"But I don't get it," Adrian repeated as she threw open the door to her
house, "If you're so concerned about Dewey, why don't you go to the
hospital with everyone else?"
Upon hearing the news that Dewey Finn, one of the people that Freddy and
Zack cared most about in the world, they had promptly turned and walked out
of the apartment, leaving Adrian to follow in their wake. The only thing
Freddy had said before setting his mouth in a thin, tight line was "Where's
your house?"
Zack hadn't said anything at all. His eyes looked watery and he was
clamping his teeth together, gritting them so hard they could be heard out
loud.
"He can't be in the hospital," Freddy said loudly, suddenly showing fury,
"He just can't be! The man still stage dives for God's sake!"
"Why don't you go see him?" Adrian cried exasperatedly, "Maybe it's not so
bad!"
"He's in the freaking hospital, I don't think he would be in there if it
wasn't something bad," Freddy snapped.
"Well then, since you are concerned-"
She didn't have time to finish her sentence before Freddy reached out and
grabbed her by both shoulders.
"I...do...not...like...hospitals," he said slowly, emphasizing every word.
Adrian looked wide-eyed at him. He had just been starting to relax, and now
his blue eyes were alight with anger.
"Neither do I," she said softly, "Who really does? But trust me, when
you're in the hospital there's nothing that makes you feel better than
people you love showing up for a visit."
Freddy didn't say anything. He couldn't believe it. Dewey Finn was in the
hospital. The man who had taught him how to play his heart out on the
drums, the man who had never been sick a day in his life, the man who was
still a kid was in the hospital, probably hooked up to all sorts of tubes
or something. And here was this girl he had just meant telling him what he
should do. What was that? What did she know anyway?
Tears welled up into his eyes before he could do anything about he. He
released Adrian roughly to wipe them on his sleeve.
Zack looked lost, sort of gazing around Adrian's house, not really sure
what he was doing there.
"He'll be all right," Zack said quietly, "He has to be."
"What if he won't?" Freddy shouted, growing hysterical. There weren't many
people on the planet that he felt he could turn to if he had a problem.
Zack was one. The only other one was Dewey. It wasn't like his parents
understood him, not even after they finally took a liking to him playing
his music.
"He will be," Zack said, attempting to sound more assured than he felt.
"I'm not going," Freddy said stubbornly, crossing his arms, "I'm not going
to any damn hospital. No one can make me. Dewey does not belong in a
hospital. He belongs on stage with us. With his guitar."
"I know, man," Zack said softly patting his best friend on the shoulder.
"Follow me," Adrian said abruptly to the two boys.
Zack obeyed and halfheartedly followed the girl up the stairs. Freddy
followed, cursing under his breath.
Who the hell did Adri think she was, trying to tell him what to do? She
didn't know him. She didn't know Dewey. Neither him nor Dewey belonged in a
hospital, what was wrong with her that she couldn't see that?
They reached the landing at the top of the stairs and Adrian led them into
her bedroom, which was completely done up in pink and white. An old,
rickety drum set sat in one corner.
She led them straight past her bed and drums and desk on which sat a black
laptop to her closet door, which she slip open, pushing aside hangers of
clothes to reveal a small door set into the wall.
"When we bought the house my parents thought it just led to the attic,"
Adrian said, opening the door and getting down on her knees, "So they don't
come in here and use it since we don't have anything stored in our attic.
Except it doesn't go there."
Freddy and Zack followed, crawling on their knees through the small door
that opened into another room, which wasn't large by any means, but tall
enough to walk upright.
There were posters all over the walls and not a single bit of pink that
they could see.
Freddy stared around as Adrian stood up and walked over to a wall covered
with Spider-Man, Star Wars and Green Day pictures to a set of pegs hanging
on the wall.
The lighting was dim, so it was hard to make out what was hanging on them.
Adrian reached up and pulled a cord that switched on an overhead light
bulb, illuminating the room.
The pegs, Freddy now noticed, seemed to be holding what looked like a bunch
of wigs. From bright green to blonde to black, it was the biggest
assortment he had ever seen. He temporarily forgot about the wetness
escaping from his eyes as he looked upon the unusual and remarkable
collection.
He looked at Zack, who was looking just as confused and surprised as he
was.
They watched even more astonished as Adrian reached up to her head and
grasped a handful of her bright red hair.
Freddy couldn't help but let out a shout as her hair came off in her hands,
revealing a completely smooth, completely bald head.
Ignoring the shout and Zack's sudden gasp, Adrian casually chose a short,
spiky brown wig and placed it on her head. It looked just as the previous
one had; completely real.
"Oh, my God..." Zack breathed as Adrian turned towards the two boys, who were
still positioned on their hands and knees.
"You see," she told them, "When I was in the hospital, there was nothing I
loved better than having my friends come and see me. It really kept my
spirits up, you know? If it hadn't been for them I don't know how I would
have made it through. Which is why, if you love Dewey, you'll want to help
him make it through whatever he's facing."
"You...you..." Freddy was still in shock. It wasn't every day he found out his
friends were in the hospital, and another new one donned wigs on a regular
basis.
"Alopecia Areata," Adrian said shortly, tugging on a lock of spiky hair, "A
disease that causes hair loss. Had it my whole life. Am most likely going
to have it for the rest of my life."
"Jeez." Freddy sat crossed-legged, wringing his hair in his hands. The
short, blonde locks felt suddenly strange against his fingers. It was his
hair, it wasn't going anywhere. Unlike that of some people.
"So now you know what's wrong with me," Adrian said, lying on her stomach
in front of them, chin in her hands, "But you still don't know anything
about the guy you care about."
"How, how are you so casual about it?" Freddy asked, flabbergasted, "I
mean...your hair..."
"It's not a big deal," Adrian shrugged, "Sure, it bothered me a little when
I got older. Got made fun of a lot. The Hairless Freak. That was me." She
sighed a little sadly. "It was really hard. I was different and my mom and
dad were really protective. It's why they are how they are about my clothes
and stuff. They want to protect me forever."
She laughed merrily, startling them.
"But I get to change my hairstyles the way other people change their
clothes. And that's pretty cool. Short and blonde one day, long and red the
next. Bright green if I'm in the mood." She smiled mischievously. "Now get
out of here."
Freddy and Zach didn't need telling twice.
house, "If you're so concerned about Dewey, why don't you go to the
hospital with everyone else?"
Upon hearing the news that Dewey Finn, one of the people that Freddy and
Zack cared most about in the world, they had promptly turned and walked out
of the apartment, leaving Adrian to follow in their wake. The only thing
Freddy had said before setting his mouth in a thin, tight line was "Where's
your house?"
Zack hadn't said anything at all. His eyes looked watery and he was
clamping his teeth together, gritting them so hard they could be heard out
loud.
"He can't be in the hospital," Freddy said loudly, suddenly showing fury,
"He just can't be! The man still stage dives for God's sake!"
"Why don't you go see him?" Adrian cried exasperatedly, "Maybe it's not so
bad!"
"He's in the freaking hospital, I don't think he would be in there if it
wasn't something bad," Freddy snapped.
"Well then, since you are concerned-"
She didn't have time to finish her sentence before Freddy reached out and
grabbed her by both shoulders.
"I...do...not...like...hospitals," he said slowly, emphasizing every word.
Adrian looked wide-eyed at him. He had just been starting to relax, and now
his blue eyes were alight with anger.
"Neither do I," she said softly, "Who really does? But trust me, when
you're in the hospital there's nothing that makes you feel better than
people you love showing up for a visit."
Freddy didn't say anything. He couldn't believe it. Dewey Finn was in the
hospital. The man who had taught him how to play his heart out on the
drums, the man who had never been sick a day in his life, the man who was
still a kid was in the hospital, probably hooked up to all sorts of tubes
or something. And here was this girl he had just meant telling him what he
should do. What was that? What did she know anyway?
Tears welled up into his eyes before he could do anything about he. He
released Adrian roughly to wipe them on his sleeve.
Zack looked lost, sort of gazing around Adrian's house, not really sure
what he was doing there.
"He'll be all right," Zack said quietly, "He has to be."
"What if he won't?" Freddy shouted, growing hysterical. There weren't many
people on the planet that he felt he could turn to if he had a problem.
Zack was one. The only other one was Dewey. It wasn't like his parents
understood him, not even after they finally took a liking to him playing
his music.
"He will be," Zack said, attempting to sound more assured than he felt.
"I'm not going," Freddy said stubbornly, crossing his arms, "I'm not going
to any damn hospital. No one can make me. Dewey does not belong in a
hospital. He belongs on stage with us. With his guitar."
"I know, man," Zack said softly patting his best friend on the shoulder.
"Follow me," Adrian said abruptly to the two boys.
Zack obeyed and halfheartedly followed the girl up the stairs. Freddy
followed, cursing under his breath.
Who the hell did Adri think she was, trying to tell him what to do? She
didn't know him. She didn't know Dewey. Neither him nor Dewey belonged in a
hospital, what was wrong with her that she couldn't see that?
They reached the landing at the top of the stairs and Adrian led them into
her bedroom, which was completely done up in pink and white. An old,
rickety drum set sat in one corner.
She led them straight past her bed and drums and desk on which sat a black
laptop to her closet door, which she slip open, pushing aside hangers of
clothes to reveal a small door set into the wall.
"When we bought the house my parents thought it just led to the attic,"
Adrian said, opening the door and getting down on her knees, "So they don't
come in here and use it since we don't have anything stored in our attic.
Except it doesn't go there."
Freddy and Zack followed, crawling on their knees through the small door
that opened into another room, which wasn't large by any means, but tall
enough to walk upright.
There were posters all over the walls and not a single bit of pink that
they could see.
Freddy stared around as Adrian stood up and walked over to a wall covered
with Spider-Man, Star Wars and Green Day pictures to a set of pegs hanging
on the wall.
The lighting was dim, so it was hard to make out what was hanging on them.
Adrian reached up and pulled a cord that switched on an overhead light
bulb, illuminating the room.
The pegs, Freddy now noticed, seemed to be holding what looked like a bunch
of wigs. From bright green to blonde to black, it was the biggest
assortment he had ever seen. He temporarily forgot about the wetness
escaping from his eyes as he looked upon the unusual and remarkable
collection.
He looked at Zack, who was looking just as confused and surprised as he
was.
They watched even more astonished as Adrian reached up to her head and
grasped a handful of her bright red hair.
Freddy couldn't help but let out a shout as her hair came off in her hands,
revealing a completely smooth, completely bald head.
Ignoring the shout and Zack's sudden gasp, Adrian casually chose a short,
spiky brown wig and placed it on her head. It looked just as the previous
one had; completely real.
"Oh, my God..." Zack breathed as Adrian turned towards the two boys, who were
still positioned on their hands and knees.
"You see," she told them, "When I was in the hospital, there was nothing I
loved better than having my friends come and see me. It really kept my
spirits up, you know? If it hadn't been for them I don't know how I would
have made it through. Which is why, if you love Dewey, you'll want to help
him make it through whatever he's facing."
"You...you..." Freddy was still in shock. It wasn't every day he found out his
friends were in the hospital, and another new one donned wigs on a regular
basis.
"Alopecia Areata," Adrian said shortly, tugging on a lock of spiky hair, "A
disease that causes hair loss. Had it my whole life. Am most likely going
to have it for the rest of my life."
"Jeez." Freddy sat crossed-legged, wringing his hair in his hands. The
short, blonde locks felt suddenly strange against his fingers. It was his
hair, it wasn't going anywhere. Unlike that of some people.
"So now you know what's wrong with me," Adrian said, lying on her stomach
in front of them, chin in her hands, "But you still don't know anything
about the guy you care about."
"How, how are you so casual about it?" Freddy asked, flabbergasted, "I
mean...your hair..."
"It's not a big deal," Adrian shrugged, "Sure, it bothered me a little when
I got older. Got made fun of a lot. The Hairless Freak. That was me." She
sighed a little sadly. "It was really hard. I was different and my mom and
dad were really protective. It's why they are how they are about my clothes
and stuff. They want to protect me forever."
She laughed merrily, startling them.
"But I get to change my hairstyles the way other people change their
clothes. And that's pretty cool. Short and blonde one day, long and red the
next. Bright green if I'm in the mood." She smiled mischievously. "Now get
out of here."
Freddy and Zach didn't need telling twice.