A/N: I just watched the new Sneak Peeks for next week's episode. Yes. All of them are already up at ABC Family. If you watch Sneak Peeks and haven't seen them, go watch them! They're hilarious. You also won't have a clue what's going on in this fic if you don't watch them, since this fic is based off of them. And in the same token, if you don't like spoilers, then this fic probably isn't for you.
Half Full
"Ah – ah – ah – choo!"
Adrian's eyes snapped shut from the cumulative pressure in her sinuses and her neck jumped forward as a powerful explosion of air and snot escaped her nostrils. Her chin smacked against her chest and moments later, she dropped forward like a dead man into her checkered comforter.
"Glass of water?"
Adrian's battered red eyes lifted and she spotted Amy Juergens standing in her doorway, holding up a glass of tap water like a white flag. She tried to smile, but ended up wincing as her sore, chapped bottom lip broke open from the pressure. With a swiping gesture, she stole a tissue from her Kleenex box and pressed it to her bleeding lip. "What are you doing here?" she inquired, her sandpaper voice muffled from behind the tissue.
"Your dad let me in." Amy moved across the bedroom and placed the glass onto Adrian's nightstand.
"I kinda figured," she replied, taking the tissue away from her lip and examining the size of the bloody smear. "I meant, why did you come over?"
"Isn't that what friends do?"
The words gave the Latina pause. She narrowed her eyes. "Yeah," she nodded, still baffled. "I guess."
Amy shrugged. "Ben told me you were sick." She brushed a strand of her lustrous hair from her eyes. "I can only guess you caught it from hanging around me all week."
Adrian nodded as she reached into her nightstand drawer and pulled out a chap stick, which she began to rub liberally along her chipping lips. "I figured that too."
"Look," Amy spoke, her words laden with a sigh. "I know you only want to be my friend to make Ricky happy-"
"No!" Adrian drew a breath as she caught Amy's unimpressed gaze, then allowed her eyes to fall back to her tissue. "Okay, yes." She scratched her nose with her manicured nail. "But," she added, peeking up from behind her tissue, "that's not all of it. Yes, it's a lot of it, but not everything. I don't just want Ricky to be happy. I mean, I want him to be happy but…I also understand that if I'm serious about marrying Ricky someday, that we can't always have this–this tension between us. I mean, imagine the holidays in ten years, you know? Awful! Or birthdays. Or school plays or…whatever. I don't want that. I truly don't."
The brunette motioned towards the edge of the bed. "May I?" her features somehow seemed softer than before.
The seventeen-year-old shrugged. "Sure…if you want to risk re-catching your cold."
"You can't. Once your body rids itself of a cold, it becomes immune to that particular strand of cold and you can't re-catch it."
"Where'd you learn that?" Adrian asked, chuckling without realizing it.
"Health class. Strange things happen when you actually study."
"True that," Adrian muttered.
"So you really want things to change?" Amy asked, her eyes roaming Adrian's face for earnest confirmation.
"I do."
Amy nodded, taking in the words. They weren't syrupy sweet; they just were. "Me too," she replied, surprising herself. She was surprised to discover that the look on the Latina's face mirrored her inner thoughts. "Look, you're not the only one who needed to apologize. I want to as well." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry for…for calling you a slut."
"Well-"
"No. Please, let me finish." She folded her hands into her lap. "And for saying I didn't want you around John." Amy looked shamefully down to her interwoven fingers. "I was jealous."
"Jealous?" Adrian shook her head. "Of…of me with Ricky?"
"No." She held up her hand in a stopping motion. "I don't want Ricky, trust me. Once was enough. I was…jealous of you and John."
"Why?"
"This is…" Amy's voice wavered. "Th-th-" She paused, inhaled, and willed away her stuttering. "This is going to sound stupid," she breathed, "but when you moved in I saw you through the window and I asked John who his mommy was and he…he waved at you."
Adrian's wide eyes flicked upwards, astonished. "What?"
"I felt like…I don't know, like you being with Ricky – and around John all the time – that you would replace me as John's mother. And when he waved to you, it all just confirmed my worst fears."
"That's ridiculous! You can't replace someone's mother."
"I know-"
"And I would never want to."
Amy's lips curved. "I appreciate that."
"I'm sorry..."
"You didn't know. It's not your fault. And it's not your fault that I lashed out at you. I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry. John likes you. That's a good thing." She shook her head, her eyes glassy. "And I can't blame him. Since he was born, I haven't been a very good mother. I've…I've acted like he's a burden instead of a blessing. I can't blame him for enjoying someone else appreciating him." Her head bobbed up. "That night I saw you with him at Ricky's…he really liked you and I was just…so jealous."
"No offense, but that's kind of flattering. I've always been the one jealous of you. I guess…kind of because of John too. But because he connected you to Ricky in a way I'm not…at least, not yet."
"Well maybe we could agree to not be jealous anymore? I mean," she shrugged, "in addition to being friends?" Amy offered her hand.
Adrian studied the lighter skinned teen's hand, then pushed her hand forward and hesitated. Holding up her finger to single a pause, she reached for her drawer and pulled out a bottle of hand sanitizer, which she lathered her hands with, filling her bedroom with an alcoholic raspberry odor. With a meek grin she explained, "You may be immune now, but I doubt you want to take my snot home as a souvenir." As she shook her neighbor's hand she added, "Besides, I don't want you getting John sick." She raked her hand across her forehead, pushing her hair back behind her ear. "Speaking of, you should probably be getting back to him-"
"Oh no, it's fine." She paused. "I mean, if you want me to stay." Her hair bounced as she nodded towards the door. "Ben's babysitting."
"Ben?" Adrian's eyebrows curved as she spoke the name of the brunette's ex.
The latter held up her hands in a defensive position. "Oh no, it's not what you think. We're not back together or anything," she rattled, "I just asked him if he might come over and babysit John. He wanted to see John and I wanted to come talk to you, so…"
"Right." Adrian nodded, suddenly remembering the water. She picked it up from her nightstand and placed the edge of the glass to her lips. "Thanks, by the way." The liquid was calmingly cool as it ran between her teeth, across her tongue, and down the back of her raw and tingling throat. In that instance, all of the heat – the pain – just evaporated.
Normality.
"I like this," Amy spoke up in one soft burst. "When I was little, sometimes I used to call out to my parents in the middle of the night to get a glass of water…but what I really wanted was just someone to talk to; to relate to."
With a clunk, Adrian plopped the half drunken glass onto her nightstand. "I can relate." Her body shuddered as she blew into a new tissue. "You're lucky though. At least your parents were around when you needed a chat."
"Yeah…were. How times change, right?"
As Adrian leaned back into her stack of pillows, she realized the irony: her parents were together now and Amy's parents weren't. "Your mom still gone?" Her voice steeped with understanding.
"Yeah, and probably will be for a while." Awkwardly, her eyes swept to the water. "You want a refill?"
"Why?" A genuine confused expression burned itself onto her uncharacteristically pale Latina complexion.
"It's half empty."
Adrian couldn't help but smirk. "I don't think so," she replied with a shake of her head. "In fact, I'd say that right about now, it seems half full."
Amy nodded, entertaining the idea. "I guess you're right."
"So are you. About this I mean," she explained, splaying her arms out. "I'm glad you came over tonight."
"Me too." Amy fidgeted, but held Adrian's eyes. "M-m-maybe we could…"
"Do it again sometime?"
"Yeah," she exhaled, relieved.
"I'd like that."
"Me too."
"Someone to talk to."
"Someone to talk to," Adrian greed.
Amy's eyes returned to the glass on the nightstand. She found herself in the midst of a silent nod. Half full, indeed.