forever yours • adam banks

chapter four

ella

I'm really not looking forward to this party. It's now seven, and the party is set to start in thirty minutes. I'm wearing the same thing I wore to school today, because I'm too lazy to pick out a new outfit. I know that's kind of gross, but I just don't want to do any more laundry than I have to.

As soon as I got home from soccer, I showered and threw on my clothes. Morgan and Sadie have been here for an hour already, and they've been helping me set everything up. Maya still hasn't talked to us at all, so we've decided that we're figuring out what her problem is tonight.

As I'm coming in from the backyard to put some
flowers in a vase, I hear the doorbell ring. "I got it!" I yell over my shoulder. I'm already in here, and it saves everyone else a trip. This way, they can continue to focus on what they're already doing.

I unlock the door and open it, revealing none other than Adam. His hair is a little wet, so I'm assuming he showered before coming. He's dressed simply, wearing a navy blue t-shirt and some shorts. I give a small smile, trying to be as civil as possible. "Hey."

"Hi."

"Come on in!" I say, attempting to break the silence and trying to sound as unaffected as possible.

"Uh, my parents will be here in a minute. They just want to grab the cookies." he mumbles, before looking down at his shoes.

"Yeah sure that's no problem." I respond with a shrug. "Tell them to just come in when they get here." It's pretty easy for them to anyway, seeing as they literally live across the street.

Sadie and Morgan come walking around the corner, and a huge smile forms on Sadie's face as she sees Adam. I give her a look, but it's too late. She's already started her fangirling, seeing me and Adam standing within ten feet of each other for the first time in at least a good year.

"Oh hey Adam!" she starts. "I'm so sorry we interrupted you guys. We were just coming to tell Ella that we finished decorating and came to see if she wanted to come outside with us, but she's clearly busy so we will just see you guys out there when you're ready!" She gives me a wink before Morgan drags her back around the corner and out the back door, so she doesn't have a chance to say anything else.

I look back at Adam and he's looking at the wall, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. I'll say it again, he looks good. I figure that I should break the ice, so I start the conversation.

"So, how've you been?"

"I'm good, congrats on making varsity! That tryout must've been rough." he answers, his voice shaking as he talks.

"Yeah, it was a rough tryout to be honest. Congrats to you too on making varsity! Your parents and your brother must be thrilled." I continue, shooting him a smile.

He returns it, and this time, it looks really genuine. "Yeah, they're pretty happy."

All of a sudden, his face drops and he looks down at his shoes again. Then in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper, he says, "I really miss you El."

I'm taken aback for a second. I thought he wanted nothing to do with me anymore, so this is definitely a shock to me. I'm already starting to plummet, so I figure to just go for it.

"Why did you stop talking to me A?"

He pauses for a second before looking up. I don't think I was supposed to hear what he said, judging by his face. But, he sighs and starts to talk.

"When I got back from the Goodwill Games, I remember you weren't home at the time because of a soccer tournament. After you and your team got home, Maya randomly came up to me in school and said that I needed to stay away from you."