Every Other Weekend(110)

I cleaned myself up. Washed my face, brushed my teeth a third time, and combed my hair. I thought about rebraiding it, but then I thought about Adam and the urge left me.

Adam was sitting on my bed with his legs crossed. It was the exact position I’d been in that first night that he’d decided to be my friend, to keep me instead of throwing me away. He’d become my favorite person that night, and he did all over again as I stared at him.

“Bit of a role reversal.” I climbed onto the bed and sat facing him, so that we were knee to knee. “You’re sneaking into my room now.”

Adam looked into my eyes. “You needed me. I came.” And then, even though it was awkward—and I could tell he realized it was awkward about halfway through—Adam leaned forward, across his bent knees and mine, and he hugged me. We both had to stretch forward to reach, but we did. I needed to be held and to know that, even though it wasn’t fair, I was his favorite person.

I wasn’t anyone’s favorite, but I was Adam’s, and that was everything.

I should have tried harder to make him leave, to urge him to go, and at least try to get home before his dad realized he was gone. But when I moved to climb off the bed, Adam tugged me back.

And I went.





   ADAM

I’d never lain on a bed with a girl before. I kept eyeing the closed door like her dad would kick it down any second and beat the ever-living hell out of me. That was what he should do. He should be worrying about his daughter, be aware that she had a guy in her bedroom. He should know me and, to a degree, terrify me. That was what dads were supposed to do to guys who were interested in their daughters.

But Jolene’s dad didn’t know I existed. He barely knew she existed. He didn’t care that she’d been crying, or that something had hurt her. I swore in that moment, with Jolene lying next to me and her long, loose hair tickling the back of my hand, that I would kick in his teeth if I ever met him. “You should come home with me later. My dad will be mad enough to yell at both of us. If you’re really lucky, he’ll ground you, too—maybe even confiscate your phone.”

Jolene laughed a little, and the moment made her hair slip forward over her shoulders. She was so beautiful my breath caught.

Then the smiles faded. The reality wasn’t as funny. If—when—I got grounded, we both knew I wouldn’t be the only one punished.

“How long do you think?”

I rolled onto my back. “The last time I sneaked out all night to see a girl, I had a full beard by the time they let me out, so...”

Jolene pushed up on her elbow. “There isn’t a single part of that sentence I believe.”

“Her name was Stephanie and it was so worth it.”

That got me a laugh.

“Maybe you can convince your dad you sneaked out early this morning?”

“That might work.” I’d have to persuade Jeremy to back me up, but things had been okay between us lately so that wasn’t as ludicrous as it would have been even a month ago. Lying next to her in that moment though, I didn’t care how much trouble I got in.

“And what about me?” Jolene asked. “Am I worth it?”

I started to say yes. To say something ridiculous, like being with her would be worth never seeing the sun again, so she’d keep laughing. But I didn’t. Jolene wasn’t the type to fish for compliments. She was more the type to pay them to herself. At first, I’d thought she was sort of conceited, but as I’d gotten to know her, I’d realized the opposite was true. She made them a joke. But they weren’t. She was beautiful and funny and all these other good things that I tried to tell her, that she needed to hear. But I didn’t say anything. Instead I lifted my head, fit my hand under her jaw, and kissed her.

I felt her breath suck in as my lips touched hers, actually felt some of the air in my lungs slip into hers. The sensation made me jump a little, but I didn’t pull away. And the thing that made me fight not to smile against her mouth was that she didn’t pull away either.

Kissing Jolene again was so much more than I thought it would be—and I’d thought about it a lot. It sent my blood racing and my heart pounding. I shifted closer and let another demanding instinct urge me to kiss her deeper.

But that time she did pull away.

“Sorry,” I said before she could pull back even an inch. “I didn’t mean—”

But she didn’t let me finish. She ducked her head into my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my waist. I didn’t need instinct to hold her, too. I settled back and she followed. I could feel my pulse and imagined she could, too.

Jolene breathed deeply, then she lifted her face to look at me. “You’re my favorite person, too.” She gazed at me until I thought she was going to cry.

“I feel like I did something wrong.”

“You didn’t,” she said, and I didn’t like the way she emphasized the word you. “I—”

A heavy pounding knock sounded on the front door and without thinking I tightened my arms around Jolene. Then it sounded again. The third pounding cut off midway and I heard a sound that sent a chill of dread down my spine.

“I’m sorry it’s so early but I need to talk to Jolene. We can’t find Adam.”

“I think she’s still sleeping, but we can wake her if we have to.”