Just Hold Me

Chapter: 7

"You're grounded?" Adam asks me as he pours some juice for Brooke.

I nod. "Yeah. It's only for a few days. She took my phone, laptop, iPod, and all my money. She wasn't too happy with me trying to run away."

He smiles. "I could only imagine just how happy she was," he says sarcastically.

I walk closer to him. "I'm sorry for making you almost get run over," I say quietly.

His smile fades slightly. "It's okay. I would've run, too. But let's not talk about it, okay? Let's go do something together."

Adam takes my hand and leads me to the living room.

Kaitlin walks over to me. "Can I sit on your lap?"

I nod. "Sure. Did you finish eating?"

She smiles. "I did."

Adam chooses a disney movie the girls can watch. "We should clean up in the kitchen," he whispers in my ear.

I lay Kaitlin, who was already starting to drift off, on the couch and follow Adam into the kitchen.

He sits on the stool.

"I thought we were cleaning."

He smiles and shakes his head. "I just want to be alone with you," he says softly.

After looking at him for a while, I sit on the stool beside him. "Really?"

He nods.

Play it cool, I tell myself.

"You have a girlfriend," I blurt out.

I cover my mouth as soon as the worlds come out.

Way to play it cool, I scold myself.

"I just want to talk," he says quietly.

I nod, embarrassed.

"Your birthday is next week?"

"Yeah," I say quietly. "Tuesday."

"And you'll be eighteen?"

I nod again. "But I won't graduate until next year," I say lamely.

He looks at me. "You're a junior?"

I shake my head. "I got expelled for fighting. I mean, that's why I'm here. My dad doesn't want me around so he sent me here. Where my mom doesn't want me either."

He looks at me for a while without saying anything.

I just told him everything that's was wrong with my family. I mean, who does that?

Instead of walking away, he stands up and makes me look at him. "Em, your mom is just busy all the time. I have tell this to the girls everyday. Because they sometimes believe their not wanted around, too. But, maybe if you give her a chance to talk or to prove to you that she actually cares, you might be surprised."

I frown slightly. "You sound like Jonathan."

He smiles. "That's kind of the point."

His long, bulky arms make their way around my back. I press my head against his chest.

I don't know why. But every time I'm around him, I feel small. Like a completely different person.

But that's probably just me.

"Was this your first fight? You can't get expelled if it's your first fight."

I laugh quietly. "No, this wasn't my first fight. I don't think I'd be here if it was."