Created

Chapter Twenty-One
　
"Hmm," Melissa hummed thoughtfully. "I dunno, Arta. I definitely think the other jeans looked better. The darker colour looked better with his hair."
"I might have to agree with you on this one, Melissa," Arta said and she studied me carefully. I had no idea how long I'd been here. It felt like eternity and I was starving. No breakfast was really killing me. But I was certain now-I hated shopping. To me, all the clothes they picked out looked the same. I didn't see any difference in the jeans they were discussing now. They were just... Jeans. What did they have to do with my hair?
"What do you think, Adam?" Melissa asked. "These jeans or the other ones?" Miserably, I shrugged.
"They... Look exactly the same?" I replied hesitantly. Erik was right. Shopping with Melissa was like, what were his words? Hanging yourself? Thats what I felt like doing right now, but I'm not certain that would kill me. Did I even need air? But that was beside the point-more clothes were being thrust at me to try on.
"Here," Arta said, handing me a dark green shirt. "This kinda matches your eyes, so it might look good. Try it on."
"'Kay," I accepted the t-shirt and whatever Melissa was giving me and turned around to go back into the dressing room, making sure to lock the door behind me. This was insane!!! Now I really felt Eriks pain. How often did he have to go shopping?!
"Hey," I heard Melissa's voice on the other side of the door.
"Hey," I answered miserably.
"I have another pair of jeans for you. These have, like, rips! They're really cool!" She cried excitedly, throwing a pair of pants over the top of the door for me.
"Oh, great," I said. "Um, could we, like, finish this up really soon? I'm not having as much fun as you are."
"Okay, okay," She laughed. There was a silence and for a minute, I thought she was gone. But I called her name once more and, luckily, she responded.
"Um, Melissa," I started. "Can I ask you something semi-personal?"
"'Course, Adam," she said and I could hear the smile in her voice. "Whats up?"
"Well, see, I just kinda wanted to know whats with you and Arta."
"Oh. Her," Melissa responded coldly.
"Uh, yeah, her. 'Cause, you know, I kinda like her. Actually, I really like her and you're one of my best friends, so I don't want you two to fight," I said, hoping she'd explain everything to me.
"Well... Girls like Arta were never nice to girls like me. She's got it in her thick-oh, sorry, Adam! She's got it in head that she's better than me. It's been like that since the beginning. And I don't like her 'cause she really hurts Erik, Adam. Every day. He looks at her and sees someone he loves but can never have. That genius is so stupid sometimes. But thats why... Thats why I'm so glad you and Arta are getting together. She's obviously into you and she'll be kind to you. And maybe Erik can, you know, get over her and... And well, maybe find someone better. That's all I want for him," Melissa explained quietly, but despite her efforts, I heard the hints in her voice. She wanted someone better for him, yes, and the only person she would approve of would be herself. Gal, how could I have been so stupid?! I felt like smacking myself upside the head. How could I have not seen how much Melissa loved Erik? It was obviously now, very plainly obvious. How she laughed at his jokes, even if they weren't funny. How she stayed by him all the time. How she hated Arta. And I understood now, too, how she could hate Arta so much. Arta was her competition. And, honestly, how was anyone supposed to win against such steep competition?
"I'm sorry, Melissa," I whispered after some time and received a sigh in response. That apology held so much more under the surface. I was sorry that she couldn't get Erik's attention. I was sorry Arta was so hard to beat. I was just plain sorry for her and she knew it.
"It's okay," she whispered back. "It's okay, I'll..." Another tired, sad sigh. "I'll perservere." And I knew she would. What else could she do except sit and wait and love Erik?
"Oh, and one more thing," I added, breaking into the melancholy emotions we were passing around. "You and Erik were whispering before we left. What did he tell you? Or is it private?" Melissa laughed a bit. I could tell she was glad for the change of subject.
"No, it's not private. Erik just told me he was glad I was going so I could keep an eye on you," she explained.
"An eye on me?" I asked.
"Yeah," she replied. "In case you, like, break down or something. I mean, this is your first day out and away from Erik where he can't really make sure you're okay. He wants me to keep you safe and watch for any signs of failure in the systems." She laughed a bit more and I could hear the smile in her voice. "I'm not expecting any trouble. You should be alright!"
"Okay," I smiled, a bit relieved. "So no secrets?"
"Were you worried about secrets?!" Melissa scoffed. "Never, Adam! Erik would just die before keeping a secret!" This remark reminded me of how uncomfortable and awkward he always looked when reminding me not to let Arta know I wasn't human. He was keeping a secret and I could tell it was killing him, like Melissa said. It shouldn't. It was for Arta and my good, right? So it was okay because, like Erik had said, if Arta knew, something terrible would happen! So it was alright! "Are you almost done changing now, Adam?" Melissa asked again, but this time louder and I could hear Arta a ways away agreeing.
"Yeah, yeah," I sighed. "I'm almost done." Awkwardly, I pulled the shirt Arta had given me over my head and jumped into Melissa's special ripped jeans (which weren't my favorite) and stepped out of the changing room.
"Omigosh!!" Melissa squealed happily and laughed. She was seated next to Arta now across from the changing rooms. "That shirt was made for you, Adam!"
"Mmm, definitely," Arta replied as she looked me up and down, smiling her half-smirk and looking pleased with herself. "It really looks great, Adam. We're buying that one."
"Uhuh," Melissa agreed with a laugh. "It's awesome! But the jeans, on the other hand..." She trailed off awkwardly, her face changing from excited to displeased.
"The rips are too angry and rebel for someone as calm and quiet as Adam," Arta said, shaking her head. "It doesn't match at all. And it ruins his woodsy, natural brown hair/green eyes look."
"What was I thinking," Melissa sighed. "I guess those jeans are a 'no'. But they're soooo cool otherwise!"
"So, can we go eat, now?" I asked pitifully. I felt at the girl's mercy, which was bad. Very bad.
"Is that what you want?" Arta asked, standing and walking to me. I think she was trying to look at the clothes from a closer range.
"Yes, yes it is," I replied, hoping I was saying the right thing. "I'm starving."
"Actually, I am, too!" Melissa said loudly and sighed. "I could do with some pastries right now."
"Pastries?" Arta asked, turning to look distainfully at Melissa. "Pastries will make you fat." And just when they were getting along famously...
"Fat?!" Melissa stood and they suddenly reminded me of fighting cats, all bristled and angry. "Are you calling me fat?!"
"Do I need to," Arta scoffed and it looked like Melissa was ready to lunge for her throat, but with a glance towards me, she took a deep breath and relaxed.
"I'm not going to fight," she said slowly, as if counselling herself. But it seemed to work, because she had calmed down considerably and Arta slowly backed off, taking deep breaths herself.
"Another little restaurant is just around the corner," Arta said, trying to calm herself as well. "It has good food. Shall we walk there?" Melissa and I, too hungry to say no, agreed and we went to buy all their favorite outfits, but not before being forced into one of the new ones to leave in.
So, bags of new clothes in hand, Arta and Melissa and I walked out of the store and down the streets of Chicago in pursuit of the little restaurant Arta had mentioned. But when we finally got there, it was anything but little.
The restaurant was just around the corner and it was good, but that's where the truth in Arta's words ended. 'Rosemary and Thyme' was a three story building with a large balcony and a glass roof and walls on the top floor. It was enormous and looked incredibly expensive. I could see people eating and waiters in black taking orders on the balcony. The restaurant was stunning, but Arta didn't even stop to stare in awe like Melissa and I. She acted like this was all old news, which, to her, it probably was.
"This is... Enormous," Melissa commented in shock. I agreed, staring up at it with wide eyes.
"Are you two coming?" Arta called, already across the street. "We're wasting daylight!" Melissa and I hurried to catch up to her and we walked inside. Arta, as per usual, strutted around the restaurant like she owned it, but what was new there? Her confidence and high heeled boots led her straight to the counter, where she ordered for a table for three on the balcony, and make it snappy! She didn't have time to loaf, she told the man and, frantically, he called over a waitress to take us there.
"She's really a 'take charge' person, eh?" I said to Melissa and Melissa rolled her eyes.
"Bossy," she corrected, but I disagreed. Arta was just being assertive, something I sometimes seemed to have trouble with. It was something to look up to her for.
Inside the restaurant was just as swanky as the outside appeared. Chandeliers hung gracefully from the ceiling and the thick rug was a deep, soothing red. The velvet wallpaper added to the classic royalty of it all and made everything seem that much more expensive. I felt small and underdressed in my new jeans and t-shirt while others wore suits. We'd bought a suit while at the store, but I hadn't thought to wear it here.
"Here's your table," the waitress said once we stepped through the glass doors to the balcony on the second floor and sat by the amazing city view. It was only one floor up, yes, but it was still fun to look over the edge and see all the cars and people from above. The waitress sat menus around our chairs and explained the breakfast specials. Arta seemed to know exactly what she was doing, and ordered right away, so Melissa and I followed, still struck by the expensive, high class style.
"Man," Melissa grumbled quietly. "Erik could buy this place, but he'd rather shop at garage sales. I'd love to live so fancily!" Honestly, I would, too. It was nice here. I felt so pampered!
"You could probably convince him to up his living style," Arta said nonchalantly. She rested her head on one palm casually and tossed her hair back. I loved the way she leaned forward, carefully and slowly. It was almost like she was teasing me because she knew how beautiful I thought she was.
"How could I do that?" Melissa rolled her eyes and leaned back, throwing her arm over her chair. "He wouldn't buy a bunch of nice stuff for me. I'm just the girl next door to him." Arta studied Melissa for a moment, carfully masking any emotion and hesitating for a minute before she spoke.
"You and Erik would be surprised at what he'd do for you," she said slowly, but Melissa didn't have time to respond because the waitress brought over our breakfast. A yogurt parfait was placed before Arta, who ate it slowly and carefully. Melissa was given an egg sandwich with bacon, but she slid all the egg out of the sandwich and ate only the bagel and the meat. I, on the other hand, received a stack of pancakes topped with all kinds of fruit and colourful sauces dribbled on top. It looked and smelled great.
I ate my pancakes slowly, starting with the first fresh, crisp strawberry and ending with the bottom pancake. It was the best food I'd ever eaten!! I didn't speak all through breakfast because I was savouring it. It really was the best I'd ever had! Erik usually settled for half-cooked microwave Ramen for all meals, maybe adding some potato chips or store bought cookies. He didn't really choose to live high on the hog when it came to, well, anything. Not even food, and after this meal, I couldn't understand why! This was... It was amazing!! I felt like my mouth had died and went to heaven, or something equally as impossible! It was perfect. The flavors balanced each other well and worked brilliantly together. The pancakes were surprisingly sweet, which helped you recognize the differences between it's sweetness and the fruit's. There was just enough of the thick fruit sauce to add more flavor, but it wasn't too much. It was done so skillfully and beautifully that I would have done anything for more. All of a sudden, I loved food and didn't know if I could force myself back on Erik's diet of store bought crap after tasting heaven.
"Well, you look satisfied, Adam," I heard Arta say and looked up, smiling.
"Food is... Awe-inspiring," I said slowly and Arta laughed.
"When you know where to go, anything can be awe-inspiring," she said. "You just have to have the experience. And the cash," she added.
"So how much of poor Erik's money have we blown so far," Melissa asked, inspecting her nails and looking full. I noticed the egg still sat untouched on her plate.
"Not enough for him to notice yet," Arta replied and smiled smugly. "He won't care ooone bit."
"So where are we going next," I asked as we left a tip on the table and stood to leave.
"I dunno," Melissa responded. "It's like, ten-thirty now, though. Just keep that in mind, you guys." Arta rolled her eyes.
"It's not like we have a curfew," she said and Melissa was about to say something snobby back, but I cut her off to avoid another cat fight.
"Next destination!" I ordered. "Go!"
"Navy Pier!" Melissa cried excitedly, trying to get her word before Arta, but when Arta didn't insult Melissa or at least complain, I looked over, worried, to see her gazing in awe at a nearby park.
"What is it?" I asked, stepping up next to her. "What do you see?"
"Look," she whispered, pointing, and I saw a quiet smile tugging at her lips. A true smile. "Look at that pond. It's perfect with the sun shining on it, and the ducks and lily pads. That's so pretty!" She was so excited about the little pond that it made me smile.
"Do you want a picture?" I asked, wondering if any of us had a camera on them.
"No," Arta looked up to me, her eyes shining with the excitement. "I want to paint it!"
"So we're going to waste a whole day that we could be showing Adam the sights for you to paint?! That doesn't hardly seem fair," Melissa attacked Arta. But for once, Arta didn't take a real stab back at Melissa. She was too preoccupied.
"It'll be fast," she reassured Melissa. "I'll paint, I'll do it really quick and we can be on our way!"
"With what?" Melissa asked. "Brushes and paint don't grow on trees."
"I've got a credit card. And I'll call a cab to take me to the nearest art store. I'll be fast!" Arta said. Melissa, realizing she wasn't getting anywhere, rolled her eyes and huffily gave up.
"Whatever," she muttered under her breath, angry.
That's when I started feeling queasy. But I didn't say anything.
"Hey!" Arta called, jumping forward on the sidewalk to catch the attention of the nearest cab. When one pulled up, she swung herself into the backseat and told us she'd be right back before the yellow car pulled away.
"I'm sorry, Adam," Melissa turned to me, her anger replaced by disappointment. "She just always has to get her way."
"I-It's fine," I said, too distracted by the fact that my vision was starting to go darker to really listen. The world was brighter and better lit a few seconds ago. What was wrong with my eyes? And I still felt sick to my stomach. Could it have been those pancakes? Did bad food make your eyes go dark? I suddenly felt indescribably stupid for not knowing something like that. But how could I? And I couldn't think with this headache I felt coming on.
"Adam?" Melissa noticed me and looked over. I could read the worry in her hazel eyes that were darkened even more by my sudden eye problems. "You're white as a sheet!" she exclaimed and put the back of her hand on my forehead. "And totally clammy. Are you alright?" I was considering how to answer when I heard a small click in my ears and my vision flashed out.


"Oh...," I gasped. My eyes widened in fear, but they still did see anything.
"A-Adam!" Melissa shrieked in shock. "You eyes... They're black!"
"I can't see!!" I cried, starting to hyperventilate. "I-I can't see anything!!"
"Omigosh!" Melissa gasped. I could feel her hands grab my arm. "What happened?! What's going on?!" Why couldn't I see anything? And why did my head hurt so much all of a sudden? Then a sharp pain stabbed at my mind and the shock and intensity of it pushed me to me knees as I clutched my head and let out a gasp and moan of pain. I heard Melissa scream and drop down next to me, throwing her arms around me and sobbing. And before I knew it, Arta's scream joined hers. I heard the art supplies clatter to the ground as felt Arta shove Melissa away so she could hold me. But it hurt so much that her arms around me was the last thing on my mind.
"E-Erik!" Melissa sobbed into her phone. "It's Adam! Pl-Please come!! I think he's dying!!"
"No!!" Arta screeched and squeezed me tighter. "Don't you dare say that!!!" Dying? Would it... Would it stop this pain in my head? All I could see was the unending black. And I was so afraid... I twisted my shaking fingers into my hair, hoping to distract myself from the pain inside my head. It was horrible, like nothing I'd ever felt in my life. I thought I was dying, too.
The pain never dimmed, but I started to feel myself slipping away. I tried to call out, but I couldn't hear myself. I could hear Arta and Melissa sobbing, though, and the shocked people around us, stopping and offering help, calling for an ambulence. Arta was calling my name as I began to fade away.