On the way to Megan's class the next day I decided to break the news about Emma to Blair. I figured she needed to be the first person to know. And I was also freaking out about the decision and needed someone to talk me down.

"So um, I did something yesterday," I confessed.

"Oh really?" she asked in a worried tone.

"Emma and I had a talk."

"Oh God."

I took a deep breath. "So I think I'm gonna try to um, you know, take it slow... Like her and I..."

"Don't hurt yourself," Blair interjected.

I shoved her. "I'm serious. I think we're gonna give it a shot."

But even when I expected Blair to be somewhat happy about this she continued to shake her head. Did she disapprove? The thought of that made my heart ache.

"Not that I'm not happy for you," she started. "But what in the hell gave you the idea to do that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I just know I like her more than most people. And she likes me too, so why not?"

"Because she's straight."

I rolled my eyes. "Labels are dumb."

"Oh so when did you stop caring about labels?"

"Since Megan and I had a talk about it."

This stopped her in her tracks. Literally. She stared at me. "You and Megan talked about Emma?"

"I mean, she may have come up in conversation a few times..."

"So in other words, Megan gave you the idea to try out your first relationship, might I add, with a straight girl."

"I expected a better reaction."

She sighed. "Look, I'm happy for you. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Why would I get hurt?"

"Because," she paused. "Sometimes things happen. And you're not the easiest person to deal with when you're having a hard time."

"That didn't sound like a compliment."

"It wasn't."

I groaned. "Okay, as if I wasn't already freaking out over this... Now you've just made it worse."

We stopped walking at the end of the hallway, Megan standing outside her door. She had her hair up again today. I thought she looked extra cute when she wore it up.

"I'm happy you've decided to do this," Blair stated. "It'll give you the opportunity to learn the ropes and figure out what you like and don't like in a relationship."

"Are you comparing Emma to a test run?" I asked.

Blair shrugged. "Yeah, to kind of prepare you for..." She looked over to Megan. "...the real thing, you know?"

"The real thing?"

She just nodded while she slowly began to walk away.

I tried to get her to answer my curiosity. "What do you mean by the real thing!?"

But she disappeared without another word. God, she was so dramatic.

I made it over to Megan right before the bell, a confused expression on her face.

"What was the yelling about?" she asked.

"Oh nothing, just Blair being weird about my decisions."

"What decisions?"

Should I tell her? I mean she was the one to suggest I try.

"I think I'm gonna give the dating thing a shot," I stated.

She just nodded. "I'm assuming it's with Emma."

I smiled. "You're right." Then I walked into her class and took a seat. Maybe after practice today we could hang out and watch a movie or something. That's what people did right?

Megan began her lecture as soon as the tardy bell rang but I noticed she wasn't as into it today as she usually was. Was there something wrong? Was she having a bad day? Had Nikki called her again? The thought of that made my blood boil.

So I pondered with the thought of that through her entire lecture, only grabbing bits and pieces of information. I found it was too easy to get distracted in her class. Then again, it was kind of her fault since she wasn't all that into her lecture, which then led me to wonder why she wasn't. Man I was hungry-

"Sam," Megan's voice interrupted my thought.

I gave her a small smile. "Yeah?"

"Could you pick up reading where we left off?"

I looked around and realized I was the only one without a book on my desk.

I sighed. "Um, probably not."

This got the class to laugh.

"Get your book out," she demanded. Okay, she needed to chill a bit.

I slapped it onto my desk. "Okay, what page?"

"Two-thirty."

I flipped and found the page. "Which paragraph?"

"Read the entire page."

I gawked. "The entire page?"

"Would you rather read the entire chapter?"

Seriously? What was her problem?

I read what she wanted, which annoyed me to no end because I hated reading aloud. When I finished she gave me the eye and moved on with her reading.

The bell eventually dismissed us, but before I could escape she called me back.

"Sam come see," she ordered. She was really bossy today.

I walked up to her desk. "Yes, Miss Adams?"

She rolled her eyes. "What did I tell you about saying my name like that?"

"Not to."

"So why do you still do it?"

"Because," I chuckled. "When do I ever do what I'm told?"

"Touché," she answered. "Softball practice was cancelled today due to the rain, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Awesome. That's it?"

"And could you please save the dishes and fold the laundry? I have to go to the grocery store after work so we don't starve tonight."

I tilted my head with a smile. "Yes mother."

"That's not funny."

I cringed. "You're right."

She tore her attention off of me and refocused on her computer. "You can go now," she finished, but I found myself lingering once again.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she answered without looking at me.

"You sure? Because you seem real pissy to me."

This time she looked up, my heart leapt at the sudden attention.

She sighed. "I just have a lot going on right now, Sam."

Okay, I got the hint. I picked up my bookbag. "Alright then, see you at home."

It bummed me out when she allowed me to walk out the door without responding. I mean, we were cool right? Like, she knew she could talk to me if she needed... And why was she taking out her "bad day" on me? Yesterday she had been fine, so what changed?

I got home and started with the dishes, which didn't take me long considering it was now only Megan and I here at home. In between the dishes and clothes I watched some TV and texted Shawn. Apparently everything was going great on his end.

It was when I was folding the clothes that I decided to be a nice person and bring Megan's up to her room. Maybe that would make her bad day a little less horrible.

Walking up the stairs I held her clothes to my chest. It was when I placed them on the edge of her half-made bed that I saw an opened envelope marked NOTICE in bright red. The letter was sitting under it.

Deep down I knew it was none of my business, but I couldn't help myself. I picked up the letter that was partially crumpled from what I guessed to be Megan's distressed grip. It didn't look good.

My eyes scanned over the bold words and then the nice sum of money Megan apparently owed the bank. What I didn't understand was why Megan owed the bank so much and why it wasn't labeled as a student loan. Had there been an accident that had forced her to take out more money? And why was she so late on her payments even when she had a job now?

The questions swarmed my brain like bees in a nest, but I wasn't sure what to do with this information. I could ask her about it, but that would mean confrontation when she was already having a bad day. Not to mention this was a personal thing and I shouldn't have read the letter in the first place...

I decided to wait until she got home to decide what to do.

When her keys unlocked the front door my heart somersaulted.

"Sam, could you come help me?" she asked from the door.

I joined her, the sound of rain hitting the cement lowered my mood. I grabbed the bags from her as she retrieved her school stuff and rushed inside. She had gotten damp from the weather but still managed to look stunning. Yet, I noticed her mood had worsened too.

She disappeared back upstairs to change out of her outfit and reappeared in the kitchen with a weird look on her face. Did she know I had actually read the letter? Was she upset? Scared?

"Thanks for bringing up my clothes," she stated. "But you didn't have to."

"I know."

She started prepping the food she had bought while I sat at the counter watching her. It was killing me not knowing the situation, but I had a feeling she wouldn't outright tell me. It wouldn't hurt to ask, right?

"Megan, what was that letter on your bed?"

"Don't act like you didn't read it," she stated.

Ouch.

I sighed. "Please don't be mad..."

She was silent. Long enough for me to assume the conversation was over. That was until she turned around and turned the stove on.

"Divorce attorneys aren't cheap, and when my parents got one mom didn't have much money. She also didn't have very good credit either, so I ended up co-signing for her. Now that she's lost her job and can't pay the notes, the responsibility falls onto me."

Wow. To say I had expected that would be a lie. Megan was in personal debt on top of student debt and was still managing to stand over the stove and cook a meal. She looked tired, don't get me wrong, and she looked stressed, and now I understood why.

"Can you pay the notes now that you have a job?" I asked.

She sighed. "Barely."

"What about family? Can't they help?"

She just shook her head. "The only person that can is my grandfather, but his new... wife won't let him anywhere near his own money now."

"Wait," I paused. "Did you say new wife?"

"Yeah, he remarried after my grandma passed away to a blood-sucking leech who's really only after his money."

Jeez, Megan had a lot of issues. She had a lot like I did. Yet we were so noticeably different. It was confusing. How was she managing to handle all of this?

"What are you gonna do?"

Her fingers ran through her dark hair that was now free from her pony-tail. "Keep going and pray for a miracle."

I couldn't help but ask. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah, pass my tests so I don't have to worry about you too."

I laughed. "Your tests are hard."

"Only when you don't study."

"But really," I paused. "I'm serious... about the helping thing."

She took in a deep breath. "Sam there's nothing you can do. Unless you have fifteen thousand dollars in your piggy bank."

Fifteen thousand? Had I heard that correctly?

"Megan..."

"It'll be okay," she cut off. "Your brother's nice enough to let me stay here rent free. That's help enough so I can focus on getting back on my feet."

I suddenly wondered if my brother knew. "Does Shawn know...?"

"He does," she revealed. "It's the whole reason I'm living here."

I remembered the first time I had met Megan at Rosie's where the story of how my brother and her had run into each other at the bank. Had she been at the bank because of the loan problem? I figured that must've been the reason.

"So even though you have a job, all of the money is going to... loans?" I asked.

She continued stirring her noodles on the stove. "Basically."

"So are you planning on staying here until you pay off all of your debt?"

"No."

"Well then how-?"

"Sam," she interrupted. "Please just... stop. Stop talking about it. It's enough I already have the stress of not only paying off my own debt, but my mother's too. And having you drill me about it is not helping."

I exhaled. "I'm sorry, I'm just... worried, I guess."

"Like I said, there's no reason for you to worry."

She could tell me not to worry all she wanted but I couldn't help myself. She was in a lot of financial trouble, but I knew there was really nothing I could do even if I wanted to.

I joined her in the kitchen. "Can I help with dinner then ?"

"You want to help me cook?"

I nodded. "Why not?"

"Have you done my homework?"

"I'll do it later," I stated with a smile.

"Sure," she answered, handing me the spoon. "Stir the noodles and don't let them stick. I'm gonna make the sauce."

"What are we cooking again?"

"Alfredo," she answered.

My spoon swirled around the pot as I watched Megan do her thing on the free area of the counter. A part of me felt that the last thing I should be doing was hanging out with her, but another part of me loved her company. There were times when she was a bit pushy and involved herself in my personal life, but it was inevitable. After all, she was living with me. But after her telling me about her sister and her parents and now her financial situation, I felt as if we had crossed the point of no return.

"So," she started. "You and Emma are gonna try the dating thing."

I nodded. "Yeah I think so."

"Last time we talked about that you seemed pretty against it. What made you change your mind?"

What exactly had made me change my mind? Blair had asked me the same thing and I placed the idea on Megan. I didn't want to do that now and make it seem as if she was the only reason. But I'd be lying if I said she hadn't influenced me.

I shrugged. "Seeing how well you and Nikki ended up really inspired me to pursue my own relationships."

She threw me a menacing glare. "You're not funny."

"I like to think I am."

Her silence proved me otherwise.

"Sorry, that was probably too soon," I apologized. "I don't know, the thought of being in a relationship still terrifies me but it's different with Emma... Figured I had nothing to lose."

"You slept with her at that party didn't you?"

Okay, Megan was way too good at reading people.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"And that's when you realized?"

"No," I answered. "I think I realized before then. And usually when I sleep with people it's a one-time thing and there's no feelings involved, at least for me."

"So up until Emma everyone else had no chance for anything more from you?"

Hearing Megan ask me that felt funny. And the way she had said it only indicated that she didn't believe in that kind of thing. Had she never had a one-night stand? If I was being honest, she didn't seem like the type for meaningless sex.

"Well, when you put it like that..." my sentence trailed off. I didn't really know what to say.

"Not that I'm trying to shame you or anything I just..." she paused. "I was just curious."

I found humor in this. "You were just curious?"

"Please don't make this weird."

"You were curious about my sex life?" I teased.

Her eyes rolled in response.

I leaned on the counter. "Megan..."

She ignored me.

I continued. "Are you... trying to come onto me?"

"As if, Sam. Keep stirring the noodles or they'll stick," she ordered.

A laugh escaped my throat. "Well then why are you so curious if you're not interested?"

"Because..." She pushed me out of the way to get to the stove. "I was just making conversation. No need to look into it so much."

"So you chose to bring up my sex life?"

"I'm obviously regretting it now."

"You're telling me you've never slept with someone you weren't in a relationship with?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

"Oh come on," I pressured.

"I think you're forgetting I'm also your teacher."

"And I think you're forgetting you started this."

"And now I'm ending it," she finished.

"Um no you're not," I stated. "You were obviously going somewhere with this."

She began mixing the noodles with her sauce. "I just know hooking up means a lot to some girls. Emma may be like that too. And honestly I feel like she likes you a little more than she's letting in on. So be aware of that."

"And what makes you think that she likes me more than she lets in on?" I asked.

"Because, I see the way she looks at you."

How exactly did Emma look at me? And if she looked at me different how had Megan noticed anyway? I remembered the time at homecoming where I had caught Megan watching us dance. And I'm sure she had seen us interact on the field at practice. But was I missing something? This caused my curiosity to double.

But the conversation died and I knew starting it back up was unnecessary. Yet even when it was over it managed to occupy my brain all throughout dinner and for the rest of the night.