Chapter 10. -She believes in you

She's your best friend because she believes in you when you don't believe in yourself.

~Author Unknown

The sweet smell of Carly's favorite shampoo had something familiar, something relaxing. It immediately calmed me down, as I buried my face in her hair. "I missed you Carly." I whispered. "I missed you too." She sobbed. "I missed you so much Sam."

You never did quite got used to being so far apart from your best friend. I always missed her. Vacations now were better than they'd ever been. Vacations brought her home with me.

"Hey, where is everybody else?" She loosened herself from my embrace before looking around the airport. I smiled. I swear I would never understand how that girl could go from all teary eyes and emotional to as cheery as ever in five seconds.

"Sam, please don't tell me you drove here yourself, you know..." I cut her off. "Relax, Carly, Spencer is here with me, he'll be right back, he's taking a wazz. " I said loudly. Some people turned, and Carly blushed a little. I chuckled.

"Carly?" We turned around to see Spencer running up to us. "Carly, you're here!" Carly's eyes widened. I chuckled again. "Spencer!" She yelled. "What's that around your neck!?"

Hanging around his neck, and glued stuck to Spencer's bare chest and shoulders, was nothing less than a toilet seat.

Spencer shrugged. "That's a toilet seat." "Well I can see that! How did it get there?" Carly always failed to understand funny stuff. "O, I dropped my fork in the toilet, and when I put my head in to see where it was, it turned out there was glue all over this thing. It won't come lose anymore." he explained.

Carly was stunned. "What, just now?" she asked. "No, this morning, at home. Which reminds me, we need a new toilet seat." he said. "Yeah, he drove here with that thing around his shoulders." I grinned. "Now that's not exactly easy."

"It's not exactly safe, either!" Carly yelled. "No, but it was fun!" I began laughing again. Spencer laughed too. "Yeah, like when the police..." he started. "Stop!" Carly interrupted. "I don't need to know it." She sighed. "What am I going to do with the two of you?"

She grabbed both Spencer and me by the arm, and began walking towards the exit. "So, how come you dropped your fork in the toilet?" Carly asked. "And, why was there glue on the toilet seat?" "O, well, I was eating meatballs..." Spencer began. "What, at the toilet?" Carly asked surprised. "No, silly, in the bathtub!" Spencer said.

"Anyway, Gibby called..." he continued his story. I smiled. Not just at the hilarity of things, but mostly because I was walking next to Carly again. She was home.

Later that night, I found myself sitting still, while Carly painted my toenails. I don't know why I let her. "So, the exams are coming up." She chattered." Aren't you busy, you know with studying? I know I am!" I shrugged. "Naah, no need to study." I said. "I'm not going to pass anyway, so..."

I cringed at the reaction I knew was coming. "What!" Carly screamed. "Samantha Puckett, what are you talking about?" she demanded. "Well nothing new, I'd say! I mean, just look at my reputation, can you name one person, just one, who actually thinks I can make it?" I said angrily.

"Yes!" Carly said. "I do! I know you can make it, if you try! If you don't even try, you won't pass, of course! But I know you can do it!" I sighed. "Carly, I... I don't think so, and besides, what use is it going to have? What college is going to let me in? I think it's best to just fail, and then to go find a job."

"Well I don't think that's best!" Carly said. "I for one don't care what anybody else says you can or can't do. I know that if you work hard you can pass -and go to college. You just got to believe in yourself Sam. I know I believe in you, and I'll help you, but that's just not enough. For this to work -for your life to work, you got to believe in yourself, too." Her voice had gotten softer.

I smiled. "Carly, you really do need to become a lawyer." I joked. "You really think I got a chance with this?" I asked unsure. "Well, I do!" She said. "But that doesn't even matter if you don't." I looked down at my feet. There was a big blue swipe all over my right feet, starting at my big toe.

I hadn't even noticed Carly's shootout. "I know someone else who believed in you." She whispered. "What do you think she would have said, if she were here?" Tears immediately filled my eyes. "Listen, you don't have to do this for me, and you don't have to do this for Melanie." She said.

"And nobody's going to be disappointed if you make a mistake! All you can do is try. That's all I'm asking. That you'll try –for yourself." I smiled. Maybe she was right. Maybe I did owe it to myself to try.

"You know what Carly?" I took a deep breath. "I think I can do this." She laughed happily. "Well, I know you can do this! But are you going to?"

I thought about Melanie for a moment, about how smart she was. I thought about how she had gotten that scholarship to her fancy school in Washington, and how everybody had known she would make it to university, and God knows what else. And I remembered how eager she was to do just that.

She would never be able to accomplish that goal. But maybe I would. Maybe, I could make my sister proud.

I nodded slowly. "I am."

And I did. I started actually doing my homework, and studying for my tests. It wasn't always easy, but I did it. Carly, Spencer, Freddie and even Mrs. Benson dragged me through it. Now that I think of it, must not always have been easy on them, either.

I sighed deeply as I rested my head on my books. There was a big history test coming up next week, and I was supposed to be learning for it. But if there's anything in this world that I hate, it's history. For goodness sake, it's all dead people! Boring!

"Samantha, what are you doing? You should be learning right now, young lady!" Mrs. Benson's annoying voice echoed through the apartment. I sighed again. Usually, when I had a test, either Freddie and I would learn together, or Carly would skype me from Italy and supervise my studying from there.

Even though I lived with Spencer, it wasn't exactly like he was able to do anything that required concentration. So, he was of no help. However, when neither Freddie nor Carly had the time or energy to help me –which, strangely, happened rather often when it came to history, they would leave me under the care of Mrs. Benson.

I did not believe there could be any greater punishment.

"Samantha Puckett, you are supposed to be learning!" She yelled. I slowly lifted my head, and groaned. "I know, I know." I said. "It's just so very, very boring!" "I know it is, dear." Mrs. Benson said. "History never used to be one of my favorites either." She smiled.

"But you're going to have to take the exam, and how are you planning to pass that if you won't even study?" She asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "You know..? Freddie and Carly always give me a bacon bonus every time I've concentrated for 15 minutes." I said.

"Well I happen to think that learning should be its own reward!" She said. I groaned again. "But, if you claim that it would really help you..." I jolted up. "Yes! I do, I do, bacon really, really, really helps me concentrate!"

"Okay then." She sighed. "But first, you're going to write a summary, which I'll check personally, and learn everything you need to know, inside out!" She said. "And then I'll get bacon?" I asked carefully. "Then you'll get bacon. But only if I find your work acceptable!" Mrs. Benson said firmly.

"Do we have a deal?" I smiled. Never would have thought I'd someday make deals with Mrs. Benson. "We have a deal."

Studying under the supervision of Mrs. Benson was definitely not my idea of having fun. But she did, in fact, help me pass my history exam. And every exam after that. I never thought I'd see the day I'd graduate from school. But that day seemed to get closer and closer.

And when it came, I was sure I would have made my sister proud.

Next chapter; graduation!