POST HOLLOW SYNDROME
Chapter 2- Homecoming
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Adam breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his older brother's van waiting for Mira, Kai, and him in the parking lot across from the studio. He was worried it would be his parents. Or even worse, just his mother. It wasn't that he didn't love his parents--- quite the opposite, actually. But the more time there was between the end of the broadcast and the inevitable conversation he'd have with them, the better.
Adam opened the passenger door and hopped in beside the tall, lean-shouldered form of his brother. "Hey, Seth."
Seth smiled. "Hey, Adam. Congrats on the win!"
"Hey, Seth!" Kai echoed, trundling into the backseat.
"Hello," said Seth. He nodded as the final passenger closed the door beside her. "Mira."
"Evening," breathed Mira, strapping her seatbelt.
And they were off down the road, on their way back to their own town. Some small talk was exchanged among the four, and as the ride continued, the talk was reduced to a conversation between Mira and Kai. Adam half-listened, not interested enough to participate. Instead, his brain drifted back to the Hollow.
How much had his parents seen? There were things he'd done in the game that he knew he wouldn't have done had he remembered his parents were watching. Maybe they'd cut to the other team on those parts... oh man, he hoped so. Breaking down in front of Mira was one thing. Breaking down on live television was quite another.
He swallowed. Had they seen the kiss? Did Mira worry what her parents would have thought about her... doing that? Adam glanced back toward Mira. What was she thinking about? Whatever joke Kai had just told, apparently, judging by her laughter. Adam smiled and turned his attention back to the passing fields out his window.
"I can't wait to see my folks again," Mira stated. "I know it's only been a day but it's felt so much longer."
"I know," said Kai. He shifted. "I miss my mom a lot already. She probably misses me too, knowing how she is..." He laughed. "Worries about me too much. 'Kai, did you do your homework? Kai, did you remember to pack a lunch? Kai, don't stay out too late!' I'm fine, Ma."
"My parents don't worry too much," said Mira. "They care, yeah. I'd go so far to say my dad is my biggest cheerleader." Kai snort-laughed. "I mean he supports me, Kai," Mira told the cackling redhead.
Kai wiped away a tear and sighed. "Well, I guess I'll be happy to see Ma. I'm sure she'll be ready to check me for any real-life bruises from all the times I got hit in the face and knocked down in the game."
"I'm just glad things are gonna be normal again," sighed Mira.
Seth stole a quick glance back from his place at the driver's seat. "I wouldn't sound so sure about that," he said. He gestured toward Adam. "Our place got bombarded with phone calls asking to interview Adam before I even left the house to pick you guys up. Local station after local station wanted to talk about the Hollow. I don't know how they got our number, but if they found ours, it's a good bet they've already found you guys' too."
Adam's heart sank. Brilliant. More media attention. And just when he was getting used to the idea of getting back to normal. The groaning sigh from both his friends in the backseat told him they felt the same way about this revelation.
Adam attempted to tune out the following conversation and stay focused on the window again. Something about the empty fields scrolling by relaxed his restless mind. He didn't want to think about the stress he'd have to endure shortly. He just wanted to watch the pleasant fields, the fences, the sidewalks... say, were those horses?
And did the horses have... riders? Were those smoke clouds coming over the horizon? Were they riding... closer? Now that he thought about it, they looked like a certain group of Horsemen...
Adam squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. When he opened his eyes again, he didn't see horsemen anymore. He pinched his temple. I'm gonna need a good, long night's rest after this, he thought to himself.
Kai's house came first--- a scruffy-looking white house with a red door.
"Well... bye, guys. See you whenever!" he said, crawling backwards out of the backseat and waving. He shut the door behind him and jogged up to the front door. And, as he'd earlier predicted, his mother was waiting for him--- right at the front door, in fact. She crushed him in a hug as Seth drove away. Adam smiled, amused.
Mira's house was next. It was a nice-looking two-story home. Mira sighed and unbuckled herself. "Bye, Adam," she said. Adam turned to see her smiling at him, already out of the vehicle--- though her head still poked around the open door. She waved. "I'll see you Monday, then?"
"Of course," said Adam. His lip quirked upward. "First day of our junior year? Can't miss it."
"I should hope not. Overachiever." She waved a final goodbye and hurried up to the front door of her house. Adam's smile faded off his face as Seth drove away. Next stop: Home. Even after striving to get here the entire time he was in the Hollow, he was rather apprehensive to finally be here.
Seth must have noticed Adam's nervous body language. "Don't worry too much, bro," he said. "It's not as if she's gonna lock you up in the basement until school starts."
Adam grimaced. "Between you knowing what I was thinking and you coming up with something like that, I'm... not entirely convinced she won't."
The van slowed down as they approached the little brown house. Seth slowly pulled into the driveway and drew the vehicle to a stop behind the bumper of Papa's car. Adam exhaled the breath he'd been holding. Whatever Mama was going to say, he was about to find out.
Adam managed to swallow his worries by the time he got to the front door. He entered, eyes open for any sign of where his parents were. Papa was seated at the couch in the living room. He looked up at the brothers as they passed by. "Welcome back, boys," he said. The man looked pointedly at Adam. "Your mother's in the kitchen."
Adam gulped. So she was waiting for him.
The teen shuffled his way over to the kitchen, where his mother was indeed waiting for him. She looked up at him, dark eyes relieved--- not angry. She approached him and threw her arms around his waist. "Adam..."
He set his hands on her back. "Yeah, Mama?"
"Please... never make me worry for you like that again."
Despite his initial apprehension, Adam's heart softened for the woman in his arms, holding onto him like she never wanted to let him go again. "I'll try," he told her. A smile crept onto his face at last.
"You promise me you're fine?" said Mama, letting go of her son.
Adam looked her directly in the eye. "I promise, Mama," he spoke. His reassuring expression gave her more confidence than he felt like he truly had. "Everything is fine."
Adam opened the passenger door and hopped in beside the tall, lean-shouldered form of his brother. "Hey, Seth."
Seth smiled. "Hey, Adam. Congrats on the win!"
"Hey, Seth!" Kai echoed, trundling into the backseat.
"Hello," said Seth. He nodded as the final passenger closed the door beside her. "Mira."
"Evening," breathed Mira, strapping her seatbelt.
And they were off down the road, on their way back to their own town. Some small talk was exchanged among the four, and as the ride continued, the talk was reduced to a conversation between Mira and Kai. Adam half-listened, not interested enough to participate. Instead, his brain drifted back to the Hollow.
How much had his parents seen? There were things he'd done in the game that he knew he wouldn't have done had he remembered his parents were watching. Maybe they'd cut to the other team on those parts... oh man, he hoped so. Breaking down in front of Mira was one thing. Breaking down on live television was quite another.
He swallowed. Had they seen the kiss? Did Mira worry what her parents would have thought about her... doing that? Adam glanced back toward Mira. What was she thinking about? Whatever joke Kai had just told, apparently, judging by her laughter. Adam smiled and turned his attention back to the passing fields out his window.
"I can't wait to see my folks again," Mira stated. "I know it's only been a day but it's felt so much longer."
"I know," said Kai. He shifted. "I miss my mom a lot already. She probably misses me too, knowing how she is..." He laughed. "Worries about me too much. 'Kai, did you do your homework? Kai, did you remember to pack a lunch? Kai, don't stay out too late!' I'm fine, Ma."
"My parents don't worry too much," said Mira. "They care, yeah. I'd go so far to say my dad is my biggest cheerleader." Kai snort-laughed. "I mean he supports me, Kai," Mira told the cackling redhead.
Kai wiped away a tear and sighed. "Well, I guess I'll be happy to see Ma. I'm sure she'll be ready to check me for any real-life bruises from all the times I got hit in the face and knocked down in the game."
"I'm just glad things are gonna be normal again," sighed Mira.
Seth stole a quick glance back from his place at the driver's seat. "I wouldn't sound so sure about that," he said. He gestured toward Adam. "Our place got bombarded with phone calls asking to interview Adam before I even left the house to pick you guys up. Local station after local station wanted to talk about the Hollow. I don't know how they got our number, but if they found ours, it's a good bet they've already found you guys' too."
Adam's heart sank. Brilliant. More media attention. And just when he was getting used to the idea of getting back to normal. The groaning sigh from both his friends in the backseat told him they felt the same way about this revelation.
Adam attempted to tune out the following conversation and stay focused on the window again. Something about the empty fields scrolling by relaxed his restless mind. He didn't want to think about the stress he'd have to endure shortly. He just wanted to watch the pleasant fields, the fences, the sidewalks... say, were those horses?
And did the horses have... riders? Were those smoke clouds coming over the horizon? Were they riding... closer? Now that he thought about it, they looked like a certain group of Horsemen...
Adam squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. When he opened his eyes again, he didn't see horsemen anymore. He pinched his temple. I'm gonna need a good, long night's rest after this, he thought to himself.
Kai's house came first--- a scruffy-looking white house with a red door.
"Well... bye, guys. See you whenever!" he said, crawling backwards out of the backseat and waving. He shut the door behind him and jogged up to the front door. And, as he'd earlier predicted, his mother was waiting for him--- right at the front door, in fact. She crushed him in a hug as Seth drove away. Adam smiled, amused.
Mira's house was next. It was a nice-looking two-story home. Mira sighed and unbuckled herself. "Bye, Adam," she said. Adam turned to see her smiling at him, already out of the vehicle--- though her head still poked around the open door. She waved. "I'll see you Monday, then?"
"Of course," said Adam. His lip quirked upward. "First day of our junior year? Can't miss it."
"I should hope not. Overachiever." She waved a final goodbye and hurried up to the front door of her house. Adam's smile faded off his face as Seth drove away. Next stop: Home. Even after striving to get here the entire time he was in the Hollow, he was rather apprehensive to finally be here.
Seth must have noticed Adam's nervous body language. "Don't worry too much, bro," he said. "It's not as if she's gonna lock you up in the basement until school starts."
Adam grimaced. "Between you knowing what I was thinking and you coming up with something like that, I'm... not entirely convinced she won't."
The van slowed down as they approached the little brown house. Seth slowly pulled into the driveway and drew the vehicle to a stop behind the bumper of Papa's car. Adam exhaled the breath he'd been holding. Whatever Mama was going to say, he was about to find out.
Adam managed to swallow his worries by the time he got to the front door. He entered, eyes open for any sign of where his parents were. Papa was seated at the couch in the living room. He looked up at the brothers as they passed by. "Welcome back, boys," he said. The man looked pointedly at Adam. "Your mother's in the kitchen."
Adam gulped. So she was waiting for him.
The teen shuffled his way over to the kitchen, where his mother was indeed waiting for him. She looked up at him, dark eyes relieved--- not angry. She approached him and threw her arms around his waist. "Adam..."
He set his hands on her back. "Yeah, Mama?"
"Please... never make me worry for you like that again."
Despite his initial apprehension, Adam's heart softened for the woman in his arms, holding onto him like she never wanted to let him go again. "I'll try," he told her. A smile crept onto his face at last.
"You promise me you're fine?" said Mama, letting go of her son.
Adam looked her directly in the eye. "I promise, Mama," he spoke. His reassuring expression gave her more confidence than he felt like he truly had. "Everything is fine."