The Time Taken to Understand (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Thirteen~ Adam

Adam found himself quite nervous for orientation. He was standing in line with Alec, surrounded by people whose last names also began with the letter 'R', and was getting more and more anxious as the line slowly crept forward. This was because of two main reasons. The first was that Alec was constantly fidgeting, and the second was that, with every step he took, he felt himself getting closer and closer to the inevitability of adulthood, which to him, he feared, meant becoming like his father.

Mark was in the line next to them, looking extremely annoyed with the group of girls in front of him where were quite obviously examining him without a hint of subtlety, and Adam thought about how a year ago, at the start of their senior year, Mark had been throwing himself into groups of girls who looked even remotely interested in him. Adam wondered what had changed between then and now, and remembered his conversation with Mark about that girl he liked.

To distract himself, Adam wondered what she was like.

For as long as he'd known Mark, the boy had never had a clear type. He had simply been interested in women of all kinds, which narrowly decreased the spectrum to fifty percent of the world's population. Well, 49.6 percent, but Adam didn't think that was really all that much better.

He was jostled from behind and turned, ready to politely ask whoever it was behind him to quit it out, but he instead found himself saying, "your last name starts with an 'R'?" Penny blinked up at him with wide brown eyes before saying simply:

"No". Alec turned at the sound of her voice. "I thought it was you," She said to him, stepping past Adam and addressing his best friend instead. "You came at the worst time".

"What are you doing here?" Alec asked, "Your name is Williams". She shrugged.

"I got here early and apparently there's only ten people in our class with 'W' names". She turned back to Adam and then elbowed Alec. "Care to introduce us?" She asked mischievously, and it just then occurred to Adam that she may have also have neglected to mention to either of their friends that they had met before.

Alec blinked, as if realizing now that Adam was there too. "Uh, Penny Williams, meet Adam Reynolds". She held out her hand to him and he shook it, maintaining eye contact.

"Reynolds," She said softly, "I've heard that name before".

Both Adam and Alec looked unsurprised. "Adam's father is a billionaire. Lot's of people have heard it before". Penny made a surprised face and dropped his hand. Adam's smile was sour.

"Yes," He began, "but he is also many other things".

"Such as?" Penny asked, her eyebrows raised.

"An adulterer, a republican, and cheap man," Adam paused, thinking, "so I guess you could say an ass hole". Alec looked taken back by Adam's words, but Penny looked unphased.

"My father is very different. Just yesterday he tried to convince me he had both heart disease and lung cancer".

"Symptoms?" Adam asked, because he had been studying this information since he had been ten.

"He had heart burn and coughed twice". Adam snickered at this, trying to ignore his racing brain. "What face is it that you're making right now?" She asked him.

"Well I can't exactly see-" He began, but Alec cut him off.

"That's his 'I can't stop thinking' face". Adam marveled at his best friend, astounded by how well he knew him. The line crept forward a couple inches more and they all shuffled their feet forward, since if they took an actual step they would have moved too far.