Invisible Man Chapter One Samantha Cameron sighed and pushed her hair out of her eyes. She glanced around.  The sixty or  so people who had been invited to her senior dinner were scattered around the bar/lounge, talking.Her mother and stepfather were talking to her godparents. Her best friend was talking to one of  their good friends, her boyfriend, and his friends. Everyone else was grouped around tables. The room was filled with laughter except for Sam's corner.  It was the day before her high school graduation. Sam hadn't wanted anything big, but her mother and grandparents wanted to throw her a party.   Sam didn't want to be there. Sarah Williams, her best friend, and Brianna Adair who was one  of her closest friends, were practically the only people in the room who were friends.  There was Chris Kirkpatrick, Sarah's boyfriend, and his friends Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, and she was good friends with them.  But Sam avoided them when ever possible. She'd known JC all of her life. His parents were her godparents, and her mother and step father were his.  She had been in love with him ever since she was old enough to know what  love was. No one knew about her feelings, and she was afraid she'd accidentally reveal them.          "Sam," someone said from the door. Sam looked up and saw her friends Destiny, Lillian and      Peter, gesturing for her to come out.  Sam walked towards them. When she passed the table where      Sarah, Bri and the guys were, JC looked up.      "Where are you going?" he asked, his blue eyes meeting her bright green ones.      "To talk to some friends," Sam replied, dropping her eyes.  "I'll be back in a little while.  Sarah,      give me the keys."      "Why?" Sarah asked, digging the car keys out of her pocket.  Her and Sam lived together and had      come to the restaurant together.      "I need to get Destiny's and Lillian's graduation gifts out of the car."      "Bring them back," Sarah said, handing Sam the keys.      "No, I'm going to throw them away."  Sam rolled her eyes and walked out the door.      "Come with me to the car," Sam said, giving her friends hugs.  She'd seen Destiny and Lillian      earlier, they'd gone with her to get her hair trimmed, and they went to school together, but she was      still excited to see them and Peter, who had graduated the year before. "I have your graduation      presents."      "We put yours on the table," Peter said. "So when you come to the three that no one is telling you      to open, you'll know they're ours."      "I'll open those first, then," Sam said.  She lead the way to the car and unlocked the back door.      "Here's yours," she handed a purple gift bag to Destiny.  "And here's yours." She handed a dark      blue bag to Lillian. "Hope you like."      "I'm not opening mine right now," Lillian said. "I'll open it later, but I'm sure I'll like."      "You usually get me something I've been wanting, so I think I'll like," Destiny said. "We just      stopped by to see what you were doing and ask if you're still coming over to my house tomorrow      after practice."      "I'm daydreaming, waiting for the stupid dinner to get over, and looking at my yearbook. Yeah, I'm      still coming over after practice.  I'm stopping by the apartment to pick up everything I need, then I'll      be over."          "How long has your dinner lasted?" Lillian asked.  "Ours ended thirty minutes ago."      "It started at seven, so nearly three hour. It is so boring. I hope it ends soon."      "Poor Sam," Peter teased. "She has to put up with boring people for another day."      "Peter, shut up. This is worse then Porter's class. At least I had something that would make me      smile in that class."      "Porter. Disco suit. Tutu. Hot Dog on a stick," Destiny said. "The things we pictured him in,      during his lectures." She shook her head.      "Yeah, I'd picture him in a powder - blue disco suit, and start laughing.  Now, all I have is my      dream of my life."      "I'm still mad at you for getting accepted to a college in Florida," Lillian said. "I've always wanted      to live there."      "College, here I come."      "Lucky bitch-" Destiny began.  She was cut off by JC, coming out of the restaurant, looking for      Sam.      "Sam, Aunt Elizabeth wants you to open your presents now," he said, walking over to her.  "So      everyone can go back to their hotels and get some sleep."      "Okay," Sam said.  She gave her friends hugs and watched them walk to their car.      "Is he your boyfriend?" JC asked pointing to Peter.      Sam laughed.  "No, JC, he's a good friend of mine, but nothing more.  He's dating Lillian."      "So, do you have a boyfriend?"  They walked back to the restaurant and headed for the lounge.      "No, I don't have a boyfriend.  I'm too busy."      "I'm usually busy, with touring, and recording, and everything else, but I still find time to date."      "Yeah, JC, but you don't have a mother and stepfather, three sets of grandparents, godparents, and      friends, all of whom are overprotective."      "What about your father and stepmother?"      "I no longer talk to them.  I disowned them.  But I still talk to my grandparents on my father's      side."      "So it's been your family and friends who have kept you from dating?"      "Sarah threatened my prom date, and after that night, we never saw each other."      JC laughed.  "I'll have to thank her."      Sam rolled her eyes.      "Thank you, Grandma," Sam said holding up the laptop.  She set it down and hugged her father's      mother.  "I need one."      "That's what I thought."      Sam put the box on the table with the rest.  She'd gotten lots of jewelry, clothes, and electronics.       She was down to JC's present and her mother's and stepfather's.  She reached for JC's gift.      "No," Elizabeth said.  "JC requested his to be opened last.  Open Robert's next."      "Okay," Sam said reaching for the envelope her stepfather had placed on the table.  Probably      money, she thought.      Sam ran her finger under the flap and pulled out the card.  She opened it.  There, inside the card,      was an airline ticket, first class, from LA to Paris.      Sam looked at Robert.  "Thank you so much, but I can't go."      "Don't worry," Robert replied.  "Your best friend isn't going to kill you.  She's going too."      "He knows me too well," Sarah said.      Everyone laughed.      Robert cleared his throat.  "It's a six week, first class trip to Europe.  Everything's been arranged      and it's all paid for.  We're even giving you spending money."      "Thank you sooo much.  I love you," Sam said, hugging Robert.      Elizabeth handed her daughter her gift.  It was in a small black bag, filled with silver tissue paper.      Sam dug around the paper.  "Is this supposed to be a joke? I can't find anything."