“Adam, when we get into exposure response and prevention therapy we’re going to need your mother’s support. She’ll have to come in and at least—”
“Not gonna happen, Chuck. You know it and I know it. We’re on our own here. Hey, look: five-thirty! Time’s up. I know there’s some other wing nut out there that’s desperate to get in here.”
“Adam.”
“I’ll do better, sir.”
They both stood up.
“Look. I
know
.” He finally met Chuck’s eyes. “Okay?”
“Okay.” Chuck nodded. “See you Monday.”
“Yeah, you bet.” He made a beeline for the door. “That was awesome, thanks! See you at Group.”
He had to get out, couldn’t breathe.
Seventeen, nineteen, twenty-one, twenty-three …
CHAPTER 16
“Dad?” What the hell?
Adam, Robyn
and
Wolverine were exiting the clinic’s ground floor together when Adam saw him.
“Dad?” he repeated. He would have bet his Warhammer collection on the fact that his father didn’t know he even went to a support group, let alone where it was. No, that was a lie. His old man paid the bills.
Mr. Sebastian Jeffrey Ross was leaning against his blood-red Jaguar, arms crossed, one leg in front of the other. He straightened as soon as he caught sight of Adam. “Son.”
“Everything okay? It’s not Mom, is it? Sweetie? Brenda?”
Mr. Ross threw his hands in the air. “Hold up! Everything’s good. Well, you know, mainly. Going to introduce me to your friends?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
“Hi, how ya doing!” He extended his hand toward Robyn. “I’m Adam’s father.”
Robyn blushed and shook his hand. “Robyn Plummer, sir.”
“This the girl Wendell’s been talking about?” he asked Adam.
Impale me on a rusty sword and feed my entrails to buzzards!
“Dunno, maybe.” He was going to kill Sweetie, immediately and often.
“Hi, Mr. Ross,” said Wolverine. “I’m Peter Kolchak, Wolverine.”
Wow, his Christian name
, thought Adam. Not even Father Rick had got that out of him. Adam’s dad nodded at Wolverine but kept smiling at Robyn. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you, young lady. Is that a Chapel High blazer? Good school.”
Robyn answered while Adam agonized.
What was this about?
He
needed
to go to the cemetery with Robyn. He needed to be with her, to see if … In the week since the church field trip, Adam had been replaying Wolverine smarming her, opening the door, brandishing his ten-dollar bill, being all smooth and tall. So he needed time alone with Robyn at their spot to see if she … well, to see if they still were … What
were
they exactly? What if she’d already gone out with Wolverine? There’d been a whole weekend in there. He was developing an ulcer as they stood there.
But then again.
Wolverine didn’t have that smug, I’ve-been-with-her-already look. Not that Adam was airtight sure that he’drecognize that look, but he was pretty sure that Wolverine wasn’t sporting it. Did she like Wolverine? Of course she did. Even Adam liked Wolverine. The guy was older, cooler and, as of late, slightly less crazy. Speaking of which, Adam’s anxiety was erupting like silent farts all around him. His father snapped him back to the crisis at hand.
“Sorry, kid, you’re needed at home. Uh, I mean my home.”
Well,
that
was awkward.
“Which is
your
home too,
of course
.” His father cleared his throat. “Wendell”—his father would chew tinfoil before he called his younger son Sweetie—“Wendell’s a bit sick with strep and is inconsolable and that means no one will do but you, champ.”
Robyn stepped over to Adam. “It’s okay, we can walk over next week.”
Yes! This meant that she had intended to walk with him in the first place. They were good, they were tight, they were a
they
. Practically. Relief bubbled over him. “Yeah, next week for sure! Yeah. You bet, Robyn!” He’d tripped back into SpongeBob mode.
“Well, then, Robyn, how about the two of us walk together as far as the subway
“Not gonna happen, Chuck. You know it and I know it. We’re on our own here. Hey, look: five-thirty! Time’s up. I know there’s some other wing nut out there that’s desperate to get in here.”
“Adam.”
“I’ll do better, sir.”
They both stood up.
“Look. I
know
.” He finally met Chuck’s eyes. “Okay?”
“Okay.” Chuck nodded. “See you Monday.”
“Yeah, you bet.” He made a beeline for the door. “That was awesome, thanks! See you at Group.”
He had to get out, couldn’t breathe.
Seventeen, nineteen, twenty-one, twenty-three …
CHAPTER 16
“Dad?” What the hell?
Adam, Robyn
and
Wolverine were exiting the clinic’s ground floor together when Adam saw him.
“Dad?” he repeated. He would have bet his Warhammer collection on the fact that his father didn’t know he even went to a support group, let alone where it was. No, that was a lie. His old man paid the bills.
Mr. Sebastian Jeffrey Ross was leaning against his blood-red Jaguar, arms crossed, one leg in front of the other. He straightened as soon as he caught sight of Adam. “Son.”
“Everything okay? It’s not Mom, is it? Sweetie? Brenda?”
Mr. Ross threw his hands in the air. “Hold up! Everything’s good. Well, you know, mainly. Going to introduce me to your friends?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
“Hi, how ya doing!” He extended his hand toward Robyn. “I’m Adam’s father.”
Robyn blushed and shook his hand. “Robyn Plummer, sir.”
“This the girl Wendell’s been talking about?” he asked Adam.
Impale me on a rusty sword and feed my entrails to buzzards!
“Dunno, maybe.” He was going to kill Sweetie, immediately and often.
“Hi, Mr. Ross,” said Wolverine. “I’m Peter Kolchak, Wolverine.”
Wow, his Christian name
, thought Adam. Not even Father Rick had got that out of him. Adam’s dad nodded at Wolverine but kept smiling at Robyn. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you, young lady. Is that a Chapel High blazer? Good school.”
Robyn answered while Adam agonized.
What was this about?
He
needed
to go to the cemetery with Robyn. He needed to be with her, to see if … In the week since the church field trip, Adam had been replaying Wolverine smarming her, opening the door, brandishing his ten-dollar bill, being all smooth and tall. So he needed time alone with Robyn at their spot to see if she … well, to see if they still were … What
were
they exactly? What if she’d already gone out with Wolverine? There’d been a whole weekend in there. He was developing an ulcer as they stood there.
But then again.
Wolverine didn’t have that smug, I’ve-been-with-her-already look. Not that Adam was airtight sure that he’drecognize that look, but he was pretty sure that Wolverine wasn’t sporting it. Did she like Wolverine? Of course she did. Even Adam liked Wolverine. The guy was older, cooler and, as of late, slightly less crazy. Speaking of which, Adam’s anxiety was erupting like silent farts all around him. His father snapped him back to the crisis at hand.
“Sorry, kid, you’re needed at home. Uh, I mean my home.”
Well,
that
was awkward.
“Which is
your
home too,
of course
.” His father cleared his throat. “Wendell”—his father would chew tinfoil before he called his younger son Sweetie—“Wendell’s a bit sick with strep and is inconsolable and that means no one will do but you, champ.”
Robyn stepped over to Adam. “It’s okay, we can walk over next week.”
Yes! This meant that she had intended to walk with him in the first place. They were good, they were tight, they were a
they
. Practically. Relief bubbled over him. “Yeah, next week for sure! Yeah. You bet, Robyn!” He’d tripped back into SpongeBob mode.
“Well, then, Robyn, how about the two of us walk together as far as the subway
Similar Books
