Author's note: Heh, it's been awhile, hasn't it? For the longest time I wasn't sure how to continue, but after a few painful months, I managed to come up with this. I hope you all enjoy the Badam/Eclare/Misfits moments because I worked really hard on this chapter. I appreciate all my readers, and I encourage you to leave your feedback!
Background information: This takes place in the beginning of Adam's junior year. Let's pretend Now or Never happened, seeing as I slowly started working on this chapter before Now or Never came out. Okay? Okay.
Chapter Two – Eli and Clare's reactions
As consciousness gradually returns to him, the first thing Adam feels is a sense of comforting warmth. His mouth instantly falls open in a loud, over exaggerated yawn, and he blinks rapidly while his vision adjusts. He is just about to stretch out his arms when he realizes that one is draped over a figure that is curled up against his body. "Holy shit," he mutters to himself, eyes widening in surprise as he wonders what the hell Bianca DeSousa is doing in his bed.
But then Adam remembers, reality barreling him over like a train. Bianca DeSousa is his freaking girlfriend.
A happy grin spreads across his face, for never in a million years would he have ever imagined that she would one day actually be his. "Morning, beautiful," sighs Adam contentedly, pressing a soft kiss into her curly raven tresses. He gently begins to trace patterns on the exposed skin of her shoulder, and he can't recall the last time he's felt this satisfied with his life.
Bianca responds with a small groan. She rolls over to face him and snuggles against his chest. "Hey," she says with a tired yawn. "I'm not much of a morning person."
"I can see that," chuckles Adam.
"What time is it?" she asks wearily, still half-asleep.
He glances over at the digital clock on his nightstand and answers, "It's almost eleven in the morning."
Slowly, Bianca shifts her body so that she's in a sitting position while leaning against one of the pillows. "Hah, wow. That's the best sleep I've gotten in a long time. No nightmares or anything. Guess I sleep well when I'm with you." She smirks down at her boyfriend.
"I'm glad," he smiles, also sitting up.
"My auntie is probably wondering where the hell I am," she continues as she adjusts her shirt. "I should be heading home."
Though he would like nothing more than to spend the entire day cuddling with Bianca, he knows she's right. "How about I grab you something to eat before you go?" he suggests.
Nodding, she says playfully, "How could I ever say no to food?"
"We have so much in common," he chuckles, sliding off the bed and arching his back in a leisurely stretch.
As he crosses the room, Adam sends a silent prayer of thanks for being a late riser on a daily basis; otherwise, his mother would have gotten suspicious and tried to open his locked door—which, in turn, would only increase her paranoia.
He begins to tiptoe down the stairs, but a shriek from below causes him to barrel down the rest, nearly tripping in his haste. He dashes into the kitchen, about to inquire what had happened, though his words die in his throat upon observing the sight before him.
His clearly frantic mother is practically on top of Drew, who sits on a chair at the table. She worriedly touches his bruised, swollen eye, demanding, "What in the world happened!? Oh my God, it wasn't that gang, was it?" Horror enters her tone at the mere thought.
"No, Mom, it wasn't the gang. Calm down," assures Drew. "It was—" He abruptly cuts off his sentence when he sees Adam standing several feet away.
"Please, don't stop on my account," sneers Adam. He walks over to the fridge and grabs a couple of oranges, a bit regretful that he can't actually make Bianca a proper breakfast. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm sure Drew deserved it; he was probably just running his big mouth again."
With a small gasp, his mother glares at him and scolds, "Adam, that's a horrible thing to say! Apologize to your brother!"
Shaking his head, Adam sends Drew a cold look as he stalks out of the kitchen. "Sorry, Mom, but why would I apologize to my step-brother if I didn't mean it?" he says harshly.
When he ignores her calls for him to return, he hears his mother wondering aloud what in the world had 'gotten into him'. Oh, if only she knew…
"Back," mutters Adam, nudging open his bedroom door with his hip.
Bianca is lounging comfortably on his bed, and she flashes her perfect white teeth at him in a radiant smile. "I love oranges," she says happily.
His anger towards Drew is forgotten, too caught up in the beautiful girl he has in his bedroom. "Good," he laughs. "Sorry I couldn't get you more. I tried to get in and out of that kitchen as fast as possible."
The smile fades from her face. "Oh, was Drew down there? I thought I heard voices…"
Adam stares at her, studying the way her eyebrows knit together and the way she bites her lip, and barely registers her words. "Huh…? Oh, yeah, him and Mom both. Pretty sure she knows I'm freezing him out." His shoulders lift in a nonchalant shrug.
"I'm sorry if I'm causing you troubles with Drew," says Bianca, voice colored with sincerity and concern.
He dismisses her worry with a wave of his hand. "Forget about it, all right? He's the one being an ass, not you."
Reassured, Bianca stands and walks over to him. She curls her arms around his neck, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on his mouth. "I guess I'll talk to you later," she murmurs against his lips.
"I guess you will," mutters Adam before pulling away a bit. "Any exciting plans for today?"
She shakes her head. "Nah, I'll probably just spend the day relaxing at home. You know, watch the Food Network and shit. How about you?"
He hums in contemplation. "I'm not really sure. Maybe I'll call Eli or Clare, see if one of them wants to hang out," he says.
Arching an eyebrow, Bianca suggests, "Why don't you hang out with the both of them?" When he remains silent, her eyebrows shoot up farther. "Oh, come on, those two must be on speaking terms by now."
Adam shrugs again and says, scoffing, "They started talking after prom, but they're 'taking things slow'. I think they're afraid of scaring each other off. They keep tiptoeing around each other because they still haven't really discussed everything that's happened. Therefore, they're still carrying around all that guilt."
Bianca lets out a chuckle. "Maybe they could learn a thing or two about communication from us," she says. Her dark, sparkling eyes dance with mischief.
"Oh, yeah, because we're so much better than them," he retorts playfully.
A smile is prominent on her lips as she rolls her eyes at him. "I'll talk to you later, all right?" She gives him one last slow, long kiss before sternly adding, "Invite both of them over."
His hands lift in surrender. "Okay, okay, I will. You win, Queen," laughs Adam, reveling in this newfound happiness they discovered only last night.
"I always do," smirks Bianca, and she struts over to his door. (He muses to himself that she'll probably sneak out through the basement.) Just before she slips out, she looks back at him over her shoulder. "I'm going to try really hard to make this work, Adam."
And with that, she's gone.
A huge sigh escapes his chest as he flops back against his bed. He still can't believe that he's dating the Bianca DeSousa. It's an impossible concept to wrap his mind around, but it's true. It's not just a dream.
He rolls off his bed and spends several minutes scouring his room for his cell phone. Upon locating it, he lets out a cry of triumph, before giddily scrolling down to his best friend's contact. He dials the number and waits impatiently while it rings. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. For the love of God, dude, pick up!
"Hello?" grumbles a somewhat groggy yet familiar voice.
"Hey, Eli!" grins Adam.
There's a bit of rustling on the other line. "Hey, what's up?" Almost as an afterthought, Eli adds, "I'm surprised you're up already."
Paying no mind to his friend's comment, Adam continues excitedly, "I was wondering if you wanted to come over today."
Eli chuckles. "Do I really have any say in the matter?" he asks in amusement.
"Not really," says Adam cheerfully.
"All right, then. I'll be over in an hour."
As soon as the line goes dead, he immediately dials his other best friend's number. Fortunately, she does not take as long as Eli to answer.
"Hey!" he greets her animatedly.
"Hi, Adam," says Clare Edwards's delicate voice. She then notes, "You sound happy."
He smiles goofily and informs her, "That's because I am happy."
Adam imagines her smiling as well; after all, Clare has a very kind disposition and loves to see him happy. "So, uh, I was wondering if you could come over in about an hour," he says.
"Hmm," she ponders for a moment. "Okay, that sounds good. I'm sure my mother won't mind."
"Awesome! I'll see you then." Once she says a sweet 'bye', he hangs up the phone. Almost at once, his palms begin to grow clammy.
In an hour, he will be hanging out with Eli and Clare together for the first time in nearly five months.
In an hour, he will inform his best friends that he is now dating the girl that outed him to the entire school almost one year ago.
He hopes they don't kill him.
Adam is sure that he'll die if he waits a whole hour doing nothing while his friends get ready, so he goes about his normal routine. It only takes him half an hour to get ready, however, so he bounds down the stairs and enters the basement. He is unsurprised to see his mother doing laundry, and he awkwardly clears his throat.
"Hello, Adam," his mother says coolly, without looking up from the shirt she's folding.
Oh, great. He suppresses a groan, knowing he's not off the hook from the way he acted earlier in the kitchen. He knows that he would totally be grounded by now if Drew had ratted him out, though, so he counts his lucky stars that his step-brother had kept his mouth shut. It's the least he could do, thinks Adam bitterly.
Slowly inching past his mother, he decides to test the waters. "Is it okay if Eli and Clare come over?"
"Well, if it means that you keep your hands off your brother, then I don't see why not," she replies.
He freezes. Fuck. Whirling around, he can't help but to burst out angrily, "Drew told you!?"
Audra Torres shakes her head. "No, but you just did," she says in an eerily calm voice.
"Please don't ground me for life," cringes Adam. He internally scolds himself for not playing it cool and giving himself away.
"I'm just confused, Adam. After everything that's happened with you and your brother in the past year, I thought that you would know by now that violence is never the answer. Didn't I raise you better than that?" Disappoint laces her tone, and he can't help but feel a twinge of guilt.
His eyes sting as he recalls Drew's words from the previous night. "We got into an argument yesterday, and… oh God, Mom, he was being so awful. He… he said something really mean about me being… y'know… and I was so hurt and I just lost it. I'm sorry, Mom. I was stupid and let my emotions get the best of me." He swipes at his eyes in frustration to keep the tears at bay.
Expression softening, his mother pulls Adam into a brief hug. "I'm sorry, too, Adam. I do think, however, that both of you should be held accountable for your actions," she states.
With a sigh, he nods. "Fair enough," he relents.
"Both of you lose video game and computer privileges for a month, three weeks if you two behave. I want you to talk to him. Don't open your mouth and interrupt me, mister. I'm not asking you to do it now, but when you're ready."
Even though he values his video games and computer, her punishment isn't completely horrible. She isn't taking away his phone, and he can still see his friends—and girlfriend. Smiling, Adam gives his mother another hug.
Knock-knock.
Eli slides in through the unlocked door. "Hi, Mrs. Torres," he says politely, before flashing a smirk at his friend. "Aw, am I interrupting a moment?"
Adam makes a face and sticks his tongue out.
"Manners, Adam," chides Audra, swatting his head. "It's nice to see you again, Eli. I'll leave you boys alone."
Grumbling as his mother leaves, Adam lazily drops down onto the couch—the same couch that he had made out with Bianca on less than twenty-four hours ago. He grins fondly at the vivid memory racing through his mind.
Eli sits down beside him. "Somebody looks as though they're having a good day," he observes.
"I am," he says, which is true, in spite of the fact that he just got grounded several minutes prior.
"I'm honored that my presence brings you such joy," says Eli mockingly.
Adam snorts. "Don't flatter yourself, my friend."
"Ouch! Do you hear that? It's the sound of my heart breaking." Eli places a hand on his chest, feigning hurt.
Ding-dong!
Wincing, Adam mutters, "Let the games begin."
His friend appears confused. "Aren't you going to answer that?" inquires Eli.
"My mom will," he says with a shrug.
The door creaks open, and light footsteps proceed down the steps. Taken aback, Clare's striking blue eyes widen at the sight of the two of them. "Oh! …Um, hi," she says softly, biting her lip.
Eli stares at her unabashedly, while her cheeks turn a profuse shade of pink. "Hey," he says.
"What a stunning display of verbal acuity," drawls Adam, which earns him an elbow to the side from Eli. Snickering, he scrambles over to the other end of the couch. "All right, enough with the awkward, one-syllable greetings. Come join us, Clare."
Clare scoffs, but she nevertheless settles between the two boys. Though she briefly looks uncomfortable, she soon sends a withering glare in Adam's direction. "There was no need for secrecy," she chides.
Adam, however, can read her like a book and knows that she isn't truly upset with him. "What can I say?" he grins. "I like surprises."
"I had no part in this," chimes Eli. "I was just another unsuspecting, innocent victim."
While she scoffs a second time, the twitch of her lips indicates her façade is weakening. "Oh, please. You are anything but unsuspecting and innocent," she says teasingly.
Eli pretends to look wounded, and Adam lets out a groan. "Ugh, come on. How do I still manage to become the third wheel when you two aren't even together anymore?" he complains loudly.
Their reactions are instantaneous, with Eli chucking a pillow at his head and Clare shrieking a cross "Adam!" and smacking him in the arm.
"Oh, shit… This is abuse, I object!" he whines. He receives two glares this time, and he suppresses a grin. He lives to get on his best friends' nerves; more often than not, he is successful. "Fine, fine, don't let me interrupt your flirty banter."
They both look as though they're contemplating on whether or not they should repeat the same punishment they had bestowed upon him only a minute before, but Clare then addresses him. "Don't think I didn't notice the huge grin on your face when I came downstairs. Something is definitely up. I mean, you were practically glowing."
Eli gasps. "Oh man, don't tell me you're pregnant! Your mom is going to kill us! Damn, I knew I should have—"
Gagging, Adam intervenes. "Ugh, stop right there before I puke all over Clare." In return, she squeals and scoots as far away as possible, nearly in Eli's lap. Adam bursts out in peals of laughter when his friend, who wears his signature smirk, wraps his arms firmly around her waist. "Eli, let go!" she huffs.
"Not a chance." Eli playfully tugs on one of her cinnamon-brown curl. "The smell of your hair is just too tempting."
A pout forms on her lips as she swats him. "You're terrible," deadpans Clare, although she reluctantly relaxes in his grip, and Eli's smirk only widens.
Adam rolls his eyes at his two friends, barely believing the sight before him. To say he was surprised that Eli that had made such a bold move after hardly speaking to his ex-girlfriend in months before agreeing to 'take things slow' with her would be an understatement—not to mention that Clare went right along with it. It's as if they haven't missed a beat and are picking up right from where they left off, he muses.
His arms folding across his chest, he says, "Listen, I hate to break up the love-fest, but I actually do have an important announcement."
Eli places his mouth next to Clare's ear. "I'm telling you, the boy's pregnant!" he whispers conspiratorially. Typically, she giggles in response. Satisfied with her reaction and sensing their friend's apprehension, Eli raises his eyebrows. "Well, dude, what is it? Isn't it better to rip the bandage off?"
Well, he does have a point there…
"I have a girlfriend," blurts out Adam.
Clare gasps loudly, whereas Eli's eyebrows shoot up higher on his forehead. "Wow, man, that's awesome. Congrats. Who's the lucky lady?" Before Adam can respond, though, Eli glances at his two friends with mock suspicion. "Are you two hiding something from me? Huh, Edwards?"
Snorting, Adam watches in vague amusement as Eli nudges an extremely annoyed-looking Clare, although they're both aware she has trouble staying upset with either one of them. While they're distracted, he decides to deliver the next bombshell. "It's Bianca."
Their heads whip around to stare at him. "Excuse me?" demands Clare, her and Eli both appearing sucker-punched.
"Bianca… I'm dating Bianca," mumbles Adam.
"Bianca? As in Bianca DeSousa?" asks Eli.
Sheepishly, he nods.
Clare's gaze softens. "I guess it's not that surprising," she concedes. "She makes you happy, then?"
Adam can't help but grin. "Yeah, she does. This is the happiest I've felt in a really long time," he says.
"Congrats, man," says Eli, reaching over to clap his friend's shoulder.
"We're both really happy for you," adds Clare with a wide grin. "You deserve somebody that will treat you right, and I can tell Bianca has changed a lot since last year."
Eli nods in agreement, before he suddenly takes notice of Adam's bruised knuckles. "Whoa, what happened there?" he asks.
Shifting in his seat, Adam mumbles, "Oh, long story…"
"Well, we could go to The Dot and get something to eat while you tell us all about it," suggests Clare, rising to her feet.
Adam momentarily contemplates this and then stands as well. "That sounds good. After all, I won't have to worry about you two making out in front of me if we're at a public place… Then again, I never know with you two…"
At the murderous looks on both of his friends' faces, Adam lets out an evil cackle and promptly darts out the back door, with Eli and Clare close behind him. As they begin to catch up to him, he slows down to throw his arms around their shoulders.
While he may not voice it, he's extremely grateful for their constant, unwavering support.
They walk in a comfortable silence, and a broad smile lights up his face, and he feels as though everything is finally falling into place: His mother seems to become more understanding by the day, he has the girl of his dreams, and his friends have been reunited.
At this point, nothing can bring him down. He's not the same insecure boy he was a year ago. He's unstoppable.