"First day of school already?" Samantha Sullivan groaned as she hit the snooze button on her alarm clock. After procrastinating for a few more minutes, Sam got up and got ready for school. An hour later, she emerged from upstairs and took a seat at the kitchen table. "Morning mom, Anastasia, " she greeted, prompting a "hello sweetie" from her mother and a face from Ana, who hated her full name. Sam poured herself some orange juice and gagged when she saw the plate of eggs and waffles that her mother set before her. "Ugh! Mom, what is this? I told you I was starting my diet yesterday," Sam said disgusted. "Can I just have some toast?" "Sure, here you go honey," her mother replied. Out of the corner of her ey, Sam could see her younger sister roll her eyes. "Mom, when does daddy get home from California?" Ana asked. Before her question could be answered, thundering footsteps came barrelling down the stairs. Jack was up. "Francis Jack Sullivan! How many times have I asked you NOT to come thundering down those stairs like a herd of elephants?" their mother scolded. "Sorry mom. Forgot," was his reply as he swiped a piece of toast off of Sams plate. "Hey! Get your own!" she called, taking it back just as he was about to take a bite. Jack just smiled and grabbed her orange juice, drinking until it was all gone. Sam giggled and took a playful swing at her older brother, but missed, and soon found herself on the floor being tickled. "UNCLE! I GIVE UP!" Sam got up, breathing heavily from all the laughing. It was the same everyone morning. She and Jack had always been close and always had time for each other. The honking horn stopped the playful banter between the two. "That's Melody! Gotta go," Sam grabbed her purse and her bag. "Wait! Take your sister with you!" her mother called after her. "Awww, mom. Do I hafta? I thought you were gonna take her, it being her first day of high school and all." "I know, I was. But I can't now. Your father called last night and said his flight was coming in early and that I have to be at the airport in one hour. So, please, take her with you," her mother begged. "Fine. C'mon Ana," she ordered as she walked out the door, not waiting. She ran down the walkway to the street where her best friend, Melody Steffanson sat in her new convertible mustang. "Mom wants me to take the brat with me. Do you mind if she rides with us? I promise, this will be the only time." "Nah, it's fine. Get in," Melody said. "SHOTGUN!" Ana's voice called out from behind. "No Way! In the back you lousy little shrimp!" Sam demanded. Ana pouted but got into the back as she was told. The two sisters were never close and every conversation ended up in an argument. "So, ummm...Sam, when does Patrick get back from Colorado?" Melody asked. She and Patrick Conlon, Sam's cousin, had started dating ove the summer, just before he went to visit his mother. "Today. Jack is going to pick him up and then they're gonna pick up their books. Pat told me to make sure you were at our house for dinner. So, of course you'll be there?" "OF COURSE! Oh, I can't wait!" Mel squealed. The girls laughed as they pulled into a parking spot and continued talking, totally forgetting about the frightened freshman. Anastasia walked around looking for a familiar face and lit up when she saw her best friend. "LES! Hey!" She called out, running up to him. They been grown up together and been best friends all their lives. "Ani!" he called back, using the nickname he called her. "How was your summer?" "Boring. We didn't go anywhere or do anything. It was no fun without you. How was your trip to Paris?" she asked. "It was okay. Lots of people there. Mom and Pop stayed in the hotel most of the time, but David, Sarah, and I went exploring. There was this one booth that had all sorts of thing. Belts, books, keyrings, jewelry. It was great. And, uh, I got you something from there. I really hope you like it," he told her shyly as he took a small box that was in his pocket. Ana took the box and opened it slowly, exposing a small silver locket with a very pretty floral design. What caught her breath was the small ruby in the middle of one of the flowers. "It's not a real ruby, but it looks just like one." "Wow. I love it. It's so beautiful. Thank you," she said softly, grabbing him in a hug. "You really like it?" he asked, unsure. Ana nodded and then gave Les a small kiss on the cheek. Sam, not too far away, saw the exchanges and smiled. Her mother and she had always said that those two would wind up together. "Hey! Sammie!" A voice yelled, catching her attention. Looking behind her she saw her three best guy friends in the world, Nicholas "Spec" Seaver, Daniel "Dutchy" Martin, and Matthew "Snoddy" Snodgrass. Along with Melody and herself, the group of five were well known around town as the "brat pack". Screaming in excitement, she ran up to her friends, grabbing each in a huge hug. They hadn't seen each other all summer. Nicholas had gone to be a counselor at a summer camp, Daniel went to a family reunion in Utah, and Matthew had gone to Hawaii on vacation with his family. After the hugs were over, they all stood around, talking at once, about their summers. Sam was quiet as she stared at Matthew. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over at Melody, who gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. Sam just smiled a sad smile. She had developed feelings for Matthew during their junior year, but at the time he was dating Lauren George, the snooty co-cheerleading captain. When the two broke up, Sam had been Matthews shoulder to cry on. Knowing it wasn't the time to tell him, she decided to wait until summer to tell her true feelings. But before she could tell him, he told her his family was going on a much needed vacation. He had thanked her for being his best friend and would see her at the beginning of the school year and then kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Hi Matthew," a sultry voice greeted, breaking through Sam's memory. Everyone looked up to find Elise Morelli, the school flirt/slut. "Hey Elise. How was your summer?" Matthew asked. "It would have been better if you had been around," Elise purred as she pushed Sam out of the way to stand by him. Sam took one look at Matthews face and could see that he was absorbing all the attention. "Well, I'm gonna go. See ya guys at lunch!" Sam said as she walked towards the building. Melody was right behind her. "You okay?" "Fine, why wouldn't I be?" Sam asked, trying not to cry. "Why the hell did I have to fall for my best friend? WHY?" she cried, once she entered the bathroom. "It's just gonna ruin the whole damn friendship and I don't know what I would do if he and I weren't friends!" "Are you done?" Melody asked handing her a tissue. Sam sniffed and nodded, glad to get it all out of her system. "Couldn't there be some way that maybe, just maybe, he could like you too?" "No. You saw his face when he was talking to Elise. There is no way. But, you know what. I don't care. He and I are best friends, and that's the way it should stay. I won't let my feelings for him get in the way of our friendship. He and I will be friends forever," Sam stated. "But you know, if he does feel the same way, you could be best friendsthat are dating and soon get married forever. There's only one way to find out if he feels the same as you. Ask him," Mel said. "Just ask him." ~*~ All through the day, all Sam could think about was what Melody said. Should she really just tell Matthew how she felt? She didn't know what to do. At lunch time, she walked through the door and stumbled back, like someone had hit her in the stomach. There, at her lunch table, with her friends, sat Elise. She was practically in Matthews lap. The only good thing was, that Melody was there and shooting evil looks at the flirtatious girl. "Hey guys!" Sam called out like nothing was the matter. Everyone looked up, except Matthew and Elise, and called out greetings. Trying not to be upset, Sam took a seat next to Nick and began to eat her lunch. Usually, when the group sat together, anywhere, there would be loud talking and laughing, but today they were all silent. Finally Elise got up to leave, saying something about cheerleading tryouts. "I'll see you tonight, right Matthew?" she asked. Matt just nodded and watched her leave. When he turned around he was greeted with confused looks from everyone. "What? We have bio together and we're going to study," he defended himself. "On the first day?" asked Melody, one eyebrow cocked. "Look, we have old man Johanson. He give a quiz at least once a week. We both need to study and so she suggested that we study together." The guys nodded, but Daniel still had a weird look on his face. "Well, I need to go to the library. Ms. Greer gave us an assignment and I have to go look something up. Wanna come, Mel?" asked Sam. "Yeah. Sure." After the two girls left, Nick and Daniel both stared at Matthew. "What the hell happened to asking Sam out? Last time we all talked, you were going on and on about how in love you were with her. And now suddenly your hanging out with Elise?" demanded Nick. "I don't know what to do about Sam. I really do like her, but we're best friends. What would happen if we broke up or something. I would hate to lose her." "Man, how are you gonna know if you two are going to break up? What if you two end up happily together for the rest of your lives. If you don't ask her out, you'll never know!" Daniel told him. Matthew just sat there, staring at his half eaten sandwich. ~*~ in the library~*~ "Did you see her all over him? I swear I was about to throw up all over her," Mel giggled, hoping to make Sam feel better. When they had gotten into the library, Sam confessed that there was no assignment, just that she needed to get away from all the guys for a little bit. She just couldn't get the image of Matt and Elise together. "Samantha Sullivan?" a voice asked cautiously. She turne around to find a strange boy looking at her. "Yes. Do I know you?" "It's me. Joey Hartmen. We used to live next door to each other until my family moved. We moved back over the summer though. Mom loved it here and asked dad to come back. So, here we are!" Sam was surprised. This wasn't the little fat kid from next door. It couldn't be. Because standing in front of her was a blonde hair, blue eyed cutie. "Oh my gosh! You've changed so much!" "Yeah, I'm a whole lot skinnier then I used to be. And I've joined the baseball team, so I have to work out a little bit more. I know this is, uh, kinda sudden, since we just re-met and all, but, um, would you like to do something this Friday. Maybe go to a movie and dinner or something?" he asked, unable to look at her. "I wish I could, but I promise Mel here that I would hang out with her and my cousin..." she began. "But, we could double and all go," interrupted Melody. Sam whipped around to look at Mel, who just nodded her head. "Uh, sure. We could do that, if you want to, that is," Sam told Joey. He nodded and got her phone number and said that they could get together on the phone and discuss the plans. With a wave goodbye, he left the library. "ARE YOU NUTS?!" cried Sam. "Shhhhhhhh...You're going to have to keep your voice down," scolded the librarian. Sam grabbed Melodys arm and took her outside. "What were you thinking. I can't go out with Joey! I'm in love with Matthew!" "Well, Matthew isn't exactly beating down your door for a date. So, you may as well have some fun instead of mooning around your house doing nothing," Melody said. Sam thought about what Melody was saying. "You're right. What harm can going on one date cause?" she replied with a smile. ~*~ After school, Sam met up with the gang plus Elise. It had been tradition to go to the Burger Shack after school to unwind. Luckily Sam saw her mother and ran to meet her. "I'm going out with the gang. But Mel and I will be home in time for dinner," she told her mother. "Okay. Oh, there's your sister. I'll see ya later, honey," she said giving her daughter a small peck on the cheek. Sam ran back to her friends and everyone piled into Elise's and Melody's car. Somehow, Matthew ended up in Mel's car. "So, Sam, what are you going to wear on your date with Joey?" "Date? You have a date? With who?" Matthew asked. "You remember Joey Hartman? The kid that lived next door to me a long time ago? He's back in town and going to school with us. He asked me out on a date for Friday. We're gonna double with Mel and Patrick," Sam told him, wondering about the strange look on his face. "Really? When did this all happen?" he asked with slight squeak in his voice. He cleared his voice, embarrassed. "Today, when we went to the library. We were in there, doing some research, and he came up to us," Mel stated boldly. "Why? You got a problem with Sam going out with someone?" she asked innocently. All Matt did was blush. Before anything else could be said, they were at the Burger Shack. Matthew went to catch up with the guys, but Mel held Sam back. "I told you he liked you! Did you see the way he looked after your date with Joey was mentioned? He looked like someone kicked him in the stomach. Now will you tell him?" "No. He's probably just worried about me. After all, we're best friends. I bet he feels that he has to look out for me. He probably feels that we're like brother and sister," Sam said, the hurt evident in her voice. "There is no conving ya?" Sam just shook her head and went in to join the rest of the group. When she got inside, though, something didn't look right. Elise sat between Daniel and Nick, not looking very happy, and in between Nick and Matt were two empty seats. "Wonder why the seating arrangements like this. I figured that Elise would be so close to Matt, she would practically be in his lap." Sam shrugged. She was about to sit next to Nick, when suddenly he put his hand in the seat. "Uh, I was saving that for Mel. I have to talk to her about something," he stammered. "Um...Okay," Sam said as she sat down beside Matt. She recieved an evil glare from Elise, that only made Sam more uncomfortable. She looked over at Mel, ready to ask her something, but saw that she and Nick were in a very serious conversation. Turning around, she saw that Matt and Daniel were also conversing. "Um...I'll be right back. I'm gonna to to the bathroom," she said to anyone listening. She made her way to the restroom, not realizing that Elise had also gotten up. "Look, I want Matt. So stay away. Don't get in my way, or I'll make your life hell!" Elise said with a twisted frown. "He's my best friend. We always hang out. So, if you want him, you'll have to put up with me," Sam said back fiercly. Suddenly Elise started to rip her shirt and then ripped Sam sleeve. Then tears began to form in Elise's eyes. She ran out of the bathroom, yelling. "She attacked me! That bitch attacked me!" she cried, running up to the table. Everyone looked at Sam as she emerged from the bathroom. "I-I didn't. She..." but she stopped there, seeing all the glares she recieved from people. Running to the table, she gathered her things and took off. "Sam! Wait" She heard Matt call, but she didn't stop. She didn't want to hear him lecture her about what happened. She couldn't believe Elise could be that cruel just to get what she wanted. ~*~ Back at the shack~*~ "What the hell did you do to her?" Mel demanded. "N-nothing. All I did was go in there and ask her a question about Matt and she blew up at me," Elise said innocently. "That's a bunch of shit! Sam would never attack anyone. We've been friends our whole life and she never once did anything remotely mean! What did you really say to her?" "N-nothing. Really. She just went ballistic!" Elise told them. "I couldn't catch her. I forgot how fast she can run," Matt came in saying with his head hung low. "Matty, could you take me home? I don't really feel like driving. I'm still shaken up," Elise begged, batting her eyelashes. The guys behind Matt began to make faces like they were going to hurl, which cause Mel to giggle. "Do you think it's funny that Sam attacked Elise?" Matt asked angrily. "No. What I find funny is the fact that you can't seem to see past this act that this bitch is giving. And I can't belive that you would believe some slut over your best friend! Think about it Matt. Sam has never even hurt a fly! She can't stand spiders, yet she refuses to let anyone step on one. And now you believe this whore when she says that she was attacked? You really need to think about this. I'm outta here. You two wanna ride home?" Mel asked Daniel and Nick. They nodded, and the three walked out. "C'mon, I'll drive you home," Matt sighed, watching his best friends walk away without a glance back. He never saw the evil grin on Elises face. To Be Continued |
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