#wanderlustmoreno

Imogen went about her day just like she went about every other day. She smiled, daydreamed, and mused as much as she could manage; it was how she got along. The girl was still hesitant about referring to anyone as a friend, but in what had proven to be a busy semester, she had certainly broken out of her figurative shell and moved past her quirky ways to develop what she perceived as genuine bonds. Imogen had never been shy about speaking to just about everyone, but sometimes that backfired. People were often taken aback by her random babbling and what they surely saw as a delusional belief that she had any right in their conversation's. In reality, Imogen knew no other way to speak to people than to just dive in, face first. It baffled even herself that she could be so open and yet so intimidated by just about everything. Imogen bounced out into the hall after her class let out, her lips pursed and face upward as she marched down the hall, freak flag flying so to speak. Smiling at whatever friendly faces she saw, the brunette came to a halt at her locker. Her stomach was grumbling even as she fiddled with the combination on her lock. "Tummy, hush," Imogen grumbled back, ignoring whatever odd looks she received for speaking to no one and reminding herself there was only one more class separating her from the school's pizza day. The hall was full of talk and even laughter, so it took her a moment to realize someone was next to her and attempting to get her attention. Imogen turned her head, expecting anyone but who she saw. At the sight of Adam, her eyes went wide. She almost dropped the book she had taken from the locker but quickly recovered, clutching it to her chest. "W-what?" she stuttered as she stared at him. He was talking, but his words simply rushed over her like water, threatening to drown her. When she realized he was attempting to engage her in actual conversation, she swallowed hard, glancing around. "W-what do you mean?" she asked. "I think so," she muttered. She wanted to add that she was less okay now that he was here, but she didn't want to be mean. "Why? Do I look... bad?" Imogen asked, touching the bottom of her hair, which was in two top knots on top of her head. She fiddled with the loose strands, looking away.

Adam used every ounce of courage in him not to leave as soon as he saw her reaction to him talking to her. He wasn't sure what he expected, but any reaction that wasn't a smile from Imogen in response to his presence left him unsettled -- not that he didn't deserve it by now. He wasn't sure if she was uncomfortable or just surprised, but either way he hated that he had let this go on so long. He quickly realized the stupidity of his own words when she asked if she looked bad, and quickly shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant" he assured her, "you always look amazing." His own words tugged at his heart, guilt quickly being added to the list of things he was going to need to process when he could get himself to calm down. "I was just wondering - I, because" his words stopped in his throat as he saw a girl looking at him and whispering to her friend over Imogen's shoulder, and he looked back at Imogen, desperately. "I was just trying to get you alone so I could talk to you" he admitted, realizing he was still holding his shoulder and quickly letting go of it, wincing. "It's about the... kiss" he continued, hesitantly, eyes downcast, not knowing what seeing her face when he said it would do to him. "But als- but something happened, and I really need you to hear about it from me before you hear about it from someone else" the girl who was whispering was gone, now, but he was sure she knew. He was sure everyone she knew, knew.

Imogen was wounded by Adam's impromptu compliment, not because she didn't want to hear it but because he was choosing now to tell her she looked amazing. Her eyes shifted away from him uncomfortably, her face crumpling. If she had been a different person, she might have pointed out that that was questionable considering how he reacted to their kiss, but she couldn't form the words or the snark to do that. Imogen could see that Adam was struggling with something, but she couldn't make out what. Her own expression was pained as she looked back at him and waited in the midst of his rambling, only more confused about what he would have to say. At the mention of their kiss, every hair on Imogen's body felt like it was hit by electricity. She straightened up and recoiled all at once. "What?" Imogen repeated, her voice breathy and strained. Such a title as just "the kiss" sounded so ominous. Eli's words sounded off one by one in her brain, and for a minute, she hoped he had been right; Adam had come to clear the air and things would finally progress, or at the very least, they could be friends again. But combined with his last words and her realization that people were staring them down as they passed, Imogen suddenly felt frazzled. Her cheeks turned pink in embarrassment at everyone's stare, dread rushing her at the possibilities of what he needed to say. "What do I need to hear? Is this about why you've ignored me for weeks?" Imogen finally exclaimed, her words rushed and her voice frantic. Her brows knit together as she frowned at him. Why were people staring? What could have happened that prompted him to finally talk to her? It was clear everyone knew something she didn't, and she was suddenly reminded of years of torment at the hands of her peers, people staring and whispering as they looked at her. "Adam Torres, just tell me what's going on!" At the very least, Imogen was close to tears.

Adam closed his eyes when she (finally, finally) sounded almost angry -- a reasonable response, a response he deserved. Looking back at her, his heart almost broke at the sight of how upset she was. He resisted the urge to hug her, knowing that was probably the last thing she wanted, and that if he did that anyone looking would now definitely associate her with him, and he wasn't sure if that's what she would want after this. She wasn't one to be in the center of drama, she had barely spoken to him after Eli's fight with Fitz, and this was a whole different kind. "I'm sorry!" his voice shook as he said it, and he tugged at his hoodie nevously, forgetting about his arm and hissing in pain and he shook his head again. "I didn't mean to ignore you, I just -- it does have to do with it. I wanted to kiss you, I like you, but, I haven't told you everything I should have and I'm really regretting it because I have no choice now" he said, vaguely, still for some reason afraid to say the words. Looking at the people passing by, he sighed. "What's going on is this: Fitz and I just got into a fight in the boys' room" he began, looking at her again in hopes that eye contact would make this better when it just made him feel so much worse. "And it got bad. It got bad, because he... found out that I'm an FTM. A female-to-male transgender. Which means that I'm a guy, but I was born in a girl's body" he explained, and sighed. "And that's why I ran, because... because I wasn't sure how you would feel about that. I was afraid you wouldn't want to be around me anymore, or that you'd be disgusted or think that I wasn't a guy like Fitz" he said, squeezing his eyes shut as panic began to set in once again at the knowledge that Fitz was going to do whatever he pleased with this information and there was nothing he could do to stop him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I..." he trailed off, opening his eyes and avoiding her gaze.

Imogen couldn't remember the last time she felt so anxious and just downright upset, but it was a wave of emotions she hadn't anticipated. Her entire face fell in more confusion as Adam's arm jerked, wanting to ask what was wrong but knowing he was already trying to explain one thing; she didn't need him veering off topic. All she needed was answers. Her heart raced at his explanation, particularly him admitting to liking her. It was something the two had just assumed about each other, that one liked the other, but it was the first time either of them had admitted it. Imogen didn't have time to savor the moment, because all too quickly it was over and Adam had pulled her further down the rabbit hole. Her breath caught in her throat. What hadn't he told her? Was it another girl? Of course it -- how stupid could she have been to think she would be anything but someone's last choice? The tears in her eyes had finally pooled enough to begin falling, her emotions already reacting to the explanation she had created in her own head before he finished explaining his side of events. Imogen was prepared to turn and flee when the words finally hit: female-to-male. Everything about Fitz and a new fight had gone over her head before that, and once she processed it, she began to rewind his words in an attempt to put the pieces together. In the end, all she could do was stare. "You were hiding that from me? Who you really are?" Imogen questioned. The words weren't right, but it was all she could manage. She couldn't place which emotions she felt, but there was one above everything else: she was overwhelmed. It was like a weight crushing her chest, making it hard to breathe. It was worse than just a migraine in her head, it was piercing, like she couldn't even remember her own name. Imogen was blinking a mile a minute, but she spotted a familiar face rounding the corner: Adam's brother, Drew. The two had met when she had been at the Torres house for dinner weeks earlier. Her face flushed further when Drew spotted the back of Adam's head and began towards them. No, no, no, she couldn't do this. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't help him, she was going to make it worse. Imogen felt her mind caving in on her. "I--- I have to go," Imogen spat suddenly, turning on her heel and practically running down the hall without even bothering to shut her locker.

Imogen smiled joyously at Audra once more. "Thanks again, Mrs. Torres! Those tacos were the bee's knees," the brunette told Adam's mother, nodding firmly as Audra thanked her in response. Imogen turned from the rest of the family and followed her friend out of the dining room, tailing closely behind Adam as he neared the steps that seemed to lead down somewhere. As they descended the steps, a wide and furnished space came into view. Her dark hues scanned the area in surprise as she paused at the base of the staircase. "Jeez Louise," she huffed, her eyes still widening. "I wish my basement looked like this!" It wasn't every day that Imogen Moreno found herself in a basement that wasn't her own; on one hand, that was probably a good thing, especially considering that could be dangerous. But she was quite certain that even the safest basement wouldn't compare to the man cave that Adam and his brother seemed to have set up. Imogen's hand lingered on the banister before she stepped on to the floor and continued toward the large couch. After examining the piece of furniture and getting another look around the area, the petite female plopped down, dramatically touching her full stomach. "You weren't kidding about those tacos!" Imogen leaned her head back in mock agony. "I could just die from such fulfillment!" She held her pose a moment before sighing contently and lifting her head, meeting Adam's gaze. She realized that the two were alone for the first time that evening. In fact, it was the first time she had ever been alone in a house with a boy she didn't share some form of relation to. Offering a gentle smile, Imogen scooted over and patted the area beside her, careful to gesture him too close. "Let's perish together," she added with a light chuckle, her eyes crinkling from the laughter behind the lenses of her glasses.

Adam couldn't help but grin at the sight of Imogen complimenting his mother's cooking and thus earning a thank you and small smile in return -- anything that didn't involve his mother grilling Imogen with questions was enough to make him smile, but she had actually managed to tone it down this time, leaving Adam with a sneaking suspicion she was glad that he was making friends and didn't want to scare them off yet. Whatever the reason, though, she seemed to like Imogen -- and though he definitely hadn't missed the look she'd shared with his father upon seeing Imogen's quirky attire, he was glad she held in the usual comments she'd usually chime in with when she caught Andrew with a girl over. Briefly as they were eating he had considered whether her opinion would have stayed the same if she knew Imogen is who he'd went to the Sadie Hawkins dance with -- especially since inviting her over didn't exactly scream "not getting too involved" -- but he decided to shrug it off, because mention (and specifically lectures about) that night were finally dying down, and he'd rather forget about it altogether. Plus, Imogen had forgiven him and they were good. Leading her down the stairs into the basement, partially to avoid his father's knowing kind of looks, and partially because he kind of just wanted to be alone with her. It was a rarity they hung out in the first place, and even when they did it was mostly at school, which meant Eli and/or Clare were close by; The last time they'd actually been alone was on their pre-dance half karaoke contest/half steak eating contest, and that felt like forever ago now. When he heard her praise the basement, his grin only grew as he watched her walk over to the couch, examining the room. This had become his and Andrew's space in the short time they lived here -- mostly in his mom's hopes of keeping Andrew's obnoxious and messy friends -- generally what football players were -- out of her living room. "The ultimate man-cave" he said to her, unsure of how else to explain the videogame-ridden shelves with three different game systems to choose from, even including a 99 cent basketball hoop stuck on the door to the laundry area. Chuckling when she plopped down on the couch, he couldn't help but stop himself from thinking she was adorable, dramatically full from the tacos and all. "Torres tacos are so the best tacos, I told you they put Degrassi's to shame" he agreed, walking over to the couch when she patted the spot next to her, a smile spreading across his face to mirror her's before he mimicked her, leaning back on the couch like he was about to faint from being so full himself, laughing with her again. "So..." he started, feeling lightheaded from laughing with her so much already, and realizing he hadn't been alone with a girl in a long time, and it had been under much different circumstances the last time. "Was my mom too much?" he asked, lamely at a loss for words now. Though she'd avoided overbearing questions, she hadn't gone /entirely/ without them -- how long have you been at Degrassi? Are you in any clubs? How do you know Adam? And so on, so forth, though that seemed innocent enough.

Imogen pretended to consider his words before nodding firmly. "You were right. I was a total nut to ever question it," she admitted with a chuckle. It took a special kind of person to really appreciate what the cafeteria had to offer, and if the girl was anything, she was special. Imogen raised her hand again, pointing a knowing finger at Adam as her brows knit together. "It was the homemade taco shells! Those did me in," she continued, unabashed in still praising the cooking even if Audra was no longer around to hear it. Despite her small appearance, Imogen knew how to appreciate a good meal. Cooking was something that she and her father had always done together; one of the many bonding experiences she had also lacked with her mother. Imogen laughed as Adam mimicked her motions, happy to have someone to join in the fun with her. Most of the boys at school were too preoccupied with acting cool to be genuine with her, or in the case of Fitz and Owen, they were just making fun of her instead. It was only part of the mix that made her ever thankful to have found friendship in Adam and Eli. She only continued to giggle at Adam's obvious concern over his mother's questions. The brunette waved her hand and shook her head. "No way, Jose!" Imogen objected. "Usually it's me that's too much," she added in jest. That didn't mean that Audra's questioning eyes hadn't gone unnoticed. She had stared a little longer than was normal at Imogen, undoubtedly taking in the odd patterns and colors that completed the young girl's attire. But Imogen was used to it. Being the oddball she was, she had accepted long ago that people were going to look a little longer than they looked at someone who would be considered normal. It was never her hope to be considered that in the first place. For that reason, she had done her best to answer his mother's questions as earnestly as possible, although she wasn't sure her odd humor translated to Audra quite as well as it did to Adam. "Honest, Adam, don't worry about it," she said as she sensed he might have been a little worried about his mother's first impression on her. It felt nice to know that someone cared what Imogen thought, no matter how unsure she was where her friendship with Adam might lead. "I can tell she really cares about you," Imogen continued. "That's really nice." A softer smile graced her lips as she considered just how nice it must have been to have a mother who was present to ask questions regarding their child's friends. Natalie had barely been present when she did live there; now that she had moved out, it would be impossible. Imogen forced her smile a little wider, trying to hide the thoughtfulness her expression had taken on. "Is this where you do all your gaming?" she asked, looking toward the numerous systems and games before her, some of which she couldn't identify.

Adam nodded, because she was probably right. The home-made taco shells definitely made the whole meal better. "It's not funny, she can be relentless!" he exclaimed in response to her giggles, but was glad to hear Imogen didn't mind. Though, he wasn't happy that she said that she was usually the one that was too much. "You're perfect" he responded, honestly, though he wasn't sure if she was kidding, he really thought so. She was definitely weird sometimes, but it was a part of her that he actually really liked. "Plus, she seemed to like you" he finished his thought, smiling at the fact; His mom had a hard time having an open mind with a lot of things, but after a while she had warmed up to Imogen in the best way she could. Sitting up a bit, he looked at her when she said it was really nice, and he watched her smile. "I guess" he said, because while he knew it was true, his relationship with her right now wasn't exactly the greatest and he felt much better not admitting it and being angry about the fact that she was still having so much trouble accepting him. The word gaming broke him out of his small pity party, though, and he grinned, nodding. "Yeah! We have pretty much every console we've ever had hooked up in here right now," he gestured to the shelf. Imogen felt her cheeks flushing with heat at his comment. Adam was always complimenting her, and she never quite knew what to make of them outside of saying thank you or brushing them off. She had never been the objection of anyone's affection; not that she believed she was Adam's either, but everyone else seemed to think so and his continued praise of her only made her wonder. Her experience with boys was slim to say the least. The girl had always been far too busy defending her quirks to notice anyone else admiring them the way Adam seemed to. She turned her head, smiling to herself. "What's not to like about Imogen Moreno?" she teased in response, but deep down, she truly was glad to hear Audra thought well of her, even if her stares had lingered more than once. The brunette turned her attention back to the large gaming system sprawled in front of her. She was still in awe at all the equipment the Torres brothers had acquired, and though she had no doubt they'd been collecting for some time, she was still surprised that teenage boys could collect so much. Imogen leaned forward as she eyed the systems. "So this is where you spend all your time?" Imogen asked, giving him a sly glance as she smirked. "This stuff sure does take up a lot of room," she noted quickly after. "Is that why you had to move? To find a place that could house all of this?" She began to laughing again, knowing that wasn't true but finding amusement in her own humor like she did so often.

Adam nodded. "Exactly" he agreed, what was not to like? When she asked if this is where he spent all his time he almost said "pretty much", this room was practically his baby after all, but chuckled when he realized that's what she wanted to hear, as well as how lame that sounded and the teasing he would have totally gotten about it. "While I was grounded, pretty much" he said, raising his eyebrow at her. He couldn't help but laugh at her question. "Yep, totally. Gaming is top priority in the Torres household. Not being able to fit all of these on our old entertainment system totally broke my mom's heart so much that she decided to move to a house where they could get a room all to themselves" he said in faux seriousness before laughing again and shaking his head. "But really, we used to not have it all hooked up at once, so this set up is much better" he explained.

Imogen was certainly impressed with Adam's ability to return her sarcasm, particularly considering it was a skill that many others seemed to lack. The only other person that seemed to flow as easily was Imogen was her own dad, and that was most likely due to the fact that he had raised her, morphing her into the odd ball she was. "I thought so. Audra Torres, true gamer advocate. I just imagine her pleading with your dad," Imogen retorted, snickering before she widened her eyes in mock surprise. "You mean you had to unplug one and plug in the other? The horror!" She closed her eyes and threw her head back as dramatically as she could manage, cringing in faux horror. After a moment of the holding the pose, she opened one eye to look at him, eventually returning to her former state and laughing. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad you ended up here," she added softly. "Games and all."

Adam shook his head, but smirked, holding back his laughter at the girl's antics. "It was pretty terrible" he joked along with her, grinning goofily when she looked at him. He didn't quite know what it was about Imogen that made him like her so much -- she was gorgeous, obviously, and she was unique... weird, even. Maybe that was it, her being weird, when he was weird. When he thought about it, that was probably why he was friends with Eli, too. Clare was a whole other story, but he credited their friendship to her unwavering kindness. Imogen... was something else. "I'm glad I ended up here, too" he said, honestly, "and that I met you." He could easily say he loved Degrassi so much so far because he had come as himself, finally, finally, himself. But his friends had a lot to do with it, too. He had never really had this before, his flaming crush on Imogen aside -- a friendship with people who he enjoyed hanging out with so much.

Imogen "I'm sure your mom is a force to be reckoned with," Imogen giggled, continuing their parade of silliness with no shame as she looked on happily at him. Her coy grin shifted into something of a genuine smile as he replied, his response somehow warming her heart in a way she hadn't expected. The concept of friendship was new enough to her, so she really had no idea what to make of whatever she had with Adam, assuming there was something at all. "Sure, I'm happy for that too," she agreed, making a mental note to ask Clare about Adam at their sleepover. "A little glad," she teased after a second, tilting her head in towards him. Holding her pose for a split second, she released how close they were on the couch and felt her cheeks flush once more. Never one to handle uncertainty very well, Imogen practically jumped back to her end of the couch. "A movie!" Imogen was almost shouting, the awkwardness she felt only fueling her socially inept behavior. "Um, a movie? Do you have a movie we could watch?" she clarified in a softer tone.

Adam nodded, widening his eyes dramatically and said "You have no idea" in response to Imogen saying his mother was a force to be reckoned with. Shaking his head at that thought, he couldn't help but smile when she said she was glad to have met him, too -- her words making his heart jump in a hopeful kind of way -- whether it was because they were friends or whatever else, he wasn't sure. Her joke brought him out of that moment, though, as he pretended to be offended and scoffed, looking away to hide his smile before turning around to realize their proximity. He blinked, feeling like his breath was stuck in his throat, because she was literally right there and he could kiss her right now -- but the idea of not getting too close stopped him, only to be followed with the worry that kissing her could possibly ruin the friendship he had just told her he liked so much -- so he didn't, and a second later, she was across the couch (though, he wasn't sure if this was him being too hopeful, but was she blushing?).  He was taken aback by her sudden movement, as well as her sudden suggestion, but he cleared his throat before nodding. "Sure!" he said, awkwardly, "we... have a lot of DVDs..." 

Imogen could sense that her sudden outburst had interrupted whatever moment the two had been sharing. Imogen wasn't the best at reading social signals, something that was no secret to anyone who so much as glanced at her. She was an odd one; that was the nicest way to put it. And the fact that Adam accepted her for that made her all the more terrified to lose his friendship. To say she was being overly cautious would have been an understatement. Swallowing back the lump that had formed in her throat as her nervousness mounted, the petite brunette nodded quickly and offered a hasty smile. After the moment of silence that followed, Imogen suddenly clapped her hands together and smiled. "Movies! Yay!" Her smile widened as she wiggled around to express her excitement before jumping to her feet, all actions of a very anxious individual. She looked around, having planted herself in front of Adam. "Show me the goods," she said. Realizing her mistake, Imogen's fell agape. "The good movies, that is," she muttered, laughing softly to herself as she lowered her head in embarrassment.

Adam almost shot up to go to the shelf where the movies were out of his own nervous energy, but Imogen stood in front of him. When she said "show me the goods", he did his best not to laugh when she realized how that sounded. "Coming right up" he said, his amusement still a bit clear in his voice as he got up and moved past her, carefully not touching her, and definitely not thinking about showing her the goods and all the disaster that would come with the scenario at all. Opening the door, he scanned the names of the movies, suddenly amused on his own accord. Point Break, Kick Ass, Die Hard... hardly created a romantic atmosphere. Not that you want that, he reminded himself, his nervousness returning just from that one thought. Spotting a few that didn't seem entirely horrible, he pulled them out. "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist? Or Scott Pilgrim vs. the World? Or..." he trailed off, shrugging. "Lady's choice?" he continued, figuring that might be the best route if he wasn't sure what her movie preferences were. In the month they had known each other, they had never gotten down to all their favorites. "We have the first five Harry Potters" he also suggested.

Imogen bit her lip, releasing a sigh of relief when Adam moved on and walked past her, presumably to where the movies were. She hesitated for several moments, regathering her composure before she turned on her heel to watch Adam dig through the stand of movies. From where she stood, she could see they owned quite a bit, more than were at her house, so she wasn't sure what the hold up was. As he began to name titles, she tilted her head to the side and pondered the possibilities, thinking aloud. "Such good choices..." But at the mention of Harry Potter, the girl perked up like a dog who had just heard the door open. "Harry Potter!" Imogen exclaimed in a mock British accent. She heard how terrible it sounded and laughed nervously to herself, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "I love Harry Potter," she offered, her cheeks growing warm again. "Is that silly?" she asked, unsure if the movies belonged to Adam or Drew, although she was wiling to bet the older Torres wasn't a wizard fan.

Adam: should have known a fellow Potterhead when he saw one. Unable to stop his laughter at her accent, he turned to face her to see her nervously playing with the hem of her shirt, the sight making him feel almost bad for laughing. "No, it's awesome, actually" he promised. Just another thing they had to talk about. "I love Harry Potter, too" he told her, smiling at the thought before popping in Sorcerer's Stone. It wasn't his favorite by a long shot, but he had this need to start at the beginning whenever he watched these DVDs. "Which one is your favorite?" he asked, curiously, knowing his was the Goblet of Fire -- even though he'd had a friend who used to swoon because it had the Twilight guy in it -- and moving to sit again. "Wait, do you want popcorn or something?" he offered, figuring they were watching a movie after all.

Imogen: hesitated at his sudden laughter, worried that she had said the wrong thing and that he was somehow going to taunt her. But when he assured her it was good, she lifted her head back up and smiled. As silly as it was, she was suddenly overjoyed to find out that the two had something in common, particularly something Imogen enjoyed so much. Imogen sucked in her bottom lip at his question, tilting her head to the side and pretending to ponder hard on it. "That's a toughie!" Seconds later, she lifted her hand and extended her pointer finger in his direction. "The Prisoner of Azkaban, definitely," she confirmed, her lips pursed after she spoke. Imogen turned and walked back to the couch, resuming her seat. She pulled her legs into her chest and shook her head. "Harry Potter stands on its own. No snacks necessary," she said in jest.