"Adam!" a familiar voice called out to him.
Adam looked around, and wondered what it was coming from.
"Adam, wait up!" it called again, coming up behind him.
He turned and saw Charlie running up to him. Adam knit his brow in confusion. What did he want? The last time he saw Charlie was a time that Adam did not want to remember.
***flashback***
Charlie pulled away abruptly, and before Adam could even blink, he was gone in a flash of dark hair. The door slammed and Adam jumped.
***endflashback***
"Adam, can we talk?"
"About what Charlie, how you left me when I needed you most?" Adam spat out, his voice venomous. He wanted nothing to do with Charlie. He was over him. Charlie was nothing but a memory at this point.
"Adam," Charlie said, pulling him into an empty classroom.
"What?" Adam demanded, "What do you want to do to me now?"
"I want to apologize. I fucked up. We were friends for too long for me to leave you the way I did, for me to just drop you like that."
"Friends? We were only friends? You can't even admit that I meant something more to you than just a friend?"
"Fuck it Adam, I'm not gay. I have nothing against you being gay, but I'm not. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I was to make you happy. We were friends Adam, just fucking friends."
"Damn straight fucking friends," Adam smirked, "And what do you mean, me being gay. You're just as gay."
"I have a girlfriend."
"My ass you have a girlfriend. You may have a girlfriend by name, and you may actually be attracted to her. But you were just as attracted to me. You loved me Charlie, as much as you don't want to hear it, you loved me, another guy. You can be bisexual or gay, but you cannot call yourself straight anymore. And I know she doesn't treat you half as good as I ever did, and I know that it's in the back of your head. I know Charlie, that deep down, you want me back. You want to be gay. So fuck you Charlie ... and I'm fucking glad that what had what we did, because I know that it eats you up inside. I know that when you're with her, it's in the back of your mind that you used to kiss me, your best friend. Your male best friend," Adam brought his voice to a harsh whisper, to keep himself from shouting.
"Listen, I just came to apologize. I don't get why you're so angry."
"Charlie, I wasted almost four years of my life on you. I wasted so much energy on you. We were happy, and we were together, and for you sit here and deny anything ever happened, is hardly what I would call apologizing. You wanted to break up with me, fine, whatever, it was done. No one comes back to apologize for breaking up with someone."
"That's because we were never together, don't you get it?"
"No Charlie, I don't. I thought sleeping in the same bed, kissing each other, showering together, I thought having sex meant that we were together, but what, we were really just friends? Jesus, is that how you treat all your friends? So does that mean Marla's just a friend?"
Charlie couldn't believe what just came out of Adam's mouth. They had only slept together once.
"Don't bring her into this," was all Charlie could manage to say.
"I'll bring whoever I want into this. It's apparently not about the two of us, so it really doesn't matter who I do or do not bring up."
"Well, what's with you? You were so quick to move on to Guy after us."
"Oh, so now there was an 'us'? And no, I've never moved onto Guy. I asked him for help with hockey," Adam spit out.
"Oh, like kissing him isn't moving onto him."
"Well according to you ... if you kiss someone you're just friends."
"Dammit Adam, stop fucking turning around every fucking thing I say!" Charlie yelled.
Adam smirked. He never liked being smarter than everyone else, but in a situation like this, he was glad Charlie wasn't quick enough to follow.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Charlie suddenly became self-conscious.
"You make me sick Charlie. But you know what? I'm going to be able to live with what happened and what you've said," Adam looked him straight in the eye, a thing that used to make Charlie weak in the knees, "But you're not going to be able to live with yourself. And you know what? That's okay."
Adam spun around quick and was out the door before Charlie knew what had happened. Charlie closed his eyes and took a breath. So that's what it felt like, to be just walked out on.
He'd only gone in there to apologize to his best friend, whom he felt like shit without. It wasn't supposed to end like that.
Then it hit him. Charlie remembered Adam when he first came to the Ducks. He was sad and felt rejected because his best friends dropped him so quick, only because he had to play for a different team. Charlie bet that Adam felt the same way, that Charlie dropped him only because he couldn't play anymore.
Charlie's stomach gurgled, and he ran for the nearest bathroom.
Adam looked around, and wondered what it was coming from.
"Adam, wait up!" it called again, coming up behind him.
He turned and saw Charlie running up to him. Adam knit his brow in confusion. What did he want? The last time he saw Charlie was a time that Adam did not want to remember.
***flashback***
Charlie pulled away abruptly, and before Adam could even blink, he was gone in a flash of dark hair. The door slammed and Adam jumped.
***endflashback***
"Adam, can we talk?"
"About what Charlie, how you left me when I needed you most?" Adam spat out, his voice venomous. He wanted nothing to do with Charlie. He was over him. Charlie was nothing but a memory at this point.
"Adam," Charlie said, pulling him into an empty classroom.
"What?" Adam demanded, "What do you want to do to me now?"
"I want to apologize. I fucked up. We were friends for too long for me to leave you the way I did, for me to just drop you like that."
"Friends? We were only friends? You can't even admit that I meant something more to you than just a friend?"
"Fuck it Adam, I'm not gay. I have nothing against you being gay, but I'm not. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I was to make you happy. We were friends Adam, just fucking friends."
"Damn straight fucking friends," Adam smirked, "And what do you mean, me being gay. You're just as gay."
"I have a girlfriend."
"My ass you have a girlfriend. You may have a girlfriend by name, and you may actually be attracted to her. But you were just as attracted to me. You loved me Charlie, as much as you don't want to hear it, you loved me, another guy. You can be bisexual or gay, but you cannot call yourself straight anymore. And I know she doesn't treat you half as good as I ever did, and I know that it's in the back of your head. I know Charlie, that deep down, you want me back. You want to be gay. So fuck you Charlie ... and I'm fucking glad that what had what we did, because I know that it eats you up inside. I know that when you're with her, it's in the back of your mind that you used to kiss me, your best friend. Your male best friend," Adam brought his voice to a harsh whisper, to keep himself from shouting.
"Listen, I just came to apologize. I don't get why you're so angry."
"Charlie, I wasted almost four years of my life on you. I wasted so much energy on you. We were happy, and we were together, and for you sit here and deny anything ever happened, is hardly what I would call apologizing. You wanted to break up with me, fine, whatever, it was done. No one comes back to apologize for breaking up with someone."
"That's because we were never together, don't you get it?"
"No Charlie, I don't. I thought sleeping in the same bed, kissing each other, showering together, I thought having sex meant that we were together, but what, we were really just friends? Jesus, is that how you treat all your friends? So does that mean Marla's just a friend?"
Charlie couldn't believe what just came out of Adam's mouth. They had only slept together once.
"Don't bring her into this," was all Charlie could manage to say.
"I'll bring whoever I want into this. It's apparently not about the two of us, so it really doesn't matter who I do or do not bring up."
"Well, what's with you? You were so quick to move on to Guy after us."
"Oh, so now there was an 'us'? And no, I've never moved onto Guy. I asked him for help with hockey," Adam spit out.
"Oh, like kissing him isn't moving onto him."
"Well according to you ... if you kiss someone you're just friends."
"Dammit Adam, stop fucking turning around every fucking thing I say!" Charlie yelled.
Adam smirked. He never liked being smarter than everyone else, but in a situation like this, he was glad Charlie wasn't quick enough to follow.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Charlie suddenly became self-conscious.
"You make me sick Charlie. But you know what? I'm going to be able to live with what happened and what you've said," Adam looked him straight in the eye, a thing that used to make Charlie weak in the knees, "But you're not going to be able to live with yourself. And you know what? That's okay."
Adam spun around quick and was out the door before Charlie knew what had happened. Charlie closed his eyes and took a breath. So that's what it felt like, to be just walked out on.
He'd only gone in there to apologize to his best friend, whom he felt like shit without. It wasn't supposed to end like that.
Then it hit him. Charlie remembered Adam when he first came to the Ducks. He was sad and felt rejected because his best friends dropped him so quick, only because he had to play for a different team. Charlie bet that Adam felt the same way, that Charlie dropped him only because he couldn't play anymore.
Charlie's stomach gurgled, and he ran for the nearest bathroom.