3rd person POV
The rehearsal had been off from the start.
Adam had been tense, quiet, barely speaking between songs.
His bass lines were still tight, but there was something rigid about his playing, like he was fighting something internally.
His face twisted with discomfort each time he shifted his weight.
“Hey, man,” David said after the song ended, giving him a look. “You good?”
“Yeah. Fine,” Adam muttered, adjusting the bass strap. But the edge in his voice made it clear he wasn’t.
After that, Adam’s playing was slightly rushed, his timing just a fraction off. Not enough for anyone to comment… until David did.
“Hey, slow down a bit, man. You’re ahead of the beat,” David said calmly, eyes flicking toward Adam’s fingers.
Adam barely nodded, his jaw clenched tight. He adjusted his stance, shifting uncomfortably before continuing.
Then it happened.
His foot slipped, his fingers accidentally playing a jarring sound that cut through the space like a siren.
The bass, heavy and unforgiving, swung downward.
The strap slipped just enough for the corner of it to slam into the most unfortunate place imaginable: right between his legs.
Adam froze, eyes wide as the pain shot through his body like a lightning bolt. He doubled over.
Nickie winced instinctively. “Oof… You okay?”
Adam didn’t answer. He gritted his teeth, breathing through his nose. His entire body trembled.
Then…
The bass hit the floor with a loud THUD.
“FUCK!” Adam roared, slamming his fist into the nearest wall. The sudden violence made Nickie jump.
David moved to step in but stopped when Adam threw another punch.
Not at anyone, just at the air, like he was trying to fight off something invisible.
His eyes were wild, unfocused.
He screamed.
Wordless, guttural, desperate.
Nickie’s heart pounded in her chest, her mind caught between shock and concern.
Adam looked feral, raw emotion pouring out of him like he’d been holding it back for far too long.
She felt like she was seeing a side of him that was usually kept under lock and key.
David raised his hands in a calming gesture. “Adam… Breathe, man. You’re alright.”
Adam exhaled sharply, running a trembling hand across his face. His shoulders heaved as he tried to calm down.
Then something else happened: fast and brutal.
Adam raised his fist… and slammed it into his own ribs.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Hard.
Once.
Twice.
His eyes squeezed shut as his breathing came fast and ragged.
He hit himself again, screaming.
Then David crossed the room in a flash, grabbing Adam’s wrist mid-swing.
“Adam!” David’s voice was sharp but steady.
“Stop. Hey!... look at me. Stop.”
Adam froze, his chest heaving, the muscles in his arm straining against David’s grip.
For a second, his eyes darted around the room, like he wasn’t quite sure where he was.
His face was a mixture of rage and anguish, his teeth clenched so tightly it looked painful.
“Let me go,” Adam rasped, his voice cracking.
His whole body tensed like a spring ready to snap. His other hand flexed into a fist.
David held on tighter, his voice softer this time. “No. I’m not letting you hurt yourself. You’re okay. Breathe, little brother. Just breathe.”
Adam’s eyes flickered, something fragile cracking in them. His body sagged slightly, the tension bleeding out of him, replaced by something worse: defeat.
Nickie watched from the other side of the room, her heart in her throat.
She saw it.
How his shoulders shook, and then… how tears glistened in his eyes.
It wasn’t just anger. It was pain, deep and gnawing, raw and unrelenting.
David carefully loosened his grip, lowering Adam’s arm but not letting him go completely.
“It’s okay,” David said quietly. “You’re not alone in this.”
“Shit,” Adam muttered, staring at the floor. His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. “I’m… Fuck. I’m sorry.”
He looked up at Nickie, his eyes full of guilt. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I… I just…”
“It’s okay,” Nickie said quickly, taking a step toward him. “You didn’t scare me.” She kept her voice calm, steady. “Are you hurt?”
Adam blinked, caught off guard by the question.
“No… I mean, not really. Just… I lost it for a second.”
He looked down at his hand. “I didn’t mean to freak out like that.”
Nickie crossed her arms, her eyes soft but unwavering.
“You don’t have to explain. You were in pain. Shit happens.”
Adam’s eyes flicked to hers, his expression unreadable at first. Then something shifted.
His shoulders relaxed just a fraction, his breath evening out, though his hands still trembled.
He swallowed hard, his eyes dropping to the floor. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, barely audible.
David finally released his grip fully.
“Hey, c’mon. No one’s judging you. We’ve all had bad days.”
He smirked slightly.
“Though you did scare the shit out of the wall.”
Adam chuckled weakly, the tension in his stance finally easing a bit. “Yeah… sorry about the wall.”
Nickie walked over, picking up his bass from the floor.
She handed it back to him without a word, her eyes meeting his.
“Just… don’t break this, okay? We kind of need it.”
Adam smiled faintly, his fingers brushing against hers as he took the bass.
“Got it.”
But as they continued playing, Adam kept stealing glances at Nickie, silently grateful that she hadn’t run away… or worse, treated him like something broken.
Nickie, for her part, felt that this wasn’t just about the bass hitting the wrong spot.
It was deeper than that.
Something buried. Something… more.
She was thinking about Adam while she was on the bus on her way home.
‘It sucks balls seeing him like this…’ she couldn’t shake the image of his face, twisting in pain, and felt a pain in her chest.
‘I hope he’s ok now…’
She decided to text him.
Nickie (8:15 PM): Why did the bassist break up with the drummer?
Adam (8:16 PM): I don’t know. Why?
Nickie (8:16 PM): Because the drummer was beating around the bush, and the bassist needed more structure. ??
Adam laughed for a minute straight, making David look at him with a worried expression.
Adam (8:17 PM): That’s… painfully bad. Like, almost criminal.
