*I just want to thank you all for all of your positive comments on this and really I'm just editing and going back over a few mistakes I saw when I skimmed through this. But I really wanted to thank you all so... Thank you :) -Make a Great Day, Ariel*
Sam was walking toward her locker after seventh period. She couldn't wait to get home; school is so not her thing. Really she just goes because Carly and Freddie are there. She knows that they're seventeen and Carly and Freddie will get their college acceptance letters pretty soon, while she will be getting nothing. She really doesn't know what she'll do when they leave, who she'll hang out with or anything.
As she opens her locker a white envelope falls to the floor. She looks at it for a minute, wondering what it is and why it was in her locker. She slowly bends down and picks it up, seeing her name written on the front in neat, block letters.
She's afraid it might be some kind of practical joke or something so she carefully puts the envelope in her hoodie pocket, deciding to read it when she gets home. Freddie has to stay after for an AV club meeting and Carly left school early for a dentist appointment. Sam decides she'll call them and meet up later.
As she walks to the bus stop to get home, she wonders what might be written in the strange letter and who could've written it. On the bus, she enters and gives the bus driver, Big Sal, knuckles as he lets her on (for free of course). She sits toward the front as usual so she can talk to Big Sal. He's a really good friend to her, he's who she talks to about pretty much everything. Maybe while Carly and Freddie are at college, she'll just hang out on the bus with him.
"So what's up Big Sam?" He asked. He calls her Big Sam and she calls him Big Sal. Big Sal is a muscular, black man with his hair always shaved short and a box of fatcakes always ready for Sam. He tosses her one as he waits for her reply.
"Well.. nothing big. Oh, except I got this weird letter. I haven't read it yet, I'm reading it when I get home." She informs him.
"A letter! Do you know who it's from?" He asks her and she shakes her head.
"No. After I read it I'll tell you about it tomorrow." she promises.
"Well, okay. I wonder who it could be from. Anyway, did you hear that Markie Sullivan might be retiring?" He asks, talking about one of her favorite pro wrestlers.
"No way!" She exclaims, her eyes widening.
"Yes way! You didn't see her interview with that reporter, uh Patty Raines? She said that she really wants to focus on 'getting her life back together' you know? Going to college and getting married and all that?" He dishes.
"Oh my god. I can't believe this! She can't retire! She's going against Pam the Crusher next month!" Sam whines and for the rest of the bus ride they talk about how Markie just cant leave them hanging like that and how much they both hate Pam the Crusher.
As Sam walked from the bus stop to her house, she noticed her moms car was gone. Probably out at some bar or at some dudes house. Sam thought, sighing and unlocking the front door. She stepped into the, no doubt, empty house. Her mom usually wasn't home when she got there anyway; she was usually at a bar or at some dudes house that she met at a bar.
Sam dropped her bag by the door and walked to the kitchen to get something to eat. She pulled a hot pocket out of a box in the fridge and prepared it to put in the microwave. As she waited for the Hot Pocket to finish she pulled the note out of her pocket and sat at the table to read it.
Sam,
The stars are prettiest in your eyes. The ones in Grangier Park tonight would reflect wonderfully. Come look at them with me? 7 tonight. Meet me on the playground.
-Your Secret Admirer
"What the hell?" sam gasped aloud. Who in the world..? The stars are prettiest in your eyes? Okay this is definitely some kind of trick... Sam thinks. She feels so strongly that someone is just messing with her. She can feel it in her body. It reminds her of second grade, when she told Tommy Schirvek that she thought he was cute and he and all of his friends laughed at her. She felt so... Embarrased, so betrayed, so angry.
Now, what if the same thing happens? What if it's just some stupid boy who wants to pull one on her? She's so tired of guys leaving her and using her and treating her like crap. She's so afraid to even allow herself to crush on anyone. The only guy she actually somewhat trusts is Freddie. And that's because they know each other so well.
Sam looks at the clock on the stove, 3:57. She sighs and decides to think about it later, hearing the beep of the microwave, dropping the note on the table, and going to get her Hot Pocket.
She grabs the Hot Pocket and heads into the living room, flopping onto the couch and grabbing the remote. She watches whatever seems interesting on TV until 6:46, when she got bored with the cooking show she was watching.
She walks into the kitchen and tries not to look at the note. 7 pm... She muses to herself. Maybe I could go watch and see who might be there... Who's trying to get me I mean. Then I could kick his ass. Yeah. She nods to herself. She picks up the note and walks to the front door, grabbing her bag, then heads upstairs to her room. She stuffs the note in her bag and throws her bag on her bed. She picks up her phone, fully charged, and grabs her Ipod from her desk.
She walks back down to the front door and sticks the earbuds in her ears, cranking the music up. She decides to walk to the park so that she has some time to think, and she can stop at McDonald's on the way and get a milkshake.
As she walks she tries to think of any guys who may have looked at her differently lately. Or any guys who may have looked past Carly and at her at all.
After a few minutes she nears McDonald's and feels around in her pocket for the Ten she took out of Freddie's pocket in the cafeteria. She snickers to herself as she finds it and goes inside to purchase a vanilla milkshake- her favorite. Once she's done with that, she continues her walk to the park.
When she gets across the street from the park, she pauses and pulls out her phone to check the time. 7:05. She looks over at the playground but sees no one there. Figures. She thinks to herself, but continues to watch the playground intently.
So intently she doesn't hear the footsteps behind her, or feel the person walk up to her.
"Sam." The voice says. Crap. Sam thinks, busted. She whirls around but is shocked to see that the person who had found her was actually, Freddie. She gasps, but then loosens and visually relaxes.
"What are you doing here Fredburger?" She demands, giving him a death glare.
" I should be asking you the same thing," Freddie replies, looking nervous and jumpy. Sam notices this and is about to speak but he stops her, "Why are you sitting across the street from the park? Don't you want to go swing or something?" He asks.
Sam quickly decides not to tell him about the note.
"I'm Sam and I can sit across from the park whenever I want to. Why are you nerding it up over here?" She brings the spotlight back to him.
"You know," He says, shrugging and trying to sound nonchalant, "Just... taking a walk..." He says. "Or something," He mumbles. Sam raises her eyebrow and peers at him.
"What is wrong with you?" She asks, "You look like you're getting ready to ask Megan Fox out on a date." She says, referring to his nervous demeanor.
"Uh... Nothing I'm fine. So why are you here?" He asks once again and she starts to feel annoyed.
"Jeez Freddly. I was just..." She begins a new lie but sighs and decides to give that up. It's just Freddie. "Okay, well honestly, I got some kind of note telling me to meet someone at the park." She admits.
He gets a look that she's never seen on him before and he looks around nervously. "Note? And it said at the park, not across from it." He points out, visibly relaxing as the embarrassment flashes across her face.
She shrugs, "I thought it was a trick..."
He gets an incredulous look on his face and suddenly becomes angry.
"What makes you think it was a trick? Is it that hard to believe that maybe someone actually likes you for you!" He says angrily, throwing his hands up in the air.
She is shocked, and let's it show in her expression.
"How did you know that it was from someone who likes me?" The pieces were slowly clicking together in her head and she was trying very hard not to realize, or believe.
"Because I wrote the note!" He yelled, and she fell speechless, stumbling backwards, shaking her head repeatedly.
"I just... I couldn't keep watching you from afar and letting my fantasies help me get by. Sam, I LIKE you! Actually, I Love you, But I don't want to freak you out." He explained but she still didn't speak, she just continued shaking her head.
"Yes. Sam. It's true. Believe it. I didn't believe it at first either but I just can't deny it anymore. You drive me crazy... Seriously, you kill me... But I love that. I LOVE how you make fun of me and beat me and bother me. I don't know why... It's hard for me to explain..." He searches for the words he wants to say as she bites down on her lip and continues to shake her head.
He looks at her while she thinks and she wonder why she never noticed the way he looks at her. But it's just not right!... she thinks to herself.
He takes a step closer to her and touches her hand.
"I guess what I'm trying to say Sam, is that I love you. I love everything about you. I love how cute you are while you sleep, and how sexy you are when you're mad. And how beautiful you are all the time." He pauses to push a lock of hair from her face. She's so frozen she can't even respond. She's stopped shaking her head but is still denying with her eyes.
"I love how you eat and sleep all the time. And I love how sacrastic and stubborn you are. I love how conceited and obnoxious you are. And I also love how funny and random you are. I love everything about you and I know you better than I know myself." He says, looking her deep in the eyes.
"Puh-lease." She finds her voice, and rolls her eyes.
"Really? Sam I know that you don't have a favorite color. I know that you sleep on your back when you have a nightmare. I know that you had a stray street dog named Faye, and that you cried for hours when your mom called the pound and demanded they put her down. I know that Cinnabon is your favorite cereal. And you want to be a pro wrestler or an astronaut when you grow up. You love the rain and hate when it's too sunny. You like wearing shorts in the fall and winter time and love hats. You adore polar pops and capuccinos. You hate the whole 'Twilight' movies thing but pretend you do for Carly. And I also know that right now, you're hungry. And once you leave here you're going to use the rest of the ten dollars you took from my pocket at lunch, and go buy another milkshake, a ten piece chicken nugget, and a large fry because it's your favorite from McDonald's." He says and chuckles at Sam's shocked expression.
"I know more, but I think that's enough for now. " He laughs and her shocked expression becomes nervous. He is shocked now, because he's never seen her like this before. She's Sam Puckett , she doesn't get nervous very often.
"I just..." She stammers and Freddie holds a finger up to her lips, silencing her.
"I'm scared too." He tells her, already knowing what she was going to say it before she says it, "But we can do this Sam. I know you like me too. And I also know that you're not ready to admit it yet. Look, I know you've been hurt. I know that so many guys have left you and betrayed you, that you just don't want to take the risk and get hurt again. But that's what love is all about. Love is taking the risk, and trusting that things will be okay. I'm not going to hurt you Sam. I'm not going to do what Jonah, and, Frankie, and your dad did. I'm not going to leave you. And I'm not going to try to change you like Pete did. I'll give up my scholarship. I'll stay here with you because this is where I want to be. Here. With you. I love you, Sam. Just the way you are. " He says, moving even closer to her.
He looks deep into her eyes and she stares back with scared eyes. He can't resist anymore, and next thing she know, he's kissing her.
At first she is hesitant, still trying to deny the feelings she never knew had existed. The feelings that she knew were there though. Soon, she was kissing back, slinging her arms around his neck and taking control, the thing she does best. He timidly put his arms around her waist as they continue the make out session.
"What about Carly?" She pulls away and whispers.
"Carly's a nice girl. But for a girlfriend, she's missing something big." he presses his forehead against hers. She doesn't back away.
She snorts, "And what is that?"
"She's not you." He touches his hand to her cheek and smiles. She smiles a little bit in return.
"You're such a dork!" She slaps his shoulder. "But you're my dork." She states.
He raises in eyebrows in question, "Sooo?" he asks, putting his arms back around her waist.
She suddenly jumps back, out of the embrace. He is shocked at first, and then hurt.
She smiles and rolls her eyes though. Then she grabs his hand and walks closer to him, pecking him on the lips once.
"So I don't like labels. Come on. Momma's hungry." She says simply, tugging hm back to the sidewalk and starting to walk in the direction of the McDonalds, still holding his hand.
"Of course you don't." He sighs, but steps closer to her as they walk. "Well, at least say it. Out loud I mean."
She continues walking but turns her head to look up at him, "Say what?" She asks innocently, smirking.
"Say that you like me," He retorts, smirking right back. She takes her other hand and smacks his face with it.
"I don't know what you're talking about," She shrugs, but her smile gets wider.
He stops, causing her to fly back and crash into him. He straightens her out and turns her to face him. He takes his hand and tilts her face up to his.
"Sam..." He says softly, letting the plead come into his tone. She looks up at him and for a second, her smile drops, but she gives a small grin. She snatches his hand from her face and turns herself back around, still holding his hand.
"Fine... I... Like... you." she says, looking straight ahead. He stops her again, but this time he puts his hands around her waist and kisses her.
"Thank you. I love you too Sam." He says, pulling away. He knows that she wasn't ready to say it back, but he knows she feels the same way.
She rolls her eyes and tugs him closer, "Come on, the food is calling my name"