A/N: Italics are memories except for the first two sentences. Just a heads-up.
It Happened in One Summer
Howie Jones fell hopelessly in love over the course of one summer. . .
Adrianna Jeepers wasn't meant to fall in love right back. . .
Summer was a time most teenagers – especially soon-to-be seniors – reveled in. The transition from May to June and June to July meant no school. No more teachers, no more books. Nothing but long, lazy days spent chilling in the AC or playing game after game of soccer with friends. Most teenagers slept in until noon and then stayed up until two in the morning, texting significant others and angsting over their latest superstar obsession. Summer meant being who you wanted to be without restriction.
Summer meant freedom.
Unfortunately for Howie Jones, summer meant absolutely none of those things anymore. Since he turned fourteen, his father had been adamant about teaching his son the value of hard work, and so summer meant long days doing nothing but physical labor for ridiculously low prices. It was a bitter pill to swallow at first; while Eddie and the girls were off playing soccer, he was cleaning out Mrs. Jenkins' gutters until six o'clock at night. Still, he got super tanned after the sunburns finally faded, and his muscles were freaking fantastic.
Seriously, six-pack abs equated to the greatest thing ever, and all he had to do to maintain them during school was his judo class.
Yes, Howie had resigned himself to summer hell since freshman year. However, he was not okay with whatever the fuck his father was thinking for this particular summer.
Working for Mrs. Jeepers from May to fucking August sounded like it would be worse than normal summer hell.
Later, the eighteen year old would be ashamed to admit that he begged his father to reconsider making him do all of his former algebra teacher's yard-work. But Dr. Jones refused to budge on the issue, utterly determined to make his son see the value of what this summer would teach him.
Howie found himself approaching the door to the Clancy Estate on May 14th, palms sweating and pulse racing as he knocked on the ancient front door.
He nearly passed out when Mrs. Jeepers opened the offending structure.
The intimidating, forever-impeccable woman who haunted the corridors of Bailey City High was gone. Well, not really gone, because the look of cool detachment on her face was one he'd seen many times. But she wasn't the same. The elegant dresses and svelte business suits were gone, replaced with an obviously well-loved Batman tank and a pair of shorts. And his former algebra teacher had never been a tall woman, barely coming up to about nose height when wearing heels. But now she was barefoot, pale toes stark against the old wooden porch. He idly took note that she was the perfect size to tuck underneath his chin.
Howie had swallowed, nervous, before he offered her a sheepish grin while scratching the back of his shaggy blonde head. "Good morning, Mrs. Jeepers. Where do you want me to start?"
For a moment, it seemed like this would be just like freshman year, where she was the ethereal forever-hot teacher with a personality like ice and he the faceless nerd in the crowd. Howie felt nerves twist his stomach in knots as he stared down at the tiny woman.
Only, it wasn't going to be like that, apparently.
Mrs. Jeepers smiled at him gently after a moment, running a hand through her messy red curls. "I promise not to bite, Howie. We're not in school." Her tone was quiet and teasing. "You'll start in the back-yard."
She gestured for him to follow, and the teenager stepped over the threshold in a daze. "Yes ma'am."
Immediately, her face scrunched in an expression of slight distaste, and Howie found himself taken aback by how cute it made her look. Bright green eyes – ones which had terrified him at one point – flashed almost seriously.
"If you're going to be spending your summer here, I would prefer you not call me 'ma'am'. It makes me feel old. Adrianna will do for now."
As he stepped out on to the sagging back porch, Howie couldn't help but feel like his world had been tipped onto its axis. Because this woman, this tiny and petite woman with verdant gemstone eyes, had to be an imposter. There was no way Mrs. Jeepers would ever be so casual around someone who once feared her presence, who still feared her presence.
That was the beginning of something beautiful and frightening for the teenager.
Every day, Monday to Friday, Howie would show up at Adrianna's door with his tools at nine a.m. sharp. He learned things within the first couple of weeks, despite not being in school.
First thing he learned was that the old man Clancy had been a sadistic fuck, because there was no way any sane person would make a backyard on such a steep gradient and then not take meticulous care of it. No wonder Adrianna had never tried to tackle it herself – the fucking lawnmower would've taken her out before she'd managed to get half the yard done. The first week or so was devoted to nothing but bringing the lawn back under control, and Howie had never been so goddamn sore in his life.
The second thing he learned was that Adrianna was most definitely not a sadistic fuck. In fact, she was a lot kinder than she liked to let on.
By noon each day, the heat had risen to a level that made working with his shirt on damn near impossible. So, naturally, he was sunburned massively by Thursday afternoon on top of being intensely sore. Howie hadn't expected his former teacher to pay attention to him much while he worked – most of the clients his dad lined up didn't – so when she called him in around two he'd thought nothing of it. However, when he'd stepped into the (blessedly) cool house, the teenager found himself being manhandled into a kitchen chair as she pressed a glass of ice water into his hand.
"Um, Adrianna, did you need something?" His question had been unsure, confused.
The petite red-headed woman pulled something out from a nearby cabinet, quirking her eyebrow at him while she did so. "Has your father never stressed the importance of sunscreen to you, silly boy? You look like a boiled lobster. And you've been moving like an old man for the past three hours. Sit down and drink some water. Have you eaten yet today?"
Howie blinked once, twice. Slowly, he shook his head. Adrianna made an odd noise of disbelief. Idly, he watched the way her hair fell into her eyes from its messy ponytail. As she floated around the island like a wraith, the teen noted that she was holding a large bottle of aloe-vera gel. He bit his lip; his dad hadn't gotten around to buying any. And this sunburn felt like someone had dipped him in a vat of liquid fire.
"Honestly! What do you want to eat, Howie?" Adrianna questioned.
Taken aback, he stammered to himself for a moment before responding with, "I dunno. Usually I just make myself a sandwich the night before and eat it after I'm done working."
Those green eyes scrutinized him carefully. "You go all day without eating?"
After he nodded, the petite woman scoffed quietly. "Howie Jones, you are a mystery to me. Would you like some pizza? I can order some from the place down the street."
Howie nodded again, shocked that she would do something so nice for him. He was so lost in thought that he didn't noticed as she stepped behind him, popping open the aloe-vera and squeezing a generous amount into her palm.
He did notice when the cool substance was rubbed onto his burned spine. Howie yelped, flinching away from the sting. Adrianna laughed quietly at him.
"Calm down, Howie. It's just aloe."
"I wasn't expecting you to put it on my back, that's all! I swear!" he squeaked, voice high in panic.
Again, she laughed, and Howie couldn't help but notice how beautiful it was. Her fingers were cool despite the stifling heat outside, and the touch against his back didn't feel at all uncomfortable after the initial sting of contact. Adrianna was careful as she spread the goopy concoction over his skin, and the teenager found himself relaxing despite how awkward this should have been.
"There," she proclaimed after a moment. "I'm done. You can do your chest and shoulders while I order the pizza. I'll call you back in when it arrives. What kind do you want?"
Howie stood up, stretching his desperately sore muscles, and responded, "Anything you want is cool with me. You can take however much the pizza costs out of my pay for the week."
When he came back inside, she had ordered his favorite – pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and pineapple. It was the best pizza he'd ever eaten ever. And they'd had an actual conversation, one that was easy and in depth. He learned that she was a person that day.
At the end of the week, she paid him the same amount she would any other week.
They ate pizza at least once a week after that.
As May faded into June, Howie learned other things about Adrianna.
The 'Mrs. Jeepers' persona was a farce – honestly, that one wasn't hard to figure out. Adrianna was a quiet person, not keen on much social interaction, but once she got comfortable her personality shone like the Sun. He learned that Batman was her favorite super-hero of all time on a Tuesday while he worked on the porch. The way her face lit up while talking about the Caped Crusader had ignited a deep fire within him.
He wanted to make her smile like that all the time.
Howie learned that she was only twenty-six over glasses of lemonade shared on that same back porch. He'd been rebuilding all week, and everything had been coming together nicely. Adrianna had made sweet lemonade to reward him for his efforts, sitting cross-legged next to him on the newly refurbished wood. Their legs had touched, and even though the air was hot and sticky, Howie hadn't felt any inclination to move away from her.
Over the course of a month, Howie Jones had developed a hopeless crush on Adrianna. Because Adrianna was possibly the singular most beautiful person he'd ever seen in his life. From the way she grinned like a dork over Batman to how she never failed to make him put on sunscreen to how her clothes never consisted of more than a tank top and a pair of lose shorts. Her personality was just as beautiful as her physical appearance.
Which, in his humble eighteen-year-old appearance, was saying a lot.
Adrianna was fucking hot.
It was the middle of June when he realized that his hopeless crush had evolved to full-blown love.
Howie had never liked his Aunt Thalia all that much. She was loud and bossy and completely infatuated with the sound of her own voice. It didn't help that whenever he did see his aunt, she never failed to find something that she desperately needed him to do for her. So when his Aunt Thalia called him at six o'clock in the morning on a Thursday to inform him that he would be watching his little cousin that day, Howie wanted to tell her to literally go fuck herself.
But, seeing as how his dad would never forgive him if he did that, Howie sighed and begrudgingly accepted the task. He'd just go over to Adrianna's house early and see if he could come over Saturday instead. His aunt imperiously told him that she'd be at the door with Roland at precisely eight o' five.
Howie still wanted her to precisely fuck off.
It wasn't that Roland was a bad baby. In fact, most of the time, Howie enjoyed watching the little guy. He was only fourteen months old; babysitting at that age was pretty easy. And Roland was a fat, adorable little cherub with curly dark hair and dimples. So, yeah, he had nothing against the kid. It was his aunt that'd put the chip on the teen's shoulder.
Like she'd proclaimed earlier, Thalia rang the doorbell at eight o' five. Howie had pulled on a worn cut-off and some shorts, and he'd greeted his much-loathed aunt with a tired smile. Roland was promptly shoved into his arms, still half asleep and dressed in nothing but his pajamas. A diaper bag got dropped near the door.
"I'll be back around five-thirty, Howie," she snipped. "I expect my son to be ready to leave by then."
"Yes, Aunt Thalia," Howie replied. "He'll be ready to go by then."
She didn't even say good-bye to her still-sleepy toddler before stomping back down the walkway to her car. Howie bounced Roland on his hip, bicep clenching around the boy's tiny body. The kid was fat, but he wasn't exactly big, and all the work he'd been doing this summer had made the teenager's bicep muscles solid as a rock.
"Kiddo, I feel so sorry for you," Howie whispered. "You have to live with that woman for the next eighteen years."
Roland answered with a sleepy yawn, pudgy fists tightening in the worn fabric of his older cousin's shirt. Howie couldn't help but smile at him. His dark auburn hair was thin and wispy, arranged in messy curls atop an overlarge head, and only the tiniest sliver of his dark blue eyes could be seen.
Okay, maybe babysitting the chubby little dork wouldn't be so bad.
The morning air was perfect, not too hot, and Howie made the walk to Adrianna's home in relative comfort. Roland had started to wake up. The fourteen-month-old babbled incoherently, gnawing on his fingers while animatedly expressing – well, what he was expressing wasn't exactly clear, but the kid got pretty excited talking about it. Howie laughed as Roland emitted a high-pitched squeal of delight.
He knocked on Adrianna's door around eight-forty-five.
She answered fairly quickly, gaze confused. "You're here early, Howie. What's going on?"
Then she caught sight of Roland, and Howie swore his heart would beat right out of his chest. The smile that curved Adrianna's sugar-pink lips could've lit up a ballroom; she looked like he'd unintentionally given her the most precious thing in the world.
"And who is this?" she gasped excitedly. Roland giggled, reaching for Adrianna with pudgy fists. "Oh, you are absolutely precious!"
Howie passed over his baby cousin without struggle, shocked at how easily Roland had taken to her. He was usually pretty wary of strangers. But Adrianna, with her bright smile and easy lilting voice, was anything but a normal stranger. She settled Roland's chubby body on her hip like she'd done it a thousand times, grinning at the little boy as he babbled nonsensically at her. Tiny fingers wove tightly into her loose red curls. But Adrianna didn't seem to mind in the slightest.
"This is Roland. My aunt called at, like, six this morning and told me I had to babysit for the day. I was coming over to ask if I could work on Saturday instead. . ." Howie trailed off, watching how easily Adrianna interacted with Roland.
Not even Roland's freaking mother was so good with the little ball of pudge.
"But I could still get a couple hours work done today, if you wouldn't mind watching Roland. He's a pretty good baby, and if he gets fussy I can always take him home with me and put in a couple extra hours tomorrow."
Adrianna looked up at him with the brightest expression he'd seen, and Howie swore that his heart nearly exploded.
"You'd be comfortable with me watching him?" She looked almost frightened of his response. "I would be happy to, of course, but are you sure?"
Howie laughed quietly. "Adri, you have literally just interacted with Roland better than his own mother does. And I trust you. So if you wouldn't mind watching him for a few extra minutes, I'll just run back to my house for my stuff and his diaper bag."
As he jogged back down the walk-way, Howie heard Adrianna cooing at Roland in what he assumed was Romanian. That was followed almost immediately by a happy squeal from his younger cousin.
He couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day, not even when his Aunt Thalia berated him for not having Roland ready to leave by five-thirty.
The next time his aunt called at six in the morning – which he quickly learned was going to be bi-weekly – Howie didn't hesitate to bring Roland over to Adrianna's house.
That first day babysitting Roland was also the first time Howie called his former teacher Adri. He later learned that he was the first person allowed to do so.
When he asked why, Adri only grinned at him, those pretty eyes flashing as she threw out a casual, "Because reasons, you silly boy."
June bled into July. Howie took it upon himself to make her Fourth of July weekend special. It wasn't like he was super patriotic - most teenagers honestly aren't - but Adrianna was always fucking alone. That fact made his heart ache desperately. His mother pretended her only son didn't exist much of the time, so he had no plans on that front. And his dad had already told him that FATS was hosting a scientific contest in Los Angeles the three days before the holiday weekend. The chances of getting a barbecue out of the man after a full three days of engineering nerd-dom were pretty much nothing.
He had no qualms about asking if Adrianna wanted to watch the city fireworks with him on the roof of her house.
Surprisingly, she said yes.
"And you're entirely sure this is safe?"
Howie grinned at the slight note of apprehension in her pretty voice. She was already safely on the roof, nestled in the steep grooves next to her bedroom window. He was hanging out of said window, muscles bulging as he supported the entirety of his weight on his arms. The sky was darkening quickly, colors bleeding into one another like a fiery watercolor. And the fireworks display would be starting soon after dark.
The teenager launched himself onto the roof. He easily climbed to where Adrianna was sitting, grinning at her put-off expression as he plopped down next to her.
"Well, Adri, I'm not exactly saying this is safe for me. But there is absolutely no way I'm going to let you fall." He said that last part with the utmost seriousness.
She smiled at him in the way that made his heart want to pound out of his chest. "I trust you, silly boy. What I don't trust is my roof."
A laugh burst out of Howie before he could stop himself, and he nodded in agreement with her statement. "Yeah, I didn't really think about that! But, seriously, you are not falling off this roof. I will not allow it."
Again, Adri smiled at him gently before leaning her head on his shoulder. Her hair smelled like rosemary and mint, silken as it brushed over his bare skin. It was the first time she'd voluntarily leaned against him.
Howie thought he might float away on a cloud.
They sat there like that for a few minutes, watching as the Sun disappeared over the horizon. Adrianna shivered slightly as a breeze washed over them. And Howie automatically wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently rubbing her bare skin to get some blood flowing once more. She stiffened against him, long fingernails digging into the fabric of her cotton shirt. Immediately, the teenager moved his arm away, sputtering an apology while his face flushed bright red.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. . . but you looked cold. . . so I just. . .!"
Adrianna turned her head and looked up at him. Her eyes were still visible in the low light, bright green and glowing with mirth. This time, she didn't say anything. Instead, she tucked her petite frame closer, motioning for him to put his arm back around her shoulders. Howie did so cautiously, trying to ignore how warm she was and how well her curves fit into his side. But he couldn't help the flood of satisfaction that pulsed through him as her tiny body relaxed fully, and the teen rested his cheek against the top of her head without prompting.
"You can't tell anyone about this," Adrianna murmured. "It would ruin my reputation."
"My lips are sealed."
Colors exploded in the sky, reds and blues and purples igniting the twilight. Thunder boomed within Howie's chest, and he couldn't help but grin as he felt it. Fireworks were the best things ever. It's why Fourth of July was one of his favorite holidays. The fact that he was sitting on a roof with quite possibly the most beautiful woman in the history of forever tucked into his side only served to make it better.
They watched the entire fireworks display like that, Adrianna tucked close into his side while Howie reclined.
Eventually, the light show ended, leaving them sitting together in the dark. Howie looked down at the woman who'd stolen his heart. She was fast asleep, breathing even and soft.
She'd never looked more beautiful, in his opinion, than in that moment.
"Adrianna, you need to wake up," he whispered gently. "We can't stay out here all night."
When they went inside, it was very hard for Howie to ignore the pang of disappointment that came with releasing her.
July 31st was a fateful day for Howie Jones.
School started in approximately three weeks, and despite the fact that it was going to be his senior year, he couldn't help the building sadness that was threatening to overtake him. He hadn't seen any of his friends all summer, hadn't interacted with anyone really other than Roland and Adrianna. So, technically, he should've felt glad that school was about to start. Right?
The problem was, school meant no longer seeing Adri.
He wouldn't be able to interact with the true Adrianna, wouldn't be able to hear her laugh or see her smile or watch her fan-girl over Justice League cartoons.
All he would get to see would be Mrs. Jeepers, and that was a travesty that just would not stand.
Everything changed on July 31st.
Thunder rolled ominously overhead. Howie looked up at the clouds boiling over his head, dark thunderheads that threatened to unleash the wrath of Mother Nature on Bailey City. The eighteen year old groaned mightily before continuing what he was doing, moving quicker than he normally did in order to finish before the storm hit. Which probably wasn't going to happen, but he may as well try.
A hammock was quintessential to any backyard, and Adrianna was going to learn that, dammit.
He put the final nail in the tree just as the sky opened up and the downpour began. Howie was soaked to the bone within seconds, laughing as thunder crashed in his ears. Rain was awesome, really it was, and he liked being able to just stand in the rain.
"Howie! Get inside before you catch a cold!"
Adri's voice was loud; it had to be for him to hear it over the sound of the downpour. He laughed, a grin splitting his face, and turned to face her. She was standing on the back porch, arms crossed as she watched him through the deluge.
"Rain is awesome!" he called. "You gotta try this!"
She laughed at him, eyes twinkling and bare toes curling against the refurbished wood of her porch. "Get in here, you silly boy!"
Howie suddenly got an idea, a simultaneously wonderful and awful idea. He dropped his hammer in the toolbox, sprinting to where Adrianna was standing on the porch. Only he didn't stand next to her like she'd wanted him to do.
Instead, he grabbed her around the waist and dragged her, screaming, into the downpour.
"HOWIE!"
The teenager couldn't help but guffaw as her petite frame thrashed against him. He tightened his hold on her waist, only to find that her elbows were painful despite their deceptive size. The rain was only a little cold, and she was (thankfully) wearing a bra underneath her shirt, so it wasn't like he was going to see anything weird. And she was warm against him even while rainwater soaked their clothes and dripped into their eyes.
"Storms are awesome!" he reiterated in her ear, not quite shouting because of their proximity.
Adrianna, figuring out that he wasn't going to let go despite her constant wriggling, huddled in as close as she possibly could without actually crawling inside him. Her red hair was soaked through, long curls plastered against pale skin as she turned to glare up at him. Howie's breath caught in his throat.
God if she wasn't beautiful.
"Yes, yes, the rain is awesome. And now we're both thoroughly soaked, so why don't we go sit on the porch and dry off? I'm cold." Adri's tone was almost petulant, but he couldn't stop staring at her.
Her green eyes suddenly glittered with curiosity and apprehension. "Howie? What are you staring at? There's something on my face, isn't there?"
The grin that had split Howie's lips morphed into a gentle smile. One hand reached up of its own accord and brushed some wet hair out of her eyes. "The only thing on your face is water and attractiveness."
Her pale face blushed hot even while the rain chilled them to the bone. She slapped at his chest playfully; however, the disbelief and apprehension in her gaze didn't fade. That made something in Howie's chest ache for her. Had no one told Adri just how beautiful she was?
That was a crime against humanity.
"Really smooth, Howie," she joked. "Flirt with the old-maid and make her feel pretty so she doesn't get mad about the fact that she's freezing."
Howie felt his smile fade with her words, and his brow furrowed in contemplation. "Do you seriously not know how beautiful you are?"
Adrianna looked at him, wide-eyed and mouth open in an expression of shocked disbelief. Thunder continued to growl overhead. But the sound was far away as the verdant eyes he loved so much dropped to the ground. She tried to pull away from him, head shaking even as her limbs trembled from the cold. Howie wouldn't let her break away, though.
"You don't really mean that," Adrianna whispered. The rain was so loud he barely heard the declaration. "You can't mean that. No one does."
Gently, she tried to pull away from him. But the blonde wouldn't let her, gently pulling her tiny body back to him.
Tears filled Howie's eyes as the implications of her disbelief smacked him in the face. Adrianna with her bright eyes and mega-watt smile, who cracked dorky jokes every five minutes and shared his favorite pizza flavor, had been damaged. Adrianna with her delicate elfin features and her graceful movements, who got Roland to adore her with one smile, didn't really know how utterly gorgeous she was. It was a crime, a travesty, something that would not stand.
"I mean every word of that," he responded seriously.
She looked back up at him with apprehension, eyes visibly swimming with tears. Howie let go of her waist, only to place his palms on her cheeks, thumbing away the moisture gathering on them.
"Adrianna Jeepers, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. And don't you ever believe otherwise."
She leaned forward and slammed her lips onto his. They tasted like mint chocolate chip ice cream and tears and rain.
Howie grinned to himself because their first kiss was marked by lightning.
On August 10st, the final day before his senior year, Howie found himself standing between Adrianna's legs whilst she sat on a worn kitchen stool. She was the perfect size to hold, the perfect person to cherish, and the eighteen year old felt like walking on clouds over the fact that he could be the one to worship her. Adrianna smelled perpetually of rosemary and mint. It was the perfume of her hair, while her skin smelled more like baby powder.
Howie buried his nose in red silken curls, inhaled, and grinned.
"School's gonna be weird," he rasped. "I'll see you, but I won't get to do this."
The tiny body nestled against him shook with laughter, and Adrianna rested her pointed chin on his sternum to look at him. Her green eyes sparkled good-naturedly. "I think the real travesty here is that I'll no longer be able to watch Roland while you work."
Howie pouted heavily at her. "Well, glad to know where I stand in your totem of importance."
Adri laughed gently at his expression. A delicate hand reached up and stroked through his hair. She then pulled him down into a kiss that made his stomach flutter, and Howie thought that his heart might explode. He hadn't started the summer meaning to fall in love with Adrianna, but damn if he hadn't fallen regardless. She was beautiful, on the inside and the outside, and she'd chosen him.
When they finally finished locking lips, Howie rested his forehead against hers and grinned like a dope.
"Dear Christ, I love you."
Adri hummed quietly in her throat, verdant eyes glimmering in the low light of her kitchen. Her tiny hands squeezed his own lightly as she whispered, "I love you, too, silly boy."
Yeah, Howie Jones had fallen hopelessly in love over the course of one summer.
And Adrianna Jeepers wasn't meant to fall in love right back.
But neither one of them would ever change a thing.
A/N: Jesus, this one was long! I hadn't meant to pack in so much, and this fic did not turn out the way that I wanted it to, but I'm fairly proud of it regardless.
For AsLostAsAliceAsMadAsTheHatter, just know that this isn't in the same universe as The Dance is. In this AU, Adri was never the Gang's third grade teacher. Instead, she was their ninth grade algebra teacher. Eddie still loathes her, Melody and Liza remain jealous of her awesome face, and Howie was simultaneously terrified and infatuated by the tiny cherub who wore a mask every day.
And this shit happened.
I'm shipping trash.
So, anywhore, I hope you enjoy this lovelies. Especially you AsLostAsAliceAsMadAsTheHatter, because you've been fantastic for a reviewer and loyal reader. Here is our crack ship. There shall be more to come, never fear!