Samantha strolled into Independent Study; her heart beating steadily. Today, the most boring class in the history of classes took on a whole new meaning. No more pretending to stretch by turning around just to steal a glance at Jake. God, she can't believe that she was ever so lame. But then again, she still couldn't believe that she was dating Jake either.

She slid into the desk in front of Randi, but Jake's desk was empty. Turning to Randi, she smiled, then mouthed "Where's Jake?"
Randi shrugged. The bell rang and there was still no sign of him.

The nerdy teacher sat at the front of the room, oblivious to the world and to the kids in the back who had already started making paper airplanes to hurl at him.

Samantha opened her Algebra book and tried to concentrate, but she couldn't help but wonder why Jake wasn't in class. As the minutes ticked by, her curiosity turned to worry. He'd never been this late before. Just as she took out her notebook and began working on her homework, she looked up to see him walk through the door.
A huge sigh of relief came over her as she watched Jake say something inaudible to the teacher and then walk toward his desk. As he passed Samantha, he gently rubbed her shoulder and smiled.

"What happened?" She mouthed when he slid into the desk across from Randi.

Jake shook his head and mouthed back. "It's okay."

Quickly, Samantha scribbled a note to Jake, and casually crumpled up the paper, tossing it on the floor behind her.

Jake dropped his pencil and reached over, grabbing both it and the note. Carefully he unfolded the crumpled paper, smiling as he read the contents. Then he scribbled something on the paper, crushed it and dropped it onto the floor beside Samantha's desk.

Samantha stretched her arm out to her side and cautiously reached over to pick up the note. The paper crackled as she tried to unfold it, causing the teacher to look up. Embarrassed, she tucked the note under her desk and unfolded it. She glanced over the contents, reading the note that she had written to Jake:

R U OK? I was worried about U. Y were U late?

When she read his response, she smiled.

How did I get to be the luckiest guy in school to find someone who cares about me so much?

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The room emptied within seconds and as usual, the teacher was seemingly unaware of the commotion.

Samantha gathered her books and then stopped in the hallway. Thank God, only one more class to go before school was over.

Jake joined her just outside the door. "Thanks for your note." He said with a smile.

Samantha blushed. "Well I was worried."

"I appreciate that." Jake said, leaning over to kiss her.

Randi stood in the doorway, smiling at the romantic gesture.
Startled by their company, Samantha pulled away. "Oh. Sorry. Um, Randi, you know Jake, don't you?"
"Not officially, which is lame since I've been sitting next to you for months now." Randi said nervously.
Jake extended his hand in greeting.

"Nice to officially meet you, Randi."
Randi's face turned crimson. "Um... thanks. See you tomorrow, Jake."

"I'll see YOU on the bus, Sam."

"Sure." Samantha said. "See ya later."
Jake smiled as Randi walked off. "She's nice."

"Yeah." Samantha agreed.

Jake nervously shuffled his feet. "Well I should get going."
"Yeah, me too. Home Ec."
"Definitely not for me." Jake said, causing Samantha to laugh.

"You mean you don't want to learn lame things like how to sew on buttons or boil water?"
"Well, the guys on the wrestling team just wouldn't understand." Jake said with a chuckle. "I'm going to Chem. and then I have wrestling practice after school, so I'll call you later?"

"Yeah. That'd be great." Samantha said.

He leaned over and kissed her again.
"Parting is such sweet sorrow." He said with a smile as he walked away.

At Samantha's blank look, he laughed. "Romeo and Juliet"

She smiled at Jake as he waved to her and then disappeared around the corner.