Assisting Miss Adams (GirlxGirl) NEW VERSION

Twelve

As Megan and I sat in the airport pickup waiting for Shawn I couldn't help but think about the last few weeks of October. They hadn't consisted of much other than me helping the softball girls and attempting to grow a relationship with Emma. Gratefully, Megan and Blair secretly coached me from the sidelines.

Before I could reflect much more Shawn emerged from the airport, luggage in tow behind him. He smiled when he spotted my car.

My legs darted towards him and my arms wrapped around his neck. Suddenly a small part of the emptiness I felt was whole again when he returned my gesture.

"Wow, you're hugging me. I should leave more often," he greeted.

"Shut up," I mumbled into his chest.

Megan just smiled while standing off to the side.

"It's good to know I was missed."

I pulled away. "How was New York?"

He threw his luggage into my trunk and took his place in the front seat. "Great. Everything went fantastic." He paused. "How did things go here? Anything interesting happen?"

Oh there were plenty of interesting things. I could tell him about Nikki, Megan's crazy ex showing up and me pretending to be her girlfriend. I could tell him about the nightmares that had returned. I could tell him about a lot.

"Sam got a girlfriend," Megan answered.

And then there was that.

"You what?" Shawn asked.

I nodded. "Yep. Her names Emma."

"You have a girlfriend?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's really not that big of a deal."

"It really is!" Shawn shouted. "She's gotta be pretty good for you to make it official. I'm gonna have to meet her soon."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," I ordered.

Don't get me wrong, I thought Emma was great. But of course the adjustment to being in a relationship had been hard. Like really hard.

I found it was hard not pulling away when Emma would grab my hand in the halls. It was hard when people asked me if we were really in a relationship or if Emma was just "testing out different options". It was hard when I wanted to go to Jinx and she made me feel bad for wanting to do so. And it was hard opening up to her when she would ask me certain questions. But even when things were hard, which was expected, there was also a lot of good.

I enjoyed hanging out with her outside of school where we went on dates and she helped me study. Softball practice was fun until she forced me to run laps with her and the girls, but I also loved a challenge. Going to bonfires with her and Blair was also a good time because those get-togethers were a lot more chill than the parties. And she even convinced me to attend a few football games, which was something I had never done before.

Yet I still felt as if something was missing and I wasn't sure what it was. I was sure I still didn't know what it felt like to be in love, and I was starting to believe I was incapable of feeling such a thing. Or maybe I was and had no idea.

When we got home we hung out with Shawn considering it was Sunday and there was nothing else to do but relax. Eventually Megan left us to go upstairs and work on next week's curriculum and Shawn felt the need to break some news.

"So mom called me yesterday," he revealed.

I sucked in a tight breath when I felt my chest closing in. I knew Shawn still talked to our parents, but I hadn't since leaving two years ago. I refused to do so. Not after everything they had put me through.