisol agreed, but it was only a front.

She had never been with a goth kid before, as she found that whole subculture to be bloodsucking weirdos, but now she was intrigued. She wanted him. One excellent thing about her was that she was a vixen and could get any guy she wanted.

This guy was going to be her new conquest.

---

April

Her mission to seduce the new emo kid at Degrassi has so far been a failure until now.

She learned a couple things about Emo Boy over the school year. First that his name was Eli Goldsworthy, which was a really cool name she had to admit. They had a few classes together, and she found him to be a broody loner. They worked on some projects together but he made it clear that he didn’t think highly of her or most people at school. His only friend at school was Adam Torres. He was used to be friends with his annoying, virginal ex-girlfriend Clare Edwards but considering they JUST had a messy breakup, it was obvious that they weren’t even speaking to each other. Perfect.

It was now the prime opportunity to strike. She was positive that Virgin Edwards’s influence over him was preventing him from seeing her seductive allure, but now that she was out of the picture, Marisol had a chance now and will take it. It helps that Saint Clare made an absolute fool of herself at The Dot recently when she screamed at him in front of everyone. She recorded the whole incident with a laugh.

She stared at the sign up sheet for Love Roulette, a play written by Eli and directed by Fiona Coyne. She tried to audition for the lead role for his play last year, only for her to not get the role. She was still annoyed over that shit since she was sure she had the chops to be an amazing actress. However, she would not be deterred.

On the signup sheet, she wrote her name in glittery, pink ink under stage makeup. Since no one else signed up for it, he would have no choice but to cast her in his play.

Eli Goldsworthy will be hers.

Chapter 2: More Than A Woman

Summary:

Song title is More Than A Woman by Aaliyah. I’m already sorry for how Clare is going to get treated in this fic 😭.

Eli Goldsworthy sat in front of his locker as he looked at his script for the play. It was frustrating that he couldn’t seem to make it work. The ideas for a riveting plot just wouldn’t come to him. He nearly balled up the script in frustration. Fiona and Ms. Dawes were beginning to grow impatient and he knew he would be in trouble if he didn’t write up a plot soon. How could he have fallen this far? Before his breakup with Clare, words and ideas would flow through his mind like a river. Now, it felt empty upstairs in his head.

“Hi, Eli!” A cheery and feminine voice greeted him. He looked up and saw that it was Marisol Lewis, the most popular girl in their class. She was wearing large, golden hoop earrings with a matching gold headband. He could tell that she was wearing a full face of makeup by looking at her gold eyeshadow, mascara, blush, and glittery pink lip gloss.

Marisol was a very attractive girl. The only problem was that he found her painfully irritating. They never really interacted much but he knew she was one of the most shallow, snobby, ditzy, and flat out meanest girls at school. The worst thing about her is that she talked with this fake, sugary sweet tone while being an absolute snake. Worst yet, she had tried to flirt with him multiple times over the course of this year, even when he was still with Clare. She made a pass at him during Vegas Night, and stomped off when he rejected her. She tried to be in his play as the lead actress. He refused to let that happen. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to allow her to have a role in this play as a volunteer makeup artist because no one else signed up for it. He almost didn’t let her have the position, as despite signing up for Drama Club at the beginning of the year, she barely showed up to any club meetings and left after two months.

“Hi,” he flatly greeted, hoping she would take the hint. She was not his type and was never going to be. Cheerleaders weren’t his thing, especially airheaded and bitchy cheerleaders.

“I’m so excited to be in this play. Is the plot ready yet?” She asked him.

Grabbing his cane that he personally named Mortissa, he stood up on his feet and leaned on it for support. He winced as pain shot up in his leg. He was regretting every day that he crashed Morty.

“No, but I’ll have it ready soon,” he responded, weary of what her intentions were.

“I’ll be happy to help with anything if you need it,” She offered, giving him a dazzling smile. If he were any more foolish, he would have fell for it. “I really want to do my part to make this play amazing!” She added.

‘Shutting up and just doing your job would be fine enough for me, Princess,’ he thought dryly to himself.

“I don’t think I need any help now,” he replied.

Marisol reached into her bag, pulled out a card, and gave it to him. It was the address to Little Miss Steaks. “Well if you need any help with the play, you can always visit me at my job. I work from 6-11,” she told him.

“You work at Little Miss Steaks?” He asked, wondering how he never saw her while he and his family were eating there. She nodded.

“I just got the job during Spring Break. I can’t wait to see you there soon!” She said, giving him a wink as she walked away.

‘I didn’t say I was coming,’ he wanted to say. He raised an eyebrow at her retreating form. Why did she care so much about the play when she was only the makeup artist?

He had to admit that a part of him was curious as to find out why.

---

“Hey cowgirl, you wanna come over and ride this stallion after work?” A middle-aged man with a beer belly asked her suggestively as she walked by. He and his equally disgusting friends then laughed.

Marisol could only give them a pleasing smile because anything other than that would get her in trouble with her manager Juan, or his wife Susie. Her mother always told her that as a black girl, people will always assume she was angry by default and so she always had to remain sweet even when dealing with assholes, or she could lose her job.

She loved working at Little Miss Steaks as it was a super fun place, but she hated the customers. She had so many creepy, older men catcalling her and trying to get in her skirts that she was considering asking Juan to transfer her to the kitchen. After this job, just the sight of anything Wild West related might make her throw up.

Tonight was really awful as a whole group of bikers came into the restaurant, probably as a club meeting or something. They usually came every Wednesday and Friday. At least three of those dirtbags regularly made a pass at her and didn’t care that she was in high school. Complaining to her managers about it was useless, as Susie would just tell her that this was the downside of being a waitress.

She almost missed Owen because no one would dare try to harass her if he was with her right now. He was a perfect, intimidating boyfriend. That was the only other thing he was good for.

As she delivered two plates of loaded nachos to an elderly couple, she spotted Eli entering the restaurant with his cane. Her mood increased significantly. With a nod from Juan allowing her to go on break, she cheerfully walked up to him.

“You came!” She exclaimed excitedly while smiling widely at him. On the inside though, she was cringing at his appearance. It wasn’t so much the outfit he was wearing, as it was his typical emo wear, but it was his hair. Somehow, the long floppy hair he was sporting looked even worse than it did literally a month ago. It was wild, crazy looking, and he honestly looked like Lord Farquad from Shrek with that hairstyle, especially with the red polo shirt they had to wear as juniors. Her first goal after she snatched him up was to get him a barber to cut his hair. Her cousin owned a barber shop. She could ask him to help with Eli.

Eli shrugged as he leaned on his cane. “I had nothing to else to do,” he confessed. He tried to come off as bored, but she could see curiosity in his eyes. She thinks she likes his eyes more than anything. She hoped one day those green eyes will look at her adoringly instead of annoyance.

“Well, I’ll take you to a booth so we could talk,” she told him as she led him to a booth in the back of the restaurant where there weren’t a lot of customers.

Eli winced as he sat down, and she gave him a look of worry.

“Are you alright?” She asked, taking a seat across from him.

“It’s fine. My leg just still hurts,” he answered.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I was so worried when I heard you crashed your car last month,” she replied with a sympathetic tone, “I can’t imagine-“

“It’s fine,” he repeated, cutting her off firmly, “I don’t think we’re here to discuss my leg, right?”

“Right,” she replied, mentally kicking herself for already making this awkward, “So how is the play going? Anything coming to you yet?”

“I don’t know yet. I haven’t worked out the kinks yet,” he grumbled, “I don’t have a beginning, middle, or end and Ms. Dawes rejects every idea I have. I’m the writer for the play yet I can’t even come up with a proper script.”

“Well what are you trying to do?” She inquired, leaning forward on the table.

“A tragedy. Something sorrowful, gripping, and destructive. A story that have the audience in tears,” he explained, then groaned, “But I don’t know how it would work.” He gripped his cane strongly, and Marisol had a feeling that he wanted to smash it into pieces. He could do that outside but not here.

“Does it have to be a tragedy? What about something funny or sweet?” She questioned, already feeling uncomfortable at the idea. Did he have to be so emo all of the time? Goths were weird.

“All of the best stories are tragedies,” he argued, “Hamlet. King Lear. Macbeth. Oedipus Rex. Death of a Salesman. Medea. Happy endings don’t make for a good story.”

“It does for some stories. There's The Lion King, Beauty and The Beast, Hairspray, Singing In The Rain, Grease, Wicked, Mamma Mia, Dreamgirls,” She shot back. “Those are all pretty good stories and have happy endings.”

He snorted. “They’re musicals. I don’t do musicals, especially cheery and sugary ones,” he sneered.

She rolled her eyes. He was so edgy. “Well, fine. What about a tragic romance? Like Romeo and Juliet, Othello, or Antony and Cleopatra?”

“What do you know about Antony and Cleopatra? I wouldn’t peg you the type to be into all of these plays and musicals?” He asked her, which hurt her a little. She wasn’t completely cultured but she wasn’t an idiot.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Emo Boy,” she answered. “I know all about a good story, even a sad one.”

She could see the wheels turning in his head. He looked at her curiously, and was telling her silently to go on.

“I don’t like sad endings but there’s something so tragically beautiful about forbidden love, or a couple trying their hardest to stick together but the universe keeps tearing them apart,” she continued, then she looked at Eli’s face and realized that this might be bad thing for him to do when he just went through a nasty breakup. “I mean, you don’t have to do a tragic romance considering you know.....,” she trailed off, smiling sheepishly.

“No....I can do something with that,” he replied, and though he was looking at her, his mind seemed to be another place. “A play about two young lovers torn apart from bad circumstances....”

“If it helps, you can always make your ex the bad guy. I would,” she offered with a devious smile.

“Clare? I don’t think I can do that,” he replied to her with a weary stare.

“Why not? I heard she broke your heart even after everything you did for her. You crashed a hearse for her, and she still left you to rot in the hospital. Sounds like a bitch to me,” Marisol told him, “Your relationship obviously meant nothing to her if she’s already making out with Jake Martin when you guys just broke up. I say that you make her the villain that used you this whole time. You’re the tragic hero that thought she loved you as much as you loved her. Make the love story sweet at first, only to spiral into absolute pain and misery as the girl in your story shows her true colors. You have the potential to make your own masterpiece here, your own Phantom of The Opera.”

From the way Eli’s eyes widened, she knew she had him.

“Marisol, it’s time to get back to work,” Juan called her from behind the bar. She gave him a nod, before turning back to Eli.

“I guess you can leave now,” she said, sad that she couldn’t get more time with him.

“I think I’ll stay and order something,” he replied to her, and for the first time he was smiling at her, not smirking at her, but smiling at her.

Marisol felt her heart beat in excitement. Was this really going to be that easy?

“Okay! I’ll get you a server, or wait.....I’ll take your order right now. Let me give you a menu,” she said as she got off her seat excitedly.

There was an extra bounce in her step as she got back to work.

---

A few hours later, instead of writing the script like he was supposed to, Eli was searching Marisol on Facerange. It was a little stalkerish but he was too concerned with trying to find more information on Marisol’s true character.

One night of talking with Marisol at Little Miss Steaks got rid of half the assumptions he previously held about her. She was still an annoying, bubbly, and girly cheerleader but she was more introspective and helpful than he thought. He needed to know more about this girl.

After scrolling for a bit, he found her. In her profile picture, she was kissing a puppy on its cheek while dressed in her cheerleader uniform. In her header, it looked like a picture of her and Katie Matlin as kids.

He sent her a Facerange request.

Chapter 3: Teenage Love Affair

Summary:

Title song is Teenage Love Affair by Alicia Keys.

“So the look that I am going for this play is something dark and dramatic. Something that will put tension and give the audience a dreadful feeling,” Eli told Marisol as he showed her around the stage.

“Okay, but why do I have to see the stage set?” She asked in confusion.

“Because when you do stage makeup, it has to capture the look of the production. There can’t be any colorful eyeshadow, bright lipstick, or pastel blush because that is not the tone of the play,” he explained as he eyed her current makeup critically. She was wearing pink eyeshadow and sparkly pink lip gloss. Marisol was so....girly. He wondered if she had a single thing black in her makeup kit.

“And eyeliner?” She asked.

“Black and sharp,” he answered quickly.

“Ooh....like Natalie Portman in Black Swan?” She suggested excitedly.

“Actually, yeah that’s perfect. You seen that movie?” He asked her, curiously.

She folded her arms and gave him a somewhat annoyed look. “Yeah, is that weird to you? Am I not supposed to like it? What kind of movies do you think I watch?” She questioned him.

“I don’t know...chick flicks like Clueless, Mean Girls, and Bring It On?” He replied, making her tsk in response.

“Clueless is my favorite movie. Mean Girls is a classic. Bring It On is the essential cheerleader movie that every aspire cheerleader must watch if they are to perfect the art of the sport, but I watch more movies than that Emo Boy. Shocking concept, I know,” she dryly replied.

“Sorry,” he apologized, feeling sheepish for some reason.

“Now would you feel offended if I believe that all you watch is horror movies?” She questioned him.

“I mean that’s eighty percent of what I usually watch,” he replied shrugging, “I live and breathe horror.”

“Eww....horror movies freak me out,” she said with a shiver.

“That’s what they’re supposed to do, Marisol. They tug on your primal emotions and reduce you to quaking mess so they can stick on your mind....forever,” he added for dramatic effect.

“No thank you, Eli. So that means you’re coming to Movie Night, then? Since they’re showing a Zombie movie,” she asked.

“PG-13 horror movies aren’t my thing. They’re all watered down bullshit,” he replied as he already knew that the school wouldn’t dare to show a R-rated movie. “What is the movie, anyway?”

“Zombie Massacre 5,” she told him, and the title made him cringe, “Come on it’ll be fun!”

“A PG-13 zombie movie? Oh boy, does that sound like a snore fest,” he laughed, “I have a play to work on.”

“Pleaaaassee Eli?”

“Hell no.”

“I’ll drive you, and since you’re such a movie buff, you can at least have fun making fun of it, right?” She offered. “You already have a script for the play, and you casted pretty much everyone. You can stand to have one night of fun, pleeeeaaassse?” She pleaded while giving him a charming smile.

“Fine, whatever,” he grumbled, not knowing why he accepted the offer. It sounded like a date, a trap that Marisol laid out for him, and he was willingly walking right into it.

He was a fool.

———————-

Marisol loved it when she won.

She happily sipped on her Oreo cookie milkshake with chocolate drizzle. It was one of her favorites from The Dot. She knew that as a cheerleader, she should control her diet but she couldn’t resist the milkshakes, ice cream, chocolate, fries, burgers, cupcakes, wings, pizza, and nachos. She was a big eater. She couldn’t help it. It didn’t really matter as she worked all of the calories off anyway afterwards.

Katie, who was sitting across from her, wasn’t really drinking her own strawberry milkshake. She instead was giving her a critical look.

“Mari, I don’t know what you see in Eli. He’s weird,” Katie told her with a raised eyebrow.

“He’s hot. He’s mysterious. He’s different,” Marisol answered with a shrug.

“He crashed his car into a wall on purpose for his ex-girlfriend last month!” Katie exclaimed. “He’s a nutjob!”

Marisol tried not to roll her eyes at her best friend’s statement. Katie was always so judgmental of her boyfriends and crushes, even back in middle school. It was so annoying. While in hindsight, she would agree with Katie that Owen was a mistake, it used to piss her off when Katie wouldn’t stop glaring or being rude to him. No guy was perfect enough for Katlynn Matlin. It’s why she never had a boyfriend.

“He takes anxiety medication so that won’t happen again, and even then it was because he was so heartbroken over Clare. She abandoned him when he needed her the most,” Marisol argued.

“You’re telling me you wouldn’t have done the same, Mare? Come on, you’re just defending him because you want to get in his skinny jeans,” Katie said as she took a tiny sip of her milkshake. “There’s so many cute guys who would be a better fit for you than Eli Goldsworthy.”

“Well I want Eli and I’ll have him,” Marisol sharply replied, “We’re already Facerange friends and I’m taking him to Movie Night tonight.”

The waiter brought their food, which was a big bowl of loaded nachos for them to share. Grabbing a large nacho chip and drowning it in cheese, she popped it in her mouth and gave Katie a defiant look while she chewed.

“Don’t worry about me and Eli, Katie. You’re going with Jake tonight, right?” She asked her friend.

Katie blushed in response. “Yeah. He just asked me like an hour ago.”

“Now see, you might have a boyfriend by the end of this year,” Marisol reassured her. “He’s pretty cute. He’s tall, has a gorgeous smile, and looks like a fun time.”

“He is pretty cute,” Katie said with a red face, as she started eating some of the nachos herself.

Marisol was pleased with how everything was progressing. She was taking Eli to Movie Night while her best friend was taking a hot guy.

She was already thinking of the double dates they could go on.

—————

Eli got ready in his room that evening. He combed his hair and put on one of his band shirts. He smoothed out the wrinkle in his black jeans.

He didn’t know why he agreed to come tonight when he had a play to work on with Fiona. The movie was probably going to be awful and a waste of his brain cells. However, Marisol was annoyingly persistent and if he kept rejecting her, she wouldn’t shut up until he caved in.

She was such a troublesome girl.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, baby boy?” Cece, his mother, asked as she peeked into his room with a concerned look on his face.

He let out a sigh of annoyance. “Yes, Cece. It’s just a stupid Movie Night,” he replied tiredly. His parents were irritating the shit out of him lately with how they were smothering him because of the hearse incident. They were no longer his fun parents but overprotective, strict, and overbearing. Bullfrog and Cece were no different from Clare’s parents how.

Where was this strictness in his childhood, where he would be forced to sit alone in his house for days while they went to some adult rock festival or a swinging party? Or when he had to learn to cook at a young age because his parents were often too drunk off their asses or high to fix him meals? Or all the times where when they *did* bring him to a rock concert, had him surrounded by drug addicts and horny couples? When they let him swear at an early age? Even better, when Julia would stay in his room for days and they did nothing but have sex all night while Bullfrog and Cece were passed out downstairs? His parents were coming off as massive hypocrites right now and he hated it. It made him want to hit something.

“Well it’s just that we’re worried that this may be too early for you to go on another date,” she said, which made him groaned.

“This is not a date. I’m being kidnapped by a vapid cheerleader to go to a stupid school event. Marisol is nowhere near the type of girl I would EVER go with,” he sneered. She was just going to have a role in the production of his play but that’s it.

“I remember you saying the same about Clare when you first talked about her to us. You said a girl in your class had the prettiest eyes but acted like a stuck up prude,” Cece pointed out.

“That was different,” he argued.

“Of course,” she replied with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She didn’t believe him.

A car horn beeped outside, which meant Marisol was here.

“It’s time for me to suffer,” he grumbled as he walked past his mother and left his room. Every walk down the steps felt like forever as he walked down to his doom.

“Have fun, sugar bean!” Cece told him cheerfully from upstairs as he walked outside.

He had to admit that he wasn’t expecting Marisol to have a black car. He thought it was going to be some pink monstrosity.

“Emo Boy,” Marisol greeted as he got in her car.

“Hey,” he greeted back, but unenthusiastically.

This was going to be an interesting night.

—————-

It wasn’t a date but it felt like one.

Eli already felt uncomfortable with all of these students here as he followed Marisol into the large room. With the large projector screen and the strong buttery smell of popcorn, the room definitely felt like a movie theater.

People sent them odd looks they came in, and he didn’t blame them. Dressed in his usual gothic attire and walking around with his cane Mortissa, he looked strange next to Marisol who was wearing a pink headband, a flowery pink and blue blouse, and pastel pink jeans. Their aesthetics clashed and he didn’t think in a good way.

Marisol waved to her friend Katie....who was sitting next to Jake Martin. The Jake Martin that he heard Clare was going out with.

Their eyes met, and Eli felt his stomach tighten in jealousy while Jake gave them both a casual wave. However, he was also confused. Why was Jake with Katie tonight and not Clare?

As Marisol had them sit down next to Katie and Jake, Eli scanned the room and found Clare.

Clare was sitting next to some curly-haired kid, chatting happily with him. What was going on? Was Clare single after all?

“I’ll go get some popcorn for us,” Marisol stated as she got up and walked off to the popcorn stand.

“So....Eli. What brings you here? You going out with Marisol now?” Jake asked him in a friendly tone. Katie, for some reason, was giving him a cold stare.

“No,” he answered while shaking his head, “We’re just friends.”

Friends? Did he really consider her a friend now? They still barely knew each other.

“Ah,” Jake replied as he wrapped his arm around Katie, who was then turning red.

Marisol came back with a giant bowl of popcorn and sat down next to him with a wide smile.

“I hope this is a great movie,” she told him in hope. He only nodded in response.

An hour into the movie, Eli wouldn’t stop cringing. The movie was shit with bad acting, unlikable characters, and bad special effects. It was direct-to-dvd bullshit. He should have known better. There was no way a zombie movie be rated PG-13 and be good.

The worst part was that several people in the audience actually found it scary, including Marisol who wouldn’t stop screaming at every jump scare. She clung onto him for life every a zombie popped up on the screen and attacked a character. If she wasn’t squeezing his shoulder and digging her fingernails into him, she was burying her face into his chest. He didn’t know how to feel about that. He was apprehensive, but it also felt.....nice.

A student came around and took a picture of them. Marisol took a moment to stop bouncing around fearfully and gave the student a sweet smile. Eli himself just gave the student an awkward look as the camera flashed in their eyes. As soon as the guy left, it was back to Marisol screaming as blood splattered the screen. If this is how she acted with a shitty, low budget movie, he couldn’t imagine how she would react with a real horror movie like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Suspiria. She would probably pass out.

Eventually some drama happened as Dave Turner’s girlfriend loudly broke up with him and then dumped her popcorn all over him. She then stormed off with a huff. Then Drew Torres took off somewhere in a panic. Then Jake left their area and walked off somewhere, making Katie very confused.

It was crazy how a school event at Degrassi couldn’t happen without some drama. What was Degrassi, a melodramatic teen soap opera or something?

Thirty minutes later, the movie ended to his great relief and everybody exited the room. He had just wasted an hour and a half that he would never get back.

As he got into Marisol’s car and buckled his seatbelt, he was steaming.

“I can’t believe how bad that movie was,” he whined while Marisol pulled off.

“Oh please, I had a great time,” Marisol replied in amusement as she drove.

“It wasn’t even scary! I got more scared watching Hocus Pocus as a kid,” he argued. He watched as she rolled her eyes. “It’s true! The plot was stupid and nonsensical, the characters were flat and annoying, and the movie felt like it was made on a budget of fifty dollars and a candy bar.”

“You sound like one of those movie snobs,” she teased.

“I am, and proud of it,” he boasted. He did love a lot of goofy, silly movies but he prided himself on his knowledge and adoration of classic movies.

“What did you want to be, a movie director or something in the future?” Marisol asked him.

“A playwright and an auteur, not just a director. Film directors are the standard but I want to make my films so masterful, so revolutionary, so different from the rest that I am regarded as the author of the movie, not just the director. Directors only do a small part in comparison to the producer, the screenwriters, the cameramen, the set designers, and of course the actors. Auteurs, however control majority of the creative process,” he explained.

She looked at him, impressed.

“You’re really passionate about this, aren’t you?” She asked softly.

“Of course. Everyone should be passionate about what they want to do with their career past high school. Aren’t you?” He questioned her.

She shrugged. “I don’t know what I want to do yet after high school. Probably own a business,” she answered.

“Makeup?” He asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, you know. My own makeup line with a specialization in lip gloss sounds like a wonderful power move,” she replied with a smile.

“You and your lip gloss,” he commented in amusement.

“Lip gloss is life,” she simply said in response.

She eventually pulled up in front of his house.

“You can’t tell me you didn’t have fun,” she pressed him as he unbuckled himself and got out of the car.

“The movie was stupid,” he replied. Not to mention it wasn’t fun seeing his ex.

“The popcorn was delicious though, and you better not deny it. I saw you mow down half of our bowl,” she warned.

“Fine, I’ll give you that. The popcorn was great,” he told her, “I’ll see you around, Mare.”

“See you around, Eli,” she replied warmly as she drove away.

He found himself smirking as he watched her car disappear into the distance.

Marisol was a strange girl but he was finding her more interesting every day.

Chapter 4: The Boy Is Mine

Summary:

Summary: So....Imogen baby, I’m sorry. You’re not going to look good in this fic.

There as references to sexual harassment in this chapter as I’m drawing on my own experiences with it. If it makes you uncomfortable and you want to skip it, the scene starts with “One night later“ and ends with “Right, thank you!” As a further warning, this fic is going to get pretty dark real soon.

The title is The Boy is Mine by Brandy and Monica.

Marisol looked into the mirror inside her locker while applying lip gloss. It was pink and strawberry flavored. It was her favorite because strawberries were her favorite fruit. She smacked her lips with a pop when she was finished. She wondered what shade of lip gloss Eli would like on her? Probably black, grey or a really dark red. Owen always preferred her to wear red lipstick, especially during sex. She didn’t mind lipstick but it didn’t give the same glamorous look lip gloss did in her opinion.

Students crowded the hallway and she mostly ignored their chatter as she primed herself in the mirror. She was going to look hot every day no matter what, especially with Eli being on the market. She found herself liking him more every time they interacted. He was a pretentious film nerd but was so passionate about the subject. It was really sexy.

“Eli! I just read your pages for the new play. So good, so, so good! Your words hit me right....here!” She heard Imogen Moreno, the school freak, exclaim.

Marisol whipped her head around quickly for the source of Imogen’s voice. She scowled when she saw that the other girl had Eli’s hand on her chest while Fiona Coyne looked on with an amused look. She knew Imogen liked Eli. The other girl was pathetically lusting over him every Drama club meeting. She behaved like an annoying little minion as she complimented Eli every two seconds and practically drooled at the sight of him. Marisol hoped like hell Imogen wouldn’t get to play Clara in the play. She decided to tune into their conversation.

“Did you feel that? That’s my heart beating,” Imogen asked him with wide eyes. Fiona walked away from the scene with a snicker. Marisol wanted to vomit up her breakfast, with it hopefully ending up in the other girl’s hair, which was done in two childish pigtails.

“I’m going to need that back, Imogen,” Eli replied with an uncomfortable tone in his voice. It gave her some satisfaction.

“I just wanted to ask you who you saw in the role of Clara. Anyone in drama class cross your mind?” Imogen asked him, nearly bouncing in hope.

“If you want to audition for the part, just sign up,” Eli told her.

“Done!” Imogen replied cheerfully. She grabbed Eli’s hand again, a little too tenderly for her liking, and that’s when Marisol decided to make her grand entrance.

“Hey Eli,” she greeted with a flirty tone as she walked up to them. “Movie Night was so fun but the conversation we had on the phone last night was even better.” The conversation was only about homework for French class, but Imogen didn’t need to know that. The goal was to just make her feel insecure.

It was successful as Imogen’s face crumbled a little. Good.

“Hello Marisol,” she greeted her somewhat coldly.

“Imogen,” Marisol greeted back with a thin smile. Eli gave them both awkward looks. “What’s going on here?” She asked them.

“I was just about to ask Eli for tips on getting the part,” Imogen explained tensely.

“Well if you want to nail Clara you have to fully understand the complex creature I based her on. Clare Edwards is a riddle wrapped in a mystery stuffed inside an enigma,” Eli told her.

Marisol pursed her lips at the statement. Virgin Edwards, complex? A riddle wrapped in a mystery? The girl was a stuffy prude, that’s it. An annoying drama queen is what she really was. Eli was really overdramatic, wasn’t he?

“She sounds like a burrito....and now I’m hungry,” Imogen replied as her mind seemed to drift off into a different plane of existence. Giving Eli one last dreamy look, she practically skipped away from them.

“She’s such a freaking weirdo,” Marisol commented in disgust. She would never forget Freshman Orientation where Imogen showed up wearing bunny ears and whiskers. The girl was a wack psycho and she was positive Imogen had a shrine of Eli or something in her room. She definitely had strands of his hair in a glass jar somewhere.

“She’s not all bad. She helped me with coming up with the idea of the play. She made me realize that my medication was hindering my creativity and is holding them for me,” Eli explained.

“Wait, what? Isn’t the medication supposed to help your anxiety?” Marisol asked in concern. He shrugged in response.

“Medication doesn’t always work and I don’t really need it,” he replied.

Something about that statement made her feel very uncomfortable. Her mother was a nurse and told her all about the horror stories of the consequences of patients not taking their meds. While she was overlooking it because she wanted him that bad, she couldn’t help but feel that a guy who crashed his car into a wall for his last girlfriend needed some medication.

“Are you sure? Because I heard that-“

“It’s fine, Marisol,” he replied sharply, and she almost winced at his tone. “Anyway I have to get to class,” he said as he moved past her.

Marisol bit her lip in nervousness at what just happened. She didn’t want to feel uncomfortable, but she was. She liked Eli a lot obviously and she liked the challenge he brought, but she wasn’t blind to him being a little....unwell, and something about Imogen encouraging him to not take his meds wasn’t sitting right with her. What if he snapped?

She was worried.

---

“So now we have TWO girls lusting over you, Elijah. Is there something in the water?” Fiona teased as they did their art projects together. The project was to paint a watercolor portrait of someone. Fiona did her twin brother, Declan, while Eli did Cece. He was a bit of a Mama’s boy, he had to admit. While he loved Bullfrog, he felt that he could talk to Cece about anything and she would be supportive. She was such a gentle soul.

Eli gave his friend a weary look as he mixed green, yellow, and white several times in the dish to replicate the exact shade of his mother’s eyes, or basically his eyes as well. “It’s not like I asked for it. They’re both strange,” he grumbled.

“The power you have over women is strange. What’s so sexy about a guy that dresses in black, listens to My Chemical Romance, and that used to drive a hearse to school?” She remarked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well you’re a lesbian, Fiona. You wouldn’t get the appeal of any guy,” he dryly replied.

“Ah, correct. Men are such strange species whether they’re emo boys or annoying preps like my brother,” she said, sighing, “Anyway, you better not let Marisol and Imogen distract you from the play.”

“They definitely will not,” he affirmed. Movie Night was just one distraction that won’t happen again. The movie was bad anyway and Marisol wouldn’t stop screaming the whole time. And while he appreciated Imogen helping him out with the writing process, he didn’t need for her to get any ideas.

“And don’t pull a Craig,” she added with a warning look.

“What the hell does that mean?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I dunno, it’s a phrase that’s been passing around the school for years before I got here. To ‘pull a Craig’ means to string two girls along at the same time,” she explained with a shrug as she dipped her paintbrush in water. She was faster at painting than he was as her portrait of Declan was already halfway done. From what the portrait was displaying, Eli could tell that Fiona’s twin was really attractive, with sparkling blue eyes, but he also had really shitty eyebrows. They looked like fuzzy caterpillars.

“Didn’t the famous singer Craig Manning go here?” He questioned. While he wouldn’t consider himself a fanboy of the guy, he did secretly listen to him regularly and had his first album. He felt an odd connection to him for some reason.

“Yeah, he was Class of 2006. I heard that even though he was a nice guy, he was drenched in love triangles when he was at Degrassi. Don’t be like him,” she warned. He rolled his eyes.

“I just went through a nasty breakup and I’m not ready for a new relationship. Believe me when I say that I don’t care about Imogen and Marisol fighting over me,” he assured her. Just the thought of it didn’t make sense to him. While they were both very beautiful girls, he didn’t see himself falling for either of them like he did with Julia and Clare. Imogen was too odd and Marisol was too bubbly and ditzy.

“Whatever you say, Barnabas Collins,” Fiona replied with a sigh. She obviously didn’t believe him, and he didn’t understand why. He wasn’t the type of guy to string along two girls.

————————

One night later, Marisol was once again having a bad shift due to being catcalled by a bunch of perverted older men.

As she served a plate of ribeye steaks, mash potatoes, and coleslaw to a pair of bikers, they both eyed her lustfully in a way that made her skin crawl. It seemed like they were seeing her as a juicy piece of meat rather than a person.

“Well aren’t you a slice of something nice?” One of them remarked to her, and she could smell the strong scent of whiskey from his breath. Marisol found him the creepier of the two as he had beady eyes that were almost black in color, mangled teeth, and a raggedy looking beard. Plus, his head was completely bald.

Despite wanting to shiver, she flashed him a sweet smile.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” The other one asked her. He was more attractive than his friend but he was still giving her bad vibes.

“Marisol,” she answered.

“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. You must have been working here all day,” he told her with an unsettling smile.

“Only after school. I go to Degrassi,” she replied, hoping that her being a high schooler would get them to back off.

It did not.

“High schooler? Even better, the younger a girl is the more fresh she tastes,” the man purred at her and it made her skin crawl. The other man then chuckled.

“Right, thank you!” Marisol exclaimed as she walked away from the two men. She almost had the urge to run, but she had another plate of food on the tray to deliver. She felt sick to her stomach.

She delivered Jake Martin’s food to him while he talked happily with Clare. They were on a date, and despite Marisol being mad at Jake for rejecting Katie for that snobbish prude, she hoped they had a long, loving relationship so Clare could no longer be a threat. She watched them share a quick kiss from across the table as she walked away. She didn’t see any passion in it.

She paused when she saw Eli walk in. He looked good as always, and she was about to greet him enthusiastically when she saw him walk over to Imogen, who was giving him the usual, pathetic puppy eyed look. Marisol scowled as she watched them interact, with Imogen grabbing his hand and leading them off somewhere.

However to her surprise, that somewhere was Clare and Jake’s booth. The couple was surprised too when they saw them. Marisol connected the dots immediately.

Somehow Imogen knew that Clare and Jake were going on a date tonight at the restaurant and Imogen plotted to bring Eli here so she could make Clare jealous. Only now, her plan obviously blew up in her face because now Eli was storming off in anger while Clare shot her a nasty look.

Ah, poor stupid Imogen.

Marisol followed Eli out of the restaurant, and outside he was pulling out his phone.

“Eli, wait!” She exclaimed as she walked up to him. “What’s going on?”

“I’m calling Bullfrog to come pick me right up,” Eli snarled as he started to dial buttons..

“You don’t have to do that. I can drive you home after my shift is over,” she offered.

“No thanks. I don’t think I can stand to be in there right now with Imogen. I can’t believe she set me up like that,” he said, seething. Him being so mad at that freak was giving her such glee.

“I told you she was a weirdo, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some tasty food to make you feel better. Don’t call your dad because I’ll take you home. Come back inside and order some nachos or wings instead. They’re on meeee,” she pleaded while giving him a dazzling smile.

“Whatever, fine,” he muttered as he put in his phone back in his pocket. She cheered inside.

They walked back inside together, and Marisol led him to a booth on the other side of the restaurant far away from Clare, Jake, and Imogen. She eagerly took his order, which was Pepsi and loaded fries with bacon and cheddar cheese. Eli was in a stormy mood right now but she was going to make him feel allllllll better.

And it was all thanks to Imogen Moreno, who she passed on the way to the kitchen. Her face was red in embarrassment and her lip was quivering. Marisol stopped and gave the other girl an evil smile.

“Thanks for giving me Eli on a silver platter. I didn’t think it would be that easy but you’re doing so much to make sure he’s mine. Wonderful job, there. You’re doing the Lord’s work,” Marisol mocked Imogen, who growled in response.

“Eli would never go for you. You’re a shallow bitch,” Imogen told her in anger. Marisol simply laughed in response.

“And you’re what? A delusional stalker who managed to piss him off. Have fun with getting him to ever like you, hun,” Marisol sneered as she walked off.

This was a war that she was going to win.

Chapter 5: I’m Sprung

Summary:

Summary: So this chapter is a HARD T for some sexual content, but nothing extremely graphic. All of the sexy stuff is basically in all italics throughout the whole section.

For anyone that knows French, I’m sorry if it sounds shitty in this chapter. I only know Italian and Spanish.

Title is I’m Sprung by T-Pain XD.

This type of dream started off as it always did.

Eli was sitting on a black couch in his dimly lit basement. It was quiet. He was wearing nothing but his silky black boxers. He waited in anticipation of what was about to happen.

Clare was going to come down the steps in sexy black lingerie, black nail polish, and lacy black slippers. She was going to wear dark makeup that sharpened her normally soft features.

She would confess that she still loved him in a sultry manner, kiss him, and then proceed to pleasure him. He would then pull her on the couch and pleasure her right back, and they would proceed to make passionate love on his couch. With these type of dreams, he didn’t want to wake up as he didn’t want to face the current reality that she was with another guy. However, because of the play, Clare would eventually come to her senses and take him back in no time. They were soulmates after all and meant to be. Until then, he could make do with them being together in his dreams.

He heard footsteps by the steps, and knew Clare was coming.....but he was confused as to why the footsteps sounded hard and like heels........

Eli could only watch in shock as he saw brown legs in glittery black pumps come down the steps.

It was Marisol, who flashed him a seductive smile as she revealed herself. She was wearing satin black lingerie with a garter belt, black stockings, multiple straps, gold links, and chains. She wore a black choker on her neck with a big golden, ring-shaped zipper. The makeup she was wearing consisted of glittery, black lip gloss, dark blush, glittery black eyeshadow, and long eyelashes. Her hair was in a sexy updo with her hair falling down her sides in curly strands. She wore some kind of body glitter.

“Emo Boy,” she purred as she stood in front of him.

He looked at her, gobsmacked.

“Marisol? What the hell are you doing here? Where’s Clare?” He demanded. He didn’t know what was going on and he was a little terrified.

She shrugged.

“I don’t know. She’s probably in her dreams fucking Jake right now. She will be unavailable for the time being. But I’m here and that’s all that matters,” she answered while posing for him.

“You’re not Clare!” He yelled.

“No, I’m something even better,” she replied with a wink.

“I don’t want you. You’re not my type,” he rejected with gritted teeth.

She pouted in response.

“You don’t want this, Eli?” She asked as she twirled around for him, showing off her body for him. Eli realized she was wearing a lacy black thong. “Come on, babe. I know you want me,” she boasted. “I can do for you what Clare never could.”

Despite his mind screaming at him that this was wrong, Eli felt his body warm up in desire. He had to admit that she was a sight to see. The dark aesthetic of her outfit fit her more than he thought. Marisol was already an attractive girl but she was downright sexy right now.

“Like what? What can you do for me?” He questioned as he raised his eyebrow.

She leaned down and pushed his knees far apart from each other, with her manicured French tips putting pressure against his skin.

“You’re about to find out,” she answered seductively as she leaned forward to kiss his lips........'

WHACK!

Eli woke up, startled, as he fell on the floor with a hard thump. He then groaned in pain as he looked around his room with wild eyes.

It was still dark outside, and so his room was still pitch black. He looked at his alarm clock and saw that it was 3 am in the morning.

‘What the fuck?’ He thought to himself as he tried to register what he just dreamed about, but his mind was absolutely scrambled now.

‘What the fuck? What the fuck? What the FUCK?’

 

---

“Are you really picking him up for school?” Katie asked with a frown as Marisol drove.

“Yeah, he asked me to,” Marisol replied, and she was excited at the thought. She couldn’t believe Eli actually agreed to it. Her and Eli were really moving quickly in their friendship. It was only a matter of time before they would be in a relationship. She called it; They would be together by Prom.

Katie shook her head in response. “The things you do for guys you like, Marisol, it’s odd,” Katie commented.

“It’s not that serious, Katlynn. When you meet a guy you really like you will understand,” Marisol responded wearily.

Katie’s face scrunched up in disgust at the use of her full name, and Marisol hoped she got the message.

As she pulled up in front of Eli’s house, Katie looked at it in surprise.

“I’m surprised it’s not a big gothic mansion, abandoned house, or anything,” she remarked.

“Same. I was shocked to see some perfect suburban home,” Marisol replied while beeping her horn.

His front door opened, and Eli stepped out, looking incredibly haggard. His hair was all over his head, his skin looked extremely pale, and as he walked closer to the car, she could see how bloodshot his eyes were. What happened?

“Hey,” Eli grumbled as he opened the door to the passenger side and got in her car. He buckled himself in quietly and made a deep sigh.

“Hiiiii,” she cheerfully greeted him back while Katie raised an eyebrow at his appearance. She shot her friend a warning look.

“Hi,” Katie greeted him and he gave her an awkward wave in return.

“We’re stopping to get coffee and breakfast sandwiches. Do you want any, Eli?” She asked as she started to drive again.

“I’ll do anything for a coffee right now. Full black. No cream. No sugar,” he requested. Of course he only drank black coffee.

Marisol noticed that he didn’t look at her the whole time on the way to school.

---

“Pourquoi m'as-tu fait ça?” A teenage girl demanded of her boyfriend on the projector screen.

“De quoi parles-tu? Je n'ai rien fait!” The boyfriend asked back in confusion.

“Tu m'as donné une maladie sociale!” The teenage girl exclaimed in anger.

“C'est juste de la gonorrhée,” the boyfriend responded with a shrug. They were backstage arguing while the school play was going on. It was a musical on Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The girlfriend then slapped her boyfriend and ran off crying.

Eli stared groggily at the screen. It was the second period of class and the coffee still wasn’t hitting him yet. Due to the lights being turned off in the classroom, he was still tempted to fall asleep. He rested his arms and his head on the desk. Usually the French teacher would show interesting movies and tv shows, but the soap opera she was showing right now was so lame. The characters were so over dramatic and the plot seemed more like an after-school special than a legitimate episode. He heard that there was a gonorrhea outbreak years ago, and maybe this stupid soap opera was supposed to teach them something.

Everyone else in the classroom was watching the show with various reactions such as amusement, boredom, uncomfortableness, and surprise. He looked over to where Marisol was sitting. She has not taken her eyes off the screen yet as she watched the scene with wide eyes. Unlike him, she was sitting upright and gripping her desk in anticipation of what would happen next. He betted that she watched shitty soap operas all of the time. It seemed to be up her alley.

He still couldn’t believe he had a wet dream about Marisol Freaking Lewis. Maybe he should go back to taking his medication.

“Eli if you go back to taking your medication, it could ruin your drive for the play!” A voice that eerily sounded like Imogen Moreno scolded in his mind.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever, but I’m pretty sure I’m losing my fucking mind these days,” he replied to the voice in his mind.

He hated to admit it but he couldn’t stop thinking about the dream, and even though he avoided looking at Marisol’s eyes when they drove to school, he found himself staring at her now. He was noticing things about her that he didn’t before, like how soft and shiny her skin looked today, how long her eyelashes were, how big and brown her eyes were, how full her lips were and how they shimmered underneath her lip gloss.

Eli hated it.

“She’s not Clare and never will be,” he thought to himself, and it was true in every way.

“I’m something even better,” Dream Marisol had said to him in the dream, and he snorted out loud as he remembered. There was nothing about Mare that was better than Clare. Absolutely nothing…..

….Wait why did he just call her Mare?

Jesus, what the fuck was wrong with him today?

---

Marisol ate lunch by herself, which she hated because it made her look like a loser. Unfortunately Katie had lunch at a different period and so she had to deal with it.

As she ate her pork sandwich, she looked around the cafeteria.

Clare Edwards was sitting at one table, eating her sandwich primly, while Imogen was copying her at another table. Marisol didn’t know how imitating a Clare was going to make Eli fall in love with Imogen, but it sure as shit wasn’t working out for the girl right now. Eli wasn’t even remotely showing Moreno any interest, especially with that shit she pulled at Little Miss Steaks. She didn’t understand why Eli was still nice to Imogen though, as she would have filed a restraining order against the weirdo at this point.

Marisol continued to scan her eyes around the area, and locked her eyes in at an irritating sight.

Her ex-boyfriend, Owen Milligan was playfully being fed food by his girlfriend Anya Macpherson. They were a sickening sight and Marisol wanted to hate Anya for dating him after everything Marisol told her about him. It was bad enough that she walked in on Owen having a threesome with two of her fellow Power Squad members while they were together, now he was fucking one of her co-captains?

Marisol chomped down on her sandwich angrily. She expected better of Anya. She really did. Anya was such a sweet girl she could do better.

Which one of her fellow cheerleaders was Owen going to fuck next? Chantay? Well no, because Chantay had high standards and already was dating a cute guy named Danny that graduated last year, so maybe not. But some of the other bird brains on the team? Probably so. It bit at her that Owen was in a happy relationship while she was single. He didn’t deserve to be happy after how he treated her.

However, she didn’t think she would be single for long.

There was Eli.

---

He was sitting on the couch in his basement again while wearing nothing but his black boxers.

Eli was a little apprehensive this time as he didn’t know what to expect Clare or Marisol. When he heard heels clacking against the floor upstairs, the only thing he could do was sigh.

Marisol was wearing the same dark lingerie she wore last night, and was once again smiling as she came down the steps and gave him a sexy smile.

“Emo Boy,” she purred.

“Princess,” he replied, folding his arms.

“Are you ready for me, tonight?” She asked as she spun around and struck a flirty pose for him.

He thought over his answer for a few moments. He was glad that this was only a dream because no one can find out about what he was about to do.

“Sure, come over here,” he answered as she sat in his lap. Marisol smirked as she ran her manicured nails down his chest.

“I knew you wanted me, Eli. I’m glad you came to your senses,” she purred.

“Only because you’re such a troublesome girl and you’re driving me crazy,” he answered while staring at her tensely, “I don’t think I’m myself when I’m around you. You’re changing me into a person I don’t know and I’m not sure if I like it,” he told her.

“What about you is changing? You’re still the resident emo kid with a chip on his shoulder. I’m just making you learn how to have fun every once in a while,” she argued as she petted his hair.

“You’re dangerous,” he told her while squeezing her hip, “I don’t know what to make of you.”

“A girl that wants you to have a great time,” she said seductively as she kissed him passionately. Despite how dark her lip gloss was, she tasted surprisingly sweet. He opened his mouth to allow her deeper access, and moaned when their tongues connected.

This wasn’t right.

It was so wrong of him to dream about Mare when he was fighting like hell to win Clare back with the play. She would never approve of this.

He found himself unhooking her bra strap as they continued to make out while she grinded her hips in his lap.

This was wrong but this was only a dream after all……..

Chapter 6: I Can’t Help It

Summary:

Summary: The calm before the storm. Title is I Can’t Help It by Michael Jackson.

Trigger warning for sexual harassment. It starts at “Hey little sweet treat” and ends at “Eli growled at the action as he felt his stomach grow queasy”.

“Vous savez, vous êtes un type génial. Vous êtes la personne la plus honnête, la plus gentille, la plus terre à terre que je connaisse. Tu es un peu petit, mais ça ajoute à la gentillesse...que je te trouverais si tu étais une fille, ou je n'étais pas un gars,” a teenage boy confessed to his friend on the tv screen. They were sitting on the top of the steps while a party was going on downstairs.

His friend was looking at him in wonder and admiration. It was obvious to the audience that he was in love with him.

“Tu me dis tout ce que je veux entendre. Je l'apprécie,” the friend responded in a husky tone with wide eyes, “Si vous voulez vraiment aider...Dis-moi que je suis un idiot.”

“Vous êtes un idiot?” The friend repeated in confusion.

The boy started sweating profusely, breathing heavily in anxiousness. Both of them could hear footsteps.

“Je ne peux pas retourner en bas...Je ne peux pas retourner en bas,” the boy said before he grabbed his friend’s face and passionately kissed him just as his boyfriend walked out the room and saw him. The other teen froze in shock. After a few seconds, he broke apart from his friend.

“Alors, en doute, tu embrasses Chase?” His friend demanded.

“This show is so good,” Marisol commented in wonder as she munched on her popcorn. Eli rolled his eyes. Along with Katie, they were sitting in Marisol’s bedroom and watching the stupid French soap opera for class. Marisol was perched on her bed and watching the screen attentively.

At first, he rejected Marisol’s offer to come over to her house after school to watch the show with her and Katie. There was a play to perfect and Katie made it known multiple times that she disliked him for whatever reason. There was also the fact that he felt that they were getting too intimate lately. They have been spending a lot of time together talking at school, and it was having a severe effect on his dreams at night.

Eli shivered at the thought of them. He had been having wet dreams about Marisol every night instead of Clare like he used to. They were often passionate, sensual, and left him with a bad case of morning wood when he woke up. The crazy part was that they weren’t even having sex in some of them. In some of the dreams, they were either cuddling together, washing each other’s hair, or Marisol was feeding him food that she prepared for him. Sometimes, she only wanted to give him a massage. However, she was always wearing that sexy black lingerie and those heels. That never changed.

It scared him.

He didn’t want to be attracted to Mare but it seems like his body was betraying him despite his mind still being set on getting Clare back. He had a million reasons as to why she wouldn’t be a good fit for him romantically but it was as if it wasn’t enough and he kept drawing himself to her as if she was honey and he was a bee. He blamed it on Marisol being annoying and troublesome. She had this pull over him that seemed to destroy any rational thought he had and made him submit to her. Maybe Marisol was some sort of witch and she cast an enchantment spell on him? One of his mother’s friends was a self-proclaimed Wicca, maybe he could ask for her help to free him from Marisol’s grip. That woman always seemed crazy to him but he could use her assistance right now.

Eli looked around Marisol’s room to add more reasons as to why she couldn’t be with him. The biggest reason should be that it was a pink monstrosity. He had never seen so much pink in his life, in multiple shades of it at that, and he wanted to hurl. There was pastel pink, hot pink, dark pink, peach pink, salmon pink, bubblegum pink, and rust pink all over her room. Pink was all over her rugs, tv, chairs, mirrors, dressers, vanity table, walls, curtains, and even her big canopy bed was drenched in pink. It made his eyes hurt. He didn’t even want to sit in this ultra-girly shitshow of a room.

Then there were the stuffed animals. There must have been thirty in the room total and they were spread all over the place. He saw stuffed plushies of unicorns, bunnies, giraffes, zebras, pandas, foxes, tigers, kittens, puppies, and even bears. There was a giant brown bear by Marisol’s bed that was straight up creepy. Even though there was no way it was sentient, Eli felt as if the bear was staring into his soul.

As the scent of vanilla candles infiltrated his nose against his will, Eli couldn’t help but think of how Julia would hate this room. It represented everything she stood against. Marisol was the Anti-Julia in every category.

“This show is certainly interesting,” Katie commented with an amused grin.

“It’s so over dramatic and nonsensical. None of this would happen at a normal high school,” Eli complained.

“That’s why it’s a drama, Eli. The drama makes it interesting,” Marisol replied with a sigh.

"It makes it unrealistic," he argued.

"What kind of shows do you watch then, Eli?" Katie asked him while giving him a critical look.

"I only watch Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones," He answered with a shrug.

“Of course,” Katie replied with a thin smile. What was that supposed to mean?

"Ew, isn't Game of Thrones that the show where it's like medieval times and everyone is fucking their sibling or something?" Marisol asked with a frown.

He rolled his eyes in response. He hated how that was the only perception of the show right now.

"There's only some incest, Mare, and it doesn't detract from the quality of the show. It's only in its first season but it is going to be amazing because it's based on an excellent book series," he explained. Right now there was a lot of negativity surrounding the show but when a certain someone on the show died, he knew the praises were going to roll in. Viewers would fall in love with Game of Thrones and it would probably be seen as one of the greatest shows of all time. Even though the books weren’t finished yet, he knew the ending was going to be legendary.

"Count me out, Eli. I can't do incest at all. Just the thought squicks me out," she replied with a shudder.

“Your loss then, Princess. You’re missing out on good TV for soap operas and reality shows,” he said.

“Well then since you care so much, let’s watch Game of Thrones then,” she challenged.

“Right now?” He asked incredulously, but was now interested.

“Yes right now,” she insisted. “What channel is it on?”

“I would hate to stop this but I gotta get home soon, Mare,” Katie interrupted them while getting up, and Eli found himself pissed off for some reason. It seemed like Katie was deliberately trying to sabotage whatever budding friendship he had with Mare.

“Shit, you’re right,” Marisol swore as she got off her bed. “Come on, let’s go. Eli, you staying or going home?”

He thought it over for a bit.

“I’ll stay but I go with you to drop off Katie,” he replied as he rose out of his seat.

He needed a break from the pink hell anyway.

——————-

Marisol waved goodbye to Katie as her best friend entered her house.

Eli crawled to the front seat of her car and promptly buckled himself in. As she drove off again back towards her house, he asked her a question.

“Does Katie…hate me?” He questioned.

Marisol sighed deeply.

“No, she’s just very protective of me just like I am of her,” she answered. She actually wanted to cringe.

“So what is she, your keeper or something? Why does she stare at me like she wants to kill me?”

“Well she never liked any of the boyfriends I’ve had, and she despised Owen.”

‘That’s actually understandable. Owen is a tool.”

“An asshole definitely, but he has a good side,” she argued, though she wanted to slap herself for defending Owen when he was a tool. A cheating tool. She had no idea why she was looking for the good in that relationship.

Eli snorted at her answer. “Sure,” he replied.

“He was good for some things,” she added, thinking solely about the sex and the protection.

“Sure,” he repeated. She sighed again. Most people would never see the good in Owen and that was honestly his fault for being a smug asshole.

“I know we ate a bunch of popcorn earlier but I’m actually hungry for some real food, you wanna head over to Little Miss Steaks?” She asked as her stomach growled. Ugh, she was craving nachos and specifically loaded nachos.

“I guess, why not?” He responded.

———-

“No fucking way your birthday is on Halloween,” Marisol said in disbelief as she and Eli were talking at their booth in the restaurant.

Eli shrugged as he took a bite out of the loaded nachos they were sharing. “I was born at 6:06 pm at night. My parents throw a big Halloween party for me every couple of years and we do something special,” he explained. The script for Love Roulette was on the table as Eli brought it to discuss the play with her while she was on break. However, the conversation quickly took a detour from the play. He didn’t mind it for some reason, “My dream birthday is visiting Halloween Horror Nights at Universal.”

“Is there something about you that isn’t super edgy?” She asked, half amused and half annoyed.

“Nope. My whole life is dedicated to living on the edge,” he answered with a smirk as she rolled her eyes.

“Emo boy,” she teased him.

“Goth kid, edgelord, lover of Death, satanist, and bloodsucker. It’s all on my business card,” he added cheerfully, smirking.

“Come on, there has to be something about you that isn’t completely emo,” she argued, “Like I don’t know....you like puppies, watch Disney movies, or listen to Beyoncé?”

“Disney movies? Don’t insult me. And I can’t even name any of Beyoncé songs without Jay-Z,” he replied with a shudder. Whatever genre Beyoncé was in, pop or RnB, he wasn’t into it. Plus her acting in movies was awful.

“Ugh the lack of taste you have. Beyoncé is not only one of the greatest singers of all time, but an amazing performer,” she said while shaking her head.

“Whatever. Freddie Mercury is better than her in every category. Now *he* was a legend whose vocal abilities are unmatched,” he replied.

“Did he do Single Ladies? Or Crazy In Love? Doesn’t sound iconic enough for me,” Marisol replied with an air of haughtiness.

“Are you serious? Single Ladies is one of the most annoying-“

“Hey little sweet treat,” a biker guy greeted Marisol as he cut into their conversation. He was leering at her in a way that immediately put Eli on edge. He could smell the alcohol radiating from the guy’s breath.

“Hi,” she greeted back with a smile, but her body language screamed that she was uncomfortable.

“You weren’t our waitress tonight. It made us sad,” the man commented with a frown.

“I’m sorry. This is my off day,” Marisol apologized while still smiling at him. There’s no way the guy couldn’t sense how disgusted she felt. Eli felt his blood starting to boil. He hated the whole culture of men catcalling and harassing women and it being considered normal.

“It’s okay, honey. There’s always a next time, and seeing that beautiful smile of yours every night is worth it,” the man said as he leaned closer to her ear, “And seeing you strut in that sexy little outfit always makes me crave some chocolate.”

Marisol shifted uncomfortably in her seat and Eli finally had enough.

“She’s sixteen, and a high schooler. Back off of her,” he replied to the man with snarl.

The man glared at him.

“Are you her boyfriend, boy?” The man asked him.

“No,” he replied, glaring right back at him.

“Then I suggest you shut the fuck up and mind your own business then, shrimp,” the man warned him with a growl. Even though the man was taller, creepy, and looked physically stronger, Eli was not going to be intimidated by him. He wasn’t scared of Fitz and he wasn’t scared of this guy.

“When it involves one of my friends being sexually harassed, it becomes my business. When it involves people getting harassed by assholes in general it becomes my business. I hate bullies and I hate creeps. Shouldn’t you be worrying about getting kidney failure from all that alcohol I can smell off of you?” Eli sneered.

“Eli......,” Marisol warned him with fear in her eyes.

The man looked at them with a sinister gleam Eli would never forget. The older man then chuckled.

“You’re a bold little brat, aren’t you? You’re lucky I don’t have time today to beat your ass. See ya, sweetheart,” the man replied, tugging on Marisol’s pigtail as he walked away. Eli growled at the action as he felt his stomach get queasy.

“Why would you do that? That man could crush you like a bug!” Marisol scolded him in worry.

“So what? Am I supposed to sit there and watch as he made you uncomfortable?” He questioned.

“I’m used to it. All he and his friend do is flirt with me, nothing more than that,” she replied.

“He just touched your hair,” he argued.

“I just got this job and I don’t want to lose it by starting anything,” she said.

“At least report it to your manager and get them thrown out for harassing a minor!” He pressed her.

“And then what? Start shit with a whole motorcycle club? Eli, there’s like thirty of them! I heard really, bad and shady things about them and I don’t want to anger them,” she argued.

“It’s better than to let them continue to harass you until they do something worse!” He exclaimed, feeling himself get angry but not really at her. The idea that Marisol was too scared to report those men because she felt that they would harm her was making his blood boil. She shouldn’t have to feel that. It wasn’t right. He gripped his pants tightly in anger as he thought of beating that man’s face in bloody. It’s what he deserved.

“They’re harmless, Eli, please drop it,” she begged, with her eyes being wide in fear. He looked at them and softened immediately. They were big, soft, dark, and surprisingly soothing to stare into. He never thought that a girl’s eyes would interest him as much as Clare’s but he couldn’t help but feel entranced by Marisol’s.

It also made him feel defensive over her.

“I guess, I’m coming in here every night you work then,” he stated.

“But why? You don’t need to do that,” she argued.

“To give you company, and to ward off any losers,” he answered with a shrug.

“But-“

“No buts, Princess. You wanted me to hang out with you more? You got me now, and that includes protecting you from neighborhood scum,” he vowed strongly.

He could see how dumbfounded she was. Giving her a warm smile, he pushed the plate of nachos towards her.

“These are really good. Eat them,” he said as he popped some into his mouth. While The Dot’s nachos were really good, he found himself liking Little Miss Steaks’s nachos better. The cheese just had a thicker texture and the bacon bits was of course delicious. The smell was also amazing.

“I don’t know what to think of you sometimes, Eli,” Marisol said.

“Think of me as someone who’s going to have an impact on your life,” he boasted. “Now eat”.

—————-

Marisol laid on her bed as she thought about what happened earlier tonight.

She was disturbed by what happened with that biker, and to be honest it was why she scrubbed her hair and body vigorously in the shower tonight. However, those men flirting with her was a constant at this point and she was almost numb to it despite how much it sickened her.

She had received sexual comments from men and boys since she was eleven years old. They would either catcall her, hug or shake her hand too tightly, sniff her, or eye her like a steak. At school, boys used to grope her as they ran past her in the hallways or at school until Katie broke one of their noses one day. In high school, she didn’t get any of the groping or catcalling while she was dating Owen but the moments they weren’t....it was like the whole football team expected her to fuck them. It’s why she refused to get drunk at parties now.

Those grown men have been flirting heavily with her since she got the job and something told her that it was going to lead to something ugly. She didn’t know why they were so focused on her when there were SO many other waitresses working there. But no, they always hoot and hollered at her, their little “chocolate drop”. Bile rose in her stomach at the memory of the taller man touching her hair. She felt violated and it sickened her how she couldn’t really do anything about without causing trouble. She was scared of what they would to do to her and everyone else at the restaurant.

What worried her the most was Eli arguing with that man. That man was tall, beefy, and would easily whoop Eli’s ass. Eli was so skinny and short; He was only an inch taller than her. If he angered the biker gang hard enough, one of them could easily kill him with no struggle. The way the man glared at Eli sent shivers down her spine. She knew he was thinking about hurting Eli and she couldn’t bear the guilt if it happened.

Marisol noticed that Eli had such a savior’s complex when it came to people he cared about. She remembered seeing his war with Fitz from afar and gasped when he came to school one day with a bloody lip. She wanted to shake him for even trying to fight that thug. Back in the days when she was still dating Owen, she was forced to interact with Fitz whenever Owen hung out with him and Bianca, and she was uncomfortable with how creepy and aggressive Fitz behaved towards people; He would leer at her too. He was certainly a dangerous individual. She would never forgive him for almost stabbing Eli at Vegas Night. It was not only because of her feelings for Eli, but also she was still traumatized from some senior getting stabbed to death at a party during her freshman year. The idea of Eli becoming the next JT Yorke scared her inside.

Still, him vowing to protect her was giving her sense of comfort. He really was brave, wasn’t he? He truly didn’t care about how tall or strong someone was because he was happy to fight them no matter what. She wanted to call him stupid for that as her mind certainly was. But her heart....her heart found it admirable. He would defend anyone because it was the right to do, even if it would end in an ass beating for him.

Under all of that black getup he was wearing was a heart of gold.

Chapter 7: Rescue You

Summary:

Title song is Rescue You by Craig Manning.

So heavy trigger warning, this chapter will feature sexual assault. As this could be a sensitive area for many, if you want to skip that part, the scene starts with “The next thirty minutes felt like thirty hours but it was finally over” and ends with “She started sobbing. Despite the immense pain he felt, Eli reached out and held her hand”.

So you and Marisol have been getting cozy lately, huh?” Fiona asked him with a mischievous smile.

“Only as friends,” Eli replied firmly as he did the finishing touches on Cece’s portrait. He held up the portrait and found himself admiring his work. For someone who wasn’t really a painter, he was pleasantly surprised on how much the portrait looked like his mother. Cece would probably smother his face with kisses when he brought it home from school. At least he had Mother’s Day in the bag this year.

“She walks around the school as if she’s floating on air these days. You guys must have a really nice ‘friendship’,” Fiona pointed out.

“Purely platonic,” he responded tiredly, not wanting to think about the very intense sex dream he had about Marisol last night. What they have gotten up to in that dream was more than anything he and Julia had ever done during sex. He couldn’t even look at Marisol when he got in her car today.

“Come on, Eli, I think you like her but you’re just in denial about it,” Fiona teased. He snorted in response.

“You’re insane,” he told her in exasperation.

“She’s one of the prettiest girls at school and you can’t stop spending time with her. I think she’s having a good influence on you,” she argued.

“I’m not dating Marisol ever. I’m getting back together with Clare, and it’s only a matter of time now,” he replied.

“Are you sure about that? She looks like her and Jake are pretty tender right now,” Fiona said, frowning.

“There is no passion in any of their kisses,” Eli argued, “They kiss like they're related!”

“If you say so,” Fiona replied, which made him roll his eyes. It was annoying how everyone doubted him and Clare. They saw how in love he and Clare were as a couple, why couldn’t they just understand that their reunion was inevitable?

Eventually Art class ended, and they walked out into the hallway together. They were heading to their next class when Marisol happily walked up to them.

“Fiona, Eli,” she greeted cheerfully, and Eli was already suspicious.

“Hello Marisol,” Fiona greeted back, “You seem excited today.”

“Well tonight at Little Miss Steaks, we’re having a special event where the customers get to dance with the employees. It’s our party night, and you’re going to be my partner,” she explained while poking him in the chest.

Fiona smirked at Eli while he shuddered at the thought.

“Oh I don’t think so, Princess. Dancing isn’t my thing,” he rejected.

“You swore you were going to come to the restaurant every night to protect me, right? Well this is what’s happening tonight,” Marisol stated.

“Protecting you doesn’t involve yeehaw dancing,” he opposed.

“Well, you’re going to do it, and we both know it. So I’ll be looking forward to seeing your cute little dance moves tonight, Cowboy,” she teased, and then she walked away with a bounce in her step. He shook his head.

“What does she mean by protecting her? What are you, her knight-in-shining armor?” Fiona interrogated him with a raised eyebrow.

Eli took a deep breath. He almost didn’t want to even tell Fiona but they were friends now and she deserved at least some explanation.

“Some biker losers are harassing her so I told her that I would be at the restaurant to defend her if they try anything,” he explained.

“These wouldn’t be the biker guys that are rumored to have been involved in several fights, murders, drug dealing, and rapes across the city recently, right?” Fiona asked him in worry. Her face went white when he didn’t say anything. “Eli, are you nuts? You’re trying to take on a whole GANG instead of reporting to the cops?”

“What is reporting to the cops going to do if they apparently aren’t doing their job? These assholes, along with that other gang have been terrorizing the city for two months and not a single person has been arrested? No, I think at this point we’re better off dealing with this ourselves,” he ranted.

“Have you seen Drew Torres right now? One encounter with a gang member and he can’t even sit straight in class without shaking! Do you really want that, Eli? You’re not Batman and these are not Gotham villains. You could die!” She exclaimed.

“I have my own ways, okay? Drop it, Fiona,” he commanded.

“That savior complex is going to really kill you one day, Eli,” Fiona warned him.

“I said drop it!” Eli commanded with a stronger voice this time.

The rest of the walk to class was silent.

 

---

This was going to be a wonderful night.

Marisol was dressed in her work uniform, with her pigtails extra curled tonight. She applied her makeup in anticipation. For tonight, she was going to wear shimmering pink eyeshadow and lip gloss with a soft blush, sharp eyeliner, and glittery mascara. She had to look amazing for Eli.

Her stomach tightened at the thought of him. They weren’t even dating and she felt that Eli had shown more consideration for her as a person than Owen ever had. Eli teased her a lot for her preferences but at least she felt like her voice mattered. Whenever she tried to talk to him, he would act uninterested until she reached for his pants’ zipper. She never really felt like a guy took her seriously until Eli.

He was just perfect.

As Marisol looked at herself in the mirror and admired herself, she realized that she was in love with Eli Goldsworthy. He would be the dream boyfriend she always wanted as he was handsome, intelligent, compassionate, protective, brave, and strong. Sure he dressed like a vampire, his interests were a little odd, and he could be too much of an edgelord but it made his presence a breath of fresh air. She never met a guy like Eli and she hoped she never will.

He was truly extraordinary.

 

---

The atmosphere in the restaurant was annoyingly cheerful.

Eli ate on his barbecue wings as he watched several patrons of the restaurant dance happily with the staff to some old music. The songs must have been only from the sixties and seventies. Cowboy hats were passed around, toy spurs were clacking against the floor, and toy horses were ridden. There were even people trying to ride a mechanical bull in the back of the restaurant.

The place was more decorated than usual with festival lights and a disco ball, and the restaurant was packed tonight. It was almost claustrophobic.

He turned his attention to Marisol, who was dancing with K.C. Guthrie as some song by the Four Tops blasted in the background. The way K.C. was looking at Marisol was making him scowl. He was looking at her with obvious attraction in his eyes and his hands were on her waist a little too tightly for his liking. Wasn’t it like an open secret around the school that K.C. was currently cheating on his baby mama, Jenna Middleton, with a girl named Jess or something? He recalled how he brought the girl to Movie Night where a third of the school could see it. He also remembered Clare telling him how K.C. was her first boyfriend and that he dumped her for Jenna. The guy was a mess. If he was religious, he would have prayed for his kid because he was obviously being raised in a dysfunctional home.

Eli narrowed his eyes as K.C. spun Marisol around, which made her giggle. K.C. was looking at her body in desire which Eli did not like to see. At all. He almost couldn’t blame the guy as Marisol did look more stunning than usual tonight. She was glammed up in flashy hair and makeup, and combined with her signature smile with big dimples, she just seemed to glow tonight. The sight of her was making him feel things in his gut that he hadn’t felt since the beginning of his romance with Clare.

But some reason he just couldn’t help but feel disgust at her smiling so cheerfully at K.C. The guy didn’t deserve it. He looked like an absolute goofball in his cowboy uniform. Eli chewed on his food more vigorously in irritation. His mood was tanking further with every minute Marisol was dancing with that loser.

Even worse the biker gang was all here tonight, and the same creepy assholes that were harassing Marisol last time were leering at her again. Luckily he had a plan for that this time: laxatives. He bought them from the pharmacy just for tonight. The second they got up to dance was the moment he was going to strike.

The manager of the restaurant walked up to a microphone and tapped on it loudly, with the sound getting everyone’s attention.

“Attention cowboys and cowgirls! We’re about to put on a slow song so grab someone you’re sweet on and give them a little dance to remember!” He announced enthusiastically as multiple couples immediately huddled together.

K.C. finally parted away from Marisol, and she gave him a parting smile as he went back to tending some customers. However, one of the bikers got up from their booth and stalked towards her and that’s when Eli had enough.

He got up out of his seat and strode towards Marisol who looked at him in surprise. Putting on his best confident smile, he offered her his hand.

“I would like a dance, please?” He asked. The resulting smile she gave him had his heart beating rapidly.

“Of course, cowboy,” she accepted as she took his hand. Her own hand was so soft and smooth. She wrapped her other hand around his shoulder as he held her waist. When the song started playing, they swayed together against the beat.

“I don't like you, but I love you, seems that I'm always thinking of you. Oh, oh, oh, you treat me badly, I love you madly, you really got a hold on me…,” Smokey Robinson’s voice sang loudly as they danced.

Eli looked into Marisol’s warm brown eyes. They were filled with nothing but adoration for him. Did she really like him even with his dark aesthetic and sharp personality? He didn’t even seem like her type at all but he could tell she was head over heels for him.

He was finding himself...flattered by all of this.

“You really got a hold on me, you really got a hold on me, you really got a hold, baby. I don't want you, but I need you, don’t want to kiss you, but I need you. Oh, oh, oh, you do me wrong now. My love is strong now, you really got a hold on me,” the song continued.

He found himself eerily resonating with the song right now. The lyrics seemed to be speaking to him about his feelings for Marisol. He wasn’t in love with her as he only wanted Clare, but she has certainly ensnared him in her claws. It was scary how she could make him do whatever she wanted, and that he was finding himself drawn to her beauty every day.

He wanted to hate her, but he couldn’t. It was the opposite actually.

“You really got a hold on me, you really got a hold on me, you really got a hold, baby. I love you and all I want you to do is just hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me...tighter….tighter…..”

With his gaze falling upon her lips, Eli had the strong desire to kiss them. Her lips were glazed with lip gloss and they seemed to shimmer just for him. He kissed them so many times in his dreams that he was wondering how they would taste against his own…..

“I want to leave you, don't want to stay here, don’t want to spend another day here...Oh, oh, oh, I want to split now, I can't quit now, you really got a hold on me, you really got a hold on me, you really got a hold, baby….”

The next couple of seconds felt like time slowed down. He decided to just….kiss Marisol while closing his eyes. He felt her freeze in shock as he slammed his lips onto hers, and he immediately savored how sweet she tasted. She tasted like strawberries. Marisol’s lips were also very soft, and it almost felt like he was kissing air.

She was only beginning to respond when he pulled away.

Marisol’s face was still in shock before joy spread all over her face. Her eyes lit up and her smile was the widest he had ever seen it. She licked her lips presumably to taste him.

“Woah,” she said.

Eli had the sudden urge to leave, but not to go back home to his house…..

“I want to go back over to your place when you get off of work,” he told her.

“My mother doesn’t come home until 4 am, and my brother is over his girlfriend’s house for the weekend so you can come over,” she accepted quickly and enthusiastically.

“Okay,” he replied while his heart was still beating rapidly in his chest. He didn't know why he was doing this, but he wanted more of her. He almost started kissing on her again. He didn't know what he was going to do when they get to her house, but he wanted to continue what just happened between them.

"My shift's pretty much over anyway in like thirty minutes, you won’t have to wait long, Emo Boy,” she said to him while giving him a seductive wink, “Just sit back down and finish your food.” Marisol kissed him on the cheek before going back to work.

Clare’s face flashed through his mind but it didn’t stop the desire he had for Marisol right now.

As he went back to the seat, he noticed the bikers were glaring at him viciously.

He glared right back.

What was they going to do to him in front of the whole restaurant?

 

---

The next thirty minutes felt like thirty hours but it was finally over.

“I’ll be in the car when you get out!” Marisol enthusiastically told Eli, who nodded before walking towards the bathroom. She couldn’t begin to contain her excitement. Eli had kissed her! She didn’t even have to make the first move! He did, and he was such an amazing kisser. He was as passionate with his lips as he was with his love of theatre. She looked forward to kissing him again and again.

They were definitely going to be together after tonight. They were going to be a power couple at school. She was already envisioning the things they could do in a relationship. They would walk through Degrassi together, with his arms wrapped around her. She could continue doing makeup for his productions. For pep rallies, she could do a special cheer routine just for him. They could spend nights watching movies together, or make love under the covers.

They could attend prom together and be king and queen.

There were a million things that were about to happen and she was jumping at the chance to do them all at once.

She grabbed her things out of her locker, and walked outside the restaurant after saying her goodbyes to her fellow restaurant staff. She skipped happily down the street. Tonight was something out of a fairy tale and it was only going to get better.

She was almost by her car when a gruff voice stopped her.

“Well hello again, little miss,” one of the bikers from earlier greeted her cheerfully as he stepped out of the shadows from the alleyway. “Where are you heading while looking all gorgeous?” It was the tall one with the beady eyes. Something about his tone was off.

“Home,” she answered, “It’s getting late.”

He chuckled. “Not late enough for some fun, right?” He asked, and that’s when a sinking feeling grew in her stomach. She looked around the area. No one was on the streets except them.

“Fun at home, yeah,” Marisol replied while smiling nervously. She saw how he and his friend were looking at her all night. It was way creepier than usual, and she was more than a little scared when they tried to dance with her at multiple points. She thanked God that K.C. and Eli stepped in on time.

He stepped closer to her while giving her a wide smile, and Marisol could see his dirty, brown teeth with several cavities. Years later, she would never forget his stench. His breath and body odor was horrible; It was like smelling a dead animal.

“There’s a lot of fun things to do at home,” another biker said as he suddenly popped up from behind her car, “A lot involving a sweet little treat such as yourself,” he said as he stepped up to her, giving her a sinister smirk. “Isn’t she the sweetest, Bill with how she’s always giving us these nice smiles while she serves us food in that sexy little cowgirl outfit. I bet she tastes delicious.“ He was the shorter, but beefier one.

Marisol started breathing heavily in fear, and she felt her heart dropping. What was taking Eli so long?

“Damn straight, Rick,” the other guy replied, “I bet you’re a good girl in bed, aren’t you, honey? Have you ever been fucked good, little lady?” He asked her with a sinister smile. “We’re about to show you what it feels like.”

The next couple of moments felt like a blur. As soon as the words left that man’s scummy mouth, she reached inside her pocket for her car keys with mace attached to them, only for one of the men to grab her from behind. He covered her mouth before she could start screaming.

“We don’t take no for an answer, little lady,” the man whispered in her ear.

Her muffled screams weren’t heard as she was dragged into the alleyway by the two men.

————————

Eli glared at the biker in front of him in annoyance. The name tag on his jacket read “Derek”. He only looked to be a few years older than him, and was scrawny with a ratty looking face. He was smoking a cigarette in his mouth and was trying his best to look intimidating.

His whole presence screamed “I’m a loser high school dropout”.

The other guy has been blocking him from leaving the bathroom for a couple minutes now and Eli was getting very impatient.

“I don’t know what this is about but I really would like to leave the bathroom right now,” he said to the guy as a warning.

“I don’t think I can do that, emo freak,” the guy replied casually.

“Let me out now,” Eli growled in response as his violent side started to take over.

“Nope,” the other guy rejected, “Can’t do that.”

“Why not?” He demanded.

“My job is to keep you here,” the guy admitted with a smirk, “You can try to get past me but I bet you can’t.”

“Like hell I can’t,” Eli snarled as he shoved the guy aside. The biker tried to grab him at him, only for Eli to ram his knee into the other guy balls. As the guy fell to his knees and grabbed his crotch in pain, Eli let out a satisfied smile. It felt good to not be on the receiving end of it for once.

However, he had a bad feeling inside. What the hell was that douchebag talking about when he said it was his job to keep him in the bathroom?

Frowning, Eli walked out of the bathroom and out of the restaurant. The bad feeling grew even worse as he walked down the street. It was eerily quiet. The light on Marisol’s car wasn’t even on. Why wasn’t she in her car?

Then he heard a scream from the alleyway.

“Shut up, bitch!” A man snarled, and the sound of a slap cracked through the air.

Eli didn’t even feel his feet move as he ran to the source of the scream.

The sight that welcomed him when he entered the alleyway made him see red. Years later, he wouldn’t remember much of what happened other than throwing punches and being beaten down while Marisol was frozen in shock. The only rational thought he held in his mind was murder.

Blood red clouded his vision while he tried to fight the bikers off of Marisol, one of whom had his pants and boxers around his ankles. He wasn’t too hard to take down since he was drunk and stumbling all over. It was the other one, the shorter and more muscular man that was harder to take down and the man quickly overpowered him.

Eli was too drunk off of rage to feel the punches from the man, nor did they stop him. He was still throwing punches even when he was slammed to the ground and was being kicked in his stomach. He could hear something burst in his nose, and felt his ribs being kicked repeatedly on both sides.

“The cops are coming! We need to get the hell out of here,” A scratchy voice called out, and it sounded like the asshole that blocked him in the bathroom.

Both men stopped beating on him. “Shit,” one of them growled, “Can’t we take her home with us?”

“We can’t risk it right now! Leave them both!” The other man exclaimed.

The man looked down at Eli and spat on him before running down the alleyway with the other bikers.

The pain suddenly hit him like a truck. It felt like he was run over by one.

He groaned in agony as he looked at Marisol, who he was more concerned about than whatever pain he was feeling at the moment. She looked at him in shock while covering her chest. She was bleeding from her lower lip while her work uniform was ripped in several areas. Her normally cheerful face was wet with tears. It broke him into a million pieces.

Not for the first time, he hated himself for not being physically stronger.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked out. She then crawled over to him.

“You saved me,” she told him, “They....they....they almost...”

She started sobbing. Despite the immense pain he felt, Eli reached out and held her hand.

————

When she brought Eli home with her after she filed out a police report, the first order was immediately getting rid of her outfit. If she didn’t need to keep them for evidence, she would have burned everything from her panties, to her uniform, to her hair ribbons.

The cop didn’t even want to report what happened at first. He had looked her over with a sneer and basically told her to her face that she wasn’t worth the trouble and that no one would believe her. It wasn’t until Eli angrily pressed him that the cop decided to go through with the charge. She had never felt so unprotected in her life.

Eli refused to go to the hospital as he insisted his ribs weren’t broken no matter how much she begged him. He was too stubborn.

She had him sit in her bedroom as she took a hot shower. Tears wouldn’t stop streaming down her face as she scrubbed, and scrubbed, and scrubbed her face and body raw. No matter how many times she washed herself, the stench of those men wouldn’t leave. Even after she was done showering, she still felt unclean. She felt ruined.

They touched her in places they never wanted, whispered vile things to her, and wouldn’t stop hitting her for trying to fight back.

They were going to kidnap her afterwards.

She wouldn’t stop shaking as she started to dress. Marisol threw on some pajamas, her favorite onesie that covered her body completely, and entered her room where Eli was sitting uncomfortably in her bed. He looked completely out of place in his black, goth wear compared to her sugary pink room filled with stuffed animals and heart-shaped furniture. It didn’t matter to her right now though. She didn’t even bring herself to care.

What horrified her was his appearance. She gasped at his face as it was thoroughly bruised and was various shades of purple, yellow, and red. His lips were split and bloody. His nose was bleeding and he was holding his side in pain.

“Eli.....,” she said, whimpering as she sat down next to him, “It’s all my fa-“

“Don’t,” he sharply cut her off, “This will never be your fault. You didn’t deserve this!”

“But you could have gotten killed for me! Why?” She demanded through her tears. She had cried so much that a nasty headache was growing in her head. Other than the images of the men assaulting her body in multiple ways, the sight of Eli laying there bleeding on the ground flooded her mind. She couldn’t stop thinking of how he could have died and she might not have ever forgiven herself for it.

“I care about you, but even if I didn’t, I would never let someone hurt you even if it meant getting my ass kicked,” he rasped, trying to give her his signature smirk before coughing in pain, “I should be the one that’s sorry right now. I didn’t protect you like I promised.”

She pulled him into her embrace, and cried in his hair.

“Please stay with me,” she pleaded. She was too scared to even sleep alone in her room tonight, and especially with the lights off. She couldn’t sleep in darkness tonight.

“Of course,” he responded as he soothingly rubbed her back. “I don’t want to leave you alone. I got you, okay?”

She didn’t how long she cried until she fell asleep in his arms.

Chapter 8: In The Rain

Summary:

A Trigger Warning to anyone it may be concern as this whole chapter and the next ones from here on out with deal with or make mentions of Marisol’s sexual assault. Please protect yourself if this material is too sensitive for you 💙.

The song title is In The Rain by The Dramatics.

Monday

From the way everyone looked at her when she walked down the hallway, Marisol looked like hell. She felt like hell. She didn’t feel like wearing makeup, jewelry, or doing her hair much today. She wasn’t sure if she was willing to do it for a while. She hated even looking at herself because she felt disgusting. Even though she showered for a whole hour this morning, she still felt like a dirty whore.

Everyone looking at her made her feel even worse. It felt like a thousand eyes were judging her and calling her a fool for what happened. Everyone told her  that those bikers were going to do something to her one day. KC warned her and she brushed it off. Her mother warned her and she brushed it off. Eli warned her and she brushed it off. She swore up and down that they were harmless and weren’t going to do anything beyond flirt with her.

She was wrong. She was almost always wrong. She was an idiot and it was a miracle anyone wanted to deal with her at this point.

Marisol was opening up her locker when Katie walked up to her with worry etched on her face.

“Mare, what happened? I heard a girl was almost gangraped at the restaurant and you didn’t answer my calls all weekend! Why wouldn’t you.....,” Katie started to scold her then trailed off when she took an actual look at her. Her best friend connected the dots immediately. Pretty much everyone did from how she looked. When her and Eli filed the police report, they wanted to remain anonymous to protect themselves in case any gang members wanted to hunt them down. However, everyone at school knew she worked at Little Miss Steaks along with several other students and none of those other students looked as traumatized as she did right now. She hated herself for making it obvious.

“Mare? Are you okay?” Katie asked her with fear in her voice.

Marisol contemplated not telling Katie as she was ashamed at what happened, and Katie didn’t need to be stressed out. But she also knew that her and Katie shared everything together and it would be pointless if she didn’t know.

“It was me,” she confessed as a lump grew in her throat. She will not cry anymore over this or at least not in public where everyone could see how vulnerable she was. No one should see a queen bee cry.

“Oh my....God,” her best friend replied in horror. Tears started welling up in Katie’s own eyes and Marisol immediately regretted telling her. 

Marisol didn’t realize that she was shaking the whole time until Katie hugged her in comfort.

——————-

At the beginning of junior year, everyone in class would stare at him. At the nearly the end of junior year, everyone in class was still staring at him but for entirely different reasons. 

At first, everyone was wondering who the hell was the goth freak was. Now everyone was giving him looks of....surprise, respect and admiration? It didn’t really shock him that the whole school found out what happened, especially since he had visible bruises that made it obvious, but he didn’t like the added attention right now, especially when he felt like he didn’t deserve it.

As the French teacher prattled on about how proud she was that the whole class passed the recent test, Eli couldn’t stop staring at Marisol no matter how terrible it felt. Like everyone else, he was shocked at her appearance today. She was not wearing any makeup, not even her lip gloss. Her hair was barely brushed, and she wasn’t wearing any of her colorful jewelry. 

Her usual bubbly attitude was gone and she was quiet as a mouse in class. It was almost like she wasn’t there. He didn’t know if she realized this, but she was shaking and her eyes were red. 

The guilt was eating him up inside. He had failed Marisol like he had failed Julia. He would never forgive himself for going to the bathroom instead of waiting until he was over her house. Those bikers must have saw him go into the bathroom and saw that as an opportunity to get Marisol by herself. He couldn’t believe how stupid he was for not seeing it when they had been acting predatory towards her for weeks. He was a fool.

That night was the first time he had dreamed of Julia in a while, and it was of course about her getting hit by that car. The visual image of her bleeding out on the street will probably never stop flashing through his mind, and he found it perfect in a dark way. He thought it represented his failure to protect girls he cared about. The worst part of it all was that it was no longer the most traumatizing thing he had ever seen. Running in on what the bikers were doing to Marisol was now the most traumatizing sight he had ever witnessed. From how she screamed when he overheard it to how utterly broken she looked afterwards was his mind’s new “favorite” image. When he was holding her while she slept in his arms that night, he felt like if he held her any tighter, she would shatter into a million pieces and it would again be his fault.

Ever since then, he had already had two nightmares about what would have happened if he was never able to stop the assault. He didn’t really care about the ass beating he got, what he really cared about was how he failed Marisol and how it was haunting him.

People at school were seeing him as some kind of badass and for what? 

A badass would have been able to protect the people he cared about.

—————————-

When she entered the gym for Power Squad practice, all of her fellow cheerleaders gave her looks of sympathy.

Chantay and Anya immediately walked up to her. “Hey!” They both greeted with wide, awkward smiles.

“Hi,” she quietly greeted back. She tried to go to the locker room to change into her uniform, only for both of them to block her.

“So um, me and Chantay have been talking and we decided that you don’t have to come to practice or the games for a while if you don’t want to,” Anya told her.

“We are so sorry for what happened and we want you to take care of yourself,” Chantay added.

Marisol pursed her lips. She already felt guilty when Juan told her that he would gladly allow her to take paid leave until she felt safe to come back to work.

“No, I don’t want to be a burden to you guys and I promised myself that I would work hard to earn the Captain position at the end of the year,” Marisol said as she turned down their offer. The offer was tempting though, since she wasn’t sure if she was going to be comfortable wearing her cheerleading uniform. But she couldn’t let them down, especially Chantay who was always like a big sister to her.

“Girl, you’re a shoo in for cheer captain next year. You’ve always been the best member of the team. You don’t have to worry about that,” Chantay pointed out.

“And we just want to make sure you’re comfortable, Mare. We do care about you,” Anya added as she grabbed her hand to comfort her. “I know that we haven’t been talking lately since I started dating Owen, but you can always talk to me for support, okay? And we’ll be fine without you.”

“I’m scared, but I think I can still do cheerleading for the rest of the year,” Marisol assured, and she hated how her voice started to crack. 

“Are you sure?” Chantay asked her. She nodded in response, as she moved past them to change.

She didn’t know why but while she could stand to be away from her job for a while, she could not remove herself from Power Squad, even temporarily. 

Cheerleading was one of her greatest passions and it could not be snatched away from her.

————————

Eli really didn’t feel like listening to Imogen right now.

“Eli, I am so sorry to hear about what happened. I was so scared. So scared when I found out what happened,” Imogen said with wide eyes. He wouldn’t be surprised if Imogen was actually at the restaurant that night. He hasn't really forgotten that she admitted to stalking him during the whole school year when they first started talking.

“Are you okay?” She asked him in worry as they sat on the seats together in the auditorium. No, he felt like shit and it wasn’t just because of the bruises on his face. He had trouble even paying attention to the Drama Club meeting right now, especially since all eyes were still on him.

“You should be asking Mare that, not me,” he grumbled. He didn’t deserve any sympathy when he wasn’t the one that was sexually assaulted.

She frowned at that statement, and he really hoped that Imogen wasn’t blaming Marisol for what happened. He knew she liked him but hopefully not to that level.

“I feel really bad for her but-,” she began and Eli immediately went into protective mode.

“But what?” He cut her off sharply. 

“....Nothing,” she replied nervously, taking the hint.

“I will be fine. She’s scarred for life for what she went through. Give any support you would to me, to her. She needs it,” he commanded. She nodded uncomfortably.

“Eli,” Fiona greeted as she came up to them.

“Fiona,” he greeted back.

“Come with me to the dressing room,” she requested.

“Why?” He asked.

“Now,” she ordered more firmly. He got up off his seat and followed her into the dressing room with a confused look on his face. 

She pulled out a chair and gestured for him to sit in it. He did while she reached for something in her purse.

It was a bottle of liquid concealer.

“Don’t move,” Fiona told him with a critical look as she also pulled out a makeup brush.  She squirted the concealer over the brush and went to applying it over his bruises. She then applied powder to set it in.

He looked at himself and the mirror and was surprised to see how his bruises weren’t really noticeable anymore. He didn’t even think about using concealer when he got ready for school this morning, and he was kicking himself for not doing it until now. He never had problems using makeup, especially eyeliner even if men wearing makeup wasn’t “manly”. At least he wouldn’t be scaring the shit out of people anymore.

“You’re a miracle worker, Ms. Coyne,” he complimented her warmly.

“And you’re an idiot,” Fiona replied to him softly. Turning around to face her, he raised his eyebrow at her for the insult.

“You could have gotten really fucked up or even killed fighting those bikers instead of calling the cops. But you decided to be Batman anyway,” she continued.

He opened his mouth to argue, but she squeezed his shoulder in comfort.

“Any girl would be lucky to have you, Eli,” she finished with an amused smile, “You’re a real good guy.”

Eli gave his friend a small smirk in return.

——————

“I can’t even begin to understand the trauma that you are going through right now, but please know that the faculty here at Degrassi is here to support you during this difficult time. Take a few days off if you need it,” Principal Simpson said to her sympathetically as he held her hand to soothe her.

Marisol was crying again even though she was sure she looked pathetic at this point. “I don’t think that would be necessary, Mr. Simpson. I don’t want to seem like I’m taking advantage of this situation,” she replied.

The principal shook his head. “Nonsense, Marisol. Your mental health comes first. I can have a student bring your schoolwork home for you and when you come back, I can schedule you some counseling appointments. Take it easy right now,” he reassured her.

She could only nod in response as she grabbed her bag and left the office. Katie was waiting for her outside. Her friend protectively wrapped her arm around hers as they walked down the hallway. With Katie, she somewhat felt better with her around. She felt less like she was wasting away in her friend’s presence. A year ago, their situations were reversed as it was Marisol who had to comfort Katie over the....incident. But now, it was Katie wrapping her around in her love. 

She didn’t know what she would be without Katie Matlin.

“We could go to The Dot after school today. Milkshakes are on meeeeeee,” Katie offered playfully.

“Even an extra large, Oreo cookie milkshake with chocolate drizzle and sprinkles?” Marisol asked in hope.

“Of course,” Katie accepted.

The world suddenly didn’t feel so heavy right now.

 

Chapter 9: As Long As I Got You

Summary:

Song Title is As Long As I Got You by the Charmels

Marisol was gone for the rest of the week.

The sight of an empty seat in three of his classes was almost too much for Eli to handle. It only made the guilt he was feeling even worse. He was glad that she was taking time off to take care of herself but he felt so...numb without her here. He tried hard not to think about it, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

It was no use denying that he missed her presence greatly. He missed everything about her from hearing her heels clack against the floors in the hallway to hearing her bubbly voice. He missed her smile more than anything, and the sweet dimples that came along with it. With her not being at school, it made everything more clear that this was all his fault for not protecting her.

Up until now, he had forgotten that he kissed her that night before everything went to hell. He knew that it was a wrong thing to do because she wasn’t Clare, but he needed to know how she tasted after dreaming about it for weeks. He remembered how sweet her lips tasted because of the strawberry lip gloss, how soft her lips felt, and how good she smelled. At that moment, he wanted nothing else but her. However, the memory of that filled him with even more guilt. For one thing, kissing Marisol when he was so in love with Clare was awful and he crossed a line by initiating it. Then there was the fact that he was sure that it would have led to something more intense if they got to her house without the incident happening. The worst part? He wasn’t completely sure that he cared.

He loved Clare, but he liked Marisol and he didn’t realize how miserable her absence was causing him.

He needed to see her, and not just to see her face again, but to make her feel happy. He needed to see her dimples again.

Class ended, and he walked through the hallways, looking for Katie Matlin. He found the head of the school newspaper talking to Drew Torres by his locker. She was blushing and giggling nervously while he talked happily to her, seemingly not noticing.

He coughed loudly to get their attention. Katie turned to face him and fixed him with a hard look. With that one look, he could tell that she blamed him for what happened. He blamed himself too, but coming from her it only irritated him. She could have also been there that night to protect Mare since she apparently knows karate. Where the hell was she? 

Their interactions lately have been uncomfortable as it consisted of Eli giving Katie Mare’s homework from the classes they shared together, and Katie would grab the homework, just give him a nod of thanks and then say nothing else and walk away. He hated how much of a snob she was. She acted just like the girls that bullied him and Julia.

“Katie,” he greeted.

“Eli. What’s up?” She replied coldly.

“I would like to do something for Marisol,” he told her.

“I think you have done enough for her, Eli,” she dismissed.

Drew let an awkward whistle while Eli narrowed his eyes. 

“Trust me, I don’t think I did. Now she’s been home for four days, and I’ve been worried sick about her and I want to make sure she’s okay,” he explained.

“She’s feeling fine,” she insisted, which made him bristle.

“Okay but I can make her feel even better,” he argued.

“How so?” She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

He spent the next couple of minutes telling her his plan.

---

She spent today in her bed like she did the last three days. The only time she came out of her room was to bathe, eat, and then go to the bathroom. It was like she was sick. Mentally, she was.

In the daytime, she sat in silent darkness. Sometimes she watched TV, and sometimes she just wanted to look outside. It was almost like she was in prison, but a prison she willingly trapped herself in. Only at night did she have the lights on because she was too scared to sleep by herself.

Marisol knew she was worrying her family and friends. Her mother and Devon tried to get her to talk about the situation but she refused to. In her nightly Skype sessions with her father and little sister, they also tried to get her to talk but she brushed it off and talked about her homework instead. Candy, her little sister, had tried to make her feel better by drawing a nice picture of them playing together last night. Marisol did her best to look grateful for her sister but she still felt terrible inside.

Combined with her not having the energy to dress in anything but her pajamas, she was wasting away and she wasn’t sure if that was really bad or not. It wasn’t like she was really herself anymore.

She overheard the front door open from downstairs. Mom or Devon must have gone out or something. When she heard light footsteps peddling up the steps, she got a little suspicious.

Then her room door opened and Katie suddenly entered her room.

“Mare, get dressed. You’re staying over my house for the weekend,” Katie ordered.

Marisol frowned. “I don’t feel like it,” she turned down.

“I talked to your mom and she says it’s for the best. Now get out of the bed and change,” her best friend ordered again while folding her arms. It was obvious from her posture that Katie was going to stay in that position until she moved.

Marisol sighed as she crawled out of her bed and went to her dresser. She hadn’t picked out an outfit to wear in so long. It felt alien to her.

“Trust me, Mare, you’re not going to regret this,” Katie reassured her.

Marisol wasn’t too sure about that.

---

Even though it was her car, Katie insisted that she drive over to her house for some reason. Marisol didn’t argue much against the idea because she didn’t even feel like going outside right now, especially to drive.

It was only when they definitely weren’t going in the direction of the Matlin house did Marisol have an odd feeling about this.

“Katie, where are you going?” Marisol asked her friend in suspicion.

“Just wait and see,” Katie replied to her. It was almost ominous.

“Are you really kidnapping me right now? Marisol asked her in disbelief. Katie just shrugged in response as she continued to drive.

When they pulled up in front of the Goldsworthy residence, Marisol was beyond confused. What the hell was going on?

“Why are we at Eli’s house? Katie, what the fuck?” Marisol demanded.

“Just hush and get out the car,” Katie commanded as she turned the car off and unbuckled herself. Marisol had a million questions and none of them were about to be answered to her annoyance. She should have just stayed in her house.

As they walked up to the front steps of his house, she was feeling anxiety just at the thought of seeing Eli again. She still felt guilty that he had gotten beaten up over her and was still nursing the bruises. There was no way he was going to fall for her now. She nearly got him killed.

Katie rang the doorbell, and it was Eli who opened the door, wearing a band shirt and black skinny jeans. When he saw her, he smiled warmly at her.

“Well, well, well, our honored guest is finally here,” he greeted.

“Huh?” She replied.

It took her a few seconds to realize that there was music blaring loudly in his house and that were people inside his house. She could also smell pizza and wings.

He was having a party.

Katie gave her a gentle shove and Eli eagerly led them inside where multiple Degrassi students loudly greeted her. There were the Torres brothers, several of her Power Squad teammates, Fiona Coyne, K.C., Dave Turner and his girlfriend Alli Bhandari, and Imogen Moreno who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here. 

Marisol was completely dumbfounded.

“I….,” she started off, but she was struggling to say the words. Eli gently grabbed her hand and sat her down on a couch. 

“This is a support party for you, Mare. Everyone is here to show how much we miss you at school and we want to let you know that we care about you,” he explained as Katie went off to chat with Drew. Marisol looked around the place. The atmosphere was lowkey but cheerful as everyone interacted with each other. It wasn’t as chaotic as most parties she went to. There were no horny couples or creepy, intoxicated jocks who were desperately trying to get in her pants.

The music was different too. She noticed that no rock music was playing whatsoever. It was all music that she liked. 

“I ordered pizza, barbecue wings, and cinnamon twists. Do you want any?” He asked her, and at that moment her stomach growled in hunger. 

“Yeah,” she answered. She hadn’t had pizza in a while, and it sounded good right now. Maybe food would help her collect her thoughts about what was going on.

“Adam!” Eli called out to his friend, who was dancing goofily with Dave. Adam turned around and faced them.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Get Mare a plate from the kitchen,” Eli requested. 

“Gotcha,” Adam cheerfully replied as he walked off to Eli’s kitchen.

“You really threw a party for me?” She asked Eli. She couldn’t believe it. Eli threw a party for her. Eli Goldsworthy, the most antisocial kid in the school for a party. For her.

“I needed to see you again and this was the best way possible,” he answered with a shrug.

“You couldn’t just visit me?” She replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Nah, too simple. As you might have realized at this point, it’s not really my style,” he said with an amused glint in his eye.

He smirked at her and Marisol felt her body heat up for the first time in what felt like forever.

---

“Soooooooo this has been a crazy semester for you too, right?” Drew Torres asked him with a can of beer in his hand. Together they were watching as Marisol happily played a game of Candyland with Adam, Alli, and Dave. She looked just as beautiful without makeup as she did with it on. 

Getting board games for the party wasn't difficult at all since he had so many in his basement. In the moments his parents weren’t drunk or high, they would have Family Game Nights where they would play board games with him until he fell asleep at 1 am. Then after they took him upstairs to put him to sleep, they would get drunk or high.

“I guess,” Eli replied, not sure of where this conversation was going and whether he was going to like it or not. This was the first time he and Torres ever really spoke despite sharing a common link in Adam. He mostly avoided Drew, even while he was over his house, because he saw him as a typical dumb jock with terrible morals. He was disgusted when he heard that Drew accepted a blowjob from the girl that outed Adam and later started dating her. He couldn’t fathom betraying his sibling like that if he had any.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you and Marisol, especially Marisol. No one deserves to have that happen to them,” Drew told him sympathetically.

“Yeah,” Eli could only say in response. He liked that Drew added that “especially Marisol” part because she was the only one who deserves sympathy in this situation.

“When I saw that creep trying to rape Bianca in the alleyway, the only thing I had on my mind during that moment was killing him because he was hurting the girl I cared about. But I couldn’t do it, and he beat my ass. It makes me feel like I failed Bianca. She had to kill him for me and she was the one getting attacked at first. It made me feel like less of a man,” Drew lamented.

“Yeah,” Eli repeated, and it was making him feel really uncomfortable that he was identifying with what this meathead was feeling. He didn’t know the full details of what happened with Drew’s gang situation. He only heard the rumors flying around school that Drew was jumped by like ten gangbangers while trying to fight one of them that Bianca was cheating on him with. To suddenly know the real situation and how similar it was to his own encounter with the bikers made him feel….bad. 

“It’s hard even sleeping at night these days. I get these….nightmares about the gang still coming after me even though I’m trying to put this all past me. Even though I try not to think about her, I worry about how Bianca is doing. I haven’t spoken to her at all recently and it’s like she pretends I don’t exist. I wonder if she’s scared like I am,” Drew rambled to him while taking a huge swig of his beer. Eli was starting to think Drew may have been a little toasted right now. It just occurred to him that Drew had like two beers before this talk. He didn’t know why Drew was choosing to confide in him of all people and at this time.

“I think I was falling in love with Bianca before this all happened, and I really miss her. I thought Alli was the first girl I really liked, but B….she’s different. I don’t know what it is about her, but even though I broke up with her I can’t stop thinking about her even though she’s bad for me,” Drew continued.

Eli has thought the same of Clare once, and a part of him was scared that whatever feelings he had for Marisol was steering in that direction as well.

“Do you dream about them? The bikers?” Drew asked him. His blue eyes were filled with curiosity, and Eli was surprised at how innocent they looked in that moment. Maybe it was the booze kicking in.

“Only about what they would have continued doing to Mare, if I hadn't gotten there at that moment,” Eli answered. He gave up all hope that he was going to dream about something else at this point.

“You’re not scared of them coming after you?” The other boy questioned.

“They could kill me and I would be fine with it. It’s not like there’s much to live for these days,” Eli admitted. He wanted to get Clare back, and the play was the only thing not driving him to self-destruct at the moment, but he was scared that she really was in love with Jake. For what reason, he didn’t know.

Marisol was also keeping him from falling completely into the abyss as making sure she didn’t fall in with him was his other priority. “They can do whatever they want to me but I want her to be left out of it. She’s already been through enough and it’s all my fault,” he added, feeling like shit now.

“I feel that,” Drew replied. He then took one final chug of his can of beer. “I’m going to get another beer,” he told him before walking away.

As he watched Marisol squeal in excitement because she won the game, Eli wondered why he was starting to see Drew Torres in a different light.

---

This was her fourth slice of pizza.

Marisol chewed on the cheesy goodness that was Domino’s pizza. She savored every bit of the garlic and buttery taste that she missed. She forgot how much she loved pizza until now. The cinnamon twists were also amazing and the sweet flavor of them popped well in her mouth. 

The party continued for another three hours before everybody left. Katie had gone home with Drew and Adam, and it was just her and Eli. She reassured her friend that she could drive herself home when she was ready to leave. She wasn’t though.

Eli was sitting next to her on the couch again, and they were now watching a movie together. It was some sort of romantic comedy. He was drinking a can of Pepsi as he tried to be invested in the plot. She could tell that he wasn’t. He looked like he was doing a lot of thinking right now.

“Thank you so much for tonight, Eli. I didn’t expect for you to care so much about me,” Marisol told him in gratitude. Truth to be told, she was almost overwhelmed by how much he cared. Eli had somehow gotten everybody to bring her gifts. Katie, Drew and Adam had gotten her bouquets of daisies, and sunflowers, her favorite flowers. K.C. bought her flowers as well, roses. Alli and Dave had bought her a big box of chocolate strawberries. Chantay bought her a manicure set and Anya got her a pair of cute earrings with a matching necklace. Fiona bought her a bottle of perfume and Imogen bought her some lip gloss. She didn’t know he managed to even get everyone to do this.

Eli himself had bought her a stuffed, white toy bunny with chubby cheeks and purple eyes. It was so adorable and unexpected coming from him.

“Don’t be silly. Of course I care about you,” he replied with an amused smile.

“You used to think I was an annoying cheerleader when we met,” she pointed.

“Oh you’re still an annoying cheerleader. I just tolerate you now,” Eli joked playfully while she rolled her eyes.

“You’re such a jerk,” she whined.

“You know you like it,” he teased while smirking.

Marisol looked at him while her feelings for him started to take over again. He looked good tonight, he almost always did except for his hair, but even that was slightly combed tonight. His beautiful green eyes were looking at her with what she was sure was love for her. 

She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. He tasted of wings and Pepsi but she didn’t care. She pulled away and wanted to giggle at his befuddled look.

“What was that for?” He asked.

“A thank you kiss. For everything,” she explained.

“Oh okay,” he replied, blinking his eyes. There was a tense moment of silence.

He then pulled her into a deeper, more passionate kiss. They proceeded to make out on his couch.

It felt like forever until they stopped.

Chapter 10: Don’t Let Go

Summary:

Song title is Don’t Let Go by En Vogue.

In a study room, he was writing a new play that was surely going to earn him a Tony Award.

The room was super gothic, with black walls, black furniture, and a black rug on a grey carpet. It was decorated with fake skulls, band posters, vintage film posters. He was surrounded by large bookcases filled to the brim with books from multiple genres. The room was dimly lit with tall, black candles, and it gave the room a warm, earthy coloring. Soft instrumental music played in the background while the fireplace was roaring.

Eli was sitting in a big, leather seat that was black in color. The wooden desk in front of him was well polished and mahogany colored. The laptop in front of him was the latest Macbook with a black case. An empty coffee mug was next to it. It was his dream study room.

He was excitedly typing the summary of the storyline when he felt soft pats on his leg. Eli looked down and made a face of surprise when he saw two little black girls in front of him. They couldn’t have been older than toddlers, although one must have been older than the other due to her taller height.

Where had they come from? They were dressed in matching pink pajamas with bunnies and flowers printed them. They were also wearing a pair of bunny-shaped slippers each, and purple hair bonnets.

“We hungy, Daddy,” the younger one told him, rubbing her tummy. The older one nodded in agreement.

Daddy?

“Huh?” Eli asked them, very confused. They must have been confused.

The younger one gave him a glare that was eerily familiar. She then slapped his leg a little rougher than before.

“We hungy, Daddy,” she repeated in a frustrated voice.

“Hey! Don’t hit me, that’s not nice!” He scolded. The little girl could only pout in response while the older of the two just rubbed her belly while looking at him sadly. What the hell was going on? Who were these little girls and where were their parents?

“Eliiiiiii, take a break from the play and come make us some breakfast! I’m starving!” He heard Marisol’s voice whine from the hallway. Okay this was getting weird. As he heard footsteps approaching the room, he was wary of what he was about to see. Was it going to be Marisol in black lingerie and heels again?

The door opened, and Marisol walked in a nightgown, a silk bonnet, and fuzzy slippers.......

.....and a huge pregnant belly.

If he was in a cartoon, he was sure that this was the part where his eyes bugged out over dramatically in shock. His jaw would also probably hit the floor.

“I want some waffles, eggs, and bacon, Emo Bear. Make us some, pleeeeaasssee? Make that some waffles with strawberries, chocolate syrup, and whip cream on top,” She requested while holding her pregnant stomach.

“I wan cholate pancays,” the younger little girl added in a bossy tone. Looking at Marisol and then looking at the girls made Eli realize that they looked like Marisol, albeit with some clear differences. The older one had almost her exact skin tone, hair and eye color while the younger one had her facial features and eye shape but her skin was a light beige, her hair was a light brown, and her eyes were green like his. Wait. Eli took a closer look at the younger girl and realized that she had the exact same shade of green eyes as he did, and the same curly, brown hair as his own when it wasn’t dyed. Weird.

“Well, don’t keep us waiting. I’m hungry, the girls are hungry, and so is our little baby in here,” Marisol ordered and at the last part, gestured to her stomach.

“Our baby?” He asked incredulously. She narrowed her eyes in frustration.

“Yes, doofus, our baby. I eat for two, remember?” She reminded him while putting one hand on her hip.

“You’re pregnant with my baby?” He asked her as he couldn’t comprehend the thought of it. Him, impregnating Marisol Lewis? Then there’s no way the toddler girls in the room with them weren’t his kids either. This was crazy and unbelievable.

“Has the late night coffee muddled your brain? Who else would be Yvette’s daddy? Now make us some breakfast now please,” Marisol demanded with an amused look.

“Breagfis!” The younger little girl repeated while stomping her foot and giving him a look.

He was truly dumbfounded, but he found himself rising out of the chair.....

———

WHACK!

Eli fell off of his bed and hit the floor.

He let out a groan of pain as he lifted himself up. While rubbing his sore head, he looked around his room. It was daytime he could hear the birds chirping loudly outside. The alarm clock on top of his nightstand read 9 am. Well that dream was certainly insane compared to the wet dreams he was used to having at this point. Him and Marisol as parents? That was a thought that never even crossed his head at this point.

Marisol was snoring loudly as she slept in his bed with his bedsheets wrapped around her body. After they made out on his couch last night for what seemed to be an hour, he took her upstairs to continue the session in his bedroom and things got.....intense. They did a little more than kissing and some clothes came off though thankfully no undergarments. Afterwards they watched another movie while cuddling until they fell asleep. She kept trying to hog his own blanket all night and wouldn’t kicking him to his irritation. At one point he had to hold her in his arms tightly to get her to stop. Clare was never like this when they fell asleep together. She never snored and she slept like an infant.

As he watched her sleep, he couldn’t help but be amused at the sight of this super girly cheerleader wrapped around in a blanket with skulls painted on them. It was just so unusual. The way she looked around his room in disgust when she first saw it would have probably offended him if he didn’t find it funny. Now she knew how he felt when he saw her room for the first time.

They were so different from each other, and he only used it as another argument as to why they couldn’t be in an actual relationship. Clare was different from him but they shared a common interest in writing and literature. They were both so passionate about their interests too. Him and Marisol had nothing in common; They were complete opposites. As a couple they would be a disaster.

‘She enjoys movies and theatre as much as you do, doesn’t she?’ An annoying voice asked in his mind. ‘She’s passionate about those things as much as you are.’

‘But we are two different social circles! A cheerleader with an emo kid? How would that even look?’ He argued.

‘You apparently want to find out because you keep letting her in, Eli,’ the voice argued.

‘Because she has this hold over me I can’t control! He argued loudly to himself, and he had the sudden urge to throw something. His feelings for the girl in his bed were causing him turmoil again. He shouldn’t have kissed her night at Little Miss Steaks and he shouldn’t have made out with her last night. Letting her stay over his house was a mistake, too. He just wanted to throw a party to show how much he supported her, and it nearly ended in him having sex with her.

How long could he let this continue when the play was literally premiering this week? He wrote a play to get the love of his life back, and here he was shaking up with Marisol and dreaming about their life with kids? What the hell was wrong with him these days?

Eli thought of the million reasons why Marisol was not a good fit for him compared to Clare. What was frustrating is that his mind kept countering all those reasons with reasons why she was a good fit for him. It was driving him crazy.

Then Marisol did something in her sleep that made everything even worse at the moment.

“Elijah....,” Marisol moaned in her sleep. It was soft, and so light he almost didn’t hear it.

That was all it took for it to cause a reaction in his boxers.

She moaned his full name again, which was a clear indication of what kind of dream she was having right now, and Eli was rushing to his bathroom to take a very cold shower.

—————-

Last night was so unexpectedly magical that she had a hard time wrapping her mind around it.

Marisol ate the cereal she fixed for herself in Eli’s kitchen. It was Cinnamon Toast Crunch, her favorite cereal. A part of her wanted to believe Eli had set this up for her too. Eli was sitting across from her and he was just spinning his spoon in his bowl of Frosted Flakes for some reason. The atmosphere was uncomfortably quiet. She never liked quiet, especially now after recent events.

“Last night was really great, Eli. I don’t know how to thank you,” she said, initiating the conversation.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied in a distant tone while not meeting her eyes. Marisol frowned at that. Something was up with him and she didn’t like it.

“So are we going to discuss what went on between us after the party was over?” She asked with a hopeful smile. They have kissed, made out on his couch, and groped each other, and even shed some clothing. Surely, there was no way they were just friends at this point, right? What they had currently going on was something she always fantasized about in her teen romance novels.

“I’m not ready to,” Eli admitted.

“Why not? You like me, don’t you? That’s why we kissed. You let me take your shirt off,” she pointed out, nervously. Considering how beefy her last boyfriend was, she should have been incredibly disappointed with how skinny Eli was but she wasn’t. She kinda liked his body type because it wasn’t intimidating compared to Owen’s.

But that wasn’t the problem right now.

“You kissed me first at the restaurant, and you slow danced with me. And then you threw a whole party for me. This whole semester, we’ve been getting close because of the play, and I know there’s something growing between us,” she added, with her voice increasing in pitch by the end. She felt her heart slowly drop in fear. Eli was not playing her, was he? No way. He wasn’t Owen. There was no fucking way.

“There’s a lot going on with the play right now, Marisol. I really can’t focus on anything I want until after it’s over, okay?” He explained to her. “I have a hard time getting my emotions together, lately.”

“You’ve been taking your meds, Eli?” She questioned in worry.

“Yeah,” he answered, and something told her he was lying. She could tell he was….off.

“I could leave if you want,” she offered. If she was making him feel bad, she didn’t want to continue doing it even if she desperately needed to know if he had feelings for her.

To her surprise, he shook his head.

“No, don’t. For some reason, I don’t want you to go,” he denied quickly. She sighed in relief. She didn’t feel like parting from him either.

“Then what are we going to do?” She asked him.

It took them a moment to figure that out.

---

“Come on….come on….please....yes….yes….YES!” Marisol cried out in pleasure.

Her car ended up in first place. She had won the race against Eli.

“This game is rigged,” Eli grumbled as his car ended in second place. He was salty as shit right now. At first he was in the lead at the beginning of the race and then with one bad turn, Marisol was suddenly able to take advantage and steal first place. It was especially annoying since he was sure he picked the right car and abilities.

They were at an arcade at the mall, and after playing several games they decided to race against each using the car machines. For some reason, Marisol won the majority of these games and it wasn’t fair! There was no indication before today that Marisol even knew what an arcade machine was.

“It’s not rigged, Emo Boy. You’re just a sore loser,” Marisol taunted, which made him growl in response. Of course she would say that when she was the one on top.

“I demand another round,” Eli challenged.

“Nope, let’s move to a different game that I can beat your ass at,” Marisol rejected with a smirk as she got up out of her seat. She grabbed her handbag and slung it over her shoulder. Her eyes scanned the area for a new game. “Over there! Let’s shoot hoops!” She exclaimed excitedly as she pointed to the machines in the corner of the arcade.

“Basketball? Not my thing,” Eli replied dryly. When he was a kid, he once tried playing basketball with some older neighborhood kids at the court. The event somehow ended in him losing two of his front teeth and a bleeding nose. That was the end of his interest in sports.

“Oh what are you scared of? Losing again?” Marisol taunted, which made him glare at her. “What if there was something more at stake here?” She offered suggestively.

“Like what?” He questioned, curious.

“Whoever loses has to buy the winner an ice cream afterwards,” she explained with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

For whatever silly reason, he could go for an ice cream right now.

“Whatever, let’s do it,” he accepted.

“Best out of three?” Marisol asked. He nodded.

He suddenly found himself dragged off by an excited Marisol. When they ended up at the basketball hoops, they took their positions in front of the machines and put their quarters in them.

They had 45 seconds.

As soon as the basketballs started rolling towards them, they grabbed the balls and started shooting. Nothing else was on his mind than destroying Marisol and wiping that smug grin of her face.

Before he knew it, the game was over as quick as it started. Marisol won twenty-two to his eighteen. Pathetic. This would not do. Marisol continued smiling smugly as he put another quarter in. For round two, he even got into a competitive stance for the spirit of the game. He was not going to fuck around this time.

To his surprise, he won the second round with a score of thirty-eight. Marisol let out a noise of protest and this time he gave her a smug look.

“Who’s the loser now, Princess?” He mocked her. She scowled at him in response.

“We’ll see with this final round,” she warned, as she pulled one final quarter out of her purse.

“Okay. By the way I like a nice scoop of Rocky Road,” he replied with an evil grin. When the balls started rolling towards him, he felt himself get caught up in a frenzy. His vision turned blood red. He didn’t even feel his hands as he was shooting hoops. He could feel himself sweat though, and it was like he was in an actual basketball game in the fourth quarter.

The alarm on the games sounded off loudly as they both stopped. Eli took a deep breath as he looked at the scores.

“What the fuck?” He loudly exclaimed in anger while Marisol squealed in joy and started bouncing up and down.

Marisol’s score was forty-four.

His score was…fifteen.

Fucking fifteen.

“Hah! Loser!” Marisol teased him, laughing at his misery. He bristled and he could feel steam coming out of his nose.

“Looks like I’m getting a strawberry ice cream with sprinkles and cherries on top,” Marisol stated with an evil smirk on her face.

He could only growl in response.

---

“She hasn’t spoken to me all day!” Katie complained to Drew on the phone.

“Maybe she’s busy?” Her crush suggested. She could hear him chew on something in the background.

“With what? Homework?” She asked in irritation. She wasn’t at Drew, but at Marisol for ignoring her calls. She wanted to know what happened after she left. She hoped Marisol didn’t sleep with Eli at his house. Just the thought made her nauseous.

“I dunno, maybe she’ll tell you tonight,” he answered, and she knew he was shrugging at the moment.

“I knew I should have made her come back with me and not stay over that creep’s house,” she lamented.

It sounded awful but Katie never trusted boys around Marisol, especially after Marisol dated Owen and he treated her like shit. Eli Goldsworthy, a guy who crashed his car for his last girlfriend so she wouldn’t leave him, wasn’t exactly an upgrade even if he was way smarter than Owen. She was waiting for Eli to hurt Marisol because she knew it was coming. She didn’t trust him at all.

And because of what recently happened with Marisol, she was also feeling overprotective of her best friend. What Marisol had recently gone through her sexual assault made Katie feel terrible for not being there at that moment for Marisol. Marisol had actually invited her to the restaurant that night for the dance party but Katie told her she didn’t feel like it and was just going to do homework. When she heard on the news that a girl nearly got gangraped at Little Miss Steaks and when she found out on Monday that it was Marisol, she wanted to crawl into a hole and die. All of those times Marisol was there for her, and she couldn’t sacrifice one measly night for her? She knew martial arts, she could have stopped those bikers from dragging her friend into that alleyway.

In her heart, Katie knew she should be grateful towards Eli for saving Marisol but she couldn’t. She hated that it wasn’t her. It should have been her. Marisol was her best friend and she was unable to protect her in her darkest moment.

She hated herself.

“I think you should relax, Katie,” Drew told her gently. His voice was really soothing. The more she talked with Drew, she realized how much a sweet guy he was compared to the rumors she heard about him. He was determined and caring. Marisol would have been better off crushing on him instead of Eli.

And he was an amazing kisser.

“I want to but I’m worried about Mare these days,” Katie confessed as her cheeks grew hot at the memory of Drew passionately kissing her. She didn’t think she ever liked a guy as much as she did Drew Torres. It was only a matter of time before they started dating and she was already in ecstasy at the thought.

“Well I think you should let Mare handle things her own way. It seems like she’s in good hands,” Drew advised.

“Fine,” she replied, biting her lip in hesitation. She’ll let it go. For now.

“Now can we do something fun? Like play a round of twenty questions over the phone?” He offered.

“Sure!” She replied enthusiastically, hoping he could feel how hard she was smiling over the other end.

“Okay. Favorite color?”

“Blue….”

---

They were sitting in the backseat of her car, eating ice cream together, as the sun set.

“You know, you are a real troublesome girl Marisol Lewis,” Eli dryly commented as he finished the last of his cup of ice cream. Since he was forced to buy Marisol some ice cream because he lost the bet, he figured that he might as well buy some for himself. Fuck it.

“Why?” She asked him while fluttering her eyelashes innocently. Her own cup of strawberry ice cream was finished.

“You know why. You’re too bubbly, energetic, and girly for my liking,” he told her with an amused look. ‘And a fucking tease,’ he thought to himself. Marisol spent the whole licking at her ice cream and spoon in a way that was making him think of something….else. He had to control himself. What was worse that a few guys that had walked past them had given Marisol suggestive looks that definitely meant they were having the same perverted thoughts as he was. He had to send them nasty looks before they even dared to make passes at her.

“Then why do you keep hanging around me, Emo Boy? I think you like my attitude,” Marisol told him teasingly as she ate the last of her treat. Some of it accidentally dropped onto her chest, which a part of it was showing due to some of the buttons on her shirt being unbuttoned. Eli fought hard to control whatever feelings were bubbling underneath him.

“It’s an acquired taste,” he replied with a shrug. He hoped it came off as casual.

“Eh? Well I like you a lot, Eli. You’re just so interesting and figuring you out is like completing the hardest puzzle. You’re intelligent, passionate, funny, caring, kind, and unbelievably attractive,” she complimented as she dumped her cup in a trash bag. “And after what you did for me, I think I might be falling in love with you Eli,” she confessed, “You’re the most incredible guy I ever met and I don’t want nobody as much as I do you. You make me think about things I never thought before and make me try new things. You’re my light, Eli Goldsworthy,” Marisol finished passionately.

“Woah,” he could only say in shock. He was truly floored even though he already knew how much her feelings ran deep for him. But what about his feelings for her? Eli took in Marisol’s appearance. He was definitely attracted to her. There was no point in denying that. She was possibly the most gorgeous girl he ever met with the most beautiful smile. It was intoxicating. With her smooth dark skin, dark eyes, and full lips, he couldn’t help but desire her even when he shouldn’t.

But it wasn’t just her beauty that kept drawing him to her, was it? No, she had a super fun and entertaining personality. She had her moments of being stuck up, shallow, and self-centered but she was also caring, introspective, and compassionate. She was more than the ditzy cheerleader she liked to present herself as. She was like a difficult puzzle too to figure out.

‘But she’s not Clare Edwards,’ one of his inner voices nagged in the back of his mind.

“Woah?” Marisol asked with a nervous look in her eyes. He could tell that she wanted to kiss him but was scared of getting rejected.

‘She’s the exact opposite of everything that made you fall in love with Clare,’ the inner voice pointed out.

‘She is,’ Eli agreed.

At the moment it didn’t matter.

He wanted Marisol, not Clare.

Eli leaned over and kissed Marisol passionately on the lips, savoring the sweet taste of ice cream on her lips. She responded in no time and opened her mouth immediately to give him access. Their kiss deepened as he melded his tongue with hers. The warmth of her mouth was making his body heat up. After a few minutes, he pulled apart from her and pushed her down on the backseat. She looked at him in surprise before he crawled on top of her and slammed his lips down on hers again. She then let out a seductive moan.

He reached down and started unbuttoning her shirt……..

---

“I can’t believe I paid to see that. That movie was some ass, bruh,” Dave complained as him and K.C. walked out of the mall and into the parking lot.

The short story was that Dave decided that they should have a boy’s night out since K.C. was recently single and he needed some cheering up. Not that it wasn’t his fault that he was single in the first place.

As bad as it was, K.C. really didn’t care that he was cheating on Jenna until she found out. He was so caught up in his torrid affair with Jess that the fact that he had a girlfriend and baby at home did not cross his mind the times they were having sex, nor did he really think of the consequences of such a terrible act.

But now, here he was, single and about to be childless. He had failed Tyson and soon his own child would be in the hands of another family. In the end, he was really no better than his father.

K.C. did not remember a time when he was more miserable.

The movie was awful. It was some stupid slasher flick that he and Dave only saw because the trailers teased a lot of really hot girls going naked. Except that there weren't many that did and the one girl that did had a really bad boob job. Not really much of a pick up from his terrible mood. The kill scenes in that movie weren’t even that interesting either. What a waste of time and fake IDs.

“Well, you convinced me to see it,” K.C. replied wearily. He just wanted to go home now and brood more about his currently shitty life.

“You wanna get some food at The Dot after this?” Dave offered him. He was about to say no when his stomach growled loudly. Well, maybe a nice burger could help his mood right now.

“Sure,” he replied.

They were walking past some cars to find Dave’s, when he spotted a very familiar one that looked like Marisol’s. The license plate actually was hers. Curious, K.C. walked up to the car to get a closer look….

….And the sight that greeted him was one he would painfully never forget.

Chapter 11: Foolish

Summary:

Summary: Elarisol hits a rough patch. Song title is Foolish by the Princess of Hiphop and Rnb, Ashanti 🥺

He knew he had just made a massive mistake.

Eli pulled up his briefs and jeans, and then re-buckled his belt as Marisol pulled her panties back up and pulled her skirt back down. She then buttoned up her shirt. When she crawled back to the driver’s seat of her car, she let out a happy hum as she looked in the mirror and reapplied her lip gloss. She was probably feeling ecstatic right now while he could only feel shame at what happened.

They didn’t have sex but they crossed several lines related to it.

He went down on her and she was in the middle of returning the favor when K.C. walked in on them. If he didn’t, they would have actually had sex and Eli was scared to admit he wouldn’t have minded at all. He was feeling pleasure like he never had before and he was begging Marisol to not stop. However as soon as he spotted K.C. staring at them in horror, it was like a giant wave of disgust suddenly crashed over him and all feelings of pleasure were gone.

Eli didn’t know whether to feel ashamed of himself, be angry at KC for interrupting them, or to thank him the next time he sees him at school. For all he knew, the guy probably wanted to avoid him for a while.

His mind, the part that he thought was the rational one at the moment, was telling him to be thankful as he was already regretting what he and Marisol had done. This play was all about getting Clare back by showing her what a villain her boyfriend was, and he possibly ruined his chances of getting her back by hooking up with Marisol. What would she think of him? What would the school think of him if word got out about this?

He should feel ashamed of himself because he had never hooked up with a girl before this. With Julia and Clare, he had jumped straight into relationships with them, and with Julia they didn’t even get sexual until a year after they dated. How did he let it get this far with Mare when he didn’t even like her for months until she signed on for the play? Julia would snarl at him for hooking up with a “pom-pom bimbo”.

He had not had any sort of sexual activity in a year, and the first girl he had done it with since then was not Clare, the girl he loved, but Marisol. Clare would be disappointed in him and possibly never get back together with him now. He promised her when they were together that he would wait for her and he failed that promise. She would hate him.

His heart was at conflict with his mind. His heart was trying to tell him this wasn’t a mistake even though it was. From the backseat, Eli looked at Marisol, who was now brushing her hair to fix the wild state it was in. She was beautiful, so beautiful. Within two months of him getting to know her, the real her that was more than just lip gloss and poms poms, he realized that she was a caring, funny, amusing, bright, and easy going person underneath her shallow exterior. She challenged every negative opinion he previously had of her and replaced them with positive ones instead. Being with her was the most fun he had since.....since....

.....Being with Clare.

He couldn’t have been falling in love with Marisol in just two months, could he? Whatever feelings they were they obviously didn’t measure up for the love he felt for Clare. Clare Edwards was an angel who came in and saved him from the darkest period of his life. Clare was so innocent, so sweet, and just so pure that he couldn’t help but be madly in love with her even though she left him for a goofy lumberjack kid. That abomination of a relationship will soon be over however because Love Roulette will show that they were meant to be. They were Romeo and Juliet, Jane and Rochester, Heathcliff and Catherine, and Paris and Helen. He couldn’t fathom them not being together.

“That was amazing, Eli. I want more,” Marisol purred, giving him a seductive smile. He bit his lip as he could only nod in return. His body definitely wanted Marisol as her own body was perfect. He tried not to think about how good it felt kissing her sweet lips, caressing her soft skin with his fingers, or how he enjoyed pleasuring her. He tried not to think of how he must have been doing a great job because of how loud she was moaning.

The more he tried not to think about how good the hookup was, the more he was thinking about it, and if he didn’t stop he was going to get aroused again and do something he would regret.

“Take me home, please,” he requested as he got back into the front passenger seat. He buckled himself in while Marisol gave him one of her dazzling smiles that made his heart race.

“I know you’re not ready for a relationship but when you are, I’ll be ready,” she told him as she turned her car on.

“Not right now with the play,” he answered quickly as she pulled out of the parking lot.

“Well yeah, that’s what I mean. Whenever you’re ready I’ll be ready. I’m willing to wait for you,” she replied, shrugging.

The ride to his house was silent and for some reason it felt like it was taking forever.

Eli mused over this situation. It was a total disaster and he wanted to blame Marisol. Marisol was a seductive temptress and she had cast a spell on him. A dangerous siren that lead him astray from his goal and instead controlled his body and mind. The more time he spent with her, the more he was distracted from winning Clare back.

He had to nip whatever attraction he had for Marisol Lewis in the bud.

She was not Clare Edwards, and he couldn’t allow her to ever be.

—————

Marisol was on Cloud Nine when she got home. Her stomach felt like it was on air.

They did not have sex, but what they did was still special.

The way Eli explored her body made it feel like it was on fire. No one had ever kissed her like that. There was so much passion with how he used his lips and tongue. It was soft, tender, and deep all at once. She wasn’t used to that from a guy at all, and she was a little shaken by it honestly. Is this what love felt like?

What was more exciting than anything was the idea of finally making their relationship official. Hooking with Eli was great, especially since that used to be her main goal in the first place, but she wanted more than that. A sexual affair wasn’t enough to satisfy her.

She was too deeply in love with him for that. Eli was her everything. He was a truly great guy despite his scary goth persona. He was an edgy emo kid, but it made him stand out from the typical, boring jocks. He was a sarcastic asshole at times, but he was genuinely funny. While he liked to flaunt his intelligence at times, she did appreciate his brilliant mind and how he spoke to her as an equal. Once he no longer saw her as silly, they were able to have long conversations and he listened to everything she had to say. For once, she felt a guy wasn’t talking to her just because he wanted to fuck her. As for his work, she loved the passion and effort he put into the play. Love Roulette was going to be so amazing and she was glad to be apart of it even with a small role as a makeup artist.

However what stuck out the most about Eli was that he risked his life to save her from getting raped. They barely even knew each other but he fought for her when she needed him, and comforted her by bringing her gifts and throwing a whole party for her. He was a hero, her hero.

She was still trying to cope with her sexual assault. It was not easy as she still felt dirty. She bathed at least three times a day, couldn’t sleep with the lights off, and covered herself in thick blankets even in the increasingly hot weather. She was still so scared of being alone but with Eli, she felt like she could take on anything. Eli Goldsworthy was her safe space, her comfort in all of this, and her prince. She gave herself up to him because she trusted him and he would never hurt her.

Ever.

——————-

Monday

He texted her this morning to not pick him up from school. That was the first step towards blocking her out from his life. He avoided her in every way he could, and rebuffed her when she tried to talk to him during some of their classes. He avoided Katie too at lunch.

He was getting books out of his locker after school was over when he spotted Marisol walking over to him. He blanched, turned around, and tried to walk down the hallway only for her to run in front of him.

“Eli, what the hell? What’s going on you? You’ve been ignoring me all day!” Marisol barked with frustration clear on her face.

Eli took a deep breath. This was about to be one of the most difficult experiences of his life.

“Marisol...last night was a mistake,” Eli told her.

She looked at him in confusion.

“What do you mean? It was great. You enjoyed it. We both did,” she replied, folding her arms.

“I did not,” he lied, “I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I wasn’t thinking properly.”

She giggled nervously in response. “Don’t be silly, Eli. You can’t regret hooking up with me because you initiated nearly every encounter we had. You’re just scared to take us to the next level, and it’s okay,” she tried to argue, but he shook his head.

“Marisol, there’s never going to be an us. Last night was a mistake because I don’t want you....I want Clare,” he said sorrowfully, “We were never supposed to go that far. Being with you these past two months was wonderful but I let it progress to a level it shouldn’t have. I don’t love you. I love Clare, and this play is about winning her back. You have been distracting me.”

“No I haven’t or otherwise you wouldn’t want me around,” she argued.

“See that’s the problem, that I keep letting you around when I’m supposed to be working on the play. It has led to a lot of confusion between us and I’m making things clear,” he pointed out.

He watched in sadness as her face crumbled. Tears welled up in her big eyes as she shook her head in denial. This was absolutely painful but needed to be done.

Marisol reached out to cup his face as she started to cry.

“Eli, don’t say that please. You don’t mean that. After everything that happened, you love me. I know it,” she pleaded.

“I’m sorry, Mare,” he rejected back, “Thank you for everything but I think it’s for the best if we don’t interact for a while. Your services won’t be needed for the play.”

He watched as her face slowly contorted into rage.

“Fuck you, Eli,” she snarled as she turned away and walked away.

He watched her leave with a sullen look on his face. This was a hard thing for him to do but it needed to be done. Marisol could never measure up to Clare.

So why did this secretly break him inside?

He felt a tap on his shoulder.

He looked, and Imogen suddenly stood next to him with a bright smile on her face.

“So now that you got Marisol out of the way, you can focus on me, right?”

“Of course, you’ve been good to me this entire time,” he said while putting on a fake smile.

—————-

“I hate him, I hate him, I HATE HIM!” Marisol screamed in anger as she threw her pillow at the wall. “After everything I have done for him! I gave him my heart! Fucking bastard!”

She couldn’t believe what happened today.

Eli rejecting her after their hookup? Him essentially telling her that she never mattered to him compared to Clare even she dedicated so much of her with him over Love Roulette? After all of the time they spent together? After they almost fucked twice? She couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She thought they had built a genuine connection that was leading to something more. She thought they were in love. She certainly was with him, but he threw her away for a girl who was dating a guy that looked like her brother.

She blew him.

Marisol grew nauseous at the fact that she gave a blowjob to another guy that only wanted her for her body. It made her sick. She really was the biggest fool at school, wasn’t she? First Owen used her, now Eli and she let them do that.

Katie wrapped her arms around her and held her while she cried. She expected her best friend to give her a “I told you so” rant, but Katie was only supportive. It must be because of Katie being used to hearing her cry over boys at this point. She felt bad that her best friend had to put up with her bullshit. It’s been like this since middle school. She knew she must be tired at this point.

“I’m so sorry, Mare,” Katie replied as she rubbed her back while she cried.

“I just thought that he was different from the other guys. I thought he loved me. Do you know how good it feels to think someone loves you? I thought he was different!” Marisol ranted. “Katie, he kissed me first! He went down on me first! But he acted like I took advantage of him! He used me!”

“Eli is a disgusting pig and he needs to pay. I’m making his life a living hell,” Katie snarled in disgust.

“Don’t kill him,” she begged. As much as she hated him right now, she didn’t want him dead, and she knew murder was Katie’s ideal way of handling Eli. That or beating his ass.

“Don’t worry, Mare. Death is easier than what I’m about to do to him,” Katie replied in a chilling tone.

—————————

It was two days before the play and Eli was having a good morning even though it rained heavily.

Sure Bullfrog wouldn’t stop nagging him about his medication but he assured him he didn’t need it. Eli haven’t felt so good in weeks. Why? Because soon Jake Martin would no longer be an obstacle between him and Clare. He would be a distant, irrelevant memory while he and Clare resume their epic romance. He was looking forward to kissing her again, brainstorming ideas together, and spending alone time in his room.

Not only was he going to be known as the writer of the best Degrassi play in history, but he was going to win his dream girl back. It was a love story for the ages.

He walked to his locker with almost a bounce in step. Things could only go up from here. However, he frowned in confusion as several students were crowding around his locker, laughing.

“What the hell is going on here?” He demanded out of the other students. They all snickered as they dispersed to give him access.

That’s when he saw the paint and the pictures.

The words “Eli Pigsworthy” was painted in an ugly, light shade of pink in big bold letters. There were pictures of pigs taped up and down his locker with his face on every picture.

“What the fuck?” He muttered to himself in shock. Who could do this?

“Hey Eli, do you like the new look? I figured your locker needed a new makeover after last night,” Katie Matlin greeted him with a cold smile as she walked up to him.

“If this is about Marisol, then that’s none of your business what happened between us!” He shouted.

“When it concerns Marisol, it is my business! Who do you think you are, using her and tossing her away like trash? You should be lucky she even looked at you in the first place you emo freak!” Katie shouted back.

“What we had wasn’t real!” He argued.

“That’s for sure because you’re a filthy, manipulative, bastard with no respect for girls. I never knew what Mare saw in you in the first place but I’m glad it’s over. You’re a piece of shit and I hope the play is a disaster,” Katie sneered as she walked off.

Eli balled his fists up as his good morning was ruined now. He never liked Katie as she was an uptight snob with a frosty personality. She gave him attitude every time they interacted. He didn’t understand how her and Marisol were best friends at all when at least Marisol had a brighter energy than her. He was over it. She didn’t even know what she was talking about. He didn’t “use” Marisol. She was a distraction from getting Clare back and he couldn’t let it continue. He felt bad for leading her on but Marisol also wouldn’t leave him alone.

After getting his stuff out of his locker, he walked into English class with a stormy look on his face. The first person he confronted was not Clare, who was looking at him in apprehension, but Marisol who was just looking out the window. He used to not understand why Marisol was in his English class when she rarely had anything profound to discuss or write. One night though, while they were talking at the restaurant, Marisol had revealed to his surprise that she liked reading poetry and was able to name some of her favorite poets. She even cited them as an inspiration for what she was going to do for their final English project.

At the time, Eli enjoyed their conversation but now it was a memory he would like to forget.

“You unleashed Katie on me?” He asked her with a sharp tone. She turned around and he was taken aback by how red her eyes were. It looked she was crying all night.

“Whatever Katie did to you, I had no part in but you probably deserved it,” she replied with a glare.

“I deserved to have my locker vandalized with my face printed on pictures of pigs?” He shot back. She shrugged in response.

“Well you are a pig,” she told him icily.

The bell rang for class, and he went back to his seat in anger. Not only was Jake his enemy but now Katie and Marisol as well. They were all conspiring to ruin his life and he won’t let them.

Ms. Dawes walked in cheerfully.

“Good morning, class. Are we ready for the presentations, today?” She greeted. “Who wants to go first?”

“I will,” Marisol answered. Ms. Dawes gave her an encouraging smile as she got up with a piece of paper in her hands. She marched up to the front of the class.

“For my presentation, I did a poem,” she announced to the class.

“What is the name of it?” Dawes asked her.

“Elijah,” she answered while staring straight at him.

The air was filled with tension as everyone around him started whispering. Eli already had a bad feeling about this and meet Marisol’s eyes with anger.

“Everyone quiet down. Marisol, begin,” Dawes ordered. Marisol took a deep breath as she began to read.

“Beware of snakes in the grass

Harmless at first but will strike viciously without remorse

Beware of how they can slither up your body

And choke your life away.”

Marisol started off the poem and the rage radiating off of her was almost palatable. He could feel the negative energy towards him.

“Beware of demons that appear to you like angels.

With a sweet voice and promises to give you the world.

They hide their forked tongues and devilish intentions

They hide it so they can take your soul.”

The whispers started up again as everyone was either looking at him or Marisol. Eli gripped his desk in great discomfort. She was telling lies about him. She was smearing his name in the dirt before the play to ruin his reputation.

“Beware of pigs in the pen.
Pink and cute at first.

But reveal their disgusting ways soon enough. 
From how they roll around in the mud and dirty themselves.”

So that’s where Katie got the idea from. He overheard several of his classmates comment “Eli Pigsworthy” while giggling. He felt his face grow red. She never stopped looking at him.

“I thought you were the one for me. 
You seemed so different from the rest.

You challenged me, you listened to me.

You held me, kissed me, and touched me like no did before.”

Despite him not wanting it to, shame creeped up inside of him at Marisol’s words. But he shouldn’t feel shame, should he?

“I gave you my heart for you to hold.

I gave you my soul for you to keep.

I gave you my mind for you to blow.
I gave you my body for you to pleasure.”

Her voice was growing louder with each stanza, and if the poem wasn’t about him, he would have been proud of the passion she put into writing it. She was proving herself to be a great writer. But instead, he could only feel nauseous as she pretty much outed their hookup to the entire class. He could feel Clare staring intensely at the back of his head.

He also felt hurt. He didn’t know whether it was just for himself or for Marisol, who started tearing up again. She was clearly in pain and he didn’t know to react. He didn’t mean for them to get that close, and he didn’t know she was hurting that bad.

“But you threw it all away for what? I meant nothing to you? Not a thing? Even when I gave you my all? Even when I trusted you with all of my heart?”

He started squirming in his seat as everyone stared at him, even Ms.Dawes who gave him a look that was almost in disappointment.

“You stomped on me, crushed me, ripped me apart.  You used me like he did without a second thought. Yet you think of yourself as a better man. And I bet you will still think of yourself as a hero.”

She was comparing him to Owen, Christ. He refused to think of any similarities between him and that meathead. Her words were stinging at him in an agonizing manner. He was better than Owen, was he?

Was he?

“I can’t even bring myself to hate you. Because I love the side of you I thought was real. But you made it so that I can’t even look at you. And the tears can’t stop falling from my eyes.”

She finished as her voice cracked on the final stanza. She was gripping her paper tightly as the entire class clapped for her. Wiping her eyes, she went back to her seat while giving him a piercing glare. If looks could kill, he would be dead.

“Beautiful but heartbreaking, Marisol. Excellent job,” Dawes complimented. She only nodded in gratitude.

He wanted the ground to swallow him up.

Pretty much every girl in the room was sending him disgusted looks, even Clare, and he knew that by the end of the day the whole school will know about Marisol’s poem. Everyone was going to know about their hookup and the resulting fallout. His reputation was going to be trashed before the play.

He couldn’t even get his full emotions together on the matter. He came into school not regretting turning Marisol away, even if it did hurt. Clare was the end goal, not her. He loved Clare Edwards, not Marisol Lewis. They were not meant to be. That moment they shared two nights was a mistake. But he felt her pain as she read the poem, and it stabbed him in the gut. He never intended to hurt her and make her feel used. He genuinely cared about her for helping him with the play, but he had to stop whatever was progressing between before he got confused.

But was breaking her heart worth it? He was starting to think otherwise.

He never felt so dirty before.

—————

She looked through her phone for pictures of her and Eli.

Marisol debated whether she wanted to delete them or not. Eli had hurt her on a level she wasn’t sure she could recover from. He led her on, made it seem like they had something special, and then tossed her away like yesterday’s trash. She couldn’t believe he blocked her Facerange, her email, AND her number. He was like Owen. Maybe not in personality or looks, but in spirit. They were both trash.

She felt sick to her stomach as she looked at the picture they took at Movie Night together. That night was something she used to treasure but now the memory would only bring her pain.

This whole semester was the most traumatic experience of her life. She was sexually harassed, then sexually assaulted and nearly gangraped outside her job. And now, even though that was the least of her problems, the guy she fell in love with blatantly told her that they weren’t meant to be after they just hooked up the night before. Did he ever give a shit about her, or was she just a rebound until he could get Clare back? That’s what he basically admitted.

Eli had the nerve to look guilty when she read her poem in class today. Good, she hoped he never found peace. She hoped Virgin Edwards would crush his heart into pieces. She hoped the play flopped and Eli was never allowed to be involved in a school production again. She even hoped that he would forever be known as the biggest pig at school and that no girl would want to even speak to him again. Fuck Eli Goldsworthy.

She fucking hated the male species. All of them were bastards of the highest order.

All boys did in her life was use her, degrade her, manipulate her, assault her, and break her heart.

From now on, she would only depend on herself.

She was all she had at this point.

 

Chapter 12: Me, Myself, and I

Summary:

Summary: Song title is Me, Myself, and I by Beyoncé.

I swear I don’t hate Imogen Moreno, I love ha but this is just how she was in canon 😫.

It was raining heavily this morning.

Marisol pulled into the school parking lot in a stormy mood, which was not helped at all by the poor weather. She didn’t even want to show up to school if it meant looking at Eli for a few periods.

Even though it felt good to read that poem out loud in class and destroy Eli’s reputation before his stupid play, she still had to deal with the fact that she was played by another guy again. It was beyond humiliating.

Two nauseating couples were being all lovey dovey in front of her. There was Owen and Anya, who were laughing about something. That something was likely her. Then there was Clare and Jake, who were kissing affectionately underneath Clare’s umbrella. It was disgusting.

She almost hated Clare as much as she did Eli right now.

What was it about this boring, Puritan child that made Eli break her heart into pieces for? There was nothing interesting about Clare Edwards other than her sister being the Power Squad captain during her freshman year. And Darcy Edwards was intense. Marisol didn’t think she would ever forget how scandalous the girl was along with Manny Santos. They made freshman year for her memorable and not always in a good way. But at least Darcy had something interesting about her. Her little sister did not. All Clare did was walk around and act all pompous and innocent like she was better than everybody, with a horrible taste in fashion at that. Both of her Jamaican grandmothers could dress sexier than Clare Edwards. The girl was so whiny and overdramatic too, even more than her. What was Eli seeing in Clare that she didn’t?

Eli crashed his hearse into a wall and nearly died for a girl that rebounded with another guy immediately after. She helped him with the play, helped him loosen up by taking him to fun events, listened to him rant for hours about whatever he wanted to talk about, got him special discounts at Little Miss Steaks, let him stay over her house after the incident with the bikers, gave him head, and even agreed to give him space until he was for a relationship. She confessed her love for him and yet he threw it all away for a little bitch that didn’t give two shits about renewing their relationship no matter how badly he deluded himself into thinking it would happen.

Marisol was fuming when she stepped out of her car. With a loud slam of her door, she stormed into the school.

---

Marisol really ruined his life.

Eli could feel the scorn of everybody as he told everyone the script changes for the play, that Ari and Clara would get back together and live happily ever after. Pretty much every girl was looking at him as some sort of monster because of Marisol’s poem. Chantay was glaring at him like she wanted to slit his throat and even Fiona was cold to him this morning. It was crazy how he went from being seen as the school hero to the school scumbag within such a short time period. High school kids were very fickle but at this point maybe he deserved it.

He was angry at Marisol for ruining his reputation but a small part of him knew he shouldn’t have hurt her feelings the way he did. He should have stopped whatever they had going on before it went too far because now their friendship was destroyed. He wasn’t sure if it was ever going to be repaired. Was he fine with that if it meant getting Clare back? He tried to think so.

“Are you okay, Eli?” Imogen asked him in concern after he just got done arguing with Fiona about the changes. Him rewriting the script at the last minute sounded crazy but he knew it was going to pay off. He knew it.

“Never better,” he remarked cheerfully.

“I think making Jack the villain was a brilliant idea, Eli. You have a mark for good storytelling. I don’t know why people keep doubting you,” she praised.

Imogen was the only girl he knew didn’t hate him right now. She was his own personal fangirl, or his own little Harley Quinn. He needed that right now. With the whole world being against him, he was glad at least someone had faith in him even if it came off as a little creepy sometimes.

“Because they don’t see the vision, but you do,” he replied warmly, earning him a big smile from Imogen. Her smile was adorable but it didn’t hold a candle to….no he won’t think about that.

“Of course, Eli. I’ve had your back since the very beginning, before you even knew who I was. I always cared about you and your potential,” Imogen told him.

That was super creepy, but he was going to ignore that for now.

Right now, his main priority was destroying Jake Martin.

---

She had to admit part of this was her fault for not paying attention.

Marisol had her earphones plugged in her eyes, listening to Beyoncé, when she suddenly crashed into somebody. She let out an embarrassed yelp as her iPod fell to the ground with a loud thud. Shit.

She looked up and saw that it was Jake Martin she bumped into. He looked pissed at first but when he saw that it was her, his features softened. He kneeled down and picked up her iPod for her. “Sorry,” he apologized sheepishly as he got back up and handed her her device.

As he stood up to his height in front of her, Marisol was a little shaken by how tall he was. She didn’t know whether it was because she was so short but she felt like one of those little hobbit creatures next to him.

It was kinda hot. She understood his appeal to Clare.

“It’s fine,” she murmured as she looked at her iPod. There was not a single crack in her screen. Thank God for that.

“That Eli guy is a nutjob,” Jake said with a frown.

“More like a complete asshole,” Marisol replied while folding her arms.

“No, he’s actually crazy. He fucking fired me from the play after I confronted him about making me the new villain. He’s demented and is only using the play to drive me and Clare apart. He somehow thinks she’s going to magically take him back after this,” he ranted to her.

“Well you’re not the only victim of Eli Goldsworthy. He fired me too after my ‘services were no longer needed’,” she told him with a snort. Emo Boy was just digging himself deeper, wasn’t he? This play was shaping up to be a total flop of his own doing. Wonderful.

“What he did to you was awful. I’m sorry,” he told her sympathetically.

“I’m over it. I just hope Love Roulette flops,” she replied with a shrug as she walked past him.

No, she wasn’t actually over it. No one needed to know that though.

---

“You know you have two new nicknames passing around the school, right?” Adam told him as they ate lunch together. They were both eating sandwiches that Adam’s mother personally made for them.

“What are they now?” Eli asked wearily while taking a big bite of his ham and cheese sandwich.

“Eli Manning and Craig Goldsworthy,” Adam answered with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“Are you serious? They’re comparing me to Craig Manning, the singer?” Eli replied, irritated. What was it with him that people kept comparing him to the singer?

“Well it’s not like you don’t have a reputation as a major player right now, and that’s what this Craig guy apparently was at Degrassi. Did you really hook up with Marisol last weekend?” Adam asked while raising his eyebrow.

“It was a spur of the moment thing. A mistake,” Eli clarified.

“She didn’t seem to think it was,” his friend pointed out.

“Well obviously she’s wrong and it’s her fault for getting the wrong idea. She knew from the beginning that my heart belongs with Clare,” he replied, getting defensive.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have hooked up with her then? Because now every girl at school wants to kill you, and speaking of Clare, can you please stop trying to ruin her relationship with Jake because I have to hear about it when she sees me. It’s beginning to get annoying, Eli,” Adam begged. Eli let out a tired sigh.

“Adam, dear friend, it would all be worth it when Clare’s with me again. This is only a temporary problem in the grand scheme of things,” he replied.

“Well I’m frankly tired of being torn between the two of you so please get it together,” Adam said with narrowed eyes, “It’s getting weird.”

“Don’t worry about it, Adam. Just be patient and before you know it, the Misfits will be back in action,” Eli said as he took another bite of his sandwich.

People needed to stop doubting him when he was a master schemer.

---

“Maybe I should pursue K.C. I heard he’s single these days,” Marisol suggested bitterly.

“I think you need to take a break from guys, Mare. Like a real break so you can focus on yourself,” Katie replied critically.

“He’s tall, he’s cute, and we had a pretty chill friendship at work. He’s a fun guy,” Marisol pointed out as she sipped on her strawberry milkshake. After school, she decided to take herself and her friend The Dot for some much needed comfort food.

“He also cheated on his girlfriend with some floozy even though they have a baby together. Do you really want that kind of guy as your boyfriend?” Katie questioned.

“Well, I think we can both move on. Besides, nothing helps getting over an asshole guy by moving on to the next one,” she argued.

“No, I think you should stay away from guys before they hurt you again. Marisol, you really need to be to cope with what happened first. You were almost raped-“

“I know that! You don’t need to remind me, Katie,” Marisol loudly cut her off, capturing the attention of everyone sitting around them, “I just want to have fun at this point. Can I have that, Katie? Or are you going to keep judging me for my choices like you’ve been doing this whole semester?” She asked with a scowl.

Her best friend deeply frowned. “Mare, I’m just trying to give you advice,” she replied.

“Well I don’t want your advice right now!” Marisol yelled in frustration. Just then, Virgin Edwards walked in. When Clare saw her, she blanched. Marisol would normally take pride in that, but right now her emotions were rising and she needed to get away.

“I’ll be in the bathroom,” Marisol told Katie as she got out of her seat and walked towards the restroom.

As soon as she entered, she started crying.

God, what had she become?

---

Later that day

He was firmly aware that he was making another mistake.

“Eli, this room is so cool! It’s so perfect!” Imogen gushed as she followed him into his room. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as she looked around the area. He could tell that she wanted to touch everything. He wouldn’t let her.

“Nirvana, All Time Low, My Chemical Romance, and Dead Hand? You have such excellent taste, though I should have expected this by now,” she continued with a flirty smile.

“Thanks,” he replied as he sat down on his bed. In all honesty, there was no need for Imogen to be over his house to “rehearse”. He was one hundred percent sure that they knew both of their lines by heart at this point, especially her. Imogen was the most devoted cast member of the play. She never missed a single meeting, complained about her role, or fucked her lines up. She was the perfect actress. It almost made him want to like her in the way she wanted him too.

He invited her over his house because he needed a distraction from how badly he fucked up his interview with Clare at The Dot. It went completely wrong when he was supposed to plant seeds of doubt in her relationship with Jake. How have things gotten so wrong with speaking to her when he use to have the perfect banter with Clare? He wasn’t behaving like himself anymore and it was pushing Clare further into the arms of that stupid clown.

Well, he wouldn’t give up. There was far too much to lose at this point.

“I’m sorry for what happened yesterday. Marisol is a rotten bitch for what she did,” Imogen told him sympathetically as she sat down next to him. “How could she lie about such an awful thing for attention?”

He didn’t bother correcting her at all, because right now he wanted to believe that Marisol was painting the wrong idea of their relationship to the school. He wanted to believe she tempted him to do things he never wanted to do.

“I don’t know why,” he answered, “She got her hopes up and is mad that it didn’t work out.”

“She’s an awful person. The Eli I know would never do any of what she described in that disgusting poem. I’m glad you fired Marisol from the play. She was only in it to cause you stress and turmoil. She’s a bloodsucking leech,” Imogen passionately ranted to him. Eli was a little taken back by her vitriol towards Mare-Marisol.

“Yeah, fuck her,” he agreed. He chose not to think about how it wasn’t too long ago that he nearly did. Anyway, he was going to push Marisol Lewis to the back of his dark mind where she would hopefully never escape from. “Let’s rehearse for the play,” he ordered.

“Okay!” Imogen accepted cheerfully.

As usual, she was able to recite her lines accurately as they went over the final script for the play. He was even tempted to imagine her as Clare. But just like Mare-Marisol, she would never be.

“I just hated the way we left things. The truth is you should be with me, not him,” Eli recited strongly to her while they held hands, “We can start over in a way where no one can come between us again. Just you and me against the world.”

“Just you and me against the world,” she repeated while looking at him adoringly in the eyes. She then leaned in and they softly kissed. Imogen’s lips felt as light as a feather.

He felt nothing.

“That was close but I think we should rehearse the scene a few more times, Eli,” Imogen said with a seductive undercurrent in her voice, “This play is so amazing.”

She really was enamored with him, wasn’t she? Eli looked at the girl in front of him. Imogen was beautiful in her own unique way with her olive skin, chocolate brown eyes, and long eyelashes. Under different circumstances he would have gone for her as she was aesthetically similar to Julia and had the same attitude of not giving a fuck about being seen as “weird”. She was a better fit for him than Marisol that’s for sure. Definitely.

“No, it’s you who’s amazing Clare,” he told her, staring deeply into her eyes. He was honestly flattered by how devoted she was to him. The only girl in his life who didn’t see him as a monster at that moment.

“You mean Clara,” Imogen corrected him, but he chose to ignore it. Grabbing her neck, he pulled her into another deep kiss. She wasted no time in opening her mouth so he could kiss her harder. He pushed her gently down onto the bed as he thrusted his tongue in and out of her mouth. He roamed his hands down her petite body as his mind soared to a different plane of existence.

Eli wanted to think of Clare while he kissed Imogen, but instead to his frustration someone else flashed in his mind. All of what he kept thinking of was that Imogen’s lips didn’t taste as sweet as hers, her brown eyes weren’t dark as hers, her skin wasn’t as dark as hers, and the way she moaned wasn’t as arousing as hers.

Even when he tried not to think of her, she refused to leave his mind.

---

The day of the play

Marisol was reading a book for English class when Imogen skipped up to her with a cheery smile on her face. She already didn’t like it.

“Hey Marisol,” the freak greeted her.

“What do you want?” She demanded immediately out of the other girl. She wasn’t even going to bother playing nice with her when she could tell the other girl was elated by Eli rejecting her.

“Just here to tell you that Eli and I are going to be together after the play,” the girl announced to her. Marisol snorted in response.

“With his obsession with getting his ex-girlfriend back, good luck,” she warned her, but the freak only smirked.

“Clare Edwards is only a distraction. He really wants me. He proved it to me when we made out last night for an hour,” Imogen told her smugly.

Ah, so the bitch was trying to get under her skin.

“He ate me out, I gave him a blowjob, and he still told me I didn’t matter. What makes you think you have a better chance than me?” Marisol pointed out, and to her amusement the smug look on Imogen’s face briefly faltered for a second.

“That was different and you’re lying on him for attention. You took advantage of his mental state and you’re not fit for him, I am,” Imogen argued.

“And telling him to not take his meds from the start isn’t taking advantage of his mental state? Look at what you did. He’s off his rocker now and playing you for a fool, which you clearly are,” Marisol sneered. Imogen Moreno was a stupid, delusional little bitch just like Eli. Maybe they were perfect for each other after all. Two delusional, weird, manipulative bitches. A match made in hell.

“You’ll see. I’ll prove it to Eli that we’re meant to be together. You were nothing more than a shallow witch and I’m glad you’re no longer here to ruin the play,” Imogen snarled as she walked away. Marisol was almost tempted to snatch the girl up and deck her in her mouth but she resisted. It wasn’t worth it.

Imogen was going to have to learn her lesson the hard way just like she was.

---

Eli was steaming as he left Simpson’s office.

Just when he thought he had at least someone, they betrayed him. Imogen betrayed him.

He couldn’t believe she planted the drugs in Clare’s locker instead of Jake’s. It was a foolish attempt to get rid of Clare and instead it made Clare even more mad at him. She would never forgive him.

Eli desperately wanted to cry in frustration as it seemed everything he built was collapsing around him. It was all because he trusted the wrong people. Everyone was conspiring to ruin this moment for him when it was supposed to bring Clare back to him. No one supported him, not even his parents. They all doubted him or plotted to destroy him. He had no friends. He had only enemies.

It was soul-crushing to know that he was on his own at this point.

Eli walked up to his locker and let out a roar as he punched it in anger.

---

When the final bell for school rang, Marisol entered the bathroom to take a piss. Peeing was gross but it was a necessary function she guessed.

In the stall next to her, she heard sobbing. Despite how irritated she was today, Marisol couldn’t help but feel concerned.

“You alright over there? What’s wrong?” She asked the other girl, but the sobbing only got louder. Poor girl, she must have gotten dumped, or cheated on, or found out she was pregnant. You never knew which it was at Degrassi.

After she was done using the toilet and was washing her hands, the other girl came out of the stall and revealed herself to be Imogen. Her eyes were blood red with tears, snot was running down her nose, and tears were running down her cheeks like a waterfall. Whatever sympathy Marisol had for the girl immediately evaporated.

“What’s wrong? Eli told you you guys aren’t meant to be together?” Marisol taunted. She knew it was a bitch thing to do but she didn’t care. She wanted to revel in the other girl’s pain.

“Sh-sh-shut up,” the weirdo stuttered, breathing heavily. Marisol let out a tsk in response.

“I tried to warn you about that guy, but it was all smiles, remember? I was just lying on him for attention. Sucks to be you, right now,” Marisol remarked with a smirk as she left the restroom.

She didn’t expect for Imogen to get her karma that quickly, but it was a welcome sight regardless. Whatever she did to piss Eli off, she deserved it.

She could hear Imogen’s cries from outside the bathroom.

---

“Are you sure you can do this, Babyboy?” Cece asked him as he got ready in his room. The play was premiering in a few hours. Regardless of the ugliness of today’s events, it was showtime. His mother was brushing his hair even though he was going to do all of that when he got to the dressing room at school anyway.

“I’m fine,” Eli flatly replied as he put his dress coat on. At this point, he had nothing else to lose but himself. And he was starting to think death wasn’t a bad idea. At least he could be reunited with Julia wherever she was, or in another life. He didn’t believe in the concept of heaven or hell, but he did believe in the existence of a different dimension after death. Maybe Julia was there, just floating around in darkness or light, or whatever.

“Bullfrog and I are not sure you’ll be able to handle tonight. You seem tense, honey, and we’re worried about you,” his mother added, frowning.

“I’m fine Cece,” he repeated through gritted teeth. He didn’t need this talk at all.

In the mirror, Cece smiled sadly.

“Whatever you say, baby.”

---

She went back and forth with herself on whether she should go to the play or stay home.

She chose to go to the play.

As Marisol applied a shade of cinnamon flavored lip gloss to her lips, she couldn’t help but feel excited about tonight. Why? It was simple; She was going to have a front seat to the disaster that was Love Roulette. From the rumors she heard flying around about the script changes Eli made at the very last minute, and how he fired Jake because he disagreed with his role, it sounded like the play was shaping up to be the worst in Degrassi history. Her outing the way he treated her after they hooked up didn’t help and only added to the controversy of the play.

She was excited at the possibility of Eli never recovering from this.

Marisol looked at herself in the tall mirror in her bedroom. She decided to look extra glamorous tonight as a way to show Eli what he turned down. With her sleek black dress, flashy jewelry, and silver heels, she felt amazing. Her silver eyeshadow matched her heels, and her sharp eyeliner complimented her black dress. Before getting dressed, she had exfoliated her skin and rubbed her body with scented body oils. Her hair was done up in millions of curls as they bounced around her shoulders.

If she was going to go to this train wreck, she was going to look and feel sexy while doing so. She had enough of letting shitty life events drive her to not take care of herself. No, this was the beginning of a whole new Marisol Lewis.

One that would no longer let boys manipulate her.

---

There was no way the play wasn’t a disaster right now and it was all his fault. He can now admit that.

Jake hated him, Clare hated him, Fiona hated him, Imogen hated him, Ms. Dawes probably hated him, and worst of all Marisol hated him. He burned bridges with everyone just like how he did with Julia. His very nature was self-destructive. It never took him long to ruin a relationship because at his core he was an awful person. A disease.

As he read his lines to Fiona in front of the audience, Eli could feel himself fading away as his anxiety was rising to uncontrollable degrees. It was like he was about to explode. Everything was collapsing around him, or burning up in flames.

Eli looked over the audience, and in his mind he saw nothing but faces mocking him for being a failure. He was one, but they didn’t have to laugh about it. If they weren’t laughing, they were staring at him in disappointment. That was Clare, who he tried to find admiration in her eyes but it wasn’t there.

Marisol was in the front row, and her appearance ate at him the most. She was dressed like a Hollywood starlet and had an evil smirk on her face. She looked sinfully beautiful, and he knew it was on purpose. She wanted to feel powerful while he felt powerless over his own production.

He deserved it. He had hurt her more than anyone else, and she was going to make sure he would be reminded of it constantly. He wanted to hate her, and a part of him still wanted to blame this girl for his attraction to her. Even now, with her looking at him with complete venom in her eyes, he couldn’t help but be entranced by her. She was beautiful even in this moment.

It was making him not focus.

“Thanks for coming. I just hated the way we left things. The truth is...is you should be with me, not...him. I’m sorry, yeah...what?” He asked himself out loud as he stumbled over his lines.

Fiona was sitting across from him as Clara.

“Maybe we should go away from here?” ‘Clara’ offered, but that wasn’t her line.

“No that’s not how it goes. That’s my line, not yours. You’re not following the script,” he scolded Fiona.

“You’re not exactly following the script either, Ari,” Fiona shot back as several audience members chuckled.

“It doesn’t matter you’re not her,” Eli replied with a scowl.

“Eli come on, we’re almost done,” Fiona pleaded as she tried to keep her voice above a whisper.

Something in Eli snapped.

“What script, there’s no script, you CAN’T write your life!” He found himself yelling. He snatched Fiona’s script from her hands roughly as he got up from his seat.

He suddenly found himself standing up on stage and eyeing the whole audience. What came next was a testament to how much he didn’t care about what else could go wrong at this point.

“No matter how much all of you want a happy ending you can’t have it,” he began with a snarl as he addressed the crowd, “I try to write one but it’s impossible. I rewrote and rewrote but things kept changing and I hurt people and I knew they were hurting,” he directed at both Imogen who was standing by the stage lights and Marisol, whose smug expression was replaced with a face of surprise, “I didn’t stop because your mind tricks you. It tricks you into thinking that things are fine. They’re not fine, nothing is fine, it’s all WRONG! I’m all wrong. So that’s it. There’s no happy ending,” he snarled. He then pulled out a lighter from his dress jacket and lit the script on fire.

He threw the burning script down and then collapsed to his knees in front of it. He admired the flames in front of him. Red, yellow, and orange clouded his vision as he wondered if he should have burned himself instead to destroy what he had become.

Eli was so focused on the fire in front of him that he didn’t really hear Fiona call for the lights and he didn’t really notice the standing ovation he received from the audience for his performance.

He only really cared about the fire.

---

She was still mad at Eli.

Marisol was sniffling as she clapped along with everyone else during the curtain call. She didn’t want to but Eli’s performance made her cry. The play was beautiful. The whole cast and crew of Love Roulette came on stage to take a bow as the crowd continued to cheer. It should have been her up there with them but Eli robbed her of that moment when he fired her.

But that was the least of their problems now.

The problem was that Eli was not mentally well, and he showed that by what he just done. He snapped and burned a script live in front of everyone. People probably thought it was all a part of the show but she knew it wasn’t. He needed help as soon as possible, and that help needed to be more than just the meds he wasn’t obviously wasn’t taking.

She was still mad at Eli, though.

Only now, she also pitied him.

---

The next day

He wasn’t on board with missing school for a couple of days but if it was going to improve his mental health, then it was for the best.

However before he left, he needed to see her.

“Make it quick, Eli,” Bullfrog told him as he walked outside to the car. Eli nodded as he searched for Marisol in the halls. She was by her locker applying a shade of lip gloss as per usual.

“Mare,” he called her name to get her attention while walking up to her. She turned around and he could see every negative emotion in her eyes. There was disgust, anger, confusion, and hurt, but surprisingly there was also pity.

“Eli,” she greeted stiffly.

“I’ll be gone for a few days to, um, take care of myself,” he told her. The tension between them was almost palpable and it made him uncomfortable.

“Okay,” she replied and he knew she wanted to ask what did that have to do with her. He was almost blown away by her lack of interest. It was in deep contrast compared to a few days ago.

“I’m sorry for everything. I just want you to know that,” he apologized, trying to earn a softer attitude from her. It didn’t work judging by her reaction.

“Okay,” she repeated coldly, and it felt like he was punched in his gut. He nodded before walking away, pain clear on his face. Marisol used to think the world of him but now looked at him with nothing but scorn. It’s what he deserved but it crushed him inside.

One day, he hoped she would forgive him.

Chapter 13: It’s You That I Need

Summary:

Summary: Song title is It’s You That I Need by the group Enchantment.

During her second scene with Owen, Marisol makes references to her sexual assault. If that could trigger you, feel free to skip that scene. This chapter and the next will also Katie’s eating disorder as in canon. Stay safe 💙

Within the past three days, Eli had been doing a lot of talking and a lot of thinking. Turns out therapy WAS what he needed to unpack the fucked up living organism that was himself.

First, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. At first he was aghast at the revelation, and it shook him to his core for all of the wrong reasons. He didn’t want to be known as one of those “crazies” that couldn’t control his emotions. Every insult that was thrown at him since he was little suddenly felt valid. Even when his therapist brought up all of the famous people that had bipolar disorder, such as Ernest Hemingway or Edgar Allen Poe, he still felt terrible, like a monster. Vincent Van Gogh was suspected of having bipolar disorder and cut his ear off during a manic episode. That was bad enough already. But he himself had already topped that by crashing his hearse into a wall and burning a script on stage, who knows what else he could do to top that? Would he cut his own dick off during one of his manic episodes? He was scared of himself.

After the second day of therapy, his therapist had recommended him a book to read. It was Me, In An Infinite Universe, a memoir by Craig Manning. Even though he was getting increasingly annoyed at being connected to this guy, he bought the book from the bookstore anyway and spent all night reading it. In his memoir, the singer talked about his life at Degrassi, the mistakes he made with girls, his singing career, and most importantly his struggles with bipolar disorder. Eli cringed at some of the things Craig did during his manic episodes because he could see himself doing the same thing, such as destroying a hotel room because his girlfriend, Ashley Kerwin, wouldn’t accept his marriage proposal when they were teenagers. Again, he himself crashed his hearse into a wall because Clare wanted a break.

He was surprised at how much he and Craig were alike, even though they seemed so different at first. The passion the guy put into his music was something he could understand with his own passion for writing. The trapped, upset, angry, and confused feelings Craig felt when he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder was something Eli could relate heavily to right now. It was like the guy was reading his mind. There was also the way Craig’s stepfather stepped on eggshells around him after he was diagnosed, which his own parents were doing right now. The deep annoyance the musician was feeling at his goofy, light hearted stepfather suddenly being strict as hell was very relatable right now.

Then there was the fact that they both committed some very bad missteps with girls, which Eli was ashamed to admit even though he never cheated on his girlfriends like this Craig somehow did with all of his girlfriends. This whole period of being away from school made him realize that he had a problem in relationships with girls that he needed to fix if he ever wanted to be in a successful relationship.

He thought about Julia and how many times they fought because of him and his insecurities. Sure, there were plenty of times where Julia started the fights first. Julia had a short temper, was possessive, and would often accuse him of cheating or ignoring her. But he was the same way, and the last fight they would ever have before she got hit by that car was because he thought she was cheating with an older guy she met at a music store. It was something that he possibly might not ever forgive himself for even though his therapist pointed out that he didn’t kill her by hitting her with that car. It was still his fault she got angry enough to get on her bike that day in the first place.

Then there was Clare. He wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to speak to him again after everything he did to her in and out of their relationship. He was possessive, manipulative, and controlling of her. He wrote a play just to slander her and her new boyfriend. He couldn’t imagine how humiliated she must have felt watching Love Roulette. Eli wanted to dig himself into a hole for how he treated her. He knew why he did those things. It was because Clare was such a breath of fresh air after Julia’s death, and such an innocent soul that he got attached quickly to her and didn’t want to let her go, even if the love they had was no longer there. He was chasing the dream of them overcoming their struggles and being a power couple, even though it was nothing more than a nightmare. During this whole disaster of a semester, he had forgotten that she was her own person and it led to him committing a heinous act. It was for the best that he let go whatever feelings he had for her and move on.

Imogen was another girl he fucked over during this chaotic time. He had no real feelings for her beyond a slight attraction to her but he led her on anyway because she stroked his ego at a time that he thought he needed it. Sure, she was a little irritating, but the poor girl did not deserve the cruel words he said to her over the locker situation.

But the girl who he hurt the most was Marisol, and what he did to her was possibly the worst act he ever had done other than crashing Morty. Once the haze cleared, he was ashamed of himself for how he treated her. He couldn’t believe how he just let himself use her and throw her away like that, especially since he knew that she was in love with him for whatever reason. He had thought that Marisol only was interested in hooking up with him at first just to see what it was like to sleep with a goth guy. It’s how he rationalized himself rejecting her. But she didn’t see him as just a conquest, she saw the kind of freak he was and wanted to be in an actual relationship with him. She genuinely wanted Eli Goldsworthy, not Emo Boy. Eli looked back on all the moments where she went out of her way to try to get to know the real him by talking to him and bringing fun into his life. She was unexpectedly a light in the darkness.

And he threw that away.

What hurt the most was that during this time of reflection, where he was finally seeing things clearly because of the medication, he realized that Marisol never “enchanted” or “bewitched” him, nor did she need to.

Because he was in love with her too, and he didn’t want to admit it until it was too late. There was no use for it now because he destroyed whatever chance they had of becoming a real couple by hurting her beyond relief. But here he was, in love with her, missing her, and regretting how he treated her. She was already suffering trauma from her sexual assault and he used, then abandoned her when she trusted him so much. He didn’t even want to look her in the eyes when he came back to school because the guilt was eating him up.

She was beautiful, upbeat, strong, caring, adventurous, bubbly, and far brighter than she looked. She was different from every girl he was interested in or was interested in him. He only bothered to appreciate that now that she was gone.

He was in love with Marisol Lewis, but they could never be together because he ruined whatever budding romance they had.

He was utterly miserable right now.

---

The school year was almost over, and with that, she could put all of the awful shit that happened this semester past her.

Thank fuck for that.

Marisol was pinning up posters of Katie for her best friend’s campaign for school president on walls, on lockers, and on boards. The goal was to spread her friend’s face everywhere around the school so people knew what their future president looked like.

There was not a single person at Degrassi that deserved to be president more than Katie Matlin. Katie was intelligent, independent, hard-working, organized, devoted, and a leader. Sure Katie could work more on having a friendlier personality but that didn’t take away from her other amazing qualities. From the time they were kids, Katie had involved herself in multiple school projects and organizations to establish herself as a woman of many talents. She was a class representative for grade six and grade seven, their eighth grade class president, their homeroom representative for junior year, and head of the school newspaper, so she was already experienced in being a school leader.

Marisol didn’t have any doubt that her friend would win, with her only competition being Mo Mashkour, a goofy, obnoxious loser of a guy. He had zero experience with running anything, he was immature, he had no charisma, and he was just gross to look at. Ew. Katie had this in the freaking bag.

When they entered Degrassi as freshmen, they swore to each other that they were going to run the school. It took them three, long years to get there but the opportunity was now. Katie will be school president and she herself will not only be her vice president but captain of the Power Squad.

Nothing will stop them.

While Marisol was shoving giant pins that read “Vote For Katie Matlin!” on them inside peoples’ lockers, she heard footsteps approaching. She turned and started scowling immediately when she saw it was Owen walking towards her.

“Hey Mari,” he greeted cheerfully as he leaned on the locker next to the one in front of her.

“What?” She demanded, folding her arms.

“Is that any way to greet your ex?” He questioned her with a frown on his face.

“An ex that’s filthy dog,” she replied sharply.

“Come on, when are you going to get over sophomore year? That was a lifetime ago!” He exclaimed while throwing his arm up in frustration.

“A year ago is a lifetime ago to you? You really live life recklessly don’t you?” She asked him incredulously.

“Well what do you want me to do? Apologize for cheating on you when I already did a hundred times? And you still didn’t take me back after I was practically begging like a fucking wimp,” he argued.

“Because that was like the hundredth time you cheated on me Owen! You cheated on me that time with two other bitches at a party, while I was crying over my best friend being in the fucking hospital! You knew how hard I was struggling with that and you cheated on me anyway! You had NO self-control when we dated!” She shouted at him. Several kids in the hallway looked at them, and they both gave them nasty glares to scare them off.

“And I’m sorry for that, okay? You may not believe but I’m one hundred percent sorry for all of the times I cheated on you with Bianca and other girls, and I would like to make amends with you,” he offered. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

“Amends? Like what?” She asked, having a bad feeling about what it was.

“Like me taking you out on a date tonight at your favorite restaurant,” he replied with a suggestive smirk on his face. His handsome face used to be one she loved seeing every day but how she wanted to punch it.

The thought was already making her want to vomit.

“Don’t you have a girlfriend? You know, Anya Macpherson, my fellow power squad member?” She asked him wearily. Was he really willing to cheat on sweet Anya too, and with her of all people? Her friend didn’t deserve that at all and Marisol couldn’t wait to snitch on Owen to her.

Owen snorted. “I had to dump her because she’s a cokehead and I don’t put up with that kind of bullshit as you know, Mari,” he explained.

“So you just went through a messy ass breakup and you come crawling back to me? Wow, you move on quick, don’t you Owen?” She asked with a sneer. It reminded her of how he was tonguing another girl like a week after they broke up the first time, and second time, and third time….

….Yeah Owen never waited long to get into another relationship.

“She was great, but not as great as you. Plus you’re way hotter than she is. We were great together, and I know we can be great again,” he pitched to her, and she rolled her eyes at his arrogance. So this was just about him trying to get some ass to renew his pride. There was no way he only wanted a date out of her. Owen was all about sex when they dated, and there was no way she was ever opening her legs for him again so he was shit out of luck.

“No thank you. I have an election for my best friend to win. Ciao!” She told him goodbye as she purposely shoved past him. She looked back at him to see if his smug look was wiped off his stupid face.

To her shock and slight disturbance, it wasn’t.

In fact, he was giving her a smile that was quite predatory.

---

So far, Fiona had easily forgiven him with the gift he bought her and Jake had not. It was at least a start but a troubling one. He really fucked up bad, didn’t he? He knew he deserved it but it was very frustrating. Jake flat out dismissed whatever he had to say after he tried to apologize to him after class. He knew what he did to the guy was awful, but Jake could at least try to understand that he was genuinely sorry. Fear creeped up in him, because if Jake wasn’t willing to forgive him then Clare definitely would not. She was a kind person but she was already incredibly cold when she wanted to be. He was fucked.

Eli was walking to his locker when he saw the person who probably hated him the most in front of it. He froze for a moment. From where he was standing, he could see Marisol glaring at his locker as she stuck a poster with Katie’s face onto it with a star-shaped sticker. She then reached into her purse and shoved a button pin through one of the openings. Just as she was about to leave, he decided to speak up.

“Mare!” He called as he ran up to her.

She scowled as she turned to walk away from him, but he grabbed her arm in time. “Wait, hear me out,” he pleaded while looking into her eyes. They were filled with both hate and hurt towards him as expected these days.

“Eli, I’m not in a good mood and you just made it worse. What do you want?” She demanded as she yanked her arm out of his grip. He noticed that because of the heels she was wearing, she slightly towered over him, and he was sure that she was hoping she came off as intimidating towards him. He hated to admit that she did, but she also looked beautiful. She was living fire at this moment, and he couldn’t help but still be attracted to her right now.

Wow he was really head over heels for her, wasn’t he? He was in danger.

“Your forgiveness,” Eli answered, and she sucked her teeth in indignation, “And I’ll do anything to earn it. Anything,” he emphasized, trying to get through to her.

“I don’t even want to speak to you. Forgiveness is off the menu,” she spat at him.

“Please, Mare. I know what I did to you was completely inexcusable and I will never forgive myself but please allow me to at least try-“

“You basically told me that I was good enough to suck your dick but not good enough to be in a relationship with you after leading me on. There’s nothing you can do that can make me trust you again,” Marisol cut him off sharply. Her attitude was starting to give him anxiety.

“I’ll help Katie win the election! I can hang up posters, I can hand out buttons, I can convince my friends to vote for her, and I’ll even wear a shirt with her face on it. Let me at least do that for you,” he begged her, and he was firmly aware of how desperate he came off as. He didn’t care. Inside, he was disgusted at the thought of wearing Katie Matlin’s face anywhere on his body but it was worth it if he could at least be on good terms with Mare. Hell, he would even get a tattoo of Katie’s face on his forehead at this point.

She kept glaring at him before shoving a stack of posters at his chest. While he hastily grabbed them before they fell, she reached into her bag and pulled out a bunch of buttons.

“Here, take these,” Marisol snarled as she handed the buttons to him as well, “Now leave me alone and I might just not want to spit at the sight of you. Someone will get you a shirt later.” She stormed off with her heels clacking loudly against the floor. He was amazed at how fast she managed to walk in those shoes without slipping.

He sighed as he looked at the campaign stuff in his arms. He did not want to help Katie at all because he couldn’t stand her. She vandalized his locker for fuck’s sake. A part of him still wanted to vote for Mo just to spite her. But if he wanted Mare to even look at him again without disgust, he was going to put his distaste for her friend aside and campaign for her.

‘The things I do for love,’ he thought to himself with a shudder.

 

---

“Okay let’s get started. Now tomorrow, we’ll kick off campaigning by having candidates introduce themselves. The next day we’ll have a Q&A and we’ll send everyone off to the polls. Any questions?” Principal Simpson asked as he addressed everyone in the cafeteria. There was a sizable crowd of student council hopefuls, but there were only two brave enough to run for president, and only one of them had a chance of winning.

Marisol shared a prideful look with Katie. She could already see the words “Vice President” on her college resume. Simpson blinked before he began to talk again.

“No? Okay, well for our class president, we have Mo Mashkour and Katie Matlin-“

“Is it too late to run, Mr. Simpson?” Owen asked as he sauntered in with his posse of jock friends. Multiple students looked at him in surprise and even Mr. Simpson himself widened his eyes in shock.

“Su...Sure. Is there anyone else? No okay,” the principal replied as he wrote the asshole’s name on a pad.

Marisol was aghast at what was happening.

Why the fuck would Owen want to run for president when one he was a complete idiot, and two he only gave a fuck about hockey and nothing else?

Katie was looking at her in utter confusion as Owen smiled smugly at them both.

“Sweet,” he commented as he folded his arms confidently. Anger boiled inside of her, and it took all in her to not proclaim his surprise bid as bullshit in front of everyone. Well, it was bullshit but it wouldn’t look good for Katie’s running mate to end up in detention during her campaign. Marisol opted to tightly keep her mouth shut while fixing her douchebag ex a glare while he was clearly finding this all amusing. Something about this wasn’t right.

What was he up to?

---

Well this was a little embarrassing.

“So when are you going to get the face tattoo that says you’re Katie Matlin’s bitch?” Adam asked him in a teasing tone of voice.

“Hush,” Eli replied sharply as he smoothed out his shirt in the bathroom. He was wearing Katie’s campaign shirt that Drew gleefully handed him. As predicted, he looked like a fucking idiot in it. Wonderful. Even worse, he had her pins on his backpack and her stickers on his notebooks. He looked like Katie’s own personal cheerleader.

“Or maybe you should carry around a light up sign that says ‘Property of Katie Matlin’,” his best friend continued with a smirk.

“Shut the fuck up, Adam,” he warned while his best friend snickered in response. He groaned. This shit was beyond embarrassing.

“With an attitude like that, I might just vote for Mo instead.”

“You can vote for whoever you want, but at least I tried,” Eli dryly replied, “But please actually vote for Katie.”

“Marisol Lewis sure has a strong power over you, Eli,” Adam pointed out in amusement.

“She does,” he admitted with a shrug.

“I think it’s kinda cute. This will definitely make her hate you a little less.”

“That’s the goal. Knowing her though, she will probably still want to spit at me when she sees me in the hallway,” Eli replied grumpily.

“Don’t think like that! Not with the way you’re fighting to make sure her BFF ends up president. If Katie wins, she’ll be grateful for that at least, right?” Adam pointed out hopefully.

“We’ll see but for now, I have other people on my list to make amends with.”

“Am I really the only person you haven’t pissed off this semester?”

“Yup.”

---

It wasn’t hard to find Owen. Like always, he was in the school gym practicing by lifting weights.

“You must be snorting the same coke your ex-girlfriend was. What the fuck is wrong with you?” Marisol demanded out of him as she stormed in the gym.

Her ex-boyfriend stopped lifting weights, and gave her a dark smile as he rose up to face her. He was wearing a red-shirt with his face on it with the words “Vote For Owen Milligan”. She didn’t know how he got to make a shirt that fast but it was ugly just like his spirit.

“Hello to you too, Mare,” he greeted cheerfully as he got off the stand and walked up to her. While most girls would be intimidated by his height and bulky frame, she was not. At least not at this moment.

“Answer the fucking question, asshole. Why are you running for school president against Katie?” She asked, not having time to deal with his bullshit. He always had a fetish for starting shit just because he can.

“Because I can,” he answered casually, seemingly reading her thoughts, “Is it illegal to run for student council now?”

“You never gave a fuck about anything involving the student council until now, cut the shit. What are you even gaining from this?” She interrogated.

“I don’t know.....the admiration of my peers, hot girls, a great look for my college application, the approval of my parents....so many wonderful things can come out of this, Mare,” he explained, not letting go of his dark smile, “You’re not scared of me winning against Katie, are you?” He asked her while tilting his head.

“Don’t make me laugh,” she sneered, “No one is going to vote for you except bimbos and your brainless jock buddies.”

“Oh really? I might not seem like the worst choice for school president when the only other options are a lard ass and a bitchy newspaper chick.....who used to be a binge queen.....hmm....,” he taunted.

She immediately knew what he was implying.

“You wouldn’t dare....,” she snarled.

He blinked innocently, and she almost slapped him.

“I mean a real president wouldn’t hide something like that from their people right? Plus I personally wouldn’t trust a person who had bulimia to handle anything involving food. Must just start puking in the toilet again. The public needs to know this information,” he told her with mock concern.

She was floored by how cruel he could be. Owen was always an asshole but this was on another level.

“You‘re really going to expose Katie’s bulimia to the whole school when you were there with me when she collapsed and nearly died from purging? You know how hard I cried that night and for months afterwards while she was in recovery. You know how depressed I was. Are you fucking serious right now?” She asked, in a combination of shock and disgust. She didn’t know which emotion she was feeling more strongly at the moment.

“Why not? She always turned her nose up at me when we dated. She always thought she was better than me and tried to break us up so many times. Why the fuck should I care about that bitch?” He questioned with a hard stare.

“For me! I know you obviously never loved me, but if you ever cared about me, you wouldn’t do it,” she challenged him.

“Hmm. I guess I can decide not to do it but only if you give me something in return,” he said while giving her a suggestive look.

“Like what?” She asked wearily, hoping it wasn’t what she thought it was.

He looked up and down her throat lustfully. He then reached out and held up her chin with his fingers, with his eyes settling down at her lips.

“A nice, hot blowjob for old time’s sake would be great,” he suggested. ‘Get her on her knees. I’ve been waiting to fuck that sweet little mouth of hers and she wouldn’t be able to scream,’ a line from one of the bikers flashed through her mind. A memory she had conveniently forgotten until now.

Her hand flew up, and she would have been able to smack the shit out of Owen if he didn’t grab her wrist in time. With a growl, she shoved his hand away with her other hand.

“Never. You’re really are on coke if you think I will ever fuck you or anything near that again,” she snarled. He let out a deep chuckle.

“Oh please. Don’t act so virginal, Mare, when you just told your whole English class that you got fucked and played by the school nutjob,” he teased.

“Don’t talk about Eli, I never fucked him,” she growled, gritting her teeth at the thought of him.

“Oh so you sucked him off because that’s the only other thing that happens in a hookup,” Owen said with a sneer, “You really lowered yourself standards, huh? From me to a Charles Manson wannabe. If you were so willing to blow that freak, I don’t see why giving me a sloppy suck again would be so bad, right? You used to enjoy doing it after all,” He said as he reached and ran his fingers through her hair.

“Owen stop,” she ordered as a nauseous feeling grew inside of her. She only enjoyed giving him oral because it made him happy, and he demanded it all of the time. He would make her do it before his football game, after his football game, at parties, on his couch at his house, whenever he was in a bad mood, whenever he was feeling “stressed”, or whenever he was in a good mood. Her jaw would hurt so bad after a while and he didn’t seem to care at all. And he never returned the favor because going down on a girl wasn’t manly in his eyes. He treated her like his own personal pet that was meant to serve only him with no expectations of him reciprocating.

“You used to be so bad at it the first couple of times, but soon you became a pro at it. It was like your mouth was made for my dick,” Owen continued with a predatory smile, “Nothing would get me more pumped for a game then you on your knees afterwards. The other guys on the team were so jealous of me....”

“Fucking shut up,” she snarled but he didn’t. Now his eyes were traveling all down her body, and she watched in disgust as he licked his lips.

“Why should I? It’s the truth, and it’s not just the head that was amazing but the sex too. You know what? Mmm....that sexy mouth of yours won’t be enough. I’m going to need you to fuck me again,” he continued, giving her a twisted smile.

“No. Go to hell,” she strongly rejected him. The thought alone made her want to vomit. That was a chapter in her life that she never wanted to reopen. She didn’t understand WHY he was bothering her with this when he could have been bothering Anya instead.

“Why not? You were the best I ever had, and we always had so much fun. I miss the sex and I know you miss it too. We were great,” he argued.

“You lied to me and told me you were a virgin the first time we had sex. You cheated on me multiple times even when I fucked you as many times as you wanted. You never stood up for me whenever Fitz and Bianca made fun of me, and you laughed every time Fitz joked about you sharing me even when it made me uncomfortable. You never listened to anything I had to say unless it involved either kissing your ass or having sex with you. You tried to get me to dump Katie. I would rather die than fuck you ever again,” she declared.

“Mare, I was the first guy to ever have you, and we’ll always have a special connection because of that. You can’t stay away from me. You will always come back to me,” he replied with a smug smile.

“No!” she shouted.

“Then I guess Katie’s getting outed as a purge princess,” he replied with a shrug. Her heart started beating in fear. The mere mention of her eating disorder could cause Katie to relapse and she couldn’t imagine the turmoil that would cause.

“Owen please...,” she begged, “I’ll do anything else.”

“I’m sorry, Mare but I only want one thing. You have until tomorrow to think it over before the debate. When you do make the right decision for your best friend, I want you to wear your little cheerleader uniform, red lipstick, and those red heels I bought you that I know you still have,” he whispered in her ear. He then slapped her behind before leaving the gym. That also triggered some awful memories of the bikers groping her.

Marisol was then all by herself in the gym. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she let out a quiet sob. She was probably going to end up doing it for Katie and she hated herself for it. She always kept coming back to Owen even though he wouldn’t stop treating her like shit. He had a toxic pull on her. Katie used to try to tell her in a nice way that it was a problem. She hated to admit it but she was positive Owen was her first love and that’s why she kept taking him back.

Now, it was biting her in the ass. Owen used her up like a candy bar wrapper multiple times and she was going to allow him to do it again if only to protect her best friend. Her other boyfriends used her too and even Eli had only wanted her for a hookup. It hurt more than anything because he seemed different from the rest and she was finally in love again for the first time in a long time.

Her recent sexual assault at Little Miss Steaks wouldn’t stop crossing her mind. It probably never will at this point, not with the ultimatum Owen pulled on her. He knew she would never willingly have sex with him again and so he pulled the ultimate trump card. She hated him more than anything in the world.

Her body didn’t feel like her own anymore. It didn’t feel safe at all, and it was no longer her temple.

Her mind was numb when she finally left the gym.

---

“Vote for Katie Matlin for school president!” Eli yelled out as he handed out buttons to random kids walking past him and Drew. “Vote for Katie Matlin for school president,” he said to Fiona as she grabbed the button with an amused look on her face.

“Look at campaign manager Mr. Goldsworthy,” she teased as she stopped to look at him.

“Don’t get used to it,” he dryly replied.

“You really go all out for a girl,” she told him with a giggle as she walked away. He rolled his eyes. He would never live these days down.

“Katie is going to smash this election. She has nearly the support of the entire school. I can’t wait to address her as Madam President,” Drew gushed with a dreamy look in his eyes. Eli rolled his eyes again. He not only had to put his self esteem aside to campaign for Katie, but he had to deal with Adam’s dumbass step-brother too who wouldn’t stop singing praises about Katie. He was still uncomfortable by that conversation that they held at Marisol’s party.

“She’s just the perfect girl and what I need right now. Strong, confident, mature, and drop dead gorgeous,” Drew continued as he handed out stickers to everyone.

“When’s the engagement?” Eli asked in jest.

“Don’t know yet, but as for now we’re happily together,” Drew bantered.

“Congratulations,” Eli replied flatly but the other guy didn’t seem to mind. Just then Marisol came by to check up on them. Eli was immediately alarmed by how red her eyes were, was she crying?

“I see you guys are doing a great job. Thanks,” she told them while nodding stiffly.

“Are you okay?” Eli asked her in concern.

“I’m fine,” she dismissed quickly.

“Are you sure? You look like something bad happened to you,” Drew pointed out with a frown.

“I’m fine,” she repeated more sharply. “Tomorrow, we should have more t-shirts ready to give out. With the positive buzz Katie is getting, we should run out of them quickly,” she stated, and it looked like she was about to start sniffing.

“Great. I heard Owen is running now. As his teammate, I gotta say he wouldn’t be a good fit,” Drew said.

She growled at the mention of his name, and Eli got suspicious. “He absolutely would not and I dated the guy,” she replied sharply.

“He only cares about hockey and girls. Not to mention he’s kinda not a lovable person,” Drew added. That was the understatement of the year.

“I don’t want to talk about him right now or ever. For now, keep handing out buttons and stickers,” Marisol ordered firmly before walking off.

Eli looked at her retreating figure in worry and he saw that Drew did too.

Whatever was going on with Mare, he was going to put a stop to it even if he wasn’t her favorite person right now.

---

Later that night

Red.

As weird as it sounded, she could not stand the color except for the shades that were more pink in color. She especially hated that fluorescent shade of red that she had to wear every day as part of her uniform. It was a tacky color. Unfortunately Owen loved that shade of red.

Marisol wanted to die inside as she painted her fingernails and toenails with that color. She also picked out the red pair of bra and panties that were his favorite and that he would definitely want her to wear.

She couldn’t believe she was actually doing this. She was going to sleep with Owen again because he forced her hand. The thought of him inside of her made her ill. She wanted to start crying again in dread, but she felt she didn’t have any more tears left inside, at least for tonight.

She didn’t want to have sex for a long time after what happened with those bikers and Eli. Sex made her very uncomfortable, and now she was being forced to have it. She not only was being coerced into having sex with Owen but she had to dress how he wanted her to dress too. It was disgusting. She was already feeling disgusting and it wasn’t even happening yet.

As she waited for her nails to dry, she looked at the toy bunny Eli bought her. She named the bunny Snuggles, as she felt at the time that hugging it felt like she was hugging her “prince”. She was an idiot. She almost threw it in the trash after the play fiasco but it was too adorable to look at despite the bad memories. He wouldn’t ruin Snuggles for her.

For some reason, looking at the bunny made her feel even worse for what she was about to do tomorrow.

Chapter 14: Unfoolish

Summary:

Summary: Song title is Unfoolish by Ashanti.

As per last chapter, there are references to sexual assault and Katie’s canon eating disorder. You can skip those during any of Katie’s scenes, the second Eli scene, and Marisol’s second scene.

The next day

It was Day 2 of trying to get people to no longer hate him. On Day 2, it was still only Fiona who was on fully good terms with him again.

‘What a wonderful way to end the school year. I started this year off at this new stupid school as the school pariah and I’m going to end this school year as the school pariah. So much for a fresh new start,’ Eli grumbled to himself. There was no use in even asking his parents to transfer to a new school because he was positive he was going to gain a bad reputation there too. He was just that toxic as a person.

He was getting books out of his locker for his first class when he turned and saw Marisol walking the hallway looking very….hot. Several heads turned to admire her. She strutted in red kitten heels and she styled her polo shirt so it could somehow look tighter. She was wearing scarlet red lipstick, red eyeshadow, and long eyelashes. Her hair was styled in big, bouncy curls and big, golden hoop earrings were worn in her ears. Her legs seemed very smooth and shiny and glistened with some sort of body glitter.

It was a very sexy look for her, but Eli felt something was off about it all. Even though she wore a confident expression on her face, he could see it in her eyes that something was wrong with her. He would even describe her eyes as dead right now.

He was very, very worried for her now even as he felt desire creep up in him.

---

What’s with the look today, Mare?” Katie asked her during homeroom. They sat next to each other as they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Just decided to look good for today,” Marisol replied with a shrug. She was hoping like hell that Katie didn’t pick up the significance of her wearing red. Her best friend seemed to always know what she was thinking or if she was lying about something. It was a blessing and a curse. Right now, it was definitely a curse.

“You’re not usually a red person,” Katie pointed out with a skeptical look on her face.

“I….switched it up a little. Is there an issue with how I look?” Marisol asked innocently to her best friend, but Katie only narrowed her eyes.

“No, you look great, Mare. It’s just a surprise that’s all,” her bff replied. Marisol had the urge to sweat in nervousness. Katie probably knew she was lying. She was in trouble.

“So,” she decided to quickly change the subject, “You and Drew Torres, eh?”

Katie blushed deeply to her amusement. “I can’t believe I actually have a boyfriend now,” she replied to her.

“Well it’s about time! And you got yourself a real man. He’s such a gentleman and very cute. You got every girl envying you,” Marisol said as she gave her friend a wink.

Honestly, she was a little jealous that Katie’s life was going so well while hers was going to shit with every waking minute. It was always like that though; Katie having a perfect life while hers was an utter mess. Now Katie got to have the perfect boyfriend while Marisol got fucked over by nothing but males this whole semester.

Marisol was feeling bitter.

---

Eli looked down in his notebook after gym and sighed.

Only Fiona’s name was crossed off his list and Marisol’s name had a question mark next to it. He and Jake were working on a project together and the guy barely concealed how much he hated his guts right now. Did it hurt as much as Marisol barely acknowledging his existence? No, but he still wanted to make amends with him and Clare before the end of the school year though. He made peace with the fact that they were never getting back together and that Clare was happier with Jake. What he did not make peace with was Mare hating him after everything they went through together.

He overheard Owen Milligan brag about something to his buddies and rolled his eyes. He zoned out the conversation as he didn’t want to hear anything come out of that asshole’s mouth. He still wanted to hate him for what he, Fitz, and Bianca did to Adam. He couldn’t believe that he and Fitz threw Adam through a door and only got suspended for it. Even without the thing with Adam, Owen was simply a typical dumbass, douchebag jock that would probably peak in high school and nowhere beyond that. He couldn’t believe the guy was actually running for president. Did he actually think anyone with a brain would actually vote for his prick ass?

“And that gentlemen is how you get your ex to keep crawling back to you for a booty call,” Owen gloated, and the other boys were cheering him on. It disgusted Eli. Whoever the girl was, he felt bad for her. He put his notebook in his backpack as he got ready to leave. He didn’t want to hear anymore of this shit.

“I’m still upset that Marisol never gave me any play,” one of the boys grumbled.

Eli froze and felt his blood grow cold in his veins.

“You should be. She’s the hottest fuck at school,” Owen declared while giving a pleased sigh, “Who keeps ending up in my lap no matter how much she thinks she hates me. It’s hilarious.”

Eli was walking over to Owen and his jock buddies before he knew it.

“What did you just say?” Eli asked, feeling rage boiling in him.

Owen looked down at him with a sneer as he laughed with his friends. He towered over Eli and gave him an intimidating look.

“Well, well, well if it isn’t Emo Boy? You know, I have to thank you for fucking it up with Mare so bad that she’s running back to me,” he mockingly thanked him while looking him up and down in disdain, “Though I still can’t believe she hooked up with a freak like you.”

“What are you talking about with Marisol? Why would she be crawling back to you?” He demanded while Owen glared at him.

“Don’t see how it’s any of your business but we’re about to start fucking again and it’s all thanks to you,” the asshole gloated.

“Why would she fuck you? Marisol hates you. She told me that you hurt her on a level no one could ever come close and that she would never sleep with you again,” Eli spat out as even the thought was making him want to hit something, preferably the piece of shit in front of him. While he had no room to speak in regards to treating Marisol Lewis poorly, she deserved better than Owen Fucking Milligan.

Owen let out a dark chuckle. “Well, you obviously topped whatever I did to her if she wrote a damn poem about you so don’t think of yourself as better than me. Isn’t the whole school calling you Eli Pigsworthy right now? Or is it Eli Manning, now? Yeah she’s going to fuck me again, because she has no option but too at this moment if she wants to protect her BFF who has quite the nasty secret, “ he taunted.

“Blackmail, you’re blackmailing her by coercing her into sex,” Eli growled out as he felt his blood boil hot now. He was starting to see red again as images of Marisol’s tearful face and ripped clothes flashed through his mind. He knew Owen was an asshole but he didn’t know that he was this much of a sick bastard. He was confused as to why Marisol was more glammed up with her makeup and hair than usual today, but now that he knew why, it sent chills down his spine. The girl he loved was in danger of being raped again.

He might commit a murder.

“You’re going to rape her is what you’re basically saying,” Eli said in a low, soft voice as he thought about a thousand ways to hurt Owen.

This cunt had the audacity to shrug at his comment. “Eh, she agreed to it so it’s not rape. She’s choosing to sleep with me and we’re both going to have a fun time just like the old days. Now you’re just mad because you didn’t get the chance to fuck her, which I understand. She has an amazing pussy. Don’t worry, Emo Boy, when she’s bouncing on my dick today after school, I’ll make sure I’ll record it and send you-“

Eli let out a primal roar as he punched Owen in his nose, with the resulting sound of bones cracking ringing through the air. The other boy let out a howl of pain as he clutched his nose. Blood flowed from Owen’s nostrils like a waterfall, which gave Eli a dark rush of euphoria.

Owen and his friends looked at Eli in shock for actually daring to hit him, and that it actually left a mark. Owen’s face then contorted into rage, and he charged violently at Eli. Eli charged back. He was probably going to get his ass beat but he didn’t care. This situation was giving him deja vu but.he.didn’t.care.

Someone suddenly held him back while the other jocks were holding Owen back. It took Eli a few seconds to realize it was Drew Torres.

“What the hell is going on here?” Drew demanded, while Eli struggled to break from his grip, but Drew was too strong. He hated being so tiny in this moment.

“I’m going to fucking kill Emo Freak over here for my nose!” Owen snarled while he had to be restrained by three of his friends. All of them looked like they wanted to let go of him.

“No, I’m going to kill you for blackmailing Marisol into sex!” Eli yelled back as he continued to struggle against Drew.

“What?” Drew asked, looking at Owen in surprise and disgust. “What is he talking about?”

“None of your fucking business, Torres,” Owen sharply replied, “Everyone let go of both of us so I can crush this rat into the fucking ground.”

“No way, man, do you want to get suspended for a fight the day before the debate and election? Let him be for now,” one of his friends argued.

Owen growled before relaxing. His friends wearily let him go, but Drew was still holding Eli.

“You’re going down Emo Boy, I can’t wait until Simpson finds out about this,” warned, while covering his bleeding nose with his jacket.

“Wait till Simpson finds out that you using blackmail and rape to win an election,” Eli snarled back, “I would gladly tell him if you report me.”

“Like anyone would believe you,” Owen scoffed, and Eli had to laugh at his arrogance.

“You really think that people would have trouble believing that a guy who threw a trans kid through a fucking glass door would blackmail a girl into having sex with him? Go ahead and report me and see what happens,” Eli spat as Owen and his buddies shoved past him, all of them giving him vicious glares.

Drew finally released him, and he looked at Eli in disbelief.

“What do you mean by blackmail? What is Owen going to do with Marisol, and why did that make you punch him?” Torres asked him.

“He’s making Marisol have sex with him so he doesn’t reveal a big secret about Katie during the debate,” Eli explained with a snarl. He didn’t think telling Simpson and getting Owen expelled from the school was going to be enough. He might opt for poisoning him at prom like he did with his equally disgusting pal Fitz. Only this time the dose he was going to put in Owen’s drink was going to be lethal. He deserved it. All rapists and attempted rapists deserved death and eternal suffering.

The mention of Katie immediately made Drew protective.

“What big secret?” Drew interrogated.

“The hell if I know, isn’t Katie your girlfriend now?” Eli asked in annoyance.

“We just got together. She wouldn’t tell me everything off the bat, and why do you care so much about Marisol when she exposed you in class?” Drew asked him, looking at him curiously.

“Because I love her,” Eli confessed, and he felt freer admitting it to people, “I love her. I care about her and I won’t let Owen destroy her after everything she’s been through. You should feel the same way since he’s using Katie as a weapon against Mare. Whatever secret he knows about Katie, he’s willing to expose it to the whole school unless Marisol sleeps with him. You can’t let that happen!” Eli ranted to Drew.

“You’re right, but what can we do?” Drew asked in worry. “Katie has to know about this.”

“The first step is making sure the sex doesn’t happen and for that Katie does need to know and be able to stop Mare,” Eli explained as a plan conjured up in his head. Katie Matlin always hated his guts but would put that hate aside for Mare’s sake, just like he put his hate for her aside for Mare. “Bring Katie to me, and we’ll tell her. We all have lunch together, right?”

Drew nodded, and the plan was set in stone.

---

“What?” Katie asked Eli in disbelief. She was about to eat another piece of her salad, but what Eli just told her made her freeze completely and not want to eat her food at all.

“Owen is blackmailing Marisol into having sex with him today after school,” Eli repeated with a growl. He was no different than a rabid animal right now as his face was red in anger, his fists were balled up in anger and his knuckles were white. Katie had never really noticed how green his eyes were until they were lit up in rage.

“That’s crazy. Marisol wouldn’t go for that,” Katie denied, trying not to think otherwise. She didn’t want to entertain the thought of Owen being that vile even though she hated him the minute he transferred to Degrassi with the other Lakehurst students and “swept” Marisol off her feet.

“It’s true. I heard Owen gloating about it to his buddies earlier. I punched the shit out of him for it,” he snarled.

“He’s not lying. I had to break up the fight before it got ugly,” Drew, her boyfriend, added.

“Marisol is through with Owen and she’s not sleeping with him again,” Katie told them, but inside she was wondering if it was really true. Owen had some awful pull over her best friend where she kept coming back to him no matter how awful he treated her, and Owen treated Marisol awfully every time they were together. She and Marisol got into so many petty squabbles because she tried to tell her that she could do better but Marisol didn’t believe her, or didn’t want to believe her. She was too deeply in love with Owen back then.

She thought her best friend was finally over that prick, but now Eli and Drew were both saying that Marisol was gonna sleep with him again.

Wait.

From what they were describing, this encounter wasn’t going to be consensual.

“Blackmail? That’s coercion. Come on, Owen is an asshole but he wouldn’t go that far. He’s probably bluffing,” she argued. She didn’t want to think that Owen was basically going to rape Marisol, even if he was disgusting.

“Have you seen Mare, today? She’s not herself at all, and he has everything to do with that. She was crying yesterday when we saw her. Wake up!” Eli yelled in frustration.

“Hey man, calm down when you talk to Katie,” Drew quickly barked to her defense.

“I don’t fucking care! I don’t have time to convince her that Mare is in danger and needs help. If you don’t want to believe me, Katie, then I’ll do it myself,” Eli shot back.

“There’s no need to fight with her over Marisol, Eli. This is a hard thing to believe to be fair,” Drew scolded then he turned towards her, “Look, Katie, even though you have known him longer than I have, I can tell you that Owen would absolutely stoop this low. On Vegas Night, I walked in on him trying to force himself on Alli in the Boiler Room back when we were dating. Whatever you heard about what went down between them, that’s what actually happened. I only forgave him for that for the sake of the team. But now? He’s gone too far. Again,” Drew explained with a glare in his eyes, but it wasn’t directed at her.

“But what dirt would he even have on Marisol to make her feel that she has to sleep with him? She’s not running for president, I am,” Katie asked and she was firmly aware she was grasping for straws at this point.

“That’s the thing. He doesn’t have dirt on her, he has dirt on you that he’s threatening to leak to the whole school if she doesn’t sleep with him,” Drew replied. Katie was confused for a moment. There weren’t a lot of personal things Owen knew about her except…..

Oh.

Katie looked down at her plate of food and had the urge to throw it in the trash. She was already getting nauseous as her mind was flooded with bad memories of her bulimia. She admitted this to no one but she was still very insecure about her body even though everyone thought she put that dark period of her life behind her. And now Owen was threatening to expose her eating disorder to the whole school to win an election.

Suddenly the world felt smaller.

Katie swallowed nervously as she looked at Drew, and she felt her hands get clammy. Her campaign was done if everyone found out she was bulimic. No one would want a purger as president.

“I know that we only started dating, but I want you to know that you can trust me and whatever secret he knows about you, I won’t judge you for it,” Drew reassured her gently and she nodded to show her appreciation. But she was still feeling incredibly disgusting and shameful right now. She wanted to focus on Drew’s beautiful, soft blue eyes that were looking at her with affection, but she could only think about how Drew would dump her if he found out about her eating disorder. No one wants to date a former binge freak.

However, the worst feeling was not even the fear of her eating disorder being outed but the fear of Marisol giving up her body to her awful ex so it wouldn’t be outed. How would she be able to live with herself if it happened, after everything that happened to Mare this year? Her best friend was too selfless.

From the time they were little girls, Marisol was always taking care of her and putting the most effort in their friendship. Marisol stood up for her against bullies, taught her how to wear makeup and apply nail polish, supported her during sports games and school elections, and helped babysit her little sister. She was willing to let Katie take charge of everything, even the student council when Katie personally felt that Marisol would be a better fit for school president because she had a more bubbly personality. Even when Marisol was struggling with boyfriends, she still somehow was able to put time aside for her in a crisis.

But this? This was too far and Katie would never forgive herself if Marisol slept with Owen just to keep her secrets safe.

The realization of why Marisol was wearing red everything today hit her in her chest. Red was Owen’s favorite color on Marisol and she was wearing it to please him. Christ. This really was a thing that was going to happen.

Actually no, it won’t. Not on her watch.

“I’ll talk to Marisol when I see her,” Katie told the boys grimly as she got up from her seat with her tray of food. She tried to repress any thoughts of vomiting in the toilet as she dumped her food in the trash.

Katie didn’t want her dark past as a bulimic exposed, but not at the expense of her best friend being blackmailed into sex.

She had to stop Marisol.

---

“You look very sexy,” Owen leered at her after the presidential debate was over. It had gotten ugly as she predicted with Katie and Owen hurling vicious insults at each other. Her best friend and her ex boyfriend never got along while they were dating and this election was a perfect opportunity to let all of their frustrations with each other out.

“Thank you, Owen,” she replied, trying to sound as sweet as possible. Giving him an attitude might make him cancel the deal. Couldn’t risk it. She didn’t even want to ask him why he had a bandage over his nose.

“Are you wearing the bra and panties I used to like?” He asked as he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.

“Yes,” she answered with a smirk. Inside, she was trying not to get sick. Even when she promised him sex, he still wouldn’t leave her alone. She was content in sitting at a lunch table by herself but he had to walk by and bother her.

“Hot. You’re always doing so much to make me happy, Mari. You’re the best girl at Degrassi,” he complimented while looking her up and down lustfully, “Why don’t I take you to dinner after the election is over? No matter who wins, I would really like to be with you again. I miss us,” he finished.

“I’m not ready for a new relationship,” she rejected swiftly. Even if she was going to sleep with him, she was definitely not going to get into an actual relationship with him no matter how sweet he was right now.

“Come on, there’s a new seafood place that opened up last weekend inside the mall and I heard they have some amazing crab legs. I know how much you love crab legs, Mare. I’ll pay for everything, pleeeaasse?” He pleaded with puppy eyes.

“One date. That’s all,” she accepted. He wasn’t going to stop until she gave in anyway. Her dignity was already gone so she guessed there was no point in turning down a date.

“Good girl. You know, I was really pissed when I heard what Emo Boy did. I wanted to crush him up into little pieces. He doesn’t deserve you at all, and I know after everything I've done, you probably think the same of me but I promise I’m a different guy. I’ll treat you right this time. Plus, I would have killed those bikers for assaulting you, you know that. You need a big, strong guy to protect you,” he rambled. She only nodded in response.

“Looking forward to tonight, babe,” he said before finally leaving her, but not before giving her a bruising kiss on her lips. Great, now her lipstick was probably smeared and she would have to reapply it in the bathroom.

She watched him leave with no reaction in her face. She was completely numb. She had never felt so dead inside in her life.

She didn’t even want to cry at this point because there was no point.

---

As the teacher that was overseeing their study period left to take a phone call, Katie saw this as a prime opportunity to confront Marisol, who was on her phone.

“Hey Mare, Drew’s offering to take me to The Dot after school, do you wanna come? It’s not really a date and he says he’s paying for everything,” Katie offered her friend. She wasn’t going to come out and reveal that she knew about the situation. Instead she hoped that by simply asking to do their normal friend activities would sway Marisol to not sleep with Owen.

Unfortunately, Marisol shook her head in response.

“I’m sorry, I have something to do after school,” she replied in response.

“Like what? Chantay and Anya are holding an impromptu last Power Squad meeting or something?” Katie asked, blinking her eyes innocently.

“Nah, just some family things at home. I wouldn’t be in the mood for it anyway,” Marisol admitted, and she wasn’t really meeting her eyes. Even if Katie didn’t know the truth already, this is when she would pick up that her best friend was lying. Marisol was always bad at lying.

“Oh okay,” Katie said with a shrug, “Ugh, can you believe Owen today? I can’t believe he accused me of stepping on anyone to get what he wants when he’s a bully and hangs out with lowlifes after school.”

“Well don’t listen to him. Everyone knows he’s a scumbag and you came right back at him by talking about him being a repeated cheater,” Marisol pointed out. “I still think you got this in the bag, Katie.”

“I can’t wait to not look at his disgusting face for the next three months. He’s such an asshole. I will never forgive him for how he treated you when you did everything for him,” Katie complained, hoping she could get through to Marisol a different way.

“Yeah,” her friend replied in a distant tone of voice. There was a faraway look in her eyes that Katie didn’t like.

“He hurt you so many times and was not sorry about it all. He took a great girl like you for granted,” she continued, “Well, I’m glad he’s out of your life now. Marisol, you’re a beautiful, smart, and amazing girl and you deserve a perfect boyfriend that appreciates the powerful woman you’re shaping up to be. Don’t let one or two assholes make you think you’re worthless. You’re more than them,” she finished strongly.

“Thanks for the pep talk,” Marisol replied, giving her a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. It wasn’t working.

At this point there was no use in bullshitting.

“We’ve been friends since we were little girls and other than Maya, you’re the most important person in my life. I can’t imagine what kind of person I would be without you, Mare. You’re my sister. And it breaks my heart to see you going through such a rough period in your life....and that you would sleep with Owen to protect me,” Katie added with a deep frown.

“What are you talking about?” Marisol asked her in shock, and there was fear in her eyes due to being caught.

“I know what Owen offered you. A night of sex so he doesn’t tell the whole school about my bulimia. I don’t want people to know about my eating disorder, but I also don’t want my best friend raped in order for it to never be revealed. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself,” Katie replied in worry.

“I’m not sleeping with him. Where did you hear that?” Her friend demanded. She could tell that Marisol was feigning outrage.

“Someone overheard him bragging about it and I know when you’re lying and you’re doing it right now. You deserve way better than to be abused like that over me. Let him tell everyone I’m bulimic. I’ll tell everybody that he’s a liar and that he’s an attempted rapist. I’m tired of him taking advantage of you, Mare,” Katie argued.

Just then Mr. Perino walked back in and he had a look of annoyance on his face. So they definitely weren’t allowed to talk now.

Katie decided to do her French homework for the rest of the period. Every so often she would take a look at Marisol, who wore a conflicted look on her face.

Hopefully she finally got through to her.

---

The bell rang, signaling the end of History class.

As students chatted excitedly while leaving the classroom, Eli went to talk to Marisol, who was quietly packing up her bags. He was nervous for what he was about to do and how she would react to it.

“Mare,” he greeted as he approached her. She turned to face him and he was once again disturbed by how dead she looked in her eyes.

“Hey Eli,” she coldly greeted back. “You need something?”

“I know what Owen is making you do,” he admitted to her. He decided he wasn’t going to waste any time pretending he didn’t know. “He was bragging about it to his friends in the locker room.”

He watched as a myriad of emotions flooded her face in a matter of seconds. Before she began to speak, he held up his hand to stop her.

“Please let me say this. I know I hurt you and I’m sorry. I abandoned you at a time you needed me the most because I was scared of my feelings for you. I ruined the trust and the bond between us because I convinced myself that it was wrong. I have no room to judge you and tell you what to do with your life, because it’s your life and I have my own life to fix right now. It would also be valid if you never want to speak to me again after what I did. But I need you to know that you are an amazing girl that deserves everything. You deserve better than to be used and abused by stupid guys, and I include not only Owen but myself in that. You can do better than either of us because you’re better than either of us. You’re strong, sweet, and incredibly beautiful. I’m saying all of this because I love you. That’s all,” he confessed before walking past her.

He didn’t stop to see her reaction at his words.

---

“You’re worth more than them.”

School was finally over after a day that seemed like it dragged forever.

After putting on her Power Squad uniform and retouching her makeup in the bathroom, Marisol walked to the gym and every step felt heavier than the next. Especially in these awful heels.

“You’re strong, sweet, and incredibly beautiful.”

When she entered the gym where several football players were working out, they all turned their attention towards her. All of them were smirking, leering, or just staring creepily at her. All except Drew, who was giving her a look of concern.

So they also knew what was going on between Owen and her. Because his pig ass couldn’t keep his mouth shut for once. She should have known this was going to happen. When she lost her virginity to him, somehow the whole school was whispering about it the next day and his friends were cracking jokes about it.

Marisol was furious.

“You deserve a perfect boyfriend that appreciates the powerful woman you’re shaping up to be.

The boys’ locker room was eerily empty and quiet for once.

Owen was sitting on the bench waiting for her with an eager look on his face. She braced herself for what was about to happen. She needed to be strong for this.

“Babe,” he greeted as he stood up and approached her. “How are we going to start this off? I want your top off no matter what.”

“There’s no starting this off because the deal’s off,” she rejected firmly.

He chuckled in confusion. “What?” He asked while raising one of his eyebrows. She didn’t realize how stupid his eyebrows looked until now. They looked like the McDonald’s golden arches.

“I’m not fucking you,” she replied flatly.

“Um, yes you are or Katie’s going to get exposed, remember?” He reminded her.

“I’m not fucking you,” she repeated.

“So you don’t care about your friend and you don’t care about having a good time,” Owen assumed.

“Not enough to let you take advantage of me because you need to boost your pride. When I dumped you last time, that was the end of us and I’m keeping it that way. There’s not enough blackmail in the world to make me want to go on a date with you or give you access to my body ever again. And that’s final,” she stated coolly. His face turned into a scowl.

“Then you’re an idiot, Mari, but I already knew that. Anyway, even if you’re turning me down right now it doesn’t matter. I still got to fuck you multiple times and you came crawling back every time,” he boasted arrogantly.

“Yeah, because that was the old me and she was a fool. But me, now? I’m a different person and the new me doesn’t care about what you used to fuck because it isn’t happening now. You have no power over me and you’re just an insignificant part of my past. A small part of my story,” she fired back and she was surprised by how strong her voice sounded.

“You’re still a desperate slut that opens her legs up for any guy that gives you attention,” he insulted her. She only smiled in response.

“Rather be a slut than a petty, lowlife bully and a shit partner. Goodbye, Owen,” she told him before turning away from him and walking away. She had never felt more powerful in her life.

Eli saying to her “I love you” earlier was the only thought on her mind as she left the gym.

---

The next day

Day three and a breakthrough finally happened.

“You didn’t have to help me and Jake with our problems, but you did and I’m grateful for it. Thank you, Eli,” Clare warmly told Eli as they entered the cafeteria together for the election. Clare was covering it for the school newspaper and Eli was just there to show his support for Katie. Well it was actually only Marisol he was showing support for.

He was just excited at the fact that finally, finally Clare and Jake forgave him. It only took him locking them together in the sweat lodge that he built with Jake so they could make up after a nasty fight.

He was surprised at how them being together didn’t bother him as much as he thought it did. He figured that he would always care about Clare, but if they weren’t meant to be together then they weren’t meant to be together. For now, he only cared about her happiness. And his own.

The person that actually gave him happiness was holding hands with her bitchy best friend, who was holding hands with Drew. Drew gave him a nod when he saw him. They were all anticipating the results of the election. It was pretty obvious Katie was going to win even with rumors of a past eating disorder spreading around the school, courtesy of Owen. Owen himself was sitting on the other side of the room with his friends and a very grumpy look on his face.

It was probably because he was not only still wearing a bandage on his nose but he was now wearing a very ugly black eye.

From the way Drew was glaring at Owen like he wanted to kill him, Eli could tell that a fight went down between the two. There was also the fact that Drew was sporting a busted lip right now. Eli himself wished he could run up and give Owen anotherblack eye. It’s only what he deserved.

“Hey,” Eli greeted Marisol, Katie, and Drew as he sat down next to Marisol. He expected some cold nods and a dismissive hi back.

He was surprised when Marisol turned around and smiled widely at him, showing off those dimples he hadn't seen in what felt like forever.

“Hey,” she greeted back happily. It felt good. She looked good as she no longer had that dead look in her eyes and she was back to her cute, but glamorous makeup style. Combined with her beautiful smile, she was radiant.

Everyone was tense as Dave got ready to announce the winner.

To no one’s surprise it was Katie.

The whole cafeteria clapped and cheered loudly for the new school president as she excitedly walked up to the podium to give her speech. He hated her but he really did hope she was an amazing president for everyone’s sake.

Then Katie announced Marisol as her vice-president, and Eli was eager to cheer as loud as possible for her. As the confetti cannons were shooting off, and balloons fell from the ceiling, he couldn’t be more proud of Marisol. He wished she was president instead but he knew she was content with helping Katie run the school. Whatever made her happy, made him happy.

When their eyes met, she gave him a dazzling smile and his heart soared.

---

There was not a word to describe how much joy she was feeling right now.

Marisol was practically skipping to her car after school. Her and Katie won. Degrassi was their kingdom to run. It was their town now. There was a massive bump they had to overcome in order to climb to the top but they won anyway.

Marisol looked up to the sky. It seemed as if the sky was never so blue and the sun never shined so bright. Today was a good day.

She spotted Eli talking to Imogen in the parking lot, presumably apologizing to her for playing with her heart too. For the first time in a while, she didn’t want to punch him in his face. It was quite the opposite really.

“Eli,” she called his name as she walked up to him just as Imogen was walking away. “I wanna say thank you for your part in all of this,” she told him in gratitude.

“I’ll do anything for you, Mare. So I guess I’m forgiven?” He asked her in hope. She answered by hugging him.

“After you buy me a milkshake at The Dot, then you’re completely forgiven,” she answered playfully. “But seriously, thank you for this. You really went beyond for me and Katie.”

“Don’t let it go to either of your heads,” he jokingly warned.

Marisol smiled sweetly before kissing him on the cheek. She felt him freeze in shock. It only lasted a moment but it was still impactful.

As she walked away from him to go to her car, she looked back and saw that he was still standing in shock with wide eyes.

She only continued to smile in response.

 

 

Chapter 15: One More Chance

Summary:

Song Title is One More Chance by Big.

“Your eyes are as dark as the night. Your lips are as full as the moon. Your skin is as brown as freshly made chocolate…..fuck that sounds horrible,” Eli criticized to himself as he balled up the paper in his hands. He then threw it across the room in frustration. There were five other balled up papers scattered across his bedroom, all of them filled with bad attempts at poetry.

“Damn,” he swore again.

He rubbed his temples while trying to figure out his next attempt at writing a perfect love poem. The problem with the last one was that he sounded like a creepy white guy with a fetish and that was the last thing Marisol needed to hear.

Ugh, how was he going to do this?

With Marisol forgiving him and letting him into her good graces again, he decided that his next goal was taking her to prom, and he was going to go all out in proposing to her. It didn’t have to lead to a relationship but he wanted to give more evidence that she meant a lot to him. The first phase was giving her a poem since she loved poetry. However, all of his drafts were complete ass so far and not taking his meds so he could “boost” his creativity was out of the question. He was going to have to solely rely on his “brilliant” mind. It wasn’t so brilliant right now.

Eli looked at a picture of Marisol on his phone for inspiration. Originally it was of her and Katie posing for the school newspaper after Katie won the election, but he cropped Katie out of the picture. He only wanted to look at Marisol.

He thought about the kiss on the cheek she gave him today. It was feathery, wet, and felt amazing on his skin. He still couldn’t believe it happened. He didn’t want to sound like a creep, but he didn’t wipe her lip gloss off his cheek yet. He treasured it too much. It led to some annoying questions from his parents when he got home, especially from his mother.

After another hour of trying to write a simple poem and failing, he gave up and decided to go to bed. He was tired as hell anyway and if he stayed up any longer, he might just start hallucinating.

When he closed his eyes, he could only think of Marisol.

It led to a very sensual dream.

 

---

“Picture this. A one-week trip to Wasaga Beach at my cousin’s summer beach house for my seventeenth birthday next month. And I’m allowed to bring my best friend and anyone else I would like,” Marisol pitched excitedly to Katie and Drew as they walked down the hallways together. Three days until the worst year of her life was over. After that it was amusement parks, carnivals, beaches, parties, barbecues, picnics, shopping sprees, and vacations. This was going to be the most amazing summer of her life. It was what she deserved.

“I don’t know if my mom would allow me to come. She’s been in mama bear mode since the gang incident. Granted she’s always been a mama bear but it’s even worse now,” Drew replied with an air of annoyance. He and Katie were holding hands. Marisol found them so cute to look at.

“Marisol’s family is pretty trustworthy. I’m sure if your mom talks to them, she could allow you to go,” Katie offered.

“I’m not getting my hopes up but I’ll see. A beach vacation sounds just like what I need after this semester,” he said before sighing. Marisol gave him a sympathetic look before responding.

“Absolutely. I was thinking this weekend, we could go shopping for new swimsuits. For me, I was thinking sexy but cl-”

“Hey guys,” Eli greeted as he approached them. They all stopped in their tracks.

“Emo Boy,” she greeted back civilly while Katie glared at him and Drew cheerfully waved. After yesterday, she decided to let Eli back in her life again. What he did to her was still awful but after he campaigned for Katie’s run for president and talked her out of sleeping with Owen, she figured she couldn’t hate him anymore. He was an idiot for playing her, but he also wasn’t mentally stable at the time and as soon as he finally got some therapy, he immediately went to work for her forgiveness. Unlike any other guy she has been involved with, she could tell he was genuine about it and not just because he wanted sex again.

Plus, she was unfortunately still in love with him.

“Can I speak to you, alone?” He requested, directing the last part at Katie with a tense stare.

Her best friend was about to protest but Marisol gave her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. “Okay. I’ll catch up with you guys later,” she dismissed her friends as Drew pulled Katie off somewhere. Now it was just her and Eli.

“I would like to buy you that apology milkshake, Mare. Are you available after school today?” He asked her.

“I’m meeting with Katie at The Dot,” she answered, folding her arms.

“I can’t join you guys? It’s not a date, I promise,” he pleaded.

“I guess you can come. I can take you after school in my car,” she accepted which earned her a giddy smile from him.

“Looking forward to it, Mare,” he said to her as he walked off to his next class. There was almost a spring to his step.

Marisol couldn’t help but notice that Eli was looking more attractive than ever. His hair was no longer a hot mess, and it was neatly combed. His skin no longer had that deathly pale look to it, and it looked healthy as a result. His green eyes were vibrant, filled with life instead of the distant, cold look she had gotten used. Lastly his smiles were all big and cheerful.

She hated to admit it, but she liked what she saw.

---

“Your lips tasted like the sweetest sugar, and the flower between your thighs tasted like the most delicious candy with your nectar drizzling down my chin...wow,” Adam read his poem out loud during lunch.

Eli groaned in shame. “It’s cringy as fuck, isn’t it?” He asked, taking a depressed bite out of his ham and cheese sandwich. Once again, Adam’s mom fixed them sandwiches. She even threw in some cookies in there for the both of them. He didn’t know why Audra was going out of her way for him at first when he was only her son’s best friend. Adam then explained that she felt sorrow for him and wanted to give her support to a kid that quickly accepted her son for what he was. He didn’t know how to feel about that.

“Exactly how horny were you when you wrote this?” His friend asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Too much from what you’re telling me,” he answered. He probably shouldn’t have written this one right after he had an intense wet dream about Marisol last night. Or maybe it was a result of him thinking of their intense hookup that he now dubbed Car Gate. Either way, it was a bad time to write it.

“Well it’s not really bad, Eli. A lot of girls would probably eat this up because it’s straight out of a spicy romance novel. But since you’re trying to convince her to go to prom with you, you might want to write something a little more PG,” Adam advised him in amusement.

“I need to write something that isn’t shit,” Eli grumbled.

Drew walked by with Katie by his side. He stopped to look at their food and frowned. “Mom gave you guys cookies?” He asked in disbelief.

“Yeah. What’d she give you?” Adam answered.

“Peanut butter crackers. And they were so stale,” Drew complained with a shudder.

“Ha! This proves I’m the favorite,” Adam teased while Drew shook his head in annoyance.

“I can’t believe this! This is so unfair!” The older Torres brother whined to his girlfriend as they walked away. The two friends went back to their conversation.

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait tables with me at prom? I don’t want to go by myself,” Adam asked.

“No can do. I have a girl I’m trying to take to prom,” he turned down, somewhat sadly. If the circumstances were different, he would have looked forward to hanging out with his friend.

“Eh. I’ll ask Clare,” his friend replied with a shrug. “Now what else is a part of your epic promposal to Marisol?”

“Well….”

---

“Alright, we have two strawberry milkshakes and a chocolate milkshake,” their waiter, Peter, said cheerfully to them as he put their drinks on the table.

“Thanks,” Marisol replied cheerfully as she took her strawberry milkshake and started sipping immediately, enjoying the cold but sweet flavor. She didn't know whether she loved the strawberry, salted caramel, or Oreo cookie milkshake the best.

Katie and Eli gave Peter grateful nods before silently taking theirs and going right back to staring tensely at each other. The tension between them was so uncomfortable even their waiter picked up on it.

“Okay….enjoy,” Peter said awkwardly before walking away to take someone else’s order. Marisol sighed as she gave Katie and Eli disapproving looks.

“Can you guys stop acting like you want to kill each other? It’s killing the vibe,” she scolded them. Before Eli had gotten there, her and Katie were talking about Drew taking her to prom and the possibility of Katie losing her virginity to him that night. While Marisol was excited at the prospect of no longer being the “experienced” one in their friendship, Katie was definitely not ready to have sex so they had to come up with a way to stall Drew. She didn’t think they needed to resort to drastic measures as Drew was a nice guy and wouldn’t pressure her best friend into sex, but he still needed to know. Despite the subject matter, it was a light-hearted conversation and the atmosphere was nice.

Then Eli came in, and Katie immediately shifted into bitch mode as soon as he sat down at their table.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Katie replied while taking a sip of her drink. Eli rolled his eyes.

“Come on, the school year is practically over and we survived junior year. Katie, you’re president, I’m vice president, and Eli you’re the screenwriter of a critically acclaimed play. I think this is a time to celebrate, not to fight,” Marisol said while folding her arms. The other two people at the table were still not ready to do that. “Can you guys at least act like you want to move on? For me, please?”

“When Emma Frost here is ready to move on, I’ll move on,” Eli stated while giving Katie a pointed look.

“Fine,” her friend replied with gritted teeth.

“Good! Here’s to next year!” Marisol said cheerfully as she held up her milkshake, gesturing for them to all toast.

Katie and Eli reluctantly copied her as they clacked their milkshake glasses together.

 

---

Later that night at the mall, Eli was shopping around for a gift for Marisol. He was finally able to write a good poem that he was sure she would love, but he needed to go the extra mile.

He really wanted Fiona to come with him, but she was dealing with some drama regarding her ex-girlfriend. It was a shame because he really needed a girl’s opinion for this. And she was a such fashionista that she would have been perfect for helping him pick out a gift. Ugh.

He already bought flowers, which were a bouquet of daisies. They were Mare’s favorite flower along with sunflowers. He knew by how good they smelled that she would love them, but he needed to get her something else. Something that would definitely make her want to attend prom with him.

He thought about candy, as she had a sweet tooth. Chocolate was her favorite, but how long would they last in his locker until they melted in the June weather?

Eli watched all of the couples walking around the mall and sadly thought of how that could have been him and Mare if he didn’t fuck everything up.

“It could still be one day,” a tiny voice said at the back of his head. “How?” He wondered. He would be lucky if she accepted his proposal. Fat chance a real relationship between them would happen at this point.

He walked by multiple shops as he started to stress over this whole thing. If Marisol rejected him, he was going to sit home alone that night. Which might not be a really bad thing but since he turned down Adam’s offer to help a server, he was going to look like a fool. ‘Fuck, this better go well for me,’ he thought to himself with a frown as he glanced inside every store he passed.

That’s when he saw them.

He paused when he stopped in front of the window of a very feminine shoe store. His mouth dropped a little and he had to blink several times before he could comprehend the sight that greeted him.

On the front display of the store was a pair of sparkly black heels.

They looked like the pair of heels that he dreamed of Marisol wearing for him nearly every night.

Eli ran inside of the store and picked up the shoes. Yup, they were the exact same shoes. Weird. He checked the price tag at the back of them. They were on sale for fifty dollars. The money he gained from his weekly allowance definitely could cover that. The issue was whether it was Marisol’s shoe size.

Before he knew it, he was pulling out his phone and texting her. He unblocked her number after the first day of therapy and to his surprise, she never blocked him back.

“What’s your shoe size?” He texted her and waited for her response. It came like ten seconds later.

“Seven and a half. Why?” She replied.

“Just asking,” he sent back as he looked at the back of them. They were seven and half. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

The cashier was giving him an amused look as he excitedly paid for the shoes.

 

---

The next day

Marisol was walking towards her locker when she saw a peculiar sight at her locker.

A daisy was taped to her locker along with a piece of paper. She raised an eyebrow in confusion as she walked up to her locker. She pulled the objects off and read the poem.

Majestic is the way you carry yourself

Affectionate are your hugs and kiss

Radiant is your smile and beauty that glows like the sun

Inspiring are you so much that you make me believe in anything

Stronger are you than anyone I know

Overflowing are you with love and joy

Luxurious is your style that makes you shine brighter than the rest

It was the corniest shit she ever read….but also the sweetest. Marisol felt her cheeks grow hot as she clutched the poem to her chest. So she had a secret admirer. She wondered who it was.

She sniffed the daisy in her hand, and sighed at the wonderful scent. This person had gotten her a real flower too. Not a fake flower, an actual fresh flower. They really wanted to impress her. She couldn’t wait to tell Katie but first, they must figure out this whole thing with Drew.

She couldn’t blame Katie for being scared of sex. When she lost her virginity to Owen for the first time, she was terrified. It was also one of the most painful experiences in her life due to him being rough the whole time, and she wouldn’t stop crying. The next few times were painful as well and she would secretly hate it when he asked for sex but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. She wished that she did in hindsight.

She doubted Drew would be as careless with Katie. He seemed like a very caring and open-minded boyfriend. She was impressed with how eager he was to get tested for STIs as not a lot of boys in their grade would be as eager. However if Katie wasn’t ready, then they couldn’t have sex. It was that simple.

Tonight, Katie was supposed to go over to Drew's house and watch a movie with him while his parents were out. Her best friend was scared that he wanted to make a move for sex right and there. So she was going to crash it. Not by herself though.

Marisol pulled out her phone and dialed Eli’s number.

 

---

Sitting on a couch and watching a movie with Marisol, Katie, and Drew while at the Torres house wasn’t what Eli planned for his Friday night. He came anyway because Marisol told him to, and he needed an opportunity to propose to her afterwards. The anxiety of whether or not she would accept his offer was eating him up inside. He was pleased when he saw her excited face when she discovered the bouquet of daisies sitting on the roof of her car. She wouldn’t stop fawning over them while she was driving. Maybe that was a good sign, but did it mean she would go to Prom with him though? She didn’t know it was from him after all.

The atmosphere was awkward as hell as they watched some old, foreign movie. Drew obviously did not want him or Marisol here and he couldn’t blame him because it looked like Marisol crashed his date night with Katie with him as an accomplice. He would be annoyed too. The lie Marisol said, that she was locked out of her house and needed something to do before her parents got home, wasn’t even a good one. He needed to teach her how to come up with better schemes and lies.

The girls were paying attention and making comments as if there was nothing wrong. Marisol was even asking him questions about what he thought of the movie.

“I think the open door symbolizes him finally deciding to open up to other people but it’s a bittersweet feeling because the love of his life, and the only person he confided in, is dying,” he answered to Marisol when she asked why doors kept popping up in the movie.

“Wow,” she replied in amazement. “You really know this stuff, Eli.”

He beamed in pride at the comment. He liked it when people complimented his analyses.

“This movie is so deep, you know, it just...it really makes you think,” Marisol replied as she munched on popcorn. Katie opened her mouth to speak.

“I really think-”

“That’s it!” Drew sharply interrupted as he got off the couch and cut the movie off in frustration.

“What are you doing?” Marisol asked in confusion.

“The movie is over,” he answered.

“That’s the best part!”

“Marisol, Eli, would you guys mind giving Katie and I some time alone?” Drew requested from them, and his tone was clear. He wanted them to get the fuck out immediately and not come back.

“Someone should be home. Come on, Eli,” Marisol said as they stood up together.

“Thanks for the popcorn,” Eli added as he gave Drew a wave of goodbye. Drew waved back but he wasn’t smiling.

Eli was bummed that he couldn’t at least see Adam before it was time for them to go.

But on the other hand, he now had alone time with Marisol.

---

“I can’t believe you let me beat your ass at those basketball hoops again, Eli. I have to teach you some moves,” Marisol teased as her and Eli walked through the mall. He was carrying a bag of something she didn’t know. As soon as they got out the car, he pulled it out and said he was returning some outfit he didn’t like. He carried it the whole time they were at the arcade and didn’t specify which store he was going to. A little odd in her opinion.

“I’m not a sports person,” Eli grumbled.

“What about the racing games?”

“They’re rigged.”

“.....And the skew ball machines?”

“Also rigged.”

Marisol rolled her eyes at his excuses. He was such a sore loser. A cute one, but a sore loser nonetheless. For a guy who prided himself on being this super nerd, it was funny how she beat him at every arcade game they played together. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Emo Boy,” were words that she had said to him earlier in the semester and it continued to ring true with every moment they spent together. She knew that she had him shook with that. It amused her.

When she walked by Mystique, her favorite shoe store, she gasped when she saw a pair of gorgeous black heels on display. She stopped in her tracks to admire them.

“O-M-G! Those shoes are so pretty!” She squealed. They were sparkly, with a bow attached at the top of each shoe and heels that were about three inches in height. Looking at them was like looking at stars on a beautiful night. She was fantasizing about all the outfits she could wear with them and how sexy she would look in each one. “I wish I could buy them right now but I don’t have much money on me,” she lamented with a frown. They would probably be gone by tomorrow.

“What if I told you, you don’t have to pay for them?” Eli asked her, and there was a certain look in his eyes that had her suspicious.

“What do you mean?” She asked back with a raised eyebrow. She crossed her arms in anticipation of his answer.

Her eyes widened like saucers when he suddenly got on one knee in front of her and opened his bag up. He pulled out a shoe box….that was from Mystique.

When he opened up the shoe box and revealed the exact same pair of heels she was gushing over, Marisol felt her mouth go dry with shock and her mind started to scramble.

“These shoes are for you to wear to prom tomorrow,” he stated with his eyes being filled with passion for her. “I saw these yesterday and I know that you would look amazing as you always do in them. They’re perfect for such a gorgeous girl like you.”

“I…I..,” she stuttered, not knowing what to say as people crowded around them in interest. She was gobsmacked.

“Majestic is the way you carry yourself, affectionate are your hugs and kisses, radiant is your smile and beauty that glows like the sun, inspiring are you so much that you make me believe in anything, stronger are you than anyone I know, overflowing are you with love and joy, luxurious is your style that makes you stand out from the rest,” he told her, and she realized quickly he was reciting the poem she found at her locker today.

The poem was from Eli, and the flowers were definitely from him too.

He was her secret admirer this whole time.

“Marisol Lewis...will you do me the honor of taking you to prom?” He proposed to her with a twinkle in his eye.

Her heart started racing and butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach. No one had ever done all of this before. When Owen bought those red heels, it was only with the expectation of her wearing them during sex, and she really didn’t like them in all honesty. But this? Eli bought her flowers, wrote a poem for her, and bought her a dream pair of shoes. This was the most romantic thing a guy has ever done for her.

Despite how corny this was, and it was corny, she felt tears well up in her eyes.

“Yes,” she accepted as she resisted the urge to really start crying, “Yes!”

The small crowd around them started to cheer as Eli sighed in relief. He stood up and gave her a warm smile. “Thank you,” he replied.

She nearly knocked him to the ground when she jumped to hug him.

Chapter 16: I’m Still In Love With You

Summary:

Gahhh this is the last chapter before the epilogue. I’m so sad that this story is ending but I’m glad I got to write this story 🥺.

Song title is I’m Still In Love With You by Al Green.

“I’m going to Prom. I’m going to Prom. I’m going to Prom. O-M-G I’m going to Prom!’ Marisol squealed in her mind as she drove to school Saturday morning. Sure it wasn’t her senior prom but she was beyond excited. She was due for a nail and hair appointment as soon as grade nine orientation was over. She was going to look fabulous!

“Katie, this is going to be the best night ever! I can’t wait for prom!” She said while looking around for a parking spot. “You should have seen how Eli proposed to me, it was so romantic!” She swooned.

“He’s only going to be your date, right? Nothing more?” Katie asked warily.

“I mean, duh. Just because he’s taking me to prom doesn’t mean I’m going to fuck him afterwards,” Marisol answered while rolling her eyes. 

“Good. Because he did you wrong and I still don’t trust him because of it,” Katie replied.

“Well I’m choosing to forgive him, especially after he bought me those cute shoes. We’re not going to date though. This is a one night only thing,” she vowed as she parked near the front of the school. She didn’t know why Katie was so wary and acting like her mother. She had no intentions of starting a relationship with Eli after everything that happened between them. Definitely. Nope. Not a thing that was going to happen. He was just taking her to prom as a friend.

A crowd of future niners was entering the school while being led by orientation leaders. Marisol herself was volunteering with Katie and Drew. While she really didn’t want to spend her whole morning and afternoon with a bunch of thirteen and fourteen year olds, she at least was going to use this opportunity to show them who their future vice-president was.

Just then, the third occupant in her car finally decided to speak.

“I don’t want to be here,” Maya, Katie’s younger sister, grumbled. Marisol turned around and gave her an encouraging smile.

“Aw don’t be like that. This is going to be super fun,” Marisol told her. She felt bad for her best friend’s little sister. From the time she was little, Maya loved music and dreamed of attending a performing arts school. She hated Degrassi and said that the school gave her bad vibes every time she was forced to attend an event for Katie. Unfortunately, due to the prestigious performing arts school rejecting her application, she was immediately registered to attend Degrassi in the fall by her and Katie’s parents.

“This isn’t even where I wanted to go for my freshman orientation,” Maya continued to complain.

“Well, it is now. At least try to act interested, Maya. You’re only the younger sister of these other kids’ future school president,” Katie replied. Her sister only groaned in frustration.

“There’s at least some new friends you can make today. Maybe you can meet a cute boy,” Marisol suggested.

“Degrassi boys seem like trouble. No thank you,” Maya rejected.

“They’re not all bad!” Marisol argued.

“Most of them seemed to be,” Maya countered.

“Okay, yes but if you dig hard enough you might find one that isn’t completely fucked up,” she replied.

“And how long will that take?” The younger Matlin sister questioned.

Marisol pursed her lips as she shared an awkward look with Katie.

Truth to be told, there were maybe only one or two Degrassi boys that didn’t have some kind of baggage that emotionally stunted them in relationships as a result.

Degrassi boys were... chaotic to say the least.

---

“Okay, how do I look?” Eli asked as he stepped out of the dressing room in black dress pants, a gold vest, a black dress shirt, and a black top hat. The fabric of the vest was satin and embroidered with black swirls and black buttons. It was very flashy. A little too flashy.

“Like Jay Gatsby if he decided to be a pimp,” Fiona answered bluntly as she sat on a couch next to the dressing room. 

“Fuck, I knew it. This is like the fifth one I tried on,” Eli swore in frustration. He knew that finding nice tuxedos on such a short notice was going to be rough but not like this. And recruiting Fiona for help on picking out a good looking one was probably a bad idea because she was ruthless with her critiques. “What am I going to do? Prom is at seven and I have to make sure I match with Mare or she would freak out,” he said in worry. Mare had texted him this morning to let him know that she was wearing a gold and black dress tonight and advised him to look glamorous. He knew what was in for him if he didn’t, which was most likely death. He wasn’t planning to disappoint her anyway. Mare deserved an amazing prom night after everything she’s been put through.

“Well we haven’t gone through every look in the store,” Fiona replied as she looked around the shop they were in. It was a classy, upper scale one that she said her twin brother used to like. She even knew the owner. 

Something then caught her eye and it made her get off the couch and approach it. “What about this one?” She suggested as she picked out a black tuxedo with a gold undershirt.

“Hmm,” he pondered as he looked at it. 

“It’s less Gatsby and more James Bond. Try it on,” she said as she shoved it towards him. He obeyed and headed back into the dressing room. 

When he came back out, he turned around so she could look over his outfit from all angles.

“Very sophisticated, sexy, and in line with what she’s wearing,” she approved with a nod. He sighed in relief and looked at himself in the mirror. For once, he wasn’t going to wear something goth but normal. He was going to be normal. He didn’t know how to feel about that. He looked good though.

Fiona stood behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

“I think I’m going to like the new you, Eli. Look at how much you’re glowing, right now. Marisol is going to melt at the sight of you,” Fiona complimented him.

“Are you making a bid for my heart Miss Coyne?” He playfully teased.

“No, Master Goldsworthy. I only have eyes for the fairer sex, but I can appreciate a man in a fine tux,” she replied in a fake snooty tone of voice.

The two friends then laughed.

---

“Here is the school gym, where we hold our Power Squad practices. As the new cheer captain, this is pretty much my favorite place in the whole school,” Marisol boasted proudly as she showed a group of girls around.

“Power Squad must be amazing. I can’t wait to audition for it!” One of the girls gushed. Marisol thought she looked a lot like Manny Santos. Even their mannerisms were eerily similar. Interesting.

“We only accept the best of the best,” she warned, “But if you’re full of energy, upbeat, determined, athletic, and got the right kind of attitude for cheerleading then you’ll be perfect for Power Squad.” She remembered how nervous she was when she auditioned for the team, especially since the co-captains Manny and Darcy were super intense during the whole process. But then she quickly blew them away, got accepted enthusiastically, and became one of the most valued members of the team by the end of the year. Even Holly J Sinclair, who was probably the most bitchy captain in history, had nothing but positive things to say about her during performances.

“I know I got what you need. I can’t wait until the school year starts so I can show you,” the girl replied pridefully. Hmm, it came off as a little arrogant but hey at least she showed confidence in herself. That was a good sign.

“We’ll see,” Marisol replied.

“What about the boys? Are the athletes here cute?” Another girl asked in interest.

“Oh they’re very cute but I would stay away from most of them if I were you. I’m not supposed to say this but they’re dicks,” Marisol replied, somewhat moodily, “Stay away from the football team in particular.” There were a few chuckles among the group. Then the girls asked more questions.

“What other things does Power Squad do besides competitions?” 

“Does cheerleading look good on your resume?”

“Do we have to go on a diet?”

“Was it true that this used to be called Spirit Squad?”

“Didn’t the actress Manny Santos used to be a captain along with Mia Jones the supermodel?”

Marisol smiled brightly as she answered each question.

---

“So you and Charlie are done, like really over?” Eli asked Fiona as they went shoe shopping together. He was originally going to wear one of his own shoes from home but Fiona insisted that he buy a new pair to complete his outfit for prom.

“Yeah, we’re not getting back together and I’m focusing on going to rehab instead of going to prom,” Fiona replied, somewhat sadly.

“Well there’s always next year and maybe you’ll have a wonderful, cute girlfriend by then as your prom date,” Eli comforted her while picking up a pair of black derby’s.

“Yeah, because recovering alcoholic and crazy twin of Declan Coyne is such a catch,” she replied sarcastically while folding her arms.

“There’s people who aren’t judgmental, you know. Most people aren’t saints and have some part of their past that’s screwed up. And have you ever thought that maybe you aren’t crazy, you just have something?” Eli suggested.

“Like bipolar disorder? I don’t know. I never thought of that. Mental disorders weren’t a thing that was discussed in my household growing up,” Fiona replied and he could see that she was thinking.

“Homosexuality wasn’t a thing that was discussed much either but your mother still accepted you as a lesbian, right? I’m sure you can ask her to get you tested and she won’t freak out,” Eli pointed out. He was surprised when his own parents didn’t show much of a reaction to his diagnosis, they only said that they suspected that he had something for a long time and wished they had gotten him tested for a mental disorder earlier so they could have helped him better.

“I guess. Those are a nice pair,” Fiona said while looking at the shoes in his hand.

“Are these also going to make Mare melt for me?” He asked.

“Probably. They’re pretty stylish,” she replied.

“I don’t think she’s going to want more than a friendship with me after this semester. She barely tolerates me and I don’t blame her,” he said sorrowfully.

“Don’t say that when you told me how she was tearing up when you proposed to her. She’s still carrying a torch for you, Eli. The thing is are you ready for a new relationship?” She questioned him. He had to think long and hard about it. He certainly needed time to figure himself out and he had a summer to do that with the help of his therapist. It was probably for the best that he was single and his parents and therapist would happily agree.

However, one of the reasons he fell for Marisol because she brought positivity into his life when he was at his lowest point and he enjoyed every moment of it even if he was in denial about it for the longest time. Now that he had come to terms with his feelings for her, he was also dreading pining after her this summer. This wasn’t just a silly crush. He was actually in love with her.

Would being in a relationship with her distract him from fixing himself? He didn’t know, and that’s not getting into if she would actually want to be his girlfriend after everything.

“I don’t know,” he answered while feeling frustrated.

Degrassi girls were beautiful but they were all so….. complicated , and one never knows what’s in store for their life by choosing to date one of them.

---

Marisol walked towards the girl’s bathroom after the afternoon session concluded. Finally orientation was over and she could start prepping for tonight. With each passing hour she was getting more and more excited. She still couldn’t believe she was going and with Eli of all people.

It’s only what she wanted all along, but so much shit happened between them that she was wondering if it was worth it. She still had feelings for him, but the hurt of him coldly rejecting her for Clare was still there. However he worked hard to get her to forgive him and he confessed to her that he loved her not only in person but in that sweet poem. He bought her a pair of the most beautiful pair of shoes she had seen in her life.

Could she allow herself to date him?

Marisol thought back on all of the time they spent together. The talks at Little Miss Steaks, the study sessions they had over the phone, the discussions over the play, Movie Night, the party, the arcade trips, the hookup, the election, and now prom night. For a brief period, those were painful memories because of his actions. Now she could look back on them with fondness again.

She thought back to that awful night with the bikers, and how Eli rushed to save her at the cost of a vicious beatdown. She would never forget how he comforted her that night at her house even though he was bruised all over. He only cared about her and how she was feeling. It was a testament to how selfless he was.

It’s a big reason why she couldn’t help but still love him. For such a broody, snarky, and scary looking guy he was also a caring, sweet, and emotional individual. He was the definition of complex. Even though Katie wanted her to drop him forever, she was still drawn to him. She couldn’t help it.

When she entered the bathroom, she saw Bianca DeSousa in front of one of the sinks, looking down at her wrist. It was colored with ugly, purple bruises that looked pretty recent as if she just received them.

She wanted to scowl at the girl. There was some bad history between them. When she lost her virginity to Owen, he had lied and said it was his first time too when he actually lost it to Bianca. Not only that, he was regularly cheating on her with the other girl too. Bianca was always teasing and making fun of her for being a “snobby princess”. It’s why she was a little worried about Katie dating Drew. Sure he was a nice guy, but he also cheated on his last girlfriend with this trashy bitch that got him jumped by her gangbanging boyfriend.

But even she wasn’t feeling bitchy enough to not feel concern about another girl having bruises on her skin, especially since she was reminded of her own.

“Do you need any help with that?” She asked in worry.

“I’m fine,” Bianca replied thinly, but the look in her eyes told her that she was hiding something.

“Are you sure? I have a first aid kit in my car,” she offered, but the other girl only shook her head. 

“I’m alright but thanks,” Bianca rejected swiftly as she moved past her. She was probably thinking that because of their past history, there was no need for them to interact because it would only be awkward. But Marisol couldn’t help but be concerned. From what she saw, Bianca’s boyfriend was beating on her and no matter how much she disliked her, no one deserved to be abused.

She wondered if Drew saw the bruises since they were paired up for orientation today.

---

“Mom do you have to take more pictures?” Eli whined.

“Of course I do, baby! It’s prom!” His mother exclaimed cheerfully as she ran to embrace him. “Bullfrog, take this one!” She ordered his father.

As his father took a picture of them, he had a look in his eyes that screamed that he didn’t want Eli to go to prom. Eli struggled not to say something out of frustration. He was not fucking fragile. He was just a kid with bipolar disorder. Was he supposed to stay locked up in his house for the rest of his life?

“You look so handsome. Make sure you take pictures with Marisol so I can see how she looks. I bet she will look beautiful tonight!” His mother gushed.

“Yeah,” Eli agreed, but inside he was nervous.

Marisol was definitely going to be more beautiful than ever tonight. There was no doubt about that. A girl like her wouldn’t bullshit about prom when she’s been fantasizing about it for the longest.

What was making him nervous was how she was going to react to him . Was his outfit enough for the beauty queen of Degrassi?

He was scared to find out.

---

As Marisol relaxed in the bathtub, she couldn’t stop thinking about Bianca even if the only thought on her mind should be prom.

Just the sight of those bruises on Bianca’s wrist gave her anxiety because they brought back memories of her being slapped around in that alleyway and the scraped knees she had gotten when those men forced her onto the ground. Whatever excuses the other girl might have on file were shit because she knew an abuse mark when she saw one. Either she was getting beaten by her boyfriend or by whatever family she had at home. It was scary no matter what and she was considering telling Simpson.

Marisol tapped her acrylic nails nervously against the tub as she soaked in the rose water. At the nail salon she had opted to get a set of gold, glittery nails with one black nail on each ring finger to match her prom dress. It was all to match her glamorous starlet look. After she bathed, she was going to put on her prom dress, then apply her makeup, and then her mother was going to curl her hair.

She wanted this to be the perfect night, but something about seeing Bianca today gave her a bad feeling about tonight.

Plus, it was Degrassi. Something bad always happened at this cursed school for some reason.

---

“So, Eli. What are your plans after high school?” Marisol’s father asked him coolly as they sat on the couch together. For the second time, he was at Marisol’s house, though it was under happier circumstances this time. Along with her father, step-mother, older brother, and little sister he was waiting for her to come down the steps.

“Hopefully, I get accepted into NYU for film. I want to make it big in the film industry as both a writer and a director,” Eli answered with a nervous grin. He was trying not to shake under Mr. Lewis’ tense gaze. The man was intimidating with a cold personality which, along with his looks, was not passed down to his more fiery daughter. However, like Marisol, he had a very fashionable style. He was dressed in a nice, grey suit with manicured nails and an expensive watch.

“And if that doesn’t work out, then what are your other plans? The film industry is very competitive and not everyone can be the next Francis Ford Coppola,” her father argued. Eli felt his hands get clammy.

“Well, I um...also plan to go into theatre, and I don’t mind writing books on the side,” he replied, which did nothing to change her father’s critical facial expression.

“And if those don’t work out?”

“Dominic, leave the boy alone,” Marisol’s step mother cut in with an amused look on her face. She was the only white person here other than him.

“What? I’m just having a friendly conversation with Eli. I heard some things about him that made me curious about how he came to be friends with my daughter,” Mr. Lewis replied to his wife with an innocent tone of voice.

“I mean you’re clearly scaring the guy, Pops. Mari would be pissed off if her date peed on himself because of you,” her brother argued playfully.

“Oh please. Eli, you don’t mind me asking you simple questions, right? This is no different from an interview with college recruiters or a future employer,” Mr. Lewis questioned him, with a look that left no room for him to say yes.

“No, I don’t mind at all," Eli answered with an encouraging smile.

Marisol’s mother then came downstairs and turned on the stereo. A Beyoncé song started to play.

"Alright, Mari is about to come down!” Her mother announced enthusiastically while pulling out her cellphone. The rest of the family then all pulled out their phones as well. He heard the familiar heels clacking against the floor upstairs that he was accustomed to hearing in his dreams.

When Marisol came down the steps with her signature big smile, he couldn’t breathe for a second.

She looked fucking beautiful .

The first thing he noticed was her makeup. She was wearing shimmering gold eyeshadow, black eyeliner, glittery black lip gloss, and dark blush. She was wearing black chandelier earrings with a black necklace composed of large, flat stones.

Her prom dress was dramatic in a good way. It was a shimmering gold with a heart-shaped neckline with sparkly black accents. The skirt of the dress was fluffy, with a black petticoat underneath. The dress was tight enough where it hugged her figure at the waist. Her chest, arms, and legs were adorned with gold body glitter and she was wearing the heels he bought her proudly.

She was perfect, absolutely perfect and he started to sweat.

“Hey Eli,” she greeted casually as she looked him up and down with approval. So she liked how he looked. Good.

“Woah,” he could only say in response. “Wow, real fucking smooth Goldsworthy,” he thought sarcastically. 

“You look so pretty Mari! Mommy, look how pretty she looks!” Her little sister squealed to her mother while clapping excitedly.

“She does!” her step-mother exclaimed cheerfully.

“Thank you, Candy,” Marisol replied warmly to her sister. She then faced him again. “Let’s take pictures!”

As they took pictures, Eli couldn’t stop thinking about how stunning she looked. This hot vixen was his date tonight? And he turned her down beforehand?

“She could still be your vixen, you know,” a voice told him at the back of his head.

He could only hope so if she allowed it.

---

“Wow, he really is fine as shit,” Marisol thought to herself as her and Eli took pictures on her front lawn. He had his arm wrapped tightly around her waist and it was making her feel things in her stomach. Memories of their hookup were flooding her mind and not helping her current feelings at all. Man, did she miss his kisses more than anything.

When she came down the steps, it took all in her to not visibly react at how good he looked in his tuxedo. He wore the same colors as she did and pulled them off flawlessly. With his black hair combed and his green eyes popping out vibrantly, he looked like the hottest movie star. He was going to turn heads in that outfit and was going to get the attention of other girls and she was not going to like it. He was her date.

“If you stake your claim on him officially, that will scare the girls off,” she thought to herself. Was she ready to date him now? She wanted to say no but she was fighting the urge to make out with him right now. 

Her family finally stopped taking pictures of them. There were only so many combinations they do and only so many areas of the house to pose in.

“Enjoy prom, baby,” her mother said happily as they walked towards her car.

“I want you back by 11:30, Mari. No after-parties and I will be contacting you to make sure you’re at your mother’s house,” her father ordered.

“Don’t worry Daddy, I’ll be back on time,” she replied casually as she and Eli got into her car. 

“Are you picking up Katie and Drew?” Eli asked her as she turned the car on.

“Nope, it’s just me and you in the car tonight,” she answered. She tried not to show how excited she was at that.

“Just me and you? Perfect,” he replied with a smirk. Was he flirting with her? If so, she was welcoming it even though she shouldn’t.

This was definitely shaping up to be a wonderful night.

---

It was the most uncomfortable dinner table Eli had ever sat at, and that included the time Clare had him meet her parents for dinner just so he could make them uncomfortable.

It was him, Marisol, Drew, Katie, Bianca, and Jake. Katie would not stop glaring at him and Bianca every two seconds, Drew was looking at Bianca in a way that definitely said he wasn’t completely over her yet, Jake was awkwardly trying to make small talk with everyone but was getting looks of jealousy from Drew in return, and Marisol was quietly eating around her plate. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she looked. She shined more than any other girl in the room. 

Katie looked nice too, he guessed. She was wearing a pearl necklace and a more conservative dress compared to Marisol that was a soft gold in color. Drew was enamored with how she looked as a boyfriend should be. But was she as eye-catching as the vixen next to him? Absolutely not.

Eli clutched his fork tightly as he ate his pasta. He couldn’t even begin to describe how much he wanted Marisol and wished he could take her away and just make out with her. It sucked that he couldn’t. Well, he supposed that he should be more appreciative of the fact that she allowed him to be her date to prom in the first place. But he really wanted her right now. He was glad that she allowed herself to go with him.

It almost wasn’t worth it though, with the nasty attitude Katie was giving him. It  annoyed him how she still was angry with him even though he proved multiple times that he was sorry for how he treated Marisol and that he cared deeply about earning her forgiveness. She lied when she said she was finally going to put the past behind them. He should have expected it but it was still fucking disappointing. 

While he could understand her anger, he also knew that she never liked him in the first place and was now being biased. She gave him the fakest smile when they walked in. It was obvious she wasn’t going to be warm to him, ever . However, ultimately it didn't matter whether she forgave him or not because he only cared about Marisol, who was smiling at him again with those cute dimples of hers.

Clare and Adam came around with bread, and Eli took the basket while giving his friend a smile. “Morrrreeeee breeeeaaadddd, Mare?” He asked Marisol with a goofy grin as he pushed the basket towards her. She playfully rolled her eyes, and took a piece out the basket. Katie gave him an annoyed look.

“What? The bread is to die for,” he told her as he took a piece, “It’s soft, warm, fluffy....not ice cold and brick hard,” he added, intending for her to take that part as an insult. She did and balled one of her fists up in response. He flashed her an evil grin.

Clare fixed Jake with a nasty look that made the guy nearly squirm in his seat. Okay, something was definitely going on between them.

Drew did his best to clear the tension in the air. 

“So....Katie, you took ballet in school when you were younger? Bianca’s a bit of a dancer herself. Isn’t that right, B?” he asked. 

“I took jazz, a little bit of hip hop,” Bianca replied casually.

“Oh cool.... I never took those,” Katie said, almost with a sneer. Drew shot her a warning look while she fluttered her eyelashes innocently in response. 

“How did you and Jake meet?” Marisol asked Bianca with an encouraging smile. “You guys look great together.”

Bianca shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and something told Eli that it wasn’t a story she wanted to tell.

“We had an assignment to do together for class and decided to be friends afterwards,” Jake answered, giving Marisol a casual smile, “Bianca’s pretty chill.” He was wearing a black tuxedo with red accents to match Bianca’s red dress. Oddly enough, Drew was wearing some red too with his black tux.

No one wanted to address the elephant in the room, which was that Bianca was Jake’s prom date instead of Clare . Eli wondered what happened between helping them get over a fight and prom. Did he waste his time when he locked them in that tent?

“Hmm. Sounds different from how you usually meet guys,” Katie remarked to Bianca, and the temperature in the room suddenly shot down to zero. Glaring viciously at Katie, Bianca opened her mouth to say something when Marisol cut in.

“Did everyone try the chicken yet? I thought the chicken was lovely,” Marisol cheerfully remarked, taking a bite out of the chicken on her plate. Her eyes were nervous though, and Eli wanted to grab her hand to comfort her.

“It’s pretty great. Tender, juicy, well seasoned,” Jake agreed as he took his own large bite, “The pasta is pretty great too, but my mom makes the best pasta. She passed the recipe down to me.”

“I think my mom makes the best pasta. She puts a lot of work into it. So do I,” Eli replied, giving Jake a competitive look but it was all in good fun.

“Maybe you boys can have a cook off one day. I’ll be the judge,” Marisol remarked.

“Cooking for you, I like that,” he told her with a flirty smile. She just giggled sweetly in response.

“I can make tacos!” Drew announced enthusiastically. “Beef tacos, chicken tacos, fish tacos, you name it.”

“I can make macaroni and cheese, pasta, rice, mash potatoes, and jerk chicken,” Marisol added.

“What can you make Bianca?” Katie asked the other girl with a sugary sweet smile that was completely fake.

“I can cook hot dogs and boil water. That’s pretty much it,” Bianca answered with a shrug.

“Hmm....interesting,” Katie replied flatly. She looked down at Bianca’s bracelet. “It’s a cute bracelet,” she remarked.

“Thanks! My auntie made it!” Bianca said, as she showed her bracelet off to Katie.

That’s when everyone saw the bruises on her wrist. 

Eli was disturbed as he looked at them. He was unfortunately reminded of his own that he got from the biker thugs. 

When Marisol looked at them, he could tell she was having flashbacks to the night at the restaurant. She bit down her lip nervously and this time Eli did grab her hand underneath the table. He gave it a gentle squeeze while rubbing it in circles with his thumb. Katie looked down at the bruises in surprise.

“Woah...is that-“

“It’s nothing,” Bianca quickly replied as Jake shot her a tense look. They shared a knowing look that made Eli suspicious.

“It’s okay. Drew told me about...you know...your boyfriend,” Katie said as Drew shot her another warning glare. Bianca and Jake were glaring at him.

“He’s not her boyfriend,” Jake grumbled, only for Bianca to shoot  him a warning look in response.

Drew was stumbling over his words, trying to explain himself, and Eli was glad it wasn’t him. He hated to be in the other guy’s shoes right now.

“He just wants to help,” Katie said, and surprisingly she sounded genuine.

“You have a pretty great boyfriend,” Bianca told Katie with a sad smile. Katie only smiled possessively in response.

He looked around the table of awkwardness. Drew was with Katie, but he still cared about Bianca and Katie didn’t like that. Bianca’s date was Jake, who for some reason didn’t take Clare who was his actual girlfriend. Marisol was his prom date, but they weren’t officially together even though he was pining after her hard. This felt like they were all in a melodramatic, teenage soap opera. A kinda shitty one at that.

Adam came around the table again to bring them a tall glass of strawberries. Eli picked one out of the glass and handed it to Marisol, who silently accepted it. He knew strawberries were her favorite fruit, and it made sense considering how sweet she could be to him at times. He smiled softly at her while she chewed on it. She looked at him and smiled back, showing off her beautiful dimples.

Everyone else at the table were all sharing uncomfortable stares.

When the slow song came on, Eli took Marisol’s hand. 

“May I offer you a dance milady?” He asked her with his most charming smile.

“You may sir,” she accepted eagerly. They rose together, and Eli led her to the dance floor with the other couples. Marisol put her hands on his shoulders while he put both of his hands on her hips, pulling her close to him as they danced. The last time they danced together, it was after her shift at Little Miss Steaks and it led to that horrific night in the alleyway. The song that was playing during that moment was ringing in his head.

She actually towered over him because of her heels, and Eli was once again annoyed with how short he was. 

He shot a nasty glare at Owen as he danced with some chick, who should have been aware of how much of a bastard her prom date was at this point. Katie outed him to the school as an attempted rapist for fuck’s sake! Was the girl stupid or did she not care? Maybe it was both. It was probably both.

He still wanted to ruin Owen’s life by telling Simpson what he tried to do to Marisol, and he still wanted to poison his ass but he supposed that Owen having a broken nose from him and a black eye from Drew was enough. For now.

Eventually Marisol laid her head on his chest, and he resisted caressing her hair. She would throw a fit if he messed up her hair.

“I want you to know that I’m falling in love with you,” Eli confessed in her ear. She looked up at him in shock. “I’ve been thinking of you every day.”

“There was never an us, Eli,” she reminded him, “You didn’t want me. You wanted Clare, remember?” She had a frown on her pretty face that had to be wiped away quickly.

“I was so wrong for that and I was wrong for how I treated you. I hurt you and you have every right to never forgive me. But I need for you to know that whatever we had before the play, I cherish it more every day. You came into my life unexpected when I was at my worst, and made it better. I thought you were troublesome but you were the opposite of that. Getting to know you has been one of the best experiences I ever had in my life, and my feelings for you haven’t gone away. Being with you is like waking up after a long, starless night and seeing the sun rise. There’s not a part of you I don’t want because you’re perfect. You’re confident, passionate, caring, funny, bright, incredibly sexy....,” he confessed, his heart hammering in his chest, “It’s okay if you don’t feel uncomfortable with us being more than friends, but know that I don’t regret anything that happened between us; the meetings at Little Miss Steaks about the play, Movie Night, study sessions, the hookup in your car, I wouldn’t take any of it back. Risking my life to save you from the bikers, I would do that a hundred times over if it meant protecting you. Because I'm in love with you Marisol Lewis, and I want there to be an us,” he declared passionately as another slow song played in the background.

“I never stopped loving you but I’m scared of getting hurt again,” she told him in concern.

“Don’t be scared. We can do this. We can actually be something,” he argued before suddenly reaching up and kissing her. She let a sound of surprise before kissing him back. It had been so long since they shared a kiss that they quickly went into a frenzy as their tongues collided. Just the feel of her lips against his ignited a fire against him. He squeezed her soft skin as he explored her mouth. Oh yeah, he missed this greatly.

“Get a room!” A random student yelled at the them.

They broke apart, breathing heavily.

“Maybe we can do that,” Marisol offered with a giggle. He gave her a seductive smirk.

“Now?” He suggested.

“Not now, later,” she answered before kissing him again.

---

So she was officially dating Eli Goldsworthy now.

A whirl of emotions were going through her, and Marisol almost felt overwhelmed by them all. Eli was her boyfriend now.

At the start of the school year, the main goal was to just hook up with him as she couldn’t picture herself actually dating the resident goth kid. However, because of working on Love Roulette, she developed real feelings for him in the process and almost got her heart shattered in the process. Him rejecting her during the play fiasco was still a sore spot for her, but he made up for it over and over again. He campaigned for Katie just for her. He stopped her from sleeping with Owen again. He bought her the prettiest pair of shoes she had ever seen. He behaved like an absolute gentleman this whole night. He had just declared his love for her on the dance floor, and when he kissed her, she could feel how much passion he put into the kiss. There was no doubt about it. He was in love with her too.

Even when she was angry as fuck at him her feelings for him never truly went away even after he did her wrong because he was simply a great person even with all of his flaws. There was a fuck ton of them, but he also had so many positive virtues to combat those flaws. He wasn’t just a weird, artsy goth kid as he was more than that. He was intelligent, compassionate, handsome, witty, romantic, and a hero. He was her own, personal hero.

She dated so many boys, but only Eli behaved like a prince from a fairy tale. He was the first boy that had cared for her as a person rather than her body. There was a rough period but now she can truly say that his presence made her feel safe. He was in love with her and she was in love with him. They can do this.

Eli was currently dancing like a total goofball along with Adam. They were frantically bouncing, pumping their fists in the air and shaking their heads to the beat like they just snorted a line of coke beforehand. It was kind of embarrassing but also a little cute at the same time.

Eli suddenly grabbed her and tried to get her to dance with him.

“Come on! This is a fun song!” He yelled over the loud music while Adam continued to bounce. Laughing, she shook her head.

“I don’t think so! You seem to be doing a great job on your own!” She shouted back with a teasing smile. She squealed as he pulled her into him anyway. For whatever reason, she gave up and danced with him and Adam even though it was hard as hell in her heels. His energy was contagious. They laughed together as all three of them bopped to the song. The energy was so positive.

Then everything went to hell as expected from a Degrassi event.

Drew and Bianca were loudly arguing about something, and the conversation was loud enough to grab the attention of everyone around them. 

Marisol watched in confusion as a guy that definitely did not look like he attended Degrassi stalked towards the whole group with a menacing stare. She immediately grabbed Eli’s arm for protection as Bianca approached him. The guy had to be the boyfriend that was abusing her. Bianca tried to tell him something only for the man to grab her.

Drew confronted the guy, and they got into a fight where Drew overpowered him and knocked him to the ground. By then, Jake had walked up and tried to pull Bianca away, but she was frozen in fear.

“Get out of here!” Drew yelled to the guy, only for the guy on the floor to get up and pull out a gun.

Everything felt like it happened in slow motion as people started to scream and run for cover.

She gasped as the guy aimed his gun at them all. Eli immediately shielded her as the guy fired two shots from his pistol. For a few seconds, she didn’t know who got shot.

Then Adam let out a cry of pain as he fell to the ground with blood pouring from his shoulder. Eli crouched down to his friend in worry as tears welled up in his eyes.

It seemed like Clare Edwards came out of nowhere as she came over to help Adam as well. Katie attempted to help as well by applying pressure to his wound.

She felt out of place and useless as she didn’t know how to help. She could only watch in horror as Adam wouldn’t stop bleeding. Some of his blood was even splattered on her.

The ambulance workers eventually came and took Adam away, who was whimpering in pain.

“I’ll drive you guys to the hospital,” she offered to Eli and Clare when Drew asked them all to accompany him, but there was something in his eyes that said that he was going to do something before that.

As Marisol escorted Eli, Clare, and Katie out of the building, she was once again horrified by how bad things could get in such a short timespan.

---

Eli once again had blood on his clothes, only this time it wasn’t his.

After talking to Clare, Marisol walked up to him. She had swapped out her pumps for flats and now they were almost at the same level again. She was only an inch shorter than him.

“Is Adam going to be okay, babe?” She asked with a concerned frown.

“Yeah, he just needs to go through surgery,” he answered. He was beyond relieved Adam was going to alright. He already lost Julia, who was his first girlfriend and love. He couldn’t imagine losing his first male friend a year later. The thought was too awful.

She hugged him in comfort and rubbed his back to soothe him. “I’m so glad that he’s going to be alright,” she told him. “I can’t believe someone shot up our prom!”

“Well Degrassi is fucking crazy, Mare. Remember Vegas Night?” Eli asked her. He still couldn’t believe he almost got shanked by the school thug. He strategically avoided going to The Dot when Fitz was on shift so he wouldn’t have the urge to try to fight him again.

“Yeah, that night I was flirting with you but you were alllllll about Clare Edwards,” she said as she pulled back and looked at him with an amused smile, “That didn’t stop me though. I work hard to get what I want, and that includes getting  cute little emo boys.”

“Well it ultimately paid off. You’re now dating the resident Emo Freak. I hope you’re into blood sacrifices and satanic rituals,” he joked.

“As long as you’re fine with dating the most fabulous girl at Degrassi who’s all about lip gloss and nail polish, that’s okay with me. Not that chipped, sharpie nail polish shit you like wearing though. With me, you’re wearing a top coat at least, Count Dracula,” she ordered.

“Hmm.....I don’t think I’m going to like that,” he replied with a playful frown.

“With me, you’re going to learn to love it,” she argued.

“Oh really?” He asked with an eyebrow raise.

“You should know by now, Eli, that I’m quite good at the convincing game,” she purred, as she started caressing his hair, “I have ways of making men do anything I want.”

“Such as?” He teased.

She responded by passionately kissing him.

Chapter 17: Epilogue

Summary:

Summary: And here it is. The epilogue 🥺. Writing this fic was a ride from start to finish but I had fun the whole time.

July

“Well that concludes our session today. Thank you ladies for coming and participating in the group activities. There’s refreshments as always in the back,” the group counselor directed enthusiastically as she clapped her hands. Pretty much everyone got out of their seats and headed to the back of the room where there were juices, cookies, muffins, and fruit and vegetable trays.

After what she endured this year, her mother had her signed up for a summer therapy group for survivors of sexual assault. Marisol was hesitant to go at first due to still being too traumatized to talk about the experience at first, but after the first two sessions, she was glad that this was happening. In her group there were girls and women of all different ages, races, and other backgrounds. She didn’t feel alone at all and she found it easy to open up about her trauma. No one judged her as an idiot or a slut for what happened. It was all positivity and acceptance.

As Marisol fixed herself a plate of cookies, Bianca approached her.

“I like the things you said today. You know, about how you couldn’t allow those guys to continue making you feel powerless and that you fought hard to not lose yourself,” Bianca said to her, and there was no sarcasm or mockery in her voice for once. The statement was genuine.

“Thanks,” she replied. She was surprised when Bianca of all people showed up to the first session, and the other girl acted like she didn’t want to be there. But after the third session, she opened up about her history with sexual abuse and it caused her to not see value in herself and other people.

It’s how Marisol found out that Bianca’s gangbanging “boyfriend” wasn’t her boyfriend at all. He forced her to sleep with him or else he threatened to kill Drew. It was horrifying and she felt awful that Bianca was forced to endure that for an entire semester. Her own experience felt almost trivial compared to that.

“It’s hard dealing with this kind of shit. I’ve been dealing with this since I was a kid and it’s only recently that I realized that my life has been very fucked up and I wasn’t acknowledging it. When I was with Vince, I was coping by being numb the whole time we were together but now it’s like I can’t stop being upset about it when I’m by myself,” Bianca confessed.

“You’re a brave person for enduring that. I don’t think I would have been as strong as you in that situation,” Marisol replied. She couldn’t stop thinking about how the bikers were going to kidnap her after they were done raping her and continue doing it when they dragged her to their house. They made that clear that they were going to use her as long as they could. If that happened, she might have just killed herself after the first night. For Bianca to sacrifice her body every day for Drew like that meant that she was an unbelievably selfless and compassionate girl, not the “evil tramp” she previously thought her as. She was more than that.

“You’re strong too, Marisol for what you went through. Especially since you still showed up to school that Monday and acted like everything was normal,” Bianca argued, “And I’m sorry for what Owen tried to do to you. It wasn’t right and I ended our friendship because of it.”

That second statement made Marisol realize that she was going to do something similar to what Bianca did. Just like how Bianca was coerced into a relationship with that monster because Drew’s life was on the line, Owen tried to coerce her into sex because he was using Katie’s eating disorder as a weapon against her. If it weren’t for Katie and Eli, she would have slept with him and god knows what else even if she didn’t want to. She would have been trapped like Bianca, so they were more similar than she thought.

It made her respect Bianca a lot more.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“But I did. He’s always been an asshole but blackmailing you into sex was going too far, especially after you were assaulted. I can’t be friends with someone like that. I know you probably don’t believe that because I was always a bitch to you, but I can’t express how disgusted I am with him right now and I’m sorry for how he treated you and how I treated you,” the other girl apologized sincerely.

“Well, it’s in the past now. The bikers, Owen, and our beef. It’s over and it’s time for both of us to start over,” Marisol said with a warm smile.

“Yeah,” the other girl agreed.

“I’ll be seeing you at the meeting next, okay?” Marisol stated before telling her goodbye. Bianca gave her a simple nod before pouring herself a cup of lemonade.

When she walked out into the lobby, Eli was waiting for her in one of the seats. He was reading some teen magazine that she knew that he was only reading to make fun of it. She loved how supportive he was of her getting help. He accompanied her to every group therapy session, and in return she drove him to his therapy appointments when his parents weren’t available. As a couple, they were healing through their trauma together and were growing closer each day because of it. She didn’t care that he had bipolar disorder as she only wanted him to be healthy. She loved all of Eli Goldsworthy, not just his dark and mysterious appeal.

“Well, well, well. My princess is finally free for today,” he greeted playfully as he put the magazine down and stood up.

“Finally,” she repeated, “Where should we go next, my dark prince?”

“First of all, I told you not to call me that in public, and two I’m thinking The Dot,” he answered as he grabbed her hand.

“The Dot it is then, Emo Bear,” she replied with her other favorite nickname for him, which made him roll his eyes in annoyance. Eh, he’ll get over it with a nice makeout session in her car.

It was a beautiful, hot day in July and she never felt more at peace with him by her side.

 

---

“You know, at the beginning of the school year, I vowed that I would get the perfect boyfriend by the end. He was going to be hot, smart, strong, sweet, and caring,” Marisol confessed to him as they drank milkshakes together. They were sitting across from each other.

“And instead you got snarky, dark, twisted, and emotionally fucked up,” he replied dryly as he sipped on his chocolate milkshake. “Though I guess I’m smart at times,” he added with an amused grin.

“Please, you’re everything I ever wanted in a guy,” she argued. “Just different than I’m used to and that’s great! You’re better than the rest.”

“Well, I guess with the meatheads you’ve dated. But I’m still surprised that the most popular girl in school wants to be with me when you can surely do better,” he mused.

“I don’t want any other guy than the mysterious Eli Goldsworthy. That’s why, and I can’t do better than a guy that saved me and made my prom night memorable. You’re the only guy I need and I love you,” she proclaimed, “If anything I’m shocked you want me. Aren’t I a little different than your usual love interests?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, but that’s why I love you even if you are the most troublesome girl in my life,” he told her with a smirk, “You’re the fire I need in my life.” If anyone told him in the beginning of the year that he would not only fall in love again after losing Julia and with a seemingly shallow and ditzy cheerleader at that, he would have called them a fucking idiot. However, he wouldn’t have it any other way. He loved every part of Marisol Lewis, and he wouldn’t give that love up for anything. She was meant to be in his life and he was thankful every day that she signed up for Love Roulette and wrote her name on the sheet in that glittery, pink ink.

“We really went through hell to get here, didn’t we?” She asked in a soft tone of voice.

“It was worth it though, because we now have each other,” he answered warmly, and they both smiled.

Together, they each leaned forward towards the other and shared a deep kiss in the restaurant.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of The Elarisol Universe