In Your Arms (2 page)

“Ah, Samantha, this is Michael Richman, a new student. Michael, this is Samantha Baker,” Principal Norton said, making the introductions.

“Hi,” she said. “You can call me Sam.”

“Nice to meet you, Sam,” he said as he extended his hand.

Sam shook it, feeling awkward.

“Samantha, I’m putting you in charge of showing Michael around, getting him settled and used to everything here,” the principal explained. “Michael, here is your class schedule and locker number and combination. Samantha will see to it that you are situated. Here are two hall passes, Samantha, you know what to do.”

“Thank you, Mr. Norton,” Michael said, shaking his hand.

Sam couldn’t help but notice how proper Michael acted. Did he go to a prep school before coming to Birchwood?

“So, you’re new here. When did you come from?” Sam asked as she walked him to his locker.

“Oh, my family moved here from North Carolina so my dad could work at this new job. He was transferred to a branch in Harrisburg. My parents looked around and decided that Birchwood was one of the top private schools around here,” Michael replied.

Situated in the middle of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Birchwood Academy was one of four private schools in the city. Its population was much less than that of the public schools around the area. There were only about five hundred students who actually attended Birchwood, which included junior high and high school students.

“Did you used to go to a prep school?” Sam blurted out.

Why did she just ask him that? What was wrong with her?

“Um, no, why?”

“Oh, nothing. Forget I asked.” Sam was so embarrassed. “It must suck to have to move out here. You must miss your friends.”

“Well, not really. I was home schooled, so I didn’t know too many people. All right, I only had one friend. I know, totally lame, but I’m not what you’d call one of the popular kids.”

“Oh,” Sam murmured, totally able to relate. “Well, here’s your locker. I can show you your classes, just give me your schedule.”

Michael handed her the piece of paper Mr. Norton had given him.

“Hmm, this will be easy,” she said as she looked it over. “You have all the same classes as me. Well, except for Physics. I don’t take that, but next year I will.”

“Like I said, I was home schooled. I did more studying than playing with the other kids in my neighborhood. Besides, I like science.”

“Well, first period is Pre-calculus with Mr. Stevens. He’s awesome, you’ll love him. Next, we have Mrs. Minor’s English class. If you just laugh at all her jokes, she’ll love you.” Sam began to walk him around the halls, showing him the classrooms he would be in for the rest of the year. “After English, I have World Art and Music Appreciation, but you have Physics with Mr. Kellner. From what I hear, he’s a pretty good teacher. Oh, here is the cafeteria.” She gestured to the room as they walked by it. “And after lunch, we have US history with Mr. Wright. Study hard and you can do well on his tests. Mrs. Gonzales monitors us in the computer lab during study hall. None of us really study though, because Mrs. Gonzales doesn’t pay much attention to what we do on the computers. She’s normally too absorbed in her ‘
O
’ magazines.”

Michael laughed. “I guess my parents didn’t look too much into this school.”

“You would like to use the time to work? I mean, you can, of course, but why should you study when you can chat online? Anyway, last we have Advanced Biology, with Ms. Hatchet, my personal favorite,” she said sarcastically.

“That bad, huh?”

“Worse. Well, at least for me. Let's just say we don't get along. But as long as you pay attention, and especially hold your laughter at her mispronunciation of certain words, then you’re golden.”

“Wait. You laughed at her?”

Sam looked down. How did he know? “Um, yes. But she pronounced strawberry as ‘stwabewy.’ How could I not laugh?”

Michael grinned. “I guess I’m going to have to practice keeping a straight face.”

“Anyway, Ms. Hatchet loves to assign a lot of homework and projects she knows we can’t possibly finish, but you said you love science, so maybe you won’t do so badly.”

“So I guess you were pretty stoked that Mr. Norton called you out of her class.”

“Well, actually I was in detention. She sent me there when I was late for class. You get a detention when you are tardy three times to a class in one week, but it really wasn’t fair because my friend Alex was late with me—her third tardy too—and she didn’t get a detention. Ms. Hatchet probably didn’t want me to have someone to talk to in detention.”

“Sounds rough, like she's out to get you.”

“Yeah, I guess. I’m used to it by now. I can show you detention, if you want. Mrs. H., I mean Mrs. Hutchinson, is really awesome. She is by far my favorite teacher, even though she only runs detention. Well, she teaches Geography, but I took that a long time ago,” Sam said as she led Michael down the stairs and toward room 324.

“Well, I can tell you have spent a lot of time in detention, if the teacher who runs it is your favorite.”

“Ha, yeah, well.” Sam couldn’t think of what else to say, until they reached the door. “Oh, here we are,” Sam said just as the school bell rang. “Oh, well, you don’t really have to meet her, you probably won’t have any detentions. So I guess that’s it then, I can tell you more when I see you at school tomorrow.”

“All right. So do I need to go to see my teachers or do anything?”

“No, but hey, if you want to, I can introduce you to my friend,” Sam said as she made her way to her locker where she knew Alex would be.

“Uh, sure,” Michael said as he followed her.

“Sam! You were so lucky you were in detention. Ms. Hatchet was being even more of a pain than usual,” Alex said as Sam walked toward her. “Oh, hey, what did Principal Norton want to see you for? We all heard the announcement. You in trouble for something I didn’t know about?” Alex raised her eyebrows.

“Um, Alex,” she said, moving to showcase Michael, who was standing behind her. “I want you to meet Michael. He’s new to the school, just moved to Harrisburg.”

“Oh, hi. I’m Alex,” she said sheepishly.

“Hi. Is Alex short for—”

“Alexis, but I go by Alex.”

“Nice to meet you, Alex,” Michael said, extending his hand. Alex shook it, then he looked at Sam. “I better go. I told my parents I would be home right after school. You know, to help them unpack.”

“All right, see you tomorrow,” Sam said.

After Michael walked off, Alex turned to Sam. “Oh my God! Sam, he is so hot.”

“I thought that was what you were thinking.”

“Obviously, and what is with all the politeness?”

“He was home schooled. Besides, he wasn’t
too
polite. He’s way cooler when you get to know him, I think. He’s just like that when you first meet him. Anyway, are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I just have to get my books, I'll back in a few minutes,” Alex said.

“Hey!” Phillip said as he walked up to Sam’s locker. “What did Principal Norton want to see you for?”

“Oh, nothing,” she said, a bit startled. What was this? Twice in one day? “Well, he wanted me to show a new guy around.”

“Really, who is he?”

“His name is Michael Richman. I believe he said he was from North Carolina. His dad got transferred out here.”

“Interesting. For once, don’t you just wish something exciting would happen?” Phillip smiled at Sam, causing her heart to flip in her chest. “Listen about earlier—”

“Phillip! There you are. You ran off after the bell rang. I’ve been looking for you. Come on, baby, you promised to take me home,” Tracy whined to Phillip as she raced down the corridor toward them.

Phillip gave Sam a pained look, as though he’d actually wanted to stay and talk to her. “Well, I guess I’ll talk to you later, Sam.”

Tracy didn’t even look at Sam as she pulled her boyfriend toward the front entrance, where Phillip’s best friend, Josh McFadden, waited for them.

Sam stared after them, completely confused. Why did Phillip keep trying to talk to her? She was beyond excited that he had, but she also didn’t know what to make of it.

“Was that Phillip? Was he talking to you?” Alex asked as she rejoined Sam, books in hand.

“Yep.” Sam sighed.

“Wait! Phillip, here? Actually talking to you?”

Sam gave Alex a dirty look, pulling herself from her fixation on the front entrance. “Yes, talking to me.”

“Wow, why? What about?”

Sam retrieved the books she needed for that evening’s homework assignments and closed her locker. “I’ll tell you when we get to your house. Come on, I’m ready.” The last thing she wanted was for someone to hear her and Alex pondering Phillip’s strange behavior.

When they got outside, Sam stopped, just outside the entrance, admiring her lime green VW Beatle, complete with a convertible top. Sam couldn’t have asked her parents for a better car. It had been a birthday present for her seventeenth birthday last month and she still couldn’t believe it was hers.

Sam tore her gaze from her car she had named Freddie and looked pointedly at Alex’s ride. “Tell me again, Alex, why you had to get that thing?”

“Hey, ‘that thing’ does have a name,” Alex said defensively.

“Oh, sorry. Why did you have to get Betsy?”

“She’s a beaut. I mean, come on, she’s a Kawasaki Ninja. Seriously, I can’t imagine myself without her.”

“She’s a motorcycle. Why a motorcycle?”

“I don’t know, maybe because they’re way cooler than any car.”

“Hey, come now. Freddy is a great car.”

“All right, let’s just get out of here, before the afternoon rush,” Alex said as she put her hot pink helmet on, which matched the details on her motorcycle.

In Alex’s one true girly moment, she had asked her parents to get her a black motorcycle with hot pink ascents. Although they were skeptical at first, they complied and bought it for her seventeenth birthday, which was only a few days after Sam’s.

Sam unlocked her car and put her things in the backseat of her Bug. She started up the car and was startled when the radio came blaring through the speakers. She turned it down then looked over at Alex, who was backing up. Sam followed, and made her way through the parking lot toward the exit and on to the main road.

Sam and Alex pulled up to their houses, which were right next door to each other, then both headed toward Alex's front door. They had second floor bedrooms with windows that sat adjacent to one another. Because they lived right next door, it was easy for them to hang out with each other.

Sam knew Alex wouldn’t wait long before grilling her about Phillip, and she was looking forward to their talk. She certainly hadn’t been able to make sense of it herself.

Chapter Two

“S
o tell me what happened after you left for detention,” Alex said expectantly the moment she closed her bedroom door behind them.

“Nothing, really. I just sat down and began to draw, then—”

“What were you drawing?” Alex asked, always interested in seeing Sam’s drawings.

“That’s just it. I was drawing
him
!” Sam exclaimed.

Alex gasped. “And he sat down next to you?”

“Yes. He made it sound like he didn’t see anything. He said he walked up and sat down as I was closing the notebook.”

“Give it here,” Alex said, holding out her hand.

Sam handed her the notebook, and Alex began to fumble through the pages.

“Wow, Sam,” Alex said when she found it. “This is so good. It looks just like him.”

“I know! How embarrassing. He probably really did see it.”

“Well, let’s re-enact what happened. Close it, and I’ll see if I can tell who it is as you do it,” Alex suggested as she handed Sam back her notebook.

Sam did the same thing she had done in detention, while Alex walked by and sat down next to her on the bed, pretending to be Phillip.

“Well?” Sam asked.

“Yep, you can tell,” Alex said bluntly.

Sam fell back on the bed. “Aw, man! I can’t believe this!”

“It’s not that bad. He said you were good. At least you didn’t draw an ugly picture of him. Maybe he’s flattered.”

“This is so embarrassing.”

“Enough about your tragic love life,” Alex said abruptly. “Tell me about this new guy, Michael.”

Sam shook her head. She’d never understood Alex’s obsession with the opposite sex. Of course, her obsession with Phillip was pretty much the same thing, but at least hers was limited to only one guy. “Well, I didn’t really get to know too much about him. He’s from North Carolina. His family just moved here because his dad got transferred on business.”

“He’s cute, huh? Not cute—
hot
,” Alex said.

“Alex, you say that about every guy you see. You even said it about that guy who worked at the Coffee House for a while.”

“You mean Jake? Yeah, because he was hot,” Alex said dreamily.

“Alex, he was shorter than you! He was skinny like a chopstick.”

“Well, he had those crystal blue eyes, and you can’t say he wasn’t muscular.”

“Whatever.”

“But you have to admit that Michael is some sort of hot,” Alex said.