They'd been best friends since third grade, since a bee had stung her and he took off his own bandage and put it on her neck. In junior high, he'd started playing football, and she continued playing the saxophone; which eventually led to him being part of a different crowd, and she being a part of the band geeks.
They were nice band geeks though, always sweet and entertaining. They did thoughtful things for each other, and accepted her. And as the years passed, Adrian and Sellie started to stop calling each other, and stopped hanging out. He was busy with his new football friends, and his cheerleader girlfriend, and she was busy studying and staying home. They continued this way until high school. Then, sophomore year, Sellie heard Adrian's mom died.
He started practicing harder, and coming home later. He barely saw Sellie, even though she always saw him. He passed her in the hallways, at lunch, sometimes Adrian even after school. But not once did he ever acknowledge her.
She started to wonder if they'd ever really been friends. This wasn't the Adrian she knew, the Adrian that laughed at everything, the one that enjoyed reading, the one that was so kind to everyone, everywhere. This new Adrian, he was...he was rebellious, self-centered, and ignorant. She often caught herself thinking about how things had changed. But maybe they'd always been like this. Maybe she was the one that changed.
"Really?" she heard Adrian asking his friend, Jack.
"Yeah, man. You missed it. Where were you?"
Sellie sat down at the bench a couple feet behind them, pretending to read.
"I was with Juliana, you know, chilling."
Jack raised his eyebrows, "Chilling huh?"
"Yeah guy, we watched Titanic."
"Again?" Jack's eyes boggled.
Adrian sighed. "She's obsessed."
Jack laughed. "Thank God Kahlan isn't like that. I don't know what I'd do."
Adrian shrugged.
Sellie closed her eyes, resting her head on the bench. She heard someone sit by her and opened one eye.
"Mark?" she sat up.
"Sleepy much?" he laughed.
She shook her head, and smiled, "No. I'm just waiting for my mom to pick me up."
"I can drive you." He offered.
She waved him off. "No, it's fine."
"Really, I want to."
She looked at him for a moment and smiled again, "Alright then."
They walked to his car and drove into the long line. The student parking lot was always full.
"So why'd you skip practice today?" she asked him.
He sighed. "Honestly? I just didn't feel like dealing with Mr. G today."
"He was pretty pissed today," she agreed.
"He's pissed every day. It's like he's going through menopause at age thirty."
She laughed," That's one way to put it."
"What's another way?" he asked.
She thought for a minute. "Maybe he's going through a rough divorce and his teenage daughter is pregnant with his ex-wife's boyfriend."
Sellie looked over at Mark and his face was wrinkled with disgust.
"Only you would think of that," he looked at her with horror.
She laughed, leaned her head on his shoulder, and sighed.
"What's wrong?" he murmured, kissing her hair.
"I'm just...I don't know. Tired? Bored? Confused? I don't know."
He stroked her curly red hair, "What are you confused about?"
"Nothing. Everything," she exhaled loudly. "I feel like...I'm tired."
"Well, you could go to sleep earlier," he offered.
"Very true, but not that kind of tired. Tired like... tired of the same old same old."
Mark drove forward, the line moving faster now. He wondered if she was thinking about breaking up with him. Was he too boring for her? Was she bored of his dull everyday life? He pondered these questions as she tilted her head up and kissed his neck.
"I love you." She whispered.
"I love you more," he murmured into her hair.
Mark dropped her off at her house, and drove home.
Adrian woke up from his nap in the living room, with the TV on.
"Shit." He said, looking at the time.
He was supposed to meet Juliana at the fancy Italian resturaunt downtown at seven, and it was well past twelve now. He picked up his cell phone and called her, just to get her voicemail.
"Hey baby, sorry I fell asleep and...crap. Okay, look. I'll make this up to you somehow okay? Call me when you get this. Love you. " He hung up, rubbing his eyes.
He went downstairs to his gym, and started lifting weights. After a while, he got bored and decided to go for a jog around the block. Grabbing his jacket, he called out, " Dad?"
No reply.
Adrian shut the door, and starting jogging in the dark, the fresh air waking him up. He was halfway around, when he tripped over a hose, slammed into a trash can, and landed on the asphalt.
"Fuck," he swore. His knee started bleeding, and he picked himself up. Suddenly there was a throbbing pain and he winced, as the door to the house in front of him opened, and a girl came rushing out.
"Oh my gosh. Are you okay? Oh god. Here, come inside," she held his elbow and walked him up the steps into her house.
He walked inside, confused. He looked back at the girl, but she was gone.
"Umm?" he scanned the room, puzzled.
The girl, he couldn't see her face in the dark, returned with something in her hands.
"Here, sit down." She pushed his shoulders down and he sat on a couch that seemed to swallow him.
She got up and turned on a light and she wiped his bleeding knee.
"Ow!" he gasped.
"Sorry," she apologized, " I know it stings, but it'll disinfect your knee."
He looked at her. Her crazy curly red hair was pushed behind her ears. Her hazel eyes were filled with worry as she studied his knee.
He drew in a quick breath and exhaled. "Sellie?"
