CHAPTER THREE: GET OUT OF MY HEAD

Adam's POV

"Adam, could you come down here please?"

I heard my mother's voice echoing from downstairs while I stood in the bathroom upstairs and finished combing my damp hair. I made a couple more quick strokes before ruffling it a little and hurrying downstairs.

Drew flashed me one of his unwilling smiles from the couch. It was surprising that Mom had even gotten him to come down from his room. Ever since catching Bianca with that townie, he'd been all quiet and melodramatic.

He watched my returning smile for a couple seconds before glancing back down at his phone. I watched him for a heartbeat too long when Mom called my name again from behind the kitchen counter.

"You rang," I joked, taking a seat at the bar.

She barely glanced up while she continued to wash some sort of exotic looking vegetable. Her eyes rose after she set the odd looking thing on the towel.

"Could you run an errand for me, sweetie?" she asked. My mom liked to turn her sweet tone on for me when she needed something.

I made a grumbling sound and complained, "Mom, I have a pile of homework. I can't fail this English test. Why can't Drew go?"

She set the towel down that she'd used to dry her hands. Her head was cocked while her dark brown eyes sparkled a bit. I wasn't sure what it was, but I ignored it all the while.

My mom leaned close to me across the counter. "Do you know how much effort I had to put into just getting him to come downstairs? Could you just do this one thing, please?"

I rubbed my lips together in discomfort before turning my head around to glance at Drew. He was lounging in the black leather sofa with a Lifetime flick playing on the flat screen on the wall.

A grumble escaped my lips before I turned back to my mom. "Okay, what's your errand?"

A wide grin appeared on her lips. "Okay, I need you to walk down to the mini market and grab some eggs. I have to get these deviled eggs done before Omar gets home."

I nodded silently before taking the ten dollar bill from her and walking out of the house. The air was still a bit warm even though autumn was approaching quickly.

My feet made silent thuds against the deserted sidewalk while cars passed by me every once in awhile.

I looked up and noticed that there was a full moon tonight. I used to be obsessed with the moon phases as a junior high student. I would wait all month for a full moon, and when the night arrived, I would sit outside almost all night just looking at the luminescent white circle.

It didn't take long for me to actually notice the face on that giant rock, and before long that was all I could see when I looked up at it; a face.

I kept the hood of my jacket on while I turned to open the door of the mini market. But the distant sound of angry voices and glass shattering caught my attention.

My eyes peeled the darkness of the nearby alley, but I could only see shadows in the distance. The people walking looked too drunk to function, so I simply shrugged it off and entered the mini market to get the eggs.

The market was quiet with no one there except for a Chinese man who seemed very interested in sweets considering all of the brownies he had in his small rectangular basket.

After paying for the dozen eggs and a bottle of water, I exited the market warily. I wasn't sure if those drunkards were still out there. I didn't need any trouble right now, and I didn't mind hiding in the darkest shadow of the alley to keep myself safe.

And as soon as I was out into the autumn air again, someone plowed straight into me. The eggs fell to the ground, and there was a horrible cracking noise that told me the eggs probably weren't of much use anymore.

My attacker spun around while spouting a distant apology. Unfortunately I was too focused on the curly-haired girl standing in front of me with a gaping mouth to hear how sorry she was.

Bianca quickly closed her mouth and kneeled down to pick up my water bottle and the carton of busted eggs. She held the eggs out in front of her and said, "I think they're dead."

I ignored her words with an angry expression glued to my face. Her brown eyes focused on mine when the sound of breaking glass made me look over her shoulder into the alley she'd just come from.

In the shadows I could make out two townies beating up some helpless guy. It looked like he was fighting back pretty well, but there wasn't much he could do with two drunken fools.

"Who are your friends?" I asked softly.

Bianca looked back for a single second before turning back to stare at me again. "It's just Ron-Ron and Bradley."

"And you like hanging out with those goons?" I asked in exasperation in disbelief.

"Sometimes you can't just choose your friends…"

And for that one single moment, I noticed this innocence behind Bianca's puppy-like brown eyes. But everything flashed back to reality when she shoved the eggs into my abdomen.

"I'm sure you want your eggs back now. Sorry I broke them," she said with a small but crooked smile.

"It's fine," I reassured after a second of silence. "I think my step dad can go without his precious deviled eggs for one night."

Bianca laughed as I took the eggs from her and glanced back over her shoulder. Ron-Ron and Bradley were now looking over the defenseless man's body with flaring eyes. I knew that if I stood here for much longer with Bianca, they would shift their attention to something more interesting like me.

"I should go," I said quickly.

Bianca must've found this amusing because she was laughing silently within seconds. "Don't tell me you're scared of Ron-Ron and Bradley. They're harmless."

"Yeah," I laughed once, "they look real sweet."

This time she didn't answer while she kept her brown eyes on mine. And just like that, she made that one simple movement to try and get closer to me.

She stood so close that I could feel her hot breath against my cheek while she whispered in my ear. "You really have to stop running from your fears. They'll catch up to you sooner or later."

I shoved her off of me and shot her daggers from my blue eyes. "I thought we already established this. I have a girlfriend, Bianca."

"Then why are you still talking me? Why haven't you already walked away from me? Answer me and I'll leave you alone," she coaxed. "All I need is an answer, Adam, and you can be Bianca-free for the rest of your life."

And I knew the answer. I knew the exact answer that would explain everything out in front of me like writing on the wall. But I couldn't answer her. I was scared. I was scared to actually face my answer because it frightened me.

So I did what any ordinary human would that was scared of something. I walked away from Bianca Desousa and left her alone by the alley with Ron-Ron and Bradley's slurred words echoing the world.

"Adam, you can't run away forever!" she called after me.

I ignored her to the best of my ability and turned the corner with a bottle of water and a carton of broken eggs in my arms. My jaw was set the whole entire time as I stomped my way home.

I threw the front door open and slammed it shut before looking to see Drew, my mom, and Omar all seated in front of the flat screen. My mom watched my silent exterior with a frown while I set the carton of eggs on the counter and turned on my heel.

"Aren't you hungry?" she called after me while I walked up the stairs.

"I lost my appetite on my way here," I called back while trudging up the stairs to my room. Maybe Fiona was online right now.