Adam by Ariel Schrag Read Free Book Online Page A

loser!”
    â€œShut up, retard.” They greeted each other with their customary kicks to the shins.
    When they got off the elevator onto Casey’s floor, the unbelievable Pleasure Island that was college continued. A bunch of doors were open, and Adam could see beanbag chairs and widescreen TVs. Rap music mingled with rock, drifting out from different directions. Nailed to the hallway wall was a little plastic basket filled with colorful condoms, a sign reading: FREE !
    â€œThis is my shithole,” said Casey, opening the door to her room. “And this is June.”
    June was clearly gay. Like, no doubt about it, this was a lesbian. Casey, who had long hair and often wore skirts, wasn’t obviously gay—which is probably why she got away with Mom and Dad not knowing. June, meanwhile, had a shaved head and a giant bull nose ring, and she was wearing a baggy T-shirt that read: I WON’T GO DOWN IN HISTORY, BUT I’LL GO DOWN ON YOUR SISTER . Just in case the shaved head and bull nose ring hadn’t tipped you off.
    â€œHi,” said Adam, offering his hand.
    â€œHe’s so polite!” June said to Casey, laughing and ignoring Adam and his hand.
    Adam decided that he hated her.
“And you’re so gay !”
he said back to June in his head.
    â€œJune is living with us in Brooklyn,” said Casey, flopping onto her bed.
    Great.
    â€œYou’ll meet Craigslist when we get there. God, it’s gonna be so weird not calling Craigslist ‘Craigslist’ anymore!”
    â€œI
know
,” said June, flopping down next to Casey, staring at her with drooling eyes. June was clearly in love with Casey.
Loser
, thought Adam.
No way are you good enough for her.
Sam would beat you to a pulp.
    Casey rambled on. “We’re totally gonna be like, ‘Um, Craigslist—
I mean Ethan.
’” Casey and June burst out laughing.
    Ethan?
Adam had just assumed they’d be living with another girl. Well, that was cool. He’d have a guy there to be on his side, maybe show him around a bit. He could already tell he’d want to be spending as much time as possible out of the apartment and away from June.
    Casey and June chattered away about the apartment, debating whether they should make a cooking/cleaning chore wheel . . . Adam tuned them out. He sat on the floor, leaned up against the bed, and stared into the dorm room across the hall from Casey’s. A girl’s shorts-clad legs lolled on her bed, a giant economics book obscuring her face, calculator resting on her stomach. Suddenly, she let the book drop, revealing a gorgeous face and loads of heavenly red hair. Was
this
the girl Adam had seen in his daydream on the airplane? Had she actually arrived so soon? Adam’s heart was racing. What if this was her? What if God was giving him this chance? It was now or never. Use it or lose it. But what was he supposed to do? Just get up and go introduce himself? Casey would think he was off the fucking wall. Fuck Casey, he wasn’t going to let her get in the way of him and his destiny girl. But if it was destiny, shouldn’t it happen without him really needing to make any effort? Wasn’t that the point of destiny? But maybe he did need to do something. Just give her a certain look. Then she would do the rest, bring them together. Adam sat up straighter against the bed, made eye contact with the girl, and formed a tentative smile. The girl stood up, walked over to the door, and slammed it shut. A piece of paper taped to the door with the name LINDSEY wafted briefly: a sad little wave goodbye.
So long, Lindsey. 
.
 . 
.
It was nice while it lasted.
Adam turned back to Casey and June.
    â€œGod, I cannot wait to leave this fucking place,” said Casey.
    â€œReally?” said Adam. “It seems pretty cool to me.”
    June snorted. Adam grimaced.
People with bull nose rings should never snort.
    Casey continued, “Ugh, you have