In Your Arms (9 page)

“I was, uh, in the library. And I just thought that, uh well, I don’t know what I was thinking but—”

“It’s okay, I was just wondering though if you wanted to hang out. As friends, of course,” he interjected. “I’m free this Saturday.”

Sam smiled. “I’d like that, but, uh…” Sam mustered up her courage. “I already told Alex and Michael I’d go ice-skating with them.”

“Oh, well, maybe some other time then.” He actually sounded disappointed.

“Well, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind me bringing someone, if you wanted to come.”

Yes! I did it!
She finally asserted herself and asked Phillip to go with her. The only question was if he would agree to go.

“Uh, yeah sure, it sounds like fun.” He smiled. “I’ll talk to you later about a time?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Well, I have to run. Football practice.”

“It’s okay, I have to go get my math book, anyway. I forgot it in Mr. Steven’s classroom, and he locks his door early, so I should go too. Talk to you later then,” Sam said as she began walking backwards toward the classroom.

“Bye, Sam,” Phillip called.

“See you around, handsome,” Sam said then turned around and made her way down the hall. She didn’t want to see his expression, yet at the same time she yearned to see whether he was smiling at her or not.

Sam made her way to Mr. Stevens’ classroom and turned the handle. It was locked. She peeked through the space between the edge of the window and the blinds to see if he was still inside and realized why Mr. Stevens locked his door early.

Mr. Stevens was fairly young to be teaching. He was twenty-five, fresh out of graduate school, tall and had short, shaggy dark brown hair. Sam thought he was cute, but of course she had never thought of him as anything other than a good teacher. Other people obviously thought differently.

As Sam looked through the small crevice, she saw yet another thing she didn’t want to have to keep a secret. She knew, though, if she told someone—even Alex—word would get out and Mr. Stevens would probably be fired, because right in the front of the classroom, he was making out with a student.

Tracy Gibbons, to be precise.

She’d always had a feeling Mr. Stevens was dating—if you could call it that—a student. She just wasn’t sure who.

Why was Tracy Gibbons kissing their teacher? Tracy was dating Phillip, so why would she do this to him? Sam couldn’t think, didn’t know what to do.

“Oh, my God,” Sam whispered under her breath. “I have to get out of here.”

She turned around and started running down the hallway, but as soon as she turned the corner, she ran straight into Josh McFadden.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” Sam said nervously, picking up her backpack, which she had dropped in the collision. Sam continued to look down as she gathered a couple of books that had fallen out of her backpack. “I’m sorry, again.”

“Just watch where you’re going next time, Baker,” Josh snarled.

Sam started stumbling backwards, desperate to get away from him.

“You okay, Baker? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Josh commented, peering at her intently.

“Uh, no, I’m…uh…I’m fine. Sorry I ran into you. I really have to go,” Sam said as she turned around and made a run toward the front entrance. She was too scared to look back as Josh shouted her name. The only thing she could think of was whether he had figured out she knew his secret.

She ran out the door, straight to her car. Sam threw her backpack in the car and locked the doors. Her hands shook as she tried to put the key in the ignition.

“Sam!” Michael said as he lightly tapped on her window.

Sam screamed at the top of her lungs when she heard her name. She turned her head and saw Michael standing outside her car. Her heart was racing.

“Are you okay, Sam?”

She turned her key and rolled down the window.

“Yeah. Why are you here, Michael?”

“Oh, late tutor session. I just saw you running in the hall and you looked scared. Especially after Josh started calling after you.”

“Oh yeah, I’m just late for, uh, my time with Alex.”

“Right, sorry I bothered you then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure, see you later,” she said.

Sam rolled up her window and made her way out of the parking lot.

* * *

“Sam, what are you doing here?” Alex said when Sam walked into her room a few minutes later. “I thought you said you weren’t coming over today.”

“I know, but then I bumped into Josh and I have to tell you something.”

“Oh my God, don’t tell me you like that Josh guy now.”

“God, no! Why would you say something like that? It’s about the school shooting,” Sam said with a shudder.

“Oh, well, then go on, you can tell me.”

Sam told Alex the whole story, how she had lied about where she was when the shooting occurred, how she saw the whole thing take place, and how Chris hadn’t shot himself, but been murdered by Josh McFadden. Sam told her the whole story, even what had taken place earlier that day, and how she’d seen Tracy and Mr. Stevens making out in his classroom. She just couldn’t keep it all held inside any longer. She felt like she was losing her mind.

“Now tell me what I should do!” Sam was annoyed that her friend kept dwelling on the fact that Tracy and Mr. Stevens were together and not focusing on her current situation with Josh and Billy.

“Well, Josh will only find out that you lied if you keep acting weird around him. Just be yourself—”

“It’s kind of hard when I know he’s killed someone!” Sam cried.

“Why don’t you just go to the police? That seems like the smart thing to do.”

“Because, Josh’s dad will just hire some big shot lawyer to get him out of it, and when he does get out, he’ll know I’m the one who told and I’ll be the one he’s coming after.”

“Sam, you can’t just pretend that Josh didn’t kill Chris,” Alex said with a frown.

“Don’t you think I know that? But I can’t do anything about it, unless I want to end up just like Chris!”

“Calm down, Sam, it’s okay,” Alex said, trying to hide her own shaking hands by putting them in her pockets. “We’ll keep quiet then, until we come up with something. Can’t you tell your father? I mean, he is a lawyer, he would know how to handle this.”

“I can’t tell my father. He’ll just tell the police. I have to figure this out myself.”

“Well, what about Tracy and Mr. Stevens?” Alex asked.

“What about them? You can’t tell anyone!” Sam said, looking Alex in the eyes.

“What? I won’t. I promise. I swear, but you know if you tell Phillip, he will be a free man. I'm just so glad you have this thing going on with Phillip, something to keep our minds occupied with, so that we don’t have to think about the other stuff.”

“Al, I can’t tell him. That would be wrong. I can’t, I won’t.”

“Not even if it meant that he and Tracy would break up?”

“That’s not a good enough reason. It would jeopardize Mr. Stevens’ job and put Tracy at risk of expulsion.”

“Since when have you cared whether Tracy Gibbons is expelled or not?”

“It’s not right. I could never forgive myself for getting Mr. Stevens fired and more importantly, making a fool out of Phillip. I would be humiliated if I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me, right under my nose—with a teacher, no less.”

“Sam, you don’t have a boyfriend.”

“I’m speaking hypothetically.”

“I’m just saying that this would be your opportunity to get him,” Alex said reasonably.

“Okay, Alex. Please just promise me you aren’t going to say anything.”

“Fine, I promise.”

“Not even to Michael?”

“Not even to Michael,” Alex agreed, even though Sam knew this secret was going to kill her.

“I better go, I need to get home. I’m late,” Sam said, looking at the time, realizing she would be thirty minutes late getting home.

“All right, Sam. See you tomorrow. And don’t be all weird.”

Sam smiled at her. “Sure, Alex.”

Sam walked downstairs and made her way toward her house, carefully stepping over the bushes that separated the two houses.

“Mom, I’m back,” she called as she headed up the stairs.

“You’re late,” her mom said, coming out of the kitchen.

“I know. I’m sorry, I just got caught up talking with Alex.”

“I thought you guys did homework together?”

“We do, I just had to talk to her about something. I’ll be up in my room.”

“Okay, sweetie. Check in on your brother. I sent him up there a while ago, when I thought you’d be back.”

Sam made her way up the stairs and checked in on Benjamin before settling down in her room. Sitting down at her desk, she pulled out her books and logged on to her computer.

PhilyCheeseSteak: Hey, Sam.

SamIam: Hey, didn’t we just talk?

PhilyCheeseSteak: Yeah, a little more than an hour ago. Listen, after practice, Josh said he bumped into you.

SamIam: Yeah, after I talked to you, I ran into him on the way to my car.

PhilyCheeseSteak: Well, he said you dropped your notebook.

SamIam: I was wondering what happened to it.

PhilyCheeseSteak: I have it with me, so I can give it to you tomorrow at school.

SamIam: Great, thanks. So, how was practice?

PhilyCheeseSteak: It was good, Coach drilled us hard today, you know, since we haven’t had practice in a week.

SamIam: So when’s your next game? You know you still haven’t told me how it works.

PhilyCheeseSteak: What? Football? Well, maybe tomorrow I’ll have a chance to tell you how it works. And as for our next game we have one this Friday. Maybe you could come watch it…and bring Alex and Michael along too.

SamIam: Um….I’ll have to think about it.

PhilyCheeseSteak: Sure. I didn’t mean that you had to come.

SamIam: Phillip, I was joking…Of course I’ll come.

PhilyCheeseSteak: Awesome. I’ll tell you how the game works before Friday then.

SamIam: Great. I look forward to it.

Chapter Seven

S
am was putting her books in her locker the next morning when Alex and Michael came by.

“Hey, Sam,” Alex said.

“Hey, what’s up, you two?” Sam had to smile. They just looked so cute together.

“We were just wondering if you had made up your mind if you were coming to the ice rink with us this Saturday,” Michael said.

“If you guys will come with me to the football game this Friday,” Sam retorted.

“Uh, sure, but why do we have to come to the game?” Alex asked.

“Because Phillip invited me to come—and you two—but really I just don’t want to show up alone,” Sam replied.

“Oh.” Alex smiled. “He did, did he?”

“Yes, we’re friends, Alex. Nothing more. And friends go to other friends’ games, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose, but you two did almost kiss—” Alex said, then put her hand over her mouth.

“What? You and Phillip? How did I miss that?” Michael said.

“Shut up, you two. Yell it to the entire school, why don’t you? So will you come with me this Friday or not?” Sam said, looking around to make sure no one else had heard.

“Of course we’ll come,” Alex answered for the both of them. “But the real question is, are you coming to the ice rink?”

“Yes, of course. I love ice skating.”

“I know, but are you going to bring anyone?” Alex hinted.

“I was thinking about bringing Benjamin,” Sam teased.

“No, really, did you ask him or not?” Alex became impatient.

“Calm your horses. Yes, I asked and yes, he’s coming.”

Alex gave a little squeal.

Sam raised her eyebrows at her friend, who sounded ridiculous squealing like a little girl in the hallway.

“Only you, Al,” Sam laughed as they made their way to first period Pre-calculus.

* * *

“I can’t believe it’s already time for Bio,” Alex commented that afternoon.

“I know, the day has gone by fast,” Michael said, his hand around her waist.

“Oh, God, you two go ahead,” Sam said.

“What?” Alex said.

“Nothing, lovebirds, I’ll just be a minute. I’ll catch up with you guys in class.” Sam couldn’t bear to be around them anymore today. She had to admit she was a little jealous.

“Don’t be late!” Alex warned.

“I won’t. Don’t worry so much.”

Alex and Michael made their way toward room 324 as Sam lingered back a little. She was happy for her friend, but sometimes felt out of place when the two went all lovey-dovey on her.

“Hey, Sam, someone feeling like a third wheel?”

Sam turned around to see Phillip walking behind her. “Hey, I thought you would be walking Tracy to class.”

“I haven’t seen her today. And I don’t always walk her to class,” he retorted.

“Uh, Phillip, yes you do.”

“No, just last week, I showed Michael to the classroom.”

“Yeah, and Tracy was lagging behind you.”

“Well, it’s more her than me. I didn’t even know she was behind me.”