Evan Peters Imagines and One Shots

Terrible Ideas- Adam Sheppard

Summer for me was uneventful and had been for many years as I wasn't a popular kid, nor did I have many friends. I did have my next-door neighbor, Adam Sheppard, and we'd been friends since we were children. He was more lively back then until he got into a car wreck and lost his mother and little sister- we tried not to talk about the topic of death since it was such an emotional topic to us. Since then, he had become quieter and stayed to himself, but I'd slowly watched as he opened back up more.

"This is stupid, Adam," I exclaimed.

"No. It's not. It's a foolproof plan, and we'll make great money off it," he defended.

"By catching a bird? That makes no sense, and besides, the traps are rickety at best- they'll probably break down as soon as they trap one," I acknowledged.

"Look, this is only for the time being. Once we catch one, we can buy even better traps," he insisted.

I followed the long-haired boy outside; a defective bird trap was in his hand as we strolled over to the tree in his front yard. Since he learned that the green parrots sell for $500 at the pet store, he and his new friend, Johnny, were determined to catch a few and become rich. The plan was ridiculous, but he was excited, so I didn't complain as much. I didn't want to bring his mood down. It was rare that he was ever happy anymore. A ladder leaned against the tree- it didn't look too safe.

"Um- are you sure about this, Adam? This looks pretty dangerous," I acknowledged.

"That's only because you don't want to do it," he responded.

"No, it's because this ladder looks like it's seen better days. Don't you think you should wait until you have a better set-up, or we could wait for Johnny to get here so he can help," I questioned.

Another new quirk that Adam had picked up was an anger issue. Believe it or not, he met Johnny during after-school detention he had to attend after he fought his bully- I gave too much credit to his bully. Adam beat the shit out of the boy. He also had to go to therapy sessions with Father Dan, a local priest. He was not a therapist, but his Grandma said he had to talk to someone if he wanted to attend regular school this fall. It seemed to have helped, but he still had his outbursts. I flinched as he dropped the trap and glared at me, his face redder than one of his Grandma's tomatoes. I didn't mean to make him angry. I only wanted him to be safe and not- you know.

"You don't have to help me if you don't want to, Y/n," he snapped.

"That's not why I suggested...," I explained.

"You know, you could always go home. I don't know why you always come to bother me anyway," he resumed.

"I thought you could use a friend to help," I acknowledged.

"Well, I don't. Maybe you could use an actual friend and leave me alone," he spat.

His words stabbed a dull dagger into my heart, not sharp enough to immediately pierce through my skin but enough to torment me with slow pain. I was often considered an annoyance by everyone around me, including my family, because of my curiosity; Adam was the only person I was comfortable around and didn't make me feel bad about it because he was picked on too for his long hair, but a person could only take so much. My eyes glossed up as I tried to hold back my tears. His face softened as he realized what he'd just said and done.

"I thought you were my friend. But I get it. I won't bother you anymore," I sniffed.

Adam followed me as I ran toward my house. I wanted to lock myself in my room forever; I wouldn't disturb anyone's life if no one ever saw me again. He caught up to me and tackled me onto the ground; he pinned my wrists down so I couldn't go anywhere because I had the habit of running away anytime there was a conflict in my life, but I never got anywhere because I wasn't old enough to sign a DNR.

"Wait- no, Y/n. We are friends," he exclaimed.

"Get off of me, Adam," I wailed.

"Listen to me. I didn't mean it like that. I just got mad and...," he explained.

"Just leave me alone. You can set up your parrot traps- and I won't get in your way. I probably won't be alive to do it anyway," I cried.

"Don't say that, Y/n. I don't want to lose you, too," he wept.

Tear droplets fell onto my face as he gripped my wrist tighter; he sobbed as he hovered over me. I wiggled underneath him and continued to try and escape, but he overpowered me. I stopped once I realized I couldn't fight him.

"I'm sorry, Y/n. I never meant any of that. You're my best friend," he continued.

"Just let me go home," I pleaded.

"No, not until I know you're alright. I love you, Y/n, and I don't want you to get hurt. I'm so sorry," he confessed.

I sniffled as the tears dried on my face and watched the boy break down; he cried harder than before as his tears dropped onto my skin. He had genuinely hurt my feelings, but I believed everything he said afterward and his apology were his true feelings.

"I accept your apology, Adam. Now, can you move? Your tears are getting in my mouth," I stated.

He chuckled as he climbed off of me and onto the grass, releasing his grasp on my arms. I leaned up from the ground.

"Sorry about that," Adam said.

Adam and I sat crisscrossed in my yard as we watched the green parrots land in his tree. The ladder fell over and startled us and them when they landed. Adam turned to me with an apologetic smile after the birds flew away. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. I wasn't mad, specifically, because I was right.

"I love you too, Dingus- and I told you that ladder wasn't safe," I reminded.