School very quickly became hell. Everywhere I looked, Sam was there. It was like she stalked me all day. I hadn't noticed how often she was around me until then. I didn't have any time to try to get my mind off of her. I didn't blame her for always being there, we were best friends. We were standing at our lockers, when she started squealing in excitement. I was putting books away when she was jumping up and down, staring at her cellphone screen, then grabbed my arm.
"My mom just texted me telling me that she's going away for the weekend and I get to spend it at your place!" She tackled me into a hug, and I awkwardly hugged her back.
"The whole weekend?" It wasn't that I didn't want her to be there with me, I was looking forward to her sleeping in the same room as me for a couple nights. But the weekend was going to be my time to think of things besides her.
"Yes, the whole weekend!" She was smiling brightly at me, loosely hugging me while looking me in the eyes. Her smile quickly faded, "You don't look too excited."
"I am!" I forced a smile at her. "I really am. You know I love spending time with you."
"Hey Carly," Freddie walked up to us, "Sam."
"Hey Fredwardo." Sam let go of me to face him, and suddenly I wished I'd been better at faking excitement so she'd have held onto me a little longer.
"You two are really convincing with the whole lesbian thing." He laughed, "You're all over each other."
"Oh come on." Sam rolled her eyes, "I can be way more convincing than that."
"Pfft. You're good at a lot of things, Puckett, but acting isn't one of them."
It was true. Sam wasn't the best actress. She'd written tons of plays for class, but none of them got higher than a D. Sure, Sam liked to watch movies, memorize their scripts, and read the ocassional book, but she couldn't act. She'd stand in front of the classroom, and very poorly act out scenes. She played it off with a smile and some funny hand gestures to pass, but there was no skill involved. She was just a naturally cheery and amusing person.
"Is this a bet?" She crossed her arms.
"Yup." He crossed his, too, and I saw her face get fierce. I didn't want this to be a bet. I knew Sam took bets seriously.
"Deal. If I can convince the school that Carly and I are lesbians and dating, by next Friday, you need to intentionally get sprayed by a skunk and not wash the smell off yourself for two weeks." She held her hand out to shake, and my jaw dropped when Freddie took it and shook.
"Deal," he said, "Better get started."
My stomach was twisting and turning, because I didn't want to be a part of this. But I stood there, staring at the two of them, having no idea what to even say. What was my excuse for not being able to play along with a simple joke? We'd tell everyone the truth after Friday.
This could be my chance to have my way with Sam. She'd be willingly offering herself to me, all hours of the day, just to be convincing. I could hold her in my arms in the hallway, kiss her lips and neck and let my hands explore her body. It wouldn't matter who would see, because that was the point of it all.
But then I looked at her again. There she was, Sam, my best friend in the world, who was just trying to piss off Freddie. It wasn't right for me to take advantage of her like that. I didn't know what I would do if she made a move. I could easily go along with it, and laugh when she did because it was just a joke.
That's all it would ever be to her, though. A joke.
That weekend, she came over with a backpack full of her pajamas and beauty essentials. It always drove me crazy how she thought she had to do so much just to be pretty. She was gorgeous right out of the shower, with no makeup on and frizzy hair. We were sitting on the couch that night, home alone, because Spencer was at Socko's for a party. Sam was leaning against my shoulder like she usually did when we watched TV at night, cuddled under a blanket we were sharing.
"So about that deal with Freddie." She turned to look at me. "Since it's probably going to be hard to be convincing at school and stuff, I thought maybe we'd practice alone first. If that's okay with you."
I wanted to tell her that none of it was okay with me. But it was happening- she was making a move. It wasn't because she wanted me, and it wasn't because she had feelings for me. It was strictly to win the bet with Freddie. But as I looked down at her and gazed into her eyes, I knew the opportunity to kiss her was seconds away, and I didn't want to pass it up. I wanted to just know what it felt like, to see if I liked it.
Who was I kidding? Of course I would like it. I'd spent hours daydreaming of her. I wanted her. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself that my feelings for her were strictly emotional, they werent. They were everything. Everything about her was appealing to me, from her personality to her looks.
"Okay." I laughed, "That's a good idea."
"Well," she grabbed the remote from the table and lowered the volume. "Lean."
It surprised me that she wanted me to lean in first, but I did anyway, knowing I'd never get this chance again. I pressed my lips against hers, and then pulled back quickly. It sent shivers through my body, and I noticed she looked shocked, too.
"That wasn't very convincing. We'll never get Freddie to smell like skunk with you being in control." She shook her head, smiling. "Let me show you how it's done."
I got nervous, but she moved quickly, kissing me gently, and not backing away as fast as I did. It was long, and sweet, like when I'd kissed Griffin, except it felt different, because it was Sam. I let my arms wrap around her neck, hoping to not freak her out. She backed away slightly, whispering, "that's better."
I thought I must have been dreaming, so I went along with it, kissing her again, harder. It felt amazing, like it was my first kiss all over again. She even tasted like potato salad. It was perfect, and I didn't want to stop. I felt my fingers tangle in her hair, and I wanted to start kissing her neck, but I knew it was too soon for that. I stopped again, my face burning up, and saw her smiling.
"Damn, Carls. You could pass as a real lesbian. Lemme see what else you can do!" The way she could find fun and purpose in anything ridiculous lightened my mood.
"You don't think I can be good at this kind of stuff?" I laughed, tilting my head to the side.
"Well, you are kind of prude, Carly." She slid her hand onto my waist, "It's insane that this isn't making you vomit."
"Prude?" I smirked at her, "I'll have you know, I'm a pretty sexual person on the inside."
"You? Sexual?" She rolled her eyes, "I bet you've never even seen a penis."
"I have to!" I crossed my arms across my chest, "I've even watched porn before."
"What?" She fell back on the couch, laughing. "You're crazy, man. So you're an insane horndog, and you just decided to never tell me?"
"Maybe." I leaned over her. "I bet I could be the best you ever had."
"That's quite the bet, Shay. But you're on." She put her arms around me and pulled me on top of her.
I was laying on top of Samantha Puckett, who I knew was obsessed with sex just like her mother, and I was supposed to be the best she ever had. Then I thought about it. Who had she had? She'd have told me if she'd gotten with anyone, and she didn't. So I layed on top of her, pressed my lips against hers, and stopped thinking so hard.
I kissed her over and over before sliding my tongue against hers, which she didn't seem to mind. I knew she was an open minded person. Her hands were on my lower back, her fingers playing with the bottom of my shirt. I trailed kisses from her lips onto her neck, and when she tilted her head back, my eyes got wide. She liked it.
I felt my heart start to speed up, because I'd never done this to anyone before, not even a guy. It didn't take much to get her, though, just a few kisses near her collarbone, and I felt her breathing heavier. I stopped, and looked at her.
"Why'd you stop?" She asked, smirking at me.
"You want me to keep going?" I giggled.
"Kinda, sorta, yes." She slid her hand into my shirt, playing with the clasp of my bra. I felt chills rush through my entire body.
"And I'm the one who could pass as a real lesbian?" I kissed her cleavage, and she laughed quietly.
"Mhm," her other hand grabbed at my hair.
I was getting incredibly turned on. I wanted to keep going, I wanted to do all kinds of things to her. But then I looked up at her again, and I saw my best friend. It was driving me crazy. I wanted to see her as my girlfriend, or my lover. I just didn't want it to feel wrong to grab her boob.
That's when my door opened. Freddie walked in, holding a coiled wire, and said, "Hey, I gotta put this up in the studio- What the fuck are you two doing right now?"
I fell off the couch, slammed my head against the corner of the table, and Sam sat up.
"Carly are you okay?" She quickly helped me up. I held my head desperately, feeling it throbbing. When I let go, I felt dizzy, and when I looked at my hand, there was blood. That's all it took for me to pass out.