I didn't see Adam again. The afternoon passed in a daze. Luckily I didn't have any classes with Jill either, someone I was all too happy to avoid. It was a small miracle none of the teachers called me out on my obvious lack of attention. Probably chalked it up to first day jitters. If only.

My thoughts centered on the same person they centered on all weekend, and my feelings were a snarled knot in my chest. The sensation of betrayal sank its teeth into my skin and gnawed at me. Except...

We weren't dating, not really. We hung out once, shared a couple beautiful hours in the sun soaked woods. We hadn't even kissed. My cheeks burned at the thought. I couldn't reconcile the Adam I knew with the blonde girl in Jill's picture. In my mind they were two different people. By last period I'd managed to nibble all my fingernails to the quick, a nervous habit I hadn't done in months.

What was I going to do?

By the time the bus dropped me off at the corner of my street, I had no answers. I kept walking passed my front door. Mom wouldn't be home until late and I didn't want to sit in an empty house. I wandered without direction and found myself at the mossy bridge.

I stared into the woods, debating to myself if I should go in on the off chance of finding Adam there. He did say he frequented the place. Would he talk to me? He wouldn't even look at me in the cafeteria.

I talked myself out of going in when I saw a flash of movement through the trees, a fleeting glimpse of blue flannel. My feet were already moving. I ran into the forest, the blue flowers brushing against my ankles from the fringe of the path. I couldn't have been that far from him, but I didn't see him anywhere. Where was he? Was I seeing things?

Far through the trees was another fleeting blur of blue, much further than I thought possible.

"Adam?" I called, soft and uncertain. The figure didn't pause, vanishing further through the trees. I ran after him, breathing hard by the time I reached the spot, but he was nowhere to be found.

Frustrated, I turned to leave and realized I'd strayed off the path. Actually, I couldn't see the path at all. Nothing but moss coated trees and blue flowers. I swallowed down a jolt of panic. The forest couldn't be that big. It was nothing but a swathe of trees between Rothsdale and the next town over. No matter what direction I picked, eventually I'd come out of the woods. I turned toward what I hoped was the direction of my house and started walking.

A hour later, I was still deep in the woods. There was nothing through the gaps between trunks except more trees. I was also miserably thirsty and sweaty. What the heck was I thinking running in here, chasing a blue hallucination? I pushed through a low tangle of bushes and promptly stepped in water. I stared, taking in the scene in front of me.

I'd stumbled upon a naturally constructed pool, a series of short waterfalls entering and leaving, tumbling over heaps of stones that stopped up enough water for a fairly deep pool. There was a small island at the center, where a large willow tree trailed its curtain of branches across the surface.

"Beautiful," I said, kneeling beside the small waterfall that fed down into the pool. It was crystal clear and moving water was safer to drink in a pinch than stagnant. I'd risk it. I sipped a handful, savoring the cold sweet taste of it. I couldn't remember anything tasting so good. Deciding to take a rest before I threw myself back into the woods, I stripped off my shoes and dangled my feet in the pool.

I sighed as the ache in my calves melted away. The willow and surrounding trees reflected a warm green that soothed the warped mess of emotions that built up through the day.

I stared out over the water, wondering if I could find this spot again to show Adam...

Right back where I started.

Did I still feel betrayed by Adam? I thought about my first day at Rothsdale, a small town, secluded, and mostly white. It wasn't the first place I lived where my Indian American heritage stood out, but other than a few offhand comments, Mason and Jill's crowd seemed friendly. Not so with Adam. I couldn't forget Jill's sneer of disgust. The jeers and cruel laughter of the others. Was that what Adam had to endure everyday?

I drew my feet out of the water, hugging my knees. Adam was so polite, but distant and aloof. He held himself off. I remembered our parting on Saturday and his unspoken words.

"You were going to tell me," I whispered. If the other kids treated him like that, no wonder he was so hesitant to bring it up. How did I feel about it? I tried to connect Adam with the smiling blonde in the picture and realized I wanted to see that relaxed smile on his face. I wanted to know him better because I still had a big crush on Adam Garner. I rolled to me feet, determined to make my way out of this forest. I was going to tell him how I felt about him if I had to show up at his front door to do it.

I turned to find him behind me, shocked by the sight of me as I was of him.

For a long moment, we just stared at each other. The sunlight brought out the streaks of gold in his hair and lit his irises to that warm cinnamon color I adored. There was a dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose I hadn't noticed before. My decision felt right as my heart sped up at the sight of him.

Adam broke the silence first, his words stumbling over each other. "I'm sorry, Riya, I meant to tell you, I wanted you to hear it from me, I--"

I closed the distance between us, sliding my arms up over his shoulders. He was several inches taller than my five foot two, perfect height to raise up on my toes and press my lips to his. He stiffened, so surprised his hands fluttered against my shoulders, uncertain whether to push me away. I smiled against his lips and pulled back to look into his face.

"I wish you had told me," I said, seeing guilt trip across his features. "Now let me tell you that I don't care. I want you to tell me lots of things. Tell me about you. Let me see you, Adam."

He smiled then, painted in sunshine and shade, and simply took my breath away.

"I want to see you smile more," I said.

***

We spent the rest of the afternoon, into the evening, beside the willow pool talking. Adam shared his life, before and after his transition, lying beside me. Our bare feet brushed together in the water. Our arms with hooked, heads tilted toward one another. He was so relaxed, so perfect.

"Will you go out with me?" The question flew out of my mouth.

Adam's lips twitched. His eyes darkened as tension bloomed in them. "That might not be such a good idea."

"Why not? I like you, and I am under the impression you might like me back," I said, winking at him. He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. I gently nudged my forehead against his. "Are you worried about what those idiots think?"

Adam shifted, troubled by the turn of conversation. "Jill used to be my best friend. Mason, all of them, we all hung out together every day. Last summer, I hung out less and less, and when I came back to school, they didn't like the differences. Jill couldn't deal with it."

I rolled over to face him, snuggling against his side to comfort him. "Were you able to talk to them about any of it?"

Adam's expression was bitter. "Let's just say the one conversation we managed to have didn't end well." He looked away, shadows of regret clouding his eyes.

I took his hand, lightly squeezing his fingers. "You don't deserve to be alone either, you know."

"I wish we could stay here," he said. "No stares or sneers, no judgment. It's pure." He didn't look at me as he spoke. "It's safe."

"Then we'll start here," I said, capturing his gaze. "It can be our sanctuary from the world. Until we are ready to face it together. Though would you consider sitting with me at lunch?"

He smile was fleeting but it was there. "I could do that," he said, eyeing the now orange sky overhead. "It's getting late, we should get home."

"How did you find me anyway?" I asked, sliding my wet feet in my shoes.

He frowned at me. "I heard you calling my name, over and over," he said. A chill skittered up my back. He didn't seem to notice I was spooked. "I wasn't planning to come here today, but I don't know, it just felt like I should. I was heading to my tree when I heard your voice."

I opened my mouth to tell him how I got here, following an Adam apparition through the trees but stopped. I glanced down at the pool, grateful for another blissful afternoon.

"I hope we can find this spot again," I said.

"We should, easy, it's just off the path."

I whipped around. Sure enough, the path was now visible through the trees. I held Adam's hand as we left the forest, reaching in mossy bridge in minutes.