Chapter 16:

I have a World History report due next month. Sam was ignoring me. If he can be immature about this, fine. Jackass. Alex and I have been texting nonstop. Our date's on Friday. Is it too early to call it a date? We are just hanging out. Nothing more, nothing less. Someone like me? Someone like me, was I that bad of a date? Sam established that I was desperate when he asked me out. But he didn't tell me if something was wrong with me. What's wrong with me? Screw it. It doesn't matter. It's been a minute since Quinn and I hung out. Girl time is important. Mom dropped me at Quinn's house around 6:30 pm. I told my parents I would be over at her house, mom said to have fun and keep my phone on at all times. They haven't been arguing for a few weeks. I can see that as a good thing. A great thing. I hope it will last. Craig wasn't home as well, he was out with his friends. When I arrived, her mom was already in the kitchen making us brownies. I greeted her, she waved telling me she was happy to see me. Meat lovers and plain cheese pizza boxes are in Quinn's room with Jersey Shore reruns playing on tv. We covered our faces with avocado mud masks as we watched and ate snacks. It's filled with collagen and hyaluronic acid to keep the face plump and fresh, as it says on the tube. "So, your talk with Alex, how was that?" Quinn asks as she eats her slice of pizza.

"I asked for his number, we're hanging out next Saturday." I attempt to smile to avoid cracking my mask.

"Oooo! Where are you two going?" Quinn bumps my shoulder.

"Ice skating," I answer while chewing on the crust.

"Skating? Ice? You? You hate anything active." She chuckles.

"No, I don't."

"Yes you do, you faked a sprained ankle to get out of gym class." She giggles.

"I did sprain my ankle." It was dodgeball day in ninth grade, I ran to dodge the ball and tripped funnily. Hence the ankle sprain. I know I'm gonna be like Bambi on ice, but Alex is cute so I will risk it.

"If that's your story, sure you did. When?"

"Saturday. Oh, and you won't believe the new rumor at school. I'm a man thief. I stole Sam from Jessica when it's the other way around."

"That's stupid. Wait, she didn't steal from you. Did she?"

"She third wheeled our date, flirted with him when he was with me." I look at her and realize how I sound: jealous. I sigh and shake my head.

"Real question: how was he?"

"What?" I scowl, my mask cracks and my voice squeaks.

"Sam. How was kissing Sam?" Her eyes widen with wonder. How was it? I haven't thought about it since last week, trying to distract myself and now I'm being reminded of these rumors and when I see him.

"It was..." mind-blowing? Spine-tingling? Toe-curling? Butterflies in my stomach? I can't tell her that. In simpler terms: "it was good." It was better than good, but I will go with good.

Her mouth opens, "come on, don't downgrade it. You practically melted in his body. Everyone saw it."

"No, I didn't."

"I saw tongue," she teases.

"So? It was a kiss," I shrug. "We have to wash the mask off." I point to the bathroom to clean our caked-up faces.

"Come on! I need details! How good was it?" She follows me to the bathroom, looking for a washcloth, she hands me one and turns on the faucet. "Well?"

"You were there. Everyone was there." As I wipe off the mask and dry my face, I stay silent and wash my hands. Her face is clean and she gives me a strong look in wait. "He knew what he was doing." We head back to her room and sit on her bed.

"Like?" She asks.

I look around and thought about his kiss. "Like it wasn't sloppy. He didn't dart his tongue into my mouth. I had tingles."

"Oh, my God, the tingles! The tingles!" She shakes my shoulders. "The tingles are the best!"

"Ok. OK." I push her away and giggle. Yes, the tingles are the best. 

"I asked him why he kissed me though."

"It was a dare," Quinn says.

"That's what he said but he didn't give me a straight answer. I don't know how he feels."

"Do you want him to feel something?" She asks.

"No. No. Forget it." I shake my head. "Changing the subject. How are you and Tyler?" 

"I invited him over next Friday for a family dinner. Our parents are meeting each other," she answers in a swift and swoon manner.

"That's great! You two are getting serious." I smile. 

"We are. I hope he asks me to prom." She claps three times.

"He will. Why don't you ask him?" I take one Dorito chip out of the bowl.

"I might. I think he will first. Who are you going to prom with?"

"Hopefully Alex, if he asks me." I shrug. "Or I go alone. I haven't bought my dress yet."

"My mom says we're going shopping next month for dresses. Ask your mom if she wants to come with us for the weekend."

"Yeah, sure." I nod.

She nods and then frowns, "I'm kinda nervous about the dinner," she admits as she grabs a handful of chips.

"Really? Why?"

"We haven't been dating that long. Parents meeting my new boyfriend, it's a lot."

"But you told me they like him."

"Yeah, but my dad has been too protective when he's around."

"Not surprising," I roll my eyes. No dad is ever good enough for their daughter. Mine interrogated Sam on our first date. Oh, God, I have to warn Alex.

"I might need your help."

"For what?"

"A double date." She looks at me with hopeful eyes.

"It would be kind of weird to ask Alex for a family dinner on a first date. It might as well be meeting my parents. I can come alone."

"That's true. I don't want you to come along and be a third wheel." Quinn's forehead wrinkles, pouting her lip until she smiles. "Sam."

"Sam?" I frown. "What about him? You're gonna ask him and Jessica for backup?" I scoff.

"You can ask him!" What? My eyes go wide. No way!

"No!" I stuff more chips in my mouth. No way in hell.

"Come on, please! Just for one night," she begs.

"I can ask Nathan."

"He's dating Lori."

"He is? Oh, good for him. Not Sam. I have my date set for Alex."

"It's on Saturday. The dinner's on Friday."

"You already know the rumors going on, this could be worse if anyone at school finds out," I say with my mouth full.

"And what better way to closure than this dinner? It's one dinner. And you have no feelings for him, right."

"Right." I gulp the substance down my throat.

"Just do this for me. Please?" I throw my head back, I don't want to ask him out.

"I don't want to ask him out."

"Text him." She hands me my phone, it feels heavy in my palm like stone.

I whimper and whine a fake cry. I don't wanna.

I shake my head, "I won't do it."

"Then ask him at school. Please, my future is at stake."

"No, it's not."

"My relationship is at stake."

"Tyler adores you. And it's not."

"It could be. Please." She pouts her bottom lip. I roll my eyes and groan. The things I do for my friends.

"Fine. But we're not holding hands. And i put two seats between us."

"One seat."

I roll my eyes, "deal."

"Yay!" She hugs me, bouncing us side to side as my arms limp to the side.

+++

Monday morning, I enter my next class, taking out my journal to take notes for History. Before I could write down a word. Before I can write anything down, my history teacher, Mr. Sullivan, tells me the principal wants to see me. What did I do now? When I leave the classroom and enter the office, the secretary gestures for me to sit as she assists another student. Two wooden empty chairs, I sit in one of them. I drum on my thighs while I wait.

"Oh, you." Oh god. My gaze goes up to the sky, rolling my neck back. She scowls and then grins with hooded eyes. "I see you're where you belong. You should probably be suspended for violence."

"For your information, I don't why I'm here," I tell her when I move out of the way, "and you got in my face. Self-defense. Like you are now. Back up." I attempt to push her away, but her face turns red. I almost laugh, why is she so angry?

"NO! You got in my face because you want my man." I scoff at her outrage. It's laughable.

"I don't want him. Calm down."

"You do. I know what you did."

"We did nothing. I know you had something to do with that stupid rumor."

"You can't prove anything and the whole school knows how desperate you are." That would be her. I keep that thought to myself.

"Jessica, you two broke up. Get over it." I roll my eyes.

She seethes, pointing her blue polished index finger to me. "If you tell me to get over it one more time-"

"Jessica." Sam walks in with a frown, "what are you doing?" Perfect. Both of them are here.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" She asks in a giddy tone.

"I was called in. Why are you here?" He asks.

"Can't play in the game today. Doctor's appointment." I peek as she fixes his shirt collar.

"Oh," Sam says. I make a gesture of blah blah with my hand.

"Want to come over? I can pick you up after school." I give a side eye, Jessica holding his hands, trying to lace it with his. His arms are limp, he licks his lips, and I look away. I shouldn't be looking at his full lips. Damn it.

"You're going to the doctor."

"After I'm done?"

"You broke up with me, Jess."

"Doesn't mean we can't be friends," she pauses, "friendly."

"I'll call you," Sam tells her. Great, I'm in the overheard distance of a conversation. By the time the day is over, they will be back together again.

"You promise?" Jessica pouts her thin lips out.

"I promise." He grins. She gives him a quick hug.

"Ok." She jumps, kisses his cheek, and walks off. Sam enters the office. His polo shirt collar is up to his neck. Me and Sam make eye contact.

"Got in trouble again?" he asks grinning like he wanted me to get in trouble.

"You would love that. I had to give a letter to the secretary. Why are you here?"

He holds up a pass that was given to him, the same one I had. "They called me in the office too." We are alone again. My eyes drift to the door.

"You two are getting back together, huh?" I ask.

"No. That was- we're not," he says.

"Why not? Seems like you can't get enough of one another. She has you wrapped around your finger." I grin, gesturing my finger in a circle.

"I'm not talking about this. Especially with you," he says in a harsh tone.

"Ok."I suck my lips in, looking away.

"I guess you heard the rumors," he says and then sighs.

"Yep." I frown and sigh.

"Amazing. Rumors. Perceptive. There should be a study on how fast it spreads."

"It's called polls and bets. I wouldn't be surprised if Jessica started it."

"She may be a lot of things but she wouldn't waste her time." Of course, he would defend her.

"Sure," I sing out the word in a sarcastic tone. She's that petty to waste her time. "But you love her. Right?"

"I do. I did" he says with a sigh. "I'm not. I thought what we had was real." I nod, trying to understand. Were they real?

"You two break up all the time. Are you sure this isn't one of those times?"

"It's not. It's over." I nod. If they were over, why did he look like someone slapped him across the face? I glance at his mouth when he licks it gently. Stop.

Principal Haskell opens his door and gestures for us to come in. He's in his silver suit today. Crisp. Sharp. "Afternoon sir." Sam and I say at the same time. I smile and clear my throat.

We make eye contact again, I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Mr. Rodriguez, Miss Hall. Please come in." Principal Haskell tells him to follow behind. We both sit in front of his desk, I twiddle my thumbs.

"As I said before when you two had detention, I didn't want to hear anything about you two that would cause the school disruption. We both look at each other with a frown. Disruption? "It has come to my attention that there have been amorous activities on school property."

"Amorous activities?" I raise my eyebrows.

"It means sex," Sam whispers.

"I know what it means," I say back in a harsh tone.

"Look, I get teenagers and hormones, your drama teacher has told me about the musical which includes lewd and mature content. Which I understand and with some proper censorship I am okay with it. However, your activities belong in the privacy of your own homes and I expected both of you to know that." Oh, my god, he's heard it, too.

What if my parents hear this? I squeeze my eyes shut and breathe out. "Principal Haskell, there's nothing amorous between us. Those are just rumors." I tell him.

"Good. I see you two as model students. I'm hearing things that don't belong on this campus, nor the hallways that I'm not supposed to know. Keep it that way. It stays out of this school. Understand?" I nod, I peek at Sam and he nods too. Principal Haskell dismisses us to class. Sam walks in front of me. Ask him. I could say I forgot and I don't have to go. No. Quinn would be devastated.

It's like ripping off a bandaid. Ask him.

"Sam," I turn him around on his shoulder. "I have to ask you something."

"What?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Would you like to have dinner at Quinn's place on Friday?" I rush out with my eyes squeezed shut.

"What?"

"Would you like to have dinner at Quinn's house on Friday?" I repeat slower.

"With Quinn? She has a boyfriend."

"No, with-" I pause. I'm gonna make this worse. "With me."

"Why?"

"She needs backup for her and Tyler, and you're the only person I could think of," I grumble.

"What about Alex?"

"We're hanging out on Saturday."

"Dating two boys in one weekend. Player move, Hall." He nods in an appreciative tone.

"It's not a date. Not with you. It's dinner. Just dinner."

"When it comes to food and two people in an intimate setting, it's a date."

"Not for us. It's a favor."

"Do I get to cash in this favor later?" He smirks.

I growl, clenching the back of my teeth. "Sure." I'm in a favor chain. Great.

"Consider it a favor done. What time should I pick you up?"

"7, " I answer in a sullen tone.

"See you then." He pats my head and walks away. What have I done?