Chapter 15
"Ha!" Sam crowed. Her turtle had just beaten Jake's for the second time.
"You got my turtle by mistake," Jake complained.
"I did not," Sam laughed. "See?" She pointed to the black spot on its head. "This is Jake the turtle."
Jake couldn't help the twitch of his mouth. Sam saw it and started to giggle. Jake's twitch became a full blown smile. Normally, he hated girls that giggled, but Sam's made him smile. They glanced at each other almost as if they knew a secret.
Which of course they did, Jake thought. Only the two of them knew about the kiss. As far as Jake was concerned, for right now they would be the only ones that knew about it. He needed to do some thinking about this.
"Let's trade turtles," Jake suggested.
"No," Sam shook her head, snatching her turtle out of Jake's reach.
Jake had to laugh. She looked like she would hit him if he tried to grab her turtle from her. Then he laughed harder. She most definitely would. This was Sam and she hit him for a lot less.
"Can mine get a head start then?" Jake asked, teasingly.
"Nope," Sam shook her head. "Admit it, Jake is better."
"Can you not call the turtle Jake?" he asked.
"It looks like you," Sam protested.
"I do not look like a turtle," Jake huffed.
"Yes you do," Sam countered.
"Do not," Jake argued.
"Do too," Sam giggled.
"Brat," Jake groaned.
Sam shook her head. She was going to call this turtle Jake whether or not he liked it.
"You run fast, just like Jake the turtle," Sam pointed out.
Jake snorted. He couldn't help it.
"Haven't you ever heard of the tortoise and the hare?" Jake asked.
"What's a tort…?" Sam tilted her head to ask.
"Tort-us," Jake pronounced for her.
Sam nodded and murmured the word. Then she looked up at him. "So, what is it?"
"A big turtle," Jake responded. "You haven't heard that story?"
Sam shook her head. Jake explained it to her.
"Well my turtle isn't a tort-us," Sam pronounced both syllables distinctly. "He's a Shoshone turtle so he's fast."
"We better put them back or they'll dry out," Jake said.
Sam gave him a look, trying to determine if he was just saying that so he could get her turtle. He got up and put his turtle back in the river. Sam got up and did the same.
"Bye, Jake," she waved at the turtle.
"I haven't left yet," Jake teased.
"I'm saying bye to Jake the turtle," Sam shoved him.
Jake playfully shoved her back. Sam shoved him again, but he dodged her and she fell skinning her hand as she did.
He saw the tears in her eyes before she shut them.
"I'm sorry, Sam," Jake squatted down next to her. He looked at her hand, seeing the redness. She was trying really hard not to cry.
The hand wasn't bleeding, but she did have a rash from where the skin had been rubbed on the ground. It was red and he thought it looked painful.
"Come on, let's put it in the river," Jake suggested, helping her to her feet.
"You're not going to push me in are you?" Sam was hesitant as they got close to the river.
"'Course not," Jake sounded insulted. He tugged her down as he squatted down again and put her hand in the cool river.
Sam gasped and pulled it out again.
"It will feel better," Jake promised, his hand around her wrist and pushing her hand back into the river.
Sam wasn't strong enough to resist and had to admit that after a few minutes, it didn't sting anymore. She sniffled and Jake looked at her face, hating the fact that he had made her cry.
Jake could never stand it when Sam cried. It made him feel even worse when he was the cause.