Easy Come, Easy Go
I'm Only Me When I'm With You (Everything I Need is Right Here By My Side)
“Adelaine, we need to talk to you.”
Adelaine looked up at her mother curiously, pausing in her act of pouring Special K into a bowl.
”I don’t know if Jesse happened to mention it to you, it was something he just let it slip, but he has a big performance this Saturday. He’s starring in a musical. Wicked, in fact.”
“No, he didn’t. Well that’s great, Fiyero is a big role. Good for him!”
“We’re going to go visit Jesse at UCLA. To see him in the musical.“
“But…” Completely abandon the cereal, Adelaine stared at her parents. “But that’s when my…audition is…” She managed to say.
“Well, it’s the only performance we can make it to. The rest are during the week and we work then. And most of them after that are sold out.”
Adelaine’s mouth dropped open. “But…mom. You’ve never seen one of my performances in my life, you’ve seen a million of Jesse’s! And this is really big for me.”
“I’m sorry honey. But this is really big for Jesse too.”
Adelaine stared at her mother. Then, wordlessly, she turned around and left the room.
She moved up the stairs to her room. She wasn’t stomping. That seemed too much like throwing a fit. Instead she seemed almost calm, but inside she was burning with a quiet, angry energy. This was not fair. Not fair at all.
They had never seen a performance of hers. Ever. Was it so much to ask to see one?
And they had even promised! To get her hopes up like that and then just dash them by backing out.
And not just by simply backing out. By backing out specifically to go see Jesse in a play. It was simply unfair.
She shut the door to her room, crossed to her desk and picked up her cell phone. She dialed the number she still knew by heart, the number she hadn’t forgotten since he had written it on her arm two months ago, now.
“Noah?” She said when he answered. “Can you come pick me up?”
~*~*~
Puck hadn’t been doing anything when he heard his phone ring. He looked at the screen. Adelaine. She sounded really upset. Usually he tried to avoid hanging out with girls that were upset. He didn’t really do emotion.
But when she asked him to come pick her up, he didn’t hesitate.
Puck wasn’t sure what was up with her. She hardly talked at all during the car ride.
“Where do you want to go?” He asked her. “No one’s at my house.” He added absentmindedly. “My mom and Jess went to some movie.”
She nodded. “Your house is fine.”
They parked, and he took her up to the room.
“All right, what’s wrong?” He asked. She sat down on the bed and he sat down next to her. She was silent for a moment, but then she spoke.
“You know how I told you that my mom and dad were finally going to go to one of my performances?”
Puck nodded. She’d been so excited when she told him. Even more excited than when she had gotten the audition.
She gave this bitter laugh. “Yeah, well, they’re going to go see Jesse instead.”
“They’re going all the way to LA?”
She nodded.
And then she started to cry.
Puck didn’t know what to do but take her in his arms. And she stayed there, sobbing, for he didn’t know how long.
“I’m still coming.” He promised softly, and she looked up at him with a smile. The tears had made long streaks on her cheeks, and her green eyes were rimmed in red.
“Thank you.” She said, and she kissed him.
He kissed her back, and the kiss deepened. She lay back, and he rolled on top of her, kissing her gently.
“Noah.” She whispered, and it was probably the hottest thing he’d ever heard. He pulled her closer to him, one hand on her waist, rolling onto his side so they both faced each other. The other hand tangled in her hair.
“You’re amazing, Adelaine.” He said.
Adelaine looked up at her mother curiously, pausing in her act of pouring Special K into a bowl.
”I don’t know if Jesse happened to mention it to you, it was something he just let it slip, but he has a big performance this Saturday. He’s starring in a musical. Wicked, in fact.”
“No, he didn’t. Well that’s great, Fiyero is a big role. Good for him!”
“We’re going to go visit Jesse at UCLA. To see him in the musical.“
“But…” Completely abandon the cereal, Adelaine stared at her parents. “But that’s when my…audition is…” She managed to say.
“Well, it’s the only performance we can make it to. The rest are during the week and we work then. And most of them after that are sold out.”
Adelaine’s mouth dropped open. “But…mom. You’ve never seen one of my performances in my life, you’ve seen a million of Jesse’s! And this is really big for me.”
“I’m sorry honey. But this is really big for Jesse too.”
Adelaine stared at her mother. Then, wordlessly, she turned around and left the room.
She moved up the stairs to her room. She wasn’t stomping. That seemed too much like throwing a fit. Instead she seemed almost calm, but inside she was burning with a quiet, angry energy. This was not fair. Not fair at all.
They had never seen a performance of hers. Ever. Was it so much to ask to see one?
And they had even promised! To get her hopes up like that and then just dash them by backing out.
And not just by simply backing out. By backing out specifically to go see Jesse in a play. It was simply unfair.
She shut the door to her room, crossed to her desk and picked up her cell phone. She dialed the number she still knew by heart, the number she hadn’t forgotten since he had written it on her arm two months ago, now.
“Noah?” She said when he answered. “Can you come pick me up?”
~*~*~
Puck hadn’t been doing anything when he heard his phone ring. He looked at the screen. Adelaine. She sounded really upset. Usually he tried to avoid hanging out with girls that were upset. He didn’t really do emotion.
But when she asked him to come pick her up, he didn’t hesitate.
Puck wasn’t sure what was up with her. She hardly talked at all during the car ride.
“Where do you want to go?” He asked her. “No one’s at my house.” He added absentmindedly. “My mom and Jess went to some movie.”
She nodded. “Your house is fine.”
They parked, and he took her up to the room.
“All right, what’s wrong?” He asked. She sat down on the bed and he sat down next to her. She was silent for a moment, but then she spoke.
“You know how I told you that my mom and dad were finally going to go to one of my performances?”
Puck nodded. She’d been so excited when she told him. Even more excited than when she had gotten the audition.
She gave this bitter laugh. “Yeah, well, they’re going to go see Jesse instead.”
“They’re going all the way to LA?”
She nodded.
And then she started to cry.
Puck didn’t know what to do but take her in his arms. And she stayed there, sobbing, for he didn’t know how long.
“I’m still coming.” He promised softly, and she looked up at him with a smile. The tears had made long streaks on her cheeks, and her green eyes were rimmed in red.
“Thank you.” She said, and she kissed him.
He kissed her back, and the kiss deepened. She lay back, and he rolled on top of her, kissing her gently.
“Noah.” She whispered, and it was probably the hottest thing he’d ever heard. He pulled her closer to him, one hand on her waist, rolling onto his side so they both faced each other. The other hand tangled in her hair.
“You’re amazing, Adelaine.” He said.