"Til I Hear It From You" – Part 3
Summary and notes in part 1.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Degrassi.
-oOo-
Drew Torres frowned as he spotted his younger brother sitting underneath the stairs. He knew Adam had lunch sixth period, so he immediately became concerned. As he walked closer he noticed his brother seemed to be lost in thought. He looked quite sad.
He plopped down next to him. "Who's messing with you?" Drew demanded.
Adam looked at him startled. "Drew! Don't do that!"
Drew smirked. "Ah, he lives!"
Adam frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, in this corner you were doing a great impression of emo boy," the older boy quipped. "What's wrong?"
Adam sighed. He really didn't want to talk about it, but he knew Drew wouldn't leave until he did.
He took a deep breath, "I like Fiona."
Drew clapped his brother on the shoulder. "See? Admitting that wasn't so hard!" When his brother didn't smile he narrowed his eyes. "And?"
"I don't stand a chance! I knew it all along but it's really depressing—"
"You won't know until you try," Drew interrupted. "Have you told her how you feel?"
"It's not that simple!" Adam argued.
"Sure it is! You just have to man up and tell her!" his brother countered.
Adam gave him a pointed look. "Someone else has already asked her on a date."
"Oh," Drew said. "Well, it doesn't mean you're out of the running. What does this random dude have on you?"
"Let's see… He's popular, handsome, and has the advantage of being born male," Adam shot back.
"Fiona knows you're transgendered and that hasn't stopped her from being your friend."
"Friendship and dating are two separate things. I get you're trying to cheer me up, but it doesn't mean she'd be willing to date me," Adam responded.
Drew paused. "They say love is friendship set on fire," he said thoughtfully.
Adam scoffed. "Really? I would think all you're familiar with is the fire," he quipped.
Drew gave him a look. "You know what I mean." Adam laughed heartily. "Hey! I read that quote in my English class," he said as Adam continued to laugh.
-oOo-
When Fiona first met Adam her impression was that he was a sweet baby-faced guy in grade 10. She saw him as a kid brother type rather than an equal. As they spent more time together she got to know the real Adam. He was funny. Charming. Bold. Perceptive. Caring. And yes, quite masculine.
He knew exactly who he was, even if others didn't accept him. She had a lot of respect for Adam. His quiet confidence inspired her, though it was the same quality that drew bullies to him like a moth to a flame. They were jealous of his inner strength and took delight in trying to bring him down to their level.
They felt no need to fill the silence with words as they listened to the sound of the rain fall against the glass. Adam sat on the floor with a notebook on his lap. Fiona sat nearby in a low chair, with her leg drawn under her as she sipped tea.
"Adam," she said softy. He looked up slowly and arched an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"How did you get so brave?" she asked in earnest.
Adam snorted. "Telling Fitz that he's an idiot is nothing," he stated. After a moment he added, "Is it brave to speak your truth?"
"Sometimes," she said sadly, with a far off look in her eyes.
She knew Adam faced bullying for being transgendered, but today was the first time she saw it in action. She had known the boy for just over a week and already she felt strongly on his behalf. The taunting had made her blood boil. Adam had kept his cool and stood his ground. He was not a girl. He was also not going to let ignorance get to him.
"You've always known?" she asked quietly.
He closed his notebook and brought his eyes to meet hers. She swallowed nervously. It was the first time she asked him about this. She wondered if she crossed an invisible line.
"Yes. It's a pretty fundamental thing to know about yourself," he said matter-of-factly and then smiled. "Every since I was young I always felt male, even if it took me a long time to build the courage to let other people know."
They watched each other for a long moment. "It's okay, you know, to ask. I won't break," he assured her.
She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"I certainly don't have sticker that says 'handle with care'," he continued. She smiled at that. She hated being treated that way too and realized yet another thing they had in common. If he was willing to be open with her, she would certainly do so in return.
If David was Adam, she would have said yes. She realized that was her truth. She bit her lip. 'This is messy,' she thought. She wasn't sure what to do about it.
Fiona glanced at the cafeteria doors, looking for Adam even though she knew he wouldn't show.
She was grateful when the bell finally lunch rang. "I'll see you guys later!" she told Eli and Clare and rushed off to her next class. If she was lucky, perhaps she'd see Adam in the halls. She took the long way to her next class and passed by the Media lab. It was empty.
Not willing to admit defeat, she rounded the corner. With the sea of students in similar uniforms it was tougher to locate individuals. Adam usually wore his Degrassi jacket indoors, so it helped her to identify him. She spotted him midway down the hall. His back was facing her.
"Adam!" she called out. She saw him pause mid-step, and then continue to walk away. She furrowed her brows. 'Is he ignoring me?'
-oOo-
The rest of the day was uneventful. Fiona was relieved when the final bell rang. She practically sprinted to her locker to grab a change of clothes.
"Not a minute too soon?"
She turned to find Holly J smiling at her.
"No need to stay in these dreadful clothes any longer than necessary," she said in a playful tone. Holly J nodded in agreement. "Are you ready to head over to the Dot?"
"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about…" Holly J began.
"Right," Fiona said trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
"Some last minute student council stuff came up. Sav needs my help revising our proposal," Holly J explained. "I can still meet you… I'll just be about an hour late."
Fiona shook her head. "Don't bother," she sighed. "Raincheck?" she suggested to defuse the tension.
Holly J looked at her cautiously. "Definitely," she said.
Fiona closed her locker.
"I do have a few minutes now. Let me walk you out," Holly J offered. Fiona shrugged. "So, how was the rest of you day?"
"Boring," Fiona told her as the two girls walked down the hall.
Holly J laughed. "That's Degrassi," she commiserated. "I mean, every so often there's drama but things have been tame for awhile now."
"Well, thanks to this stupid lockdown the likelihood of anything eventful happening has been dramatically reduced," Fiona complained.
"If it makes you feel any better, the council is working hard to rollback some of these insane restrictions."
Fiona felt a flicker of annoyance at the word 'council'. This semester it seemed like student government had swallowed her best friend whole. She felt a little guilty at times for being resentful knowing that Holly J was juggling a lot on her plate – school, college exams, and money issues. Still she missed having her best friend around.
"A little," Fiona lied. "I think the first thing that needs to go is the uniforms," she smirked. The two girls genuinely laughed.
"I promise, it's at the top of my agenda," Holly J declared as they reached the steps of the school entrance.
Fiona decided to head to the Dot solo. On her way there she stopped by a small boutique located close to Degrassi. As a frequent customer she had developed a good relationship with the owner. Every day after school she came here to switch back into 'normal' clothes.
"Bon après-midi Miss Coyne!" the owner, Mrs. Benoit greeted her.
"Même pour vous!" she responded.
"I have something for you," the older woman said as she came around the counter. "This came in this morning! I think it would be perfect on you."
She held up a beautiful cobalt blue dress, with an intricate multicolored gem stone design around the neck line. Fiona's eyes lit up. This was the perfect distraction from a lackluster day.
She tried on the dress and it looked fabulous. She headed out the store in good spirits, wearing what she wished she could during the day and carrying a new purchase. By the time she reached the Dot most of the after school crowd had started to disburse. She was grateful she missed the afternoon crunch.
Fiona saw empty seats at the counter and headed straight there. She spotted Peter Stone behind the counter and waved. She sighed happily. Soon she'd have an order of sweet potato fries all to herself. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the glimpse of a familiar face.
Sure enough, when she turned she noticed Adam sitting by the window alone. She wondered if he saw her. He seemed engrossed in a comic book. She noted he had a cookies and cream shake, and from the looks of it he had been here for some time. She briefly debated continuing to the counter or going over to his table.
Then she remembered his earlier snub in the hallway and felt a flash of anger. 'He's avoiding me,' she realized. She marched over to him.
.
tbc
Author's Note #3: This long chapter focused on Fiona. I did my best to get into her head. Let me know what you think!
Fixed some typos. Thanks Shadoki!
