Title: Too Young
Summary: It's sophomore year at Eden Hall and #99 Adam Banks is in love. Kelsey is the total opposite from Adam and everyone has their doubts about them. But when a tragedy takes place, everyone gets a taste of exactly how much in love they were.
Rating: PG-13 for some language
Author's Note: REVIEW PLEASE!! I'm horrible at romances, but please give this a shot.
Warning: There is reference to a gay couple in here so if you are extremely homophobic, please do not read even though this story mainly revolves around Adam and his girlfriend.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except for Kelsey, Dylan, and Nicole.
Adam
***
"Nervous much?" Portman asked me, slapping my back playfully. I kept straightening and re-straightening my tie in front of the mirror multiple times. Every few minutes, I'd turn around to ask Portman if my hair was alright.
"Just a little. Is my hair okay?" I asked him.
He just laughed.
"Portman!" I exclaimed in exasperation. I'd already forgotten why exactly I'd asked him to come and wait for Kelsey with me.
"Relax," he chuckled, "Your hair is fine. If you put anymore gel in it, it would be rock hard. Come on, man! You need to chill out. First of all, she's not due here for another hour. Second of all, you asked her to the Fall Ball a few weeks ago and everything went just fine. Why is asking her to the Opera any different?"
I rolled my eyes, "Portman, there's a difference between a school dance and an opera with your parents."
"Well you already asked her and she already said yes. So what's the big deal?"
"What if my parents hate her? What if my brother does something stupid to provoke her or something? What if she hates my family? What if she gets bored? What if-"
"ADAM!" Portman shouted over my rambling.
"What?"
"Stop asking questions and just go with the flow. Honestly, man, I never thought I'd see you so…uptight before."
"Portman, none of the Ducks like her. Why would it be any different with my parents?" I asked him plainly.
He feigned confusion, "What are you talking about? The Ducks love her! Can't you see the love radiating from the group every time you bring her with us to an outing?!"
I rolled my eyes, "Quit the lying! I've only introduced her to them once and that was at the fall ball. Linda looked disgusted with her and Charlie had that look on his face again. You know, that look that says 'I want to kill her' written all over it. Why don't they like her, Portman?"
Portman didn't say anything for a long while. He sat down, staring at the floor before finally speaking up, "It's just…well, I don't want to be the one to tell you this…"
"Spill it."
"Everyone just thinks that you and her aren't compatible."
"WHAT?!"
Portman held up his hands in defense, "Hey, hey, hey. That doesn't mean we don't support you and all, it just means that you guys were very unlikely to go out. And when you did, it was weird. So surprise us, Banks, show us your relationship will last." I nodded, but didn't say anything. Yeah, I'd show them. Somehow, I had a feeling that Charlie was the only one that had a real problem with Kelsey and I being together, which ended up making me more aggravated than anything else. It was probably the fact that he was supposed to be my best friend. It might have been the fact that best friends supported best friends no matter what.
"Don't let it ruin your night, Adam," Portman spoke up.
"I won't." We sat around making small talk for awhile. Portman told me about how he and Fulton had an ever-growing relationship. I told him about how amazing Kelsey made me feel whenever I was around her. I told him about how entrancing her eyes were every time I was talking to her.
"It's like…looking into the eyes of faith and hope, knowing that everything will be okay no matter what because you know that she will always be there. She has this aura about her that radiates out to every person around her. Yeah, I know she curses and all that stuff, but she's such a good person at heart. If I'm down, she'll lift me back up."
"You know this from only a month of being together?"
I nodded.
"You must love her, huh?"
I paused and thought about it, "Yeah. I really do." Portman and I sat for a minute in companionable silence. I was happy because at the very least, Portman knew where I was coming from. He loved Fulton, didn't he? Scooter understood me too. I was surprised he didn't kick me out of the room every night. I don't know how many times I've told him how amazing Kelsey was, but he didn't seem to mind at all.
The doorbell rang throughout the house. I looked at my clock nervously. It couldn't be Kelsey! It was only 6:15. She wasn't supposed to be here until seven! Portman looked out the window and told me to relax; it wasn't the car she had described to me. But if it wasn't her, who was it? I shrugged, too tired to care. I heard my mother answer the door and speak to the person. It definitely wasn't my dad because if it was, he'd be up in his room getting ready. My mom was doing her make-up and my brother was in the shower. His girlfriend would be coming as well.
"Adam," my mother knocked, "There's someone here to see you."
I got up and opened the door. It was Charlie.
"Hi," he said shifting uncomfortably.
"Hi." I let him in and he nodded at Portman. My mom left the room.
"What's everyone getting so dressed up for?" Charlie asked, plopping onto my bed.
"We're going to an opera tonight. I don't even know what opera, but it's an annual thing and my mom's big on these family traditions."
"Oh," he paused, looking at me, "Why do you look so nervous?"
"Kelsey's coming with us. Every year, when we do the opera thing, we're supposed to bring our girlfriends, but I never had one so Danny Larson came with me every year."
"Oh," Charlie's face clouded over when he heard Kelsey's name, but he asked instead, "You're still friends with Danny Larson?"
I nodded, "Yeah. But he couldn't come last year because he had mono that week. When I told him I had a real date this year, he was so excited that he forgot he wouldn't be able to sit next to the Hendrix's daughter."
"Your dad's co-worker right?" Portman chimed in for the first time.
I nodded.
"Listen Adam…can I say something?" Charlie asked, sitting up. I tensed. Uh-oh.
"Um…yeah."
"Well, you see, the whole thing with you and Kelsey. It's just kind of weird."
I nodded. Well at least it was nothing new. Yet.
"Everyone's learned to accept it and stuff and you know I'd be the last person to tell you what to do," he continued, "But I really don't think you should be going out."
I willed myself to stay calm, "And why not?"
"She's a bitch!" he blurted out. All efforts to remain civil failed.
"WHAT?!"
"I'm sorry! It's just the truth! She's not good enough for you, Banks! Can't you see?"
"Last time I checked Charlie, you had a girlfriend!"
"It's not about that!"
"Then you tell me what the hell it's about!"
"YOU! You're way too good for that whore and you know it! You could get with anyone. Anyone that you could possibly want and you pick Kelsey Henderson."
"Excuse me, but I do believe that it's MY choice on whom I decided to date and even though you are supposedly my best friend, what you say doesn't make a difference to me! I don't give a flying fuck about what you think!" I heard Portman gasp slightly. Yeah, I never cursed; only when I was supremely pissed off. And right about then, I could have killed Charlie.
"Adam, don't you get it? She's going to play you once, twice, and three times. And every time you're going to go crawling back to her because you think you love her! Newsflash: you don't!"
"What has she ever done to you?!"
"Everything, okay? Everything. I had a fucking crush on her in middle school and she dumped her preppy ass excuses on me and became the bitchiest girl I'd ever met!" I understood now. He wasn't really concerned about me in the first place; he was concerned about himself. I don't know which one made me madder, but they both got me more enraged than ever.
"So that's how it is, huh? Everything's about you! Every single damn thing in my life revolves around you? Is that how it's supposed to be? Charlie, can't you, just for one second, pretend that you care and be happy for me?! Can't you just accept the fact that, for once in my life, I'm happy? Can't you accept the fact that for once, it's not you creating the happiness in my life?! Look, Charlie, you're a very good friend of mine and your opinion matters to me. But for once, I have my own opinion. I love Kelsey and nothing you say can change that. If you can't accept that, than I'll know."
"Know what?"
"Who my true friends are." Charlie stared at me, dumbstruck. His features paled visibly before he rose from my bed and headed towards the door. Portman opened it for him, patting him lightly on the shoulder. Numbly, he left my room. I closed the door quickly, leaning against it. Never had I felt so small yet so big. Anyone who knew anything knew for a fact that no one ever yelled at Charlie Conway and got away without having the all the Ducks against them for all eternity. Hopefully, that wouldn't be the case this time. It wasn't that I resented the Ducks or anything, but they formed this huge clique that no one new would ever fit into. I knew what it felt like to be there enemies, heck, I'd felt it twice in my life already. But I never knew what it felt like to be all the way in. Sure, Charlie had befriended me and became one of my best friends; one of my only friends, but there was still something there that formed a barricade preventing me from being a "true Duck". I respected Charlie for having the determination that he did to keep the Ducks together forever, but he had to know when to stop. I'd noticed, looking in from the outside with I was on Varsity, that even though the Ducks were all friends and stuff, they were afraid of Charlie just as much as they were afraid of Orien. They were afraid that if they stepped a toe out of line, Charlie would haul all the Ducks and bail on that one lone player. I knew what that felt like.
"Don't let him get to you," Portman spoke up finally.
"I'm trying," I told him tiredly, "I'm really trying. I just don't know how much of it is actually working."
"You love her. Don't doubt that just because Charlie's jealous."
"Do you really mean that?"
Portman nodded, "Just because Charlie thinks he has us under his spell, he doesn't. After last year, I think most of us realized that we need to have our own opinions. At least me and Fulton did."
"But what about the ones that didn't?" I asked him, feeling like a five-year-old.
Portman shrugged, "They'll come around when Captain Prick does."
I chuckled softly thinking about the first time I introduced Kelsey to the Ducks. She'd called Charlie a prick.
"Kelsey was right," Portman said, laughing, "He can be a prick. I don't know why no one has noticed it. I come back from Chicago after a summer of being away and he's a whole different person."
"Yeah."
"Hey Adam?" Portman asked me.
"Yeah?"
"Don't let it ruin your night."
I wouldn't.
Thanks for all the reviews!
Skarlett: Thank you!!! Yes, it is nice to see some straight Adam though I admit it is harder for me to write for some strange reason.
Anne918: Oh boy…if you liked that gossip session, wait until the next one. That should be in two chapters. I think.
Jess: Yes she does. Well, you know now that it's Portman, but I'm taking your suggestions into consideration…there will be one more. It'll be either Guy or Luis. I'll see.
Chelsea: I don't like Linda either. Yes, well…Charlie wasn't exactly nice in this chapter either. AHH!! I saw an old movie that Corey Haim did in health. AHHHH!!!
Please review!!