Resilient (7 page)

Adam messes with his hair and then shrugs his shoulders. “I guess I’ll see you later, then.” He walks behind the barn and, a moment later, reappears on top of a horse and heads into the woods. Even from a distance I can see he has a natural comfort with being in a saddle.

Back in the house, Mom is in the kitchen. “Did I just see the Cooper boy talking to you outside?”

“Adam.”

“Did you have lessons today?” Mom feels like I shouldn’t be allowed to do something I enjoy today, as punishment for our argument last night, but she would never bring herself to punish me. She feels that life has already been punishing me enough. 

“Nope, tomorrow.”

“About Adam, were you able to…?” Mom trails off. 

“Nope.” I grab an apple and I escape to my bedroom before the conversation can unfold. I need to check my e-mail, anyway. 

As predicted, I got a bunch of junk, and some from Alyssa. I open my Facebook page, and I find myself typing Adam’s name on the search tab. His profile comes up. It’s private and I can’t see his wall unless I add him as a friend. I browse through his pictures, which are public. Most are from wrestling, football, and time with friends. I see Kyle in lots of the pictures—they must be close. I see a blond girl, too, on top of Aphrodite with Adam.

The girl has her arms wrapped around his waist and her face is leaning on his shoulders. She must be his girlfriend. My jaw immediately clenches. So other girls are allowed to ride her, but for me, she isn’t ready? I get off of his page and shut my computer down. 

I head downstairs; when I enter the kitchen, my brothers are licking cake batter off the mixer. “I want some of that!” I say.

“There’s nothing left,” says Ian.

“There are only two beaters,” Mom says. “You’ll have to wait for the cake, and I have a feeling that it will be a good one.” 

“Is that Annette’s recipe for the gooey chocolate cake?” I stick my finger inside the dirty bowl.

“It is! I’m taking it to the Coopers’ tonight.” Mom smiles. “Maybe you can help me and wash the dishes?”

“So you want me to wash the dishes but you don’t save me any chocolate batter?” I joke. “I see how it works.”

“Next time, I’ll save you some.”

I wash all the dishes by hand and put them up. The beeping of my phone startles me—a text from Kyle. 

Address is 1005 Crestwood Cove Ct., Freeland. Passcode to gate is ‘sidekick’. Text and I can meet you at the gate. Hope to see you.

Maybe I should go. It would be nice to make some friends; otherwise I might end up staying home for movie nights every Saturday for the rest of my life. But the thought of being around so many people weighs heavily in the “cons”. 

“Was that Alyssa?” Mom asks.

“No, it was Kyle. I met him yesterday at the market. He goes to the same high school. He invited me to a party tonight—he said all the seniors are going and I could meet everyone before school starts.”

“Did he seem to be a nice person?”

“Nice enough.”

“Then you should go, make new friends.” She gives me an encouraging nod. “You’ll be happier here if you have some.”

“We’ll see.” 

Mom walks up to me and holds my chin so I’ll look at her. Sometimes I swear she can read my mind. “You have been doing great lately,” she says. “You’ve been spending less time in your room, you’ve traveled with friends, and I’m proud of you for putting yourself out there. Go make some friends and enjoy your last year in school; you’ll miss it when it’s over.”

  When I’m done in the kitchen, I head to my closet to try on some clothes for tonight. Mom has a point and I do need to meet some people, but all the while, I’m telling myself that there is absolutely nothing wrong with movie night at home.

I arrive late to Coupeville General Hospital. I’ve been volunteering here during the summer. My position here is to “reach out and read.” In other words, I read books to patients, mostly the elderly. I enjoy it because every time I walk into a room, someone’s face lights up. It’s rewarding and humbling. I’ve also learned a lot from them, because they like to share their experiences with me and give me advice on what I should or shouldn’t do with my life. I don’t mind listening to their suggestions. They remind me of Grandpa.

Today I’m reading to Mrs. Owens. She is seventy-five years old and suffering from lung cancer. She told me she has been smoking since she was seventeen and she wishes she could go back in time and change the bad choices she made in life. Now, she is in her final days and she won’t be able to see her grandkids graduate from high school. 

As I walk into her room, a huge smile overtakes her face, but her smile is not wide enough to hide her pain; every time I come in here, her skin looks grayer and more like waxed paper than before. She presses a button on her bed to bring her to a sitting position. Her room is decorated with flowers and family pictures.

“Hello, Adam! I’ve been waiting for you all morning. I can’t wait for us to finish the book. I’ve been thinking nonstop about Noah and Allie, I need to know if they’ll stay together.” Her voice travels across the room like a cracked melody. 

“I’ve got it here, Mrs. Owens. We should be done with it today.” I have never seen someone who loves stories so much.  

We’ve been reading The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. On the way here today, I bought her the movie, that way she can watch it once we are done with the book. I’m not a type of guy who normally reads romance novels, but I admit that I’m hooked.

When we’re done with the book, Mrs. Owens is still dabbing at her eyes. “Thank you Adam.” she says. “You’ve made my day with this story. You’re a kind young man, you know? I hope you find a love like this one.” 

I smile to cover any disappointment that might be apparent on my face; this kind of love will never happen to me. “It would definitely be nice, Mrs. Owens, but I believe love like this is on its way out.”

“No my dear, you’ll find yours one day.” She starts to tilt her bed back again.

  “Mrs. Owens, it’s not over.” 

She looks at me, confused, worried that she misheard. 

“I got you the movie since you liked the characters so much. This way, you’ll always have them with you.”

“Oh, Adam! That’s so nice of you.” She holds her hands together and smiles. “Before you leave, could you put this in the DVD player for me? I don’t know how those things work.” 

I put the movie in place and give her a hug goodbye. I’m glad I could make her day a little better. So far, I had a good day myself, if it weren’t for my mind, which keeps bringing me back to Livia in the barn this morning. 

I wanted to invite her to the party tonight; there’s something about her that intrigues me. But I could feel some anger surfacing from her. Not strong, but it was still there. So I didn’t have the guts to invite her after all, and I didn’t feel like getting blown off.  

In the hallway, I hear a guy shouting at Kim, the nurse tech at the front desk. I immediately feel his overpowering rage in the air. I stop by the door to check if she needs any help, but at the same time, two security guys walk in. 

“There’s no need for that!” I hear the man saying. “I’m not looking for trouble. I just need a word with Doctor Cooper, and then I’ll leave.”

“I’ve already informed you that he’s not working today,” Kim answers him. 

“Fine! I’ll figure out another way.” He turns on his heel and leaves the wing, and I watch with confusion as he walks away.

“Adam?” Kim sees me and frowns. I give her a questioning look—that man was after my dad, after all. “He’s been here before and your dad asked me to send him away. He just wants to cause trouble, no matter what he says.” 

I shake my head and turn to leave. Intriguing or not, it’s none of my business. If I hurry home, maybe I can sneak a nap in before dinnertime.

After trying on five different outfits, I go for a mini-dress. Short sleeve, round neck, allover print, curved hem, and open at the lower back. It’s not fancy but it’s New York chic. I don’t know what girls here wear to parties, so I don’t want to be over or underdressed. I put on mid-high wedges, long, slender gold earrings, and matching bracelets. I straighten my hair and put just enough make up on to give some color to my pale face. I take one more look in the mirror and head downstairs. 

“Livia, how nice!” Mom exclaims when she sees me. 

“There is a big hole in your dress.” Gabe says, hanging out from the balustrade behind me.

“A hole? Oh, no! I didn’t see any… Gabe, where is it?” I am freaking out. I don’t have time to go try on five more outfits. 

“Here!” Gabe says touching my spine. “I can see a big part of your back.” 

Half-relieved, half-irritated, I tell him, “It’s not a hole, honey; that’s how the dress is.” 

“If you say so!” he says, raising his eyebrows and putting up his hands in surrender. 

When we leave for the Coopers’, I drive my own car in case I go to the party afterward. When I pull into their driveway, Mr. Cooper is at the front door, welcoming my parents. 

“Nickolas! Laura! It’s nice to have you over and finally meet your family.”

“Thanks for having us, William,” my mom says.

“Come on in and make yourselves at home,” Mr. Cooper says, shaking hands with my parents and patting my brothers on the head. I enter last. “You must be Livia, right? Nice meeting you!”

“Nice meeting you, too.” I give him a shy smile—I’m getting a weird vibe from him. He has emotional scars, bad ones. Something has happened in his life that was disturbing enough to wound him forever. 

As he’s showing us where we can hang our car keys, I let my guard down and try to reach deep into his psyche, and I’m met with a painful guilt. A bad decision perhaps? But there’s no regret mixed in his emotions. Whatever he did, he knows it was wrong, but he would do it again.

Mrs. Cooper comes in the room, breaking my concentration toward her husband’s emotions. She greets everyone and introduces her kids: Kevin, a boy a few years younger than me, Caleb, another boy younger than Kevin, and Amanda, who looks about six, the same age as my brothers. Unlike her siblings, she is shy, hiding behind her dad. They all resemble their mom, light eyes and red hair. I guess Adam was the only one who looks more like his dad—where is he? 

We all walk outside to the patio, and I leave my thoughts of Adam inside. It’s covered and has plenty of leather lounge chairs around and a huge, rustic wooden dining table. There is a double-sided stone fireplace right in the middle of the space. I see a door with a cute restroom sign on it, and when I try to get in, the door is locked.

“Livia!” Mrs. Cooper calls out. “You can use the bathroom inside. That one is under renovation. Go inside, pass the kitchen and turn left, and it’ll be the first door on your right.”

I make my way into the house, following her directions. The first door on my right is not a bathroom—it looks like a media room, with a big screen TV, a pool table, a foosball table, and a couple of sofas and chairs. I back out and shut the door. Down the hall, I try the next door. It’s locked. At the very end of the hall on my right, finally, is the bathroom. 

I close the door and stare at myself in the mirror. I don’t really need to use the restroom. I just wanted to get away for a couple minutes, Mr. Cooper’s emotions made my stomach turn, and I can’t help but wonder what happened in his life. The darkness of his mind, pressing and cold, envelops me. I think of water and I turn the faucet on, letting the torrent wash over my hands. 

Slowly, I start to regain control of my feelings.

I’m relieved that Adam isn’t here, but I can’t help wonder why, and if it has anything to do with me. I think he’s unpleasant—maybe the feeling is mutual. Honestly, I don’t know why I care what he thinks of me. It’s better if he keeps his distance, and I don’t have to deal with his arrogance. However, he didn’t seem so bad this morning, or maybe I’m letting his looks cloud my judgment after all.

I open the bathroom door to get out—and gasp, as I find my face inches away from Adam’s, who was about to reach for the doorknob. 

“Did I scare you?” he asks, entering the bathroom and blocking my way out. 

“Hello to you, too,” I say following him with my eyes.

“I’m just gonna wash my hands.” He says turns the faucet on. “Did you go out to the lake today?” He watches me in the mirror. “As it turns out, your parents do own half of it.” He grins.

“Yeah, I’m sure you already knew that. And no, I didn’t go to the lake today.” I lean against the bathroom door, meeting his gaze in the mirror.  “I didn’t want to cross paths with someone unpleasant.” Now is my turn to smile. 

“That tone doesn’t really fit you.” He turns to face me. “I’m sure you’re nicer than that.” He walks past me, leaving me to stare at his back. I inhale slowly through my nose, fighting the agitation growing inside of me with the realization that he is right.

I walk back outside and sit down next to my mom, who is talking to Mrs. Cooper while Dad is standing next to the grill, where Mr. Cooper is cooking some kabobs and steak. I try to follow Mom and Mrs. Cooper’s conversation: something about the local hospital and how they need surgeons at the ER. When I’m about to ask what they are talking about, Adam strolls out onto the deck. 

“Adam, come over here and be polite, please?” His mom calls him over to her chair. “Laura, this is my older son, Adam.” 

“Nice to finally meet you,” Mom says, shaking his hand.

Mrs. Cooper puts her arm around Adam’s shoulder. “Livia is also starting senior year next week.” She smiles at him. 

“I know,” he says but doesn’t return the enthusiasm. 

“Didn’t you say you are meeting your friends tonight?”

“Why?” Adam asks, sitting up on a barstool. 

“You should take Livia with you. It would be great for her to meet new people.”

My muscles tense, making my body rigid.  Adam looks straight at me. “Sure, if she wants to come, I’ll take her.” The edge in his voice sounds somewhat triumphant. 

“Is that the party you told me about, Livia?” Mom asks.

“Yes, that’s the one,” I say while looking at Adam, who frowns. “Uh, Kyle told me about it,” I add.