Chapter 15
On the Monday after my date with Sam, I was zoning out in History class with the bruised and bandaged Bryce staying as far away from me as the seating arrangement allowed. Suddenly, Principal Rivers' voice came over the speakers.
"Will Luna Loud, Bryce Buchanan, and Sam Sharp please come to the principal's office? Luna Loud, Bryce Buchanan, and Sam Sharp to the principal's office." I stood up and left the room in the direction of the principal's office, mentally crossing my fingers that Bryce was the one in trouble, not Sam or me. Sam and I arrived at the same time, and my hand leaped into his as if through magnetism. He looked at me with concern in his eyes, then smiled and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. Principal Rivers was waiting for the three of us alongside Lisa and two police officers. "I assume you're wondering why I called the three of you in," Principal Rivers began her explanation. "These two gentlemen would like to ask you all some questions before they conclude an ongoing investigation. This young lady has been assisting them."
Lisa brought up a picture on the iPad in her hands and asked, "Is this vehicle familiar to any of you?" It was the white pickup truck that ran over Sam! Bryce and I nodded, and Sam shook his head. Sam had previously confessed that his memories of that incident were fuzzy at best. Lisa pulled up another picture, this time of a license plate. "Bryce, do you own a similar vehicle with this license plate number?"
"No!" Bryce said quickly, only for a device on Lisa's wrist to beep rapidly.
"According to my modified wristwatch, that is a blatant lie," Lisa explained with a smug smile. "Officers, you know what to do." The policemen nodded at each other before one stepped forward and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.
"Bryce Buchanan, put your hands against the wall," he ordered. "You're under arrest for attempted vehicular homicide in the first degree." Bryce went into a rampage as the cops restrained him, cursing at everyone in the room and trying to attack me and Sam. Because of that, they added "resisting arrest" to his charges and hauled him away kicking and screaming.
Sam and I managed to maintain stony expressions until Bryce and the cops faded from earshot. Then we looked at each other and grinned.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! We did it! We're free of that douchebag forever!" I squealed and jumped into his arms.
"I know! I know!" he shouted back, laughing as he picked me up and spun me around before pulling me in for a deep kiss. Lisa and Principal Rivers both cleared their throats.
"I apologize for interrupting a joyous occasion, but this is neither the time nor the place to celebrate in such a manner," Lisa stated.
"Agreed. I'm happy for both of you, I really am, but you should both get back to class," the principal added. We apologized as well and gave each other one more peck on the lips before going our separate ways.
...
To celebrate our latest victory over Bryce, Sam invited me and the whole family to Karaoke Night at the Burnt Bean, where Sandra let all of us have pie and ice cream on the house. After a while of laughing, talking, and eating, Sam got out his guitar and went up on the stage.
"Hey, everybody, my name is Sam," he began after fiddling with the microphone. "But you should all know me by now; I mean, my aunt runs this place, for cryin' out loud!" That got a few chortles from the audience. "In all seriousness, though, I'd like to dedicate this song to my new girlfriend, Luna Loud." Sam put the guitar strap over his head, plugged it into the amplifier, and launched into Smash Mouth's cover of "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees.
I thought love was only true in fairy tales
Meant for someone else, but not for me
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all my dreams...
And then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer!
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind!
I'm in love, oooh!
I'm a believer,
I couldn't leave her if I tried!
I thought love was more or less a givin' thing
The more I gave, the less I got,
Oh, yeah
What's the use in tryin'?
All you get is pain
When I wanted sunshine, I got rain...
And then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer!
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind!
I'm in love, oooh!
I'm a believer,
I couldn't leave her if I tried!
Sam stopped singing briefly and absolutely aced the guitar riff at the climax of the song, to the audience's approval.
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all my dreams...
And then I saw her fay-ace!
Now I'm a believer!
Not a tray-ay-ay-ace
Of doubt in my mind!
Now I'm a believer
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Yeah-ah-ah, yeah!
Yeah, I'm a believer!
Yeah, I'm a believer!
Yeah, I'm a believer!
The song ended, and everyone cheered. The moment Sam came down from the stage, I jumped into his arms and peppered him with kisses. With me still in his arms, he walked back over to our table.
"Just curious, Sam, but out of all the songs you could have played, why that one?" Lincoln asked. Sam looked into my eyes and smiled.
"Because never in a million years did it ever occur to me that I could have someone like Luna in my life," he replied. "Someone I could be more than just friends with. Someone I could love with all my heart." If he hadn't been holding me already, I would've gone weak at the knees.
"Aww, c'mere, you!" I said and pulled him in for a kiss on the lips that we dragged out for several seconds. When we parted, Lily promptly nailed him in the forehead with her half-full sippy cup, to everyone's amusement.
With the whole conflict with Bryce behind us now, the only thing Sam and I were both dreading was our scheduled appointments with the school guidance counselor right before Christmas Vacation to discuss our options regarding career choices.
...
"C'mon in, Luna! No need to be shy!"
I nervously stepped into the guidance counselor's office and closed the door behind me. Behind the desk sat Mrs. Mildred, a surprisingly foxy African-American woman in her fifties. Despite the cold weather outside, she wore a sleeveless tie-dyed dress with a white satin sash around her waist. Her whitening hair hung down her back in long dreadlocks, large golden hoops hung from her ears, and an excess of large gold bracelets dangled on each bony forearm, making a jingling sound whenever she moved. She was always in a peppy mood, and spoke with a moderate Ghetto accent.
"H-h-hello, Ma'am," I said as I slid into the padded chair in from of her desk. She seemed to pick up on how nervous I was and clicked her tongue.
"Aww, don't you worry your pretty li'l head, Hon. I ain't gonna bite. Here, have some candy," she said and slid a small dish of lemon drops toward me. I plucked one out and started sucking on it as she straightened the contents of a manilla folder with my name on it. "Alright, no need to beat around the bush. You and I both know why you're here. Based on what your three pals that came before you have said, I have an inkling on what you wanna do with your life. The four of you wanna make it big in the music biz, am I right?"
"Yes, Ma'am," I replied, feeling a little more at ease. "We want to see if our band can make it to the big leagues as professional musicians."
"Not a bad career, if I say so myself," she agreed. "I'm sure you're aware that it takes considerable effort for a garage band from the middle of nowhere to get off the ground?" I nodded. She glanced through the contents of the folder with a trained eye. "Based on what your transcripts look like for the moment, I'd say you're well on your way to achieving your dream. Just keep those grades up, and you'll be fine." I let out a sigh of relief until Mrs. Mildred furrowed her brow. "Hold on...what are these complaints from the hall monitors I'm seein'?" I felt my face heat up, and she probably saw me turn red. "Somethin' wrong, Hon?"
"W-w-well, y-you see, Ma'am," I stammered in embarrassment. "Me and my boyfriend occasionally get warnings for our, uh, public displays of affection." She snorted and laughed.
"Oh, Lordy!" she hooted. "I can't even remember the last time I saw a pair of lovebirds as twitterpated as you and that Sharp boy! Seein' as it don't affect your grades none, I don't have any problems with it. Just try to keep it under control as much as you can, okay, Hon?" I nodded dumbly, completely disarmed by her reaction. She then handed me a list of recommended college courses and sent me on my merry way.
It was the end of the school day, and it was the middle of December. In only a few more days, school would let out until well after the New Year. It was cold, even for Sam, but we still liked to walk back to my house together. Today, he wore a brightly colored Nepalese overcoat with the hood down as his bare feet crunched through the half-inch of snow on the ground. He couldn't stand wearing anything with sleeves, because they always made him too itchy.
Instead of coming inside like he sometimes did, we parted ways when we reached my front porch. His excuse was that he had to help Sandra take inventory of supplies at the Burnt Bean before people flooded in to get their last-minute holiday goodies. We gave each other a quick kiss on the lips, then he walked away while I stepped inside and stomped the snow off of my boots. I handed my list of recommended classes to Mom before heading upstairs to do my homework.
I missed the worried look on Mom's face as she looked over my list...
Buckle your seatbelts! I have one or two more lighthearted, holiday-themed chapters planned, then things are gonna take a turn for the dramatic.