OMG! This has been so fun! My mom's not liking me spending this much time on the computer. ;-) I love writing and I hope ya'll like this chappy as much as the last!

Should I?

Ch. 8- The Truth

When Jake pulled up to River Bend the next morning, Sam was out with the horses in the pasture. Some of them were a little cut up from the chase the day before. Jake turned off the car and climbed out. Sam had still not heard him pull up because she was concentrating on the horses. He walked up to the fence and rested his arms on it. He stood there for a few minutes not wanting to interrupt. "Sam, we need to get going." She turned around and nodded. She turned back to Ace and gave him a final hug before leaving his side. He had gotten the worst of all the horses. It seemed like Rachel was extremely rough on him with the whip. His knees were also cut which implied he fell on them. Sam closed the gate behind her and turned to Jake. He held out his arms and she walked gratefully into them. "Jake, I don't know if I can face school yet. I'm worried about the horses and what people will say about us." She looked into his eyes and they were full of understanding. "I know exactly what you mean. Even though Witch didn't get loose, Rachel got to her too. You need to not worry about what other people think. It's none of their business unless you or I want it to be. You don't have to tell anyone anything if you don't want to," he said as he stroked her hair. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed, "I just don't know if I can face Rachel's friends." Jake lifted her head up and wiped the tears that began to roll down her cheeks, "It's all going to be ok Sam. I'll be there with you the whole time." He glanced at his watch, "Come on. We need to go. We're gonna be late."

As they walked down the halls of the school, people whispered behind their backs. Sam listened to Jake's advice and ignored them. Jake squeezed her hand and waved as he walked away to his first class. Sam opened her locker ignoring the stares. Jen walked up and gave her a hug, "Hey, how're you doing?" Sam shrugged her shoulders, "Ok I guess. I'm a little worried about being in class with Rachel's friends today. I think she gets 1 month in jail. Her friends are definitely not going to be happy and she's going to want revenge when she comes back." Jen smiled and placed her hand on Sam's shoulder, "Yeah, but you have something none of them do. You have Jake. You don't know how much stronger your relationship is after all of this. Jake and I were talking after you had gone to sleep on Saturday and you don't realize how much he likes you Sam. He'd do anything for you." Sam smiled, "That's great to know. I need to get to class. I'll see you at lunch ok?" Jen nodded and waved goodbye. Sam went to her first class and sat down. She could feel the stares on her back and hear the whispers. She walked up to the teacher after the bell rang and whispered something in her ear. The teacher seemed confused for a moment then agreed. Sam stood in front of the class and the whispers ceased at once. "Whatever you think, go on and think it. But if you're going to say something about Jake, Jen, or I, say it to our faces. We don't feel like having anyone talk behind our backs. I know most of you and know you wouldn't either. If you want to know the real story, ask one of us, and if we feel like talking, you'll get the truth." Everyone stared speechless at her as she took her seat. The whispers didn't start again and the teacher began class.

Later at lunch Sam sat between Jen and Jake at an empty table. They talked quietly avoiding the stares. One of Rachel's friends walked up and looked very unhappy. Then she softened. Sam recognized her as one of the people she had talked to in first period. "What happened between you and the Slocums?" Sam smiled, "It's a long story. You might want to sit down." The girl smiled and sat down across from the three friends as Sam began to tell the story. As the she continued it, more and more people gathered around the table. By the time Sam was done it seemed almost the whole school was listening. The girl who had first asked to hear the story looked stunned, "And that's the truth?" Sam nodded, "The full truth. And if you don't believe me, you can ask the sheriff." Everyone looked satisfied and began to drift back to their tables. Jake put his arm around Sam's shoulder and she smiled at him. "That was brave Sam. I can't believe you told the whole story, even the part about you and Ryan. It seemed like most people believed you, including Rachel's friends." Sam was about to speak when another one of Rachel's friends walked up. "Did Ryan really do that to you?" Sam looked at her. The girl seemed genuinely concerned. "Yeah he did." The girl shook her head, "I always new that those Slocums were trouble," and she left without another word.

At the end of the day Jake met Sam at her locker. More people had come to them asking questions, but no one doubted a word of it. Sam finished putting her books in her bag and shut her locker. Jake took her hand and they walked to his car. Sam climbed in and closed the door. Jake climbed into the driver's seat, closed the door, and leaned over and began to kiss Sam. She broke away. Jake looked at her with a confused look on his face. "I just don't think I can do that yet Jake. The memory of what Ryan did to me is still to strong. I don't believe you would ever try anything I didn't want, but I'm not ready." Jake looked at her, "I understand. Just tell me if I ever try to go too far, ok?" He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Sam smiled as Jake started the car and began towards her house. When Sam and Jake pulled up to her house Wyatt was sitting on the porch waiting for them. He got up and walked over to the car. Jake rolled down the window. Sam's dad looked worried, "Ms. Allen just called. Faith is missing."

AN: I like this one. I think it turned out pretty well. Sam is just a tiny bit OOC but who cares! G2G, TV! Kat