Someone Like Adam

9. Perfect little life

Go back to your perfect little life.

How easy it was for him to say this sentence!

If only he knew.

I sat there on my bed, hugging my knees, wearing Mom's old T-shirt and sobbing silently. He didn't know how excruciatingly painful it was to watch my mother slowly wither away. A part of me died when she took her last breath. Another part of me died when I watched my father cry like a baby on her funeral.

There were many times when I wanted her on my side, I needed her on my side. The day I lost my mother, I lost my best friend too. My childhood ended that day and at the age of 12, I grew up.

Perfect! Another sob escaped my lips.

...

"Come in Alicia. Adam will be here soon." Tiffany opened the door and let me in. She was dressed in a nude business suit which hinted that she just returned from the work. She led me to their TV lounge and we both sat down on a mahogany couch.

After what happened last night, I was a little nervous to meet him. So I sat there silently, playing with the hem of my shirt.

"Is Adam giving you a hard time?" she asked when she noticed my nervousness.

"Uh.. Nothing I can't handle." I replied.

"It's not his fault you know. After what happened with him, he... He just.." she stopped in her sentence.

"What happened?" I asked curiously.

"Nothing you should be concerned about." his deep voice hit my ears and I looked behind me, only to find Adam standing near the door.

"Adam we were just-" Tiffany tried to speak.

"Don't bother." he said dryly and turned around to leave. From the tone of his voice, he sounded seriously pissed.

"Do I need to give you a printed invitation?" his voice was directed at me. I immediately straightened up and followed him to his room.

"You don't have to be rude with her." I whispered once we were inside his room. He chose not to reply and seated himself on the bed. I looked at him with disappointment and then flopped down beside him.

"Here. I tried solving the questions Mrs. Dale gave us." I passed him the notebook which he assessed.

"Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong." he said as his gaze moved downwards. "Correct. Sorry my bad, again wrong."

"Huh? How is that possible?" I half-yelled and snatched it away from him.

"Your condition is far worse than I assumed." he taunted, tearing the page off and I gritted my teeth in annoyance.

Cocky son of a bagel.

For the next half an hour, he helped me solve the questions. By helped, I mean taunted me to a point where I was willing to tear his face apart. I had realized that my basics were quite weak and he was, in fact, a genius. A rude, condescending genius actually.

"Why aren't you coming to the party?" I asked when I found him engrossed in his own work.

"I don't owe you any explanation." he retorted without bothering to look at me.

"But-"

"Ssshhh." he hummed.

I rolled my eyes and scooted a little closer to him to take a peek on his work. Our little fingers accidentally touched and he jerked his hand away instantly. I exhaled and created some distance between us.