Chapter 9
Sav was thankful that it was the stranger that was unconscious and not Clare. He decided to give the girls a bit of space and went back downstairs and outside to join his father.
After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence and awkward glances, Alli started walking to Clare's bedroom door. She walked through and passed by the unconscious stranger. Suddenly she heard the sound of whaling police sirens. She sighed in relief. Clare – who was still on the floor – hadn't moved or said a word since Alli mentioned having to leave. She didn't even look up to say goodbye. Alli put her hand on the banister rail and paused. She felt terrible having to leave Clare all by herself. If it was me in there I wouldn't let Clare leave.
The problem with the whole scenario was that Alli was still infuriated with Clare and was not ready to just forgive and forget. She knew this total 180 feeling switch was completely unfair. She had been ready to move on when she called Clare's house a little while ago but now, being over at the Edwards house and actually having to be in the same room as Clare: all of this and more made her forgiving mood disappear. It was replaced with absolute annoyance. Maybe tomorrow I can try to forgive her Alli thought.
"Do you want to go wait on the front steps together?" she asked, still looking at the stairs. She heard Clare stand up and turned to face her.
"Won't your dad be mad at you for being up and out so late?" Clare came to join Alli at the top of the staircase.
"It's not like I snuck out of the house to go visit Drew or something. You were in danger, he understands that I…" Alli couldn't finish her sentence. Why am I really here?
Luckily Alli didn't have to piece that thought together. Clare clasped her hand as tears flowed down her cheeks. "Thank you, Alli."
Alli nodded and the two girls walked down the stairs and out of the house through the front door. They sat down on the front steps next to Sav. "Sounds like the entire TPS crew are on their way. Must be a slow evening in the crime department." Alli said, laughing.
"I'm glad. I don't think I could have handled being by myself for much longer." Clare shivered as a gust of wind blew past her and the Bhandaris.
"Have you spoken to your parents?" Mr. Bhandari asked.
Clare stared at her feet. "No…I haven't."
Mr. Bhandari looked at Alli and Sav. Alli tried to make a "leave it alone" face but Mr. Bhandari was kneeling in front of Clare, so he missed it. "Would you like me to call them for you?"
As if on cue, Clare's parents pulled into the driveway. The police were right behind them. Clare could see her mom's face through the windshield: shocked, confused and scared. She and Mr. Edwards got out of the car and started walking briskly towards their house. "Clare what is going on here?" Mrs. Edwards started running.
Six TPS officers ran straight past the Bhandaris and the Edwards.
"Mom it's a long…"
"Don't give me that baloney. What. Happened." Mrs. Edwards face was as stern as ever.
Mr. Bhandari walked over to the Edwards' and gave them the Spark Notes version of the evening's events. When he was finished, Mrs. Edwards started to cry. Mr. Edwards walked over to the steps and bent down in front of Clare. "I am so sorry, Clare Bear. I'm sorry we yelled at you, I'm sorry we left you alone, I'm sorry this happened. I am so glad that you are alright." He wrapped his arms around Clare. She half-heartedly returned the gesture.
"It's fine, dad." He let go of her and went back to Mrs. Edwards' side. "Thanks Alli, Sav and Mr. Bhandari."
"You take care of yourself, Clare." Mr. Bhandari said. He shook Mr. Edwards hand, patted Mrs. Edwards on the shoulder and got in to his own car.
"See you around, Clare. Let us know if you need anything." Said Sav, following his dad.
"Bye." Alli put her hand on Clare's knee. "You gonna be ok for tonight?" she asked.
Clare breathed and nodded. "I don't have much of a choice, really."
Alli rolled her eyes. "There's always a choice. If you're upset: be upset. Don't let your parents bully you into pushing this under the carpet just because they can't deal. Call me tomorrow; let me know how you're doing?"
"I will." Clare smiled, grateful to have her best friend back. As she watched Alli leave, Clare remembered something and stood up. "Alli? I was just wondering. Why did you…why did you call my house tonight?"
Pausing mid-step, Alli turned to look at Clare. "Not sure. Just had a funny feeling you needed me, I guess."
Clare looked disappointed with Alli's answer. "Lucky feeling."
Nodding at Clare (and fully pretending not to notice the puppy eyes being made at her), Alli told Clare's parents to look after her. She got into the front seat of her dad's car and the Bhandaris drove off.
The six police officers came out of the Edwards house. Two of them were in front of Ayzize, two holding his arms (he was in handcuffs) and two behind him. One of the officers behind him stopped next to Clare. "We're all quite curious, ma'am. What did you hit him with or how it was that you disarmed him?"
"The end of the house phone and a vase."
The police officer chuckled. "Quick thinking. You'll need to come with us so that we can take an official statement at the station." He started to put his hand on her should but her father walked over and put his own hand in the way of the gesture.
"I think she's had quite enough excitement for the evening, sir. If you'll kindly give us your station number, we'll gladly bring her over some time tomorrow after she's gotten some rest."
"Sir, we have a protocol to follow. She was the victim of an attempted robbery. It's also possible he had other malicious intent that she managed to foil with her quick thinking. Both of you may accompany her to the station if you wish but she must give a statement this evening while the event is still fresh in her memory."
Mr. Edwards sighed. "Clare? Are you alright with this?"
"If nobody minds, I'd like to change into some actual clothes before I go anywhere." Without waiting to see if anyone was going to protest: Clare went into her house.
The officer who had been speaking to Clare sighed. "Your house is technically a crime scene. She shouldn't be up there." He went into the house and stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Young lady please try not to step in the blood or move anything that could be considered evidence."
Clare rolled her eyes from behind her door. "I'm just getting a hoodie and some jeans. I'm not dancing or anything." She grabbed her phone and wallet, opened her door, carefully stepped around the small pool of blood and glass and walked down the stairs.
"You know I'm just doing my job, right? I'm not trying to upset you, ma'am." The officer took his police hat off and Clare took a good look at him. She concluded he couldn't be much older than her and he was majorly cute. She smiled at him and he blushed. "My name is John."
"Clare." She shook his hand and they both blushed. "Shall we get going?"
"Yes ma'am." John said.
"I'm only 15. I won't be "ma'am" for quite some time. How about we stick with just Clare?"
John smiled. "Just Clare it is." They both laughed.
With that settled, they walked out of the house. Clare got in her parents car, John got into his squad card and everyone left the Edwards residence simultaneously.
The Bhandaris arrived at home just past midnight. Quickly and quietly, they got out of the car and went into the house. As Mr. Bhandari went to lock the front door, the front hall light suddenly turned on, flooding the room and blinding the three.
"Where have the three of you been? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Mrs. Bhandari stood in the hallway with her arms crossed.
"Clare was in trouble, mom. Sav was going to drive me to her place and then we were going to come right back but we woke dad up so he ended up driving us." Alli explained, quickly.
"You expect me to believe that you went from hating her to genuine concern in less than five hours? Really, Alli. If you're going to make things up for attention, at least do yourself the favour of making them sound believable." Mrs. Bhandari shook her head at her daughter.
Alli stared at her mother in disbelief. "Mom why would I lie about something like this? Would it do me any good in the long run? Not really."
Mrs. Bhandari paused and contemplated her daughters' words. "Alli: a great many things that you do are shocking and they don't make sense to me. That's what life is: a series of tests. You're old enough now to make most of your own decisions but that doesn't mean that I understand them. I'm only trying to do what's best for you. Your father and I don't like seeing you upset so if we can get you to avoid that it would be best for us all."
"If I might chime in here for two seconds: Alli was being a better-than-deserved friend to Clare at a time when she needed her most. They're not friends again from what I saw, so I don't think you need to worry as much as you are, mom. And on that note: I'm going to bed." Sav nodded at Alli, who smiled. She really appreciated him more than she wanted to admit. Particularly when he stuck up for her.
"Mom trust me I am okay. I'm not letting Clare affect me as much as you think I am." Alli half smiled and her mother nodded. "Thanks again, dad. I really want to get some sleep now though." She hugged her mother and father and went up the stairs to her room.
She closed the door quietly behind her and sat at the end of her bed. Flopping backwards, she pulled her cellphone out of the pocket of her hoodie. She scrolled through her contact list and stopped when she saw Drew's name. Was what I said wrong? Should I call him and apologise? She glared at her phone. I'm so tired of being the one who says sorry and tries to patch things up. If he wants to talk to me, he can call me all by himself.
When her phone didn't ring after five minutes, Alli decided to re-dress for bed. She flung her phone at her pillow, hauled off her hoodie, brushed and tied up her hair and hopped back into bed. She pulled the covers up to her neck and cuddled with her body pillow.
Three strong vibrations next to her head nearly made Alli jump out of her skin. Drew was calling. Speak of the devil… She answered her phone on the fourth vibrate – just before her voicemail could kick in. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Would you be answering my call if your phone was on silent and you were actually asleep?" Came Drew's reply.
Alli went silent. She hated Drew for being able to read her so easily. "Fine, so you didn't wake me up. What do you want with me at this time of night?"
"I wish we could be having this talk in person but what with the time and the fact that both of our parents would kill us for even trying to sneak out, I'll settle with talking on the phone. What I want is for us to stop fighting. I don't want you to take anything I'm about to say so personally that it makes you cry and/or hang up but if it happens, it happens. Alli: I love spending time with you. I'm very happy when we're together. At least I think I am most of the time. It's just that some days I think you're so wrapped up in and with everything that is happening or not happening in your life that you sortof forget about me and the fact that my life is far from perfect. I'm not saying you don't have your share of problems. Families can be a handful for anyone, believe me I get it. The thing about relationships is that we're both supposed to be supportive. Of ourselves and each other." Drew paused to listen and see if he any of his words had upset Alli. If they had: she was doing a good job of hiding it. He couldn't hear crying or anything. "Are you still there?"
"Yup."
Drew hated it when anyone answered him with only one word. He especially hated when Alli did it because that's how he knew she was upset. "Alli I'm just trying to be honest here. I'm not trying to hurt you at all."
"I know." She said curtly.
"There are times when two people are in a relationship together and one or both of them need to just be selfish for a time. It doesn't really work if one of those people is selfish all the time. Not that I'm saying you are, I'm just pointing out the obvious." He continued.
"Right." Alli concurred.
Drew sighed in frustration. "Could you give me more than one or two words? I feel like I just confessed to killing your kitten or something." Drew paused. Alli said nothing. He sighed again. "Alli you are so important to me, I can't even describe it. I think talks like this are important if we want this relationship to continue to work. Do you get what I'm saying?"
"No I really don't. Please enlighten me." Alli said sarcastically.
"I'm going to ignore the sarcasm in your tone because I want us to work things out. I didn't call to break up with you in case you were worried about that." Drew said, trying to sound reassuring to both of them.
"I wasn't worried about that. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind."
"Sometimes I feel like we're definitely going in the same direction and other times I feel like we're on totally different planets. All the little things that bug me about you and vice versa can be fixed. I think we just have to talk them over and work out a way to make things better for both of our sakes."
"Talk away. I'm all ears. Tell me all about these problems you think we have."
"Clearly you don't feel the same way I do. About our problems, I mean. Clearly you think everything is just super dee duper and we shouldn't even try to change things. Am I right? If I'm not, now would be the time for you to speak up and clarify things for me." He stopped talking again to see what (if anything) she might have to say. Complete silence greeted him. Again. Drew was ready to give up. "I guess if you don't have anything to say we could just hang up for tonight and pick this conversation up again tomorrow."
"Fine. Let's talk tomorrow." Alli hung up and threw her phone across the room. The screen shattered and the battery bounced out. I seem to remember promising myself that I wouldn't ever be that affected by a boy. That's all he is anyway. A stupid boy who enjoys trying to hurt me. She started to cry. That's convincing. Tell yourself you hate him, you don't need him, any nasty thing to make yourself feel better and then lay in bed crying over him.
Drew looked at his phone in disbelief. She hung up on me. Well that call was totally worth my time. We should schedule another one real soon. He sighed. Girls. Who needs their drama. Speaking of drama queens: why the hell haven't I heard from Adam tonight? Drew dialled Adam's number and let it ring until voicemail. He dialled it again and left a message telling Adam to grow up, be responsible and come visit their mother in the hospital. Having had just about the most miserable evening possible: Drew decided it was finally time for him to go to bed.
Alli stared at her ceiling. What was it she saw in Drew again? His good looks, charm, wit. He complimented her, treated her like a princess and protected her. He could make her smile even when she really didn't want to. He hadn't been the greatest friend to her at first but everyone makes mistakes. He changed, she changed and voila: they were dating. Everything negative thing Drew had ever said popped into her brain and she got upset again.
Am I that bad? Am I so hard to be friends with and date that people just stick around me because they feel like they don't have a choice? What a way to kill a girls' self-esteem. Alli flung the covers off of her body and walked across the room to pick up her broken phone and see if it was fixable. She popped the battery back in and the phone lit up.
That has to be a good sign. If it was damaged beyond repair, I don't think it would turn on. She was trying to console herself, of course. She knew when her parents saw it they would neither be amused nor would they buy her a new one. Come on lady luck. Please don't make me have to beg my parents for another phone.
The next morning Adam woke up facing Eli's bedroom wall. He rolled over and saw that Eli was still next to him. Adam smiled. It really sucks that guys don't just express themselves the way that girls do. Of course if they did and they were expressing themselves all the time I suppose everyone would get annoyed with each other. It's great to know that Eli feels the same way that I do. I can't wait for the two of us to tell Clare. Eli, who was still dead asleep, rolled over and was now facing Adam. Taking this moment in stride, Adam kissed Eli on the cheek and gently got himself out of bed.
He walked over to his bag and pulled his cellphone out. The battery was flashing red. Big fail on my part. I forgot these things need charging on a nightly basis. Adam had two missed calls (both from Drew), a voice message (also from Drew) and a text message. The text was from his dad, telling him his mom wants him to come by the hospital today. Adam deleted the text, plugged his phone in and grabbed a comb from his bag. My so called family is not ruining my day, no matter how hard they try. I'll call Drew this afternoon.
Looking around Eli's room got Adam thinking. I hope we grabbed all of the essentials. I'd rather not make Eli drive me back if it's not necessary. When I'm done my shower I think I'll check on what we grabbed and make a note of what – if anything – I'm missing.
Adam opened and closed the door as quietly as he could manage. He opened a door in the hallway, grabbed two towels and went into the bathroom. The clock in the bathroom read 7:34 a.m. Adam couldn't believe it. It's my day off and my biological clock still manages to wake me up as though we're going to school. Adam turned the water on, took his t-shirt off and stepped into the shower.
Eli woke up and rubbed his eyes. He was a bit surprised not to see Adam next to him. Wonder where he got off to…Eli shrugged and stretched and got out of bed. Time for a shower. He grabbed a dark towel off the hook behind his door and walked down the hall. The bathroom door was closed but the light wasn't on and he couldn't hear any noise coming from inside. Eli opened the door and dropped his towel on the floor.
There, standing fully nude with the shower curtain half open, was Adam. He turned just in time to see Eli's embarrassed face. Adam was shocked and probably way more embarrassed than Eli could even imagine. He tried in vain to wrap the shower curtain around himself but slipped, twisted his ankle, ripped the curtain off the rod and fell in a tangle heap in the tub. "Eli what are you doing in here?"
Trying not to laugh, Eli walked over to the bathtub. "One: the light wasn't on. Two: there was no noise coming from you or the shower. Three: the door wasn't locked. I had every reason to believe I would be alone walking in here. Were you done with the shower?"
Adam frowned at his predicament. "I wasn't. I was trying to fix the temperature but it kept getting hotter and hotter. I thought if I turned the shower part off, I'd be able to get a comfortable temperature."
"Well I'll leave you to it then. Just uh…let me know when you're done, ok?"
"Could you…I mean, would you mind helping me up? I'm pretty sure I twisted my ankle." Adam's face went red. He hated asking for help and this wasn't the attractive light he wanted Eli (or anyone for that matter) to see him in.
"Sure." Eli closed the lid of the toilet, put his towel down and helped Adam slowly to his feet. "I think we have another shower curtain in the cupboard in the hall. If it's too hard to stand, just sit on the edge of the tub. I'll be back in a few."
As soon as Eli left the bathroom, Adam got himself out of the tub. He took the shower curtain off and pulled his towels up. When Eli came back, he was surprised to see the shower curtain rolled up into a ball on the floor. "Pink flowers don't suit me like they did when I was five." Adam stated.
Eli laughed. "For some reason I am not shocked." He put the new shower curtain up and smiled at Adam. "Let me know when you're decent." He started to walk out when he felt Adam pulling at his wrist. He turned around expectantly.
"It's just that I…I'm worried I might fall down again." Adam you are too lame for your own good, he thought.
Arching an eyebrow, Eli came closer to Adam. "I'll come back in once you've started your shower."
Why is he being so understanding? And nice? Adam shook the worry off. Once Eli had closed the bathroom door, Adam carefully got into the tub, paying special attention not to put too much pressure on his right ankle which was extremely throbby. He turned the water on, got the temperature just right, turned the nozzle for the shower and stepped into the warmth. "I'm good." He called. He heard the bathroom door open and close.
"Did you get the temperature right this time?" Eli asked.
Adam laughed. "Yes. No more scalding or frozen skin for me. I like the pressure. Feels nice on my skin." He grabbed a white bottle of shampoo and poured some into his hands. His short hair wasn't just a fashion statement it was also a million times easier to maintain than when Gracie had long locks. Rubbing the shampoo into his hair, Adam thought about everything that had been happening. "What do you want to do today, Eli?"
"I have feel like we should go visit Clare. See how she's doing after whatever happened last night with her parents. If she needs to get out of the house, which I'm betting she does, we can all go somewhere together."
To say Adam was disappointed with Eli's answer would be an understatement. They weren't official or anything and all they had done was kiss but Adam knew it was more than just some lame crush. He wanted to take some time to hang out just the two of them. Really spend a day together and see if they would work, see if they were meant to be. "If that's what you want." He responded, realizing he had been silent for some time. Enthusiasm oozed from his lips.
"I'm open to suggestions here. I just think we should make time at some point today to go see if she's alright." He walked over to the shower. "Is there anything in particular you wanted to do today?"
Adam pulled the shower curtain aside just enough so that he could lean out and kiss Eli. He pulled away, smiled and closed the curtain again.
"That was nice but it doesn't actually answer my question." Eli pointed out. "Did you want to go out to grab a bite to eat? See a movie? Stalk Fitz at school and see if we can get him suspended?"
"The last part I'll have to turn you down for. I'm in favour of a trouble-free day. Also I'm a bit low in the funds department, to be honest with you. And that doesn't mean you have to offer to pay for whatever we do so don't even think about it." Adam said, laughing.
"You take the fun out of everything. What if we made breakfast, then went to visit your mom and then spent the evening with Clare?" Eli suggested.
"I have zero interest in seeing that woman that calls herself my mother. If she's not going to care about and accept me, why should I care about her?"
"On an almost daily basis you go from one extreme to the other. I know you know deep down that she does care about you. She definitely has a crappy way of showing it, so I don't blame you for the venom but sometimes you have to step back and think: how long do I really want to hold onto this grudge for? Is it worth all the mental torment when I could just forgive her and try to smooth things over? That may not be the easiest path but when everything is said and done I feel like it's what might be best for your relationship with your mom. You're what matters to me, Adam. If you matter to you I think you should seriously consider what I'm saying. On the other hand, if you can't get past everything your mom has put you through, I would support you if you chose to cut ties with her." Eli's voice was confident but concerned.
Adam sighed. He knew he was being difficult and a teensy bit dramatic but he also knew he had good reason. His mom was unstable at the best of times and at the worst of times even his dad didn't want to be around her. He sighed. "Thanks Eli. I know you're right. The plan sounds great. I'll meet you downstairs as soon as I'm dressed, okay?"
"Sure thing. I'll get started on waffles if that's ok with you." Eli walked to the bathroom door and pulled it open.
"Sounds good. And Eli?" Adam could hear Eli pause. "I promise I am going to work on my family issues. Thank you for the support, it means a lot to me."
"Any time, Adam." Eli smiled at the shower and closed the door behind him. If anyone had told me that this was who I might be with this year I would have laughed in their face. I'm happy to have you here, Adam. I hope you know that. Everything is going to work out for the better.
Clare and her parents spent a good majority of the late evening and early morning at their local police precinct. They got home just past 4 a.m. and went down to their basement. Clare closed the door behind them. There were two or three people poking around the upstairs part of the house. Taking photos, cleaning up glass, collecting samples of blood and hair. "I'm fine with sleeping down here." Claire spoke up.
Her parents looked at each other. "I guess we'll go in the kitchen until they leave." Her mom walked over, kissed her on the forehead and went back up the stairs.
"Have a good sleep, Clare Bear." Mr. Edwards said. Clare smiled at him and he followed after his wife, closing the door behind himself.
Finally alone, Clare pulled one of the couches out into a bed and sat down on it. She thought about everything that had happened throughout the evening and thought about everything that had been said at the police station.
Mr. and Mrs. Edwards were waiting at the reception area. Clare was in a medium-sized, well lit room with two TPS officers. There was a notebook, a pen and a tape recorder in front of the officers. Clare had a glass of water in front of her.
Her new friend John wasn't allowed do the interview. It turned out that he wasn't considered a full-fledge member of the force. He was a rookie. He'd been put there roughly a week ago. Also, it turned out that Clare was right about his age. She had learned these and a few other fun facts about him when they first arrived.
The questions had been simple enough. Who are you? Where were you? What were you doing? What happened? Can you describe your attacker? Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
Clare answered every single question to the best of her ability. She glossed over the fact that Ayzize knew her sister and the fact that he was looking for something of hers. That the attack wasn't random but rather completely personal scared Clare half to death. If it bothers me enough, I'll come back and mention it to them some other time. For now, I just really want to go home.
John had been right when he said the sooner she got the interview over with, the better. It had only been maybe 20 minutes since the attack and she was already starting to forget things. Luckily to the officers her confused/thinking face looked exactly like her tired face and after 45 minutes they let her go back to her parents.
"Thank you, ma'am. We do apologize for this incident and we thank you sincerely for your co-operation." One of the officers that had done the interview said as he shook Clare's hand.
"So what happens now? I mean…what happens to him?" Clare looked over at a holding cell.
"We go through the usual motions, legal three-ring circus and then if this makes it to court we will probably have to call on you to testify. I wouldn't worry about it too much if I was you."
Clare nodded. She made her way over to John while her parents spoke to the other police officer. "Well that was the most least fun thing I've ever had the displeasure of having to participate in."
John chuckled. "Luckily enough for you the odds of you having to do it again are somewhere between never and never ever. Always look on the bright side of life."
"A Monty Python fan? Oaky now I'm intrigued." Clare smiled. "I don't know if this is weird or anything but did you maybe want to grab a coffee after your shift? Preferably after I've had some sleep."
"I'm not off duty for a few more hours but if you give me your number, I will call you when I'm showered and you know…decent looking." John handed Clare a paper and pen. She had a mischievous look in her eyes. She took the pen, grabbed John's right hand, turned it over and wrote her number on his palm. He blushed. "As fun as this is: you realize I still have to write it down on paper eventually, right?"
Clare handed the pen back. "Or you could just not wash your hand for the next however many hours until you call me." She winked at him. "Thanks again for being so nice. See you around." She walked off to join her parents.
John watched the Edwards family walk out of the police station. He didn't notice some of his fellow officers standing behind him. "Hey Johnny! What's that on your hand?" His police chief smacked him playfully on the back.
"How cute. John's making friends with crime victims. Next thing you know: he'll be asking her out on dates and bringing her to Christmas parties." A fellow demi-cadet name Andrew (who John strongly disliked) chimed in. The two of them had been rivals since they started training.
"I don't see you bringing dates to work functions. Your mom and your sister don't count unless you're doing things to them that you shouldn't be in which case: keep it to yourself." John countered.
Andrew scowled at him. As he opened his mouth, the chief of police spoke up again.
"Now boys I don't want to hear anyone trash talking anyone else's family members. Nor do I want to hear derogatory comments about significant others. Try and keep it clean and friendly."
I'll keep it friendly. If they start dating I'll make his life completely miserable. Thought Andrew.
Clare smiled at her memories. She had never been the "gutsy" one. Far from it, in fact. And yet there she was: writing her name and phone number on the hand of a soon-to-be cop. He was extremely good-looking in a way Clare never expected herself to be attracted to.
She shut the basement curtains, unfolded a blanket, laid down on the couch and snuggled up against the back cushions. After tossing and turning for what seemed like at least an hour: Clare flicked on the television. It was early in the day still so nothing worth watching was on. Granted, television executives had done away with worthwhile television years ago so Clare wasn't entirely sure why she thought something good might catch her eye.
She put on some cooking show and drifted off to sleep until noon. When she awoke, the Price is Right was on. Did I actually manage to fall asleep? She wondered. Looks like it. She yawned and stretched. I don't feel very well rested but some sleep is better than no sleep at all. She looked at the television with boredom and decided to turn it off.
I wonder what Eli and Adam are up to today, Clare thought. She picked up her phone and sent them both the same text asking if they were busy.
Within two minutes of the texts being sent, she got two replies saying they were just thinking about coming to visit her. She smiled at her phone. That was lucky. I don't think I could spend an entire day cooped up in my house after what happened last night. I wonder if they'll mind if John comes along as well. She started to text the question and then shook her head. Why text when I can call? She dialed Eli's number and put the phone to her ear.
"Hellooooooo Clare." Chimed the voices of Adam and Eli. She was on speakerphone.
Clare laughed. "Hey guys. I got tired of texting so I thought I would just call so we could come up with some sort of plan."
"The only thing we have to do pre-hangout is visit Adam's mom." Eli said.
"Did we want to meet up after that? Maybe do dinner?" Clare suggested.
"That's exactly what we were thinking. Gives everyone the afternoon to just relax. What time did you want us to pick you up?" Asked Adam.
Clare hesitated. I guess it's now or never. "Actually I probably already have a lift. I was wondering if you guys would mind if I brought a new friend." When Eli and Adam didn't say anything right away, Clare got nervous. "It's ok if we want to be just the three of us. I totally understand. I can see him some other time."
"Him, is it? Did you go find yourself a boyfriend without telling us?" Adam asked pretending to be hurt. "I'm kidding, Clare. The more the merrier. Right Eli?"
"Absolutely. See if he has any suggestions for a location. Let us know and we'll pick a time based on that." Eli said.
"Thanks a lot you guys. I can't wait to see you both!" With that settled, Clare hung up. And of course: I can't wait for you both to meet John. Thinking of him made Clare realize she didn't actually have his number. No big deal. He said he'd message me so I'm sure he'll keep his promise. She set her alarm for 4:30, snuggled herself back into her blankets and dozed off.
Alli woke up at what she thought was early in the morning. She stretched and rolled over to look at her alarm clock. "2:00? I am never going to have time to get anything done today! I can't believe mom and dad actually let me sleep in for so long!"
She jumped out of bed and ran for the shower.
10 minutes later she was dressed and ready to go. And then it dawned on her: she was suspended. She didn't have any plans or anywhere she had to be for a few days. Usually this would be great. A day off could mean any number of things: catching up on TV, shopping, gossiping with friends, junk food, bad movies. All of those important things.
Of course all of those things were usually done with Clare and as Alli wasn't sure if her bitch switch might flick itself on during their time together, she thought it might be best if she just made plans to do things on her own.
Her room had become a little bit cluttered of late. What with new school clothes being purchased and her have next to no time to sort through and remove old clothes: there were piles everywhere. As lame as it sounds: I could clean up the clothes and then go shopping. She nodded and smiled at the thought. Cleaning it is. And then I'll treat myself to a brand new outfit for whatever plans I make for myself on the weekend.
She started with the pile on her computer chair. It was mostly sweaters and hoodies. In fact…it was only sweaters and hoodies. Funny how you always think you have no clothes and then when you actually take the time to look at the clothes you do have: you suddenly realize you have too many clothes.
Alli ran downstairs and grabbed some big, black garbage bags from the kitchen. She was surprised to see her dad drinking coffee and reading the newspaper at the table. "Dad how come you're home?" she asked him.
"I didn't get a sufficient amount of sleep last night so I'm working from home." He told her.
She laughed. "So this is what you do at work."
He put his newspaper down and cracked a smile. "No, this is what I do on my breaks at work. I'm waiting for a call at the moment. Please don't tie up the house line until after 4:30."
"No problem dad." Alli walked over, kissed her dad on the cheek and ran back up to her room.
Now where to start…she thought about putting all the clothes in one spot and sorting them into various piles but the only spot really available (though not even close to big enough) would be her bed. Have to start somewhere. She took her dresser drawers out and dumped everything out of each one and onto her bed.
Once that was done and she looked at the state her dresser was in, she had to laugh. "I suppose I could do actual cleaning while I'm at it. I wonder if we have enough Lysol wipes and Windex to get this room spotless."
Alli ran back downstairs and this time she narrowly missed knocking her father to the ground. "Alli what have we told you about running around the house?" Mr. Bhandari said, calmly. His coffee had managed to stay in the safe confines of its mug.
"Not to do it when you're around." Alli called from the basement. She was gathering as many cleaning products as she could find and putting them in a laundry basket. When she came back upstairs, her father was giving her a strange look. "Don't get used to the sight of me cleaning. I feel like today is a good cleansing day. If I'm going to be in the house as much as Simpson said, I may as well do something productive."
"Are you feverish? I've never heard you serious about being clean." Mr. Bhandari laughed.
Alli placed the laundry basket on the floor and walked over to where her father was sitting in the living room. "Thank you for not raising a fuss with Clare's parents last night. I'm sure you wanted to say something but I really appreciate that you didn't."
Mr. Bhandari smiled. "I learned many years ago that there is a time and a place for everything. In front of the police after their daughter almost got killed is neither the time nor the place. I still intend to have a discussion for them but not until we're sure Clare is recovered and they have gotten over their shock of the whole situation. I might even get your mother to bake something and we will bring it with us when we speak to them."
"What if I don't want you to talk to them?" Alli said quietly.
"Why would you not want me to talk to them? It would be your mother and I with Clare's mother and father. A friendly conversation between four concerned adults." Mr. Bhandari pursed his lips and one eyebrow went up. He wasn't sure why Alli was suddenly changing her tune.
While she knew he had her best interests at heart, Alli was a bit worried about what he might say in the heat of the moment. Her parents didn't know the full story. They really only knew what Principal Simpson told them. She wasn't about to correct whatever he had said but she wasn't sure how good of an idea it was to have her parents and the Edwards in the same room. "Could we give it a week? If in a week you're still upset then go ahead and talk to them."
"If that's what you would like. I want to respect your wishes my daughter but in turn I want to be sure that you yourself are being respected also. You understand."
Alli walked over and hugged her father. "I do and I appreciate it. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go make my room live-in-able." She kissed her father on the cheek, grabbed her laundry basket and went upstairs.
Of course I realize that Alli thinks we might be trying to interfere in her life but there's no better time than the present to start thinking about where she wants to go, whom she's chosen to befriend and whom she should simply discard. Perhaps she will see reason later on. Mr. Bhandari thought.
Alli closed her door and continued where she left off. Soon her closet, computer chair and dresser were void of clothing. On her bed was a growing mountain of colorful fabric. As she started wiping her dresser down, she heard her phone go off. She fished it out from under the clothing mountain. It was Drew calling. "Hello." She answered flatly.
"I'm sorry to call…I didn't know who else to call. Adam isn't answering me or my dad, my grandparents are away on vacation…" Drew's voice sounded broken but he wasn't crying.
Alli put down her wipes and sat on the edge of her bed. A look of concern spread across her face. "Drew what's going on?"
"Mom. My mom is in the hospital. She and Adam had a fight and she…she tried to kill herself."
"She did what?" Alli's eyes went wide. She couldn't believe what she just heard Drew say. "Where are you right now? Do you want me to come and be with you?"
"No."
Now Alli was confused. "Drew why are you calling, sounding crazy worried if you don't want me to come and be with you?"
"I just needed to tell someone. I wasn't asking you to fix anything." Drew was starting to regret his decision to call Alli.
"Where are you at least? I can…come pick you up if you need a lift home. No strings attached. Just pick you up and drive you home. At least let me do that."
Drew relented and told Alli where he was. "My dad just came back so I have to go. Thank you for listening to me. I'll text you when I think we'll be leaving."
"No problem." Alli held back tears. They hung up. And I fall right back into his clutches. How do I keep allowing these things to happen to me? She sighed. Maybe he was telling the truth last night when he said he isn't trying to break up with me. Why else would he have called me? He still considers me an important enough part of his life that he willing told me about his mom.
Slowly but surely, all of these positive thoughts helped alleviate Alli's anger towards Drew. She grabbed a scarf, her purse, and her sunglasses and left her room. "Dad I have to go visit Drew. Could I take the car if I promise to have it back soon?"
Mr. Bhandari nodded. "The keys are on the kitchen counter. Have it back by six, please."
"Thanks dad, you're the best." Alli said, grabbing the keys and running out the front door.
"Adam we really should be getting going if we want to visit your mom and still have time to go back to my place, change and meet up with Clare and her friend." Eli was waiting semi-impatiently by the front door. Adam had said "two minutes" every five minutes or so. Now he was at 30 minutes and was still nowhere to be seen.
"Eli just because I said I would go and visit her doesn't mean that I'm enthusiastic about it. Also: I'm not even mildly in a hurry to get there." Adam yelled through the bathroom door. He came out a minute later.
"Coincidentally the old saying 'the sooner you get going, the sooner things get done' rings very true in a situation like this." Adam came down the stairs and rolled his eyes. Eli put his hands on Adam's shoulders. "I know you're not happy but let's just go anyways. We'll stay an hour, tops, ok?" Adam nodded reluctantly. Eli kissed Adam on the cheek. "C'mon, let's get going. And this is the last time I want to hear any complaining today. After this: it's all about having a good time." Adam smiled and followed Eli to his car.
They drove to St. Michael's Hospital in relative silence. Adam texted his dad to ask where in the hospital his mom was and waited for a response. Eli's hearse was approaching the Trauma Centre on 30 Bond Street roughly 20 minutes later when an answer finally came through from Adam's dad. "She's in a waiting room on the second floor. Do you want to come in with me?" Adam asked Eli.
Eli parked and turned his car off. "I don't want you to be upset when I say this but I think you should go and see your family on your own. I'll still be here when you get back." Eli tried to put his hand on Adam's knee and Adam flinched away. "Adam please don't be like that."
"Be like what? I'm asking you to come with me so I don't have to go by myself, Eli. I know you probably think I need to grow up and just deal with them and whatever but I would rather stick pins in my eyes than have to spend even five minutes alone with that psychopath I call my mom." Adam was starting to tear up just thinking about it.
Sighing, Eli wasn't sure what else he could do or say. He didn't want to interfere with Adam's family but he hated to see Adam so upset at the same time. "Look: what if I come with you for the meet and greet part. I'll say hi to your folks and Drew, stick around till you can see your mom and then I'll come back to my car and wait for you here."
Adam nodded. "Thanks Eli."
They both got out of the hearse and walked in to the hospital. They took the elevator up to the second floor and walked to the reception desk there. Adam got a text from his dad telling him he was in a room with his mom and a doctor. Eli suddenly grabbed his elbow and pointed. "I see Drew over there." They walked away from the desk and over to Drew.
Drew looked up from his magazine. "Oh. Hi."
"Oh hi? That's all I get after coming all this way?" Adam sounded more hurt than he actually was. He couldn't stand Drew's attitude towards him sometimes.
"All what way? You weren't even going to come here, as I remember. What made you change your mind? Did you finally wake up and realize that everything isn't always about you and sometimes you have to just be there for people even when you don't care about them?" Drew's voice was rising.
"Sir, if you need to have this disagreement at this moment in time, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to take it outside." The receptionist half-whispered from her desk.
"Sorry ma'am, we'll keep it down." Drew apologized, lowering his tone. "Perfect people aren't real and real people aren't perfect. Our flaws are what make us human. They shape who we are and who we're going to be. So mom isn't always amazing. Give her some slack. She needs us now more than ever. I intend to stick around. What's your plan?"
Adam stared at Drew's shoes. "I'll stay and see her for a little while."
Drew loosened the tension in his body, reached out and grabbed Adam's left shoulder. "I know it's hard but I'm here for you just like I know you'd be there for me."
Alli suddenly appeared. "Hey am I interrupting something?"
The Torres brothers moved away from each other. "Not at all. Uh what are you doing here, Alli?" asked Drew as he walked over to her.
"Well you sounded a bit upset on the phone so I thought I would come by and see you in person. I brought muffins in case anyone was hungry although I don't think I have enough for everyone." Alli tried to hand Drew the box.
"This isn't really the best time, Alli. My dad is in with my mom, Adam just got here. I think we need some family time right now." Drew tried to phrase it gently.
Alli scoffed. "So who invited Eli to the party then?"
"He was my ride." Adam explained.
"Your ride who couldn't just wait in the car?" Alli shot back.
Drew went and stood between them just in case. "Alli what is your problem? This is a hospital, remember? Are you trying to get us kicked out?"
"No, Drew, I was trying to help make you feel better. Being thoughtful and all that, not usually my strong suit. I was hoping you'd be happy to see me and that we could talk things over, smooth them out, make up…" Alli trailed off. Drew didn't look very amused. "Ok what did I say wrong now?"
"Once again, Alli, it's all about you." Drew sighed, unsure if he wanted to continue his rant at this point in time.
"He's already used that line on me today, Alli. Don't feel too offended." Adam smirked.
"Adam just stay out of this." Drew said. "Alli what part of me saying no was unclear to you? You offered to pick me up. I said yes to that and I told you where I was for that purpose. Not so you could blind-side me."
"I hate to interrupt but Adam." Mr. Torres appeared in the hallway. "Mom wants to see you."
Walking towards him, Adam made a face at Eli. They walked in silence while the others watched. They turned a corner and walked into a small blue room. Mr. Torres stayed outside. "Dad you're not?"
Mr. Torres shook his head. "Just talk to her for a little while." He closed the door.
Adam sat on a wooden chair next to his mom's bed. "Hi mom." He said quietly.
Mrs. Torres continued to look out her window. "Why are you here?" she asked.
"Dad and Drew both though it would be a good idea if I came to visit, so here I am."
Mrs. Torres scoffed. "Of course that's why. You would never volunteer to come here on your own. You have to be told that your mother really isn't doing well and that's when you show up."
Adam looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry you hurt yourself but I don't understand what you want me to do. You don't make it very easy to talk to you and living with you is a horse of a different color entirely." Mrs. Torres turned to glare in response to Adam's snide remark. "I'm running out of rope, mom. I want to get along with you. I want to be a happy family like we used to be. The more I'm around you; the more I think the only way things'll go back to the way they were is if I go back to being Gracie. That's what you want, right? Your daughter back?"
Mrs. Torres sighed. "Does it even matter if that's what I want? Did you even once consider my feelings in all of this?" Adam opened his mouth but said nothing. "That's exactly what I thought. You do whatever you think is best and just leave the rest of us high and dry. I hope you're happy now, Adam. You get your way, just like you always have."
He couldn't believe it. Just like every other conversation they had ever had, his mom had somehow managed to turn things around and make it about her. Well no more Adam thought. "Do you know that I came here with the intention of making peace with you? But you can't let things lie so I'm done trying. Goodbye mom. I hope you feel better." Adam got up and left the room. He went back to the waiting area in silence, grabbed Eli's hand and they went to the elevators. Drew called after him but Adam ignored him. They got in the elevator together and Adam had never felt so relieved in his life.
End of Chapter 9. Hope you all enjoyed it! Chapter 10 will be on the way soon :)