Like a Fool

The day was still young and I had nothing to do. Normally I would hang out with the guys on my days off but that clearly wasn't an option today. As I looked around my empty room I felt more alone than ever. I couldn't remember a time when I wasn't with Matt or my mom, hell even Carleigh! I'm not the solitary type. I love people! Not all people mind you, but especially my friends.

Matt and I need to make up but things have to change. I need to stop being so demanding, it's obvious they're annoyed by the constant need to keep me from having a panic attack. When storms come I'll just have to grin and bear it. If the lights turn off, I'll just have to remember there are no such things as monsters! How hard could it be?

I didn't know if my new attitude toward my fears would change anything but one thing I knew for sure was I wasn't going to be the first to apologize. For all the years I've known him I always gave in. I would miss him too much and, being the more rational one, would come up with a bullshit reason to be friends again. I never minded until now, because those were petty fights but this one was going to change our relationship!

If I apologized first I would have to dump Adam and admit I can't take care of myself (and therefore needed him). If he apologized first then he would have to dump Lexi and admit that I was a big girl now and could handle things without him (basically telling him to back the hell off). Both of those were quite unlikely.

I hopped up and started pacing the room. You don't want these hands idle... I needed something to do! I ran out to the car and drove to yet another home away from home. The book store.

I parked in the usual spot and walked into the familiar brick building.

"Cain! What are you doing here? You're not scheduled until tomorrow!" The store's owner, Tracy, called from the counter.

"I'm really bored right now... so I need something to do! You don't have to pay me, just think of it as volunteer work."

She looked at me skeptically "Where are your lovable band of misfits?"

"Don't ask." I growled as I grabbed a dust rag from the supply cabinet.

"Ohh, that explains it." She nodded knowingly. I rolled my eyes but laughed.

"So who else is working today?" And so our meaningless conversation began. I just wanted to kill as much time as possible before I had to go back to the Motel and sleep. As the sun started to set we closed shop. I now officially had nothing to do.

As I drove around Huntington I decided to visit Adam and fill him in. But when it came time to knock on the door my hand started to shake. I didn't want him to take pity on me, I didn't want him to offer to take me in, I didn't want to be dependent on anyone. That's how this whole thing came up, all because I'm too dependent on those around me.

I swallowed my pride and knocked on the white pristine door.

"Cain! Here to get your clothes?" Adam asked after pulling me in for a hug.

"Yeah, and just wondering if you want to hang out." I walked into the entry way.

"Of course! Have you had dinner yet?"

"Yes." I lied, I'm no ones charity case. But my traitorous stomach gave me away by giving a loud rumble. He raised an eye brow "Grr... fine, no I haven't."

"Come on, I just made pasta. My parents are still at work and Anne-Marie is up stairs with her boyfriend."

"So can you only make pasta and cereal?" I asked as we entered the kitchen.

"Basically. Wait, are you still wearing my shirt? Not that I mind, I just thought you would have changed. It's a bit big on you."

I looked down and laughed "I really didn't realize I was still wearing it! But it's really comfortable, I don't want to take it off."

"You can keep it. I never really wear it anymore." I smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

We lapsed into comfortable conversation. After dinner we settled on the couch and decided to watch Temple of Doom (one of my favorite movies of all time). His arm was around my shoulders as I leaned into him, and I just couldn't believe how natural this seemed. Although his arm felt unusually light (or maybe I was just used to Matt's muscled build).

I decided to tell him as Short Round was fighting the guards. "So... I've had a change in living areas."

"You moved?" He asked with his eyes still on the screen.

"Well, kind of." And I spewed out the whole story of what occurred that day.

"I will fucking kill Matt." He muttered darkly.

"Hey! Whoa, let's not get too fired up."

"He doesn't get to treat you like that! And he needs to accept that I'm with you and I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon!" I smiled and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Well that's his problem. But for now I'm living in the old Motel 6 off of coast highway until I can find an apartment."

"Wait! Rewind! You're living alone in a creepy motel?! Are you kidding me?"

"No I'm not. I need to prove to them," Seeing his expressing I corrected my statement "and myself that I don't need them. I can live on my own."

"I really don't like this you know that?"

"Yeah I know but you're going to support me because this is what I need to do, right?" I felt like I was Jedi mind tricking him.

He nodded slowly and sighed. "Only if you call me every day, if you don't come over that is!"

"I promise."

"Good, that place has always creeped me out."

After we said our good-byes I drove back to my new residence. It was going to be hard to get sleep for school but hey, what can you do?

*Adam's POV*
I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face as I watched her drive off. This girl was going to drive me crazy. Does trouble find her or does she look for it?

I sprawled out on the couch and not even a minute later my cell phone went off. "Hello?" I asked after I looked at an unfamiliar number.

"This is Matt."

"You've got a lot of nerve calling me. How did you get my number?"

"Carleigh, now look we have a common goal. Cain needs to go back home. I don't know where she's staying and I know that you do."

"Yeah. I do. But she's pretty upset with you and I don't think telling you would be in her best interest. It's in yours!"

"So I take it she's not staying with you?"

"How do you gather?"

"She would have picked up the phone, cursed me out, then hung up. Look do you want to help her or not?"

The proverbial angle and devil on my shoulders were having an all out battle. The angle was saying that Cain needed to be safe and a ghetto motel wasn't the place for her. But the devil was saying to hell with Sanders, he's the one that put her in this situation in the first place.

Decisions decisions...