Adam Finstock

Heart Monitor

Adam was leaning against the locker as Lydia stood looking at the mirror when a head of slightly frizzy hair walked by.
"Shit." Adam cursed to himself pushing off the locker.
"What?" Lydia asked looking around.
"I'll tell you later, I gotta go." He told her before rushing off.
"Hey, Erica!" Adam called out once he reached her.
"Hello." She answered curling slightly into herself.
"I hate excuses but I swear mine is really good. After I got home my dad kinda went off on me and then the whole attack thing at the video store with Lydia... I still should have tested and I'm sorry." Adam told her.
"It's fine, don't worry about it." She told him with a light shake of her head.
"Nope." He said shaking his head before pulling out his phone and sending her a simple hey before the bell rang. Erica smiled down at her phone before looking back up at him.
"I have to get to class because I'm in enough trouble as it is, but I'll see you later?" He asked her.
"Yes." She told him with a smile as he left to rejoin Lydia who had been watching them closely.
"Who was that?" She asked him.
"Erica Reyes." He told her smiling softly to himself.
"She could use a little sprucing up but under all that she has potential." Lydia told him as she observed the girl.
"Be nice. I happen to like the way she looks." Adam said as he pulled her away to class.

The first half of the day had finally ended and Adam had once again left Lydia's side when he spotted Erica in lunch line.
"How are you?" He asked her. She looked up and around quickly before looking up at him.
"I'm okay." She told him in a shy tone.
"I have a question." She said turning to face him.
"Anything." He told her.
"I thought you were friends with Jackson, but lately you've been hanging around Lydia more?" She asked. Adam hummed shaking his head.
"I mean I am friends with Jackson, but I only started hanging out with him through Lydia. Our uh, moms were close when they were young so we grew up together." Adam told her.
"Oh, so like siblings?" She asked tilting her head. Adam laughed lightly picking up on the slight jealousy.
"Yes, like siblings. Now I have a question, wanna join us for lunch?" He asked her as they finally picked up their trays. Erica hesitated for a moment before nodding and following him over to Lydia and Allison.
"Hello, Lydia this is Erica, Erica, Lydia. Erica, Allison, Allison, Erica." He introduced quickly as they sat down. Allison looked up briefly and waved before looking back down at her book while Lydia turned her attention to Erica.
"So, how did you two meet." She asked.
"I ran into her at the video store but we met about a year ago, her dad was our insurance guy..." Adam trailed off slightly. Lydia knew better than to push on that topic.
"Well, we hope you can liven up our Adam here." She said dropping it and turning back to Allison.
"So, the what of who?" She asked her making Adam tilt his head slightly in confusion.
"The Beast of Gevaudan. Listen ' a quadruped wolf-like monster, prowling the Auvergne and South Dordogne areas of France during the year 1764 to 1767. La Bête killed over a hundred people, becoming so infamous that the King Louie the 15th sent one of his best hunters to try and kill it.'" Allison read out.
"Boring." Lydia told her playing with her fork.
"'Even the church eventually declared the monster a messenger of Satan.'" Allison added on. Lydia looked off mumming before adding on.
"Still boring." She told her.
"I promise all our conversations aren't like this." Adam whispered to Erica as she looked between the girls. She laughed slightly before looking back to Allison when she started reading again.
"'Cryptozoologists believe it may have been a subspecies of hoofed predator, possibly a mesonychid.'" She read.
"Slipping into a coma bored." She told her once again.
"Listen." Adam told her lightly flicking her on the forehead before turning back to Allison.
"'While others believe it was a powerful sorcerer who could shape-shift into a man-eating monster.'" Allison said almost like she was telling a campfire story.
"Any of this have to do with your family?" Lydia asked her.
"This. 'It is believed that La Bête was finally trapped and killed by a renowned hunter who claimed his wife and fourth child were the first to fall prey to the creature.' His name was Argent." Allison finished.
"So your ancestors killed a big wolf. So what?" Lydia asked her with a shrug.
"Not just a big wolf. Take a look at this picture. What does it look like to you?" Allison asked showing them a picture in the book. Lydia zones out for a bit while staring at it causing Adam to worry.
"Lydia?" He asked her waving his hand in front of her face.
"It looks... like a big... wolf." She told her.
"You know La Bête was this really bad movie from the 70s. Lady gets freaky with this werewolf creature in her dreams." Adam told them leaning back in his chair.
"Why do you know that?" Allison asked him while Erica laughed at the pleased expression on his face.
"His mom was a fan of old cheesy movies, see you in history." Lydia smiled before leaving them all at the table.
"It was kinda traumatizing. She like bathes in his... we don't need to talk about it." Adam said shaking his head. Erica smiled holding in a laugh as she shook her head in agreement.
(Would not recommend watching La Bête.)