Gentry's Chance

Chapter 12. I'm Not Adam

Taytum's POV

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been hanging around Chance a lot. Not only Chance but the other boys too. They're not half as bad as I thought. Chance and I have our book nearly finished, far sooner than either of us expected. When I walk into Chance's house he's laying on the couch with a pillow over his face. He knew I was coming over we only have two more chapters to write. We agreed to finish it today. "Are you just going to lay there all day or are we going to finish this book?"

Chance throws the pillow off his face and chuckles. "I didn't even hear you come in. How about you finish it and I go to sleep." He wiggles his eyebrows. 

"Why are you so tired all the time?" I grumbled. He bends his knees so I can sit down on the couch but he's still taking up about half of it.

"Unlike you, I work," He muttered.

"Oh? Where?" I asked.

"A mechanic shop in Nashville. I didn't get home until three this morning," He yawned. 

"Well tough, I want to finish this so let's get it done," I said. I sit down on the floor below his head and grab his laptop. He yawns and turns over moving his head closer to look over my shoulder. "If I have to finish it without you it's going to suck." 

"Fine by me at least the parts I wrote will be good," He laughed. I turn around and swat him which just makes him laugh harder. 

"You suck," I muttered.

"We both know that isn't true," He chuckled. 

Oh my god, I can't believe he said that. I throw my hands over my face and giggle. "You know what just shut up and go to sleep. I definitely think you need it."

"The guys and I got a bunch of concert tickets. Do you want to go?" He asked, tiredly. I stop typing and arch my head to look back at him. 

"Who is it?" I asked curiously. 

"Kid Rock and a couple of others I think," He shrugs. 

"Really?!" I gasp my laptop nearly falls off my lap.

"I'm guessing from the look on your face is you like him."

"I love him," I beam. "When?"

"Next Saturday," He yawned again. "We're all staying in Nashville the night before and the night of. Jayden's parents got us hotel rooms."

"I'll have to ask my aunt to make sure," I said. I turn back and start typing again. Chance reads over my shoulder. He adds some ideas of what I should write. We both know how the story ends.  

Within a couple of hours, the story is finished. I arch my head back as I close the laptop. "Do you like to write?" I asked.

"Hmm, kind of I guess." He turns onto his back again as he speaks. "I used to write a lot of poetry. I don't really have time for it anymore. I always liked writing music too, but no time for that either."

"When I was younger I used to play the guitar." My voice fills with sadness. 

"Used to?" His voice is full of curiosity. He stares intently at me. I turn to face him still on the floor. I rest my elbow on the couch and comb my hair with my fingers.

"My mom died when I was ten years old," I admit. "One of the things she left for me was her guitar. She used to teach me on it a lot. After she died I was kind of on my own and I learned a lot. My parents split up when I was six months old. I'd go stay with my dad just on weekends. When my mom died I had no choice but to live with my dad. My dad was cruel abusive in many ways. He took the guitar when I was fourteen and smashed it. It was an old acoustic guitar. When he busted it to pieces I just quit playing. He told me I was no good at it."

Chance stares at me in shock for a long moment but swallows hard. "That is why you live with your aunt?" 

"Yeah, she got custody of me when I was fifteen," I shrug. I've never told anyone about it until just now not even my best friend. I'm unsure what possessed me to tell Chance.

Chance suddenly gets off the couch and heads out of the living room. I stare after him in confusion. When he comes back he's holding an old acoustic guitar. It's almost similar to the one I had. He sits down on the couch. I stand up and sit down beside him. "This was my mom's. She used to play too. She taught me to play," He explained. 

He begins strumming the guitar. I'm unfamiliar with the song, but he doesn't sing. He plays the song so well. Tears build in my eyes but I quickly bite them back. When he's finished he hands the guitar to me. "Your turn."

"I haven't played in so long. I'd suck at it," I muttered.

"It's like riding a bike. You don't forget. Go ahead I ain't going to laugh," He said. His gaze meets mine, his eyes are kind. I sigh taking the guitar. I begin playing the song Big Girls Don't Cry. That song got me through so many hard times. Unlike Chance, I decided to sing the song I'm playing. I can feel his gaze on me, but I don't meet his gaze. 

When the song is over I hand him the guitar back finally meeting his gaze. "Wow," He breathed. His voice is full of shock. I smile in response. "Anyone tell you, you have a great voice?"

"Just my mom, nobody else has heard it... apart from you," I murmured. "I should get going. I have to take my car to the shop and get the oil checked. I'm pretty sure it needs to be changed."

"Don't you know how to check it?" He arches a brow.

"No," I sigh. "Nobody ever taught me."

"I'll teach you," He said. He jumps to his feet and begins heading for the door. I'm staring after him like an idiot. He looks back at me. "What's wrong?" 

What is wrong is how perfect he is. He didn't laugh or make jokes. He didn't criticize me for not knowing how to check my oil. "N-nothing," I stuttered. I follow Chance out to the driveway. He pops the hood and opens it up. He waits until I'm standing beside him. He points out where the dipstick is. He pulls out and brings it closer for me to see. 

"It is low you should have it changed soon," He said. He puts it back. He showed me where the max and min line was. "I'll change it for you. All you need to do is buy the filter and oil, okay?"

His offer stuns me. "You don't have to."

"I don't mind. I can show you how to do an oil change too," He said as he shut my hood. He turns to face me. "What?" He asked probably because I'm eyeing him.

"Why are you so nice to me?" I asked.

He knits his eyebrows together. "Am I supposed to be mean? I thought we were friends?"

"We are-" I stop and look down at my car. "Adam wouldn't even show me how to check my oil. He made fun of me for not knowing how."

Chance grabs my chin forcing me to look at him. His eyes stare into mine for a long moment. His gaze is so intense it makes my knees wobble. "I'm not Adam." He lowers his lips to my cheek kissing it softly before letting go and walking away. I turn and stare after him as he walks into the house.