"Montezuma," Brian said. He was determined to get this Decathlon answer correct

Laura looked at him, and she said, "No, no. Montezuma was in Mexico, not Peru." At the Pinehurst Academy table, J.D was watching Laura as he wrote down the right answer.

Laura told Brian, "It's like Anta… something."

Laura glanced at the timer; 5 seconds left. She was in nervous mode right now because none of them knew the answer. However, Sam did.

"Atahuallpa?" Sam asked. He looked at Laura, and she smiled at him excitedly. She responded, "That's it!"

She wrote "Atahuallpa" on their answer sheet, and the timer went off. The referee said, "Time's up. Correct answers, please."

Laura handed the paper to their answer person, and she smiled as she handed it to him. She felt confident about their answer.

Their person checked their answer, and lifted the paper in the air to signal that they had the correct answer.

The referee said, "That's five points for Woodmont, and five points for Pinehurst Academy." Sam smiled at the excited Laura; Laura looked around the crowd who was applauding.

She caught J.D looking at her, and he had a smirk on his face. He gave her a small nod, and Laura continued to smile.

She glanced at Sam, and then looked back down at the blank paper in front of her, and the referee said, "Next question."

It was thundering and lightning outside, but they didn't care at all. Sam looked over at J.D, his smile fading. J.D just continued to smirk in their direction, and Sam felt a rush of jealousy run through him.

He thought, oh God, she caught him staring at her… she even continued to smile at him. The referee asked, "In what year did Louis XIV ascend to the throne of France?"

Sam looked forward, trying not to picture Laura falling in love with this nerd from Pinehurst.

"Time," the referee said, and the timer started.

Laura looked over at Sam and she whispered, "Isn't it 1692?" Sam, however, didn't hear her. He was, like before, too busy thinking about J.D and Laura.

Brian then whispered to Laura, "No, no. It wasn't 1692. It was 1638." Sam just continued to look forward, and Laura looked over at Brian.

"Are you sure?" Laura asked. She was very hesitant about these answers.

Sam then whispered, smiling at her, "Yes, Laura. It is 1638." Laura smiled at him with confidence as she wrote "1638" on their blank paper.

The timer went off, and the referee said, "Time's up. Correct answers, please." Laura handed their answer checker their paper, and he checked their answer.

He lifted the paper in the air, once again, to signal they got the answer correct. Laura sighed with relief as the referee said, "That's another five points for Woodmont, and another five points for Pinehurst Academy."

The crowd roared with more applause, and the referee said, "This is the end of the first round of the Scholastic Decathlon. We will continue round two tomorrow."

The crowd continued to applaud, and the students stood up to leave the auditorium. When Laura stood up, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Laura gasped with surprise, and she turned to find J.D right behind her. Sam and Brian watched him gently touch Laura… Sam was already jealous of him.

J.D said, still smirking, "Hey. You played a great first round."

Laura smiled at him, and she put her hand on his hand. Sam was even more pissed now, but then she pushed his hand slowly off her shoulder.

Laura said, "So did you. These are my teammates, Sam and Brian." She gently grabbed Sam's arm, and glanced at Brian. Sam could feel chills coming up him.

"I'm Laura," she replied, shaking J.D's hand.

"Oh, J.D," he replied.

"Your school is amazing," Laura said, giving him a warm smile.

"Would you- would you like a tour?" J.D asked. Laura looked at Sam, and he looked back at Laura. His expression read "Please don't go with him Laura".

Laura then smiled, and she said, "Sure. That'd be great. But, could you give me a second with them?"

More than ¾ of the kids that were in the auditorium were out of there, and J.D smiled while replying, "Yes, of course. Just meet me outside by the door."

Laura gave him a nod, and he walked away from them. His smirk continued to stay on his face.

Laura looked over at her friends, and she said, "He's nice."

Sam nervously said, "Y-Yeah. He's… uh…" Then Brian hit Sam hard in the stomach to make him stop stuttering. Sam cried, "Ow! Jesus, Brian!"

Brian muttered, "Stop stuttering, dude."

Sam chuckled nervously, and Laura smiled at him, trying not to laugh at him. She thought, he's so cute.

Sam said, still smiling at Laura, "Laura…" What surprised her was the fact that he held one of her hands. Laura could feel a rush of comfort come up her body.

Sam walked a little closer to her, and he said, "Honestly, please be careful. I was told by my father on the phone that there is terrible weather heading our way. We need you for the rest of this competition."

Laura smiled, and she said, "Please Sam. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Besides, I won't be out too long with this guy. I'll be back in time for the party tonight."

Sam let go of her hands, and he chuckled softly. "Sorry," he said, "I just really… want you to be here for the competition."

Brian rolled his eyes, thinking, damn it, Sam. Just tell her how you feel already!

She said, still smiling at him, "I'll be fine. Trust me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

Sam nodded, and then walked out of the room to meet J.D. Sam and Brian watched her leave the room, and Brian said, "Man, you got some serious competition."

Sam replied, his smile already faded, "Please."

Brian said, "I bet he's really rich, too."

Sam said, "Shut up."

….

Later that night, Sam and Brian were at the party that the competition held for all the participants. However, they haven't seen Laura at all since she left with J.D earlier.

Laura being with J.D was the last thing Sam wanted… he wanted her to be with him, and him only.

Brian walked up to Sam at the party after he got a drink, and Sam said, trying to speak over the loud music and chatter, "This place is so retro. I think it might be cool if it were on purpose."

Sam was chewing some little candies when he said that, and he couldn't have been more serious. Another participant walked up to them, and he and Brian exchanged nods. He then walked away, and Brian said, "Look at all these nerds."

Sam and Brian's gaze followed the guy that just approached them. Then, Sam looked over, and he saw Laura walking in with J.D. Sam could feel a huge wave of jealousy and anger run up him.

How could she like him this much already?! Why can't she fall for me instead of him? Sam thought.

The weird thing is that she didn't even see them when she walked by them. She looked so beautiful… she didn't even notice her own teammates at the party.

Brian and Sam stared at Laura as she walked by. Sam asked, "Is it that hard to see us? I mean, we're right here!"

Laura, like before, didn't even notice him yelling. Brian said, "Well not really because you're the hottest one here, and I am the only black kid."

Sam walked right up to Brian and he asked, "Come on, Brian, tell me. Is it really that easy to earn someone's affections? You know I've liked her since forever, and I have tried to get her to like me back… but is it really that easy?"

Brian shrugged and took a sip of his drink. He said, "I honestly don't know, buddy. I have never really liked anyone, which means I have never tried to get someone to like me."

Sam sighed, and he turned to watch Laura again. She was talking and laughing with J.D and the other Pinehurst kids. Sam could feel a tsunami of jealousy running through him. The only thing he wanted in the world was busy with another man.

Then, during their conversation, Laura looked over and saw Sam and Brian staring at her. Her jaw dropped, and she told something to J.D. He then gave her a nod and a smile, and Laura walked over to them.

Finally. Now I can tell her how beautiful she looks, Sam thought. He smiled when she walked over, and she said, with her famous smile, "Hey."

Sam then scanned her body with his eyes, and he said, "Hey… you look beautiful."

Laura thought, oh my god! He just told me that I look beautiful!

Laura's smile widened, and she said, "Thanks… you look handsome yourself, Sam. You too, Brian."

Sam smiled widely, and he thought, she did not just say that!

Brian replied, "Thank you, Laura. You know I never try." They all laughed together, and Laura asked, "So what have you guys been doing?"

Sam replied, "Nothing much. We basically just got ready for this after we left the competition." I've been thinking about you the whole time, Laura. You are constantly on my mind, Sam thought.

Laura then took a step toward Sam for no reason, and she said, "Hey, I want you to come see this."

She took Sam's hand, and he felt chills run up him. He smiled, and he said, "Okay. Lead the way."

She chuckled, and then she led him outside of the room. Sam turned his head to face Brian, and he smiled.

Brian smiled at his friend, and he gave him an encouraging nod. When Brian looked over at J.D, he saw him gazing Laura's path with a frown on his face.

Brian then chuckled, and drank his drink.

…..

Outside of the cafeteria, Sam and Laura were walking around the school. Laura was showing Sam all the places J.D showed her earlier.

Laura then showed him the dorms they had in their rooms, and she said, "And these are the dorms. He said they stay here only on schooldays. They go home on the weekends or vacation breaks."

Sam smiled as he looked around the hallway of rooms. He said, "It is a very nice school. They must be lucky to have a school here in New York City."

Laura replied, "Yeah, but I would much rather go to Woodmont. I like everyone there, and obviously it's close to my hometown. There's no place I'd rather live."

Sam smiled, and he said, "Same. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else."

Sam and Laura then looked at each other, and they continued to smile at each other.

He said, his smile slowly fading, "Uh, Laura…" He was literally about to tell her that he liked her, and she thought, yes! He's going to tell me!

Sam swallowed nervously, and then he said, "I…" Then, the lights went out, and it was completely dark.

Laura asked, "Sam? What happened to the lights?" They could barely see each other, and he replied, "I don't know. I bet the weather knocked it out."

Laura asked, "Well, don't you think we should get back to our room?"

Sam replied, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

Then, Sam took her hand, and he led her to the exit of the school. He thought, I totally forgot about the terrible weather. That won't keep me away from Laura.

…..

Sam and Laura met up with Brian down at the exit of the school. Brian said, "Yeah, the power is going to get knocked out all over the place. It's been raining and thundering like crazy ever since we got here."

Laura asked, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go so we don't get caught in this!"

Everyone in the cafeteria was busy calling their parents to come get them. Sam and Laura exchanged nervous looks, and the barged out of the school.

What they saw when they reached the sidewalk was a flooded Times Square. The water on the streets had risen to two feet, and it was still pouring like crazy.

In five seconds, they were already soaked. They looked around to see how they could get by all the cabs and cars that were stopped up on the streets.

Sam asked, "Well, how are we supposed to get through this?" Then, his phone started to ring, and Sam answered, "Hello?"

It was Jack Hall, Sam's father. He said, "Sam!"

"Dad!" Sam replied. He looked at his friends, and gave them a nod to show that it might be okay.

"Sam, listen to me very closely. I got a call from Professor Rapson from Scotland. He said that there is horrible weather coming towards Manhattan. I need you to get on the subway to Philadelphia, and I'll be there to come get you. I don't want you to deal witht his horrible weather, so I need you, Laura, and Brian to get on that train right now, and get to Philadelphia."

Sam was nodding as he listened to his father, and he asked, "Which train goes to Philadelphia?"

Jack replied, "Hold on one second." Sam looked at his friends, and he said, "Please go look at the train map, Laura."

Laura asked, "Well, where is one?!" She looked around, and Brian replied, pointing at a map on the wall of the school, "There's one! Go look and see which ones lead to Philadelphia!"

Laura nodded, and she ran over to the map on the wall.

Sam replied, "Dad! We got it! Just please keep me updated on what's going on!"

Jack replied, "Okay, Sam. Please be careful! I do not want to lose you because of this weather."

Sam replied, "Just trust me, Dad. I will make sure my friends and I survive. I promise you that we'll be home soon."

Jack replied, sighing, "I love you, Sam. Be careful."

Sam sighed as well, and he replied, "I love you too, Dad."

Then, Sam hung up, and he turned to face Laura. What he saw was J.D talking to Laura. Sam rolled his eyes furiously, and Brian said, "Go get Laura, Sam! We have to get to the train!"

He ran up to Laura, and he asked, "Which one goes to Philadelphia, Laura?!"

J.D looked at Sam, and he said, "All the train stations are closed! They're all flooded!"

Sam cried, "You gotta be kidding me! Now we can't get home!"

Laura put her hand on Sam's arm, and she said, "It's okay! We can just get back to our room! We can see if the airport is still open!"

The rain continued to pour on them, and J.D said, "You're out of luck there, too! All the flights are cancelled!"

Sam sighed angrily, and he said, "You gotta be kidding me! Now we'll never get home!"

Brian ran up to them, and he said, "Let's do what Laura said! Let's just go back to our room! We can see if anything is open tomorrow!"

Sam and Laura looked at each other, and Laura said, "It'll be alright, Sam. Trust me. We'll get home as soon as possible."

She grabbed his hand, and Sam gave her a nod and a smile. Sam then looked at Brian and they exchanged nods.

J.D asked Laura, "Would you like to come to my place, Laura? My dad has a place not far from here. I can hail a cab and have him drive us there."

Laura asked, "Wait, just me? What about Sam and Brian?" She looked at her soaked friends, and she could tell Sam's face read, Don't do it, Laura. I don't trust him.

J.D said, "Well, yeah. They can go back to your room." Laura's jaw dropped, and so did Brian's and Sam's.

Sam thought, wow, what a gentleman.

Brian thought, what the heck? So he likes her, but he doesn't even invite us to stay at his place? What a douche.

Laura asked her friends, "Do you guys really care? It's only for one night." Sam turned his head so Laura couldn't see him rolling his eyes. Of course she's going with him. It's obvious she's attracted to him, Sam thought.

Brian said, showing a fake smile, "Sure. We'll be fine in the room."

Laura slightly smiled, and she looked at Sam, who wasn't looking at them. She took his hand, and she asked, "Sam?"

He looked at her, his blue eyes shining as rain fell in them. He tried not to show his anger, so he faked a smile. She asked, "Are you okay?"

Sam sighed, and he said, "Yes. Just please promise me you'll be okay. We need you."

Laura smiled at him, still holding his hand. She said, "I'll be okay. J.D will take care of me. I'll just meet you guys at our room tomorrow morning. I should be by no later than eleven tomorrow morning. I promise you that."

Sam walked closer to her, and he said, "Good. Be careful, Laura." He let go of her hand, and they exchanged smiles.

Laura faced J.D, and he asked, "You ready?"

Laura took one last glance at Sam and Brian, and she faced J.D saying, "Lead the way."

He smiled, and he took her hand. Sam watched in jealousy as she let him hold her hand and walk away with her.

Sam and Brian stood there in shock, and Brian said, "Wow. You really got some competition now, buddy."

Sam looked at Brian and he said, "Yeah… but I promise you that I'll win that competition. Laura is mine."