A Life Like Mine (20 page)

              “Not really. So, I hear that you and Hank are getting along famously. That’s awesome. He’s a great guy. He’s like a brother to me. If I had one, I’d want him to be it.”

              “Well…” I wanted Adam to know, but it really wasn’t my place to tell him what Hank divulged. “Yes, Hank has been really great. He’s told me all of the updates about your case for me. He’s given me all of your messages.”

              “Good.” Adam gave me a big hug.

              “What exactly are we doing?” I asked him.

              “What do you mean?”

              “Where are we in this friendship?” I wanted to know if we were on the same page or not.

              “Well, it all depends…” Adam gave me this look that was so hard to read. He seemed different somehow. Although, he was still the same with me, he acted differently overall.

              “Adam, are you okay?” I asked, “You seem so…different.”

              “I’m great. I just want to be with you. I want to ask you to be my girlfriend, but I’m afraid that you’re going to say no, like you have every other time.

              “Well, it’s been really difficult since you got into trouble. I haven’t really wanted to get in your way.” I answered truthfully.

              “Get in my way? You could never get my way! That’s all I ever wanted you to do. You’re the Barney to my Rubble,” Adam quipped.

              “Well, that’s an odd way to phrase it. Why don’t you just ask me out?”

              “Will you, Ashley Benson, go out with me, Brad Pitt?”

              “Jeez. For the last time, will you please let that one go? How many times are you going to throw that one comment back in my face?” I giggled, standing up, “Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend.”

              “Really?” Adam’s eyes widened. He seemed so psyched, which, I have to admit, made me really happy.

              “Yeah, really.” I gave him a hug as soon as he stood up.

              “Thank you! Finally!” He hugged me and kissed me on the nose. I felt like Adam was really acting like himself again.

              “You know, I’m glad you decided to come here and talk to me. Getting together is so much more fun than talking about your case. It made things easier. Did I mention how I love the way that you kiss my nose?” I smiled.

              “No you didn’t, and I’m glad that you’re glad,” He kissed my nose again. “Let’s go to the shore and get off of this port! Better yet, let’s get in the water,” He smirked.

              “Why are you looking at me like that?” I looked at him with mock fear. He leaned over to what seemed like was going to be a kiss, but then he pushed me in to the water! I screeched, crashing into the water with a huge splat.

              “You little creep! I can’t believe you.” I laughed and gave him the angriest look I could, but then I burst out laughing again.

              “Oh, and what are you going to do about it?” Adam bent down to throw me an “I-win-you-lose” look.

              “This!” I threw my drenched arms around his and gave him a huge kiss, which caught him off guard. While he was thinking about my lips, (heehee) I pulled him into the water, flipping him over my head. He made a huge splash in the water. I started giggling so hard that I snorted. Then I laughed some more.

              “You!” Adam swam after me in the water.

              “No! I win! I win! Don’t you dare come after me,” I started to do a combination of giggling and screaming at the same time, as I tried to flee from him in the water.

              “I’m going to get you for that!” Adam started running after me. Well, at least he tried to run after me, but he was in the water. It’s not very easy to run in the water.

              Adam and I were horsing around in the water for a long time. It was the most fun I’d had in a long time. I was too busy having fun to remember that all of my friends were still waiting for me. Everything else in the world seemed to vanish. Nothing else existed. I even forgot about Hank standing on the beach, waiting for Adam to say that he wanted Hank to be his guardian. I finally got too tired to go on. I couldn’t even move.

              “Do you want to get out?” Adam seemed to sense my sluggishness.

              “Yeah,” My teeth chattered. Adam and I walked back to where Hank should have been, but he wasn’t there anymore.

              “What do you want to do now?” Adam asked me.
              “I think I want you to take me over to school,” I answered.

              “School? Why would you ever want to go to school when you don’t have to?”

              “There’s cheerleading practice today,” I informed him.

              “What? You’re not a cheerleader, are you? I thought you hated what cheerleaders stood for.”

              “I don’t hate all cheerleaders, and it’s not like all cheerleaders are evil.” I defended. Oh my gosh! I defended cheerleaders? What’s wrong with me?

              “Whatever. If that’s what you think, I support that.”

              “Thanks.” I hugged him. We got inside of the car and drove over to school. Cheerleading practice would almost be over. As we got to the school, I started to think of things to say. I know, I know. You have no clue what I’m talking about, but you’ll see. Adam parked the car, and then we walked into the school hand in hand. We walked into the gymnasium, and it seemed as if all motion stopped. Lena, Liz, and Jill stopped moving. The other cheerleaders did the same. Tom and Annie were in each other’s arms, but I knew that Annie was watching me.

              “What are you doing here?” Lena walked up to me with her nose held high. Maybe I should tell her to shave her nose hairs; that might lower the altitude of her honker.

              “I’m here to talk to Annie,” I answered.

              “Why would you want to talk to her? Don’t you think that she’s stupid since she became one of us?”

              “Just because she wears the skirt doesn’t mean she’s like you. She’s better than you. She doesn’t hide because she’s a low scum sucking wenchwad.” I stood in front of Lena, letting go of Adam’s hand.

              “Oh, Adam? I’m so sorry to hear about your case!” Lena said. She almost sounded sincere, but then I realized the reason for her remark.

              “What are you talking about?” I asked rolling my eyes. “We both know nothing has been decided. Right, Adam?” I turned to Adam. His face was suddenly tight. He looked straight ahead not meeting my gaze, staring right at Lena. It was almost as if his eyes were pleading for her not to go on. You and I know that Lena’s only function in life is to mess up others.

              “You haven’t told her? Let me guess, you two are going out now? Aw, that’s so sweet. It’s too bad. Isn’t it?” Lena smiled at me. It was the most demonic and hateful look I’d ever seen.

              “What are you talking about?” I inquired.

              “Lena,” was all that Adam said.

              “Adam,” I said silencing him, “What are you talking about Lena?”

              “It doesn’t matter,” Adam continued.

              “Adam,” I said again as he grabbed my hand.

              “You didn’t hear?” Lena smirked.

              “Lena stop,” Adam pleaded.

“The case was decided this morning,” Lena ignored Adam.             

“What?” I looked at Adam. “Is this true?”

“Yes, but I was going to tell you tomorrow.”

“Why does Lena know before me? I’m your girlfriend.” My voice cracked.

“Yes, but…” Adam stuttered.

“Don’t you want to hear the verdict?” Lena didn’t wait for me to answer. “The money was mysteriously returned. Now there is only the matter of what punishment he should get for stealing it only. If Adam decided to find a permanent legal guardian then he’d be enrolled in a community service program…”

              “That’s great!” I blurted kissing Adam.

              “I’m not finished. Your little love lumps over here didn’t want the restrictions of a legal guardian so he refused to find a guardian. The judge gave him an alternate sentence. He’s going to be shipped off to a military school on the other side of the country. Are you still thrilled, Ashley?” Lena giggled.

              “Why would you refuse to find a guardian like that?” I released my hand from Adam’s and stepped away from him.

              “The judge said I had to choose an adult who would be willing to house me for the next two years. There’s nobody who would do that for me. That’s why I refused.”

              “What about Hank? He would have! What about today at the beach?” I replied.             

              “Today at the beach, I told him how I didn’t need him or anyone. I know that he’s going to go get that job across the country, and besides, why would he want me? Then he and I got into a huge fight about how irresponsible I am, and he left.” Adam explained.

              “When do you leave?” I asked.

              “He leaves next weekend. It’s about time something bad happened to you! You’ve been a pain for a long time, and you deserve it.” Lena cackled slapping me.

              “Hey! Cut that out!” Adam yelled, shielding me.

              “Don’t yell at her!” Tom walked over to Adam and punched him to the ground. Annie and I ran over trying to separate them, but Tom threw both of us off. We fell to the ground. When Tom realized that he had pushed Annie he said, “You shouldn’t have gotten in the way.” After that he ran out of the room. Lena followed him along with her minions.

              “Are you okay, Adam?” I got up and went over to Adam.

              “Yes.” He took my hand as I helped him up.

              “Good, then I’ve got to go,” I said.

              “What? Why? Don’t go yet.”

              “I need to think.” Adam grabbed my arm, and I fought him off as I walked briskly outside. When I reached the steps, I stumbled to the ground sobbing. What was I going to do?

Chapter 11

The Locker Room

              Can you believe what has happened to me over the last couple of weeks? My life is really becoming a complicated mess. All I have to say is that I seriously needed some advice from my friends. What was I going to do about Adam? He can’t go! He just can’t. Are you thinking that too? You’re just so adorable; do you know that? That’s so cute! Anyway, the best place to get to talk to your friends without any of the guys around is…well never. Guys are almost always around except for the locker room and the bathroom. I already explained why girls go to the bathroom together, and the scene in the locker room is pretty much the same. This is where the girls get to chat. We don’t have to worry about a guy knowing about it, which is very helpful. It’s especially helpful when it’s about a guy. I know what the guys are thinking. Locker room…sweet! Let me just tell you right now, girls don’t do the things that go on in the movies. Movies portray lockers rooms totally wrong. We don’t take twenty minute showers, we don’t run around naked, we don’t run around in way too short bath towels, and we don’t have peepholes in the shower stalls (at least that we know of!). 

              “Keri, I really need to talk to you guys!” I gasped in relief when I entered the locker room after an exhausting gym hour. I’m in the total body fitness class, and they’re all in the coed P.E. class.

              “What’s wrong, Ash?” Betty asked me.

              “Does it have something to do with Adam?” Allie asked.

              “How did you know?” I inquired.

              “He looked really sad this hour,” Allie told me.

              “Really?” I was almost relieved that I wasn’t the only one who was being tortured.

              “Yeah, I noticed it too. What’s going on with you two, Ash?” Jennifer wiped her face off with a towel.

              “It’s going to take a while to explain,” I said.

              “We’ve got fifteen minutes, because we all got let out of class early, and besides, lunch is next hour,” Keri told me.

              “Well, Adam asked me out.”

              “So? You’ve turned him down every time that he’s asked you.” Tina shrugged her shoulders.

              “I said yes this time.”

              “You did?” All the girls suddenly paid more attention.

              “Yes. He and I are going out now,” I answered.

              “That’s great! How’s it working out?” Betty questioned.

              “Not so hot,” I replied.

              “You guys aren’t, you know…” Tina made kissy faces and did a pelvic thrust.