Disclaimer: I don't own Joan of Arcadia, the characters, or the town. I'm
just a college student.
Chapter 1: Grant Me the Courage
Adam walked slowly up to Joan as she stood in front of her locker. It had only been a few days since the science fair, and they hadn't gotten a chance to talk about the kiss they shared. He tried not to blush as he formulated the words to say to her when she turned around. *Does she know I'm standing right behind her?* He asked himself, *I can't afford for things to be messed up with her again,* but before he had even started to think of what to say to her, he heard her gentle voice; a voice that calmed him now.
"How's it going?" She asked slowly as she turned around, she fought to look into his eyes, but her shyness won over and all she could look at was his forehead. He laughed a little to himself, feeling better that he wasn't the only nervous one.
"Pretty normal," he said smiling, and she smiled too, but blushed and looked at her feet. She never acted this way around him, she was always relaxed, and except for when he was angry with her, she normally felt the most comfortable when she was with him. Now it was different. "How about you?" he asked. This conversation was getting nowhere and lasting an eternity.
"About as good as I can be in school," she said finally looking him in the eye. Her cheeks reddened, although she tried her hardest not to blush more. "I'm glad it's over now though," she said trying to seem normal.
"Yeah, same here," he said touching the top of his head, "So . . . you going home now?"
"Yeah, whenever I find my brother," she said looking around to find him. It was one of those times she wished he was around to get her out of the awkward situations, but unfortunately, he wasn't in sight.
"Grace said the two of them were going back to her house to work on homework," he said laughing, "so weird, isn't it?"
"Yeah, who knew?" she said smiling. Maybe things between them hadn't changed. She was just starting to feel comfortable again when he asked next question,
"You think you might want to come back to the shed and see some of the new art I've been working on?" he asked hopefully. Normally this wouldn't be a big question, but just then it seemed to be the biggest deal in the world.
"Yeah," she said smiling; praying the red in her cheeks would soon die down, "That sounds fun," she said as she shut her locker.
"Great," he said and he picked up her bag and handed it to her. She smiled at his kind gesture, as he reluctantly placed his hand lightly on the small of her back to lead her out the school doors. Although his fingers had only been pressed against her skin for a few moments, they left an invisible imprint that kept her smiling the whole, awkward ride home. In the distance her mother saw the two leave together and smiled. She liked Adam, she had always had a feeling that Joan cared for him as more than a friend, and she couldn't have chosen a better match for her daughter.
Joan's car was at school, so she drove them to his house. In all honesty, he only had a few new pieces of art that she hadn't seen, but his motivation for inviting her back wasn't about art; it was about his heart. She switched the radio stations back and forth until she found a song she liked and Adam seemed to try to memorize the artist and titles of every song she knew the lyrics to. As they pulled into his driveway, he unbuckled his seatbelt quickly.
"Now, they aren't exactly completed, but I thought maybe you could help me do something," he said smiling nervously.
"Oh, Adam I'm not very good with art, and you definitely do an awesome job without me,"
"No," he said looking her in the eyes, "I need you for this, Joan," she was taken aback by his sincere tone. Her heart sped up as he moved closer to her. She was leaning up against one of the tables in his shed and he was inches away. He didn't move to kiss her, he seemed way too determined to do his art, but his mouth was close enough that she could feel his breath.
"Okay," she replied looking up into his eyes. He smiled, "Great," he said more loudly now and stepped backward from her and she silently sighed. In ways she was relieved, in others disappointed. He took her hand and led her to another table that displayed his small works. "They're beautiful," she said as she touched one with the tip of her index finger.
"You like that one?" he asked hopefully. It was in the very beginning stages, and she saw that it was shaped like a human figure.
"I like them all," she said moving her finger to another piece.
"That one," he said taking her hand and putting it back on the first one she touched, "is you," not believing he was able to even get such words out. Joan looked at it carefully now and then back up at him. No one had ever done something as sweet as that for her before.
"Adam," she said smiling,
"I know it doesn't look anything like you," he started, "but when I started working on that one I couldn't think of anything BUT you," he admitted.
"I," she began but then the tears came. She hated crying when she was happy, yet she always did. All she could do was fall into him, pressing her tearstained face against his chest and wrapping her arms around his stomach so tightly that he wasn't able to breathe.
"I'm glad you think its okay," he managed to say although all the air wasn't coming as easy as it should. He put his arms around her now and began to run his right hand up and down her back, "I didn't know how to talk to you after the science fair, so I came home and worked on this, until I figured it out," he said as she remained in his arms, "And in all honesty, I haven't even figured it out yet," he was running out of things to say, "Joan?" he asked awkwardly.
She looked at him and wiped away her tears, "I don't know how it happened, Adam," she began, "I've always cared for you, even when you hated me,"
"I didn't ever hate you," he interrupted and she closed her eyes tightly, as more tears leaked out.
"But one day it became more," she admitted, "and that scares me a lot," stepping away from his arms now. "You seem so sure,"
"I'm never sure about anything, Joan. Hell, I call you Jane half of the time, if that's not uncertainty what is? If I know one thing, its that the only time I really feel completely happy is when you're around,"
"And what if something happens with us? What if we get so carried away that we completely lose who we are right now?"
"You mean our friendship? You think If we get in too deep and it doesn't work out that we'll have nothing left?" he asked seriously.
"I don't WANT to think that, but I do," she said placing her face in her hands.
"All I know is that the life I had up until a few days ago couldn't have gotten any worse. Now I look at you, and as unbelievable as it is to me even, all I can see is my future getting better and better,"
"That's a lot of pressure," she said smiling, lightening the moment. "I care about you so much," she said moving toward him now.
"Then why are you scared?" he asked placing his hands on her neck and looking her right in the eye. He wasn't normally this aggressive with anyone, but Joan had a different effect on him.
"Mostly because of what you said before, the thing about you only seeing a bright future if I'm there. What if we do date and fall in love, what if we have this incredible relationship and one day it ends. I can't be responsible for another one of your downfalls," she said closing her eyes.
"You think too much with this," he said touching her left temple, "and not enough with this," he said placing his hand atop of hers and moving it to her heart.
"I've never seen you act like this before," she breathed as he held her hand over her heart.
"That's because I've never felt like this before,"
A/N: Okay everyone, this is my first JoA fanfic, but I've written a few Everwood ones. JoA's a great show and I was waiting for a section in fanfiction.net to start :) Anyways, this is the first chapter. I hope you guys like it. Review and let me know so I can continue!
Chapter 1: Grant Me the Courage
Adam walked slowly up to Joan as she stood in front of her locker. It had only been a few days since the science fair, and they hadn't gotten a chance to talk about the kiss they shared. He tried not to blush as he formulated the words to say to her when she turned around. *Does she know I'm standing right behind her?* He asked himself, *I can't afford for things to be messed up with her again,* but before he had even started to think of what to say to her, he heard her gentle voice; a voice that calmed him now.
"How's it going?" She asked slowly as she turned around, she fought to look into his eyes, but her shyness won over and all she could look at was his forehead. He laughed a little to himself, feeling better that he wasn't the only nervous one.
"Pretty normal," he said smiling, and she smiled too, but blushed and looked at her feet. She never acted this way around him, she was always relaxed, and except for when he was angry with her, she normally felt the most comfortable when she was with him. Now it was different. "How about you?" he asked. This conversation was getting nowhere and lasting an eternity.
"About as good as I can be in school," she said finally looking him in the eye. Her cheeks reddened, although she tried her hardest not to blush more. "I'm glad it's over now though," she said trying to seem normal.
"Yeah, same here," he said touching the top of his head, "So . . . you going home now?"
"Yeah, whenever I find my brother," she said looking around to find him. It was one of those times she wished he was around to get her out of the awkward situations, but unfortunately, he wasn't in sight.
"Grace said the two of them were going back to her house to work on homework," he said laughing, "so weird, isn't it?"
"Yeah, who knew?" she said smiling. Maybe things between them hadn't changed. She was just starting to feel comfortable again when he asked next question,
"You think you might want to come back to the shed and see some of the new art I've been working on?" he asked hopefully. Normally this wouldn't be a big question, but just then it seemed to be the biggest deal in the world.
"Yeah," she said smiling; praying the red in her cheeks would soon die down, "That sounds fun," she said as she shut her locker.
"Great," he said and he picked up her bag and handed it to her. She smiled at his kind gesture, as he reluctantly placed his hand lightly on the small of her back to lead her out the school doors. Although his fingers had only been pressed against her skin for a few moments, they left an invisible imprint that kept her smiling the whole, awkward ride home. In the distance her mother saw the two leave together and smiled. She liked Adam, she had always had a feeling that Joan cared for him as more than a friend, and she couldn't have chosen a better match for her daughter.
Joan's car was at school, so she drove them to his house. In all honesty, he only had a few new pieces of art that she hadn't seen, but his motivation for inviting her back wasn't about art; it was about his heart. She switched the radio stations back and forth until she found a song she liked and Adam seemed to try to memorize the artist and titles of every song she knew the lyrics to. As they pulled into his driveway, he unbuckled his seatbelt quickly.
"Now, they aren't exactly completed, but I thought maybe you could help me do something," he said smiling nervously.
"Oh, Adam I'm not very good with art, and you definitely do an awesome job without me,"
"No," he said looking her in the eyes, "I need you for this, Joan," she was taken aback by his sincere tone. Her heart sped up as he moved closer to her. She was leaning up against one of the tables in his shed and he was inches away. He didn't move to kiss her, he seemed way too determined to do his art, but his mouth was close enough that she could feel his breath.
"Okay," she replied looking up into his eyes. He smiled, "Great," he said more loudly now and stepped backward from her and she silently sighed. In ways she was relieved, in others disappointed. He took her hand and led her to another table that displayed his small works. "They're beautiful," she said as she touched one with the tip of her index finger.
"You like that one?" he asked hopefully. It was in the very beginning stages, and she saw that it was shaped like a human figure.
"I like them all," she said moving her finger to another piece.
"That one," he said taking her hand and putting it back on the first one she touched, "is you," not believing he was able to even get such words out. Joan looked at it carefully now and then back up at him. No one had ever done something as sweet as that for her before.
"Adam," she said smiling,
"I know it doesn't look anything like you," he started, "but when I started working on that one I couldn't think of anything BUT you," he admitted.
"I," she began but then the tears came. She hated crying when she was happy, yet she always did. All she could do was fall into him, pressing her tearstained face against his chest and wrapping her arms around his stomach so tightly that he wasn't able to breathe.
"I'm glad you think its okay," he managed to say although all the air wasn't coming as easy as it should. He put his arms around her now and began to run his right hand up and down her back, "I didn't know how to talk to you after the science fair, so I came home and worked on this, until I figured it out," he said as she remained in his arms, "And in all honesty, I haven't even figured it out yet," he was running out of things to say, "Joan?" he asked awkwardly.
She looked at him and wiped away her tears, "I don't know how it happened, Adam," she began, "I've always cared for you, even when you hated me,"
"I didn't ever hate you," he interrupted and she closed her eyes tightly, as more tears leaked out.
"But one day it became more," she admitted, "and that scares me a lot," stepping away from his arms now. "You seem so sure,"
"I'm never sure about anything, Joan. Hell, I call you Jane half of the time, if that's not uncertainty what is? If I know one thing, its that the only time I really feel completely happy is when you're around,"
"And what if something happens with us? What if we get so carried away that we completely lose who we are right now?"
"You mean our friendship? You think If we get in too deep and it doesn't work out that we'll have nothing left?" he asked seriously.
"I don't WANT to think that, but I do," she said placing her face in her hands.
"All I know is that the life I had up until a few days ago couldn't have gotten any worse. Now I look at you, and as unbelievable as it is to me even, all I can see is my future getting better and better,"
"That's a lot of pressure," she said smiling, lightening the moment. "I care about you so much," she said moving toward him now.
"Then why are you scared?" he asked placing his hands on her neck and looking her right in the eye. He wasn't normally this aggressive with anyone, but Joan had a different effect on him.
"Mostly because of what you said before, the thing about you only seeing a bright future if I'm there. What if we do date and fall in love, what if we have this incredible relationship and one day it ends. I can't be responsible for another one of your downfalls," she said closing her eyes.
"You think too much with this," he said touching her left temple, "and not enough with this," he said placing his hand atop of hers and moving it to her heart.
"I've never seen you act like this before," she breathed as he held her hand over her heart.
"That's because I've never felt like this before,"
A/N: Okay everyone, this is my first JoA fanfic, but I've written a few Everwood ones. JoA's a great show and I was waiting for a section in fanfiction.net to start :) Anyways, this is the first chapter. I hope you guys like it. Review and let me know so I can continue!