Swell (Complete)

Chapter Eleven(Part One)

"You're just a waste of time.
And now I can see, all you wanted was just a chance
to be in the spot light."

....

Brett was glad for music in the middle of the day. His like of Tom was now shattered between respecting him for his honestly and hating him for trying to convince Adora against her own feelings.
The petals at their feet seemed to burn into everything Brett saw and whenever they flashed into his sight his fists clenched.
In the music room, he felt as though he could protect his friend, his secret love, though he knew in this area of the school she was in no danger.
Realistically she'd never been in any danger, but there had been something in Tom's desperation, something in his humiliation that still unsettled Brett. Maybe it had just been competition between the secret feelings and the obvious ones.
Tom had been courageous enough to ask Adora out, Brett had not. Initially Brett had respected Tom for that step forward, but now Tom had taken too many steps forward.

Before they had started practise Adora had confided that she felt awkward and was worried that Will would let his brother's public humiliation cause problems in the band. Will had arrived at the end of that conversation, his first reaction was confusion, and then he assured her that Tom's relationship and feelings with her had nothing to do with the band or Will. Adora had just slumped with visible relief and a little laugh.
Will had then informed them that Tom had already accepted Debbie's offer to be his rebound girl, and his date to the end of semester dance.
Brett was now lazily leaning against the edge of the table during his rhythm songs; letting Will slide through solos as he watched Adora disappear into the melodies.
Rae's violin rung out a long, lonely note and then Kurt's drums snapped the end of the song.
"So, are we actually performing at the party Saturday or just rehearsing beforehand?" Kurt asked.
Brett shook his head. "No performing this year, Tara's got something else going on, so it's just rehearsal at yours."
"Party?" Will frowned.
"It's Dodge's birthday this weekend. Tradition is dinner at the pub, and then anyone over 18 can stay for drinks. Adora of course, has to go home every year, but she can stay next year, right?" Brett smirked teasingly.
Adora poked her tongue out. "I wouldn't want to drink with you guys anyway." She stuck her nose in the air.
Kurt laughed. "Whatever."
A pencil case flew towards him and he barely caught it before it hit his head. "Nice pitch!"
Brett turned to Will with a smile. "You're welcome to come, it's not really an invite occasion, more anyone who wanders in."
Will nodded. "Maybe I'll hang around with you after rehearsal."
Brett returned the smile. Will was safe, nothing like Tom; he had no interest in showing off and he had a deeply humble presence, though he could have afforded some arrogance with his guitar skills. "Awesome, before we know it you and I will have these song down pat!" Maybe he had thought about befriending the wrong twin initially when Tom had walked into the pub.

Friday came faster than Will was prepared for. Everyone was relieved when Debbie pounced on Tom and wrapped his rejection in her arms. By the end of the week it almost seemed as though Tom had never even thought of Adora.
Marti had begun hanging with the band during the school breaks at recess and lunch and she was fitting in with them better than Will had when he occasionally joined them.
He still preferred to have his own time and space during the breaks; finding somewhere to stay alone.
The entire Taylor family had been invited to Dodge's birthday dinner, and the only one not positive about going was Will.
His mother would be putting the finishing touches on his principal's cake the next morning, his father had done the baking. Marti was exciting about being friends with Adora because she knew Adora wasn't just trying to get close to her brothers. She had gushed several times to Will about how wanted Adora made her feel.
Marti had found her new best friend. Will was happy for his little sister, glad to know that she was able to move on and feel safe in a friendship after Liss' harsh departure and Debbie's obvious ulterior motives.
Will had broken away from the family, deciding to ride to school so he could ride after school and perhaps explore the next town.
The clouds were dark over the ocean; the water was buffeting the cliffs as if there was some unspoken urgency to reach inland.
It was early evening and he was on his way back to town when he saw Adora's bike chained to a fence. He changed gears as he drove closer and saw the sign above the fancy wrought iron gates.
Wheeler Falls Cemetery.
He pulled to the side and idled. Glancing through the spaces in the fence he could see headstones and plaques of various ages and sizes, but he couldn't see Adora.
He turned his bike off and took his helmet off, holding it under his arm he walked into the graveyard and followed the gravel path along. He got closer and closer to the back of the cemetery and saw the forest bordering the end of the field before he saw Adora.
She was kneeling in front of a headstone, fresh flowers were at the base and he quietly walked towards her, frowning as he tried to read the name on the concrete before her.
Joshua Adam Dodgers.
He cleared his throat as he neared her and she jolted in surprise before she spun around to see him.
"Will," she breathed, putting a hand on her chest. "You scared the living daylights out of me."
"Sorry." He grimaced at her before glancing at the headstone again.
Beside the bunch of flowers was a little plaque in the ground marking the passing of another name. Adam Stanley Dodgers.
There was only a year between Adam's birth and death and Will swallowed a lump in his throat at the thought of such a short life.
Adora looked from Will to the headstone. "Josh is my Dad. Was..." She corrected herself and her shoulders slumped. "Adam was my older brother." Will looked from the markers to Adora and noticed her trembling.
"Are you cold?" He asked.
"No. Just a little..." She shifted and moved from sitting on her calves to sitting on the ground. "Upset." Her voice had dropped and Will moved to kneel down beside her and looked closer at the date of her father's passing.
Two years ago, to the day. "I'm sorry." He frowned.
She tried to laugh as she shook her head and wiped at her face. "Thanks."
He looked at her and saw her eyes shimmering with held back tears. He felt as though he was intruding and looked away. Of course a beautiful town like this one had a breathtaking cemetery for its dead.
"What happened?" He asked.
Adora took a loud, shuddering breath in and out before she spoke. "The guys were all out celebrating Dodge's 30th and a storm hit." Her voice was quiet, and thick with a lump much like the one in his throat. "Dad saved Dodge, but got lost and drowned."
He felt his own grief for her and her Mother. "Hero's sacrifice." He mumbled. He looked back to the headstone and sent his own silent respects to the dead man.
"Yea."
He looked at her sideways and saw her petite shoulders weighed down with sorrow. "I can't imagine what it must be like for your family." He said gently.
She sniffed and he saw her wipe at her face again. "We all deal differently. I keep waiting for it to get easier, hasn't happened yet." She scoffed.
He closed his eyes, feeling severely guilty for interrupting what was clearly a private moment for her. "I didn't mean to interrupt, I saw your bike and..."
"It's ok." She shook her head and gave him a small smile. "It's not really any kind of secret and I probably should think about saying goodbye and going home."
He could see the streak of one of the tears she had wiped at now she looked at him. A different shade of pink to the rest of her pale face.
His stomach churned with pity. He returned the small smile and looked back to the headstone. A heroic family death during a birthday celebration. The pain tightened his chest and he took his own deep breath of grief. He stood up.
How did the rest of her family grieve over the death right as a birthday happened? How did her cousin grieve? His life for his uncle's...

Suddenly Liss' abandonment didn't feel so heavy in his stomach anymore. He wanted to offer her a ride home, except he had no roof rack to carry her own bike. "Will you be ok riding home from here? I can ride slow with you, if you need..." It felt a weak offer, but it felt wrong leaving her here alone without one.
She stood up and looked at him with a devastatingly sad half smile. "I'll be fine, but thanks. I don't imagine a motorbike riding slowly beside a push bike too easily." There was a half laugh with her half smile.
"I've never actually tried it..." He admitted. "But you would be right. First and second gears aren't really for long riding, neither is my balance yet."
Her half chuckle became a more real one and he smiled with it. "Thanks for stopping." She shook her head.
He met her clear eyes and saw that her words were every bit genuine as her smile. "Anytime." He said quietly, glancing at the sad headstone names and dates. Her brother would be the same age as him and Tom.
"Come on, let's get out of here." She broke through his thoughts and started to lead the way back to the gates.
He followed quietly. When they exited the metal fence he looked over the asphalt road to the ocean blending with the horizon. The sun was somewhere behind the clouds and he felt uneasy at the thought of riding off and leaving her behind him.
"I'll see you tomorrow at Kurt's for rehearsal." She spoke as she buckled her helmet under her chin and he stood beside his bike and watched her mount her old style bike. She threw him a smile before pushing off and gliding down the first dip of the winding highway.
She seemed like a part of the natural scenery the next he saw her, her legs pumping on the pedals as she climbed the incline on the other side. He took a deep breath of the salty air and put his own helmet on. Much heavier than hers, much more padding and even some Bluetooth technology for his phone.
He sat on his bike and shook his heavy head as he started the bike's engine.

When he got home, even as he sat in his room reading the psychology catch up, his head was heavy with the experience at the cemetery.
The knock on his door made him jerk before Marti's voice came from the other side and he looked up.
"Will? Can I come in?" She asked.
"Yea." He leaned back against his bedhead and wiped his face.
"You look beat." She crossed the room and sat down in front of his textbook opposite him on his bed. She crossed her legs and looked at him with a concerned expression. "Are you OK?"
Will nodded and let go of a breath. "Yea," he repeated. "I just found out about Adora's dad."
Marti tilted her head. "What about him?"
"He died on Dodge's 30th. I ran into Adora, well I saw her bike and stopped." Will leaned forward and explained what he meant and Marti's face went from concern to worry.
"Oh no." She mumbled. "Imagine having that every year... Poor family."
"I know. Two years. I wonder what it was like last year."
"I'm kind of glad we weren't here for either years." Marti swallowed loudly. "Could you imagine Mum or Dad dying on our birthdays? Trying to save us? How heartbreaking."
They both shook their heads and fell into silence.
"Did you want something?" Will asked suddenlybreaking the quiet grief between them.
"Oh, um, Dad's asking about the party tomorrow, if you're going to be comingwith us or going from the band practise."
"I'll be hanging around with Brett after the practise." Will nodded. "So, I'llfind my own way around town."
"Alright." Marti stood up from his bed and then left his room.
How had they celebrated Dodge's birthday and Adora's father's death a year ago,the first anniversary of the death?
Will looked to his bookshelf and bit on his bottom lip as he saw the photo ofhim, Marti and Liss. It would officially be three weeks Sunday that his firstlove had left him with nothing more than a 'don't find me' note.