Sugar in the Engine

Adelade loved Hawthorne Heights. In fact, she cried for seven days straight after Casey Calvert was found deceased in his bunk. She cried for Casey. She cried for Ashley Calvert. She cried for JT. She cried for Micha. She cried for Matt. And she cried for Eron. She couldn't help herself.

Her junior year of high school was ending in a few months. Her school had just gotten back from the Holiday Vacation, as the county smoothly covered for just a Christmas vacation with some ready-to-revolt other-wised-religioned parents. She would get to see her friends again-all of them, even if it would take her days just to reunite with them, she had that many. She would get to see all her teachers again-they all loved her for her perfect test scores and her always-on-time homework. She would get to go back to life outside the Mark house.

When she got out of her car, Spencer-Stacey, Adelade's best friend, was already waiting. Adelade could see her best friend's boyfriend next to her. Jepha had long brown hair and multiple piercings. The same old Spence and Jeph, Adelade thought. She smiled as she advanced in on the two waiting people. "Spence!" Adelade called.

Spencer turned around and smiled at her best friend since forever and forever. "Addie!" she called. Everyone at the school knew that Spencer-Stacey was the only person on the face of the campus that was allowed to call Adelade that. She'd earned the right through years of friendship.

The girls wrapped each other in a hug, loving to be back at school with each other. Adelade's winter vacation was spent in Aspen, skiing with her family like usual. Spencer-Stacey's was spent in South Florida, snorkeling in the keys. "Nice to see you too, Adelade," Jeph said. Spencer rolled her eyes and turned to her boyfriend.

"Hey, she's my friend! You can wait your turn!" she said to him. Jeph smiled as Spencer-Stacey moved out of the way so her boyfriend could greet her best friend. The three of them knew how lucky they were to have the relationship they did. Everyone in the school envied them, after all.

"It's been such a long two weeks without you guys!" Adelade said, smiling at her two friends. Jeph nodded and leaned against the wall of the school.

"Tell me about it! I had to sit around this boring town while you two got to actually go new places!" he answered. Spencer rolled her eyes again, smiling all the while. "I think we have a following," he said, suddenly looking up behind Adelade.

Sure enough, it was her usual group of younger juniors, sophomores, and freshman that always treated Adelade as a mother duck. The all smiled and attacked Adelade with questions of her vacation and gratitude that she was back. Spencer slipped into her usual spot, guarding Adelade from the younger girls. "Back off. She just got back from Aspen, and it's my day with her! You all know that!" she spat.

Jeph chuckled, and Adelade smiled, a little sorrow-like at the girls. She was too nice, and even she knew it. The girls dispersed just as the bell rang, and Spencer, Adelade, and Jeph all headed to their homeroom class. They took their usual seats, right in the center of the room. Adelade and Spencer held a short conversation before the bell rang again, and the teacher started their lesson.

Adelade thought about it again. The nightmare she'd had just over a year ago now. It was inevitable to think about, and she just got used to trying not to cry in the middle of class. In her nightmare, which she had only days before Casey Calvert was reported dead, she saw his organs and mind shut down. She felt his dreams slowly drift off to nothingness, then an eternity of black.

Casey was a hero of Adelade's. He was her sun, and when she was sad, she'd listen to Hawthorne Heights just to hear his screaming. She'd met him a few times before the over dose, at concerts and even when she snuck into a few video shoot sets. She remembered how much of a great guy he was, and how much she thought Ashley Calvert and him were such a cute couple, despite her jealousy.

Spencer barely seemed to notice her friend trying to hold back tears. Instead, she wrote her a note. I'm having a party in a few weeks. Help me set up?, she wrote. She passed it over to Adelade's desk and poked her friend's arm to get her attention. Adelade saw the paper and read.

She smiled slightly through her struggle and replied with, But of course! Who else is going to, Jeph? Ha! She passed it back to Spencer-Stacey then and turned back to the teacher. Spencer laughed a little and nodded.

If only Adelade knew what she'd get herself into at that party. All of the worst was to come.