just like you [katie be somebody doing something]

[Tristan Hogart]

Tristan was outside in the front yard, literally laying in the grass, eyes closed. Honestly, he couldn't quite remember how long he had been laying out there, except that he'd been throwing a basketball around in the driveway before and at some point, wound up in the grass, just laying there. He was trying not to think, frankly. It was comfortable. He didn't have to worry about school, about murders on the news or about how his friend still hadn't woken up and sometimes he wasn't even sure Scott would give a damn about him when he did wake up. He didn't even know if he saw him as a friend anymore. Aidan might have, but that didn't change that he never had a chance to really make things up with Scott. And it was hard to think that he might never wake up and Tristan would never have really solved it. He was trying not to think about how sucky things could get and instead just relaxed back on the lawn. It was comfortable too, until he felt droplets of water suddenly splashed on his face. He wrinkled his nose and just as he did, it was splashed down more and he coughed, wiped at his face and glared up at the offender.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, and realized the shadow standing above him was Aaron and grumbled and sat up. "What's your problem?"

"Why're you laying out in the grass?" Aaron asked back, amused with the reaction. It wasn't his fault his younger brother was hanging out in the middle of the front yard like that. He was basically asking to have water poured on his face.

"Why are you bugging me?" Tristan asked right back, only causing Aaron to laugh and wonder if he knew how much of a bratty younger brother he came across as sometimes. He seemed disgruntled a great deal of the time, whether it was with their dad or with their sisters. Instead of answering, as Tristan started to stand up, Aaron overturned the bottle again, on top of his head this time. "Man, stop it!" He exclaimed, climbed to his feet and gave him a shove. It only made Aaron stumble a little and laugh again. This is how it often went down. Tristan didn't dislike him that much, not really. Usually, his teasing was in good fun and just annoying, rather than anything really upsetting. But, he still couldn't help but express said annoyance.

[Deleted]

Her spirits weren’t as high as they normally were. It wasn’t that her Ritalin dosage had been raised. It wasn’t because she had a broken nail, or because the shoes she wanted for weeks were sold out. It was because less than two hours ago, Natasha’s heart was broken.

She had not actually had a good relationship before JT. Usually; she didn’t get too close to a guy who wasn’t one of her fathers. It was just the way she was. Back in Malibu, she had gotten her first boyfriend shortly after her sweet sixteen. And that had gone downhill once he started telling her how dumb she was and that she wasn’t good enough for Broadway like she wanted. But then she came to Toronto, ready for a brand new start, and met Jason.

JT had stopped at her house on the way out of town, to give the earth-shattering news that he was moving. He had asked about a long-distance relationship, but Natasha didn’t think so. She just didn’t trust it. And even though it was her decision, it still hurt. She had hugged him before rushing inside while her dad talked to his dad and wrote a check to help with moving expenses.

When he came back inside, the blond was sitting in her windowsill, watching as the car drove away. Andrew made his way to her room, clearing his throat to get her attention. “Go for a drive,” he said, tossing the keys to her.
Natasha looked at her car keys before tossing them back “Daddy, I’m grounded.”

“Not today. You’re hurting, so today you need to get out of the house. It’ll do you some good,” Andrew argued, tossing them back to her.

Natasha shook her head and tossed them back. “Daddy was specific. I’m grounded. And I might as well just stay that way because I don’t feel like doing anything. Anymore. Ever” with each word, her voice squeaked before she started crying. Andrew sighed and rushed over, hugging her.

“Shh. It’s ok. You need some Natasha time, honey. At least go for a walk. Your dad will understand,” he insisted gently, rubbing her back. “Take Bruiser with you. Go shopping, or get your hair done. Something you girls do. I’ll give you some money”

Natasha sniffed and nodded, putting her hair in a ponytail and slipping into her shoes before calling her dog and putting him in his dog purse. As usual, she left the house, adorned in sparkly pink, from her hair scrunchie down to her sneakers. She didn’t entirely cheer up, though. She couldn’t help it. Her heart was aching.

As she walked, her eyes stayed focus on the sidewalk. She didn’t even notice the direction in which she was going. She was just following her dad’s advice and walking. She would worry about how to get home later.

“Miss?” her brown eyes suddenly looked up as a tall, lanky man approached her.

“Yes?” she asked, confused. She didn’t know him.

“Do you like gold?” he asked her, eyebrows raised.

“Gold?” she blinked back her surprise. She didn’t know why he was asking, but she liked the sound of it. “I love gold. Real gold, anyway.”

“My sister gave this chain to me, and I just lost my job. I was wondering if you might want to buy it”

Natasha smiled endearingly. She would be willing to look at it, make sure it was real. Natasha knew her jewelry. “Oh, you poor thing! I’m definitely interested!” As she set her purse down, though, Bruiser jumped out of it and ran. “Bruiser! Oh dear. I’ll be back!” she told the stranger as she grabbed her bag and ran after her dog.

Rachel stepped off the city bus. She hadn’t wanted anyone to know where she was today, so she hadn’t allowed anyone to drive her. But she was finally doing it. She hadn’t been home in close to a month now, and she was finally going to make things right with her dad. After her last heart-to-heart with Rockie, Rachel realized that she needed to make the first move.

She had gone to the hospital first, to talk to Scott. It was a habit she had formed when he was put in the coma. The doctor had said that talking might help, and so she did. Rachel went to his room every day, and she sat beside her boyfriend and just told him everything that happened that day. And something inside of her told her that he could hear her, even if he couldn’t wake up just yet. So today, she had gone to his room, and told him what she was about to do. “I’m so scared that he’ll turn me away. But Rocky thinks he’ll listen.” She had explained to him And before she left, she kissed his lips and whispered, “Come back to us soon, Scotty. I love you.” Just as she did every time she visited him.

Now, she stood in the driveway of her house. She stared at the door, her hand fiddling with the key to the front door. Her eyes closed and she silently prayed for courage. “You can do this, Rach. Just…grow up. Come on. grow up.” Exhaling, she put the key in the lock and turned it, opening the door. “Dad!” she called out with a smile. The sight made her freeze.

The couch. The flat screen. The coffee table. The piano. The bookcase. All of it was gone. All that was left were the indentations in the carpet. “Dad?” she called out weakly, terrified of what she knew she was about to discover. Slowly, she made her way up the spiral staircase. Bypassing her old room, she stared at Raquelle’s old door. “Rockie?” she called shakily, opening the door. Just like the living room, it was completely barren. By now her throat was tightening and her chest felt heavy.
Next, she ran to her dad’s room. As she gripped the door handle though, it was locked. A glimmer of hope shined through as she rapidly jiggled the handle. “Dad! Rockie! Stephan! Anyone, please! Open up!” she yelled, frantically pounding on the door. Suddenly, the spare key fell from the top trim. Picking it up, Rachel had the door open in a matter of seconds, only to find all of her dad’s belongings gone.

They had left her. Her entire family was gone—vanished without a trace. They didn’t even bother to take her with them. Was she really that horrible? Rachel knew she wasn’t the best daughter, but to leave like that—her mind repeated the question: Why me? Why me? Why me?
She couldn’t stay here. This hadn’t been her home for a month now, and with her family gone, she really couldn’t stay. Rachel left her father’s old bedroom, dragging her feet as she slowly made her way to the staircase. When she came back to her room, Rachel paused. She wondered what had become of her things. She had missed her cd’s, her clothes, and her books. It would probably be empty, just like every other room in the house. But maybe…

As she pushed the door open, she felt a wave of relief. It was exactly the same as before. Stepping inside, she sat on her old bed, hugging her pillow. At least this was still here; a single glimpse of what used to be home. As she looked around, everything was as she remembered it. Not one thing was out of place. Well, there was one thing…

Rachel bit her lip as she picked up the paper that rested on her desk. She didn’t recognize it. And as she began to read, she slowly learned why. “Betrayal. That’s what I think of when I think of Coach Brooks. Our championship-winning basketball coach, and absolutely the best teacher in Degrassi, Coach Brooks has always been inside our minds and hearts when we fondly look back at our days in Degrassi. But for one of us, that’s not all he’s been inside of. Behind her tacky military uniform, Jamie Kerwin has been hiding her true self—a home wrecker, a slut, and a career-ruiner. Miss Perfect herself has single-handedly taken the Coach from us forever. Eyewitnesses say that what started out as an innocent heart-to-heart ended in a heated kiss—and we all know where that led to—Oh my god. Jamie” she stopped reading, unable to bear it. This was an article of the Grapevine, but the issue wasn’t even out yet. This had to be the reason they left. Who had written this? “Abigail Stevens.” Of course. The queen bee’s best friend. And all she could do was stand by and take it. After all, she was not going to let herself become like Alexis. And even if she was willing to take that chance, it would ruin what she had been doing for Scott and Marissa.

She needed some air. Folding the paper, Rachel stuck it in her pocket and went back outside, locking the front door again. She looked around at the neighborhood she hadn’t visited since she was kicked out. And right across the street, she spotted Aaron and Tristan. Rachel hadn’t really spoken to Tristan since he and Scott stopped being friends. Aaron, though, was one of Willow’s boy-toys. That was one thing Rachel refused to do. She just loved Scott too much, despite that Willow constantly told her that it wasn’t cheating since he wasn’t even conscious, and that she couldn’t wait around forever for him to wake up. But at the end of the day, Willow shrugged it off and respected Rachel’s decision not to fool around.

She made her way across the street in time to see Aaron dumping water on his brother. Forcing a laugh, Rachel stepped onto the yard “Wow, so mature!” she teased Aaron. Nodding to Tristan, she added “hey, Tristan”

She had only been standing there for a few seconds when the dog came running up, barking and wagging his tail. He was a small dog, but that didn’t matter. Rachel was afraid of dogs, no matter the size. With a scream, she ducked behind Aaron, trying to put him between her and the Chihuahua.

“Bruiser!” Natasha’s voice called after her dog as she finally caught up with him, picking him up.

“Get that thing away from me!” Rachel commanded from behind Aaron.

“Oh, Bruiser’s friendly. He’d never hurt you,” Natasha assured her, but she did put him back in the carrier and zipped the door shut this time. Looking at the three teens, Natasha gave a polite smile. She didn’t exactly know either one of the boys. She had seen Aaron around, but didn’t know him personally, and the other boy she didn’t believe she had been introduced to at all. “Hi, there.”