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Chapter 3

I left the house the next morning without saying my routine 'goodbye' to Aunt Sarah. I figured that she would still be upset and no one should ever deal with an emotional Aunt Sarah. The second I opened the front door I landed eyes first with a texting Adam. He flicked two of his fingers in greeting and came closer to give me a tight hug.

"How are you, beautiful?" He asked as he took my bag and proceeded  to lead the way to Claremont High School.

"I'm fine, thanks. It's nice of you to walk me to school but you don't have to." I informed him, taking my school bag back from him in the process.

"Nonsense. I like walking you to school. I know I just popped into your life unexpectedly but you'll be seeing a lot of me, Aura. It's what friends do." We walked in a comfortable silence  and when we were about to walk through the school gate, it struck me.

"Why are you really here, Adam?" I asked, unabashed. It was strange, how enthusiastic and determined he was to be my friend. The fact that he was at the cemetery that day just didn't add up. Nothing about him made sense. Call me cynical, but I was blessed with the one thing a few unfortunate souls didn't have: intuition.

His stare bore into mine. "What do you mean?" He asked calmly, as if talking to a starry-eyed child.

"I had a really tough night. Today is not the day to start any bullshit with me. So, I'm going to ask you again. What are you really trying to achieve here?"

Adam sighed under his breath. It made me question my decision to lash out at him. But I could feel the anger I felt last night bubbling up inside me. I did not want to be made a fool of by the one person who seemed to happen right when I didn't even know I needed him.

"My intentions are pure. I promise you." His voice didn't hold that child-like quality it had always had. It was replaced with a calm, almost sophisticated tone.

"What are your intentions?"

"To help you come to terms with yourself and your abilities." His gaze pierced through me. It must have been a whole two minutes before his face broke into a smile. "I'm just kidding, Aura. You should have seen your face. If I weren't attending a Maths and Science focused school, I'd be an actor." He grinned at me before grabbing my arm and dragging me through the gated high school.

"You're late again, Ms. Adams."  Mrs. Schlesinger said with a scowl as soon as I walked into English class 30 seconds late. Her face was extra taut. I didn't know whether it was because of anger or the tightness of the bun she decided to put her hair into.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. It won't happen again."

"Good. You can tell me just how sorry you are this afternoon in detention. Now go take your seat. You're interrupting my lesson."

I took my seat with a deep sigh. Detention meant I couldn't visit my mom's grave that afternoon. Just as I got my notebook out of my bag, a familiar mop of red hair popped in through the door.

Annoyance flashed on Mrs. Schlesinger's face. "Don't you knock?"

Adam matched her frown with a smile. "Sorry, Mrs. S. I got a note from Mr. Gibbon saying I need to transfer to this English class." He handed her the note, whistling as he did.

"Don't call me Mrs. S!" She said, the crease on her forehead becoming more prominent. She scanned the note attentively, silently questioning it's authenticity. When she was satisfied, she appointed him a seat, right next to me.

I raised my eyebrows in silent question as to why he got transferred from his previous English class. He just smiled in response while taking out his notebook. It was a brand new notebook.

"Why do you have a new book?" I asked him.

"New class. New book." He said, like it was some sort of slogan from a bad advert. I just nodded, willing myself to believe that there was nothing absurd going on. I told him about my detention and told him not to wait for me, but it all fell to deaf ears.

After school, I made my way to the hall where detention was being held. There weren't that many people there. Just a few boys laughing very loudly and a girl who looked like she was about to pass out from boredom.

I took a seat on the uncomfortable chairs that were more for a bar than a school. That was the worst part of detention: sitting on those evil chairs while the teacher on duty came up with all kind of ways to kill you in their head. It was gonna be a fun hour and a half.

I left school around 6 pm. The sky was painted in hues of purple and orange. I had already called Aunt Sarah and informed her I was going to be late. I knew it was going to get dark soon, but I still wanted to visit my mother's grave.
"I'll be home soon, Mom. I'm just waiting to walk a friend home." I stopped in my tracks. I had to be mistaken. It couldn't be Adam talking to the mother he told me was dead. I should have seen it coming. Nothing good ever happened to me. I was just a joke to him. I walked right up to his retreating back and calmly tapped his back. He spun around and shoved his phone in his pocket.

"Aura, I've been waiting f--"

I cut him off. "Here is what's going to happen. You are going to tell me why you perceive me as an idiot who can't figure out when someone is making a fool out of them. Lastly, you will explain to me why you've decided to make me a joke. You are going to do all of this right before you walk out of my life."

He raised his guilty gaze to the ground. "You must have heard me on the--"

The same feeling I felt the night I spoke to my father came bubbling to the surface.  Only this time, it was much, much stronger.

"Look me right in the eye, Adam or whatever your name is. I've spent years trying to feel anything. An ounce of ANYTHING! I couldn't even cry at my mother's fucking funeral. I've known you for 3 days, and you already know more about me than anyone else. You aren't who you say you are. I don't know what sort of game you're playing with me, but you better stop it right now. Because it has lost it appeal. Leave me alone. Do you understand? Leave me the hell alone!" Even though the cool air breezed past, I was sure my face was heated with anger.

He peered at me, dumbfounded. "God, you're actually angry. It wasn't supposed to happen this soon." He mumbled to himself, but I heard him anyway.

"Wow, you really are crazy." I said. I turned around and began walking home. The fact that he got his kicks out ot humiliating people was really demeaning.

"Wait, Aura." He grabbed my arm and I wretched it out of his embrace."

"Look, I'm sorry I lied to you. But it wasn't because I wanted to disgrace you or anything. I just..." He ran a frustrated hand over his face. "I thought I has more time. But you're already feeling things. They warned me about this." He started pacing in the same spot. It finally occurred to me that Adam Baxter definitely lacked a few chromosomes.

"What are you on about?"

He looked at me, like it was obvious. "I'll explain everything tomorrow. Just please, let me walk you home. It's getting very late."  it was the pleading in his voice that made me cave and not doubt his sanity further.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to let Adam walk me home that day at the cemetery. Or perhaps I shouldn't always let him goad me into believing that he wasnt completely mad. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. I've always had the misfortune of things never going the way I planned.