Changes, Chapter 2
What Adam and Kendall saw when they parted was …………... a teenager. A tall, pretty, teenager. Her hazel eyes and brown hair went well with her slight tan. She was tall, probably around 5'5, and was muscular. She wasn't fat, but she had a little pot belly and looked strong. She was wearing a knee-length black coat, from which the bottom of a black and white checkered dress or skirt and black tights peeked out, and white ballet flats. She had a black beret poised on top of her head, and her long hair was down and very straight. Her appearance was the polar opposite from Adam and Kendall's attire: jeans and three-quarter length shirts plus their lab coats. She smiled and looked at Adam. "Hey Adam!"
Adam was stunned. He didn't expect her to come to New York before she was an adult. He knew she wouldn't stay in Phoenix a day after her 18th birthday but this was a huge surprise.
"Do you know her?" Kendall whispered as she looked up and down at the girl standing across from them with a huge grin on her face. She was obviously feeling a little too relaxed in her clothes compared to the fashionista teenager in their presence.
"She's my baby sister." Adam introduced Kendall to her. "Kendall, this is Amy, my little sister. Amy, this is my friend Kendall. We work together."
"Hi!" Amy waved. Her hands had black gloves on them, and she looked sweltering. "It's hotter in New York than I expected."
"It's only the end of September, silly." Adam replied. "Now come and sit down."
Amy slipped off her jacket, revealing a white blouse underneath and a gold locket hanging from her neck. She smoothed her skirt before taking a seat between Adam and Kendall. "How old are you?" Kendall asked, curious about this kid, Adam's sister. She still hadn't processed that Adam's sister was the one who interrupted them.
"I turned 15 last month." Everyone thought Amy was older than she really was, ever since she was a kid. Adam looked annoyed and got to his burning questions.
"What are you doing here? Why aren't you back in Phoenix?" Amy wasn't the type to run away, so why on earth could she have a reason to be in New York City?
"Dad finally got found guilty, so I'm property of the state. I need you to file for custody of me." This wasn't something Adam had considered when his father's trial started, but he was perfectly glad to. He loved Amy very much. It would complicate his life a little bit, with him possibly losing his job and just taking off with Kendall. But Adam knew Amy needed him, and he was going to be there for her. They had always been close, even though she was 13 years younger than him.
"What was your father guilty of?" Kendall questioned. Adam and Amy took turns explaining how their abusive father had killed their mother the year before. It was uncomfortable for them to talk about, but they told Kendall anyways. Once the story ended, Amy moved on quickly, anxious to talk about something else, anything else than her father. "How's work Adam?"
Adam didn't want to tell his sister he might get replaced by a machine so he talked vaguely about work and recently closed cases. After a while, Adam realized he'd taken about a two hour lunch break. Kendall had left halfway through to finish processing some clothes and told Adam she'd inform Mac on his situation. Amy was chatting up a storm, not something she usually did back in Phoenix. They talked and talked and talked, updating each other on every little aspect of their lives from the last time she saw him. He went down to Phoenix to visit her and go see some of his high school friends in early June. On the TV that was playing quietly, Amy's favorite band, 3 Doors Down, had their music video for "Changes" come on. They listened to the lyrics in silence:
I'm not supposed to be scared of anything, but I don't know where I am
I wish that I could move but I'm exhausted and nobody understands (how I feel)
I'm trying hard to breathe now but there's no air in my lungs
There's no one here to talk to and the pain inside is making me numb
I try to hold this Under control
They can't help me 'Cause no one knows
Now I'm going through changes, changes
God, I feel so frustrated lately
When I get suffocated, save me
Now I'm going through changes, changes
I'm feeling weak and weary walking through this world alone
Everything you say, every word of it, cuts me to the bone
I've got something to say, but now I've got nowhere to turn
It feel like I've been buried underneath all the weight of the world
I try to hold this Under control
They can't help me 'Cause no one knows
Now I'm going through changes, changes
God, I feel so frustrated lately
When I get suffocated, save me
Now I'm going through changes, changes
I'm blind and shakin'
Bound and breaking
I hope I make it through all these changes
Now I'm going through changes, changes
God, I feel so frustrated lately
When I get suffocated, save me
Now I'm falling apart, now I feel it
Now I'm going through changes, changes
God, I feel so frustrated lately
When I get suffocated, I hate this
But I'm going through changes, changes
As they listened, Adam realized that this is what his sister was going through at that moment, or soon if not yet, and it's what they had gone through their whole lives with their father around. She had been through so much pain and he needed to make her life easier, starting now. His mind raced with new things to do for his sister. He'd have to buy food regularly and not just eat lab leftovers. He'd have to laundry more often and clean up the apartment once in a while. Late nights with the guys or anyone else couldn't happen as often. This was going to be a lot harder than he first thought, but he'd do anything for his baby sister.
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Adam lugged a large piece of purple luggage behind him as they trekked down the hall towards Adam's apartment. Amy towed her smaller bright green duffel bag and her rainbow peace sign back pack, which was slightly open because it couldn't zip up with everything in there. Adam realized the apartment was a disaster from the movie night, old pizza and pillows and beer everywhere. How am I going to survive living with a 15 year old girl, he thought as he pulled out the key and opened the door to his apartment.
Amy stepped inside and shrugged her shoulders at the mess, at the smelly clothes, the old beer and the gross couch. "Just like I pictured it." She grinned and went on a hunt for her room. Adam sighed with relief; she was making this much easier already.
"Is this my room?" She pointed to a room that Adam had never used much, just to hold some of his extra belongings. "Yep, that's it. I'll clear out that stuff for you." Luckily it had a futon in there for Amy to sleep on. "We'll get you a real bed this week."
"The futon's fine for now." She checked her watch and yawned. "Sorry I took up so much of your time at work. Kendall seemed nice."
"Kendall's very nice." Adam blushed as he spoke. "My boss didn't mind. He's actually dying to meet you. Um, there's not much to do here." He looked around at his apartment and realized how pathetic it was. Sure, he had a TV and a computer, but that was it. He wasn't a big reader and he wasn't even home much.
"That's okay. I brought most of my books, my computer, my cell phone, and most of my movies. I'm shipping a few things, including some small furniture, like my bed and my desk." Adam was thankful his sister was smart and remembered that he had almost no money and was on a tight budget. "It's about 6 PM. You hungry?" Adam was starving and hoped Amy was the same. Once she came, he kinda forgot about his lunch.
"Starved. Do you know anywhere good and close to eat?"
"There's a restaurant about four blocks from here. Let's go now so it doesn't get too crowded." They grabbed their phones and a light jacket and headed out. Wind had picked up and Amy was smart to have gloves. As they walked, Adam pointed out a few things here and there: stores he liked, the Chrysler building, and the lab, among other things. Amy was ecstatic to be in NYC, one of the biggest and most famous cities, and noted everything she saw, even some of the people.
The restaurant was small and Italian style, both Amy and Adam's favorite type of food. "Table for two please."