𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐀 swarmed the large, flat, green athletic fields behind the Eden Hall Academy. Different colored tassels swung in the air as friends ran to one another, throwing their arms into an embrace. Some parents forced siblings to look like they loved each other for a picture on their high-end Contax T2 camera, while others already began to weep. Students slowly start to find their pre-assigned seats, per alphabetic order, in the large and organized crowd of off-white plastic chairs.
"Let me see this cap, Banksie," Charlie requests as they pass over the freshly cut grass to the front row of seats. "Julie has been raving about it for the last week and you're not exactly an artist."
"Meaning?" Adam taunts as he holds it high away from Charlie's grip.
Charlie's mocking, sarcastic grin drops as he masks a face of insincere sincereness. "I'm ready to be completely blown away by what you show me."
"Alright, Jackass," he caves, nearly smiling from ear to ear as he hands it over and scans the ceremony for friendly faces.
"The big M," Charlie comments. "Inspiring."
"And what exactly is it that you have?"
Charlie gives his to Adam, stuffing his hands in his empty pockets.
"There's no way you did this."
"Okay fine, I didn't. My mom did," he admits.
"Can you do anything for yourself?" Adam questions, placing the hat onto Charlie's messy head of long, brown hair.
"No, actually, I can't," he says. "She wanted to, anyway."
"Well, how did you get so lucky with a mom like that?"
"Don't know," Charlie shrugs. "Universe works in mysterious ways, I guess."
"It sure does," Adam agrees.
"Not mysterious enough though–with you going to Michigan for hockey and everything. Man, I could have told you that was going to happen back in the District 5 days."
The wind starts to pick up for a brief moment, sending ripples through the two boys' red graduation gowns. Adam smiles and looks down. Charlie blows out a content sigh and directs his gaze to the other side of the lawn where he points out the arrival of the girls.
Adam follows his vision until he sees them. Luis is showing her the yearbook, more likely the quote and photo he submitted, while Averman and Guy talk to Connie and Julie. His cheeks pinken slightly as he watches her, Rowan's white dress making the gold necklace around her neck stand out.
"Would you just kiss her already, you fool?" Charlie asks.
"No, I'm not going to do that."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because it's a bad idea," Adam says. "Things are good now. She's back and nothing is weird between us. It's just good to have her back in my everyday life. I'm not risking that and the rest of this summer because I still have feelings for her. I've hidden them before, I can do it again."
"I think we're all in agreement that you should just go for it," Charlie says, catching one of their friends out of the corner of his eye. "Right, Russ?"
"What?" Russ Tyler perks up, clueless to the conversation before him.
"Nothing," Adam replies. "Charlie is just being Charlie."
"5 bucks this is about Rowan," Russ says.
"He did get you there," Charlie mentions.
"How did you know that?"
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𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 | 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬
Fanfiction"Tell me to stay and I will." He thinks for a long moment. If we were meant to stay in one place forever, we'd have roots rather than legs. "I think you should go," he says finally.
