Chapter Four

Adam sighed and flopped down on to his bed. It was late, and he was exhausted. His date with Samantha had not gone as planned, and now he would have to face her at school on Monday. Not to mention his encounter with Becky Baker. He had thought he had had her pegged – hypocritical Christian girl who hid behind her religion, and used it as an excuse to spread her hate ad disdain of anyone different from her. She had sickened him. He couldn't stand when "Christians" hated other people. Wasn't that the exact opposite of what they were supposed to do?

But after actually talking with her, Adam couldn't help but feel as though he had misjudged her. Maybe Becky Baker wasn't as bad as he had first thought she was. After all, she had seemed almost normal in their conversation at the movie theater. And, though he hated to admit it, he had enjoyed talking with her.

Besides, maybe it wasn't all her fault she was the way she was. Maybe she was just living the way her parents had taught her to live. Maybe her little bubble had been all she had ever known, and Degrassi was something so incredibly new and foreign to her, that it scared her. Maybe her fear was the fuel behind her hate. Now that Adam had actually met her, he doubted she could even really hate anyone.

It's like being disgusted by escargot. You think it's disgusting because it's something you never had before, and it scares you. You're afraid of it, and creeped out by it; so you say you hate it and don't want to accept it. However, it's not that you hate it, because you don't even have a reason to hate you. You just don't like it, because it's new and because it's new, it scares you. Maybe Becky doesn't hate people with "alternative lifestyles." Maybe she just thinks she does because she's scared of them. It's something different than she had grown up knowing, and it scared her.

Adam sighed and stared up at the ceiling. Where, exactly, did that leave him? Maybe, just maybe, once they got to know each other a bit more, Adam could show her that "alternative lifestyles" aren't all that bad. Maybe he could…

But that would mean he would have to get closer to her, and maybe even be her friend. That crossed a line that Adam wasn't sure he was prepared to cross. This was still Becky Baker, and he still was angry with her for what she had done to Eli and how she had treated Tristan. But he believed everyone deserved a second chance. Even people like Becky Baker.

Monday, at school, Adam made it his mission to seek out Becky Baker. He didn't tell Eli what his mission was, knowing he would disagree or punch him, or both. As they walked down the hall together, Eli yammering on and on about the props, Adam scanned the halls for any sign of Becky Baker. He wasn't quite as discrete as he had thought he had been, and Eli was quick to realize Adam was not paying much attention.

"Are you okay?" Eli asked, "You're distracted. You're not even bugging me about talking too much about the play like you usually do," Eli nudged him with his elbow, "What's up?"

"Uh…nothing. Just a lot on my mind. Sorry," Adam winced, "And uh…trying to look out for Samantha. If you see her, warn me please. I do not exactly want to get my lips sucked off again," Adam chuckled and Eli nodded, understandingly.

"Got it," Eli saluted.

"You're a dork," Adam rolled his eyes. He was about to say something more, but then he saw her. She was standing at her brother's locker, bouncing up and down and a huge smile on her face. Adam's brow furrowed; and for some reason, Adam desperately wanted to know what she was so excited about.

"Ugh," it was Eli's turn to roll his eyes, "It should be illegal for someone to be so peppy so early in the morning."

"Says the guy whose manic depressive," Adam nudged Eli playfully, letting him know he was just kidding. They could joke about Eli's bipolar, but Adam was careful not to cross the line that was there.

"Touché."

"Adam!" Becky had spotted them, and was now hurrying over. She was waving, and had that same huge grin plastered on her face.

"She's giving me a migraine already," Eli winced, massaging his forehead with his fingertips, "Make it go away."

"Shut up." Adam nudged him sharply, "Hey, Becky! You're peppy this morning."

"Yes! It's just such a beautiful day, isn't it? The Lord has truly blessed this day, hasn't he? But that's not the only reason I am so happy this morning. I got a phone call last night from my best friend back in Florida. She wants to come visit over Spring Break! Isn't that great?"

"Is she anything like you?" Eli grumbled and Adam shot him a look.

"It must be tough to be away from her," Adam said empathetically, "I'm glad she might come visit. When I first came to Degrassi, I didn't really have anyone here. Or back home for that matter. Until I met Clare and Eli."

"Surely you had friends back home," Becky's grin faltered, "You seem likeable enough."

"Why, Becky Baker, is that a compliment?" Adam smirked and Eli looked from Adam to Becky, and back to Adam with his eyes about to pop from their sockets.

"Oops," Becky winced playfully.

Adam smiled a warm smile, which she returned. Eli looked like he was about to blow a gasket, but Adam ignored him as he said, "Sit with me at lunch?"

Adam could just about swear that Eli's face turned every shade of purple possible; and Becky said with her same old grin, "Okay! I'll see you at lunch, Adam."

"See ya, Becksters."

She didn't even bother to correct him.

As the turned and headed down the hall, Eli grabbed Adam's backpack and jerked him close as he hissed in his ear, "What the hell? Why are you fraternizing with the enemy?"

"Becky isn't an enemy," Adam shook Eli off of him, "She just was raised differently than you and I were. Being open and accepting is difficult for her, because she has never had to be before. She's lived in this bubble her parents created all her life."

"What are you trying to do here, bud?" Eli asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Just making a friend," Adam shrugged, "She's not all that bad, Eli. Everyone deserves a chance."

"She didn't give me one."

"You're better than that," Adam reminded him, "I'm off to class. If you want to join us for lunch, that's fine. If not, you can eat by yourself."

Eli growled a few choice words before saying, "Fine. But I'm not doing it for her. I'm doing it because when you talked with her, you had this look on your face. Sure, I wanted to pummel it off of you, but you seemed happy. If Becky Baker – for whatever reason – makes you happy, then I'm just going to have to deal."