Cognizant (Adopted By Alex Gaskarth: Book 2)✅

Chapter 14

Adelpha Gaskarth's POV: 

I toyed with the roach clip in my hand, each hit from the smoke making me more giggly and light. I crossed my legs under the tall and round table of the busy club, listening to the echoing voices of the people nearby. One of the men at my table, Andras, flirted with another girl before she left. He shook his head, his sandy brown hair flicking with each movement. He took another drag from his cigarette. The other person at the table, a tall and curvy woman by the name of Gynaika, slipped a couple pills into her own drink. I listened to her tell me something, and understood the moment she told me, but forgot what she said as I sat up straight again. I laughed at this, taking another drag from the white roll between my fingers. 

"Apomi," Andras shouted my alias drunkenly. "You see that girl tending the bar over there?" He pointed to a cute blond girl with a busty build. I nodded. "She's new to this club. I talked to her earlier when we got here. I think she might be your type. Head over there and see if you can get a nice piece of ass tonight." 

I laughed and shook my head. "That's not down my road, Andras. You've known me for almost a month now, you should know that," I referred to my asexuality. "I told you that."

"Yeah, but she still might be. Gotta admit, she's pretty hot."

"Yeah," I confessed over the loud music in the dark building. I ripped open the poorly closed package of amphetamine on the table, swallowing the pills. I laughed at Gynaika's failed attempt to flirt with a cute guy as the lights became even blurrier and the music became more emphasized and ballooned in my ears. I inhaled the smoke from the small white roll in my hand, chatting with the two animatedly.

I shifted my cup of Diet Coke on the Applebee's table uncomfortably. I was back in Chicago, but this time I was with Alex and the rest of the All Time Low band and crew for a music festival they would be playing while I was off of school. I eyed the blue-haired woman at the bar across the building, deeply hoping she wouldn't notice me. 

"Ad, you okay?" I looked back across the table to Rian. "What're you looking at?"

"Oh... Nothing," I replied quickly, sipping the carbonated drink in my hand. Jack, who sat right next to me, looked to the right where I had been gazing. 

"The blue-haired chick? Think she's a bit old for you, don't you think, Ad," Jack joked with a laugh. I gave a half-assed smile in response. 

"Apomi!"

Shit.

I turned my head only slightly to see Gynaika stepping across the carpet in her black ankle boots. "You didn't tell me you were back in Chicago!"

I knew there was no avoiding her as she made direct eye contact with me. "Sorry, what?  I think you might have the wrong person," I lied.

"Come on, Apomi." She sat down next to me, and I could smell the sativa on her. "Why are you avoiding me? We need to go out together sometime soon, especially if you leave again! I got some of your.... uh, favorite stuff... You know?"

"N-No, I'm sorry. I actually think we need to go, maybe later, though." I began nudging her from the booth and stood up. The others cautiously followed. 

"Okay, fine. But text me when you get the chance to hang!"

"Yeah," I mumbled as we left, and Alex left a quick tip for the waiter.

"Who the hell was that?" Alex walked next to me as I shuffled quickly out of the Applebee's.

"Nobody," I mumbled. 

"Adelpha," Alex said in a warning tone. 

I sighed and finally replied "Gynaika. She's someone I met while I was here in Chicago."

"What do you mean 'met?' And why the hell did she call you Apomi?"

I shrugged. "We met while I was on the streets here."

Alex hesitated for a few moments before we got into the van, us sitting in the backs seats. "Can I see your wallet really quick?"

I made a slightly confused face, but handed him the black pocket of leather. He opened it to where my driver's permit and ID sat in a transparent plastic pocket. He removed both cards, then removed the card behind it to observe it better. "Apomimisi Onoma. Born September twelfth, nineteen-ninety-one in Chicago, Illinois. What is this?"

I looked down at my lap and mumbled a soft "An ID."

"A fake ID with your picture on it," he told me, carefully keeping his tone soft and gentle. "Adelpha, you can't do things like this, you're going to get in trouble."

"You have another fake ID?" Jack intervened.

"Another," Alex echoed questioningly. "You knew about this?"

"Well, it didn't have that name on it! It was a long time ago," Jack defended. "I made her get rid of it and she stopped."

Alex sighed and played with the card as Rian slowly drove over a speed bump. "How did you even get this?"  

I continued staring at my lap, knowing he was disappointed and probably mad at me. "In cities like this, it's not hard to find somebody who will make one for you without taking your real information." 

Alex exhaled deeply as he ran his hand through his hair. "And Gynaika? Why were you two together? What did she mean by your 'favorite stuff?' I can only assume she meant some type of drug."

I nodded slowly, too afraid to make eye contact with him. Why didn't I get rid of it when I left Chicago? "We met at a local club, her and another guy, Andras. She was talking about...About Ritalin. It's technically a drug for severe anxiety and ADHD, but people use it recreationally... It helped my panic attacks a bit," I admitted, barely audible. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." 

"Where did you even come up with this name?" He continued playing with the ends of his hair. 

"It's Greek..."

"What does it mean?" I felt his eyes turn to me, but my eyes remained down. 

"It means 'fake name,'" I confessed. Alex couldn't help but cover his face and laugh a little. 

"Fake name... I fucking swear," He shook his head and stopped laughing. "This isn't funny, I shouldn't be laughing.... When was the last time you used this?"

I shook my head. "Six months ago, maybe? I never thought about wanting to use it again."

"We'll talk more about this later." Alex nodded. "Okay?"

I nodded and whispered "Okay."

.

A/N: Sorry this one is hella short, but I'm going to have another update either today or early tomorrow, too, and it should be a bit longer. And for those of you who might want to know, many of my OC's names are Greek:

Adelpha= Sister

Omorfia (Adelpha's middle name)= Beautiful

Orfano (Her previous last name before adoption)= Orphan

Andras= Man

Gynaika= Woman

Eugene (It is a Latin name, but derived from the Greek word eugenes)= Well-born (bc he's a snobbish piece of garbage)

Asteri (From my Corybantic: Adopted By Steve Rogers fic)= Star

  Apomimisi Onoma= Fake name 

 I was just being completely lazy with Eucidine and Jordan (I think thats what I named her father lmao I forgot) and just made some shit up. So there you go for those of you who want to know. Adelpha's full name (before adoption) means 'beautiful orphan sister.' After adoption and she took Alex's last name, it became just 'beautiful sister.'