Swell (Complete)

Chapter Ten (Part One)

"Tonight, this fight,
Between my head and my heart
Its getting heavy now."

....

Adora twisted the padlock to her locker and opened the metal door.
A white envelope fell to her feet and she frowned as she put her bag on the ground and picked the envelope up.
Her name was scrawled in neat cursive on the front in black marker. She smiled slightly as she turned the envelope over and started to open it.
The card was simple; it could have been a generic popular card from anywhere.
A picture of two teddy bears hugging, and red hearts floating up between their faces. The red was the only colour on the card.
Underneath the bears in a small, childish font was the sentence 'I cannot bear to be without you.'
The smile fell from her face and the uncomfortable feeling followed it down into her stomach.

'Forgive me if I try.'

Was it from Tom? It had to be. Nobody else would slip a card into her locker.
Had Tom really fallen that hard and fast?
She looked around the hall half expecting to see Tom standing around watching her, but she didn't see any of the Taylors.
Adora closed her eyes for a few moments before she opened the card and let go of a breath, trying to prepare herself for whatever Tom had written inside it.

Dearest Adora,

Please give me the chance to convince you to be mine?
This card doesn't begin to express how much I miss you when I'm not with you.

YOURS truly,

Tom.

Adora groaned and leaned into her locker, her forehead resting on the edge of its shelf.
"Shit." She whispered.
There was no possible way she could imagine Tom convincing her that they should date. Didn't he understand that it was because he was like one of her closest friends and family members that she couldn't date him?
"Hey, are you OK?" Brett's voice came from behind her and Adora straightened up and grimaced at him, closing the card and shaking her head. "What's wrong?" His voice was filled with immediate worry.
"I told Tom yesterday that I couldn't date him." Adora started, Brett nodded. "We still studied together yesterday after school, and when he dropped me off he asked if there was a chance." Her shoulders slumped and she leaned against the lockers as Brett moved beside her. "This was in my locker this morning." She hesitantly handed Brett the card and watched as he looked at the card with a frown and then read the inside.
"Oh, wow..." He closed the card and handed it back to her. "I guess Will was wrong when he said Tom would be fine."
Adora pressed her lips together, put the card down on the bottom of her locker and started to get her books for the first classes.
"Are you going to give him another chance?" Brett asked quietly.
"Brett, he makes me feel uncomfortable, I can't imagine how he thinks he could change my mind when it's kind of a good reason to not date him." She closed her locker and turned around to look at her best friend.
Brett nodded slowly. "Yea, well, just being uncomfortable is enough of a reason to say no."
Adora held onto one of the straps on her bag. How long would Tom try to get another date? "What can I say to him to convince him?"
"I honestly don't know, I guess if I was him I'd want to keep trying too."
"That doesn't help." Adora felt miserable. What else did Tom have planned? "Maybe Marti will give me some ideas." Her stomach started to feel queasy.
"Sorry." Brett shrugged and the bell for form assembly sounded. "I'll see you later."
Adora just nodded as Brett walked away towards his form room.

Marti sat alone in form assembly; her bored expression broke into a smile when she saw Adora coming through the door. Her new friend sat down heavily beside her.
"What's wrong?" Marti asked, her smile instantly disappearing.
She watched Adora intently, reading her body language, but mostly focussing on her doll like face. The lids on those oceanic eyes closed and Adora put her forehead on her hands, her elbows resting on the table.
"I told Tom that I couldn't go out with him yesterday. When he dropped me off, he told me he was going to try and change my mind. This morning he left a card in my locker."
Every word was heavy from Adora's mouth and Marti couldn't help but feel guilt churning in her stomach.
"I'm sorry." She didn't know what she was meant to say. Tom was normally the kind of person who worked to get what he wanted until he got it, which wasn't what needed to happen now..
Adora turned her head in her hands and opened her eyes to look at Marti. "What does he think he can do to make me feel like I wouldn't be dating my cousin when they're so similar?"
A small grunt escaped Marti's throat and she shook her head. "I don't know. He can be pretty... determined when he wants something though."
Adora groaned and then held her hand up as her name was called for roll. "Great." She took her arms off the table and put her forehead directly onto the smooth surface.
Marti put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, we can hide in the library again today and try to avoid him outside of classes. Do you have psych today?"
Adora's head wobbled from side to side in a no response and she sat up and leaned back into her chair.
Marti snorted at the red patch of skin now on Adora's forehead from the pressure of the table. Adora must have felt it, because she lifted a hand and started to rub at the red patch.
"Problem solved then!" Marti smirked. "We'll hide in the library and have a threesome with Shakespeare!"
"How scandalous." Adora scoffed, raising her eyebrows.
Marti felt lighter and leaned back in her seat to be even with Adora. The morning classes passed uneventful, lunchtime the girls found a desk in the back of the library, Marti choose it because it was in a corner and away from windows. She then made a wall out of books, joking that she was protecting her translator as Adora laughed at it.
"So, how have you been understanding this gruesome play?" Adora asked over the open Shakespeare play.
"I have to admit, your notes and the Internet have been a massive help. I do have to say though, I think my favourite character is Lady MacBeth, I mean, first encouraging and then utterly psychotic from guilt." Marti grinned.
"It does kind of echo human nature though. Well, except for really sick people who don't feel remorse for committing evil." Adora shrugged.
"You mean like Hannibal Lecter?" Marti piped up, covering the page with her arm and looking excitedly at Adora.
"I guess. I've not seen all those movies." Adora frowned.
"Oh my God. Red Dragon? And the series... We must have a marathon. I love the character Will Graham, and the way Hannibal obsesses, it's so creepy! Gah!"
"Oh, I have definitely seen Red Dragon, my Mum has a thing for Edward Norton, and well, yea, he's sweet, his smile is so friendly." Adora chuckled as Marti looked at her raising her eyebrows.
"Oh! So you would have seen the adorable French actor who played the young Hannibal, his eyes... Wait, no, that's Rising... Nevermind about Gaspard... Though, I do have to admit, I am quite a fan of the series actor that replaced Norton, Hugh Dancy, and the female lead in the series... She is just gorgeous!" Marti could feel herself rambling and when she stopped herself she couldn't stop the embarrassed laughter. She looked at Adora, smiling back at her and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "She has these really bright eyes that just pop out at you, kind of like yours, except hers are a clear blue." Marti tilted her head and stared at Adora's eyes. "Yours... I can't begin to label." She shook her head and moved closer to her friend's face. Adora blinked and leaned her head back a little. "Most of the times, their this amazing green..." Marti muttered, lost in the confused look in Adora's frown. "But in some light... They... Man, girl, your eyes are so deep." Marti blinked and tore her eyes away from Adora's and then moved her arm away from the page and tried to focus on the words.
"Thanks..." Adora said slowly, ending with a sort of hissing breath. Marti could tell she had embarrassed her friend and felt her cheeks warm.
"Sorry, awkward excitement, it's gone. Let's get back to the malicious MacBeth." Marti said dramatically, flipping to the next page.