Chapter 38
"When does Kit leave?" Sam asked Jake at the bus stop on the last day of school.
"Not long," Jake answered. "We'll go campin' and then he'll be gone."
Sam nodded, looking up at him trying to determine how he felt about his brother leaving. Jake shrugged, knowing what she was asking.
"Are you comin' with us?" Jake wondered.
"If you still want me to," Sam responded.
"Why wouldn't we?"
"Well, it will be Kit's last one for awhile," Sam said. "You might not want me tagging along."
"You always tag along," Jake teased with a smile.
"I don't always," Sam put her hands on her hips.
Jake couldn't help the chuckle.
"Yes you do, but that's okay," Jake told her. "We expect it."
Sam stuck her tongue out at him, only causing Jake to give her a lopsided grin.
On the bus ride to school, she sat next to Jake with Quinn and Bryan in the back. One of them kept pulling on one of her pigtails. She'd turn around to swat them but they were too quick for her. She couldn't tell which one it had been. The twins tried to give her innocent looks but she could see the humor in both of their dark brown eyes. She suspected they were tag teaming her so she just swatted both of them.
"Are you going to miss us next year, Sammy?" Bryan asked.
"No," Sam shook her head.
"Liar," Quinn told her.
"Not a bit," Sam continued.
"Not even a little?" Bryan asked.
"Nope," Sam shook her head again.
"Who's going to play Samball with you?" Quinn wondered.
Sam snorted and she heard their laughter.
"Maybe Jakey will," Bryan said with a poke to his brother's shoulder.
"Maybe Jake won't," Jake told him.
"You wouldn't play Samball with your…," Quinn began, but broke off when Jake whirled around in his seat.
Quinn was surprised and sat back in his own seat.
"Guess not," Quinn recovered, his eyes dancing with mischief.
"What?" Sam wondered, looking from Quinn to Jake. When they kept staring at each other, Sam turned to Bryan who refused to tell her anything.
"No I am not going to miss any of you," Sam snapped, getting up as the bus pulled into the school parking lot.
"You'll still have Jakey," Bryan reminded her as he followed her.
"So, what?" Sam was still snappish.
"Looks like she's had enough of you too, Jakey," Quinn teased his youngest brother. "Slept with your first girl at ten and lost her a year later."
"Shut up," Jake warned him.
Quinn held up both hands as if in surrender. Jake gave him a look before he followed Sam and Bryan off the bus.
Jake, for one, wouldn't miss his older brothers a bit. He was tired of them teasing him about his relationship with Samantha. He shuddered when he thought of what it would be like if they knew he and Sam had kissed twice. It was something they'd never need to know, as far as he was concerned.
Sam went into the school, Bryan on her heels. He was walking down the hallway and put his arm around her.
"I need to warn away all the other guys," Bryan told her with a grin. "Can't have them moving in on you once I'm gone."
Sam rolled her eyes. "I don't think that will be a problem."
"Jakey will still be here to protect you," Bryan said.
"I can protect myself," Sam huffed.
"And you do such a fine job of it too," Bryan teased.
Sam punched his arm and Bryan laughed.
"I'm going to miss you, little sis," Bryan told her.
"I won't miss you a bit," Sam responded.
"I'm crushed," Bryan stood outside of her third grade class with her.
Sam giggled and hugged him. "You know I'm kidding."
"You meant Quinn, right?" Bryan laughed.
"Yep," Sam assured him with a laugh.
"See you later, Sammy," Bryan gave her a wave and headed to his sixth grade classroom a few doors down from hers.