[A/N: The real excitement starts next chapter, but reading this chapter won't do you much harm. :)]
Percussions
Chapter 1
He was staring. At nothing special, just into the sink. His hands coiled around the edges of the marble counter as he sighed heavily. Adam looked up at his own reflection. His lips twitched into a smile as he saw himself. He was completely shirtless, and proud. He was 16 and was allowed chest surgery. It was a miracle, really. He even got an expensive, upgraded Stand-To-Pee device. It could be used for three different things, and was grossly realistic. It could be worn underneath jeans, just to seem more male. He could use it for the bathroom, and it's separate function was for sex. Not that he would need that function at all.
Nevertheless, he was proud of his body, despite certain lower areas, and other female aspects of himself. Adam turned on the tap. He focused on the water as it turned white against the marble, hitting it hard. Adam splashed some water onto his face and reached for the face towel. He turned off the tap and dapped his face. His skin now felt icy cold, it made goose-bumps produce down the back of his arms. Then he began to hear a ringing. He was confused for a moment, before realizing that it was in fact his phone. Adam tossed the towel onto the bathroom counter, and dug his hand into his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a number flash onto his screen that he wasn't familiar with. In case it was a company advertising their product, Adam used his usual tactic to make sure they never call him again. He took to his roots. Adam placed the phone to his ear.
"Hola?" Adam greeted with a nasally Spanish street-vender accent. He leaned against the bathroom wall with folded arms, awaiting the advertising to start. He heard a familiar laugh from down the line. Adam raised an eyebrow, becoming alert suddenly.
"Hola?" Came the voice. Adam jolted off the wall as his eyes widened.
"Bianca? Hey – hi – hello! Sorry!" Adam stammered, glaring around the bathroom as his heart beat began to race. He was so stupid sometimes.
"Is that was the 'Torres' in your name is for? Hola?" Bianca giggled. Adam's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as he sported a nervous laugh in return.
"I, umm… not really, but, like…" Adam stuttered, making BIanca laugh again. Adam gulped. He hadn't spoken to Bianca 'nicely' since Adam arrived at Degrassi, and this was how they would reconnect? Over Spanish jokes? "Okay, you know what? Forget I ever did that." Adam murmured, looking down at his feet. He couldn't help but smile to himself. He sighed. "So, um… You changed your number?" He grumbled, trying to change the topic.
"No, just using a friend's." Bianca responded sweetly.
"Ah." Adam said, nodding. Bianca's voice faded as the conversation was suddenly becoming silent. Adam rubbed his sweaty hand on his side. He nodded slowly and awkwardly. Bianca was sat on her couch, watching candles as her lips tried to form a sentence. "So," Adam began again, clearing his throat. Bianca sat up straight at the sound of his voice. "Why did you, uhh…"
"Call?" Bianca finished for him in a sigh. Adam's lips quickly closed as he nodded. Then he frowned, realizing that Bianca wouldn't be able to see him.
"Yeah." He added. Bianca looked down at her hands, then at the laundered jacket at her side.
"Well," She started, "I was going through the mountains of clothes in my room, and… I found your jacket, from, umm… when I was… d-dating Drew. He borrowed it and left it here." Bianca murmured, running her tongue along the inside of her cheek. Adam paused, cringing. When Drew and Bianca were dating. Adam felt his heart began to ache, remembering how Bianca outted him publicly and tore him apart. She ruined everything.
"Which one?" Adam asked, trying to bat away the awkward silences.
"It's black, and, uhh… has a white zipper." Bianca explained, examining the jacket as she spoke.
"I thought I lost that forever." Adam grinned down at the floor.
"Well, you didn't." Bianca replied, chuckling softly. Adam looked at his reflection again, eyeing himself. "Want to pick it up?" Bianca suggested. Adam's smile faded almost instantly at that proposal. "Anytime you want, no rush." Bianca added, awkwardly.
"I, umm…" Adam gulped uneasily. He wasn't sure if he could stand seeing her again, especially not after how they left things. And especially since Drew got involved with all her trouble. "Sure." Adam ended in a low voice. "Sure, sure, definitely. I'll drop by when I can." He bit the inside of his lip, frowning downwards.
"Alright, cool." Bianca muttered as she chewed on her nails. "See you around."
"Yeah, yeah, definitely…" Adam trailed off, hearing someone yelling some downstairs. He moved towards the door, pressing his free against it. It sounded like his mother. He raised an eyebrow. Bianca observed Adam's jacket by her side. She could barely stand being near it by then.
"Anyway, I hope you've been doing well." Bianca said, sounding careless. Shivers slithered around Adam's body as the cold from the door transferred to his body and Bianca said those words. He shut his eyes.
"Been trying my best." Adam responded as the yelling from downstairs dew. Bianca adjusted her shirt nervously. She left something inside of her trigger, just hearing those words from Adam. She knew she must have missed out on quite a bit from his life, after doing what she did to him. She didn't even know to what extent the damaged was. The yelling from downstairs grew as footsteps stormed up the staircase. "I have to go, Bee." Adam said. The two of them felt their heart's race at Bianca's nickname. "Bianca." Adam corrected himself sternly. Bianca licked her lips. She deserved that one.
"Well…" Bianca sighed. Adam adjusted himself against the door. "Bye, Adam." She said. Adam's lips shivered open briefly at the sound of his name on her tongue. He hadn't heard her say it in a long time.
"Goodbye, Bianca." Adam responded, biting his lip.
"Bye." Bianca said just before hanging up. Adam pulled away from his phone, staring down at the caller ID as it faded away. He placed it on the bathroom counter, and rolled his head up against the door to face the ceiling.
"Adam!" Came the yell of his mother. Adam sighed.
"Yeah, mom?" He responded, in a whine. Audra frantically tried to open the door, scaring the life out of Adam. He jumped off it, watching the knob twist and twist. But obviously the door was locked. "Dude! Was is it, mom?" Adam grumbled, rushing to the counter. He grabbed his shirt, hauling it over himself.
"Drew's in hospital!" She gasped. Adam paused. His eyes flared at the shadow beneath the door. He firmly pulled his jacket over himself, and unlocked the door.
"What?" He grunted. Audra grabbed him.
"He was in another fight!" Audra pulled Adam downstairs. They made their way to the car, and began their drive to the hospital.
"What do you mean he was in another fight?" Adam asked, rubbing his cold hands together. It was pitch black outside and ice cold.
"He's still doing those fights so that he can prepare for that Vince guy! He's still doing all that, can you believe it? " Audra exclaimed. She had been crying. Adam gulped, staring out the window. They went over a bump, making Adam shudder even more. He pulled his sleeves over his fingers, and folded his arms. His mother started complaining again. Adam rolled his eyes and just focused on the world outside the vechical. It would be an agonizing ride. It was difficult to listen to Audra complaining about Drew, when Adam still wasn't even sure what was happening to their family and to his fellow Degrassi students. He began very detached from most drama related topics. As they drove up to the hospital and rushed to the clerk, Audra was still complaining, even to the doctors.
"He's my stupid son, that's what relation I have." Audra grumbled to the lady.
"And who is this?" The lady asked, pointing at Adam with her pencil.
"Drew's sister." Audra said subconsciously. Adam glared at her, with all his organs fumbling with nervousness as people began to stare. Adam cleared his throat, leaning forward towards the lady. He didn't look at her though.
"Brother." Adam corrected. Audra waved her hand, dismissing the comment. These slip ups were very rare, making Adam very uneasy. The woman nodded, writing all this down. Soon, they were filed down the hall, towards Drew's room. There was fire in Audra's eyes as they were met by the boy sitting up in the hospital bed with his legs dangling over the side. Drew had a patch over his eye, and had his right arm bandaged up. His neck was scattered with bruises and cuts, like many other parts of his body.
"Andrew!" Audra yelled, using his full name piercingly. Drew flinched, but his face was hard as a rock.
"Everything's under control, mom!" Drew said through his teeth. She stormed towards him. He rolled his eyes.
"You're in hospital, Andrew! How is anything under control?" She bellowed. Drew shook his head, muttering something under his breath. "This needs to stop!" Audra protested. At that, Drew hauled himself off the hospital bed.
"I'll stop when I know Vince won't go near me anymore! I'll stop when I'm safe!" Drew broke, shouting at Audra. She was taken aback, as was Adam. It was only then when Adam noticed Katie, sitting at the end of the room. She had obviously been crying. But she said nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"Drew, we can contact the police about this." Audra said, cupping Drew's face. He distorted.
"We already did!" Drew reminded her in a growl. He broke away from her, shaking his head. By then it was apparent to Audra that there wasn't much that she could say, or do. Drew breathed in and out harshly, staring down at the floor. Suddenly he raged again, and tossed over a bedside table.
"Drew!" Katie muttered, finally saying something. Drew gulped, looking down at the mess with some sort of disgust. Adam stood there, watching him. Drew could feel those baby blue eyes on his body, and quickly looked up to meet them.
"What?" Drew grumbled. Adam didn't know how to respond. He was frightened by Drew in that very moment. Especially when Drew advanced suddenly. Adam backed away into the wall.
"Drew!" Katie repeated, standing.
"What?" Drew repeated as he shouted right in Adam's face. Adam was petrified. Every feature of Drew's face was suddenly outlined in a brand new light. His veins stuck out, his eyes were wide, he was glistening with sweet and breathing hard. He looked over Drew's shoulder to see Katie, standing, looking stressed. And his own mother, Audra, sitting on the edge of Drew's hospital bed. She was exhausted. Tired. She had given up. She was sick of this more than anyone else. Adam licked his lips.
"Drew…" Adam breathed, as his collar began to get hot under the gaze of the maniac in front of him. "This needs to stop. Mom's right. I hate… seeing you like this." He admitted. Drew cursed under his breath, almost spitting on Adam as he did so. He turned away from him, marching to his bed with balled up fists. He sat next to his mother, looking furious with what Adam had said. "I really hate seeing you like this. Really." Adam emphasized. Drew looked up, with red eyes.
"Get out." He grumbled. Adam was taken by surprise. So was Katie.
"What?" Adam uttered breathlessly. Drew's chest puffed out again as his muscles tensed.
"Get out! I said get out!" Drew shouted. Adam jolted off the wall. Katie looked from Drew then to Adam, then back again. Audra looked up, unphased.
"Just do as he says, Adam. Honestly." Audra mumbled. There was a sadness in her eyes that Adam could not defy. He looked down at the floor, neglected.
"Yeah. Okay." He muttered softly. He shifted towards the door, thrusting it open. Katie sighed, and put her head in her hands. The door shut and Adam was out.
"Nice one. No, really." Katie said sarcastically into her palms. Drew glanced back at her, still enraged. He then looked back at Audra. His jaw tightened, watching her like the way she was. He shook his head as the softness washed over him. He took her hand, afraid to hurt her any further.
"Everything. Is. Alright…" Drew whispered. Audra bit her lip, staring at the wall. She didn't believe it. Neither did Katie. And neither did the figure waiting outside in the hall with his back pressed against the wall. Adam stared up at the flickering lights on the ceiling. His throat was squeezing and tightening and his eyes were blazing with tears, ready to fall. Adam frowned hard as the hot droplets began to slide down his cheeks and neck, only to be absorbed in his shirt. He breathed out softly, trying not to attract the attentions of the doctors. He brought his head into his knees, and drove his fingers into his hair. He wanted to stay like that. Away from everything. Away from the world. Somewhere where he could fit in and let everything out. But that place didn't exist. Not under his radar at least. He could hear crying from inside Drew's room. Adam shook as he listened to it, unsure who it could belong to. He just clutched himself tighter. He was once again, essentially, alone.
[A/N: Reviews are much appreciated!]
