First things first, this is a sequel, so read BH first so you're not completely lost.
Second...DISCLAIMER: I don't own TS. Marathon does. Get over it.
Sam sat in her desk, taking out the essay that had been assigned for homework the previous night. She read over it quickly, blocking out everything else. Anything less than perfection was unsatisfactory. Even as the teacher began to read off the list of names on her class roster, Sam only half listened.
"Edwards, Timothy."
Sam noticed some minor punctuation errors in her essay, easy fixes. She began to make the proper corrections to the paper.
"Simpson, Samantha."
"Here, ma'am." Sam answered. She only briefly looked up from her paper. There had been no assigned topics. And the teacher, who continued to list every name on the list, had assigned everyone topics that seemed to be completely obscure. Sam had been given "Lessons That Modern Day People Can Learn From Shakespeare". Not easy, but not hard for her, either.
"Tailor, Lindsey."
"Yup."
Sam's head snapped up. She couldn't have possibly heard what she thought she just did. She slowly turned in her desk to see none other than ex Super Spy, Lindsey Tailor. She was seated in the very back of the class, her feet propped up on her bulging book bag, her arms behind her head. She seemed completely relaxed in that tough, sexy kind of way. Sam faced the front, her face flushed. Why hadn't Lindsey contacted her before coming back to Beverly Hills?
"I want you all to pass your essays...to the back of the class. Your peers at the ends of the rows will then bring the essays to me."
Sam raised an eyebrow, but passed her essay back anyway, even though the instruction seemed a bit odd. She heard Lindsey sigh that ever-familiar sigh as she stood. Lindsey walked to the front of the row, stopping next to Sam's desk. She handed the papers to the teacher. Sam looked up, smiling, but was discouraged by the fact that Lidnsey didn't even give her a sideways glance. Instead, she just went back to her seat.
Mrs. Alley, the teacher, preceded in having the class take out their books. They put on an in-class performance of Macbeth. Sam, who would normally have been totally enthralled in the piece of literature, was absorbed in her own thoughts.
There were a thousand different emotions running through her head all at the same time, and none of them complimented the others. She was happy to see Lindsey back and safe, but was mad that she hadn't called. She was hurt at the fact that Lindsey hadn't even shown her any sign of recognition and practically ignored her, but she was relieved that she was nearby. Sam put so much thought into the conflict going on inside of her own head that she didn't even notice the bell ring. It wasn't until the last student aside from herself shuffled out of the classroom that she snapped out of her reverie and gathered her things, making a hasty exit.
Sam trudged down the hallway, an odd sense of mild depression settling over her. She made her way to her locker in an almost zombie-like fashion, turning the dial according to her combination. She opened and placed her Literature book inside, closing the door after she'd retrieved her book for her Advanced Calculus class. She heaved a sigh, thankful that after Calc. was lunch.
"What's up with you, Sammy? You look like you just found the perfect pair of jeans that didn't come in your size." Clover asked, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder.
"There's nothing wrong." Sam replied, faking a smile.
"Are you sure, Sammy? You seem kind of down." Alex asked. She bore a look of innocent concern, making Sam feel guilty for lying. But she didn't want them to worry about her.
"I promise, girls, it's nothing. I'm great!" she lied, dryly faking peppiness.
"Well, I have great news!" Clover said, making a complete topic jump. "Lindsey's back in town."
"REALLY!?" Alex squealed, practically jumping for joy. Clover nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, I know. She's in my British Lit. class." Sam said, forcing her innermost emotions aside.
"I wonder why she didn't call and tell us she was back..." Alex said, scratching her head.
"Who cares, so long as she's back! So how's she been Sammy?"
"Um...well, we didn't really talk." Sam answered. Clover and Alex looked at her blankly. "Well, we had a lot t do in class today. We started Macbeth, and we read through Acts I and II, so there wasn't much time for any socializing."
"Hmmm... Well, whatever. We'll just have to steal her away at lunch and talk to her then, right, girls?" Clover asked, beaming a huge smile. Alex nodded and Sam simply gave a weak smile.
"Well, we don't want to be late, so we'd better go ahead and get to class." Sam said, attempting to end the conversation. It was obvious to her that changing topics was out of the question.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Clover agreed. "See you two at lunch!"
"Yeah. Bye, Sammy, Clover!"
And Clover and Alex went on their ways, leaving Sam alone in the hallway. Hopefully Calculus could get her mind off of this. It wasn't worth stressing out over. Lindsey had always had a professional attitude in the classroom. Maybe that's what it was. Sam shrugged it off for now and headed to her classroom.
The bell to go to lunch rang, sending students teeming into the halls. Alex rushed to meet up with Sam and Clover so they could go and find Lindsey. She wasn't that hard to find, but the three of them together meant that they'd find her three times faster since they'd be covering three times the visual ground. They stepped into the cafeteria, each turning their heads in all directions to try and spot Lindsey.
"I don't see her anywhere!" Alex huffed, crossing her arms.
"Don't worry, she might be in the courtyard or somewhere. Maybe out in the quad." Sam said, analyzing alternatives to the solution.
"Uh, girl, something tells me that she's not in the quad OR the courtyard..." Clover grumbled. She extended a finger, and Sam and Alex looked in the direction where she was pointing. Across the cafeteria at one of the tables by one of the massive windows was Lindsey, sipping on a cappuccino, joined by Dominique, Caitlin, and of course, none other than Mandy. From what Sam could see, they were having a great time, laughing and joking like old friends. Sam didn't even noticed her hands ball up into fists, to preoccupied with the fact that Caitlin had her head on Lindsey's shoulder and was clinging to her arm.
The spies walked over to the table, Sam leading the group.
"Hey, Lindsey, you might want to watch out. God knows what you'll catch from those tramps." Sam snarled. Clover gave Alex an astonished look. They'd never heard Sam make such a direct attack against someone. She always did it in retaliation, never initiating the confrontation until now. Caitlin spun around in her seat and glared up at Sam.
"Who're YOU calling a tramp, you reject?" she spat.
"Oh, yeah, great comeback. How about you leave the thinking to the lesser idiot in the group. She seems to be the only one who can actually generate any coherent thought out of the three of you, anyway!"
Everyone in the area was staring, wide-eyed at each other except for Caitlin and Sam, who were snarling like two Rottweilers about to fight over a bone. Lindsey was just sitting there, her calm demeanor offsetting the entire situation.
"Well, at least I have a decent fashion sense! Where'd you get those clothes, the bargain store in the downtown district!?"
That one even caused Lindsey to look up. There was the slightest hint of a smirk on her face, but it quickly dissipated.
"How about you get your filthy hands off of her!" Sam half-screamed. Lindsey looked up and raised an eyebrow. Caitlin opened her mouth to reply, but Lindsey raised a hand, silencing her. She stood.
"I must say, this has been thrillingly entertaining, but...you girls are getting a little to aggressive for my tastes." Lindsey said, finishing off her cappuccino. She placed the empty Styrofoam cup down on the table and turned to walk away.
"We're still gonna do that party thing this Friday, right?" Caitlin asked, shooting Sam a nasty look before turning a sweet smile to Lindsey. Lindsey paused and looked back, shrugging.
"I don't know. It was never definite to begin with."
And with that, she was off, leaving the six other girls there, two of them fuming, and the other four flabbergasted. Sam growled at Caitlin one more time before she stomped away, grabbing Clover and Alex by the wrists and dragging them along, too. Mandy, Caitlin, and Dominique watched as they left.
"What was HER problem?" Mandy asked, turning to Caitlin.
Out in the courtyard, Sam caught up with Lindsey. She had earlier let go of Clover and Alex's wrists and had gone ahead, practically sprinting. Lindsey turned to face her, leaning against a wall casually.
"That was really mature back there."
"Yeah, I know, it was..."
"Stupid was what it was. What's wrong with you, Sam? Did you just turn into a complete idiot while I was gone?" Lindsey asked, disappointment obvious in her voice. Sam drew back, the words biting her deep.
"No, but Caitlin was...and you were...And you ignored me in Lit. class!" Sam said, attempting to construct some form of defense.
"I didn't ignore you in Lit. Did you even bother to check you pockets after class?"
Sam frowned. What did Lindsey mean? She dug her hand into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a neatly folded note. She opened it up and was greeted by Lindsey's small, sharp script. the note read:
" Sam,
I'm back in town, as you can obviously see. Forgive me for not calling ahead of time. Circumstances got in the way of that. but anyway, I was wondering if you'd maybe be interested in hanging out Friday night. We don't have to do anything special, but it would be nice if we could catch up. Talk to you later.
Lindsey."
Sam stared at the note, tears starting to form in her eyes. So much for her original assumptions.
"You van go ahead and toss that in the trash. After that display in there, I'm not sure that I WANT to hang out with you." Lindsey said, her expression not changing. Sam was humiliated. She had just started yelling at Caitlin for no reason. She had been jealous, sure, but even so, she realized that she had acted childishly. She had acted like...Clover.
"I understand. I don't have any excuse." Sam said, her eyes to the ground.
"You've got that right. But I'll tell you what, when you decide that you can grow up, give me a call." Lindsey muttered. She walked past Sam.
"Lindsey, wait..."
"No."
"At least let me apologize before you walk away!"
Lindsey stopped and turned around to face Sam.
"I'm waiting, Sam."
"Well..." Sam started. She took a deep breath, taking a quick look around to see if there were any eavesdroppers. "After what went on than night...before you left...I just thought that we had something...And seeing you with Caitlin got me jealous...And I'm sorry, Lidnsey."
"Sam, I will admit, I do care about you. But you have to understand something. Sex is not love. Nor does sex commit two people to one another. I care about you, Sam, but we're too much alike, I think. It would fall apart fast." Lindsey explained. Sam felt her heart drop into her stomach. Lindsey saw her distress and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Sam, you're an amazing person, one of the best I've ever met, but we think too much alike, you and I. We'd fight like a cat and a dog locked in a broom closet." Lindsey started. She wiped away the tears that had begun to trail down Sam's cheeks. "And honestly, I don't think I'm good enough for you."
Sam wanted to argue. She wanted to protest, to fall down and kick and scream to get her way, but she knew that Lindsey was as stubborn as she was and wouldn't give in. Sam pushed her tears back, refusing to let anymore fall. She forced a smile, trying to make herself feel better. Lindsey sighed.
"Hey, if you don't want to hang out this weekend, I understand, okay? Just tell me when you want to."
"Okay. I will." Sam answered. She rubbed her face with her palms. She gave Lindsey a slightly more sincere smile. At least Lindsey wasn't mad at her.
"But, hey, the bell's about to ring, so I'm gonna get going, alright? Later. Take it easy, Sam." Lindsey said. She turned and walked away, glancing back as she waved, leaving Sam by herself for the most part.
The rest of the day barely crawled by for Sam. Her last two classes of the day were murder. After school, Alex met Sam at her car in the parking lot, but Clover was nowhere to be found.
"Do you have any clue where she could be, Sam?" Alex asked. Sam shrugged.
"No clue. She's probably on a spontaneous date or something. Who knows."
Alex nodded, knowing her best friend's habits. They got into the flashy convertible, and just as Sam started the engine, they spotted Clover sprinting down the steps and through the parking lot. She slid into the car.
"Hey, girls. Sorry I'm late."
"Did you have a meeting with the football team or something?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, Clover, you took longer than usual." Sam added. Both she and Alex chuckled. Their joking air was ruined, though, when they heard the nasally laughter of one Mandy Luxe.
"The football team? Yeah, right, more like the Chess Team!"
"No WAY would I ever do anything with those geeks! I wouldn't encroach on your territory. I'm not a boy-stealing BACK-STABBER!" Clover spat.
"What EVER! Don't be mad that you're a sore loser, Clover. Not everyone can maintain MY level of perfection." Mandy snorted. She laughed and flipped her hair, flashing the girls a malicious grin.
"UGH! C'mon, Sammy, let's run her over!" Clover spat.
"Clover!" Alex said.
"Psh...Yeah, right...Anyways, the only reason I'm here wasting my time with you three losers is because Caitlin wanted me to give this to Lindsey since she doesn't have her cell number. I figure that you dorks would serve as good mailmen, so here you go." Mandy said, tossing an intricately folded note into the car, right on Alex's lap. "Later, losers!"
"WHY does she have to torture US, of all people..." Clover growled after Mandy was gone. They were already halfway home. Alex was holding onto the note tightly, not letting it go.
"What do you think it says?" Alex asked.
"Psh, who knows. It's probably something stupid. If you're that curious, though, just read it." Clover answered.
"Don't do that! That's a total invasion of privacy, Clover!" Sam protested. Alex looked from Clover to Sam, then back to Clover.
"You know that you want to know just as bad as I do..."
Sam looked at the note in Alex's hands. Her curiosity began to grow, and she realized that Clover was right.
"Fine. I mean, it's not like she'll find out..."
Alex hastily unfolded the paper and began to read it aloud.
""Lidnsey, let me just say that I really had a good time this past weekend. It was a lot of fun! And I was really hoping that we could do it again sometime. I know that it seems like I'm being persistent, but it's because I have very strong feelings for you. I think I might just be in love! Well, anyway, you have my cell number, so give me a call sometime! XOXO -- Caitlin""
"Okay...That's only a HUGE clue that something's going on with them..." Clover muttered.
"No. Lindsey wouldn't do anything with her. Lindsey wouldn't even bother." Sam said quickly.
"Clover's right, Sam. As much as it completely sucks, that's what it points to."
"She told me that there was nothing going on."
"Did she say those words exactly?" Clover asked. Sam was silent. Lindsey had never admitted or denied that there was anything between her and Caitlin. All she had really said was that Sam's jealousy was childish. That wasn't revealing much about the situation. Alex's phone began to ring, and she answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hey. Where are you?"
"Lindsey?" Alex asked. Alex and Clover listened intently. "I'm on the way home...No, I haven't heard anything...Where is it?...Okay, I'll see what I can do, but I can't make any guarantees. Where are you, anyway?...Oh...Well, I'll see if Sam'll drop me off there, and maybe she can give both of us a ride. Y'know, so I don't have to worry about finding it on my own. Alright?...Okay. See you soon, then...Uh huh. Buh bye."
Alex hung up her phone. Clover was staring at her intently, and Sam kept on glancing at her from the corner of her eye.
"So? What's she up to? Spending time with Caitlin?" Sam asked, a particular acidity to the girl's name. Alex shook her head.
"Nope. She's over at Mandy's house right now." Alex answered.
"Doing what?" Clover asked.
"Probably just hanging out."
"Psh...Cha right. With Mandy there never is just "hanging out". She's up to something."
"Clover, not everything that has to do with Mandy involves a scheme. She's been friends with Lindsey ever since Lindsey moved here." Alex said, surprised that she was actually taking up Mandy's defense.
"Where were you two talking about going?" Sam asked.
"Lindsey's storage garage. She had all of her cars locked up except for her Mustang, and she said she's getting tired of it. So we're gonna go to the garage and switch out cars."
"Why does she need you for that?"
"Well, we promised each other when we were little that, if anything ever happened to one of us, the other would get our most prized possession. Lindsey's are her cars."
"So, what, does she think she's gonna die soon or something?" Clover asked. Alex shrugged her shoulders. Sam rolled to a stop in front of Mandy's house, letting Alex get out of the car.
"Thanks, girls! I'll see you later!"
Alex waved as Sam drove off. She folded the still open note back up and shoved it into the pocket of her shorts. Walking up Mandy's driveway felt weird to Alex. But she was there for Lidnsey, not Mandy. Alex knocked on the door, half-surprised, half-relieved that Lindsey answered the door.
"Hey. Hold on." Lindsey said. She stuck her head into the doorway. "Mandy! C'mon! Jeeze, Princess!"
"She's not ready?" Alex asked, trying to peer around Lindsey.
"She's primping or something. I don't know." Lindsey ducked back inside. "MANDY! You're being worse than usual!"
"So does she still get mad when you call her princess?"
"Yeah. But she tries to play it off like she's taking it as a compliment. It's funny."
"I'm coming! Good-NESS you're acting like there's a half-off sale at the mall or something..." Mandy grumbled. Lidnsey stepped outside, followed by Mandy, who looked at Alex and gave her a small smile.
"Hi, Mandy."
Mandy just kind of raised her eyebrows in acknowledgment. Lindsey sighed and gave her a glare. The trio walked over to Mandy's Spyder convertible. As they neared the car, Alex overheard Lindsey whispering to Mandy.
"Come on, you said you'd be nice."
"I AM being nice."
"Well, do ME a favor and be nice-ER."
Mandy sighed and walked around to the driver's side door, sliding into the seat. Lindsey climbed into the passenger seat, and Alex sat behind her. She felt that she was in for a long car ride...