Well, I'll Wait 'Til You Listen, I Won't Say a Word
In Which I Spend The Day Alone.
I was left alone to think all day.
Matt avoided me. He refused to meet my eyes when I tried to catch his attention in Trig. He sat at another table by himself at lunch.
I couldn’t even think about facing Adam. He was the cause of all my problems with Matt, after all.
So I sat with Ria, Rebecca and Leah at their table. I was greeted warmly, but Ria’s drama senses seemed to pick up on my mood.
“Boy problems, darling?” she asked after a moment.
“How did you know?” I replied sarcastically.
“Alright. Lemme hear it. It’s Adam, of course.”
“Yeah,” she opened her mouth, and I knew she was going to say something about the two of us having a romantic relationship, “And no, not in that way. Matt’s mad at me for apparantly caring more for Adam than for him.”
Leah made an ‘ooh’ sound. “Matt’s jealous!” exclaimed Rebecca, eyes wide. “He likes you!”
“Please,” I scoffed, “Matt’s my best friend! He’ll never be anything more than that.”
“Well, I think he wants to be more than that. And Adam’s in his way, since he’s realized that you guys like each other,” said Ria.
“No.” I said firmly. “That’s definitely not it.”
“Whatever,” said Leah, and changed the subject.
That conversation bothered me all day. What if they were right? Plus, our championship game was tomorrow. I was nervous about that as it was, let alone this fight with Matt.
The day dragged by. I had soccer practice after school, which was fairly productive, but my mind was racing the entire time. I felt terrible.
After practice I shot goals on the fields outside the school for a half an hour. I felt eyes on me, and I turned around. There was Adam, standing with his hands in his pockets.
“Hey,” he said calmly.
“Hey,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to talk to you.” He replied.
“Then talk.”
“Fine,” he sighed, and his eyes met mine. “Alright, I don’t know what’s going on. You avoided me today, and I have no idea why. I wanted to tell you something today, but now I don’t know how you would respond to it. I just don’t get it!”
“Look, Adam. I-I didn’t mean it. It’s just…”
“Just what? ‘Cause one minute, I think I’ve met someone great, a person that gets me. And the next minute, she acts like she hates me.”
“Matt’s angry at me. And…well, I was talking to Ria, and she thinks he’s jealous.”
“Jealous?” he asked, calming down a little.
“Yeah. She thinks that Matt likes me. And the more I think about it, I think it’s true.”
“Do you like him?” Adam asked bluntly.
“Not that way.” I replied truthfully. Matt was like my brother.
“So who do you like?” Adam questioned again. “If you like anyone.”
I had to think on that one. But quickly, something hit me. Something I hadn’t really thought about up until now that I knew was the truth. I did like someone.
And his name was Adam Lazzara.
Those eyes, that voice, that smile, that laugh! I was drawn to him from the moment I met him, and I didn’t see what I really felt about him.
This was getting more difficult by the second.
“I do.” I said carefully. “But I don’t think he likes me now. At all,” my eyes started to well up. I'd ruined our friendship. He'd never care for me.
“Oh, God,” he said. “I’m sorry, Lane. I don’t want you to cry.” He reached out and pulled me to his chest in a hug.
After a moment, I knew I had to say it. I had to tell him. It was now or never.
“Adam?”
“Yeah?” he said, stroking my hair.
“The person I like? It’s you.”
Matt avoided me. He refused to meet my eyes when I tried to catch his attention in Trig. He sat at another table by himself at lunch.
I couldn’t even think about facing Adam. He was the cause of all my problems with Matt, after all.
So I sat with Ria, Rebecca and Leah at their table. I was greeted warmly, but Ria’s drama senses seemed to pick up on my mood.
“Boy problems, darling?” she asked after a moment.
“How did you know?” I replied sarcastically.
“Alright. Lemme hear it. It’s Adam, of course.”
“Yeah,” she opened her mouth, and I knew she was going to say something about the two of us having a romantic relationship, “And no, not in that way. Matt’s mad at me for apparantly caring more for Adam than for him.”
Leah made an ‘ooh’ sound. “Matt’s jealous!” exclaimed Rebecca, eyes wide. “He likes you!”
“Please,” I scoffed, “Matt’s my best friend! He’ll never be anything more than that.”
“Well, I think he wants to be more than that. And Adam’s in his way, since he’s realized that you guys like each other,” said Ria.
“No.” I said firmly. “That’s definitely not it.”
“Whatever,” said Leah, and changed the subject.
That conversation bothered me all day. What if they were right? Plus, our championship game was tomorrow. I was nervous about that as it was, let alone this fight with Matt.
The day dragged by. I had soccer practice after school, which was fairly productive, but my mind was racing the entire time. I felt terrible.
After practice I shot goals on the fields outside the school for a half an hour. I felt eyes on me, and I turned around. There was Adam, standing with his hands in his pockets.
“Hey,” he said calmly.
“Hey,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to talk to you.” He replied.
“Then talk.”
“Fine,” he sighed, and his eyes met mine. “Alright, I don’t know what’s going on. You avoided me today, and I have no idea why. I wanted to tell you something today, but now I don’t know how you would respond to it. I just don’t get it!”
“Look, Adam. I-I didn’t mean it. It’s just…”
“Just what? ‘Cause one minute, I think I’ve met someone great, a person that gets me. And the next minute, she acts like she hates me.”
“Matt’s angry at me. And…well, I was talking to Ria, and she thinks he’s jealous.”
“Jealous?” he asked, calming down a little.
“Yeah. She thinks that Matt likes me. And the more I think about it, I think it’s true.”
“Do you like him?” Adam asked bluntly.
“Not that way.” I replied truthfully. Matt was like my brother.
“So who do you like?” Adam questioned again. “If you like anyone.”
I had to think on that one. But quickly, something hit me. Something I hadn’t really thought about up until now that I knew was the truth. I did like someone.
And his name was Adam Lazzara.
Those eyes, that voice, that smile, that laugh! I was drawn to him from the moment I met him, and I didn’t see what I really felt about him.
This was getting more difficult by the second.
“I do.” I said carefully. “But I don’t think he likes me now. At all,” my eyes started to well up. I'd ruined our friendship. He'd never care for me.
“Oh, God,” he said. “I’m sorry, Lane. I don’t want you to cry.” He reached out and pulled me to his chest in a hug.
After a moment, I knew I had to say it. I had to tell him. It was now or never.
“Adam?”
“Yeah?” he said, stroking my hair.
“The person I like? It’s you.”