Chapter 8 - A Dose of Life

Adam woke up early that morning even though he had barely slept a wink that night. He showered and got dressed.

Adam got everything ready so he could leave before Guy woke up. He went to the nightstand and took out two bottles of the pills.

He examined one of the containers closely. The drug name was carisoprodol and the common name was Soma. The dosage was one pill four times a day. Adam smiled in spite of himself. He knew that no one could possibly feel any relief with that amount.

Adam had first heard of Soma when he was a fifth grader. That year when he was playing peewee hockey Adam had gotten hurt.

The Hawks were playing the Cardinals. The bigger guys on both teams were attacking the younger guys. Adam was one of the smallest guys out there.

When Adam had the puck this sixth grader came out of nowhere and checked him hard. Adam went flying into the glass hitting his back and then fell to the ice from there landing on his back.

That sixth grader had been at least half a foot taller and had a very muscular build over Adam. He could have killed Adam.

The paramedics had to take Adam to the hospital. He stayed for observation overnight.

Adam needed physical therapy. The doctors there gave him Soma to help his back. He was barely old enough for the drug yet he took that medicine on time every time.

Soma made him feel better. He could handle his pain much better. Since then Adam has been going to Soma whenever he's been hurt. Those pills were his cover. The more pain, the more pills. That's the way the system worked with Adam.

Adam felt himself pulled back into the present as he put one bottle in his schoolbag and the other in his hockey bag.

Adam went out for a good breakfast that morning. He had two Soma tablets with his food.

During English class Adam started feeling very dizzy. He quit concentrating on class and started concentrating on not passing out. That always happens when he starts back up on Soma.

After a short time he just felt weak beyond his control. Adam could barely keep himself in his chair with his head up.

He fell asleep in class. Ms. Nixon didn't even notice. She never had been the most observant teacher in the school.

Adam got through the rest of the morning without incident. He was actually feeling much better.

With the school lunch in front of him Adam subtly reached his hand into his school bag. He pulled out the bottle of Soma. Quietly Adam slipped out one pill and took the Soma with his milk and tacos.

At lunch and classes all the Ducks just walked right past him like he wasn't there. The Ducks didn't talk to him or even glance in his direction. Adam was dead in their eyes along with the friendship, if there ever was one.

Adam was sitting by himself in a table near the corner of the room. From a distance he seemed very alone. Inside his mind however his pain was being taken away. The Soma was the answer for everything.

Fulton couldn't help but notice his friend (correction = ex-friend), Adam, just sitting there. Fulton thought he knew what Adam was going through. Fulton has been no stranger to being alone in his life.

Fulton did the honorable thing, for him that is, and didn't go sit with Adam. Instead he joined into the conversation that the rest of the Ducks were having about Adam.

They weren't saying anything nice at all.

This is high school. The weak that separate from the crowd get lost in the halls. The strong that stay together get the power. Adam just got separated.

The lunch line was getting shorter as the different cliques went to their different tables to eat. Tiny was headed towards the basketball table when she noticed that Adam was over in the corner sitting alone like a lost little puppy.

Apprehensively Tiny sat at the girls' basketball table. Her friends stared at her until she realized that everyone was looking at her.

Tiny just looked at them defensively and said, "What do you want?" in a very cocky manner.

Another guard on JV, Karen, looked at the third guard, Melissa, and then looked back at Tiny. Karen went, "We all know you're looking at that sorry excuse of a boyfriend of yours. You've been on like what 2 dates and you are hooked on the guy. That's sad. Besides, it's season now. You have to concentrate on putting the ball in the basket. In case you have forgotten you're on scholarship here. You're are 3 shooter if you don't get moved to varsity."

Tiny shot back saying, "Adam and I have been going out for around 3 weeks. We were on more dates than two. I'm concentrating fine on basketball. You said it yourself; I have a shot at varsity. You need to realize that I'm not hung up on the guy and I could live without him."

"Why are you with him then?"

"Why not?"

"The basketball players would go for you in a heartbeat. Why bother checking out the boys who get checked?"

"Because I know they can actually take a hit."

"Fuck you. Let's eat."

"Right back at you."

They started eating. The entire table finished in less than ten minutes from when they sat down. No one at Eden Hall seemed to take their time with the cafeteria food.

After all of the players got up they took their trays back through the garbage cans and to the window where the trays are put for them to be washed. Then they sat back down at their table to talk.

Tiny quickly forgot about Adam in the corner and fell into the conversation with her friends until the end of lunch hour.

On her way to afternoon classes Karen came up to walk the rest of the way with her since they had the same class. They didn't talk much because they were in a hurry. Right before Tiny took her seat towards the front and Karen headed to the back Karen left her by saying, "By the way, good job with the whole Adam thing at lunch. I thought for sure we were going to lose you as soon as you two started dating. Tiny, you're totally not a controlled girl like most of the hockey girlfriends around here. Especially the girls who date rich boys like Banks. He's bad news for you. Hear me loud and clear."

Tiny just nodded her head. What kind of response could she give to that? Maybe she could have said, "Thank you for butting into my life when you didn't have to so I wouldn't fall into a relationship that doesn't look like it's working out anyway. I owe my social life to you Karen."

Tiny thought about how Adam has been acting lately. He's so distant from anyone. She figured that the Ducks were mad at him about something.

They were supposed to care about each other and help each other get through stuff like this. If Adam was going to shut himself off from anyone and everyone around him whenever he had a problem Tiny didn't want to deal with him.

Tiny wondered exactly how much longer they were going to stay together.