A few days had turned into a few weeks.
"Hurry up, he's gonna be here any minute & we're gonna be late!" said Jade. I had just slept over & now we were getting dressed, awaiting for Adam to show up soon. He was coming up from Boston.
"Oh no" I said sarcastically.
We got our jean shorts on & ran/walked very slowly down the stairs. You can imagine who walked.
Moving on, we left his house & headed for the bus stop down the street. He was going to meet us there. When he got off the bus, he'd come with us back to Jade's house. Jade & I sat down on the bench.
"Is it gonna be much longer? He was suppose to be here....over a month ago" I said.
"He'll be here soon. Just show a good mood, ok? Please? He's been in lots of relationships so I think he could give us some pointers on how to make each other happier. And don't twist that sentence."
"Lots of relationships? That only proves he clearly can't work them out."
"No, it means he's told me that it's HIM who dumps them because they didn't make him happy in the relationship."
"Ahh, so he's a tightwad."
"Hey at least I'm making an effort. I don't see YOU trying to make me happier."
"I tried last night & you know that" I pointed out.
"Not THAT kind of happy. Boy, right now you're like the typical husband. Only thinks of what happens in bed."
"And you're acting like the typical wife. Always wants to work on the relationship. Plus, you know that's not all I think about. In fact, it's something I rarely think about."
"I'm sorry. Can we stop fighting now?" he pleaded.
"Fine."
"Even though I'm right..." he muttered. I gently hit him in the arm.
Just then, a city bus pulled up & opened its doors. Four people came off. One of them was, judging by the effeminate appearance, was Adam. He came up to us & hugged my boyfriend. Then he let go & held Jade's shoulders, looking him over.
"Oh you get better looking everytime I see you."
"Oh stop" he said, chuckling. I rolled my eyes.
"You last saw us when were what, like 7 or 8?" he asked.
"Yeah probably. How are your mom & dad?" Adam asked Jade.
"They're good" Jade answered. Adam turned to me just then.
"Hey Noah! What have you been up to?"
"Um, not a lot I guess."
"How are your parents?"
That's when my stomach twisted up inside. It'd been a while since anyone had asked how BOTH my parents were. I assumed everybody knew what happened to my mother. I looked over at Jade. His eyes were aimed at the ground.
"Actually, um, my mom....passed away years ago. And it's just been my dad & I since" I said, unable to look at him.
"Oh my, when?" he asked. He asked it sadly, but I could tell it wasn't compassionate.
"When we were 9 she was hit by a car."
"I'm sorry Noah. Well let's forget it & go hang out" he said, putting his hands together & taking his bag, heading for the house.
Forget it? Forget that my mother has never & will never watch me grow up? Forget that the last thing I have of her is a family picture at a water park with her smooshing my face with ice cream? Forget my mother? Hmm...no.
We were in the house a few minutes later. After he neatly placed all his things down, we all went down to Jade's room.
"So Jaden tells me that he asked for some pointers on how to make your guys' relationship better? Am I right?"
I didn't answer. Instead I looked over at Jade, who answered for me.
"Yeah. Him & I wanna know how we can really make the other a lot happier, not in bed, but also maybe when we go out. But we're still kind of in the closet so we don't really want people assuming anything based on what they see."
"That's not so hard. Just go out & have fun like regular friends do. Mini golf, batting cages, a movie, or just what you guys do."
I was smiling to myself. This was the amazing advice we were suppose to get from this amazing guy? Wow. How freakin' amazing! I stood up, smiling on the inside & just walked up the stairs & out of the room. I heard footsteps behind me.
"Noah, c'mon. Ok I know his 'advice' isn't what either of us expected."
I turned around to face Jade.
"Nice" was all I said & then I headed to the kitchen with my hands in my pockets. He followed & then Adam came up.
"Ok, well thanks Adam, I hope we can work on our stuff like you said. So thanks. So what are you doing up here for your job?"
"Well, since I am a clothing designer, I have to explain to these people why certain fabrics are just better than others. That kind of stuff. And not to be rude or anything," he said, looking over at my shirt, which was unbuttoned & over a t-shirt.
"...flannel? Not the best choice."
I clenched my fists. Nosy, annoying & rude. What more could a person want?
"Oh Noah, sleeping on a couch here messes up both my back & my hair, so I'll sleep at your house tonight."
Pushy. No wonder this twit can't have a good relationship.
"I've grown up like, so much since I last saw your father. I can't wait to see the look on his face."
"Me too" I added. I looked over at Jade, asking him to stay with me. But he had other ideas.
"I think I'll stay here for the night."
I glared coldly at him, but he avoided my stare.
"Good idea. We don't need you two being little boys" Adam chuckled.
Does taking that knife on the counter & digging it into your throat count as 'naughty'?
He picked up his bags & other belongings & headed towards the door, waiting for me. I looked over at my boyfriend. He smiled weakly. I knew he was sorry. As much as I tried, I just couldn't stay mad at him. I mean, he didn't know this dink would be so annoying. I walked over to him & hugged him. I could tell he was shocked when he didn't return the hug at first, hesitating at first but then slowly hugging back.
"OH I JUST LOVE HUGS!" exclaimed Adam from off to the side. He started coming towards us to join in. I let go before he could reach us.
"Ok, come along Noah, let's head back to your house."
"Actually Adam, I'll stay here for a while" I replied.
"No, you're coming with me back to your house now!" he said loudly.
I glanced at Jade, who seemed to tell me to just go for the sake of him not throwing a fit.
I kissed him on the cheek & then left.
The next day was perhaps one of the most relieving days of my life. The night before was hell. Oh my God was Adam obnoxious. In addition to being nosy, annoying, rude & pushy, he was also a pig.
Dad was just fluttered when he saw Adam's face again. The second he went to the bathroom, Dad turned to me & asked what the hell was going on. I told him everything, with the exception of him being here to help Jade & I work on our relationship, which really helped a lot, right?
He was greedy at dinner, watched whatever shows he wanted on TV, hogged the computer & yacked on his pink cell phone for hours in MY ROOM while I tried to sleep.
That's why the instant he left on the bus, my dad & I yelled "YES!" into the air.
A few weeks later, it was nearing the end of summer vacation already. I got a phone call from Jade. He told me that Adam had lost his job due to his poor behavior, disorderly conduct & rude attitude towards the board members he had lectured to after he visited us.
I smiled to myself.
Ha ha.