Elena's P.O.V.
"We need to talk."
"We need to talk."
Both Hazel and I spoke at the same time, sharing a look of curiosity and bewilderment.
"It's about Adam."
"It's about Annie," I gave her a sheepish grin, pointing at her. "Hey, we broke the cycle."
My friend rolled her eyes and sighed, dragging me out of the school hall and to the closest bathroom without another word.
"Elena, there is something you need to know," was the first thing Hazel said after locking the restroom we were occupying. "About Adam and Annie."
My eyebrows furrowed, finding the air turning too heavy for my taste. "Well, it better be worth the loss of my sense of smell," my fingers quickly pulled my shirt over my nose, inhaling the faint scent of my perfume to breathe.
"They broke up."
Despite the injuries I could obtain from being exposed to the poisonous gas, my hand lost the grip on my shirt.
"What?" Confusion was evident in my voice and on my face, hiding the guilt that shadowed in the corner. "When? How? What? I don't-"
"Listen, I don't have all the details nor do I know if everything that has been said is true. But one thing is for sure: they are broken up." The curly-haired interrupted, her eyes unbiased as she gave me the glance that said more than words could.
We would have to skip the second period to get through the story.
With a heavy sigh escaping my lips, I slumped down on one of the closed toilet seats, nodding for her to start.
I'm so going to regret my actions for the past week, aren't I?
"It happened the day before prom, at a party. . ."
***
I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot - I'm such an idiot! I told myself repeatedly, feeling so stupid and ignorant after gaining the knowledge Hazel laid out for me.
Why did no one tell me about this earlier? Why didn't anyone bother to tell me this before I started the mean game of 'Hide From Adam As Long As You Can'?
I learned that the reason for the football player's absence on prom wasn't because he forgot it. He didn't show up because he went to some party nor did he go with another girl. No.
Adam Myers didn't show up because of heartbreak. He didn't show up because he found out that Annie cheated on him.
But when I saw her on the day of my performance she was filled with tears and grief. The day she watched me sing, she looked like a wreck, drowning in woe and melancholy.
So, what does that mean?
"God, they're both giving me a headache," I mumbled, going at a fast pace towards the cafeteria.
Whatever that is happening between the two of them, is between them. However, what I have caused to the (odd) friendship with Adam, is my business, and for that reason, I need to repair the damages I have provoked.
I may not know the exact words I'm going to say, but one thing is for sure: I need to talk to the football player that is surrounded by his friends.
Well, I thought bitterly, This is going to be painfully awkward.
Biting into the bullet, I forced my feet to move forward, taking one step at the time. I could feel the touch of Hazel's stern glance telling me to make my amends, and just as I could feel it, I saw it when I turned around.
She was standing by the door with crossed arms and with Emil at her side. The tall boy was giving me an amused smile, looking as if he was about to burst into laughter. Hazel, on the other hand, just raised her eyebrow, silently telling me to get over with it.
Damn, do I hate it when she's right.
And so I walked to the table consisting of football players, standing behind the black-haired boy awkwardly. I'm surprised that he hasn't noticed me yet, but then again, he's too busy listening to a joke.
I hate this.
A cough fell out of my lips and into my fist, the small sound successfully drawing attention. "Hey, Adam."
His eyes were wide and frozen, and he was staring with such surprise that I was wondering if I had grown two heads without noticing. "Elena?" He spoke with a soft tone, his voice displaying the confusion and relief in that word. "I have been-"
"Looking for me? Yeah, I know. I think we both know why we haven't bumped into each other for the past weeks." A tight smile stretched across my face, my avoidance of eye contact displaying my guilt and shame. "Listen, I heard about. . . you know. I'm sorry that you guys. . . you know. And I came here to apologize for. . . you know."
This is not going where I wanted it to go.
Adam gave me a small smile, a sad but almost an amused gleam. "Thank you, I appreciate it."
"Yeah, well, there is one more thing . ." Scratching the back of my ear, I glanced back to my friend who was nodding at me, her curly hair jumping with tenacity. Swallowing the entire acid apple, I averted my attention to the blue-eyed boy. "To make up for the loss of time, I was wondering if you'd like to. . ." I bit my tongue to avoid using the 'You know' phrase again. "Go canoeing with me today."
"What?"
This is physically hurting me.
"You heard me," at that moment, I was certain that I would melt because of the burning embarrassment slapped on my cheeks. However, due to my steady words, a false confidence masked my awkwardness. "Oh, well, I can't say that I didn't try."
"Hey, wait!" He spun me around, his face painted with the colors of perplex. "I- there- it's-" His words were a mess of gibberish. "Sure," he breathed out, finally settling down on a comprehensible answer.
I smiled, watching how the team captain didn't notice how forged my gleam was.
As bad as it sounds, I was hoping that he would turn down my offer. Why else would I ask him to go canoeing with me?
***
"Hey, look who decided to show up for once," I pushed myself off the wall, catching the faint flinch on his face at my statement.
Too early?
Adam gave an uneasy smile, his hand scratching the back of his neck as if he had been bitten by a venomous, chagrin-filled mosquito. "So, why canoeing?" He asked, filtering the air from embarrassment. "Out of all the things in the world, why did you choose to go cruising in the middle of the week?"
So I can prepare myself when I go canoeing with Ethan on Saturday.
I gave him a cunning smile, "Why not?"
It took some time before we finally managed to get the paddled boat out to the lake. After a lot of heated directions here and there, water filling our shoes and soaking our clothes, the canoe was out and dancing on the surface of the lake.
We paddled in silence, either to gain energy for the conversation we were soon to have or because of the awkwardness filling the air.
"So, I heard that you like oranges," Adam tore the silence, his random statement summoning a perplexed glance on my face. "Hazel told me, so I got us some."
"Thanks, I guess?" I slowly accepted the fruit, holding awkwardly onto it. "Is this your apology for ditching me last week? Because if it is, I'll let you know that you're the first person to ever apologize with oranges." My response was somewhat sweet and bitter like the fruit I was holding, albeit it summoned laughter.
"Hazel said that it could put you in a better mood if I gave you something you liked," the boy smiled, taking an orange and peeling it. "I really am sorry for what I did - or what I didn't do-"
"Adam, it's okay, I understand," I interrupted, wiping the orange juice from my lips with my sleeve.
"No, it's not. Let me do something for you, Elena - let me take you somewhere." His words were firm and stood without any room of repudiation. "There's a party this weekend. . ."
At first, I felt excited to hear his first words, to hear that he wanted to hang out again. However, the continuation demolished the elation, almost turning me from a happy-go-lucky-fish into a sleepless and annoyed wild boar.
Ethan would certainly have come up with something better, I thought to myself, giving a fake smile to the team captain and nodding to his blurred words. The prince might annoy me quite often, but there is no doubt that he knows how to fill the time with joy and laughter.
"You know," I cut him off again, trying to sound as cheery as I could. "We could just go for a jog this weekend, it's easy, fun and. . . healthy."
Yeah, healthier than drinking alcohol.
He gave me a furrowed look, tilting his head to the side with a curious glance. "What's up with you and random activities?"
I couldn't help but laugh at his answer, finding amusement in his response. "Well, Eve," I started, my smile widening at his playful glare. "Just get your oar and start paddling, because we're about to go on an adventure."
And so we went, leaving a trail of laughter and jokes behind us. Just as we were having fun hanging out in a canoe, we were finding joy in our jogs for the next couple of weeks.