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 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 them hooking up in her car. 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, 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.