F.A.M.E (book 1 & 2)

1

THE PAST

"... and that's why 'x' is equal to two." Hazel finished explaining as she popped the last Malteser into her mouth, silently moaning on the inside as the chocolate melted on her tongue. Her sweet tooth was sure to be an issue one day, and she often found herself worrying about whether she was increasing her chances of one day being diabetic.

Adonis sat next to her by the kitchen table, still slightly puzzled and confused at everything she was explaining. He wasn't the most intelligent kid, and honestly he had grown out of the embarrassment he used to feel when it came to asking for help. In a way, he had come to believe that his brain was broken, and he had accepted it; the only reason he was still putting in any effort was for the girl sitting right next to him, who was determined to see him succeed in everything he did. She was the smart type, straight A's on her report card, with very little tolerance for unintelligent people, yet with him she was patient, and always willing to help out where possible.

As soon as he could, Adonis wanted to be done with school. It genuinely gave him a headache every time he sat in a maths class, and since he knew he wasn't going to succeed in that lesson, being there always put him in a horrible mental position. It wasn't enjoyable for him. To make matters worse, his Mother was the type to overlook the relevance of any other profession which wasn't medicine, pharmacy or engineering; and so with what he viewed as his 'broken brain', he already saw himself as a disappointment.

And God forbid he ever looked his mother who worked day and night as a nurse, in the eyes and said he wasn't into school, and that he liked the writing stuff, the music, the sports; his mother would tear down those dreams before he could even set out goals for himself.

"Hazel... bruv I need a break." He admitted with a defeated sigh. They were months away from their GCSE exams, and if Adonis didn't put in an excessive amount of work, he wasn't going to pass maths or science.

"Okay. But did you get my working out? If not I can go through it again in a bit. Even if you can't get all five marks in the exam, at least grab two or three." She smiled comfortingly after his slouched frame. She knew how hard it was for him to sit through maths at school, but she needed him to pull through with these exams because he was her friend, and she wanted him to win with her.

"Yeah, it made sense." He mumbled. She nodded, displaying her satisfaction before she tied up her jet black jumbo braids, exposing her brown tawny skin accentuating her pretty, subtle features. Adonis liked her eyes the best, they were always warm and innocent; always calming to him when he felt distressed. He could look in them and feel like everything would be alright, even if his life was falling apart. She was that person for him, and although he couldn't explain what 'that' was, he knew he couldn't afford to lose her. He would always protect their friendship, at all costs.

Standing from her seat, she strolled over to the oven which had been on during their study session, and squatted in order to check the fries she had put in. It wasn't something they spoke about often, but she knew that there were times when Adonis's mum couldn't make ends meet well, and although there was always some food at home for him to eat, it wasn't enough. It was never Hazel's intention to embarrass him or make him feel like a burden, so she made it compulsory for him to eat whenever he came over, claiming that nobody was allowed to leave her house without being full.

"Hazel." Adonis called as he gazed at her small, slender figure clothed in an oversized Nike T-shirt and baggy jogging bottoms; to say she looked comfy would be an understatement.

"Hmm?" She mumbled without turning to look at him. The smoke had instantly caused a moment of blindness as she pulled out the fries with her oven mitts.

"I wanna do music for real. School's not for me. It's either gonna be football or music for me." There was a raw honesty to what he was saying, and he believed every word he came out with. He couldn't see himself sitting in an office one day, nor could he see himself operating on a dying patient.

"I can see it Don. And I know one day you're gonna be sick!" Her smile was genuine as she looked at her best friend, genuinely happy with the confidence he held in his dream. No matter what, she would always be there every step of the way, holding his hand through thick and thin. 

"Hmm." He smirked at her. "I love you y'know. Real talk." He admitted. Straight afterwards he released a small chuckle to ease any tension that could possibly arise.

"I love you too. I got you for life." Hazel replied whilst turning back to the fries as she added salt to it. The only difference between them was that Adonis meant it on a deeper level. He had made the mistake of falling for the girl he swore up and down was only a best friend. But never would he overstep that boundary they had created, he respected her and knew that he couldn't offer her anything beyond a stable friendship. He was rough around the edges and wasn't interested in committing to anyone; like any horny sixteen year old, he only entertained girls for his own sexual desires and pleasure. Plus, she was the clever type, and he knew that she wouldn't go for someone like him.

*

That summer after exams was probably the hardest for Hazel. She had gone from seeing her best friend everyday, to rarely seeing him at all. It was like she was suffering from withdrawal symptoms; Adonis' energy and company was missed dearly, and he left a void in her heart that she couldn't fill no matter how many other friends she hung out with.

What was worse was that he just stopped talking to her. He didn't come around anymore, and he was late to answer any messages she sent. He was... avoiding her, and Hazel just couldn't understand why.

That's when the rumours started coming through. Adonis was chilling with the boys by the blocks around his bits. These were the notorious lot, and everyone in town knew that if you were associated with them, you were most likely part of the gang. And if you were part of the gang, then you were trouble.

Without his mum being home most days, Adonis had taken it upon himself to find a way to make quick money so him, his older brother and his mother could eat well, without thinking about when their next meal was coming. He had convinced himself that he had failed his maths and science exams, and had probably scraped a pass in his other subjects. His musical dreams were unrealistic, and it made sense for him to join his brother and the pack of wolves he chilled with.

It was the anger and confusion which lead Hazel marching up to him one evening when he was on the block, and the reality of him throwing away his life was what hurt and disappointed her the most. She pulled him away to a more secluded area before blowing off on him, expressing her confusion about what he was doing and also the fact that he was no longer talking to her. "You said you loved me, Don. Friendly or not, you don't treat people you love like that! Best friends don't do that!" She fussed whilst pushing him back slightly. It was the fact that she loved him more than she had let on, that was causing the rage she was feeling. Her emotions ran so deep, that she couldn't just let their bond die. Then he kissed her.

That was the first time he kissed her. Soon after, their spirits bonded in a way that only two lovers should.

Then he lied right to her face, saying he would do better.

Then the last time they saw each other was in the school hall as they collected their results. With tears in her eyes as she looked over her stellar results, she felt the same joy when she looked over and saw that Adonis had passed maths with a 'C' and had achieved B's in science and English. He had achieved more that he thought he ever could, and she was proud of him. But she had also nurtured the hurt that she felt. It had turned to rage, and even though she was happy for him, they never had a full conversation that day.

After that, every other week she would hear of his mischief and what he and his older brother, Eros, got up to. And on the odd occasion when they would bump into each other, they would make no attempt to speak to each other.

It was in the time which they were apart that the beginnings of their success was being nurtured by society. And one day, the universe would bring them back together.