Adam sat in the school's library Tuesday, again working on a math
assignment. He knew that it was basically useless to keep up with grades
and homework and such considering that he was going to be dead in 2 days,
but pride was what kept Adam at it. He worked assiduously, making
unintelligible marks on his paper, working through long, complicated
problems. Whenever Adam got really concentrated into a math assignment, it
was like being in a trance. Adam groaned and slapped his forehead as he
caught a mistake he had made over an hour ago. That mistake adulterated
everything he had written afterward—two sheets worth. Adam was about to
crumple his paper in frustration when he thought back to last Thursday
night/Friday morning. He smiled to himself sheepishly, took out a fresh
sheet of paper and got back to work.
Over an hour later, Adam finally finished his assignment, mistake-free and felt an unexplainable feeling of satisfaction. Usually when he finally survived another ordeal with the math book, the feeling was more of a dejected relief—not the exhilaration that bordered on euphoria that Adam was feeling right now. Adam's conversation with Dean ran through his mind. It made Adam realize that he had to make the best of the days he had left. It would do him no good to dwell on his troubles with his dad or his unsettling feelings of doubt and apathy—he just had to concentrate on what he had here and now and learn how to be grateful for it.
Adam was jerked out of his trance with the snap of someone's fingers. He glanced up sharply and was surprised to see Thomasin standing there, arms akimbo and head cocked to the side. She looked at Adam with an odd expression; it was an unusual combination of bemusement, longing and confusion—if Adam was not mistaken, there was also a microcosm of well- hidden hurt in her face.
Adam remembered the many times he had hurt her recently and it killed him (not literally, that would come Friday morning) to think about it. He did the only reasonable thing he could think of at the moment—Adam stood up and enveloped Thomasin in a huge embrace. Adam hugged her, wanting to protect Thomasin from all the hurt that he had ever inflicted on her—intentionally and unintentionally. Thomasin stiffened with surprise, but then lifted her chin up towards his face and looked in his eyes. She seemed to find some sort of understanding and nodded. Thomasin then rested her head against Adam's chest and they stood there, sharing a moment that no one, not even Death herself, could take away from them.
Thomasin was the one who broke the moment. "Hey...Guy told me I'd find you here."
She probably had just finished her daily jog, Adam noted as he took in Thomasin's white tank and track shorts. Her long, chestnut hair was scraped up into a messy ponytail tied high on her head. Thomasin's face was free of makeup and the physical exertion made her face glow with a golden sheen. In her most natural state, Adam had never thought Thomasin was more beautiful.
"Yeah, well, I was working on some AdMath homework. What's up?"
Thomasin gave him a huge grin. "I have a surprise for you. I know that you've been down lately and I just wanted to cheer you up."
She was visibly excited, fidgeting like a child waiting to open presents on Christmas Eve. Thomasin produced out of her back pocket a small white envelope and handed it to Adam.
Adam was intrigued to see the normally composed and cool Thomasin acting anxious and excited. He slowly opened the envelope and stared blankly with disbelief at its contents. "Tamsin...These are tickets to the NHL All-Star game." Adam's eyes grew wide. "How did you get these seats? The game's been sold out forever."
Thomasin looked at Adam slyly. "You have to let every girl have her secrets. So, do you like it?"
Adam picked up Thomasin in an embrace. "Of course I do. But c'mon, I know these must have cost a fortune."
Thomasin fidgeted in nervousness. "I got them on online auction. It got kind of intense near the end, but I had something that the other bidders didn't."
Adam knew that Thomasin would not elaborate, but he saw Thomasin instinctively reach for her right ring finger with her left hand. Thomasin fingered the antique diamond ring she wore whenever she was nervous. Adam was shocked to see the ring was not there—and suddenly he realized what Thomasin had implied in her statement.
Adam suddenly became very solemn and serious. "Tamsin, why do you keep doing this? You keep giving me more than what I deserve. I've treated you like crap for the last couple of days and yet still...This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." Thomasin truly perplexed Adam. Everyone had their limits—even Thomasin with her infinite patience—and Adam was sure that he had passed those limits by far in recent time. Again, Adam had to ask, why?
Thomasin took a moment to think before answering Adam's question. "Adam, do you remember the first time we met, when Scooter introduced us at the Winter Enchantment Dance? I sprained my ankle that night and you carried me to my dorm room afterward. I thought that was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me—and you had known me for three hours. And the time I made you that horrible sweater when I was first learning how to knit—you still wear that even though I don't expect you to. Just this Christmas you almost burned down your parents' kitchen trying to make my favorite cheesecake."
Adam blushed at all the memories that he and Thomasin had shared, the moments he had almost taken for granted. Thomasin continued, "And through everything—good times and bad—I've never stopped caring about you. I want exactly what you can give me—and that's all I'll ever ask for."
Adam looked at Thomasin and suddenly knew who he wanted to spend the last hours of his life with. "Tamsin...Do you want to hang out after the Ashland game Thursday?"
Thomasin gave Adam a strange look, perturbed slightly at his formality—Adam didn't usually ask to hang out. It was something they just did.
However, Thomasin felt the sense of occasion and nodded her head. "Of course, Adam."
She kissed him and before she left the library, Thomasin placed the small white envelope in Adam's hand. "Don't forget about these."
Adam watched after her, and then looked down at the tickets he held in his hand. Adam studied the tickets, knowing what Thomasin had sacrificed for them. His gaze suddenly locked onto the date imprinted on the tickets—February 9. Once again, Adam was reminded that he was going to die in a matter of—he quickly checked his watch—2 days. He would never see the All-Star Game.
Over an hour later, Adam finally finished his assignment, mistake-free and felt an unexplainable feeling of satisfaction. Usually when he finally survived another ordeal with the math book, the feeling was more of a dejected relief—not the exhilaration that bordered on euphoria that Adam was feeling right now. Adam's conversation with Dean ran through his mind. It made Adam realize that he had to make the best of the days he had left. It would do him no good to dwell on his troubles with his dad or his unsettling feelings of doubt and apathy—he just had to concentrate on what he had here and now and learn how to be grateful for it.
Adam was jerked out of his trance with the snap of someone's fingers. He glanced up sharply and was surprised to see Thomasin standing there, arms akimbo and head cocked to the side. She looked at Adam with an odd expression; it was an unusual combination of bemusement, longing and confusion—if Adam was not mistaken, there was also a microcosm of well- hidden hurt in her face.
Adam remembered the many times he had hurt her recently and it killed him (not literally, that would come Friday morning) to think about it. He did the only reasonable thing he could think of at the moment—Adam stood up and enveloped Thomasin in a huge embrace. Adam hugged her, wanting to protect Thomasin from all the hurt that he had ever inflicted on her—intentionally and unintentionally. Thomasin stiffened with surprise, but then lifted her chin up towards his face and looked in his eyes. She seemed to find some sort of understanding and nodded. Thomasin then rested her head against Adam's chest and they stood there, sharing a moment that no one, not even Death herself, could take away from them.
Thomasin was the one who broke the moment. "Hey...Guy told me I'd find you here."
She probably had just finished her daily jog, Adam noted as he took in Thomasin's white tank and track shorts. Her long, chestnut hair was scraped up into a messy ponytail tied high on her head. Thomasin's face was free of makeup and the physical exertion made her face glow with a golden sheen. In her most natural state, Adam had never thought Thomasin was more beautiful.
"Yeah, well, I was working on some AdMath homework. What's up?"
Thomasin gave him a huge grin. "I have a surprise for you. I know that you've been down lately and I just wanted to cheer you up."
She was visibly excited, fidgeting like a child waiting to open presents on Christmas Eve. Thomasin produced out of her back pocket a small white envelope and handed it to Adam.
Adam was intrigued to see the normally composed and cool Thomasin acting anxious and excited. He slowly opened the envelope and stared blankly with disbelief at its contents. "Tamsin...These are tickets to the NHL All-Star game." Adam's eyes grew wide. "How did you get these seats? The game's been sold out forever."
Thomasin looked at Adam slyly. "You have to let every girl have her secrets. So, do you like it?"
Adam picked up Thomasin in an embrace. "Of course I do. But c'mon, I know these must have cost a fortune."
Thomasin fidgeted in nervousness. "I got them on online auction. It got kind of intense near the end, but I had something that the other bidders didn't."
Adam knew that Thomasin would not elaborate, but he saw Thomasin instinctively reach for her right ring finger with her left hand. Thomasin fingered the antique diamond ring she wore whenever she was nervous. Adam was shocked to see the ring was not there—and suddenly he realized what Thomasin had implied in her statement.
Adam suddenly became very solemn and serious. "Tamsin, why do you keep doing this? You keep giving me more than what I deserve. I've treated you like crap for the last couple of days and yet still...This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." Thomasin truly perplexed Adam. Everyone had their limits—even Thomasin with her infinite patience—and Adam was sure that he had passed those limits by far in recent time. Again, Adam had to ask, why?
Thomasin took a moment to think before answering Adam's question. "Adam, do you remember the first time we met, when Scooter introduced us at the Winter Enchantment Dance? I sprained my ankle that night and you carried me to my dorm room afterward. I thought that was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me—and you had known me for three hours. And the time I made you that horrible sweater when I was first learning how to knit—you still wear that even though I don't expect you to. Just this Christmas you almost burned down your parents' kitchen trying to make my favorite cheesecake."
Adam blushed at all the memories that he and Thomasin had shared, the moments he had almost taken for granted. Thomasin continued, "And through everything—good times and bad—I've never stopped caring about you. I want exactly what you can give me—and that's all I'll ever ask for."
Adam looked at Thomasin and suddenly knew who he wanted to spend the last hours of his life with. "Tamsin...Do you want to hang out after the Ashland game Thursday?"
Thomasin gave Adam a strange look, perturbed slightly at his formality—Adam didn't usually ask to hang out. It was something they just did.
However, Thomasin felt the sense of occasion and nodded her head. "Of course, Adam."
She kissed him and before she left the library, Thomasin placed the small white envelope in Adam's hand. "Don't forget about these."
Adam watched after her, and then looked down at the tickets he held in his hand. Adam studied the tickets, knowing what Thomasin had sacrificed for them. His gaze suddenly locked onto the date imprinted on the tickets—February 9. Once again, Adam was reminded that he was going to die in a matter of—he quickly checked his watch—2 days. He would never see the All-Star Game.