And I'm updating again! Yea updating! hehe. Anyways, lets get going with the chapter, shall we?
Chapter 18- Strange Events
"I'm serious!" Sam protested angrily the next morning over fits of laughter.
"We believe you Sam", Kapree said through a fit of giggles, "But next time you think you're loosing it, let us know so we can help"
"I'm not crazy!" Sam yelled furiously, "Why would I make something like that up?"
"A cry for attention?" Allie guessed. She kept a straight face for two seconds before cracking up again. Sam glared at her and turned away.
The girls were standing in the Sheffield Courtyard. Torie was listening to Sam try and recap what happened the night before. Kapree and Allie weren't making it easy. "Aw, the heck with you two", she muttered, turning away.
"Don't be like that", Allie said, "Come on Sam, if you could here yourself now, would you say you sound normal"
Sam whirled around to glare at her, "In case you haven't noticed Allison", she said quietly but firmly, "Life stopped being normal the day we became guardians"
"Yea, but this?" Allie said with a shrug, "Come on Samantha you have to admit, this is out of our range of weird"
"I didn't realize we had a range", Sam scoffed, stooping down to grab her bag, "So excuse me"
"Oh come on", Allie said, smiling, "Don't gimme that Sam--"
"I've got to go", she cut her off, "See ya later"
She stocked off without another word. "Talk about sensitive", Allie muttered.
"Well you were a bit mean", Torie pointed out.
"Are you telling me you believe that crazy story?" Allie asked, outraged.
"I didn't say that--"
"It's completely insane!" Allie cut her off, "Sam's loosing it, it's official"
"Who is?" a voice chirped up from behind them.
"Huh?" Torie looked around, "Sam? I thought you went into the school?"
"Nope", she shook her head, looking completely confused, "What are you guys going on about?"
Torie shook her head, confused, "I could have sworn you were heading for the school…"
"I thought you were mad at us", Allie shot at her suddenly.
"Huh?" Sam shook her head again, "I have no clue what you guys are talking about, what's going on with you four?"
"Uh…nothing", Torie finally said, "So, are we going to do magic practice today?"
"Course", she nodded, smiling, "I'm there, we should definitely practice some more"
"Great!" Kapree chirped as the bell rang. The girls straightened up to head for class.
"Coming Sam?" Torie asked the girl.
"I'll be there in a sec", she said as the crowd swallowed her up.
"She was acting a bit weird", Allie said as soon as they were out of range, "Am I the only one that noticed it?"
"No", Haley shrugged, "Maybe she just got over being mad"
"Possibly", Torie said with a shrug, "Come on, I've got Math first, I have to stop at my locker"
It seemed like forever before the bell finally rang for the last class of the day. Sam avoided them at lunch for some reason. When they tried to catch her, she said something about going down to the band room and hurried off. Science would be a golden opportunity to make sure the practice for after school was set in stone.
"Hey Sam", Torie plopped down next to the bookworm as the class filed in. She looked up in surprise, a faint hint of annoyance in her eyes.
"What?"
"Well, we're still doing practice after school, right?" Torie asked breezily.
"No"
The answer caught Torie by surprise. "What?" she stuttered, "But you said this morning-"
"I didn't say a thing about practice this morning", Sam said, marking her page in her book and closing it, "I haven't said anything about practice since I suggested it yesterday morning"
"But you said--"
"Okay class", Ms. Vandom said as the last bell rang, "Homework out please"
Torie grabbed her bag and shuffled to the back of the room where her other friends were, "The girl has a memory glitch", she said as she threw herself into her seat and dug out her homework.
"What do you mean?" Haley asked interestedly.
"I just asked Sam if we still had Magic practice after school", she explained, "And she said she hadn't said two words about Magic practice since yesterday! Did I imagine this morning then?"
"That's weird", Kapree said, "I ran into Sam in the hall today, she said she came straight into school after she walked away from us. What do you think is going on?"
Before they had a chance to answer, the teacher had come around, looking for homework. It was an average, rather boring class. They got their tests back (Torie got a C, Kapree and Haley got A's, and Allie chose not to give her grade out), relearned the chemicals they'd learned so they would be ready for their unit exam, and went over some new formulas. It was the end of the class that turned out to be out of the norm.
"Torie and Sam", Ms. Vandom called as the bell rang, "I'd like to speak to you two for a second"
Baffled, Torie made her way to the front of the room, getting weird looks from her friends. "Yes Ms. Vandom?" she said as Sam approached, looking confused as well.
"Torie, I'd like to talk about your grades", Ms. Vandom said, "I couldn't help but notice that your science grade has been dropping. Having a problem with Chemistry?"
"I can't always keep the formulas and stuff straight", Torie admitted.
"And that's where Sam comes in", the teacher said with a nod, "If it isn't too much to ask, Sam, it'd be nice if you could maybe give Torie a hand with her Science homework and what not"
"You mean like tutor?" Sam asked, surprised.
"You could say that", Ms. Vandom said with a nod, "Sure"
"Well…okay", Sam said uncertainly, "Anytime's good for me Torie"
"Uh, okay", Torie said with a shrug, "How about tonight after dinner?"
"Fine", she said with a shrug, "See ya then"
Torie bustled out of the classroom, a bit confused. She knew her grades were pretty bad, but a tutor? Jeez, they must have been horrible.
"What'd Ms. V want?" Allie asked interestedly, ambushing her as she walked out of school.
"I was assigned a tutor", Torie said in mock enthusiasm, "Guess my grade is pretty bad in that class"
"Who?"
"Sam", Torie said, "Speaking of which, there she is. Good, I want to talk to her about this tutor thing. Hey Sam!"
Sam looked around, bored, "Yea?"
"I know I agreed to this tutor thing", Torie said, getting right to the point, "But that doesn't mean I'm thrilled about it. So we're going to do this, but we're doing it my way, got it?"
Sam looked at her, confused, then cracked up into a fit of giggles, "Why would I help you anyways? You're a lost cause when it comes to Science. I don't know what impression you got when we were talking to the teach Tors, but there is no way I'm helping you. Sorry. I'm outtie. Catcha"
She took off down the street without another word, leaving a confused Torie in her wake. "Lost cause?" Allie repeated, "Tors? Catcha? Those don't sound like things Sam would say!"
"Well she did", Torie said, keeping the tone of hurt out of her voice, "And now I know just how she really feels"
"I still can't believe she would say that", Haley was saying later that night, "It just doesn't seem like her"
"I don't care", Torie said firmly, "How could she say something like that? It's horrible!"
"I don't know", Haley admitted as the doorbell rang.
"Talk to you later Haley", she said, hanging up, "I'll get it!"
She opened the door to find- to her horror- Sam, "What do you want?" she snapped.
"Huh?" Sam said, "I'm just here for that tutor thing Vandom arranged for us, remember?"
"Oh really?" Torie snapped, "Because from the impression I got at School, tutoring me was the very last thing on your "To Do" list!"
"I can't deny that I wasn't thrilled, but-"
"You insulted me!" Torie yelled, "In front of the others on top of it! I don't know what your problem is Sam, but get over it!"
And with that, she slammed the door in the bewildered girl's face. "The nerve of that girl!" she said to herself as she stormed back to her room. Her phone started ringing as she closed the door. "What?" she snapped as she picked up.
"Torie?" Sam's bewildered voice came over the line, "What's going on? I never insulted you-"
"Oh sure, go ahead and deny it!" Torie snapped, "I have Allie, Haley, and Kapree to back me up though, they'll all say the same thing: you made it loud and clear you wanted nothing to do with this at all!"
"They weren't even with us when Vandom made the arrangements!" Sam yelled, "How can you have them back you up for something they weren't around for?.!"
"So now you're going to play stupid?" Torie asked, "I've had it with your games Sam"
There was a moment of silence, and finally Sam said, "One of us is playing games Torie, and it isn't me"
She hung up without another word.