The story opens at Beverly Hills High.
"Well, Clover, did you finish that Biology take home exam?", asks Alex.
"Just barely! I want to compare my answers with Sam's. I'm not sure I got them right!", responds Clover.
"It would have been great to work the exam with Sam. I wonder what was up, yesterday?"
"Yeah! She was unavailable all night. Maybe she had a hot date!!"
As the gals walk to homeroom, they catch sight of Sam from the back.
"Well, Sam, how was it?", Clover asks, referring to the date.
But as Sam turns to answer, they see that she has been crying.
In a now hushed tone, Clover says "Sam, what happened?"
Alex adds, with concern, "What's wrong, Sammy?"
Sam adds forlornly, "Remember last Friday, I mentioned that my Mom was going for her annual mammogram?"
"Sure, Sam,", says Clover.
"She got the results yesterday!", and Sam starts to tear up.
Alex and Clover fear the worst! They sit down with Sam, as she starts to cry again.
"That's ok, Sammy!", says Clover as she embraces her friend, "Let the tears out! You'll feel better!"
Alex also embraces Sam, choking back her own tears. "That's what friends are for, Sammy! To help in tough times like this!"
After a few minutes, Sam recovers her composure, "They found a lump in my Mom's right breast. We took her to the hospital last night! She's going to have preliminary tests done today and tomorrow, and surgery Friday! I'll be at the hospital for the surgery! It's a good thing we're off for that teacher's conference for the rest of the week, after today!"
"Sam, don't jump to conclusions! If they found the lump early enough, it could be benign! Your Mom is real good about getting that mammogram once a year!", says Alex soothingly.
"But what if it isn't? What if it's cancer? My Mom could die....", and Sam breaks down in Clover's and Alex's embrace again.
"Try to think positive, Sam. I know it's hard.", Clover says reassuringly.
Sam finally composes herself. "Thanks, guys! I appreciate your support. But.... I think I want to be alone for a while."
Clover and Alex look sadly at Sam, then at one another. They realize Sam has to come to grips with the situation. Unfortunately, she has to do it on her own.
They watch as Sam clutches her purse to her chest and walks out onto the soccer field. They quietly pick up her backpack and books, and put them in Sam's locker.
Sam is confused and frightened . Frightened for her Mom. Sam sits under a tree and opens her purse. She takes out a picture of her Mom with her, on her 16th birthday. How happy they were then! Everything seemed right with the world!
Of course, like every other teenager, she had her disagreements with her parents. She vividly remembers one early last week with her Mom, over something stupid! Sam feels like a heel, and starts to tear up. She wishes she could turn back the clock to that time and relive the whole situation. It would be different this time! But you don't get a second chance to rewrite history!
As she wipes her eyes, she gets angry. That disease: CANCER! She had an uncle die of cancer, when she was only 5, and her grandmother on her father's side and her grandfather on her mother's died of cancer before she was 15! And now...she may lose her Mom!!! Sam starts crying piteously.
Sam is also frightened for herself. Who will she turn to for that special advice that only a mother can give a daughter? She remembers that for every argument they had, they shared at least 15-20 happy moments. How would she replace those? If her Mom were gone, she would have a big void in her life!
Then Sam thinks of her Dad. He was strong at the hospital yesterday, but as she went by her parent's bedroom to get some water last night, she could hear him crying. He was making every effort to make sure she couldn't hear him, and she wasn't going to show him he had failed! He was hurting too.
Sam's temperament turned into resolve. If the worst occurred, she would make her Mom's remaining time as happy as possible, and after she was gone, she'd be there to support her Dad! They were there at the hospital for almost 30 hours straight when she had that bacterial infection, which almost killed her, Alex, and Clover. They never left her bedside! She'd be there in their time of need too, just as they were for her!
With this resolution in mind, Sam gets up and walks back into the school.
Clover and Alex see Sam coming back in. They smile reassuringly at her.
"We put your stuff in your locker," says Alex quietly.
"Thanks guys!", says Sam as she hugs Clover and Alex around the neck quickly. Sam gets her stuff, "Thanks for understanding and letting me cry on your shoulders!"
Alex and Clover return the quick hugs. "That's what best friends are for, Sammy!", says Alex with a tear in her eye.
"Totally! We're there when you need us! We aren't much of friends if we aren't!", says Clover.
The school day wears on, and it is time for biology class and lab. The teacher will collect the take home exams, and then release the students to study hall for the rest of this class period, and the lab period.
"Well, Clover, did you finish that Biology take home exam?", asks Alex.
"Just barely! I want to compare my answers with Sam's. I'm not sure I got them right!", responds Clover.
"It would have been great to work the exam with Sam. I wonder what was up, yesterday?"
"Yeah! She was unavailable all night. Maybe she had a hot date!!"
As the gals walk to homeroom, they catch sight of Sam from the back.
"Well, Sam, how was it?", Clover asks, referring to the date.
But as Sam turns to answer, they see that she has been crying.
In a now hushed tone, Clover says "Sam, what happened?"
Alex adds, with concern, "What's wrong, Sammy?"
Sam adds forlornly, "Remember last Friday, I mentioned that my Mom was going for her annual mammogram?"
"Sure, Sam,", says Clover.
"She got the results yesterday!", and Sam starts to tear up.
Alex and Clover fear the worst! They sit down with Sam, as she starts to cry again.
"That's ok, Sammy!", says Clover as she embraces her friend, "Let the tears out! You'll feel better!"
Alex also embraces Sam, choking back her own tears. "That's what friends are for, Sammy! To help in tough times like this!"
After a few minutes, Sam recovers her composure, "They found a lump in my Mom's right breast. We took her to the hospital last night! She's going to have preliminary tests done today and tomorrow, and surgery Friday! I'll be at the hospital for the surgery! It's a good thing we're off for that teacher's conference for the rest of the week, after today!"
"Sam, don't jump to conclusions! If they found the lump early enough, it could be benign! Your Mom is real good about getting that mammogram once a year!", says Alex soothingly.
"But what if it isn't? What if it's cancer? My Mom could die....", and Sam breaks down in Clover's and Alex's embrace again.
"Try to think positive, Sam. I know it's hard.", Clover says reassuringly.
Sam finally composes herself. "Thanks, guys! I appreciate your support. But.... I think I want to be alone for a while."
Clover and Alex look sadly at Sam, then at one another. They realize Sam has to come to grips with the situation. Unfortunately, she has to do it on her own.
They watch as Sam clutches her purse to her chest and walks out onto the soccer field. They quietly pick up her backpack and books, and put them in Sam's locker.
Sam is confused and frightened . Frightened for her Mom. Sam sits under a tree and opens her purse. She takes out a picture of her Mom with her, on her 16th birthday. How happy they were then! Everything seemed right with the world!
Of course, like every other teenager, she had her disagreements with her parents. She vividly remembers one early last week with her Mom, over something stupid! Sam feels like a heel, and starts to tear up. She wishes she could turn back the clock to that time and relive the whole situation. It would be different this time! But you don't get a second chance to rewrite history!
As she wipes her eyes, she gets angry. That disease: CANCER! She had an uncle die of cancer, when she was only 5, and her grandmother on her father's side and her grandfather on her mother's died of cancer before she was 15! And now...she may lose her Mom!!! Sam starts crying piteously.
Sam is also frightened for herself. Who will she turn to for that special advice that only a mother can give a daughter? She remembers that for every argument they had, they shared at least 15-20 happy moments. How would she replace those? If her Mom were gone, she would have a big void in her life!
Then Sam thinks of her Dad. He was strong at the hospital yesterday, but as she went by her parent's bedroom to get some water last night, she could hear him crying. He was making every effort to make sure she couldn't hear him, and she wasn't going to show him he had failed! He was hurting too.
Sam's temperament turned into resolve. If the worst occurred, she would make her Mom's remaining time as happy as possible, and after she was gone, she'd be there to support her Dad! They were there at the hospital for almost 30 hours straight when she had that bacterial infection, which almost killed her, Alex, and Clover. They never left her bedside! She'd be there in their time of need too, just as they were for her!
With this resolution in mind, Sam gets up and walks back into the school.
Clover and Alex see Sam coming back in. They smile reassuringly at her.
"We put your stuff in your locker," says Alex quietly.
"Thanks guys!", says Sam as she hugs Clover and Alex around the neck quickly. Sam gets her stuff, "Thanks for understanding and letting me cry on your shoulders!"
Alex and Clover return the quick hugs. "That's what best friends are for, Sammy!", says Alex with a tear in her eye.
"Totally! We're there when you need us! We aren't much of friends if we aren't!", says Clover.
The school day wears on, and it is time for biology class and lab. The teacher will collect the take home exams, and then release the students to study hall for the rest of this class period, and the lab period.