Connected:

A Series of Josh and Sam One-Shots

Title: School Dances are for Losers

Synopsis: Sam's night at the school dance is ruined when she catches her date hooking up with his ex-girlfriend. Luckily Josh is there to help her get her mind off of it… she never really liked that guy, anyway.

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Fluff

Timeline: Pre-Game events, High School, +Twins

Pairing: [Josh/Sam] Pre-Game Canon couplings

Rating: T

A/N: Well, hello Until Dawners/Jammers. Jossamers? Whatev.

Our fandom is dying. You know it, I know it… either way, I am not done yet and I decided that while I am still working on MiM, (and no, I didn't forget about Twist of Fate with Enula… she and I have one more chapter to go but we got burnt out because we wrote literally THREE MONTHS NONSTOP on that story!) but I still have a lot of Josh/Sam ideas floating around in my head and decided to make this non-related, one-shot series with every little idea that enters my mind and has nowhere to go - it now goes here. It will be all different time periods, pre-game, post-game, high school, etc. Some chapters will be Josh's POV, some will be angst, some will be fluff, some will include other characters and couplings… just depends on what I feel like. Also, if you have something on your mind, send me a prompt! I love working with this ship, so I would love to take any ideas/prompts you guys wanna see.
_

High School - Spring Formal - May 2012

The music slowed to a romantic lull as couples got closer on the dancefloor. Sam searched through the crowd as the magenta and cyan lights painted the whole school gym with their vibrant colors. Her eyes honed in on a student-made poster on the wall as she passed by: Go Tigers.

"Excuse me," she grunted, squeezing her tiny frame between entangled couples, trying to get to the other side of the poorly decorated gym - dollar store streamers. In her hands she held two paper cups full red punch that she was desperately trying not to spill.

She needed to find Tyler, her date, before the song ended. The dance was starting to wind down and she hadn't had the chance to slow-dance with him yet, which was the whole stupid reason she came at all. Sam wasn't really a big fan of school dances.

Neither was Josh.

Because of this, the two of them just usually went to these things together as friends - companions in their misery. But this time, the very popular and handsome Tyler Pettigrew asked her to be his date.

Her.

Sam told Josh and he made it clear he was 'totally fine with that. Whatever. I don't care,' even though it really seemed otherwise. And because of the way that made Sam's heart ache a tiny bit, she told Tyler she'd think about it.

When Josh asked Sadie Meyers to the dance the next day, Sam told Tyler yes.

But she hadn't seen Josh and Sadie tonight. In fact, she'd barely even seen Tyler.

As she slid past one of the chaperones, she yanked at the top of her strapless tube dress, ridiculously uncomfortable with the complete lack of fabric; she never should have let Hannah convince her to wear this. It was way too advanced for her. It felt a little like throwing a rookie into the last 5 minutes of the big game for the winning point. Sam was not accustomed to dressing for style as opposed to comfort, but the outdated Easter dress she'd stuffed in her backpack and brought to Hannah's had been deemed unacceptable in the brunette's eyes.

"Sam, we're juniors now," Hannah rationalized with feigned wiseness beyond her years, "we have to look sexier. How do you expect to impress a guy like Tyler in a dress from when you were in 7th grade?"

"But...it's the only nice dress I have…" Sam replied meekly. She wasn't even sure she cared to impress a guy like Tyler. But Hannah was ecstatic to be living vicariously though Sam tonight and Sam didn't have the heart to stop her.

Sam held the old, pastel dress in front of herself. Hannah was mostly just surprised Sam could even still fit into a dress from when she was 12… and yet not at all. Hannah had grown too tall for all of her clothes the moment she hit high school, yet Sam had stayed her petite self. Josh would tease her that she wasn't getting enough nutrients to grow big and strong with her wheatgrass diet.

"I hate to tell you this, Sam. It's not that nice…" Sam snorted and tossed her balled up dress towards her backpack before resting her hands on her hips.

"Okay, if you're such an expert, why don't you tell me what I'm supposed to wear then?" Sam had challenged.

Now, as she wobbled through the crowd on heels that were too high, pulling down a red dress that was too short, and feeling a little too much like a child in adult clothing, she regretted this decision.

"Ooompf, sorry," Sam grunted after bumping right into someone but managing to keep her drinks unspilled. When her eyes adjusted to the lights, she instantly recognized that someone as Chris. He glanced down at Sam questioningly, but still swaying back and forth on the dancefloor with his date - some girl his mom made him invite from temple because Ashley and Jess had decided to go together without dates… And also he didn't have the nerve to ask Ashley even if they hadn't.

"Oh, Chris!" she exclaimed, interrupting them.

"What?"

"H-have you seen Tyler?" Sam asked him, still searching past the couple at the sea of faces. Chris scanned the room; he was a good 6 inches taller than the rest of their classmates, so he had a better view than the barely five-foot blonde. Sam's eyes followed his, and when the crowd parted slightly, she finally caught a glimpse of what Chris was looking at: Tyler was making out with his ex-girlfriend, Amanda, by the locker room.

Sam felt her stomach and her mouth drop, her cheeks instantly reddening in embarrassment.

"Oh," she huffed out, the air escaping her. She swallowed, unable to bring herself to look back up at Chris' pitying eyes as he mumbled an uncomfortable 'sorry, Sam.'

She turned abruptly and slipped back through the students, her chest tight and her eyes stinging in pure mortification. She knew there was a reason that she'd always thought dances were stupid and she never went. She tossed the cups of punch in the trash on her way out.

Sam's brisk walk turned into a sprint as she ran through doors of the gymnasium and into the empty school hallway, the sound of the cheesy, slow music falling further and further behind her. She kicked off her (or, better yet, Hannah's) heels and scooped them up in her arms, slipping and sliding down the tiled floors in her nude tights until she reached the front doors of the school. She burst out onto the steps and into the cool night air.

Once outside, Sam took in a sharp, high-pitched breath. With the stretch of her lungs came a sob, maybe two, but the tears did not come. There was no reason to cry; she wasn't sad about Tyler. She was embarrassed. She was naked, vulnerable. She'd never went to a dance with a boy other than Josh, and this was why. She'd seen Hannah lovesick a million times and swore that would never be her. It was close… but no. Tyler didn't get the honor of being the first boy to break Sam's heart.

That was reserved for someone a million times more amazing.

Even still, Sam's knees buckled and she plopped down onto the stone steps leading up to the school, still just trying to catch her breath. She tugged at the bobby pins in her hair, unfastening her updo into a kinked, hairspray-matted mess.

Sam growled frustratedly and chucked her highheels one at a time into the vast, empty darkness of the school lawn and dropped her face in her hands. She was taken aback to hear a hiss, followed immediately by a low 'ouch!' echo back from the darkness. She stood up slowly, her fingers wrapping around the cold metal of the safety rail, trying to see into the shadows.

"Hello?" she asked, but rolled her eyes at herself because why would someone say, 'hello' in a situation like this? Josh had made her, Hannah and Beth all watch enough horror movies to know better - and this was always how horror movies started. She could hear footsteps crunching leaves on the lawn, heading towards her and she nervously stepped back, her back pressing up against the doors to the school and her hands pawing for the handle.

Suddenly, one of the black high heel came crashing down in front of her, then the other. Sam saw someone struggling to get over the railing, and after a few moments, she recognized him as Josh.

"Jesus, Josh! You scared me," she exhaled irritatedly but still hurrying over to him and helping him over. "What… are you even… doing out there, creeper?" she asked, her voice strained as she gripped onto him by the back of his jacket. He fell over the brick ledge and onto the concrete in front of her. He opened his eyes and peered up at her, and Sam back at him disapprovingly. "You're drunk," she accused. He rolled his eyes at her worry before clumsily getting himself up to his feet. He dusted himself off and crossed his arms over his chest.

"And you're beautiful," he replied smoothly… well, it would have been smooth if he didn't hiccup in the middle of it. Sam just smirked back at him. She reached up and took a twig out of his hair - it was oddly intimate. Sam tried not to think about that as she brushed a leaf from his purple, velvet suit jacket and straightened his bowtie. In his three years at Lincoln High, Sam had never seen him wear an ordinary tux to a school dance. Always something ridiculous, ironic or eclectic - it was both adorable and annoying. He just always had to be different.

Josh's face grew a little more serious, "no, really… just a little bit tipsy, that's all," he confirmed. Sam eyed him skeptically at first, but she could see and hear that he was telling her the truth; she'd witnessed Josh much worse off than this.

"Why aren't you with Sadie?"

"Some family emergency or something," he said vaguely as he rubbed his forehead. "You hit me in the head with your shoe." When Josh removed his hand there was a red mark almost centered just above his eyes. She stifled a chuckle behind her hand, already feeling much better about everything she'd just experienced. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of her, carefully staring her up and down.

"Um, Sammy, I don't mean to alarm you but…" he said nervously, leaning forward and placing a caring hand on each of her shoulders. Sam's eyebrows pulled together in worry.

"What, what's wrong?" she asked, just praying there wasn't a spider her or anything. A sly, amused smirk grew on his lips.

"...Someone stole at least two-thirds of your dress." Sam's cheeks pinkened. She shimmied out from under his warm hands and folded her arms over her chest, feeling suddenly very exposed… especially as he continued to eye her up and down.

"Quit looking at me like that," she snapped, although it tapered off into an uncomfortable giggle toward the end. "I will have you know this was your sister's doing." Josh cocked an eyebrow and leaned against the railing, ever-so-coolly.

"That somehow doesn't surprise me," he mumbled, his eyes meeting hers darkly. She couldn't read his expression as he stared at her, and it made her squirm again.

"What?" She couldn't hide the irritation in her voice that always seemed to sneak up when she was flustered. He didn't take his eyes off of her as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bent up, almost empty pack of gum. He held it out towards her, offering her a piece wordlessly, but when she saw that it looked like it had been in his pocket for at least a month, she shook her head and muttered, 'no thanks.' Josh shrugged and unwrapped a piece, taking it into his mouth but still staring.

"Seriously, would you quit it? What are you still staring at!? Okay, I get it. Sam's in a dress, hardy-har, let's move on!" Sam lamented, gently and playfully shoving him in the shoulder. Josh hobbled on his feet a bit but maintained his balance.

"The make up," he said, simply. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his feet. "It's uh… it's a little thick. You don't look like you."

"Oh," Sam breathed, her heart rate calming a bit. She had forgotten she even had it on - Hannah had insisted. Sam had thought it was a little on the heavy side, too - but Hannah swore she'd seen the girls in MAC doing makeovers 'just like this.' She gave him a small smile, gesturing towards her face, "yeah. That was Hannah, too." Josh bobbed his head.

"Figured… didn't seem like you." Sam didn't ask what that meant. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside with your lame boyfriend, dry humping to Bieber or something?" he laughed crudely. Sam's face twisted in disgust and she socked him in the shoulder.

"Don't be a jerk," she scoffed. "And he's not my boyfriend." He just laughed more and plunked down on the top step, looking back over his shoulder at Sam.

"I guess what I meant to ask is: where is your date?" he reiterated, enunciating each syllable as though she hadn't understood the question before.

"Tyler? Umm... He's…" she began, squinting and tilting her head as she tried to figure out just how to finish that sentence.

"...a total douche-nozzle?" Josh suggested for her, chomping on his gum. Sam sighed with a resigned smile, her arms and shoulders dropping.

"How did you know?" she wondered rhetorically with an eye roll.

"I know these things, dear, sweet child." He opened up his arms, gesturing towards the empty space between them. "Come. Sit. Tell me allllll about it." Sam hesitated, and then reluctantly dragged her feet over to him and sat down beside him all the while pulling down her dress to try to be somewhat modest. Josh draped his arm casually over her shoulders and pressed a kiss into her hair like she'd seen him do to Beth and Hannah - although this was the first time he'd ever done it to her. Sam hadn't realized until she was wrapped in his warmth just how cold it actually was outside, even for spring.

"Well?" he pressed after a moment of silence. He leaned forward, his forehead lazily pressing against the side of her head, giving her a soft headbutt. She pressed back, closing her eyes and allowing herself to feel comforted by him. "Do I have to kick his ass orrrr…" He said lowly into her ear. Their closeness made Sam's breath hitch and her stomach clench but she held her composure, anyway. Instead, she snorted again and pulled away from him a bit, shaking her head.

"That's... really not necessary…" she muttered quietly.

"No really. I'd do it."

"Oh, I know you would," Sam agreed. "And that would be amazing to watch but… I think you get yourself in enough trouble as it is. It's not worth the suspension."

"I would take a bullet for you, Samantha," he teased, his hand clutched over his heart dramatically. Sam wanted to think he was joking, but she never knew with Josh. He always made flirty little jokes and she had always just assumed he made them with all eligible females that were in his presence… but she'd never heard him say anything like that to any other girl.

At least, not while she was around…. But maybe she was just making things up in her mind.

She patted him on the back gratefully, "also not necessary, but still very sweet."

"So… you gonna keep me in suspense, or are you gonna tell me what happened?" he pushed, and Sam wished he hadn't. It was too embarrassing...and she genuinely feared Josh would retaliate in some way. She didn't so much care about that for Tyler's sake, but for Josh's. He'd gotten in enough trouble at school; he didn't need any more infractions added to his permanent record.

Sam simply gave him a weak, uninterested shrug. "It just didn't work out," she decided upon, ambiguously. Josh shot her a sideways grin.

"You're really not gonna tell me, huh?" She gave him a lopsided, shy grin and shook her head silently. "Aw, that's okay. I'll get it outta Hannah later."

"Trust me. It's for your own good," she promised, leaning her head on his shoulder.

The two sat in silence for a moment, listening to the gentle chirping of the crickets in the bushes surrounding them. Sam nibbled on her bottom lip, still thinking about the way she felt when she saw Tyler with Amanda. It didn't hurt like she thought it would; other than the humiliation, Sam actually felt… numb. Not like she felt now, with Josh's arm snuggly pulled around her.

They'd always been close but it wasn't until recently that she'd started to wonder if those platonic feelings they'd always juggled had maybe transitioned into something else somewhere along the way without them even realizing it.

It all started when Hannah had mistakenly texted Sam one night two weeks ago:

Hannah: She's coming over. I did my part, so now you have to invite Mike over. We had a deal. [6:32pm]

Sam had gotten the text moments after she had gotten off the phone with Hannah, who had invited her over for an impromptu sleepover/movie night, and she was packing her bag. Normally, a last-minute slumber party was not unusual, but Hannah had been more insistent than usual, and now the text was definitely odd. Sam narrowed her eyes, wondering what on earth Hannah was talking about.

Sam: uh, Hann… was that meant for me? [6:32pm]

….

….

….

….

Hannah: Whoops. Disregard. See you soon! Bring ur swimsuit. We can go in the hottub. [6:34pm]

At first, Sam just shook her head and chuckled, chalking this up to another ditzy Hannah moment… but the more she began to think about it, the more she wondered…

Was that text meant for someone else? Josh, perhaps? Or did she just hope it was for Josh?

It didn't matter… a week later he told her he didn't care if she went with Tyler to the dance and for some reason that cracked her heart a little bit. She knew why. She just didn't want to admit it.

But now they were sitting here together and Sam realized it was always supposed to end up like this. She was doomed to inevitable hang out with Josh for every dance of her high school years. Maybe even every dance for the rest of her life... and that didn't bother her in the slightest.

"Sorry your date sucked," Josh said quietly, pressing his cheek against the top of her head. "That guy was a loser. I knew it the moment I met him." Sam felt her smile spread across her lips, and she pulled herself away from Josh's shoulder to look at him. She could see that he was forcing a smile. There was a sadness behind it that made her curious - but then again, there was a sadness behind most of Josh's smiles. Always a hint of something going on behind his eyes that no one knew about. She wondered if she'd ever know what was happening in that head of his.

"He was a loser," Sam agreed, giving him a little nudge.

"I am pretty sure I told you not to go with him…" he muttered to her somewhat sheepishly.

"Actually…" Sam recalled, "I think you said 'Whatever. I don't care. Tyler's a douche, though,'" He hadn't flat out told her not to go with him, but he had warned her in his own way. In a Josh sorta way. "Whatever. Onto the next!" She exclaimed, pumping her fist towards the sky.

"That's the spirit," he droned with a halfhearted nod. Sam wanted to laugh at the contrast between the typically exciting statement versus his monotone delivery. "Tyler Pettigrew didn't deserve to take you, anyway. He can suck a big, fat-"

"Why do you hate him so much?" Sam interjected before she had to hear the the end of that predictably crude sentence. Josh looked embarrassed by the question, slightly aloof. He stuck out his bottom lip, shrugging one shoulder casually.

"… I don't hate him…" Sam's knowing stare was hard for him to ignore. She usually knew when he was lying to her. "Okay… I kinda hate him." Sam snickered at him.

"But why?" Josh froze for a moment, his mouth slightly agape as though he was trying to decide whether or not to answer that question - or better yet, how.

"Because... in the locker room I heard him tell some of the guys he was just using you to make Amanda jealous." Sam's smile fell into a hard line, her stomach feeling slightly ill as she imagined Josh overhearing Tyler saying something like that and how angry that must have made him. She wondered how hard it must have been for him not to tell him off or maybe even something worse… Josh was already on thin ice with the school administration. Picking a fight with the school's golden boy probably wasn't the best idea.

"Oh…" fell from her lips. Her eyes began to mist, but once again, not because of Tyler. She wanted to cry when she thought about Josh overhearing such an awful thing and then keeping it to himself.

"Why didn't you say anything?" her voice cracked. She bit onto her bottom lip to keep the teariness from spilling over. Everything about Josh lowered; his eyes, his head, even his voice as he asked her, "...Would you have listened to me?"

Sam's fingers snaked up to her cheek to wipe away the one frustrated tear that had escaped, but her bright, beaming smile returned and she laughed it off the best she could. Little did Josh know she valued his opinion more than anyone. If he had just told her not to go with Tyler to the dance like she'd hoped he would, she would have listened to him in a heartbeat.

"I don't even think dating is for me," she sniffed. "I tried it, it sucked, I'm over it." She looked over at him and when she noticed his befuddled expression she crinkled her nose and bit her tongue.

"Well, uh, hey! That's not fair!" Josh stammered, turning towards her and pointing a scolding finger in her face. "Don't let that DB ruin it for the rest of us!" Sam took his hand out from in front of her face and cupped it in hers. Her smile grew as Josh shut his mouth quickly at the end of that sentence. Sam swore she could see a hint of red in his cheeks for giving himself away so obviously. He shook his head and chastised himself under his breath, pulling away and fidgeting with his own hands in his lap nervously.

"You alright over there, champ?" Sam teased, cocking her head to the side. Josh just chuckled quietly, shaking his head and reaching into his jacket pocket to pull out a silver flask. "Oooh… what's that?" Sam asked excitedly as he spun the metal cap off the top. He raised it to his lips but paused when he saw the way she was eyeing the flask curiously. He nudged it towards her.

"What, you want some?"

"Depends on what it is," Sam retorted, trying not to sound as apprehensive as she suddenly felt.

"Well, it's not like… poison or anything." He paused, before, "I mean, technically it is, since alcohol is a toxin but-" Josh stopped blabbering when Sam took the flask from him before she lost her nerve and tipped her head back, taking a big swig. Josh cracked up when he saw her face wince and even more so when she made a retching sound.

"It buuuurns!" She gargled, deep from within her throat. Josh snagged it back and took a drink himself before hissing through his teeth.

"That's how you know it's working," he assured, ever-so-wisely. They continued to laugh together before another quiet moment settled on them, making Sam reflect on what exactly it was they were doing right now.

It was always so easy between them; she knew Josh like the back of her hand and she was quite certain he felt the same about her. She was glad she didn't have to spend the evening in that crowded, sweaty gym with a boy she didn't even like that much.

This was where she wanted to be, as odd as that was. This was always where she wanted to be.

"Josh?" she said quietly when his stare caught hers. She wetted her dry lips, her throat feeling like it was on fire.

"Yes, Sam?" he replied lazily, his eyes half-lidded and his breath a little boozy. Sam opened her mouth to speak, but all she wanted to ask him was if he felt something between them like she did so suddenly… but that just made her feel silly and in the end she lost her nerve.

"What were you doing hiding out on the school lawn in the dark… you know… like a weirdo?"

"Trying to find the best hiding spot to nail some of the jocks and cheerleaders with eggs on their way out of the dance," was his nonchalant reply. Sam clicked her tongue, elbowing him in the side disapprovingly.

"Of course you were," she muttered, but then a smile crept across her lips. "This was what I meant when I said you get yourself in enough trouble as it is, ya know? You actually have eggs down there?"

"About a dozen," he shrugged thoughtlessly, but then his eyes darkened again and he turned to her seriously. "Why, you want in on this, Sammy? 'Cause once you cross over to the dark side with me, there's no goin' back. You'll be marked up as a hooligan for the rest of your high school career… think you can you handle that?" Sam swallowed, not pulling her face from his even as she realized how close his lips were to hers no, how intensely his eyes stared into hers. Her words were caught up in her throat so she just nodded.

There was a brief silent pause that felt like a small eternity, and then Sam was surprised with Josh pecking a quick, chaste kiss to her lips before he popped up to his feet.

"Okay. Cool. Let's go," he said brightly, offering his hand down to her. Sam was still a little dazed and certainly confused about what had just happened… it was so fast and innocent that she almost wondered if she'd imagined it. Especially as he glanced down at her as though nothing had just happened.

"Don't tell me you've changed your mind on me." Sam felt like her face might break from the growing and uncontainable smile she was harboring. Her cheeks and ears were as red as her dress, and burning hot. Still, now unable to meet his eyes, she reached up and willingly took his hand, giggling a bit as he pulled her to her feet, which felt so much better out of those damn heels. "C'mon, we gotta hide!"

Sam chased behind Josh as the two of them scurried down the school steps and rounded a corner where, sure enough, Josh had a carton of eggs waiting for them. Sam wasn't sure why she was surprised; this wouldn't be the first time Josh had pranked the popular kids… the most humorous part to Sam was that it wasn't as though Josh was unpopular - he actually ran with a pretty big group of friends and was (mostly) well-liked by his classmates because he was such a class clown. Still, Josh always lamented about feeling ostracized or insignificant. It was as though he had the opposite of illusions of grandeur… it was as though he saw himself as less than he really was. An inferiority complex.

So, he egged the 'popular kids' to soothe something inside of him that needed to feel in control.

Josh opened the carton, and the first thing Sam noticed when she bent down to snag one of the eggs was the overwhelming odor.

"Oh my God, what is that?" She cupped her and over her nose and recoiled in horror as Josh cackled beside her.

"I bought these eggs like three months ago and left them in the garage for proper, umm… fermentation?"

"They're rotten!?" Sam squealed, "three months ago? That is some major preparation, Josh. I worry about you." She was only half-joking at this point.

"You know what they say..." he began, tossing a rotten egg up and catching it in his palm, coolly."By failing to prepare, you are preparing to... suck."

"Mmmhmm, well… Whoever they are, I'm almost certain they don't say that," Sam shook her head, stepping up on her tiptoes to watch for the door. Josh poked her in the tender part of her bicep.

"Well, maybe not but they say something like th-"

"Shhh!" Sam snapped, watching the red door to the school creak open. Sucking in a breath, Sam hurled her arm back and launched the egg towards the unknowing victim. The egg cracked down upon their shoulder with a 'clack!' and when he turned out to search for his assailant the darkness, Sam and Josh both instantly recognized him as the school's math teacher, Mr. Hansen.

"Oh shiiiit!" Josh whispered harshly, tucking the carton of eggs under his arm, grabbing a hold of Sam's hand and taking off with her yet again. They erupted into a fit of nervous giggles as Mr. Hansen yelled after them, but it was so dark and they were so fast they were pretty certain he wouldn't catch them as they made their way through the sea of cars in the student parking lot.

Josh pulled Sam down low, crouching between a beat up Honda and a pickup truck, waiting to hear if Mr. Hansen was coming after them. They locked eyes, trying to keep laughter from bubbling up and giving them away.

After a few agonizing moments and their hearts in their throats, Josh poked his head up, and when the coast was clear he took Sam by the arm and helped her up.

"Nice aim, girl," he complimented with a high-five. Sam caught it instantly.

"Why thank you. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Serves him right for flunking me last year and making me take summer classes." Josh put his hands back in his pockets, looking around and sighing disappointedly. "Whelp… I guess my plan is a bust, now. So much for all my hard work…" He gestured down towards the carton of eggs and Sam let out a short snort.

"Oh, yes. I am so sorry. A lot of hard work went into buying three dollars worth of eggs and letting them rot in your garage," she said sarcastically.

"What a waste…"

Sam was a little sad that their fun was coming to an end, as this was the time of the night that she should be telling him that she should get going, but instead she felt a devious smile growing on her face.

"Well, I mean… since we have the eggs…" she began, hoping Josh would just read her mind so she didn't have to be the mastermind behind what she wanted to do next but Josh just stared at her, waiting for her to finish.

So much for having a mental connection.

"That's Tyler's car over there…" She tilted her head in the direction of a nice, black, 2-door sports car. Josh gasped dramatically "What?" she asked, anxiously looking over her shoulder.

"Are you suggesting we vandalize your boyfriend's car?" Sam rolled her eyes again - this time so hard she feared they might fall out of her skull.

"He's not my-"

"Tell ya what," Josh cut her off, standing up straight and crossing his arms over his chest authoritatively. "I will let you use my precious, invaluable, irreplaceable stink-bomb-eggs. I'll even help you because Tyler is a complete toolbag… But you gotta tell me what he did to deserve the wrath of Sam."

Sam bit the inside of her cheek and pursed her lips, crossing her own arms to match him, but when his stare was unwavering, she relented, "Ugh, fair enough. But you gotta promise you're not gonna like… mess with him or anything. I don't even care that much about it." Josh cocked an eyebrow.

"You care enough to desecrate his car. Do you realize what eggs do to car paint?"

"He umm… he asked me to get us some punch and snuck off to make out with Amanda by the lockers," she said flatly. She swore she could see Josh's eye twitch ever so slightly, but he squeezed his eyes shut and shook away some minor demons before she could tell for sure.

"Well. In that case," he mumbled before chucking the egg hard against Tyler's trunk with a loud 'splat!' She forgot he was an amazing pitcher until she watched his form; it was about the only athletic thing about Josh.

Sam instantly giggled, feeling almost delirious with glee as she reached down and grabbed her own ammo, following suit. In a matter of moments, Josh and Sam had thoroughly coated the back of Tyler's car with slimy, smelly, runny eggs. Josh picked up the last one, handing it over to Sam and dropping it in her palm before slinking his arm over her shoulder.

"I'll let you have the sacred honor of the last egg." As Sam felt Josh's body heat radiating off of him and warming her shoulders, staring at Tyler's precious vehicle, she almost felt bad for the guy. All things considered, she really should have been thanking the guy. If he hadn't been such a tool, she could have potentially wasted a lot of time going out with him. And in a weird way, he was responsible for this.

This moment between her and Josh.

A moment she didn't realize she'd wanted for a lot longer than she cared to admit.

Sam half-heartedly tossed the egg and it cracked on the roof of the car, this time with a hollow thud. She wiped her hands together and exhaled, a job well done, before she turned to her partner in crime.

"Doesn't cold, hard revenge make you feel so much better?" he asked her.

"You have no idea."

And they stared into each other's eyes, Josh's face hovering over hers. Carefully he brushed a wisp of her blonde hair from her face and although she seemed calm, inside her brain was screaming.

It was going to happen… it was happening.

As their faces drew closer to one another, Sam's heart thumped rapidly.

"My car!" they heard Tyler scream, running into the parking lot with Amanda behind him.

Instead of a kiss, Josh yanked Sam down low, the two of them crawling between the cars to escape undetected. They could hear Tyler shouting and freaking out behind them and it took everything out of Sam not to jump up and take full credit for his strife...but no. She didn't need her or Josh getting into trouble over this.

Plus, something inside of her told her that Tyler probably already knew.

When they were far enough away to stand, they began running again. This time it was to the football field a few yards away. Josh ran up to a chained off area with a sign that said "No Entry", lifting it up and letting Sam duck under before following her. The two of them slunk into the shadows as the listened to Tyler's yells echoing behind them.

Sam stared down at her bare feet, wrapping her arms around herself to combat the chill in the air. Josh, of course, wasn't one to miss such an obvious cue. He slipped off his jacket and draped it over Sam's shoulders. She gripped onto it tightly, enveloping herself in his scent as though it were a blanket. They walked in step, each waiting for the other to break the silence.

Still, they said nothing.

Instead, Sam's hand held onto his arm, then slinked down and her fingers laced with his. She watched his expression soften in the dark, and even obscured by shadows she could see him trying not to break into a grin. He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, and she just wordlessly smiled as they aimlessly walked toward the middle of the football field.

Josh stopped her, taking a seat in the crisp grass without warning, so Sam dropped to her knees and followed him. The grass prickled her skin wherever it touched, her skin erupting in goosebumps - although she wasn't sure if it was from the damp grass or the way he looked with his features painted in moonlight.

Josh reached in his pocket and the flask reappeared. He took the lid off and handed it to Sam, who took another swig as Josh laid down on his back and stared up at the stars.

Sam sprawled out beside him their knees and shoulders grazing as they looked up at the night sky. Sam bit her bottom lip as she wondered if he would object to her moving a little bit closer. She bravely took his arm and slinked it under her neck, resting her head on his chest.

He was nervous. She could tell by the way his body stiffened and he wasn't talking. Most of the time she couldn't get Josh to shut up or at least be serious - right now he was doing both. She listened to Josh gulp down another shot of alcohol (liquid courage?) before she said, "You know what?"

Josh hummed a quiet and disembodied response.

"I'm having more fun now than I did all night." Josh glanced over at her from the side, shaking his head.

"You are so full of it, you know that?"

"No, I'm serious," she promised, gripping onto him tighter and giving him a light shake. "I should have just gone with you like we always do… I always have fun with you," she added shyly. Josh just smiled weakly and took in a slow breath, closing his eyes.

"Oh, c'mon, Jensen. I'm sure you say that to all of your boyfriends."

"Yeaaaahhh right."

"Whatever, Sam. Don't act like you don't know that 90% of the guys I know have harbored a crush on you at one point or another… and the others are probably into dudes. You just don't see it like other people do. You don't pay attention." The last statement came out sternly. Frustratedly. Josh just stared forward, probably afraid to see her face as he said, "lots of guys would be interested in being your boyfriend, Sam." She saw him swallow hard and clench his jaw as if to keep himself from saying anything more. Sam leaned in towards him as though she were letting him in on a huge secret.

"Well… maybe so. But that doesn't really matter to me, because I'm not really interested in being a lot of guys' girlfriend," she conceded with a careless shrug, another swig of booze. Whatever was in the flask was working quickly; her head had already begun swimming a bit. He turned toward her now, their faces nearly touching. The melancholy was still there behind his faint smile. Always there.

"I like that about you, though. You've always been… different."

Sam digested what he said, absently picking at the cheap, glittery fabric of Hannah's dress. "Different," she repeated in a sigh and a chuckle, "Is that the word?" Josh thought for a moment, then nodded, pleased with his answer.

"Yeah. Good different. But different."

"Thanks," Sam whispered, "I like that you're different, too."

"Now, if we could just make you a little bit funnier, you'd be a full 10," he taunted her.

"Oh, ha-ha, Josh. Not everyone can be a comedian like you." Sam felt her heart beating hard in her chest like it had before, right before Tyler came and found his car in disarray. She was scared for so many reasons now, each one repeating in her head over and over again.

This could only end in heartache.

This was her best friend's brother.

In fact, this was her best friend.

This kind of stuff was messy. Complicated.

Josh was complicated. Josh was messy.

They both knew it.

And besides that, Sam had never even kissed a boy before.

But the way Josh was looking at her now made her wonder if that was going to change.

Sam's eyes connected with his again and she set her hand on his cheek, gently stroking the smooth skin of his jaw, his neck. Sam wasn't going to give Josh the chance to kiss her, because instead she leaned forward first and pressed her lips to his with more certainty than she had felt before.

At first Josh barely reacted as she moved her lips against his, almost as though he was holding back, trying to refrain. She pushed harder, and before she knew it he pressed back, his hand snaking up to the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him.

They fumbled a bit like two amateurs in the dark, which was exactly what they were. Sam felt more drunk off of his lips than she did from the flask and more adrenaline pumping through her veins than any of their egg-throwing shenanigans had produced.

They slowed, lips parting, breath hitting hotly against skin as his forehead butted hers softly. Their eyes opened and reconnected and Sam wondered how she'd ever doubted her feelings for him in the first place. When she really thought about it, she couldn't remember a time knowing Josh that she didn't hope this would happen one day.

"Okay, you can be a 10…" he joked, because Josh was never good with serious moments. It was perfect though, because neither was Sam. It was their ease and friendship that made this moment even better. He sobered again though, the gravity of the situation beginning to weigh down on them. How were they gonna tell Hannah?

How were things ever going to be normal again?

"I always wondered what that would be like," Sam divulged, curling up closer to him.

"Was it good for you?" he mocked.

"It was better."

Sam knew there was a reason that she'd always thought dances were stupid and she never went.

Unless, of course, she went with Josh Washington.

Fin.