Tired and dizzy, Sam stumbled up the steps and through the front door of William McKinley High. "Hey, Rachel?" he whispered. "Can I borrow a dollar for a soda? I could really use something to keep me awake."
"Sure," said Rachel, slipping him a five dollar bill. "Buy yourself something to eat, too. I don't want to see you looking like this all day."
"Thanks, Rachel," mumbled Sam. "I'll pay you back this evening. The kids are really looking forward to seeing you again."
About thirty feet away, Santana Lopez rolled her eyes. No wonder Rachel had felt sure that Sam wasn't gay.
"I just saw Rachel and Sam squeezing hands," she whispered to Brittany.
"Really?" said Brittany. Santana nodded. "Hold on," said Brittany. "I have to go tell Puckerman that he was right." She dashed down the hall to Puck's locker. "Hey, Santana said she just saw Sam and Rachel squeezing each other.
"Gross," said Puck. He slammed his locker shut and started walking away.
"What's gross?" said Artie.
"Apparently Rachel and Sam were squeezing or kissing or something," said Puck.
"Eww," said Artie. A minute later, he passed Mike on the way to his classroom. "We were right!" he called. "Puck said Rachel and Sam were making out a minute ago!"
"Damn!" Mike replied.
"What's going on, Mike?" said Brittany, who was heading towards the same class as him.
"Rachel and Sam were seen making out at the front of the school,"
"Really?" said Brittany. Mike nodded. "Hold on, I have to go tell Santana she was right."
Later that day, Santana walked into the choir room and saw Rachel and Sam sitting together with Kurt and Mercedes nearby all talking and laughing. "Well, if it isn't Samchel," she announced.
Mercedes blinked. "What? I thought you guys weren't together."
"We're not," said Sam.
"Oh please, Rachel," said Brittany. "We all know you guys were making out in front of the school."
"We weren't!" said Rachel and Sam in unison.
"I saw you squeeze his hand," said Santana.
"I did not!" said Rachel.
"I saw you!" yelled Santana. She came over and shoved Rachel into Sam's chest.
"Enough!" yelled Finn.
Everyone stopped and looked at him, surprised that he was even there, alone this time because he was officially back in school and Mrs. Fabray was still watching Lily.
"Just stop with the lying, Samchel," snapped Finn. Then he looked at Sam angrily, causing both Rachel and Sam to feel horrible.
"Finn," said Rachel softly. "We just…"
"It's okay, Rachel," said Finn. "I don't blame you." Then he glared at Sam again.
As Rachel and Sam climbed off the bus and walked towards the motel, Rachel said, "I just can't get over that look on Finn's face. Do you think he knows? I mean, it doesn't make any sense that he would blame you for the fact that we were lying or "dating" or whatever?"
"It's only because he thinks we're dating," said Sam. "God, he must hate me right now. From his prospective it's like this is the second time a good friend of his has gotten involved with the girl he's in lo…"
Rachel froze in her tracks and looked up at Sam. "Crap," he mumbled.
When three minutes later Rachel still hadn't said anything, Sam said, "I understand if you want to tell him the truth."
Rachel shook her head. "No," she mumbled. She wasn't going to make the mistake of compromising any of her friendships for a guy who might or might not be ready to have a relationship with her ever again. She'd made enough of a fool of herself doing that with Finn and then Jesse last year.
"Are you sure?" said Sam. "I feel like I'm ruining your life or something."
"I'm fine," Rachel insisted, putting her arm around his for a split second as he unlocked the door to the hotel room. "Don't worry."
"Hi, Rachel!" said Stacie, hopping over and this time ignoring Sam completely. "Wanna play a game with us?"
"We can start over with you," said Stevie, moving both their pieces back to start on the game board.
Rachel and Sam smiled at each other as Rachel sat down on the bed with the kids and Sam sat down at the table with his homework. "Nice to see you too, guys!" said Sam sarcastically.
The next morning, Rachel couldn't help but feel that everyone was starring at her as she walked through the hallway to get to her locker, and not in a good way. "Hey, isn't that one half of Samchel?" said a cheerleader Rachel had never even met before.
"Excuse me?" said Rachel. "Sam and I aren't dating and…who are you?"
"Cut the crap, slut," said the cheerleader. "We all know about you and Sam Evans in that motel room."
"Maybe they aren't dating," said another girl Rachel didn't know.
"They were obviously having sex," said the first girl.
"Sex isn't dating," said the second girl. "If it were, my cousin and I would be dating."
"So-Rachel, right?-said another completely random girl coming up to her. "What's it like being a complete loser with a pimp on the football team?"
"Rachel," said Sam, coming up behind her. "What the hell is going on?"
"Why are you playing dumb?" said someone else. "It's all over the blog. Pictures of you two going into a motel room together holding each other."
"And quotes from the other residents saying she's been there with you before."
Sam just stood there, dumbstruck. Rachel opened her mouth to protest, but there was nothing she could say. The truth getting out might be even worse for Sam than this was.
"Wait a minute," said Rachel. "Exactly what blog?"
About five minutes later, Rachel and Sam cornered Jacob in the hallway by the water fountains, where he was interviewing a girl who may or may not be in love with a teacher. "What the hell are you trying to do to us?" shouted Sam.
"Nothing," said Jacob, still holding his microphone to his lips. "Just trying to get the truth out. So, Samchel, we all know about the two of you doing the nasty in that motel room, but what do you say to the rumors that you were also making out in the hallway at school just yesterday?"
"You want the truth?" yelled Rachel. She grabbed the microphone from Jacob and shouted, "We were not making out in the hallway! We weren't even kissing! All I did was hand him a dollar." She planned to say that Sam had forgotten his lunch money at home.
Jacob's eyes grew wide. "You're paying him?" he squealed.
"NO!" shouted Rachel. She couldn't take it anymore. Everyone within ten feet of them heard the sound of her palm against his face.
Fifteen minutes later, Rachel and Jacob were sitting together in Principal Figgins' office. "What is the meaning of this?" said the principal. "Jacob, you I can understand getting into a fight, but Rachel? You have one of the cleanest track records at this school!"
"It wasn't a fight," said Jacob. "She just hit me!"
"Barely," said Rachel. "Besides, he's been awful to me and my friends. Blackmailing people, spreading false rumors, posting pictures online that nobody even knew were taken…"
"They're not false," said Jacob. "I have photos to prove it!"
"Okay, calm down," said the principal. "Rachel, is it true that you and Sam were seen entering a motel room together?"
"We were visiting mutual friends who are only in down for a few days," Rachel lied. "They've been away at college, and their parents moved after they left so they couldn't stay with them, and…"
"Liar!" said Jacob. "They were doing the dirty dance, I know it! What I'm wondering is, why couldn't it have been me?"
"Enough!" said Principal Figgins. "Rachel, is any of that true?"
"No!" said Rachel. She looked him in the eye earnestly. "I'm a virgin. The truth is, Sam and I are in a healthy, committed, celibate relationship and proud of it. If he wants me, he's going to have to wait for me."
Rachel bit her lip and could have sworn she saw Principal Figgins tear up a little. "That's an incredible attitude for someone your age, Rachel. Don't worry, you won't get in any trouble for this. You," Figgins pointed to Jacob. "All these pictures prove to me is that you have been stalking your fellow students. I'm going to have to report you to the police, and for posting them on the internet I'm going to have to suspend you for six weeks for cyberbullying."
The second Rachel came walking out of the principals office, Kurt ran up to her. "Is he gonna kill you?"
"No," said Rachel. Then she told him everything.
"Damn," said Kurt, taking Rachel's arm. "Maybe you really should get back into acting. We could take some lessons together."