Twisted Connections

Adley

Adley was mad. She knew that her anger was unreasonable, but everything in the world was making her even madder. She was mad that Roland didn't want to sleep with her, she was mad that Tessa had avoided her all day because she had forced her to sit with Fred, and she was mad that her best friends couldn't realize that she needed them. She had run out of school to find Tessa and tell her about her boy troubles when she had seen her slip on a bike with Jase and drive off. Jase. Someone Tessa barely knew but was ready to take back to her house, when she always insisted on going to Addie's, and never let Addie in. Then Tessa turned up late to cheer practice, her face smiling, greeting the group and letting everyone fawn over her tan, her hair, her clothes.

Adley turned away from her, watching the hurt blossom in her friends eyes. She felt Tessa detach from the group and run over to her.

"Hey Addie, what's up?" Tessa placed a tentative hand on Addie's shoulder and she brushed it off.

"How would you know? You've barely looked at me today!" Addie said, feeling her anger let rip.

"What?" Tessa's face clouded with confusion.

"It's like we're not even real friends. You don't talk to me, you don't even realize that I'm going through literal shite because you're so absorbed with yourself." Okay, so the last part wasn't true.

Tessa stepped back. "I'm self-centred? You never ask me about myself, and you don't know half the stuff that I'm going through...If we were real friends, you wouldn't need me to make way for you in school, you would realize that I didn't want to sit next to Fred..."

Adley huffed, aware that the cheer group was watching them. "So what you dated a guy like nearly a year ago? Get over it Tess! There are more important things in life."

Tessa's jaw steeled. "You mean you? Because what could be so important in my life that it overcomes your stupid problems?" Adley's heart sank as Tessa spat the words.

Her stupid problems? The fact that her parents weren't around, that she couldn't trust the money they earned. Or that her boyfriend, who had slept with half the school couldn't even touch her?

"So tell me Tess. What are my stupid problems? If you were really there for me, you would know. But I guess you're too busy going around and slutting it up with druggies!"

"Jase? I talk to one guy whilst I watch you fool around with thousands and I'm the slut. That's rich." Addie had never even realized that her friend felt this way.

She shoved Tessa's shoulders. It was a childish thing, something that her, Tess and Danny used to do in play group when they were mad at each other. Tessa's skinny shoulders already showed marks. 

"Did you just fricking hit me Addie?" Tessa turned around to go, but as another burst of rage flared up, Addie pulled her shoulder back.

"Leave your uniform in the changing rooms. You're off the team." Her voice felt cold and detached, which didn't reflect the scratchy soreness in her throat. The other girls now crowded around the feuding pair.

"I need the team. It's for scholarship." Tessa's voice had reached a low whisper.

Addie felt a sprinkle of guilt, but she couldn't even look at her friend.

"Give me a reason. You can't just quit me without a reason!"

Adley wanted to take back the words before she said them. "Because we don't deal with anorexics."

Tessa's eyes filled with tears. Adley felt her own do the same, but she couldn't take it back. She had needed her best friend more than she had needed anyone, and just like everyone in her life, Tessa hadn't been there for her. Like Addie had always secretly thought, Tessa judged her. She did it all the time apparently. Judged the boys she dated, judged the things she did, judged her money.

Tessa may have been losing weight, but Addie knew that it wasn't anorexia. She didn't even know why she had said it. But she wiped the tears out of her eyes as she watched her best friend walk away and then threw off her cheer hoodie. "Practice cancelled guys, we go tomorrow instead."

A few girls made a couple of protestations, but Adley left, walking by herself over to the soccer pitch. Shivering, she sat on the highest bleachers, wrapping her arms around her legs and tucking her chin against them. From the corner of her eyes she could see Roland playing. He passed the ball, tackled the other guys. She could see Fred too, always straining to prove himself to his father. At least his father was around.

She nearly fell off the bleachers when a voice came from behind her. It was Mr. Wheeler, the new American History teacher. He was really young and Addie had been one of the girls that had giggled when she came into class. With a sinking realization, she remembered that it was Tessa who she had whispered too and giggled about his good looks. So they had talked today, Addie had just been too caught up in herself to realize.

"Are you ok, Miss Freeman?" Adley remembered that her face was streaked with tears.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just worried about...cheer practice." The words fell lamely off her tongue, cheer practice didn't even summarise her worries. 

"The first day of schools always tough." Adley had forgotten that it was the first day momentarily. She looked out at the setting sun. Today had sucked. Majorly.

"Hey, come on. We weren't a bad class. Your day couldn't have been all bad." She didn't know why she said that. Her voice all smooth and giggly. Maybe because she wanted to be the Adley that everyone thought she was; a determined flirt, ditsy, pretty.

"No," he said, looking over at her from his marking. "No, it wasn't all bad."

For a second, their eyes remained on each other, and Adley felt the blush rise to her cheeks, but then Coach Mason blew the whistle and she ran down the bleachers to meet Roland.

A few of the guys on the soccer team laughed as she ran up to him, and a couple wolf whistled. Coach Mason slapped Roland on the back and whispered something in his ear. Roland laughed, but he looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"What are you doing here babe?" She realized that he was embarrassed. 

"I had cheer practice. I thought I'd wait for you. Did I do something wrong?" She looked up from beneath her eyelashes, an action she subconsciously copied from Tess. She knew it didn't have quite the same effect, but....

"Just give me a bit of space, mate. I have to go catch up with the others, we'll chat later ok."

He ran off, leaving Addie standing in the cold. Embarrassment flooded through her. They didn't think she was his pretty girlfriend, they thought she was clingy? Adley had been called many things, but clingy had never been one of them. Her eyes pricked with tears.

She swivelled round to come face to face with Mr. Wheeler. 

"Oh sorry Mr. Wheeler, I didn't..." She didn't finish her sentence.

"Why don't you call me Wren instead? I feel eighty with you saying Mr. Wheeler."

It was a bit strange, but Adley liked the way he had said "you" not "everyone",  as if her opinion mattered to him. "Okay," she said slowly, "W-r-e-n." She drew out each letter, rolling the name about her mouth.

"You're freezing," he noted. 

Adley nodded, thinking about the way that Wren had noticed that she was crying when Roland hadn't. So she didn't push his hands off as he moved them up and down her arms, smiling slightly as he tried to keep her warm.

"Why don't you call me Adley, then Wren. I feel eighty with you saying Miss Freeman." And she looked up beneath her eyelashes as she said it, moving a little closer to him.