Chapter 33
It was Valentine's Day again and Sam gave the Ely brothers their valentines as they waited for the bus. Quinn and Bryan looked happy. Jake looked embarrassed. Sam was used to it by now.
"Thanks, Sammy," Quinn gave her a hug. "I got the best one first."
Bryan also thanked her by giving her a hug and a quick kiss. "It's Valentine's Day, I can kiss you."
Sam wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Jake snorted.
"Give it a few years and you'll be wanting my kisses," Bryan teased.
"I doubt it," Sam retorted with a grin.
"Bryan beat down by a third grader," Quinn laughed.
They got on the bus when it arrived and Bryan pulled on Sam's arm until she sat next to him. He put his arm around her shoulder.
Jake gave him a look, but Bryan only grinned at his youngest brother.
"It's VD, I have to sit with my girl Sammy," Bryan told him.
"I'm not sure saying Sam and VD in the same sentence is a good thing," Quinn laughed.
"It is until she's a sixth grader," Bryan laughed with his twin.
Sam looked from Bryan to Quinn, not getting the joke. She looked at Jake, but only saw the back of his head as he looked out the window.
When they got to school, the girls rushed Quinn and Bryan stuffing their hands full of valentines.
"Remember what I said, Sammy," Quinn winked before Sam disappeared down the hall.
Sam spied Ann up ahead and watched as she handed Jake a valentine. Sam stopped, shocked. She had known that Ann thought Jake was cute, but she hadn't expected her to give him a valentine. She didn't hear if Jake said anything to Ann before he kept going down the hallway.
"He is so cute," Ann gushed as Sam reached her.
Sam watched Jake until he disappeared into the crowd of students. Then her eyes flicked to Ann.
"You're not mad are you?" Ann asked. "You keep saying he's not your boyfriend."
"He's not," Sam said.
"Good," Ann smiled dreamily. "Then maybe he'll want to go steady with me."
"What?" Sam yelped, not able to control herself.
"I wrote him a note inside," Ann dropped her voice.
"You want to go steady with Jake?" Sam didn't recognize her own voice.
"Sure," Ann nodded. "He's cute and available. Plus he's an older man which makes it perfect."
Sam felt her jaw drop.
"He's so shy too," Ann went on.
Jake shy? He was never shy. At least not with Sam. Why was Ann saying he was shy?
The two girls went into their third grade class, but Sam was still thinking about Ann's declaration. Would Jake ask her to go steady with him? Could he like Ann and just hadn't told her?
"I can't wait to see him at lunch," Ann said, drawing Sam's attention back on her friend.
"Why?"
"By then he should have read my note," Ann responded.
Sam doubted it. She would bet Jake had stuffed Ann's valentine into his backpack just has he had Sam's and would any others he received today. Sam thought Jake wouldn't read any of them until he was safely in his room at home with the door shut. If he even read them then.