Strangely Perfect

45.The Apple Incident

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F O R T Y F I V E:

We were a week into school after Thanksgiving and the buzz around Archview High was about Wes and Jamie's accident. Jamie was still in the hospital but Wes came back to school and had a herd of people asking him about the events, he'd win girls' sympathy and they'd do anything for him and even went as far as spoon-feeding him food. Jamie was so jealous and mad when she found out.

We'd visit Jamie as much as we could, Wes visited every day until one day Jamie asked for us not to come. It took Wes a lot more convincing to not come and Jamie had to assure us it was nothing. Annie only said it was because Jamie was tired. It seemed odd but it made sense. Everyone had Wes-duty to make sure he wouldn't sneak off to the hospital.

Adam and I got really close and on most nights, I'd fall asleep to him on the phone. He made me giddy and I liked and hated it at the same time. Ms Abrams noticed how much more conversational we were and would smile and sometimes ask us to explain equations. We were both terrible at math. So it never ended well. Kara Thomas made it her mission to always eye me like I was a spider that she needed to keep an eye on so it didn't go anywhere so she could kill it. Call me Gerald McSpidey. At least he's still alive. She would always take Adam away at lunch and he'd always say he'd be back, but never came back.

Alex of course noticed and made it her life's mission to get back at her. She would join in on PE — yes you heard right — and aim the dodge-balls at Kara Thomas and her only. Even when they were on the same team, she'd still hit her. And when it wasn't dodge-ball, Alex would still hit her and play it off as an accident. It was funny to watch but only made her even more angry.

The buzz of the accident finally died down when the Winterball was introduced. All anyone could talk about was who was going with who and what they were going to wear. The biggest rumor going around was that Kara Thomas and Adam Case were going together. Maybe it was because I was falling for him, but it didn't sit well with me and I'd go home and cry.

Tragic, I know.

But it's all I could really do to let it out. In the end, he liked Kara Thomas and who wouldn't? She was beautiful, popular and overall kind when she wasn't staring at me like she wanted to kill me. That night, I did not fall asleep on the phone with Adam. He probably didn't even want to talk to me, maybe I was keeping him from talking to Kara Thomas.

The winterball was two weeks away and I became a grinch when it came to talks of it.

Jamie was released from the hospital and after a few days at home she was finally ready to come back to school.

"Hey, Jamie!" I grabbed her bag from her in front of her house and walked with her to Alex's car.

"Hey." Her eyes were casted on the ground, her normal vibrant smile nowhere to be found.

"You alright? If you're not ready to go back-"

"No, I'm fine I just... have shoulder pain. This is annoying." She looked at her sling in annoyance. "But I'm fine. The cast for my hand will come off soon."

I helped her in the car, "and your collarbone?"

"I'll still have to wear a sling."

"Hey, so Nonna made you cookies." Alex greeted and I quickly got in the back so we could drive off. "But I ate them."

"Why am I not surprised?" Jamie rhetorically asks shaking her head.

"She thought I might eat them so Danny's bringing some more for you."