Her grandmother's urge to scold her like an adolescent would have broken Ada's heart if it were any other day. She idolized Nonnie. But after years of treating Ada as if she were the sole adult in the family, even at a tender age, she was now as immature as the rest of her family. Well, so be it.

For the first time, Ada was excited, even with the shit storm going on in her life. Happiness filled her and she would not let Nonnie's dissatisfaction or hostility ruin it for her. Not today.

Today the school's bells controlled her for the last time. She would leave these toxic people behind her. The world would no longer have a voice in how she lived her life.

Today was the last day at Kennedy High. No bitchy looks or angry grandmother's or not-so-subtle whispers would tarnish that for her.

Ada would not allow the scene from that morning to ruin the day for her, her mood drastically improved when she made her way into Tom's classroom while everyone else was eating breakfast. A fit of laughter took over her, turning her face almost as red as the apples that occupied his desk and pretty much every other surface in the room.

And in the middle of the room stood Tom, still taking in the image himself. There was a subtle difference in him today, and it wasn't just the annoyance clear on his face.

Today Tom wore a fitted gray suit that matched his eyes. She'd never seen him in a suit that fit and just presumed he didn't own one. It showed off his toned body and, for a minute, made her forget about the ludicrous sight all around her.

His hair, rather than having that slight disheveled look he always seemed to have, now combed and styled. He looked like a fresh face to the teaching world, young and professional and his beauty undeniable.

"Why?" he asked as he continued staring around the room with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"An apple for the teacher," was the only explanation Ada had for the sight in front of her. Ada figured the amount of apples was just shy of the amount of seniors in her class. Though their town was small, the student body comprised other neighboring smaller towns, leaving the apple and senior count a little under four hundred.

"But why?" he asked again through frowned lips.

Ada's laughter subsided and her face lit up as she knew the answer to this one. "It was a payment made by parents for their kid's education."

Tom cocked his head and blinked his gray eyes at her several times. "What?" he asked before he shook his head. "No, I mean this," he said as he threw his arms up in wild and dramatic fashion. "Why the hell is this happening in my classroom?"

He sounded so damn flustered and cute that Ada had to battle the temptation to wrap her arms around him. "Because your students love you?" she speculated. More than likely it was just a regular, good old-fashioned senior prank aimed at a teacher who would leave not long after them.

"So they give me fucking fruit?" Tom shook his head again and looked around in annoyance. "If they loved me so damn much they'd prank me with a dozen pizzas. That shit I'd eat. What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

Based on the to-go containers that had cluttered his kitchen that first night she was over at his house, Ada guessed he didn't have a very healthy diet. She assumed Tom worked out, but fruits and vegetables were likely not in his daily or even weekly diet. He seemed to live on fast food, burgers, beer and caffeine.

Ada looked around the room. There wasn't a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter for a hundred miles, and a food pantry wouldn't take them. "I can make some desserts for the party. I'm guessing that's what my dad wanted to talk to you about last night."

Tom's body relaxed, and a grin danced at his lips. "Dessert?"

"The party," Ada clarified, though he knew damn well what she was talking about.

Tom thrust his hands in his pockets and began his walk over to her in casual stride. "I don't know what you're talking about." He was playing coy, something he didn't do well, but came off as adorable.

Once he reached her, Ada had to bite her lip to hold them back from kissing that sexy grin on his face. "Just to let you know, my sister let it slip at breakfast that you and I were together."

"Your family already knows we're together, and something tells me Peter wasn't all that surprised."

Tom was right in that Peter did not seem the least bit shocked at the news. In reality, he called it before either of them had. There was something about children that made them beyond perceptive.

"My grandmother was there too."

Any lingering smile Tom had was gone the moment he heard the words. Nonnie already disliked him as it was. Now she knew they were together, adding fuel to a rapidly burning fire.

"So if there is a party," Ada continued when Tom's shell shock didn't wear off, "you can count on her making your night a living hell."

"You don't seem shook up about it," Tom noticed aloud.

Ada shrugged her shoulders, brushing the memory out of her mind. "She'll cool down. With me, anyhow. She'll hate you forever."

Tom's eyes shifted over to the nearest student desk before he tipped it to the side, sending apples rolling about in every direction. After the desk was cleared, he sat down backwards, using the desk as a backrest and crossed his arms. "If only one member of your family hates me with a passion, I'm doing good, all things considered."

The bell rang by the door that told students there was only five minutes to finish up breakfast before the next bell called them to their first class, which meant Ada only had just over five minutes alone with Tom. So she unzipped her book bag and reached her hand in, pulling out the simply packaged present for Tom. "I got you something as a thank you-"

"Thank you for what?" Tom asked as he took the gift from her hand. He tilted his head and studied the mysterious package rather than just opening it.

"Making my days here less miserable."

Tom pried his gaze from the package, giving her that loving gaze that filled her stomach with butterflies.

Ada felt herself getting antsy. Any moment his first period class would arrive. "Can you just open it already."

Tom chuckled and slid the tied rope to the side before moving his finger between the paper to break the tape. Ada watched his smile change when he opened the box and saw what was inside.

"Open it."

Tom glanced up at her with glistening eyes before turning his attention back to 'The Giving Tree' book. He opened the cover and sucked in a breath. "This is a signed copy." His words shook when he spoke them, and Tom dragged his fingers across the signature. "Ada, this must have cost-"

"Not as much as you'd think," she reassured him. "There're signatures out there worth a crazy amount more than Shel Silverstein's. I know you wouldn't have wanted me to spend a fortune on it, so it took me a while to win an auction."

It still cost more than anything she'd ever bought, minus half the payment on her car, but she wasn't about to let Tom know that. By the look on Tom's face, the cost was worth it. "You said it was your favorite book growing up, right?"

Tom let out a nervous, short lived laugh. "I did say that."

Though she wasn't seeking validation, he hadn't looked up at her since he first opened the box and saw the book. "Please tell me you like it, because that was the only thing-"

"I love it." He stared up at her, eyes tender and still glistening as he picked up the book and held it to his chest. His other hand traveled up to his own smiling lips before cupping his cheek with this palm, his elbow resting atop the chair. "This puts the gift I got for you to shame."

Ada's face lit up. "You got me a gift?"

"What the hell happened in here?" Her principal's voice thundered from the doorway, breaking their eye contact.

Ada stepped away from Tom, grateful he'd been sitting rather than standing close to her. "Senior prank, sir."

His gaping eyes traveled around the room and a frown dipped his lips as he spoke. "Mr. Gibson's boat in the pool wasn't enough?"

"I should get going," Ada said as she snatched up her book bag.

Tom rose from the chair and went over to her, not appearing deterred by the sight of her principal and his boss in the room. Rather, he wrapped his arms around her and tugged her against him and embraced her in a hug. "Thank you for the present."

Taking the friendship into consideration, the embrace was not a smart move. But now he'd turned in his resignation and it was Ada's last day as a student. She realized there was no point in adhering to the rules of their friendship. They just couldn't get caught doing much else.

"You're welcome," she spoke against him before she raised her head enough to whisper words meant for only him. "You look sexy as hell in that suit, in case you were wondering."

When Tom chuckled, his entire body rattled against her. "I've been wondering that ever since I got dressed. You look sexy yourself, even with the red forehead."

Ada's grin slipped into a fine line and her brow furrowed. She'd spent forty minutes doing her makeup that day, twice the time it normally took just to hide that damn red spot. If this didn't fade by graduation day, she'd be pulling a prank of her own on her mom and dad.

Her hands dropped from Tom's body and to her sides and she took a step away from Tom. "I should get to first period."