A/N: I know it's been a while but bear with me, this is a crack ship fueled by an old RP.
Please also note that this story is intentionally bittersweet.


"Alright class, listen up, we're going to be doing pair work," Ms. Dawes was interrupted by little cheers as the teenagers tried to discreetly pair up, "and I'll be assigning your partners." She clapped her hands together as the class groaned, "We'll be drawing each other-out of class-and I want you to try to capture each other's essence, who they are-" the rest Adam droned out as he continued to pass notes with his best friend, Eli.

'So that's it? You and Julia are done?'he wrote in his blue pen.

'She's psycho, man'Eli's scribble read

'So now we're both single and ready to mingle (;'Adam wrote back but before he could flick it over to Eli's easel, it was snatched from his desk.

"Oh, what's this? Single and ready to mingle, Mr. Torres?" Adam's face blushed a brilliant red, "Great to know, but you should really paying attention to who your partner shall be." She told him as she gestured to the rest of the class who were already partnered up and sitting across from each other.

"I'm only giving you today to get to know each other during class so, hurry up." She told him with a raised brow.

"Y-yes ma'am." He stuttered as Ms. Dawes walked away, revealing a redheaded girl who was behind her.

"Torres?"

"Y-yeah and uhm..?"

She acknowledged his name with a nod of her head, her lips puckered and eyebrows raised, "Holly J Sinclair."

"Well, Holly, uhm, nice to meet you."

"It's Holly J," she started, "I don't do…Holly." She scrunched her face up.

He let out an internal eye roll. Greaaaattt, he got one of those girls.

"So…,"she began, "How about lunch? Unless of course you're actually busy." She finished with a…snobbish tone? He couldn't tell. All he knew was he couldn't wait until this assignment was over so might as well get it over with.

"Well you know, I usually reserve my lunches for Batman but I guess since I have to deal with you sooner or later, lunch it is." He stared at her.

She was easy on the eyes, long red hair, left down, face clear of makeup, wee little freckles, bright baby blue eyes, and uh…a body more developed than other girls…

And he could've sworn he saw her eyes light up at the word of Batman but I mean, she's one of those popular girls, she couldn't like a superhero. It's simply just not in their nature.

"Then I guess I can squeeze you in to." She slightly glared at him.


He had been waiting for like ten minutes, where was she?

He was face planted on one of the benches outside when she finally found him.

"I think, it would've been easier to find you if we picked a place to meet up." She deadpanned.

"Oh…right…I forgot about that actually…" he trailed off.

"Listen, let's just…get this over with." She told him calmly as she ate her yogurt.


"No way!" She laughed as he comically acted out what he and Eli did last weekend.

"Dude, cross my heart! Eli stole the hearse and we drove it through this field, almost crashing into a tree, and we were freaking attacked by a cat!" He almost shouted through his laughs.

"You guys are crazy!"

"You should have some pretty funny stories too right? I mean…you seem like a fun…classy, person?"

"Oh you know, I did party with the Queen of England last month," she rolled her eyes, "I don't know…well…uh, me and my sister actually did something…pretty…"

"Tell me." He almost smirked.

"…I made her give CPR to a frog…"

"WHAT?" he started laughing immediately.

"He was dying!"

Adam was laughing so hard, thinking of the Heather Sinclair giving mouth to mouth to a frog that he didn't notice himself hit Holly J's spoon of yogurt, flicking it all over his hair.

"The hell…?"

"HAHA! Now THAT'S funny!" she laughed as she reached over to his side of the table and delicately collecting a glob of strawberry flavored yogurt from his hair. "I don't think it's very edible anymore…"

"Ha. Ha." He deadpanned as he searched for a napkin.

"Here, uh, let me…" she trailed off as she took a napkin from her bad and gently started to clean his hair.

Once it was relatively clean she placed the napkin down twirling a strand of his growing brown hair, "I like."

"L-like what?" he stammered. Oh my god a girl has never been this close to his face before…

"Your hair, I think it would look even better if you grow it out, short hair is such a turn off." She told him as she sat back down across from him, dabbing a finger in the rest of her yogurt and sucking it off.

"Good to know…"

"You know what?" she started, "I don't think I'll hate this project."


"Oh god…oh no…oh god no…" Holly J mumbled to herself as she searched through the whole box, dumping the thing entirely to see if they all were really addressed to her.

"Kid…you…you lied…" she whispered as tears fell down her cheeks as she glanced at all the letters she had already opened. Nearly half.

She leaned against her white living room wall as she let out shaky breathes, still trying to comprehend everything that was happening.

After the first letter she really thought she didn't have the power inside her to read any of the other ones, she was bawling like a baby, but for some odd reason she couldn't stop reading them, they were like cocaine and she was addicted.

Sighing as she ripped open another envelope she hissed in pain as she felt the paper scraping her fragile skin, a tiny dot of blood escaping from the wound. She put her index finger in her mouth and started to suck on it but then recoiled in disgust as she thought back to the last letter she read.

Adam was shot, in the shoulder.

Here she was, complaining about a silly paper cut as he and all of the people in his unit faced danger everyday of their lives.

She suddenly felt so selfish, so…unworthy.

Sighing, she looked at the date at the right hand corner of the lined paper. They were all out of order.

Hmm…

Dear Red,

Remember when we first met? And that weird awkwardly funny lunch thingy we had? With the yogurt? If not then this is going to be awkward…Well you kinda complimented me that day, something I know is not something you do every day. Holly J? Be nice to people? Ha. No, you're actually really nice; you just…never wanted anyone to think so. Well I was just growing my hair out over that summer and you told me you liked it, the shaggy hair style look. When I think back…all your boyfriends had that before me right? Sav…Blue…yeah, I'm totally making this awkward, sorry. ANYWAYS! When they near dragged me to this freaking boot camp one of the first things to go was my hair-the hair I strived myself to always look good because as a great lady once told me, short hair is such a turn off (; But yeah, they gave me a freaking buzz cut! CAN YOU PICTURE THIS ADAM TORRES WITH A BUZZ BUT NUH UH I DON'T THINK SO. But it happened, look.

What? Look, what does that-oh.

Still tucked inside the envelope was a 5x5 piece of flimsy paper.

Adam.

Kid.

Her third boyfriend ever.

With a buzz cut.

He was right, it did look slightly different on him but not…entirely bad. His eyes shone a bit more, his jaw was much more defined, he looked…older.

She couldn't help but think of the times they had together, all the times they had together that she could remember…

I don't know what to think, what do you think? I mean, I guess it's less trouble, I see why they do it. I don't get as sweaty on my forehead and it's not plastered on my face.

Anyways, I guess it's kind of late to send this because I've officially been here in this foreign country for three weeks now but they finally processed the photo and sent it to me and I wanted to show you. I haven't been a part of any the action in a while, and I'm really happy about that. I can't always pretend I'm somewhere else, like, with you. Sometimes I have to shoot, I have to protect the guys, and it is hard but…it has to be done.

My man Dallas told me why he was proud of being here. Because he was protecting all those he cared about so they didn't have to deal with any hardships…and he said he couldn't wait to show off his body scars to the ladies but uh…I'm not sure about that…You know I've always been kinda self conscious about my body. Eh.

The boys and I will be heading North soon so I'll probably won't be able to write you another letter for a while…But I'm here, okay?

North. Don't…don't go North Adam, you'll get shot honey I don't…I can't…

Holly J glanced back at the letter she read before this, him describing the scenery-green plush fields, clouded sky, smoke, rain-and the sounds-loud, booming, piercing screams, bodies hitting the ground, shouted orders, chants-the feeling…

She closed her eyes and pictured it, causing herself harm just thinking of Adam's face pinched up in pain with tears running down his cheeks, maybe really pale, or, maybe burned from the sun, blood, blood everywhere, him on the ground, clutching his green clad shoulder, his helmet impacting the floor as his body dropped-oh god, she had to STOP it!

Crying once again she brought her knees up and read the signature that was found on every other letter he gave her:

When I told you when we were graduating that I was moving-that was a bullshit lie. Holly J I didn't move. I was drafted into the army.

This letter is to also help my conscience. I wanted to tell you but…I know you. You would've freaked out, honey. And I couldn't afford that because I know that if I saw you do that, I would try to back out.

My name is Adam Roy Torres; I am a sergeant in the Canadian Army. I am in love with a redhead named Holly J Sinclair.

I promised myself I would write to you every day, Red. And I will. But I am never sending you these letters. Not now, not ever. You've probably moved on, haven't you? I'm not going to burden you with…me. These letters are for me, myself, and I but they will always be addressed to you Holly J, because you're my saving grace.

-Kid

She felt like dying.

This, this was the torture mothers felt when they learned their child was being hurt.

Or the heart wrench of lover-past or not-learning what happened to their significant other.

She banged her head against the wall again.

Everything hurt.

But not nearly as much as her heart.

But the pain in her heart was probably nothing compared to the pain of what Adam had to go through every day.

Oh Adam…


A/N: See what I mean? Review please? They inspire me (;