What Did You Say?
1
"Come on, Sam. Tell me what you really think of Danny." Tucker's voice was playful as he trailed behind Sam.
Sam bit back a growl of frustration. He'd spent almost two weeks teasing her as they walked home from school every day—Danny had been busted for trashing the teacher's lounge with Skulker's help, and Lancer had come in when he, as Fenton, had been trying to clean up some of the mess that had been made. It translated to detention. Lots and lots of detention.
Tucker had taken it as a chance to annoy her into insanity.
It was working.
"What do you want me to say?" she nearly shouted as she turned on him. "It's nothing you haven't heard a hundred times before!"
"Something I haven't heard before," he answered quietly, but the odd phrasing was lost on Sam as her anger took over.
"Fine," she hissed, well beyond rational thought. "I can't stand him."
Tucker's jaw dropped as her eyes flashed.
"He's clueless, he never sees what's right in front him. And he never thinks of anyone but himself or Paulina," she said, ticking points off on her fingers, sarcasm thick but too much anger layered on top for her words to carry no meaning. Tucker's green eyes were dull as she continued on.
"He's always late, he's always begging homework, and somehow we always get in trouble for him. And what do I get for it? Nothing." She paused, drew a breath in and glared at Tucker.
He swallowed and his voice was soft when he asked, "Anything else you want to add to things I don't know?"
"Sometimes I don't even know why I'm his friend."
He nodded slightly and then suddenly Tucker was blinking and rubbing his forehead as he looked around. "So what did you say, Sam?" he asked, so casually that she blinked in surprise. And then he saw the remnants of the anger, and Tucker reached out and grabbed her arm. "Sam, what did you say?"
"What do you mean?" she asked faintly. "You were right there."
"Sam," he ground out. "What did you say?"
It took her a moment, but the girl went terribly pale. "It wasn't you, was it?" she asked slowly, softly, and Tucker shook his head.
"Sam." And he stopped, understanding.
"I didn't mean it, Tuck," she whispered. "I didn't mean any of it."
"Oh, Sam," he murmured. "What did you say?"
