The Way Back to You
Chapter 11
"She's fine, Mrs. Coyne," Nate said, pacing his living room as he spoke on the phone to Fiona's mother. He looked at Fiona, who was curled up in a fetal position on his couch.
She'd fallen asleep on the plane ride back to New York. He and Brandon woke her up as the plane landed but as soon as they got to his apartment so that she could freshen up before heading home, she fell onto his couch and hadn't moved since.
"Yeah, she's just… tired. We were up all night studying," he said, deciding she should be the one to tell her mother about the break up. "Ok, I will. Yeah. Alright. Bye." He hung up the phone and slowly moved over to the couch.
"Fiona," he whispered. He heard her snoring and fought back a smile before grabbing a blanket from the arm chair in the corner and draping it over her.
"What's that?" Eli asked as he and Clare walked down the hallway toward Adam's bedroom. He missed two days of school following his break up with Fiona and when Eli had called during lunch to check on him, his mother simply told him he had the flu.
Now, he was standing outside the doorway to his best friend's room and there was music he didn't recognize blasting.
"I think its Nsync," Clare said.
Eli quickly reached for the doorknob, only to find the door was locked. He pounded on the door. "Adam, open up," he called as if he was trying to save Adam from a firing squad.
After a moment, the lock clicked. The door, however, didn't open. Eli and Clare shared a look before Eli tested the doorknob again.
This time, the door opened and they saw Adam, dressed in only boxers and a t-shirt, fall face first onto his bed.
Eli pulled the iPod out of the speakers, resulting in a deafening silence in the room. Clare picked up a picture from the floor.
The frame that held the picture of Adam and Fiona had been damaged badly, the glass had several cracks in it. Looking at his wall, she could see the tiny tear in the drywall where he'd thrown the picture.
"Dude, you reek," Eli said, taking a step away from the bed.
"Sorry," Adam said, his voice muffled by his pillow.
"What can we do?" Clare asked, sitting on the bed next to him.
"Nothing," he said simply.
Eli rolled his eyes. "At least take a shower." Clare glared at him before he continued. "It might make you feel better."
"Fine," Adam grumbled as he rolled out of bed. He grabbed clean underwear and walked to the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later, Adam returned. His wet hair was the only visible change. Again, he fell onto his bed, burying his face in his pillow.
"Good job," Clare said, looking at her boyfriend. "Now he's not just sad, he's wet."
Eli sighed, crossing his arms as he looked at the pathetic lump his best friend had become. "Get up," he said.
She rolled her eyes as Adam pulled his covers over his head. "Brilliant."
"Just leave me alone," Adam mumbled.
"Nope," Eli said, sitting down on Adam's bed. He began to bounce, making Adam's bed shake.
"Eli, stop it."
"Why? What are you gonna do, break my nose?" The older boy scoffed. "You already did that."
Adam finally rolled over to look at his friends. The movement made Eli stop bouncing. "What do you want?"
"Come out with us," Clare said. "We can go to The Dot or to a movie. Whatever you want."
Adam sighed. "I don't really wanna do anything."
Eli looked at Clare, who shrugged and sat next to him. "We'll just stay here then."
To be continued…