Meet Me After Class

Chapter 37: A Dilemma

"Thanks," I mumbled, mortified. I stood in tense silence until he finally hurried away.

Adam walked over to me. "What was that with Mr. Scott just now?"

I blinked, feigning naivety. "What do you mean?"

He crossed his arms, seeing right through me. I held up the book defensively. "He was just lending me this for writing help." I couldn't bring myself to call it a gift.

"How thoughtful," Adam said drily. Clearly, he wasn't convinced.

I rambled on, trying to justify it. "He's been mentoring me, and he's a theater writer, so I was just picking his brain." Even to me, it sounded like over-explaining.

"Just be careful, Wendy." He dragged a hand through his hair with a huff. "And, look, it's not like I'm jealous, or anything, but we did..." He stepped closer, dropping his voice. "You know, make out."

My face was flushed as I looked around anxiously, making sure that no one was within earshot. "Shhh! Someone could hear you!" I whispered urgently.

He smirked, holding up his hands. "Why so nervous? There's no one around. Besides, it's not like either of us are seeing anyone."

I rolled my eyes, feeling frustrated. "But we're best friends! Everyone knows that." I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "And like we talked about before, the first kiss was situational."

"Situational?" He looked at me quizzically. "What does that even mean?"

"And the second kiss," I continued, "it was obviously in the heat of the moment."

He frowned, looking confused. "Was it really?"

"And the third kiss, well, it was your birthday," I said, trying to find a reasonable explanation for what had happened.

His expression turned hurt. "So it didn't mean anything?"

"No, that's not what I meant," I said, stumbling over my words. "I mean, it was unexpected, but..."

Adam crossed his arms over his chest, looking skeptical. "You literally just said it was just in the heat of the moment."

The words burst out before I could stop them, "It was my first kiss! Of course it meant something!"

Adam's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, mine too!" He jabbed a finger toward the stage. "And Scott was all up in your space just now. Right in front of me. And you did nothing! What's gotten into you?"

I shook my head, confused by the sudden change of topic. "What are you talking about? Nothing's gotten into me, and nothing will; Mr. Scott is my teacher." I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "What is going on with you?"

Adam breathed out.

"Adam?"

He took a moment before replying, "Nothing." He seemed like he had more to say about Mr. Scott, but he was holding back. He looked away, his shoulders slumping. "Sorry, Wendy. I guess I'm just really annoyed that you're not coming to Nepal." He met my eyes again. "Selfishly, part of me isn't happy you got accepted. Sorry."

I softened. "Adam..."

He looked at me and didn't say anything.

"And now Penny's not going either," I said.

He sighed. "Honestly, it's probably for the best. We'd just bicker the whole time."

A small smile tugged at my lips. "What do you think made her change her mind?"

Adam's eyes glinted knowingly. "Oh, I have some ideas."

We shared a laugh, and the tension dissipated. As we exited the backstage area, Adam took my hand in his, his fingers intertwining with mine as he gave it a gentle, calming squeeze. It was a small gesture, but it felt like everything was okay again. Or at least, I hoped it was.

I hope.

Later that night, I sat on my bed, staring up at the ceiling lost in thought. Adam's words kept echoing in my mind. "I'm not jealous..."

He was never one to disguise his true feelings. But he had changed over the last couple years.

My fingers drifted to my lips, remembering the feeling of his kiss. It struck me - my best friend was an unexpectedly skilled kisser. It was surprising to hear that the cabin kiss was his first time too.

Is he just naturally gifted at kissing? And that intense moment backstage when I thought he might kiss me again...

Could those moments have forged a new connection between us? Was he upset about seeing me with Mr. Scott?

I shook my head, laughing drily. This was Adam, my best friend! I shouldn't read so much into a few impulsive kisses.

And then there was Mr. Scott. How he was towards me had changed somehow. Was he hinting at something more between us? Or only what I hoped to hear? I couldn't think straight around him.

And when he called me Ms. Greene, was it his way of gently friendzoning me?

I sighed, rolling over and punching my pillow in frustration. What was happening? How did I get myself into this mess of tangled emotions and mixed signals? When did my feelings get so muddled?

As I finally drifted off to sleep, my mind was still spinning in fruitless circles, grasping to make sense of it all. Had I brought this emotional mess on myself?