Understudy (2 page)

"Good morning," he said.

"Happy birthday!" I said.

"Thank you."

He was wearing a navy blue shirt, knowing that I loved how the color complemented his sandy brown hair.

I closed the gap between us, pressing my body into his, taking in his scent of freshly baked bread.

"Have you been baking again?" I asked.

"Maybe," he whispered, his lips curling up in a mysterious smile. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss which I reciprocated willingly.

"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Vanburgh," Adam said, pulling me beside him as soon as my parents walked to the front door.

"Good morning, Adam," Mom said, returning his smile. Dad was smiling too, though I wasn't really sure if he was happy to see Adam, or he was still thinking about his earlier joke.

"Happy birthday, young lad!" Dad said, extending his hand towards Adam for a handshake.

Adam's eyes widened ever so slightly though he immediately regained his composure and shook Dad’s hand. "Thank you, sir."

Mom and I exchanged knowing looks, and I couldn't help but notice her long fingernails digging against Dad skin.

"Okay, I think we should go now, we'll be late for school," I said, pushing Adam to get him moving along.

He turned toward my parents and waved at them. "Bye Mr. and Mrs. Vanburgh!"

"Have a nice day kids, and
be safe
!" Dad called out as the door shut behind us. I sighed in relief. 

"They know?" Adam asked, looping his arm around my waist as we headed to his car. He had brought his Jeep instead of the Porsche and I made a mental note to ask him about it.

"Yes, and I'm sorry about that."

"Sorry about what? Your parents are cool! You must be having a hell of a good time when you're at home."

"Yeah, like you have no idea," I said, though I immediately remembered that unlike me, Adam's parents weren't around most of the time.       

He helped me climb into the passenger seat and I waited until he was seated beside me. "Are we going on a road trip? I thought you hated driving this monster to school?"

Adam grinned, showing his cute little dimple, and I had to stop myself from giggling out loud. "This is a special day right? We're having fun tonight. We’re going on an adventure!"

Having fun? Of course we would, that was a given. But I suddenly felt uncomfortable as I remembered the awkward conversation I had with Dad earlier.

"Speaking of a special day, I am expecting to receive something
special
today," Adam said, bobbing his eyebrows up and down.   

My heart started hammering in response. Was he...? No, Adam wasn't that kind of guy. We hadn't made any promises or worn any chastity bracelets, but there was an unspoken rule between us about having sex. At least that's what I thought.

The sound of the Jeep's roaring engine made me jump and Adam's soft chuckle filled my ears.

"What's the matter? Had a lot of coffee this morning?"

"No," I said, biting my lip as I considered opening the subject of that
special thing
. Maybe it was time we started talking about it.

Adam placed his hand on my knee and I felt myself stiffen. He kept his eyes on the road but he obviously sensed my unease. "Hey, Kat, what's wrong?"

My hands felt cold and it was as if my heart had climbed up my throat. "Well, about that special thing," I began, keeping my eyes fixed on the hand over my knee. "I just want−"

"Geez, Kat, I'm just messing with you!"

My head snapped up. He was suppressing laughter. "I don't really care if you have a birthday present for me or not. Of course it would be great if you have, but as I’ve told you before, I'd rather you don't."

"Wait, we're talking about your birthday present, right? Like a gift? Something physical and tangible wrapped in a special but unnecessary piece of decorated paper, right?" I asked.

"Err, that's kind of detailed," he said, giving me a sidelong glance to see if I had gone crazy. "But if that's how you put it then...yeah."

Relief washed through me. Of course that's what he was talking about. What was wrong with me?

"Why?" Adam asked. "What did you think I was talking about?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't. Yet, like the way he knew that something was wrong even when he wasn't looking at me, Adam understood. That was one thing I loved about him; he knew me too well.

"Wait." His eyes widened as his lips curled up into my favorite smile. "Are you..."

"Stop it, Adam."

"Oh no you're not."

"Adam, I−"

"How could you?"

"It's not like−"

"Pervert!"

I smacked his shoulder and he started laughing. I tried to look annoyed, but his laughter was infectious. I ended up laughing with him, or rather, at my stupidity.

We laughed until our stomachs hurt, and it gradually died down into soft chuckles. Adam grabbed my hand and linked our fingers together. They fitted perfectly, like a glove.

"I actually do have a birthday present for you."

"Oh, so you're really going for it, huh?"

"Shut up, I'm being serious here."

"For real?"

"Yes."

"What is it?" His gaze travelled down to the backpack resting on my lap, and his face brightened with childlike eagerness. "Can I open it now?"

"Later. We have a lot of time."

Adam frowned.

"It's nothing much. It's actually stupid."

"Nothing you do is stupid, Kat," he said, shifting to a serious tone, making my face heat up. "Except for the one you pulled awhile ago."

"Oh, shut up!"

Adam laughed as he took a sharp turn around the corner, and I just watched him as he drove the rest of the way toward school.

***

The parking lot was almost full and we were lucky enough to find a vacant spot. It had begun drizzling and people were scrambling for cover. We probably had five minutes before first period and I was about to get out of the car when Adam pulled on my hand.

"Katharine."

My ears perked up on hearing him call me by my whole first name. He seldom used it. In fact, nobody called me by my complete first name except Mr. Blake, our English teacher, who fondly called me Katharine Hepburn, and my parents, when they were being really serious, which was rarely.

I turned to face him and a small smile spread across his face. "About earlier Kat, about that... thing," he began.

I groaned. "Oh, Adam−"

He pressed a finger over my lips and I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.

"No, hear me out. I'm being serious this time."

I tried to keep a straight face. This conversation was bound to happen. I mean, we're teenagers over-flowing with hormones. Not to mention that most of our friends had actually done it, whether they admitted to it or not. There were times that I thought about it too, wondering if Adam would be the one I'd end up doing it with.

Adam shifted in his seat. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. I waited.

Questions began sprouting like mushrooms in my head, and I could only hope that he wouldn't see the panic slowly building up in my chest. Is he going to ask me to have sex with him? Had he been wanting to do it for so long?

Luckily, Adam didn't seem to notice my turmoil, or maybe he was panicking as well.

"We won't do it until you're ready," he said. "But it's not like I'm waiting for it all the time or anything."

He leaned closer, his green eyes smoldering like burning emeralds. "We have a lot of time and I'm going to wait, because... I love you."

It was the first time Adam had said those three words, and it was as if I had died and gone to heaven. My heart began beating wildly in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

I opened my mouth to speak. To tell him that I love him as well, but I couldn't. Instead, I smiled.  I knew I looked like an idiot, but I couldn't help it. I just stared at his face, wondering how I ended up snagging this gorgeous guy who was too good to be true.

He closed the gap between us, his soft lips meeting mine, teasing at first. Then I closed my eyes, opened my mouth a little and felt his tongue brush against mine. An electric current zinged through my body, making my breath hitch. I felt his hand on my waist as I allowed myself to lean closer, like a magnet attracted to its opposite charge. That was when the first bell rang.

Adam grunted as we continued making out in his car. I wanted to spend the entire day like this, but I figured that it wouldn't go well with our
we're going to wait
agreement.

"We're going to be late," I said breathlessly, as I grudgingly pulled away from him.

Adam smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," he said, though he didn't look nor sound sorry at all. Neither was I.

Chapter Two

"So, what did you get him?" Sara asked as soon as we met in front of our lockers. We had less than two minutes to get into class and since our first subject for the day was Ms. Ingrid's, a.k.a The Russian Calculus Fatale, we grabbed our books as if our lives depended on them.

"I haven't given it to him yet," I said as I clutched my books over my chest, still savoring the lingering sweetness of Adam's lips.

"But what is it?"

"It's nothing special; actually, I'm even having second thoughts about giving it to him. Do you−"

BANG

Sara slammed her locker shut with so much force that it startled me. "Are you going to have sex with him?!" she asked, her eyes widening.

Some students who were rushing down the hall stopped to stare at us. I felt my cheeks burn.

"God! Why is everybody so interested in my sex life today?" I closed my locker and sped off toward our first class. Sara followed behind me, her immaculate blonde hair sashaying as she kept up with my pace.

"Are you? And who's everybody?"

"No one, and let's drop the subject okay?"

"Fine," she replied, though her tone suggested otherwise.

Sara plopped down on an empty seat in front of me just as Ms. Ingrid entered the room. The Russian Calculus Fatale was wearing a tight red dress that made her look thinner than she already was. Her strawberry blonde hair was set in a tight bun on top of her head, and her glasses magnified her eyes like some kind of a Japanese
chibi.
To top it off, she spoke with a thick Russian accent that made it difficult for us to take her seriously. Despite my hatred for her subject, I actually felt bad for her.

Suppressed laughter spread throughout the room like wildfire, which didn't go unnoticed. TRCF started lecturing us about respect and proper decorum, a lecture we had come to know by heart.

Sara took the opportunity and leaned over my desk, her beautiful pixie features glowing like a lighted candle.

"So, what did you get him?"

I sighed, "You really won't stop until I tell you, right?"

"I'm your best friend," Sara said, as if that justified her nosiness.

"You wouldn't even help me pick out his present."

"He's not my boyfriend and you know him way better."

"You could've at least suggested something."

"Just tell me what it is," Sara said impatiently, holding up her balled fist in front of my face.

"It's a mix CD."

"Oh," her face fell in disappointment. "Why are you having second thoughts on giving it to him?"

"I don't think it's enough, especially after..."

"After what?"

"He said it."

Sara's face scrunched up in confusion. "What?"

I took a quick glance at TRCF. She had reached the middle of her lecture, and I estimated that we still had about three minutes before our real class began.

"Adam told me that he loves me," I said, dropping my gaze, remembering how the words sounded like the most beautiful music I have ever heard in my life.

Sara giggled, blushing. "Oh my gosh!"

"I didn't expect it."

"How did you respond?"

"I didn't."

It was an anticlimactic moment. Sara's eyes narrowed. She actually looked annoyed. "You have got to be kidding me! You're impossible!"

I was about to protest, but TRCF's shrill voice echoed all over the room.

"ZARA ROBERZ ARE YOU EVEN LIZENING TO MEE?!"

Sara immediately turned away to face the now glowering TRCF. She put on her goody−two shoes expression and answered, "Of course ma'am."

TRCF's nose flared. "Zis iz what I'm talking about! You young people just don't rezpect uz adultz anymore!"

TRCF proceeded on the second part of her lecture, and Sara turned to me again. “Well, I just hope you managed to come up with one hell of a mix CD to match his grand gesture.”

***

The day went painfully slowly. I felt like I was stuck in limbo, or some sort of an alternate universe where time moved slower. Except during lunch when Adam showed up at our table. Sara kept on giggling the whole time, which made me feel like kicking her out of our tiny lunch group. I suddenly wished she had her own boyfriend.

Actually, I was surprised that she was still single. A lot of guys would die just to date a bombshell like her. She's beautiful, smart, and funny. I asked her about it one time, and she simply responded with, "I haven't met the right guy yet."

Adam and I had tried to set her up with one of his cousins. It ended up disastrously and we swore never to speak about it again. Truth be told, Sara was a perfectionist. Any guy who would want to date her must pass her high standards−which, sadly, was close to impossible.

My next two classes were tortuously slow until I was reunited with Adam for our English period. He took a seat next to me, and we spent the rest of the period passing notes to one another as we listened to Mr. Blake talk about the decline of true literary geniuses in our generation.

After the class ended Adam and I met Sara in the hallway, and he asked her if she would like to join us celebrate his birthday. I wasn’t really expecting her to come. Well, at least I thought she’d say no. I mean, she's been my best friend ever since I could remember, but it was a special day.

"I think I'll pass," Sara said, examining her fingernails. "I don't want to be the third wheel."