Swell (Complete)

Chapter Nineteen (Part Two)

"It don't matter where I'm falling,
Cause I can't get my mind right,
I need to pull it together if there's no one to catch me."

....

"Girls! Dinner is here!" Anne's voice floated up the staircase several sketches later. Marti looked down at the monochrome versions of Adora happily. A close up of her face and the shapes on it, a loose figure sketch and a mid-view of her from hips up.
She had managed to keep Adora relaxed with conversation about her year 10 formal with Elissa in Richieville the year before. Adora had never been to a formal dance, she hadn't even been to a formal event; not a wedding or a big fancy birthday or celebration.
The Chinese was delicious and Adora happily shared some of Marti's vegetarian offerings, trying a new vegetable. Anne had also tried some, but both were weary of leaving Marti with too small a dish, though the size of the containers meant that there was left overs of everything.
Adora went for a shower after dinner and left Marti in the kitchen with Anne.
"So, how has your family been settling in, Marti?" Anne asked as she busied herself in the kitchen.
Marti was sitting on a stool against the kitchen's island bench. "Mostly good. Mum and Dad love it, I'm getting more and more at home, Will and Tom are doing OK. Tom's car thing was a bit of a hard set back. I think Dad's taking him to get a new one tomorrow though, and now he's with Debbie..."
"Oh yes, Adora mentioned that we probably wouldn't see much of Tom anymore." Anne mused. "She said Debbie had tried to use you at first. That was a bit sad to hear. I assume she's left you alone now you're friends with Adora?"
"Well... Yes actually. She kind of stopped giving me time when she realised Tom initially wanted to date Adora." Marti frowned slightly at the tone in Anne's voice.
"Debbie and Adora used to be best friends, back in primary school they would always have sleep overs. Even the start of high school."
"What happened? Debbie didn't have much to say about Adora at all, the times I hung out with her in the first week."
"Yes, well, I don't know what happened between the two of them, but it had something to do with Adora's depression after her father died."
There was a stab in Marti's chest at the realisation that Adora had had depression. The girl was too sweet to feel that type of suffering.
Like Will.
"That's awful, that's when friends should be there for each other the most..." Her voice was low and she couldn't trust herself to look at Anne.
"Yes, well, Debbie was always a bit..." Anne hesitated. "A princess. Her parents dote on her even now and she has not heard no very often. She can be a wonderful friend, encouraging and mostly helpful, but I suppose not everyone knows how to help someone they love when they're in pain."
Marti wondered if Tom knew that Debbie had been friends with Adora until her darkest time of need. It broke her heart to think of a best friend leaving someone when they needed him or her most.
If she hadn't had Will when Liss had left, even when Liss had rejected her for him. Aside from Liss, Will had always been like a best friend to her.
Adora was an only child, her cousins and Brett had been her Will.
"Have you asked anybody to the dance yet?" Anne leaned over the bench and grinned at Marti.
"Oh, um... No. I'm not sure if I want to go with someone." Marti felt her cheeks warming. "I was wondering about Iain, but I don't know how well that would go down, after he hit Tom and all."
"Yes, Adora told me about that. Iain isn't normally that sort of boy, we were both quite surprised. How is Tom's nose?"
"It's fine. Debbie is catering to his every whim."
"Of course she is." Anne chuckled a little.
"So, did you guys decide on a movie?" Adora appeared in the doorway, rubbing her long hair with a towel.
"We were too busy talking about school." Anne pushed away from the bench and winked at Marti.
"Urg." Adora hung the towel around her shoulders and moved to the fridge. Marti watched her take a jug of water out and get a glass from a cupboard. "Want a glass?" She asked.
"Yes please." Marti nodded.
"Well, I might leave you two to choose a movie and hang out together. I've got some group activities to plan that I forgot about." Anne smiled.
"Ok. Thanks, Mum." Adora poured the two glasses and put the jug back into the fridge. "We can just bring these upstairs, unless you want to watch something downstairs? The TV is bigger down here, but the couch is more comfortable upstairs." Adora explained.
"Oh, lets go comfortable couch." Marti grinned and took her glass of water from Adora.

Hours later Marti stared at the warm lights above her. Adora was breathing deeply beside her and the fluffy cat was on the other side of Adora.
The old farmhouse had been colder than Marti had expected, the heating at home was amazing, she never needed to wear long sleeves to bed, Adora had layers of blankets on her bed and still wore long sleeves to bed.
It was amazingly comforting to feel the weight of all the blankets and stare up at the little dots of light. Almost like staring at stars.
Adora groaned in her sleep and Marti rolled over to face her friend. Adora's back was to her, effectively meaning that Adora was spooning with her cat. The thought made Marti smile and she wriggled closer to her friend and rested her head behind Adora's.
Closing her eyes, Marti carefully lifted an arm over the blankets and then over Adora's shoulder.
She waited a few moments to see if Adora stirred at the touch. A handful of soft, fur greeted her fingers and Marti smiled as she let go of a sigh and stroked the cat.