Generation 2, Chapter 3 - Shattered Dreams

Author's Note:  I was going to go back in for additional pictures but for some reason the hair style and facial hair that was used on Adam disappeared and I haven't relocated the to put them back in so I elected not to have half the pictures one way and the other half another way.  But you'll notice Adam looks different in the next few chapters.

I Can See For Miles


The summer before college blew by for Adam with making arrangements for housing on campus for himself and Windy and saying goodbye to his family and friends. He looked around his room and it felt empty as he realized that he was starting a new chapter in his life. He was starting the future he had always imagined for himself with Windy by his side.

The only damper on the summer activities was every time he tried to discuss wedding plans or to set a date Windy would change the subject. It left him feeling lost and alone wondering if his dreams of a future with her was a figment of his imagination. He tried to convince himself that it was just nerves and that things would improve once they were squared away at college. The more Windy refused to discuss the wedding the more his doubts grew and niggled away at his confidence and happiness.

On their first day they unpacked and Windy immediately went into another room and began to read. Sighing Adam followed her, wondering what he was doing wrong. Why wouldn't she talk to him? If the thought of marrying him was so awful, why did she say yes? He opened his book and tried to concentrate as he kept looking at her wondering what was going on between them.

When Windy put her book away he knew it was time to go to the meet and greet for all new students. They stood in line to receive their class schedules and as expected they didn't have any classes in common. After comparing schedules, Windy left to do her own thing. Adam stood there trying not to feel dejected and ignored. Shaking his head, he sternly told himself not to let it get him down. He was going to have a good year, this was the first step to accomplishing his goals.

He wandered upstairs where he joined in on a game of foosball. He lost as his mind kept going to Windy and the guy she was talking to.

Adam tried not to notice that she was flirting with that guy in a way she hadn't done with him since graduation night. He tried to deny that he was jealous seeing her lay her hand on his arm and laugh at his jokes. After the foosball game broke up he wandered around listlessly, deciding to get a snack.

Adam sat down to enjoy his gooey concoction when he saw Windy laughing and enjoying herself in a game of pool with the same guy from earlier. As Adam sat and watched, the brownie turned to stone in the pit of his stomach. Hastily he cleaned up his mess and raced down the stairs. He couldn't stay and watch as Windy flirted with someone else right in front of him.

In his haste to leave he practically mowed down a girl coming into the building.

"Oh I'm so sorry," Adam stammered as he bent to help her up.

"It's ok," she said dusting herself off. Smiling she stuck her hand out saying "I'm Ruby Parks."

Shaking her hand briefly, he said "I'm Adam."

"It's nice to meet you. Would you be able to tell me if I'm in the right place to get my class schedule?"

"Yeah, I'll show you." Ruby followed Adam and waited while she collected her schedule.

"Are you majoring in Science?" Adam asked.

"I'm going into medicine."

"It looks like we have some of the same classes, maybe we could study together?" They made arrangements to study together and lab partners. For the first time since arriving that morning, Adam was enjoying himself.

As the term wore on they fell into a routine, where they lived in the same house but each went their separate ways. Adam was a popular invitee to keggers, where he had the tendency to drink too much. If it weren't for Ruby, he'd have failed his first term. As it was, Ruby was able to assist him in maintaining a 'C' average in most of his classes.

"Adam what's wrong?" Ruby asked in concern.

"Nothing's wrong," he mumbled refusing to meet her eyes.

"Yes there is," Ruby insisted "You went to another kegger last night, didn't you?"

Adam sighed heavily and nodded, stopping as the motion made his head hurt.

"Adam you promised."

"I know I'm sorry," Adam said as vague memories of the night before raced through his mind. "Oh my god. I tried to kiss you last night didn't I?"

"I'm surprised you remembered that. You were pretty wasted." A slight smirk etched across her face that quickly faded. "Your drinking is going to get you into trouble. What if you had tried that with someone else? Do you really want to run the risk of getting some girl you don't even know pregnant?"

"I wasn't that bad, was I?"

"Yes," Ruby said "from trying to kiss me to streaking naked. I barely got you home before you did anything worse. What if I wasn't there? Would you have driven yourself home?"

Staring bleakly at her, Adam couldn't answer. He had no idea what to say. Ever since proposing to Windy his life had gotten more and more out of control. Running his hands through his hair he mumbled "Oh God my life's a mess. It's drifting further and further away from where I thought it would be."

"Have you mentioned how you feel to your fiance?" Ruby asked in disgust at the thought of Adam marrying Windy.

"No we don't really talk much anymore," Adam sighed "It's like we're two strangers living in the same house. I wish I could figure out how to get it back to where it was."

Ruby stared at him wondering how long he would continue to delude himself into believing Windy was the girl for him. As far as she could see, Windy was a cheater and on more than one occasion she'd seen her on dates with various guys around campus. "Adam, she's not worth it. She's going to break you, if she hasn't already."

"How can you say that? You don't even know her," Adam exclaimed.

"I know enough to know she's cheating on you."

"What? No you're wrong," Adam said dazed, quickly he gathered his books and ran from the room. As he ran he spotted Windy in the distance, talking to the same guy she met months before at the meet and greet. As he neared them, they hugged. Even though he saw it with his own eyes, he still couldn't believe it. Ruby was right. Windy was cheating on him. Deciding to skip the rest of his classes Adam ran home where he spent the next few hours contemplating what he was going to do.

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When Windy came home, she was surprised to find Adam waiting for her.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" she asked coming into the living room. Adam shrugged in response. Windy turned on the TV ignoring him.

"Windy we need to talk."

"About?" Windy absently asked as she laughed at the sitcom she was watching.

Growing frustrated Adam got up and switched the TV off.

"Hey I was watching that," Windy yelled getting up to switch it on again.

"We need to talk," Adam repeated.

"So talk."

"Who was that guy you were hugging today outside the student union building today?" Adam blurted out forgetting his well rehearsed speech and jumping to what was bothering him most.

"What guy?" Windy asked laughing not believing that it took Adam this long to notice. "Are you jealous? I can't talk to another guy without you getting jealous."

"Hugging not talking. We're engaged. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"This is ridiculous," Windy said as she ran past him, up the stairs. Adam followed her determined to get this out in the open. "Windy we're not done talking."

"Oh yes we are," Windy shouted at him slamming the door. A moment later Adam heard the TV turn on in the room beyond the door.

Opening the door Adam followed her in. "Windy please," Adam pleaded "I need to know, do you love me?"

Windy looked at him on the verge of telling him no she didn't love him. But she caught herself before she could say it. Getting up she placed her hands on Adams' face and softly kissed him.

 

Between kisses Adam mumbled "maybe we should wait. I'm not sure this is ..." but he soon gave into desire and let Windy have her way, something they hadn't done before either due to lack of privacy or timing, either way Windy had always told him no. They had always slept in separate rooms.

Later that night as Windy lay sleeping beside him, Adam couldn't help but admit to himself that Windy had lacked all the nervous hesitations that he had for their first time. With regret, Adam acknowledged that he had been seduced and effectively sidetracked. Her experience told him more than all her lies and silence ever could.