REDAMANCY ➳ Eric Matthews

Fifteen

Adora sat in the library with a piece of lined paper and a broken pencil. She had been working so hard on writing down rough drafts for her poem that her pencil had broken in half!

"You can borrow mine if ya' want." Shawn smiles across the round table. His tousled brown locks fall over his eyes before he manages to blow a few strands out of his line of sight.

"It's all good," Adora starts, "a girl always has a backup plan." She amusingly winks his way with a laugh echoing out of her plump lips. Adora snuck an extra pencil that sat over her left ear.

Shawn swished his hand in the air before reaching for his pencil that he had slid down the table. "Pfff, your boyfriend coulda' had a better pencil, then?"

Adora furrowed her brows at the thought of having a boyfriend. Since when? Until she realized who the boy was hinting at.

Her cheeks flushed red, embarrassment taking over her entire body and making her knees wobbly.

"No," Shawn's eyes go wide at the girl's facial expression, "he hasn't asked you out yet?"

"Eric?"

"No, Captain America." Shawn remarks sarcastically as he grabs his dictionary that sits beside his right elbow.

The library's yellowish lighting almost made the boy look like he were from an 80s rom com.

Adora raises her index finger in mid air, trying to keep her mouth shut as much as possible. Who knew, Cory could hear anything coming out of Shawn's mouth. Accidentally or purposely. She just didn't want him to know about everything so soon.

"Well, don't tell me then." Shawn shrugged off the obvious feeling of disappointment, not wanting to seem to desperate. His fingers flipped through the pages of his dictionary. "Redamancy. Huh, the act of loving in return, that's a cool one," Shawn changes the subject. He was also doing work on his own poem project but a sophomore level instead.

"Yeah, it sure sounds nice." Adora whispered, knowing that it sure as felt like the noun was starting to describe how she was feeling toward Eric.

➳➳➳

A few hours later, Adora found herself still working on the poetry project.

Shawn had left an hour or two ago, leaving her to do the work on her own.

(Un)fortunately, Eric couldn't come in to work on the project because Cory and his father, Alan, needed help from him for an unspecified reason.

Jotting down words to restart another rough draft for the fifth time, Adora focused hardly on what she wrote with the tip of her led pencil—focusing deeply on how she wrote every letter. It had to be perfect, perfect for Eric. What?

"What?" The voice in her head repeated in the room.

Adora looked up from her piece of paper, thinking it would be Eric for all she knew.

But instead, there stood Buddy.

He looked drained, out of it. His hair was messier than usual and he had a few cuts on his knuckles and one on his nose bridge, probably got in a fight somewhere in his neighborhood.

Buddy stands there quietly, his lips curving into a sad smile but he still gives into a chat as he swings the chair Shawn once sat in the opposite direction to the table and takes a seat, draping his arms over the side.

"I've calmed down." He says, eyes glued to Adora's face.

Adora didn't say anything, she just sat there and looked at him—listened.

Buddy sighed deeply before speaking with a new sense of confidence, his shoulders broad and chest puffed out. "You see," he starts, raising his veiny hand up to his chin, "I don't know how else to put this because you've always been the person I care for most. But, I feel like I can't keep this quiet anymore." Buddy's lips rise to form a small smile. "I love you, Adora."

For some reason, this didn't surprise her nor shake her up. "I love you too."

Buddy nodded slowly, "but platonically." He finished the sentence she could have never ended. He loved her romantically and in every. Possible. Way. Buddy could never understand why she didn't love him back like that. But after a while away from her, he understood how different they actually were. That she would never love a man like him.

"You know, I do love you, Buddy." Adora said softly, reaching to grab his hand across the table. "But—"

"You love Eric Matthews, I know, I can see it in your face." Buddy smiles sadly, understanding.

"Love?"

Buddy nods and reaches for the paper she was writing on.

"Redamancy, love me in return, find me, and you'll have your turn." Buddy raises his brow at the small poem idea she wrote down. "Not bad."

Adora smiles at his comment, "really?"

"Yes really, Adora, now go get him, you're hurting me here." Buddy pats the top of his heart with a loud chuckle coming after. "Go!" He points at the door.

Adora grabs her things and gives him a quick hug. "Thank you!" As she runs out the door, Buddy can't help but wish things were different. Wishing that Adora would redamancy toward him.

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Been a while, huh? Don't worry! New chapters coming soon!

Ps: This hurt me so much writing the way Buddy felt about Adora, what do you guys think about Buddy's feelings? Are they valid?