𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒, 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 [𝟑] ✓

11| What thing?

      ADAM BANKS HAD BEEN avoided by all the ducks ever since the game against the Blake bears. The boy didn't know why and he figured if anyone, he should be the one avoiding them.

Adam sighed as he gloomily shut his locker to begin making his way to lunch. However, he couldn't help but feel a wave of determination flow through him upon seeing a certain brunette walking through the halls.

"Charlie!" Adam called out as he began to jog over to the boy, "hey, wait up"

Upon hearing the blond's voice, Charlie Conway sped up his pace and didn't bother even glancing back at him.

"Hey wait," Adam called as he tugged on his arm, "what's up with you?"

"Don't act like you don't know, Banks" Charlie spat harshly. Needless to say, The varsity freshman had been taken aback a bit and couldn't quite comprehend why Charlie was acting this way. But simply, he drew his eyebrows together and tilted his head in confusion

"Maybe ask your teammates," Charlie continued bitterly, "maybe they'll tell you about the time you guys soaked all the JV teams clothes after the Blake Bears game"

"What.." Adam began. Then it struck him. When the entire varsity team had left aside from Scooter and himself, he knew what they did. Slowly and disappointingly, Adam shut his eyes and shook his head. "Charlie I didn't know, I swear.."

"Yeah whatever," Charlie grumbled. The brunette began to walk off with a annoyed expression. However, He couldn't help himself from turning back to Adam and giving off one more snarky remark. "You're welcome by the way... you know, for making your letterman jacket a bit more cooler"

"Hey congrats on the Blake game!"

Adam trailed behind Riley and the rest of the varsity team in a slight cower as they cunningly approached the table where the Junior Varsity team sat. As much as he didn't want to be there, he seemingly had no choice.

"Yeah right," Charlie grumbled, "we tied"

"Hey a points a point.. were all warriors now. You guys proved your guts," Riley said in an innocent voice, "we all set for dinner Friday?"

"Dinner?" Russ remarked

"Well it's an Eden Hall tradition," Riley shrugged, "varsity gotta treat the freshman to dinner... so round up your posse and meet us at... six, in the Minnesota club downtown. Anybody need a ride, we can take you... and you guys do like steak and seafood, right?"

Averman scoffed playfully as Charlie looked up and nodded. "Yeah we do" he chimed happily

The older boys began to walk off while Cole and Adam hung back for a bit.

"Look I don't like you pukes alright," Cole remarked, "but this is a tradition... and at Eden Hall, I've learned to care about tradition"

The older blond began to walk off and motioned for Adam to come along. Unwillingly, he nodded but made sure to offer the JV's a smile regardless of how they felt about him at the moment.

"It's cool" he reassured them, earning small nodded and shrugs

However, Connie Moreau eyed Adam Banks as he began to walk off. A part of her hoped that Adam was back since after the small, yet improved, interaction he had with November, he seemed himself. Just for a while. But now it seemed as if he was back to being the gloomy autopilot Adam who just follows the Varsity around like a puppy.

Abruptly, Connie stood up and made her way to where Adam was just about making his way back to the varsity table. In a rough manner, she yanked his arm and dragged him out of the cafeteria.

"Ow.." he helped as they made it out the doors. In an instant, he pulled his arm away from her grasp and rubbed it as he watched her expression fall serious

"First of all," Connie began, "you deserved that after what your jerk teammates did.. and secondly, you have to stop this thing you have going"

"What thing?"

"This stupid thing where- I don't know how to explain it..." Connie trailed frustratingly, "Adam, you're not yourself!"

"Sure I am-"

"No you're not!" Her voice cracked at her flustered demeanour as she desperately tried to smack sense into the boy while still taking precautions with her words. "I know you want to talk to her... so why don't you?"

"I talked to her on Friday.."

"You know what I mean" Connie breathed out

Adam looked away from Connie with an ashamed and guilty look on his face. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat upon reaching this topic of conversation. Adam sighed and shut his eyes while he, as usual, tried to contain the uninvited tears that always threatened to spill. Saying he was disappointed in himself was an understatement. The boy truly was confused and wanted to punch himself for how he was acting. But really, no matter how hard he tried, he kept going back to the autopilot Adam. Every time he thought he was back, his thoughts contradicted him and brought him back into the daze he had created for himself. He just couldn't figure himself out. It was like he was unable to do the things he really wanted; But then again, what he really wanted hurt him so much to do...

"Yeah well.." Adam spoke in a raspy voice as he stuffed his hands onto his pockets, "I gotta go"

Without reaching the brunette girls gaze, he walked off and began to try and process his thoughts. He wanted so bad to feel like the real Adam again. Except, he didn't know how; He didn't know it but as much as he was saving himself from high school hell, he's suffering more than he would if he wasn't. It was complete torture for him but he truly was stuck and didn't know how to get out. Adam knew the things he wanted but no matter how hard he wanted to do it, parts of him always contradicted and stopped him. He really didn't know what was going on with him; his feelings and thought process. He wanted to talk to someone about it... but a small part of him knew that whoever he talked to, it would help him unless it were her. It would take him all his power to talk to her but even with that, he couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to do it without completely breaking down in pain. Every time he heard her voice through the phone, his heart felt the sharpest ache and his body fell limp. However, the worst part was that he truly didn't have a clue why...

Brynn speaks !

My chapters are getting so bad I'm sorry 🥺🤚🏻

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