Author's Note: (this comes from the original author's note)

That line (you [meaning Vic] know which one) was changed and then re-inserted since you asked for it.
Without further ado...

Chapter 2: Oh, I know the silence was the loudest thing I ever heard.

I felt someone gently shaking me awake. I woke up slowly, drifting out of a very pleasant dream that from what I could remember had involved certain best friends of mine and more than a little bit of chocolate syrup.
I rolled over, and, far from seeing my mother like I expected, it was Adam standing beside me.
"Cake-eater!" I yelped, blushing.
He sighed heavily, and turned around to walk away. It was then that I remembered our fight from last night.
"No, Adam, wait!" I reached towards him and, momentarily forgetting I was lying down, tried to walk to him.
Walking, I've found, doesn't work very well when one's feet are not on the ground. In fact, it tends to cause painful consequences, such as thudding sharply on the floor.
Still caught in my bedcovers, I tried to stand up and talk to him. He was standing in the doorway mixed between laughing at me and trying to look mad.


"Adam." I struggled to my feet inside several layers of blankets and then walked over to him.
"Adam," I said again. "I don't want you to be mad at me. I know you were just tired last night, I didn't mean to—".
"Just tired?" He said, incredulously. "I thought you were apologizing, Charlie."  And with that, he walked out.


I was stunned. Though he wasn't giving me any idea what his problem was, he was evidently content to treat me like dirt anyway.

"Your Mom wants you to hurry up and get ready," he told me without turning around.

"Please, Adam."
I didn't know where that came from; it was just so important to me that Banks understood that I was sorry. I didn't care that I was
begging. And I especially didn't care that I didn't know what I'd done wrong. That was his business; I'd figure it out later.
He turned around slowly and crossed his arms.

"Talk to me," I pleaded.
He stared at me for over a minute. I hoped he was just trying to decide how to explain to me whatever it was I'd done wrong.
But without saying a word, he turned his back and walked away.