The Unexpected

Part 1

14 years earlier

Avery

Av! my mom screeched from the front door. I put down the book I am reading and sullenly make my way to the front door. She has been going on about the new neighbours moving in since morning. I was just glad that it was Saturday and that meant that I could sit on the back porch and lose myself in a Nancy drew novel that I stole from my mom's old stash.

The house is uncharacteristically quiet because my dad and my two brothers are out on a boys bonding time thingy. Sometimes I wonder if all they do is dumb things like fishing, excessive work outs and ridiculous guy things, the days when I have my dad all to myself for dad, daughter bonding days it's always to do things that I love to do, even though it makes him look crazy, after all we always end up in his gym. I'd swear he was too happy that I liked to spend time there while he got to actually do some work.

My dad Arthur Adams owns a gym. This means that from a young age I have spent more hours in the gym than anywhere else. I started taking self defence classes at 6 years old and loved to work out with my dad. As I grew older, my time inside the gym evolved into learning more self defence, learning to fight and stealing moments away from my brothers and dad to hung in his office and catch up on my reading. My mom often complained about how all of us cared more about the gym than spending time with her at home

'Madre!' I call after my mom when I find our front door open, with her no where to be seen. 'Over here' she calls out to me. I close our front door and walk down the steps to the lawn, my mom is standing next to a moving truck in the neighbours driveway. 'Meet our new neighbours' she announces as soon as I am standing next to her. My eyes shoot daggers her way, she knows I hate meeting new people or being made to be center of attention. 'Hi, you must be Avery, your mother was just telling us about you' I turn around to see who is talking to me.

It's a beautiful curvaceous woman with raven hair and kind eyes. She has a radiant smile, is wearing a plain blue T shirt streaked with dust, worn jeans and has a bandana wrapped around her hair that was tied in a pony tail atop her head. 'I am Maria' she introduces herself  'James! Elijah!' she calls out before turning back to me with a smile 'meet my two boys' she says as two teenagers came rushing out of their front door. 'It's nice to meet you Miss Maria' I stretch my hand out and shake her hand. 'Hi, My name is Avery Adams' I introduce myself facing the two boys. 

Elijah looks like he could be my brothers age, 16. He has piercing green eyes just like his mother, a dark complexion and a mop of brown hair. he has a mischievous look on his face as he takes me in. I turn my attention to James, his little brother who looks about my age.

James has his mother's eyes too,  green and so kind, his height is a few inches taller than me, he is cute in a boyish sort of way. He has brown overgrown curly hair. 'Hi' I give an awkward little wave at him, he smiles and nods his head at me in acknowledgement. 'My name is James Eli' he introduces himself fully 'would you help me carry things for my bedroom up' he  phrases that question in a non asking but more like commanding manner. I raise my eyebrow at him and fold my hands in front of my chest, in a world wide expression of wtf! He laughs out loud and holds his palms up 'I didn't mean to be a bully. please help me offload my bedroom staff' 'He said the magic word Av' My mother announced, already walking towards James' front door. 

We spent the whole day Saturday helping them offload the U haul and getting their place as liveable as possible with their many boxes and no furniture. I discover that James is actually 15 years old, a year older than me and that he will be attending the my school. We share the same birthday just born a year apart. Talking to him is easy, he doesn't make me feel weird or girly because I keep talking about gym stuff and boos while he keeps talking about gym stuff and video games and wrestling characters that I am pretty sure do not exist. 

I don't see him again until Monday morning in science class. I am sitting in the first isle, second row leaning against the wall while I secretly try to read one more chapter of my book before Mr. Berkely, the science teacher starts on today's lesson when James walks in. I look up and smile at him, he smiles back and walks towards me. He sits in the empty seat infront of me and turns back to peer down at what I am reading. 'what are you reading?' he asks casually 'Nancy Drew' I respond looking away from my book.

'Nice' he says with a smile on his face 'You've read a book from this series too? I asked excitedly 'No' he replies making a face then adds under his breath 'never heard of it before today' I hit him on the shoulder playfully and go back to reading my book. In less than 3 months James has become a fast favorite at Eastview High and although many girls and guys want him to be in their cliques he always seeks me out. We are the two most mismatched friends in our school, him a star athlete and popular guy and me an avid reader and A+ student.

He made it beyond clear to all our friends in school that I am a permanent fixture at his side, I am the only girl to wear his basketball Jersey at games, because a cat fight did ensue the one time a cheerleader asked him if he would let her wear his jersey. It's always just us two, walking home from the bus stop and walking to the school through the woods when we both miss the bus on some days. All my sunshine and light days are filled with days lounging in my families living room, reading a book while he plays video games with my brothers, or just pretend studying in my room while we just lounge around. 

There are also dark days for us both and on those days I feel like I don't ever want to know life without him as my best friend. His mother is a single mother, his father having walked out on them when James was 8 years old. James says he remembers him as a really great father, he sometimes describes days past when his father taught him how to ride a bicycle. He confided in me about hearing his mother cry herself to sleep on some days, I listen, I comfort and never judge.

We count off birthdays 15, 16 for him, 16, 17 for him, 17, 18 for him. We always have the best birthdays and our friendship is solid until I turn seventeen and get hit in the face by emotions and hormones and realise that I find James Eli super hot!!