by Nicole Nwosu
A hushed, deep laugh came from Sam. “You don’t take compliments well, do you?”
“On my footwork, yes. On my appearance, not so much,” I admitted. “Are you going to head back to your grandmother’s?”
Sam’s eyes flicked up to me. “Do you want me to stay?”
This would never happen again. He would never be here with me after a great day like this ever again. “Nonna’s going to kill you.”
“Hazel, do you want me to stay?” he repeated.
This would never happen again. “I do.”
“Okay.”
We moved swiftly, me heading to the bathroom to change into sweatpants and a T-shirt and brush my teeth. Sam joined me a second later and I gave him a spare toothbrush I had found. Hurrying back into the bedroom, I tied my hair up into a ponytail as he closed the door. I dug through my duffel bag for anything that could possibly fit him. When I found a pair of sweatpants that were fairly loose on me, I tossed them to him. “Here,” I whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” He asked quietly, taking his shirt off.
“Do you want to get caught?”
Sam moved to pull off his jeans, and I made my way to the bed as he slipped on the sweatpants. He turned off the light and crawled under the covers with me as I yawned, rolling to face him. We didn’t say anything more, but at one point before I slept, his hand reached for mine under the comforter intertwining our fingers.
I shifted slightly as the voice got louder. “Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey.”
“What?!” I groaned, pulling the comforter away from my face.
Sam chuckled. He sounded happy this morning despite waking up at what must be an ungodly hour. “I don’t know what you North Americans say.”
“Are you going back home, to Bath, after graduation?” I asked as I opened my eyes. Sam’s face was close, his body warm. Morning light streamed into the room, making me squint for a moment at how bright everything was.
“For the summer,” he mumbled. “I don’t know yet if I’m going to stay here after.”
“Would you want to?”
“I’m indifferent. There are good schools here. A lot of my family lives here. Even though my cousins . . . we’ve always had issues, conflicts, but we’re family.” He didn’t say anything more, sitting up. My phone showed me a time that suggested I could sleep longer but Sam protested. “You have to pack.”
“Sam.” He laughed loudly at my tone, about to get up. “When are you going home?”
“Later today.”
The door to my room burst open. “Samuel Cahill!” Nonna’s voice made both of us jump. For the third time this week he fell out of the bed. “Why are you in this room? More importantly, why are you in that bed?!”
Justin stood behind her in the doorway, enjoying what was happening. My grandmother stood over Sam. “And wear a shirt, this behavior is unacceptable.” She turned to me. “At least you had the decency to cover up after you two finished whatever it was you were doing.”
“No,” I yelped. “We didn’t do anything, we just slept.”
“Really?” My assurance was unheard as she looked over at Sam, who wasn’t wearing a shirt. What else is she going to think? “Sam, get out.”
Sam and I relaxed when she left. “She never fails to scare me.” He pulled on his shirt then took the sweats off to pull his jeans on.
“Why are you awake?” I asked Justin, getting up from the bed and walking over to him.
“Couldn’t sleep properly.” He shrugged. “I kind of don’t want to leave.”
“Me neither,” I agreed, running a hand over his hair and he didn’t protest, yawning. Patting his back, I gestured for him to go back to bed, telling him I’d help him pack before we left.
“I’ll be back in a bit.” Sam put his jacket on. “Almost got me out of your system?”
“Almost.”
Not even close.
“Emma, talk to him, would you?” Sam said. We stood inside the front door while Justin, Nonna, and our duffel bags were on the outside.
“What am I going to say, Sam?” she asked, her voice clearly upset. “‘It sucks that I like you but now you’re leaving?’”
“Just talk,” he urged her.
Emma walked out. She said something to my little brother and they walked down the street. Looking out the window, we saw a car pull into the driveway.
Dad got out of the car and Nonna engaged in conversation with him. “I’m going to say hi to your dad. I’ll load the things into the car.” Sam trekked toward the car with a duffel bag in each hand. I closed the front door behind me, and was making my way down the front steps when another person appeared beside me as Sam shook hands with my dad.
“Mabel.”
I’m about to get a headache. “Why are you here?”
“I dropped my sister off, idiot. Thank God you’re going back.” She flipped her brown hair over her shoulder.
“You’re mad because of me and Sam?”
She glowered at me. “He doesn’t belong with someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” I repeated. “Seriously?”
“You don’t even deserve him. It’s not like you were there for him when he was going through a rough patch.”
“Alexis?” Sam asked as he advanced toward us.
“I was saying good-bye to her.” Yes, because he definitely believed that lie. I walked past them, in the direction of Dad and Nonna.
“Hey,” Dad said, and I stepped into his embrace. “How was your time here?”
“Really good.” Nonna smiled at my answer, and she and my dad continued their conversation. As I watched Alexis and Sam talk, I saw Alexis frown, but then she hugged him. I stood still, waiting for the stupid hug to be over and when it finally was, Alexis planted her lips on his cheek.
I turned away to see Emma and Justin in conversation. Suddenly, Justin boldly hugged her. Sam walked over to me while Alexis stood by the side of her car, waiting for her sister to finish up.
Emma said her good-byes to Sam and me before she left, giving Sam a big hug, which I photographed as a nice memory. As she left with Alexis, I was leaning over to show the photo to Sam when he was suddenly pushed aside. My grandmother clasped Justin in a hug, his face turning a bright shade of red.
“Nonna,” he groaned.
She let go. “You’re almost fifteen—puberty must be hitting you hard if you can’t even take your Nonna’s hugs. Now just you remember: you will never beat me in any card game, got it?”
“I still think you cheat,” my brother grumbled.
“Here are some cookies for the ride.” Nonna took a small pile of wrapped-up cookies out of her small bag and handed it to Justin.
“Sam,” Dad said. “How are you getting back? Do you need a ride?”
“I brought my car up, so I’m good, but thank you, Nick.” His gaze slid over to me.
“I just need to talk to Sam about something,” I said to my family. “We’ll be back.” Sam and I pushed through the wooden gate that led to the backyard. Closing the gate, I leaned against it as Sam shoved his hands into his leather jacket pockets.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine.” When someone says they’re fine, they usually aren’t. Sam must’ve realized that was what it sounded like, and added, “I’m okay. This was a good few days.”
“You’re saying ‘few’ as if you don’t know the exact number,” I teased. “Right down to the minute probably.”
“This was a good, counting today, roughly six days,” he estimated.
My fingers fiddled with the strap of my camera bag, in which a multitude of pictures I was going to go through were stored. “We’ll still be good friends, right?”
“You’re one of my best friends,” he said. “It’s hard to earn the title of one of Sam Cahill’s best mates. C
aleb wears that title with pride. You should too.” The smile began to slip off his face. “This is it, huh? The end of us?”
“The end of us,” I repeated, failing to keep an upbeat tone.
“It’s for the best,” he whispered.
When his lips pressed against mine for the last time, it was different. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed, my heart lurching in contrast to the slow kiss that deepened with more passion than I could handle. My eyes fell shut, my fingers clutching his leather jacket. His heart mimicked my own, rapidly beating throughout the kiss.
Sam and I pulled away gently at the same time, his cheeks flushed and his eyes as bright and wild as ever. I took his hand in mine. “Around the time we first met, when you wanted to get to know me better, you said having you in my life would be exciting.”
A smirk played on his lips. “Did I fulfill my promise?”
“You did. And you still are,” I admitted.
His grip on my hand tightened. “You’re welcome.” His expression softened as he whispered, “You ready?” Definitely not.
I let my thumb move away from his on our locked hands. “Do you have me out of your system?”
Sam hesitated before he replied, letting our ring fingers remove their hold. “Yeah. Do you have me out of your system?”
“Yeah, I do,” I lied. “I’ll see you at school?”
“I’ll see you at school.”
We let our pinkie fingers go and pulled our hands back to ourselves, as if they were never together in the first place.
Sam left the backyard first, saying good-bye to my family. He hugged Nonna one more time before walking back to his grandmother’s house. Nonna pulled me down for a hug. “You’re going to do great in that tournament, okay? Now get going. Visit again soon, all right?”
“We will. Bye, Nonna.” Justin gave her one final hug and we got settled in the car.
Justin and I waved at Nonna through the window, leaving her—and Mom’s childhood home—behind. Justin leaned against the car door next to me. “Hey, Sandy?”
I grinned at the nickname. “Yeah, Patrick?”
“Before you leave for uni, we’re coming back, right?”
His voice was quiet, eyes focused on the house. I ruffled his hair. “Of course we are.”
26
Welcome to the Dark Side
“Is Jasmine back yet? I know she was planning on staying a few extra days,” I said to Andrew on Wednesday morning. We stood in front of the school bus we were taking to our tournament, most of the boys already boarding.
“She came back last night,” Andrew said. “She can tell you about being at her aunt’s when you two talk. How’s Ced?”
“I haven’t spoken to him but he’s coming back on Friday.”
The harsh reality settled within me: there were no romantic feelings anymore. What I felt for Sam wasn’t even in the same category as what I felt for Cedric.
I hadn’t told Andrew anything that was going on. During the past couple of days, my mind had been so full of confusion I hadn’t even asked how he was doing, nor had I told him what I’d been dealing with.
“I have something to—” A car pulled up next to the school bus and I stopped talking immediately. I spotted Caleb and Sam in the car. The two of them got out. Sam and I hadn’t spoken since my grandmother’s; I hadn’t seen him at school over the two days since we’d come back.
“You two scream relationship goals,” Caleb said, looking at the similar track pants and sweatshirts we were wearing. “You guys excited?”
Andrew answered Caleb with a joyful yes. Sam’s eyes moved over to me and he asked, “How are you?”
This was on the verge of an awkwardness I didn’t think was possible between us. “Good. How about you?”
“Same. Funny how we kind of wore the same thing, huh?”
“You ruined it with your Converse shoes.”
The strain between us eased a little when he said, “You ruined it with your Jordans.”
“Talk to me when you get common sense,” I mumbled.
Sam gave an exaggerated sigh. “I’m afraid I don’t have any.”
Andrew nudged me. “Time to go.”
Caleb’s shout of “Good luck” as I headed up the bus stairs made me wave at him before finding a seat. Andrew took the spot behind me, extending his leg out on the seat. Through the window, I could see Caleb and Sam talking. They shared a brief hug before Caleb headed to the car and Sam climbed onto the bus.
Sam walked down the aisle toward the back, where most of the seniors were sitting. His eyes traveled to me but another person sat down next to me. “Mace.” Austin shifted into a comfortable position. “How was the break?”
“Good.” Sam plopped down next to Brandon, and the two engaged in an easy conversation. “It was good.”
“I’m starving,” I muttered hours later as the entire team lined up in the middle of the healthiest fast food restaurant near the hotel we were staying.
Before Jacob could even attempt the “When are you not?” comeback, a familiar voice behind me said, “Look who it is, Wellington.” I turned around to face him.
“What do you want?” I asked Michael.
Michael’s lips quirked up when he spotted Sam. “You got matching outfits and everything.”
His teammates enjoyed his lame joke. “Please shut up,” I said.
Michael clenched his jaw. “When we beat you, Anderson, that’s when you’ll know girls can’t play soccer.”
Sam stepped in front of me and the two glared at each other. “Good-bye, Michael,” I said, hoping to prevent a fight.
Michael slid his eyes over to me, his face taunting. “I’ll see you later, Macy.”
Austin slung an arm around my shoulders as Michael moved away. “He’s only acting like that because he knows he’s going to lose.”
“I can’t wait to kick their asses on the field.”
Austin’s arm dropped and my teammates turned to face me with wide eyes. The only people not in shock were Sam and Andrew, who snorted. “What?”
“You swore,” Jacob and Brandon said in unison.
“You didn’t say dumbegg,” Jon Ming pointed out.
“Or holy flying lemurs,” Austin added.
I rolled my eyes. “Is it that big of a deal?”
“Welcome to the dark side,” Sam joked. “We’ve been waiting.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
He snuck in front of me to order and I was unable to get his smile out of my head, even when we returned to the hotel after attending the tournament opening. I jumped onto the bed after dropping my luggage at the side. Andrew was hanging out with me for a bit before heading over to his room, which he was sharing with a few of the others—I was the only team member with my own room. “At least no one can hear you snore.”
“I don’t snore,” I protested.
“Yes, you do. I’ll probably hear you next door. I feel sorry for Sam, though. His bed is right on the other side of this wall; he won’t get any sleep.”
I yawned and Andrew took that as his cue to leave. “You should get some rest, bro, you’re going to need it for tomorrow.”
He left the room, and I changed for bed, my mind ping-ponging between Jasmine and Sam, one far away and one too close for my liking. I punched the soft pillow before leaning back and attempting to sleep.
My hand moved to the side of the headboard and up the wall, fingers clenched into a fist. I knocked softly against the wall mindlessly. My phone buzzed.
Jerk: Are you trying some kind of Morse code with me?
Me: I couldn’t sleep
Jerk: It’s only ten. Why would Coach want us in bed this early?
Me: Because we have early practice
Jerk: Nooooo
Jerk: Is it weird?
Was it weird going bac
k to normal? Was it weird not having him beside me?
Me: Yeah. We should sleep. Night
Jerk: Night Hazel
The team was doing drills on the indoor soccer field where we would play our games the next afternoon when Sam came up to me. He nodded over to the high bleachers. At the top of them, a guy sat, eyes on the field. “That’s the scout?”
“Coach was talking to him and he’s going to be at our game tomorrow.”
“He knows we’re going to make it to the next round?” Jon Ming said.
“Way to be pessimistic, JM.” Brandon nudged him.
“What are you all doing standing around there? Practice!” Coach yelled loud enough for the entire city to hear him.
The team scattered, and as he moved away, I caught sight of Sam’s necklace. “Sam,” He hummed in acknowledgment. “You have to take off the necklace.”
Sam’s hand reached up to the golden B pendant. “I need it.”
“If you get caught with that or it injures someone, you could be out of the game. We can’t risk losing you. Don’t you think I want to play with mine?”
Sam reluctantly took it off and asked, “You’re not worried about the scout, are you?”
“No,” I partially lied. “What about you? What are your plans after high school?”
He shrugged, dropping onto one knee to retie his cleats. “I applied and got accepted to a few places. We’ll see.”
“You haven’t decided.”
“I haven’t decided because I have time. You didn’t decide because you’re scared that picking a school changes everything. Now you have an opportunity to go to a school you want to go to.” When he got up, he pointed a finger in my face. Pushing his hand down, I grew aware of our close proximity. He was too close. He knew it.
Andrew did, too, watching us from where he stood a distance away. Sam cleared his throat, dangling his necklace in his hand. “I’m going to give this to Coach.”
Later that night when someone knocked on my hotel room door, I wasn’t surprised to find my best friend on the other side. Andrew closed the door behind him. “What happened between you and Sam, idiot?”