seven (adam banks)

chapter seven

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chapter seven: cologne

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The next morning, Jamie unwinds herself from a snoring Adam and rubs the sleep from her eyes. He doesn't seem to notice the absence of his big spoon, rolling slightly toward his side of her bed and tucking her old teddy bear even further under his arm. She sits next to him a moment, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin on her knees.

All of last night's events roll over her in waves.

Frowning, she looks over at him again, brushing one of his hairs back from his face. He looks much more peaceful now, no longer anguished.

Her stomach growls and pulls her from her reverie.

"I'll, uh, be right back." She whispers, even if he's asleep. "Stay put."

As carefully as she can, Jamie gets off her bed and walks across her room, stepping over the sweatshirt he'd discarded and unlocking her door. She slips out without a problem. Her house is still quiet, resting, and she starts going down the stairs with a sigh of relief.

Adam eventually drifts down after her as she's pulling something out of the freezer.

"Hey."

His morning voice is raspy and he stretches as he turns the corner, yawning. As he raises his arms, the bottom of his shirt lifts up, showing off just what years of hockey will do to you-

Jamie swallows, her gaze drifting down before snapping back up.

"Hey- how are you feeling?"

Adam shrugs, scratching the back of his neck.

"Better, I guess. Thank you..."

"You don't have to thank me. I'm your best friend, this is what best friends do."

'Best friend' feels foreign on her tongue, but not unwelcome. There's something wrong about it, but she just chalks it up to so many years of distance between them.

She puts some frozen waffles in the toaster.

"Do your parents know where you are?"

Adam comes and stands next to her, leaning against the counter. "Yeah. Where else would I go?"

Jamie snorts softly.

Maybe it should've sounded odd, but she's been cleaning up Phillip Banks' messes since she was little, so it isn't wrong to assume his parents just knew he came to her.

"Eggo?"

Adam takes the newly warmed up waffle she offers to him and eats it. The two of them sit in a comfortable silence, eating breakfast in her kitchen.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get my bookbag and change."

"Alright."

"I'll see you in like ten minutes."

His sweatshirt lays forgotten on her bedroom floor, and she forces herself not to think about the fact that she checked him out.

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"So, you tutor?" Adam questions, the two of them walking to the bus stop.

With her thumbs hooked under the straps of her book bag, Jamie nods.

"Yeah, just Cole- though I'm not sure I'm doing any good."

He turns to her with furrowed brows. "How so?"