Shadows of Sound

What A Drag.

Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Huh, well it seems he's regaining consciousness." A voice rung, breaking the silence in the emergency room. There must have been at least one other nurse in the room with her, because another voice burst out of the fogginess in Vespers brain. "Oh, good.. sweetheart can you hear us?" Vesper feels a hand slip into his. It was warm, unlike his own. He gave it a small squeeze as his eyes flash open, he blinked as if he were giving a secret message in Morse code. His eyes were blurry, but they cleared up in a moment or two. He looks around at the two nurses one of them was tall and lanky with long blond hair like his own, and one was short and old. Her expression was unimpressed and she seemed a little disappointed that he had woken up in the first place.
"What happened to me?" Vesper mumbled, the tall nurse looked down at him and then to the other nurse. "It seems you...may have gotten into a bit of a cat-fight with another boy, from what we were told."
Faint images of the night before flashed into his brain, it must have been noticeable because the tall nurse put her hand on his shoulder.
"But, good news is nothing is broken, you just needed a couple of stitches up on your forehead to close that gnarly gash." She continues her hand slips off his shoulder and to the guardrail on the hospital bed. Vesper nods.
"Um... does my mom know?" Vesper looks between the two. The shorter nurse just flashes a small smile and opens the curtain and slips out, the tall nurse on her heels like a lost puppy.

"Oh my baby!" A familiar voice squeals as Vesper's mother bursts through the thin blue curtain that confined him from the other patients.
"Vesper, tell me what happened? Who put you in here. How did it happen, when? Who. I'll kill them—"
"Mom..please." Vesper huffs a sigh, he didn't want anybody in trouble, he just wanted to get out of this stuffy, suffocating hospital room.
"Tell me who it was."
"Davie Smith." He explains. She just shakes her head and clicks her tongue.
"Well, listen. I'll get you out of here today, okay?" She gives her son a weak smile.
"Yeah.. okay." Vesper didn't feel anything, his body felt completely numb. He wasn't sure if it was the meds or the fact that he had been sitting in this bed since at least 11 last night. It was now 8am the next morning, according to the clock and the natural light from outside. His body twitched in places he didn't even know that it could twitch, he was getting restless and he wanted to get out.
As he sat, he glanced down to his hands, which were now burrowed beneath a piece of black fabric he wasn't familiar with. It had a very wooly texture, as if it had just been sliced clean off of a black sheep. He unwrapped his hands from it and held it out in front of him. It was someone's jacket, but he wasn't sure who's. It may have been Adrian's. He couldn't even remember who had called. He just allowed his head to go limp. All of the things he had to think of made his head throb in pain.
-
Georgina sat in her bed, she had been drifting off to sleep on and off all morning. She hadn't slept at all the night before, she waited on bated breath all night hoping to get a call from the hospital about Vesper, but nothing.
Suddenly, her phone rings. She flips it over quickly, expecting a call from an unknown number. It was Davie. What in gods name could he want right now.
A crackle on the other line, then Davie's booming voice. "Baabe!" She could hear other people around him, all of the voices were deep like other boys his age, she sighs. "What." She snaps into the phone, she hadn't meant to, but her body reacted before her brain.
"Oh, well no need to get bitchy with me. Just wanted to let you know that I got rid of Satan's Number One Fan just for you. He won't be bothering you anymore."
"What?"
"That Vesper Whitlock kid? I got rid of him for you."
"Are you fucking serious?"
Georgina felt her blood bubbling and popping under her skin, her face grew hot as she spoke.
"What!? I thought you'd be more appreciative of me getting that gay creep away from you!" Davie snapped back into the phone, the voices around him silenced and Georgie heard little to no feedback, not that she cared. Her voice laced with venom as she spoke.
"He's not a creep. What is it with you?! You were never like this with me before! I don't need your help whenever a boy comes into my life. We aren't like that and you know damn well that we both understand that. You want an excuse to feel tough. You want an excuse to beat down someone that's an easy target. I don't want to be with someone like that, David, I'll tell you right fucking now. We're done and that's that. I'm tired of you."
Georgie presses the big red button in the middle of her phone screen and slams her phone down onto her bed. She stares off at the walls in front of her. Her hands shake as she grasps the sheets beneath her. Was she crazy?
She looks up at an Ozzy Osbourne Poster, he seemed to be popping right through the paper
"Nice job kid." He'd say
She glances around her room.
"It was the right choice, really. He was a dick, and have you heard that god awful music they play?" She heard Dave Mustaine of Megadeth mumble to her next.
"I need sleep." "And maybe some reassurance too."
Georgie flops onto the mattress behind her and lets out a long, exasperated sigh and grabs her phone.
-
"You did WHAT?!" Adrian's eyes were wide as he yelled into the cellphone in his hand.
"Yeah, I don't know what came over me, he just... made me that mad." Georgie's voice sounded pretty proud as she spoke through the phone, she didn't bother mentioning her posters talking to her.
"Holy shit! This is awesome, does that mean you can join the band?" Adrian had a childlike joy to him, if something as small as this could get him as happy as he was. It was adorable in a way, but Georgina pushed her thoughts away and continued.
"If Vesper will let me, I would join without a second thought. Speaking of Vesper..."
"No, I haven't heard anything about it." Adrian sighs, the last bit of his joy had burned out at the sound that perhaps his best friend was gone.
"I haven't either. Maybe we should ask?"
"I got his mom's number..."
"You should call." She heard the tone on the other end. "Okay... well I didn't mean hang up on me automatically." She grumbles.
-
"Vesper!" His mother calls from the other side of the curtain. Vespers eyes flicker open and widen. "Mom? What's going on?"
"Well you want to leave don't you? I got the paperwork done ages ago!"
"Ma'm I told you to sit in the waiting room..." A tired voice echos from behind the counter.
"What? I can't tell my very antsy son that he's being discharged?" His mother spins on her heels and crosses her arms. A large sigh erupts from her as she goes to sit in one of those stupid chairs that screams against the floor when you sit in it.
Beneath him, the medical paper crinkled as he struggled to get up. He stands on his feet, feeling a little wobbly from sitting so long. He wore a gown, it looked utterly stupid on him. He quickly pulled his clothes back on and sighed. He opened the curtain, most of the nurses and doctors looked at him like he was insane. He didn't look back.
"Come on now, sweetheart. We should really get going." His mother hums as she comes up beside him and escorts him out of the ER.
-
When Vesper reached home, he found his phone discarded on his bed. Stupid.
He gently took it in his hand and tapped the screen with his index finger, the brightness was up the whole way and it nearly blinded him. Stupid.
Attempting to see Georgie again. Stupid.
Going to that party. Stupid.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.
Wasn't this all his fault? He looks down at his missed calls, he had about 30 from Adrian and 5 from an unknown number. He called Adrian first.
-
"Hello?! Vesper! Is that you!"
"Hi, Adrian." Vesper's voice was flat, unwavering. His hands twitched and his head ached, but his voice was low, and showed little emotion.
"Dude! This is great! You home? I don't hear any noise..." Adrian tried to pump vesper up but to no avail.
"Yeah, yeah I'm home. Did you.. lend me a black hoodie while I was in there?" Vesper already knew the answer was no. There was no way this hoodie was Adrian's.
"Ah.. no that must have been Georgie. She called for you, you know."
"She what? She was the one that gave me this?" Vesper couldn't help but become hyperaware of his heart which was now beating a smidge faster than it should normally be beating.
"Well how do I get it back to her? I..." he hesitates for a moment.
"I don't want it." He grunts.
What was he thinking? Was he thinking at all? He needed sleep, two nights worth.
"Well you'll just have to wait until you see her again."
"What?! Aw cmon' why can't you just take it to her! I'd rather die than see her again!"
"Eeeh... didn't sound like that just a second ago." Vesper could feel Adrian's smug look from behind the screen.
"Fine. Stop thinking like that, you creep. I Love you, Kay? Bye."
Silence fell on the other end, he was assuming Adrian had just forgotten to hang up, but he heard a noise.
"What?"
"I love you, Adrian."
A sniffle from the other end caused vesper's nose to scrunch up, was he seriously crying over this?
"I love you too, Vesper."
"Are you crying!? Aw seriously dude! Calm down."
"Sorry! Sorry..bye.."
"Bye." A click from the other end and Vesper relaxed, he looked over at Georgina's hoodie.
"It was pretty soft." He squints his eyes at it and quickly picks it up and ties it around himself. After all, it couldn't hurt to get a little more wear on it.
-
Adrian arrived unexpectedly at Georgina's house, he knocks swiftly three times on the door and it swings inward on itself. A small child peaks out from around the door. "Who're you?" The kid scrunches up his face in confusion. "Are you here for my sister? Davie seriously won't like you if that's the case." The kid shakes his head.
"Thomas! Who are you talking to?!" Georgie yells from upstairs. "Someone's here for you!" He screams back, Adrian was convinced that the high pitched tone of his voice would at least shatter a few windows. To his surprise, it didn't, but down barrels Georgie from the top of the stairs.
"Listen! I left beca—" She opens her eyes, seeing Adrian and not one of Davie's minions she fixes her posture and smiles. "Oh! Adrian! Hey.. come in, sorry. I thought..." she shakes her head and Adrian gives her a knowing look before stepping foot into her home. She leads him upstairs and into her room.
"Sorry about the mess, I let Thomas in here." She sighs. "Usually he isn't here when I bring friends over because of this exact reason." She clears her bed of a cluster of knock off marvel action figures and pats the spot. Adrian sits cross legged on her bed.
"So... what's up? Why are you here so suddenly?" Georgie questions, her eyebrows meeting in the middle of her forehead as she crunches them together in a confused gaze. "Vesper called." Georgie's eyes widened at the sound of vesper's name. A glimmer in her eye told Adrian all he needed to know.
"He has your hoodie. He wants to get it back to you, and I thought maybe we could go over and try to convince him to let you into the band." Adrian grins, his eyes are forced shut by his smile, he had always smiled with his eyes.
"That sounds like an amazing idea." Georgie nods, giving a small, tight lipped grin.
-
Vesper sits at home, his fingers brushing against the four stitches on his forehead.
"I made a stupid mistake going to that party, none of this would have happened if it weren't for me." Vesper thinks, turning onto his left side, his body ached with pain. He was so tired. He continued to think about what may or may not have happened that night, if he didn't show up, what could have happened.
His mind raced, it hurt him, he didn't want to blame Georgina. He was sure she could have been nice.
If she didn't try to get him killed.
Vesper's phone buzzes, then it rings out. Sending a squealing feeling in the vacant room. He picks it up and hums into the speaker.
"Mhm?"
"Vesper. It's me. Adrian! I'm coming over with a very special guest.."
His voice was smug, he could almost see right through his lies, if there were one person Vesper could see right through the flesh and bones of, it was Adrian,
"You know what to do."
-
Tires scream in the driveway as Adrian's rickety old truck comes to an abrupt stop outside of Vesper's house. Vesper sighs as he gets to his feet and stomps up the stairs, it seemed as if he was a walking storm cloud. The door to the basement swings open just as the front door did. And there stood Adrian and Georgina.
"Oh.. hey. Did you come for your coat. It's down here."
The flatness snuck back into his voice. Adrian read Vespers eyes, he could tell that he wasn't happy.
When they all reach the bottom of the stairs, Adrian watches as Vesper retrieves the hoodie from his room.
"Yeah, here." He hands it to Georgina, keeping his eyes averted from hers
Adrian stares at Vesper, his face was turning a deep red color as he squints his eyes.
"Vesper. Can I ask you something."
"What's... um.. what's up.?" Vesper seems weary of the question, because of the tint of his friend's face.
"Who are you?"
"I'm sorry?"
"I said who are you, vesper. I feel like I barely know who the hell you are anymore!" Adrian's voice rose a bit, Georgina puts her hands up in surrender before taking a few steps back.
"What? Adrian.?"
"Look, you're going to have to put your differences with Georgina behind you if you want this stupid band to get up off the ground as much as you say you do." Adrian's words weren't angry, they were full of worry and upset.
"Oh, what so our hard work is 'Stupid' now!?" Vesper crosses his arms, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"If you're acting like that over this band, then, yeah. I think it is pretty stupid." Adrian backs away, his eyes began to well with a few pity tears as he crosses his arms, fighting his own emotion.
"Look, I think we should all just take a breather."
"Yeah, I think we should. For a while." Vesper mumbles.
"She left Davie, Vesper!" Adrian clearly hadn't heard the backhanded comment, his sadness boiled into anger, his eyes narrowed and let the secret slip.
"Good! Maybe then it'll make her stop and think about what she's doing before she does it." Vespers voice was cold, it hit both of them like a train.
"Vesper, you're in for a very rude awakening. You need to let go."
"Let go?! I've almost died twice because of her!" Vesper hisses.
"Come on, Adrian." Georgie wails the jacket back at Vesper. "Keep it. I don't want something that touched your rancid skin. You need to do some serious thinking if you ever think I'd even consider joining your band, Vesper." Georgie's voice was just as cold as his own. Vesper holds the coat in his hands and watches as his best friend, once full of life and pure childish happiness and his arch nemesis both walk lifelessly up the stairs, a large
SLAM!
Following as the engine to Adrian's car starts.
Vesper stands in his room he was angry, but he couldn't seem to understand why. After all, it was his fault this all happened. Maybe he was angry at Adrian for bringing Georgie, or maybe he was mad at Georgie for what happened all those weeks ago. Or maybe he was mad at himself.
-
Adrian leans on the steering wheel, tears staining his cheeks as he shuddered and sniffled. His body quivered, he felt Georgie's hand on his back she patted him as he allowed himself to sniffle and wail.
"Vesper needs to realize, that not everything that happens to him is for the worst. I did not do what I did to hurt him."
"He knows it, Georgie. He didn't want to give that hoodie back to you. I heard it over the phone."
Another sniffle and a very... very ugly cough, but Georgie just continued to pat and comfort him.
"He didn't?"
"No, Georgie. He likes you, he just doesn't know how to apologize. That's just how he is. I don't know why, I wish he could come to terms with the fact that he can apologize and show weakness without being weak. He's insecure, he really is. I don't know why. But he really just wants to be tough. He wants to be able to stick up for himself, Georgie."
Georgie didn't answer, but it got her thinking. She did begin to feel bad for what she had said to him.
"Let's go home, Adrian." Georgie states. "Before I start feeling bad." She grumbles.