Chapter 1
Charlie's P.O.V.
"See ya later, Charlie," waved Olivia as she walked with Wen, Scott, and Mo to the elevator.
"You sure you won't come with us?" asked Scott.
"Nah," I shook my head, "I'm not hungry…"
"Suit yourself," grinned Mo, "See ya later…"
"Bye," I nodded.
After they left, I got a couple lemonades and just walked through the basement. Detention… how all of it started… I walked back towards the old detention room but heard someone come down the stairs. I went over to the steps but no one was there, then, I heard a door open. I went down the hall and heard someone moving around in one of the rooms. I peered through the window and saw a girl with darker than mine, brown hair, in a ponytail, jeans, army boots up to her mid-calf, and a red T-shirt. I remembered that this door didn't latch and pushed it so I could hear her. I had my back against the solid part as I peeked through the window. She opened her guitar case and took a picture out of one of the pockets.
"What am I gonna do, sis?" She asked the photograph, "I try so hard to act like he's not there, but my thoughts always wander back to him. Charlie Delgado…" I froze, "He's so beautiful… I've been crushing on him since freshman year, sis, before he was in that band. But…" she sighed heavily, "… not all of us are lucky enough to have our dreams come true. Like Victoria…"
She put the picture back and took out her guitar. She put the strap over her shoulders, took a pic out of her pocket, and started playing. Freshman year? Who is she? I plucked up the courage and knocked on the door as I walked in. Please, don't be angry at me for barging in… Her cheeks flushed pink and I felt a little shy myself.
"I'm sorry," I said, quickly, "I just heard music and the band already left, so-"
"I-I'm sorry," she packed up her guitar and picked up her stuff, "I shouldn't be here…"
"No, I mean… it's okay. I just wanted to see who was down here… you're really good."
"Thanks, Charl-"
"You know my name, but I don't know yours."
"Adilade… Adilade Marquis, but everyone calls me Addie."
"Adilade… what are you doing down here? We have a stage you could practice on."
"Yeah, I know…"
"What… are you nervous about having an audience?"
She nodded, "A little…"
"Well, here…" I handed her a lemonade, "Maybe this'll help… I know it really helped Olivia, at our first performance."
"Thanks…" she took a sip and her face scrunched up, "Wow, that's really good! Nice balance of sweet and tart…" she smiled and I smiled back, "Here…" she held out 50 cents for me.
"Don't worry about it…" I pushed her hand back towards her, "Keep it…"
Her phone vibrated and she checked it, "Ugh… I gotta go, anyways." She picked up her case, "So much for practicing, looks like you could've kept the lemonade."
"Do you not want it?"
"Are you kidding me? Of course, I do!"
"I'll walk you out, if you don't mind."
"I'd like that…"
I walked with her to the main entrance of the school and I saw a woman with strawberry blonde hair and a dark haired little girl beside her, outside. I walked with her outside and she went up to the woman and the little girl, she did some hand gestures and then waved me over to them. I walked over to them and she did some more hand gestures.
"Mom, this is Charlie," she spoke and did the hand gestures, "Charlie, this is my mother, Rose." She did the hand gestures.
"Adilade… is that sign language?" I asked, she signed my question.
"Yes, it is," her mother spoke and signed at the same time, "I lost my hearing at age 15."
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to seem rude." Adilade signed my response.
"It's okay," her mother spoke and signed.
"This is my sister, Charlotte," Adilade spoke and signed. "She lost her hearing at age six, she's 13 now."
"Wow… hi…" I smiled and Adilade signed.
Charlotte hid behind her mom a little and signed something. "She said, hi," Adilade interpreted, "She's a bit shy… It's okay, Charlotte, Charlie's a nice guy." She signed. Her sister signed something and Adilade interpreted, "Aren't you that drummer, for Lemonade Mouth?"
"Yeah…" Adilade interpreted my response for her.
Charlotte took her backpack off her shoulders and took out a marker and our CD. She handed the CD and marker to me, then signed something to Adilade.
"Will you sign my CD?" She interpreted.
"Of course…" Adilade signed and Charlotte clapped her hands, "How do you spell her name?"
"C-H-A-R-L-O-T-T-E," she spoke and signed.
"There you go," Adilade signed as I handed Charlotte back her CD. Charlotte signed something and Adilade interpreted, "Thank you, someday I want to play the drums, too. When I am around drums or have music with heavy drums, I like it. I can feel the vibrations in my chest… as if it was my own heartbeat."
"That's incredible…" Adilade signed for me, "I never looked at it that way."
Her mother signed something to her and she signed something back. Her mom and her sister walked away as Adilade showed me the sign for goodbye.
"Thank you for doing that for her, Charlie," smiled Adilade.
"No, problem…" I smiled back.
"That was very kind of you, to do that. She needs someone to look up to, besides me…"
"Must be hard… both your mom and sister not being able to hear."
"It was, in the beginning, but we've come a long way. My dad married my mom, even though she was deaf. He loves her so much, and he's sacrificed everything for his family. Deafness is a recessive gene in my family, but both my mom and sisters have it."
"Where's your other sister?" She set down her case and took out the picture I saw her holding and speaking to, earlier. The girl in the picture had strawberry blonde hair, like Adilade's mom, and was smiling next to Adilade. "That's my older sister, Riley," she informed me, "She passed away about three months ago… car accident. She was driving a few of her drunk friends home one night and she couldn't hear the truck's honking…"
"Because she was deaf…"
She nodded as a couple tears fell, "… because she was deaf…"
"At least you know she was trying to do the right thing."
"Yeah… at least…"
"Come here," I pulled her in for a hug, "I want us to be friends…"
"I wanna be friends, too…" she let out a small laugh, "You know… you didn't have to give me a hug, Charlie."
"I know… but it felt like the right thing to do."
I heard a horn and let go of her as we looked over to see a green SUV. A man with dark hair smiled and waved, I waved back.
"That's my dad," she blushed.
"I'll see you tomorrow on that stage, right?" I smiled.
She looked down at her lemonade and messed with the tab, "Yeah…" she smiled, "… you just might. Bye, Charlie…"
"Bye, Adilade…"
She hopped in the SUV and I waved as they drove off. I noticed something on the ground and picked it up… the picture of her and her sister. I'll have to make sure she gets it tomorrow... Somebody rammed into me and made me fall to the ground, I looked up to see Ray glaring at me.
"What's your problem?" I asked, agitated.
"Right now, you are," he snapped, "Stay away from Adilade…"
"You're not her father, Ray…" I spoke as I stood up.
"No, but I am her boyfriend…" My face dropped and he snatched Adilade's picture out of my hands, "I'll take this…"
"Hey-"
"What?" he backed me against the building, "Got somethin' to say?" I looked away, "That's what I thought, loser mouth," he punched me in the gut and I groaned in pain, "Keep your hands off Addie… or I'll make sure you'll never be able to play your precious drums again. Got it, Delgado?"
I nodded, reluctantly, and he smirked as he flicked my nose and walked away. I held my stomach and groaned in pain as I fell to my knees and leaned forward. After the pain subsided, I stood back up and went back into the school. I ran into the bathroom and threw up my lunch… Why did he have to punch me so hard? I flushed the toilet and went over to the sink to rinse you my mouth. When I got back outside, my mom was waiting for me and I got in the front seat.
"How was your band practice?" She asked.
"Fine," I grumbled.
"Are you alright, Charles? Your face is pale and you look like you just got sick… did you?"
"No… I'm just not feeling well." She eyed me, "Really bad chicken at lunch..." I lied.
"Well… let's get you home, then."
I nodded and we started on our way home.
The Next Day
At lunch, I could barely pay attention to Stella's warning of Victoria coming my way, until Victoria stood in front of me. I looked up at my ex and glared, she blocked my view of Adilade and Ray.
"Can I talk to you, Charlie?" she asked.
"Sure…" I sighed, not moving.
"Alone…"
I sighed, deeply, and we went off into the far corner of the lunch room. I crossed my arms and glared at Victoria when we stopped walking and I had turned around.
"Now, what do you want?" I asked.
"Can you, please, take me back," she pleaded.
"Victoria… no…"
"But, Charlie-"
"No… what you did was unforgivable. You lied to me, treated my band mates badly, seduced me into doing some unmentionable things to and with you, and you tried to sleep with Scott when I wouldn't sleep with you."
"Charlie, I-"
"Stop… our relationship wasn't healthy. I'm not getting back into it, I'm sorry, Victoria…"
"Okay, Charlie," she nodded, "I- uh… I understand…"
I turned away from her before I could see her cry, and as I walked back over to my lunch table, I saw Adilade look up and smile as she waved at me. Ray was turned away, so I waved and smiled back at her, before sitting back down.
"Who's the girl?" asked Stella.
"Adilade…" I answered.
"Adilade?" started Olivia, "Adilade Marquis?"
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Wait, isn't that the younger sister of the girl with the hearing impairment that tried driving her wasted friends home?" Asked Stella.
"Yep…" I nodded, again, as I took a sip of my lemonade.
"She's very pretty…" smiled Mo.
"And she's Ray's girlfriend," interjected Scott.
"What?" exclaimed Stella, "How can anyone stand to be with that creep?"
"I've talked with her, before," started Olivia, "she's a really sweet girl, only sees the good in people."
"There's nothing good about Ray," Wen shook his head.
"Tell me about it," I sighed as I looked back over at Adilade.
Author's Note: Yes, this is my old story Without You. I am rewriting some parts, and I will continue to write on this one. Review? :3