Always

A short story written for class. One of my sweeter, less angst-ridden stories.

       Adam checked himself one more time in the mirror, straightening his bow tie and fixing his hair. Then he turned to his friend, Aaron. “Hey, how do I look?” Aaron sighed patiently.

       “You look great, man. Just go, already.” He playfully shoved Adam toward the door. Adam just smiled at him.   Aaron had been his best friend for as long as he could remember. Adam and Aaron; they were just always together. He gazed at the familiar man, a man he thought of as a brother, until Aaron started giving him a strange look. “Hey, whatcha gettin' all goo-goo eyed for? You got a girl waitin' for you. Go.”

       “Alright, alright, I'm going.” Adam chuckled and headed for the door, stopping to pick up his jacket. Then he turned to his friend. “Thanks for the help, Aaron. S'too bad you aren't going.” Aaron waved his hand dismissively and smiled.

       “Naw, I never liked that formal stuff. 'Sides, I ain't even got a date.”

       “Oh, come on, you could have any girl you wanted.” Adam grinned and waved. “Anyway, my limo's waitin'. See ya later.”

       “Yeah, bye. Have a good time. And don't do anything I wouldn't do!” Adam laughed and waved, and Aaron waved back one last time before shutting the door behind him. He sighed. 

       But I don't want them, he thought, and turned away from the door.

 

       Shawna looked amazing. I could hardly believe it. Not that she didn't always look great, but in her long, simple, elegant gown, colored deep blue to match her eyes, she was gorgeous. Not exactly the kind of girl you'd expect to see on my arm. I was so lucky to have her, and I knew it. 

       I had picked her up at her house, her daddy greeting me with a grin and a pat on the back. I was always glad he liked me. He wasn't exactly the kind of guy you'd want against you. Anyway, she had come down the stairs, and she was so stunning, my jaw just kind of dropped. And now here we were, in front of our high school, and everyone was giving her appreciative stares, and then lookin' at me kinda enviously. Yeah, that's right, she's mine.

       Still, it kinda felt like somethin' was wrong. She seemed nervous, like she wanted to say somethin', but couldn't find the words. I'd asked her if she was okay, and she kept insisting she was fine, so I thought maybe I was imaginin' it. I figured I was probably just a little nervous myself.

       Everything went great, for a while. We met up with some of her friends, talked and danced, and had a good time. I was amazed by how easily she moved in that gown; I couldn't take my eyes off her. Then this really romantic song came on, and I knew it was one of her favorites, and I moved in, and put my arm around her waist. I expected her to smile, to lean against me, and hold me, and start moving with the music, but she just kinda looked away, and brushed off my hand. I touched her cheek, but she wouldn't look at me. “Shawna?” I asked. “Baby? What's the matter?”

       “Adam, I – I think we need to talk.” She took my hand and led me off the dance floor, into a remote corner away from everybody.

       “'Course, honey. What is it?” She took a deep breath, and looked up into my eyes.  She's always had such beautiful eyes. 

       “Adam, I don't think this is really working out. I didn't want to say it, especially not tonight, but well...I think...maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore.” I blinked, shocked, and then just stared at her. I heard myself asking why, and was pleased to note that I sounded quite calm, but it just didn't really connect. “Well,” she said, looking to the floor and picking at her nail polish, “I just think I need to be alone right now. There's so much going on at home, and I just don't feel like trying to maintain a relationship on top of everything. It's really nothing to do with you,” she added, glancing up cautiously. 

       “Oh. Of course, baby. If – if that's how you feel.” That's what I said, but what I wanted to say was more like, 'How could you do this to me? And at the prom?' But I knew getting angry wouldn't help matters. There was nothing to be angry at. Maybe that's what upset me the most. At least if there was some other reason, another guy...No. It didn't matter.

       “You're not mad?” She was so hesitant, so scared she had upset me, that I couldn't be angry if I tried. 

       “Naw, baby. I'm not mad. I understand. You need to do what's best for you.” She smiled, relieved, and threw her arms around me. 

       “Thank you, Adam; I'm glad you're so understanding. And we can still be friends, right?” I forced a smile. Just friends? Yeah, like that could work.

       “Of course, Shawna. We'll always be friends.” She grinned and tugged at my arm. 

       “Hey, wanna finish this dance?” I shook my head, pushing her away gently.  

       “Actually, I don't feel too good. S'probably that casserole stuff I ate earlier. I swear, that stuff was alive.” I forced a laugh. “I'm gonna head to the bathroom.” Shawna looked worried.

       “Adam, are you sure you're okay with this?”

       “Sure I'm sure. S'just a stomachache. I'll be right back.”

       I left the gym and headed for a pay phone, dialing Aaron's number. He picked up on the second ring with a mumbled, “Hello?”

       “Hey, Aaron, it's me. Could you come pick me up?” I could hear him sit up on his bed, the springs creaking. 

       “Adam? You okay?” He sounded concerned; I felt bad for worrying him.

       “Yeah, I'm fine. I just..something came up. Come get me?”

       “Yeah, sure. Where will you be?”

       “Probably the bathroom near the gym. I don't feel very good. Thanks, man.”

       “Hey, no problem."

 

       After hanging up with Adam, I ran downstairs, slipped on my shoes, and grabbed my jacket before heading out the door. I couldn't think of any reason he'd want to leave right in the middle of the prom, and without Shawna, to boot. I was worried. 

       In fact, I worried myself half to death the whole way to the school, and when I got there, I parked in the empty lot at the side of the school, and entered through a side entrance, to avoid the security posted outside of the gym doors. I found the bathroom quickly, paused to compose myself, and peeked inside. 

       Adam was leaning against one white-washed wall, staring at the floor. He had taken off his bow tie, leaving the white collar underneath his dress jacket open and raised nearly to his chin. The handkerchief in his pocket was all messed up, and it reflected in the mirror behind him as a white blur. The dreary florescent lighting and pale shadows made him seem almost unreal, and his expression was completely blank. Then he looked up as he heard me open the door, and forced a weak smile.

       “Hey. Thanks for coming to get me.”

       “Like I said, it's no problem, man.” I approached him, putting my arm around his shoulder. “Tell me what happened.”

       To my surprise, he slumped against my chest, putting his arms around my waist. I didn't complain. He smelled so nice, like the vanilla cologne he always used when he was nervous about a date. I loved that smell.

       “Shawna broke up with me,” he mumbled against my chest. I patted his back, holding him to me.

       “Aw, man. I'm so sorry.” I tried to sound sympathetic, but inside I felt a spark of hope. Maybe it makes me a bad person, but I'd never liked sharing him with anyone. Maybe I could keep him to myself, at least for a while. I didn't even bother hoping he might ever turn down a girl for me, but this was enough for the time being. “She tell you why?”

       “Jus' said she needed to be alone.” I nodded, though he couldn't see me, and we didn't say anything for a while after that. A few minutes later, he pulled away and stood straight, wiping at his eyes. “We should probably leave before the dance ends, or we'll never get out of the lot.” He looked up at me, met my eyes. 

       “Yeah,” I agreed. Neither of us made any attempt to move. We just looked at each other. He was so beautiful. 

       I'm not sure what happened next, but all I knew was we were kissing, and it felt so natural, like it was just meant to happen - and who knows? Maybe it was. But as we pulled away, I felt dread start to knot in my stomach. 

       Then he just looked at me, for one long, agonizing moment, and then, miraculously, broke out into a  white-toothed smile. “Hey, can I stay at your place tonight?” he asked. “I don't feel like being alone right now.” I just stared at him, stunned. I tried to collect myself, and sound casual. 

       “Sure, of course. Anytime.” He grinned.

       “Thanks, man.”

       “Hey, no problem.” He put his arm around my shoulder, and we left the bathroom together, not entirely carefree, but laughing all the same. 

        Adam and Aaron, I thought. Always together. 

        It was a nice thought.

Author's Note

For the record, obviously I fixed the indentations, and changed one of the names slightly for more clarity. Thanks for the comments. :3

Reviews

[Jennifer Pennington]

Well Done! Had me glued to it right from the start!

[Nova]

Wow, that was sad but you made a sad moment blossom into a new opportunity. Word choice was flawless. This was a great write.

[Sasha]

Nice fluffy ending, my stomach was knotting toward the end too.

[Kat Williams]

I was honestly confused more than once...the similar name..the switching between characters..the kiss.

[Kiwi]

I like it. Really cute. :). I got lost a few times without indentations and then from the names, but I caught on quickly. :]. In the end I liked that they had such similar names.

Nice story! Thanks for posting it.

- Kiwi

[Marie]

Wow, very nice.