Title: My Marco
Chapter: 5: Vacation From Ellie
Rating: PG
Fandom: Degrassi
pairing: Darco
Season/Spoiler: Up to Season 6, Sunglasses at Night
Summary: My version of Darco, Season 7.


I heard a knock at my door.

“Go away, Ellie,” I said.

“Hon, it’s me,” I heard Paige say through the door. I got off my bed and walked to the door and opened it.

“And me!” Alex exclaimed, making me jump slightly, as she poked her head in through the door, before I even finished opening it. I let out a light chuckle as I opened the door completely to reveal the two girls.

“What’s up?” I asked, closing the door as the girls entered my room.

“I think we need to call a house meeting,” Paige said, as she sat at the chair at my desk.

“Oh?” I inquired, as I sat down on the edge of my bed, facing her. I felt some extra weight on the bed. I looked behind me, to find Alex, under my covers, snuggling up to my pillows.

“Alex, what are you doing?” I laughed.

“What?!” Alex asked innocently. “It’s so comfy! And snuggly!!” Alex wrapped herself tighter around my covers. “Oh, this is the stuff.”

Paige and I couldn’t help but laugh at her. She had a look of pure glee on her face. Alex was one of a kind, that was for sure. I just ruffled Alex’s hair, laughing, before turning back to Paige.

“So, why do we need a meeting?” I asked her.

“Nothing is getting through to her, Marco.”

“Oh, did you talk to her after I left?”

“Yes. I was pissed at how she is talking about my brother. Dylan’s not even here to defend himself. She doesn’t have a right to talk about him like that.”

I looked at Paige, sympathetically.

“She thinks I’m not affected by this. I know I don’t always show it. But I love my brother, I do.”

“Aw, Paige, I know...” I comforted her.

“I miss him, too, you know.”

I hopped off the bed, and grabbed a chair from the corner of the room. I sat it next to Paige, and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, and pulled her close.

“I know, sweetie.” I paused. “I’m sorry.”

She looked up, puzzled. “What for? You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

“I’ve been so caught up in my thing with Dylan, that I neglected to think about how you are dealing with this too. He is your brother.”

She looked at me, smiling. “Hon, you’re in love.”

“Yes, very much.” I grinned. “But that still doesn’t warrant me to ignore how you must be feeling.”

“It’s fine, most of the time,” Paige explained. “I love both of you. But this thing with Ellie just brings up how Dylan being in Switzerland doesn’t affect me.”

"I know." I leaned closer to her, and kissed her forehead. I pulled her close, for a hug. “I’m still sorry,” I whispered to her.

“Don’t be,” Paige said. “Apology not accepted.”

I chuckled. “Fine.”

“Anyway,” Paige continued. “You won’t believe what she said. I tried to tell her how much you and hockey meant to Dylan, but nothing got through to her. I even showed her a picture of us when we were little -”

“The one on the ice rink?” I asked, sitting back down on the bed.

“Yeah.”

“Dyl was dreamy even then.”

“Marco, he was 8 in that picture.”

“So?” I exclaimed, shrugging my shoulders. “He was.”

Paige cleared her throat, pointing to herself.

“You were gorgeous too, geez.”

Paige smiled at herself. “Thank you.”

“So what is it that Ellie said?”

“She thinks my parents should come and move the remainder of Dylan’s stuff to our house, because his hockey stuff is taking up too much room.”

I looked at Paige, speechless.

“She--what!?”

“I know.” Paige said.

“Seriously, what is up with her lately?” I asked. “If she said that, then-”

“I guess she thinks Dylan’s not coming back.”

“I just don’t know what to do with her anymore, Paige. She’s driving me up the wall. I can’t handle it. I have enough stress in my life as it is.” I laid down on the bed, looking at the ceiling.

“I was thinking, Marco,” Paige started to say. “That maybe we should suggest to Ellie she go stay with her mom or with Jesse for a week or two.”

I sat up. “Hmm.” I hadn't even thought of that as a possibility. I was almost to the point of going to my parents, just to escape Ellie.

“We could both use a break from her, she’s just causing too much tension. Maybe this will let her cool off some, and get back to normal.”

“I miss the old Ellie.” I told her. “Alright, house meeting. When?”

“Tomorrow night. She doesn’t have class.”

I moved to the chair next to Paige, and opened the laptop on the desk. Paige turned her chair around, to see the computer. I logged into my email.

“I’ll CC it to you,” I told Paige, as I started to compose a message.

“Don’t make it look suspicious. Say its about rent or something house-related.”
------
From: Marco Del Rossi

To: Ellie Nash

CC: Paige Michalchuk

We are having a mandatory house meeting tomorrow at 7 pm, as we all don’t have class or work at that time, to discuss separating financial expenses evenly, as well as other household duties.

Marco
------
“How’s that sound?” I asked.

“Despite it being a long run-on sentence, it’s perfectly fine,” Paige said.

“Oh, whatever. You know what a horrible writer I am.” I clicked the send button on the message.

All the suddenly, I heard a loudest snoring noise. I turned around and see Alex in my bed, mouth hanging open, snoring up a storm.

I looked at Paige, laughing.

“It’s not that funny. Try sleeping next to that,” Paige told me.

“No, it’s cool. Dylan describes his dreams in his sleep.” I said, defending myself.

Alex’s snoring started to get louder and louder with each snore.

“My God, she’s loud!” I laughed.
------
I sat on the couch, going through the mail, waiting for Ellie and Paige for our house meeting, also known as the Kick Ellie Out for Two Weeks meeting. I really hoped this worked, because Ellie was driving me crazy. She had even mentioned that her study partner in her Biology class was single over breakfast. I will give the girl credit, she definitely doesn’t give up easily, despite her bad intentions.

Paige walked in the front door. “Hey, Marco,” she smiled.

“I think I should sign up for classes at the community college next semester,” Paige said, sitting down next to me.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Maybe Banting was just too much. I think I set my expectations too high,” Paige explained.

“If you want, I’ll go with you to the campus,” I told her. “I’m sure there’s an information session or something.”

“Thanks, Marco,” Paige hugged me. “Think this will go well?”

“No.” I told her. “But if we don’t I will seriously crack.”

Paige laughed. “About time you admitted it.”

I chuckled at Paige, as Ellie walked in, with two backpacks, full of papers and books.

“Have enough homework, hon?” Paige asked her.

Ellie put the backpacks on the chair, across from where Paige and I were sitting.

“Jesse is totally riding my ass. I thought being his girlfriend would make my job at the Core easier, but noo...he gives me more work than anyone on the Core.” Ellie started to complain. “I mean, seriously, it’s not like I don’t have classes and a life.”

Paige looked at me, with a look that said everything. Ellie could be really into herself sometimes.

“El.” I stated.

Ellie looked up. “Hmm?”

“Sit.” I said, sternly.

“What’s going on?” Ellie asked, starting to figure out that something was off.

“Paige and I were talking last night, Ellie,” I started to tell her. I looked nervously at Paige, but Paige just nodded her head, reassuring me. “We think it would be best if maybe you spend the next two weeks with your Mom or Jesse.”

“What, why?”

“Ellie, hon. You have to admit you have been causing some,” Paige paused, looking for the right word. “Stress in the house.”

“Is this about me trying to set you up with Eric, Marco? I apologized for that.” Ellie told me.

“Not exactly. And I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

“I don’t get it.” Ellie said to me.

“You should be apologizing to my brother,” Paige told Ellie, somewhat sternly.

Ellie rolled her eyes. “Not this again.”

“Yes, this again. You are making it hard to live with, Ellie. You are making everyone uncomfortable. I don’t know if you are just extremely stressed or what, but you haven’t been acting like normal.” Paige told Ellie.

“You both want me to move out?” Ellie asked.

“Not move out, El.” I told her. “Just a two week break, so we can all recollect ourselves.”

Ellie bit on her lip. “How come Paige gets to stay here?”

“Well, to be honest,” I said gently to Ellie. “Paige isn’t dissing my boyfriend every second she gets and trying to set me up with every male that lives in Toronto.”

“Marco, come on,” Ellie urged. “Aren’t you being a little drastic?”

“Ellie, I love you, okay? But I can’t deal with you like this right now. You’re not acting like Ellie. I just need a break from you. You need a break, I think..I just need some time away from you.”

“And what if I don’t agree to this?” Ellie asked.

“Then I’ll call Dylan, and tell him what you did,” Paige piped in.

Ellie’s eyes opened wide. “You haven’t told him, have you?”

“I think Dylan has other things to worry about right now,” Paige said. “But I can assure you, hon, he will not be happy once he hears what you have been up to. And when he comes back, which he will,” Paige emphasized. “We’ll see if he thinks you should still be living here.”

Ellie looked down, almost ashamed.

“Dylan’s name is on this lease. He let you live here.” I told her, trying not to be too mean.

Ellie looked down on the coffee table for a long time. She didn’t look up for several minutes.

“I know,” Ellie finally said, barely audible. She looked up at Paige, then at me. “If this is what you need, then, I’ll do it for you, Marco. I’m not happy about it, but if you need a break, then I’ll go get my things and stay with my mom for two weeks.”

“Thank you, Ellie,” I said.

She nodded, and rushed upstairs.

“That was so hard,” I sighed, and put my head on the pillow that was on the couch.

Paige rubbed my back. “It’ll be okay,” she whispered.

“I just wish Dylan was here,” I told her.

“I know. Me, too.”