chapter 2: cosmos
when you gonna take me out?
make a move and make it now
"Is that him?"
"I don't think so…"
"No, I think that's him."
"Mmm, I don't know."
"It's not rocket science, guys. He said it was a Jeep, and that looks like a Jeep."
"Oh my god, he's parking it! I think he's gonna walk up!"
The girls crowded around the peephole at the Clearwaters' front door as they took turns peering through and waiting for Sam to show up. All the adults remained still outside without a care in the world, putting Operation: Get Leah to Go Out with Sam without Getting Murdered by Her Mother into effect.
Leah's fortress touched up her appearance for the last time, ready to send her off into uncharted territory. Within the last fifteen minutes, Rachel had hyped her up as she pressed an ice cube against the inflamed pimple on Leah's cheek, while Rebecca had applied mascara and lip gloss on her and Emily picked out a new outfit from Leah's closet. Leah existed as both herself and a mosaic of the girls who surrounded her.
Once she finished adjusting Leah's hair so it fell perfectly over her shoulders, Emily looked through the peephole once more. "That's him, Lee."
"Already?" Leah squeaked. She and Emily traded places and she brought her eye to the peephole, where she saw a red Jeep Wrangler parked onto the street outside of her house and joining the line of cars that had accumulated earlier in the evening. Sam began taking his strides to the doorstep.
"You gotta give him time to wait so you can make an entrance," Rebecca advised her. "Go stand over in the hallway or something."
"I don't have all night to be out!" Leah protested.
"Shhh, just give him some time," Rebecca reasserted.
Feeling silly and complying nonetheless, Leah rounded the corner into the hallway just as she heard a knock on the door.
Rachel let a good ten seconds pass before she swung open the front door. "Look who dropped in," she announced.
His voice alone made Leah's heart skip a beat.
"Hey, Rachel, Rebecca," Sam greeted the other girls. He knew of the twins, but must not have remembered Leah's cousin from Neah Bay. "Er… Emily. Is Leah around? We're supposed to, um, go out soon."
"Oh, yeah, she's almost ready," Rebecca told him. She called Leah's name. "You've got a guest!"
"Coming!" Leah called back.
She attempted to listen to whatever small talk Sam and the other girls might have made in the moment, but the sounds of the music and conversations outside nearly drowned them out. It turned into a party out there.
As Leah stood in the dim hallway, she covered all her bases. She checked her small leather backpack—an old gift from Rebecca that she only used every once in a while—again for her trusty flashlight. The cool steel felt comforting in the dimness, as it always had. While she knew that the girls wouldn't have sabotaged her appearance for her first real date ever (besides the stupid face mask), she had to go over her look one more time too. She brushed her fingertips along the belt buckle fastened on her dark-wash jeans to make sure it remained centered, smoothed out the maroon sweater that Emily had picked out for her, and double-checked that she'd tied the white shoelaces of her Chucks to lessen her chances of looking like a klutz in front of Sam for the second time today.
She took a deep breath and emerged from the hallway and into the light.
Of course, that breath didn't mean anything when she saw him, because she completely forgot to breathe.
"Hey, Sam," she said as she approached him, a slightly nervous smile on her glossy lips.
His eyes lit up. "Leah," he began before taking a discernible pause. "Hi."
"Hi," she echoed.
They just looked at each other for a moment. He'd switched up his look for the night, now donning black jeans, a dark gray hoodie, and a denim jacket over it. He kept his hair in a bun, a few strands sticking out. This current vision of him reminded her of earlier, when he'd helped her pick her papers up in that hallway, except better. Much better.
"Wow, you smell really nice!" he told her, beaming. "Like lemons or something."
She almost missed his words due to her heartbeat pounding in her ears. "Thanks! It was lemon and honey. I did a face mask real quick before we left. Rebecca's idea."
He nodded. "You look really nice too. Are you ready to go?"
She nodded, and her words came out a little too excited. "Yeah! Let's go."
Her friends giggled as they made their departure. They didn't close the front door until they made it far down the driveway. In the darkness, Leah considered taking out her flashlight, but immediately noticed Sam's efforts that deemed it unnecessary. He picked up his pace now as he made a point to get to the passenger door before her and open the passenger door for her.
The car seemed rather creaky, but she quickly forgave it as she slid onto the leather seats and observed how much the car smelled just like him—woodsy, with a hint of peppermint.
"Thanks," she said sheepishly.
"No problem," he replied before rounding the car and getting into his own seat. He started the engine and flicked the headlights on, illuminating the cars parked in front of him. "So… ice cream?"
She blinked. "That was the original plan, right?"
"Yeah, of course," he said. "I was just making sure."
Her response came out with a small smile. "Okay."
"You have a really pretty smile, by the way," he told her, just shyly enough to still be endearing. "I never noticed the, uh—your dimple."
She felt herself blushing. "Thanks! I grew it myself."
He chuckled as he placed his hand on the back of her seat and faced the other way to reverse the car, checking for nonexistent traffic. He backed out of the driveway and began driving down the road that led up to her house and turned into a downward hill, passing by Quil shredding down the sidewalk on his skateboard, with Jacob waiting for him at the end of the street.
Once they passed the boys, Sam's eyes remained focused on the road as he nodded his head toward Leah. His eyes would flash to the speedometer every now and then as he frequently pressed the brakes despite the lack of traffic.
"The radio's not working right now, but the CD player does," he began once they got to the bottom of the hill. "My mom's got a thing of CDs in the console. I'm not sure if you'd like any of them, 'cause they're kinda old, but, uh… feel free to take a look." He turned on the light above the rear view mirror.
"Gotcha," she replied as she began to open up the center console. "You didn't bring your own CDs?"
"I forgot," he admitted.
In the console, Leah found that Sam's mom kept several disks organized in a nylon CD holder. She flipped through the various disks, protected by plastic slips, and saw that—like her own parents—Sam's mother must have enjoyed the oldies. She couldn't find music from the last decade, let alone this one, anywhere. Leah finally located the first familiar title to her eyes in the back of the nylon casing: Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. Harry loved that band and frequently played them around the house, but Leah had never taken the time to listen to them on her own.
"Found something you like?" Sam asked her.
"Mm-hm," she hummed as she pulled the disk out of the sleeve and leaned forward to slip it into the CD player.
"That's a good one," he commented not long after the album started up. She reached to turn off the light and then sat back into her seat.
They reached Forks in one piece. It helped that Sam drove with caution. Somewhere between Stevie Nicks' voice floating through the air and the rare highway lights passing over his face, Leah would peer over at Sam and see just how hard he tried. He kept eyeing the speedometer, just to catch himself. He would also put on his blinkers with more than enough time. And, of course, he hit the brakes often (to make sure they still worked, she suspected). It didn't make Leah sick, but it reminded her that if her mother found out that she snuck out at night with a boy who didn't even have a license, she would be roadkill.
But then she reminded herself to breathe. It's no pressure, she convinced herself. No pressure, no pressure, no pressure.
Forks sat a good fifteen miles away from La Push, separated by a winding highway surrounded by trees. Despite being a sleepy town—definitely lacking the relative "city" energy of Port Angeles—it seemed rather active tonight. As Sam turned right onto the street that led downtown, a number of the store lights lit up, bright and glittering. She expected that for a Friday night—the clock on the Jeep's dashboard showed 8:20pm. When La Push felt like the edge of the world, reentering Forks reminded her of the opposite.
Leah could see the Creamery packed with a number of people as Sam pulled the Jeep into the rather full parking lot. They both got out of the car and headed to the entrance, where Sam made it first once again and grabbed the door handle of the shop, letting her in. Just like mere hours ago at school, Leah saw him as an open book; she could read the effort on his forehead, all the things he thought he should be doing on a first date. She found it funny—but she didn't mind it.
They joined the growing line in front of the glass counters. "Busy night," Sam commented.
Leah looked around the store, scoping out the other guests. Despite being one of the larger eateries in Forks and only a couple years old, it had been designed to emulate the 1950s with shiny checkered floors, retro-style teal furniture, and an old school jukebox to match. For a number of reasons, '50s-style decorations repulsed Leah, but Forks didn't have many options so she let it slide. As she scoped the crowd, tonight's guests primarily consisted of students of Forks High—she even recognized a couple faces of locals who'd visit First Beach on the weekends.
"I know, huh?" she replied to Sam. Her tone naturally turned teasing. "You should've warned me that we'd be kickin' it with the palefaces."
"I thought that was a given when we came to Forks," he said, playing along.
Her mouth twisted into a coy smile. "Fine, you win."
They slowly but surely moved forward in line, both eyeing the selection of flavors of ice cream behind the glass. "What looks good to you?" he asked her.
"Cookies and cream is my favorite," she said. The store offered eighteen other flavors, but they couldn't shake her loyalty for even a second. "What about you?"
"I'm thinking…" His eyes traced over the glass as he considered all the options before he made his decision. "Rocky road."
The line advanced quicker than expected, and Leah and Sam soon sat across from each other in the teal seats of a booth right next to a window. He had paid for their ice cream, and they had each gotten two scoops of their respective favorites in a cup. The bustling noises of the other customers along with the music playing from the jukebox made the awkwardness tolerable (but not avoidable).
Leah and Sam ate hesitant spoonfuls of their cups of ice cream, aiming to maintain this icy yet peaceful moment of near-silence. Leah knew that Sam had a thing for her, but the tension made her want to crumple up into a ball.
They consumed their ice cream without exchanging many words beyond how's yours? and it's good.
Part of Leah wanted to be the brave one, to discuss all the little curiosities that had plagued her since the first time she'd ever talked to him. Another part of her questioned if acting on these curiosities would be overkill. With all the butterflies in her stomach influencing her every move when it came to him, she could barely maintain her cool. She didn't want to ruin anything before it even began.
As they ate their ice cream, this state of near-silence quickly turned into a sly game of eye tag that Leah naturally felt inclined to win. She would mostly keep her gaze down at her dwindling cup of ice cream, or at the strangers who also occupied the store, but her stare would always fall back onto Sam. Her attraction to him suddenly made her feel like a moth to a flame—reckless, unashamed, and unrelenting. Who could blame her, with his deep eyes practically piercing into her soul? Whenever his gaze found hers, he would look away too, back down to his ice cream or somewhere out the window in an effort to play it cool.
He won the latest round of tag as his eyes found hers once again. She worried that he caught her staring at him, but he didn't seem to pay it any mind. "Do you want more ice cream?" he offered, gesturing to her now empty cup.
Leah blinked. "Yeah, sure."
"Cookies and cream again?"
"You know it," she said with a nod.
"Gotcha. I'll be right back." He grabbed their empty cups, slid out of the booth, and discarded the cups in a nearby trash can, before rejoining the line at the counter.
You won this round, Leah thought, disgruntled. She peered out the window for a moment, catching the sparse, twinkling lights of the neighboring buildings. Looking for the shapes within the lights rather than the shadows, she almost felt at ease, but of course, Forks simply couldn't do what La Push did for her in terms of peace or tranquility. It never would.
She lost herself in the scattered lights—she got so lost that she didn't realize that Sam had returned with her second cup of cookies and cream until he sat right in front of her again. As she turned to face him again, she saw that he had gotten a second helping of rocky road for himself.
"Thanks, Sam," she told him as he slid the new cup and spoon over to her.
"No problem," he replied. He nodded toward the window. "Anything interesting going on out there?"
She shook her head. "No, I was just zoning out," she quickly admitted before realizing she sounded like a weirdo. He'd spent all this time trying not to be the weirdo in this pairing, and yet…
A familiar song with a smooth beat and hypnotic bass riff started up on the jukebox, interrupting her frantic thoughts. She heeded Sam's fingers rhythmically tapping against the table to the music instantly.
"You like this song?" she asked.
He grinned. "Are you kidding? 'Maria Maria' is a classic," he replied with an affirmative head nod as the sultry crooning of Carlos Santana's guitar filled the air.
Leah found herself tapping her own fingers to the irresistible beat too. It had been a little while since she'd heard this song. Her mom loved Santana, and this song had been inescapable in the Clearwater house for the first four months after it had dropped, not like Leah ever complained about it.
Sam must've understood, because he closed his eyes and sang along to the chorus, making elaborate hand gestures. Leah knew he meant to be funny, but he actually sounded good. For a fleeting moment, he didn't seem to have a care in the world.
She balled up a napkin and playfully chucked it at him with a swift flick of the wrist, using his pec as a backboard as the napkin bounced off his chest and landed right into his lap. "Leave the singing to the singers," she teased him.
"And you leave the shooting for the court," he replied, mirroring her tone. "I hit all those notes, though, right?"
She instinctively leaned into the table after shrugging. "Whatever you say, American Idol."
"Can you sing?" he wondered with raised brows.
Heat simmered in her cheeks. "Not like that," she responded with the slightest air of dismissal. "I'll sing along to the radio sometimes, but that's it."
He nodded. "Yeah, I assumed. I don't think I heard you singing along that much back in the car."
"I don't listen to a lot of Fleetwood Mac," she admitted. "They're more my parents' speed."
"Then what's more your speed?" he countered. She noticed he leaned into the table a bit more as well.
She gestured over to the jukebox, which still played the Santana song, resisting the urge to get up and dance since she'd learned that Sam liked it too. "Stuff like this," she answered. "Whatever I can dance to. And I don't know if they're considered pop or whatever, but I've always loved Destiny's Child and No Doubt and Nelly Furtado. Oh, and I used to say I liked NSYNC as a joke, but Rebecca got me their first CD, and they're not that bad to me. I just don't really care for JT's solo stuff."
He chuckled. "Yeah. JT's corny for how he did Britney, though."
"Yeah, he sucks, but I still like NSYNC."
"Mm-hm. I don't listen to a lot of the other girl you brought up, though," Sam said. "I just know the rapper with the same name."
"Oh, yeah, that's Beck's celebrity boyfriend. You don't wanna be around her when 'Hot in Herre' comes on. But I guess he's pretty good—it's just that Furtado's stuff is more my thing."
"I'll have to check her out. It's cool how you like No Doubt," Sam said. "They're awesome."
Her eyes lit up. "Right? I love them. 'Don't Speak' is probably my second favorite song ever."
"That's one of the best songs ever recorded," he agreed. "But what's your first favorite?"
"Of all time?"
"Of all time."
A smile lingered on her lips—she didn't even have to think about it. "It's a tie between 'Say My Name' by Destiny's Child and 'I'm Like a Bird' by Nelly Furtado. Depends on the day."
"Sheesh, Leah," he replied.
"What, Sam?" she asked, mimicking his tone this time.
"Those songs have really specific moods."
She shrugged. "I guess I'm a really specific person. What music do you like, though?"
"I'm not that specific when it comes to music," he confessed. "I just listen to the radio and whatever CDs my mom keeps in the car."
"Then what would you know about what makes a classic song?" she challenged him.
"Easy. Any song I like is a classic," he deadpanned before cracking a smile.
She rolled her eyes again but failed to stop the corners of her mouth from twitching up. "Whatever."
They sat in near-silence for another long moment as their smiles faded. "Maria Maria" had long ended and been replaced by the generic rock music that usually played on the jukebox here at the Creamery.
The next round of eye tag began as Leah tried to read Sam's mind to no avail. Her efforts must have summoned some sort of reaction, though, because when he finally spoke up again, his voice sounded confident with a hint of hesitance that Leah caught on to.
"Wanna get outta here?" he asked her.
She laughed, and then her voice came out more teasing than she'd intended. "Tired of being around the palefaces already?"
He smirked. "You could say that."
"You must've read my mind then," she said. "Let's go crash somebody else's bonfire."
They hadn't finished their second ice cream cups, but they didn't feel the need to hold on to them as they walked out to the Jeep. As he started the creaky car up, the same old Fleetwood Mac CD started over, but Leah didn't mind it.
Not much characterized the drive back to La Push besides the music.
Sam tried too hard again. He remained a patient, careful driver as he focused exclusively on the road. She got used to him hitting the brakes, jolting along with the Jeep. She supposed that if he drove without a license, he might as well be cautious about it. The only thing that could be worse than her mom finding out she got into a car with a boy without a license would be if she got into a car accident with said boy.
Once they arrived at their home turf, First Beach, it existed as nothing more than a dark and empty terrain tonight. Not even the moon would help, as it sat obscured behind the clouds, occasionally coming out to shine. Other people meandered about the beach, but the closest bonfires sat far down the rocky shore. Leah's suggestion of crashing one wouldn't be feasible now.
She had retrieved her trusty flashlight from her backpack and illuminated the shiny, slippery rocks that scraped each other as she and Sam walked closely together.
Without the strain of trying to avoid a car accident, the two strolled along the beach as the conversation remained light. They walked aimlessly, Leah clutching her flashlight. She appreciated how they didn't talk too much about school, ASB, or basketball.
"What kind of movies do you like?" he asked her.
She answered without even thinking about it. "Horror."
"Oof ," he exhaled. "Really?"
"Oh yeah. They're so easy to laugh at. I wanted to go see The Ring, but Emily—my cousin—bailed on me to see it with a date. I'm still kinda bitter about it."
He nodded. "That movie just came out too. Do you still think you're gonna go see it?"
"Yeah," she answered nonchalantly. "Assuming I can find someone not-chicken enough to come with me."
"Well, I like watching horror movies with other people. It's fun. Maybe we can go with a group or something."
"Just as long as you're not too scared," she said with a smile
He laughed. "I hear you."
"What do you watch on TV?" she asked after they took a few more crunchy footsteps down the beach.
"Oh, I watch Survivor religiously. It's me and my mom's weekly thing."
"That's kind of cool."
"Yeah. I could win that competition with no problem," he insisted with unflinching confidence.
"I have seen you start a couple bonfires," she mused. "Hopefully the show doesn't get cancelled."
"Nah, there's no way. It's too good." He peered at her with inquisitive eyes. "Do you think you could go on Survivor?"
"Going that long without a shower…" Leah shook her head and made a face. "I'd rather go on The Amazing Race, you know? If I'm gonna be sleep-deprived and competing against a bunch of people I don't like, then I might as well travel. I'm good with maps and stuff like that, anyway."
"More power to you then," he replied. "I can barely read a map as it is. I'd be so lost in a different country."
"I can tell you get a little flustered behind the wheel without a map in the first place," she said with a playful laugh. "You'd be better on Survivor, for sure."
He laughed along with her, but a brief look of concern crossed his eyes. "Was my driving that bad?"
"I'm totally playing with you," she assured him. "You were a little generous with the brakes, but I get it. How long have you had your permit?"
"About three months now. I've been driving around the rez for longer, though. I'll officially get my license in February."
Leah nodded, idly flashing her light over the shiny rocks. "Sweet sixteen. You're a Pisces, right?"
"Uh, I'm not exactly sure what that means," he replied, "but I think so? My birthday's February twenty-sixth."
Great, now YOU look like the weirdo! she mentally told herself. This is your reminder to stop talking about astrology as soon as freakin' possible.
"What about you?" he asked her. "Your birthday, I mean. I don't know the signs that well."
"I turn fifteen in three weeks—November eighth."
"What's that?" he asked. "Libra, right? Sagittarius?"
"No, Scorpio," she clarified. "But it doesn't matter that much."
It actually didn't matter to her at all anymore. Leah didn't need the cosmos to validate Sam's presence. He'd done all that himself.
They kept walking down the beach until they approached a long, weathered driftwood log that sat the perfect distance from the shore. "Wanna sit and talk?" he asked her, and she complied.
As they sat down together, Leah felt herself growing colder and colder. She silently cursed at herself for assuming her sweater alone would keep her warm. Sam, on the other hand, layered his clothes reasonably. As she came in closer to him without making it obvious, warmth radiated from him. Goosebumps prickled on her arms.
Her attempts must have been obvious anyway, because it didn't take long for him to remove his denim jacket and offer it to her. "Sheesh, you're shivering," he said. "Here, take this."
"No, it's okay," she protested.
"It's almost November and we live in Washington," he reminded her. "C'mon, Leah."
She shivered once more, not sure if the goosebumps came from the cold again or from the way he said her name. "You're not wrong, Sam," she murmured. "What's that short for, anyway? At school, everyone just calls you Sam."
"Yeah, I prefer it. It's short for Samson, though."
With raised eyebrows, she asked, "Samson? I would've thought it was Samuel."
"You thought I was named Samuel Uley?"
She paused. Oh my god. "Okay, yeah, that'd be kinda dumb. My bad."
He laughed. "I get that a lot, so no worries. But for real, it's super cold out. You should probably take the jacket."
She finally succumbed to the warmth by slipping the oversized jacket over the sleeves of her sweater and draping it over her shoulders, instantly feeling better. That same scent that Sam carried—the one that she wouldn't tire of in the Jeep, the one reminiscent of the woods and peppermints—invaded her brain now. Every last butterfly lingering deep inside sent her stomach into shambles once more.
How long would she feel this fluttery and giddy in Sam's presence? Part of her wished the universe would hand her a strict timeline detailing what to expect as long as these feelings would plague her. She would even take a precise countdown to the exact minute that she'd feel normal again. Or more grounded. But another part of her wanted to embrace every last butterfly to the point that they took over entirely and let her fly away with them. Staying lost in this euphoria would certainly be an easy task, with Sam's eyes somehow getting prettier and prettier as the minutes passed.
Leah continued to lean into him despite his body warmth being deemed unnecessary now. He took the memo, cozying up to her in response. But, while she could easily get lost in Sam and his deep, dark eyes, First Beach ultimately still remained her happy place, day or night. Her gaze fell back onto the view in front of them. The clouds had shifted so the moon could glitter against the water now, and a tranquility that she hadn't even known she'd craved washed over her.
She hesitated at first, but she finally clicked her flashlight off and set it down next to her backpack, on the rocks. The moon and ocean let her know that she'd be okay with Sam.
"I was wondering what was up with the flashlight," Sam spoke up, keeping his own eyes on the water as she did the same. "I saw that you had it out when I first got to your house."
In a low voice, she revealed, "Oh. Yeah. I'm kind of afraid of the dark. It's been that way for a while now."
"That's cool."
She side-eyed him, not being able to tell if he meant to sound sarcastic. "It's really not, but okay."
"No, I mean, it is what it is, right?" he asked her. "It's cool that you're open about it."
"Yeah. It's not like the rez is exactly the most well-lit place in the world anyway."
"You've got that right…" His words trailed off before he spoke again, his voice careful yet certain. "So how's it feel being in the dark now?"
"Being here in the dark is different," she explained gently. "I like it here. There's the moon, the water…" She stalled, taking a breath. "And there's you. I mean, it's a little different since it's just us. Most people do this going-out thing in groups at first."
"Yeah, we did do this out of order," he admitted. "I'll admit I got a little nervous over the phone when I asked you out. I didn't think about the group thing."
"Why were you nervous?"
"I… I don't really know."
Huh. She bit her lip. "Okay."
"But what were you saying about being here, in the dark?"
"I don't feel alone here, so I don't feel scared or anything. I don't know if that makes sense, but I'm okay."
"It makes sense." He nodded. "Do people give you crap for it? Your fear of the dark thing."
She shook her head and gave a slight smile. "Not anymore. Rebecca used to call me a baby for sleeping with a nightlight in my room, but that was a wrap after I told her to cut it out or else I'd beat her up."
Sam laughed lightly. "No way."
"Yes way," she said. "I meant it too. I don't know, she used to give me a hard time about it. Andy too. But it's just a thing that happens, you know? It's not my fault that I deal with it."
"That's definitely one way to go about it," he commented. "I like that about you."
Her heart missed a beat. "Like what?" she prompted him.
"How you don't take anyone else's crap."
"It comes in handy, so thanks," she said with a breeziness in her voice as a means to ignore her heart beating a million miles per hour in her chest.
"Mm-hm," he hummed. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."
She gently nudged him. "I guess you're gonna have to hold me to it then."
They moved in closer together. For whatever reason, being physically close felt easier than talking. They watched the dark waves undulate upon themselves, rolling in to caress the shore before lazily sweeping back. The water made for a great view as their conversation grew light again. They spoke of their classes, and he finally confessed to being in the Tribal School's chapter of the National Honor Society—and he loved it. She also discovered that he excelled in his art and math courses, while he discovered her deep love for science. The conversation naturally turned to their friends.
"I see you hanging out with Jared sometimes," Leah said. "I didn't think you'd wanna be around eighth graders like that."
Sam awkwardly rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them up. "Nah, I mostly hang out with Matt and Johnny. They're in my grade. Andy too—he's in eleventh grade."
Andy Penn, his corny jokes, and his mouth full of braces populated Leah's world almost as much as Sam did. He'd maintained a solid connection with the twins (and may or may not have had a thing with Rebecca). "Right, he and Beck are always together," she recalled.
"Which twin is Beck again?"
"The loud one with the mole under her eye."
"Oh, right. Yeah, Andy hangs out with her a lot. But with Jared, he's more like my annoying little brother. His mom helps out my mom a lot, I used to have to babysit him a lot when we were kids… You know."
"Then do you know if he likes Kim?"
"I'm not sure, but I could probably bring her up to him."
"Hmm. I think she'd like that."
They continued to converse about their friends and teachers. Leah didn't mind the subject matter now—talking with Sam about school reminded her that a whole world existed outside of this moment on the driftwood, in front of the ocean, with him.
This reminder of the whole world also snapped her back to reality. "I should probably head back home soon," she said in a hesitant voice, with slightly gritted teeth. "I didn't exactly ask my parents if I could go out with a guy who doesn't have his license."
"Sorry I completely lost track of time," he told her as they got up from the bench.
Leah didn't want to say goodbye to their time together as they began to head back to the gravel parking lot. "Sorry I lost track of time, too."
They had been at the beach for way longer than she'd thought—the clock on the Jeep's dashboard read 10:30 once they got back. He'd have to get her home by eleven, and thankfully, her house sat mere minutes away from the beach by car, even with Sam's cautious driving.
But that would've been too easy.
Once he started up the engine, he pressed down on the brake, moved his hand to the gear knob, squeezed the button on the side, and attempted to shift it down from park to reverse, except it wouldn't budge. He squeezed the button again, and once more, harder this time. Nothing happened.
"No way!" he whispered to himself.
Leah glanced at him with a confused expression. "Is everything okay?"
"Uhhh… I don't know." Sam's thick brows furrowed as he tried again. "But it will be." He tried again and again, but the gear knob wouldn't move.
"I don't think everything's okay," Leah deadpanned.
"No, no, it'll be fine," he said in a rush of words. "It's just… a little… stuck."
She clicked her seatbelt to undo it. "I can walk home, if that helps. My house is right around the corner, so it's no big deal."
"It's super late and freezing out there." He shut off the engine and then started it up again.
"I'm sure I'll survive, Sam."
"Wait, please, Leah," he said. "You really don't have to do all that. I've dealt with car issues like this before."
"Then wouldn't you have fixed it by now?" she asked dubiously.
He kept turning the car on and off again and clutching the button on the side of the gear knob. "I'm trying. It just needs a little time."
"I told you my mom doesn't know I'm out here with you!" she protested. "She's gonna go postal and—"
"I know, I know. Could you just do me a favor real quick?"
"What?"
"Can you go behind the car and check to make sure the brake lights are coming on when I press down on them?"
Wordless, she opened the door and slid out of her seat. As she rounded the car, she saw Sam push his door open.
"Alright, I'm gonna do it a few times now," he called out.
"Okay."
The bright red lights steadily lit up once, twice, three times.
"Are they working?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," she called back to him. "They're working."
He made an exasperated noise and she walked over to his side, her sneakers crunching in the gravel. "Lemme try," she told him.
"I know how to do this, Lee," he countered. "It just needs a little more time."
"Well, something's not working, Sam. And I really don't feel like getting myself grounded or you cussed out by my mom."
They shared a glance—her gaze persistent, his gaze frustrated—before finally trading spots. Leah sat forward in the leather seat, shut the car off, gave it a few seconds, and then twisted the key again. She had absolutely zero driving skills, but she'd spent enough time in her family's Honda Civic to know how to do this much. When she pressed her foot on the brake and pressed the gear shift button, it gave with ease. She brought the gear shift down from park to reverse, and the car slowly rolled backwards. Sam stepped back, his face in disbelief, and she threw her foot harder on the brake than she'd meant to.
Not sure how she'd accomplished this, she felt smug anyway. "See what happens when you let someone else try?" she asked him with a smile. She got out of the driver's seat, nudging past him as she rounded the car again.
"I must've loosened it up for you," he said, trying to save face. She could read it all over him, and she hid a smile of her own as she reentered the Jeep.
They returned to her house five minutes before eleven. Of all the parked cars that had filled the Clearwaters' driveway earlier tonight, a few still remained, including the brown Ford pickup that Billy and Jacob had arrived in, the rusty orange-red Chevy pickup that Rachel and Rebecca shared, Emily's mom's Jetta, and Charlie's police Cruiser. From here, Leah could spot the telltale flakes of ash floating behind her house, and she could even hear her mom's loud, carefree laughter. The party carried on in all its original strength.
Sam pulled in behind the Cruiser and put the Jeep in park, but didn't kill the engine. They got out of the car and he walked her to the house, but they lingered around the front door. Before a new game of eye tag could begin, Sam spoke first.
"I'm sorry about the car stuff, Leah," he began. "On top of all the awkwardness. I know this whole thing was kind of random, and I didn't wanna mess it up, but now I think I did."
Leah took a moment to stare at him, her lips pressed together, before she finally responded. "I didn't think it was that awkward, and I didn't think you messed anything up," she said. "But okay."
A dubious expression marked his face now. "You don't think this was the worst date ever?"
She smiled and shook her head. As if I even have a point of reference. "No? I mean, your driving needs a little work, but I still had a good time with you."
"Oh. Okay." He exhaled sharply before speaking again. "You know how back at the beach, I said I got nervous when I called you earlier?"
"Yeah."
"It was just because you're so cool, and super pretty, and really smart. And it seems like you have a lot going on, so I didn't wanna waste your time."
Forget the butterflies! She got hit with a load of feelings that resembled fireworks and then she completely forgot how to breathe again.
"You're really cool and pretty and smart too!" she gushed. Then she shook her head and gave a helpless sigh. "I mean—well, not pretty, but… Ugh. You know what I mean."
"I get you." He smiled, and it made her feel better. She smiled too.
She nodded. "Okay. Okay, cool. And you didn't waste my time, I promise. The car stuff was no big deal. It happens."
"Thanks," he said, his eyes earnest. "I swear I didn't mean for any of that to go down."
"It's okay," she assured him. "You should call me later."
"I've gotcha. You have a good night, Leah."
"You too, Sam." She gave him one last tender look before twisting the door knob. She then gave him a subtle, awkward wave goodbye.
She finally took a breath when she entered the house, closing the door behind her. Holy. Shit.
Leah found Emily, the twins, Seth, Collin, Jacob, and Quil, all sitting around in the living room, engaged in a hot discussion over a rerun of Cribs playing on MTV.
"I heard they don't even film at their real houses," Rachel said.
Quil, who clutched an ice pack against his left wrist, immediately countered this. "That's not always true! Missy Elliott's stupid rich."
"Yeah, Rach," Jacob said. "She even has a personally signed photo of Oprah. You can't make that up."
"Well, not her, Jake," Rebecca told her brother. "We already knew Missy's the real deal, but some of the other houses are fa— Lee-Lee!"
All the other girls rushed towards Leah, who was in the process of slipping off her sneakers, only to be interrupted by Sue entering the house with a stack of plates and silverware in her hands.
"Hey, kids, it's almost time to go home," she greeted them. "How's the wrist, Quil?"
"The ice helps," he said, gesturing to his minor injury. "I'm just glad I didn't break my glasses."
"Good. Now stay off that damn skateboard before you do worse damage than a sprain." Sue's eyes fell onto Leah as she made her way to the kitchen to set the plates and utensils in the sink. "Cute sweater, baby. The jacket's a little big for you, though. Where'd you go?"
Shit, I'm still wearing his jacket! "Hey, Ma. I, um, went to go check the mailbox."
Leah could read it on her mom's face: She didn't buy it. "But I checked it earlier," Sue said.
This didn't stop Leah from trying, though. "I must've forgotten."
"It's my fault, Auntie Sue," Emily piped up. "I thought I forwarded a magazine subscription to Leah, but I think I sent it to the wrong address and didn't realize until now."
"I'll make sure to write that down for you then, Emily." Sue crossed through the living room again, stopping near the back door. "Oh, and your dad's just about ready to leave," she told the twins. "He said you two need to figure out who's driving him home."
"I've got it," Rebecca told Sue.
"Thank you, Becca, I'll let him know. And, Em, your mom's getting ready to leave too. Are you spending the night?"
Emily shook her head. "Mm-mm."
"Alright, sweetie, start getting your shoes on then. You've got a long drive ahead of you tonight."
"Okay, Auntie Sue."
The girls passed by Leah as they made their way to collect their things from the coat closet. Emily wore an excited face as she nudged her cousin and wiggled her eyebrows. "I'm gonna need details, girl."
"I'll call you later this weekend," Leah promised. She couldn't help but smile. "I'm also gonna need details of your date with Curtis with the lips."
Emily beamed in return. "I'll make sure to deliver."
Rebecca and Rachel both hugged Leah. "I'm sure you did great," Rachel told her. "Don't forget to give us all the details too."
All the other parents soon started to call for their children, telling them to get ready to leave, and after twenty long minutes of goodbyes, only the four Clearwaters remained in the house. Leah hastily took off Sam's denim jacket and threw it onto her bed before returning to the living room. Dead tired, Sue immediately went to bed. Seth grabbed his copy of Holes from the dining table and began to retreat to his own room.
He brushed past Leah, who had just finished dragging the coffee table back to its rightful spot on the rug. "Why would you check the mailbox this late at night anyway?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Isn't it way past your bedtime?"
Seth shrugged his shoulders. "I was just asking."
"'Night, Seth."
"Whatever, Leah."
Harry had a rule about not going to sleep with a dirty kitchen, no matter his exhaustion, and Leah often joined him on Friday nights to get the job done faster. He washed the dishes while she dried them. He wiped down the counters while she swept the floors. She used to hate cleaning the kitchen—and still did, for the most part—but Harry made it easier.
He handed her a final dish to dry off. "You seem extra happy tonight."
"Is that not normally like me?" She dried the bowl with her hand towel and set it in the rack next to the sink. Then she found the broom and dustpan leaning against the wall in a corner.
"You're never been this keyed up after a fish fry, that's all," Harry clarified as he began to wipe down the counters. "Did you have fun with your friends?"
Like you wouldn't believe. "Mm-hm. Did you have fun with yours?"
"Every time. Your Uncle Billy's always a riot."
She hoped he wouldn't keep talking about how keyed up she seemed (and admittedly still felt). As he wiped down the counters and she swept the floor, she considered herself lucky that he didn't elaborate. Without him saying much, she lived freely in her mind, the memories from tonight playing on a loop. She dumped the dustpan's contents into the garbage can, put it away with the broom, and lounged on the living room couch. She didn't want to return to her room just yet—she had no chance of getting a good night's rest now.
Leah could've fallen out just thinking about what Sam had told her tonight.
He thinks I'm cool, she recalled. And pretty. AND smart. I even made him awkward because I'm so cool and pretty and smart.
…I did all that?
Yes, I did.
She didn't consider herself to be all that, necessarily—just pretty close—and Sam acknowledging her coolness, prettiness, and smartness made all the difference. That very difference kept her lit up like the stars. So wrapped up in her own thoughts, she didn't notice Harry heading to bed until he planted a kiss on her forehead.
"Get some rest, alright?" he told her.
She blinked and spotted a DVD case from Blockbuster sitting on top of the box television. "I think I'm gonna watch Legally Blonde first."
Harry began to walk down the hallway. "Just make sure to turn everything off when you're done and then get some rest. Haćh awí."
"Haćh awí."
Leah tried to get through the movie as a means of distracting herself from thinking about Sam, but she only ended up missing everything. She then decided to give Elle Woods another chance some other day. Sam's words played on a loop in her mind as she began to drift to sleep.
She only slept for a couple hours by the time she woke up with the TV turned off, a fuzzy blanket draped over her, and a sore neck. She got up to drag herself from the living room to her own bed, where she could drift off again.
Finally, in the morning light, she awoke to a comforting glass of water that Harry had left for her on her nightstand. She took a sip before setting the glass down. She fell back into her pillows, stretching her arms out and yawning. Her alarm clock hadn't been reset since the power outage Thursday night, but she could tell that she'd slept in. Peacefully too. Her slumber hadn't been interrupted by any cold sweats or racing heartbeats or clammy palms. Her nightlight had remained on too. She'd managed to sleep like a rock even after last night's outing.
Part of her still couldn't believe last night had been real, but when she reached her arm out and felt the cool denim she'd discarded last night, she remembered. She dove her face into the jacket, absorbing the familiar smell and cracking a smile in reminiscence.
Last night had been as real as the sun beaming through her window this morning.
Since she'd slept in too late to feel motivated enough for a morning run, Leah instead laid in bed for a little while with Sam's scent permeating her senses.
I could get used to this.
She stared up at the ceiling and ran through her potential plans for the rest of the weekend. There'd be no chance of seeing her cousin today, since she'd be out on her big date with Curtis. (Leah remained slightly bitter over Emily seeing The Ring with a boy instead of her best friend, a known horror movie enthusiast, but whatever.) Homework could wait until tomorrow, since she expected Emily to come by the house with more baked goods and the juicy details of whatever would transpire during her date today. She could count on seeing Rachel and Rebecca if they were up for it. And, if she wanted to be sensible, she could go shoot hoops at the park with Kim.
Leah just couldn't pretend like she didn't wonder when Sam would call her. She just wanted a sign—a bright, neon sign dropped so clearly from the universe—so she wouldn't have to wonder at all, but that would be too easy.
She could figure out almost everything else when it came to high school: classwork, math, friends, extracurriculars, and sports. How could she find her way with those things, but not this?
Sam would be a challenge she didn't feel equipped for yet.
She clutched the jacket a little harder before letting go entirely. In what felt like a split decision, she had decided on a new strategy: play it cool.
Playing it cool for the rest of the day turned out to be easier than she'd expected. Leah kept herself distracted by first reorganizing her bedroom, taking the time to make her bed and comb through the piles of loose papers that had taken over her desk, as well as basketball trophies from over the years. She hung up Sam's jacket in her closet, placing the hanger right in the middle so she wouldn't forget to return it to him at school on Monday. Part of her hoped that he'd magically forget about it so she could embrace her inner weirdo and just breathe it in, but she told herself to get real.
Then she did little household tasks to keep her hands busy, like cleaning her shared bathroom with Seth and washing a load of laundry. Finally, she ended up giving in and completing her homework early. Bio, English, all of it. She even pushed through her Algebra homework and double-checked her answers, as she had nothing but time. Because her parents had gone to Charlie's house to watch college football games on TV and Seth had gone to his friend Brady's house, she stayed home alone. The solitude allowed her to wait by the phone without looking like such a loser in front of other people.
Despite all of this, Leah didn't do the sensible thing today—Kim hadn't even asked her to come to the basketball court with her. Maybe she thought Leah would be mad at her for not warning her about the girls basketball program cuts. Maybe Jared or Paul had called her up. Whatever . Leah couldn't feel too pressed about it as long there was the chance that Sam would call her, but that didn't happen today.
She triple-checked her homework in a sorry attempt to fill time.
Saturday bled into Sunday faster than she anticipated. Without homework or Kim to practice her three pointers with, Leah felt aimless, but Emily brought her right back once she pulled into Leah's driveway that chilly afternoon. The tires screeched into the driveway as Leah ran outside to meet her cousin, excited to dish on their respective dates this weekend.
"That was real fast and furious of you," she observed as Emily hopped out of her own mother's green Jetta. "I'm surprised your mom let you take the car." Emily had simultaneously turned sixteen and got her license at the end of September, but Leah could only count on one hand how many times Auntie Beth had only let Emily drive down to La Push by herself.
Emily hopped out of the car with a plate covered in Saran Wrap in her hands and her messenger bag strap on her shoulder as she made her way to the front door. "You know it," she said in a glum, dismissive voice.
Oh man, Leah thought. This can't be good.
Emily slipped off her shoes once she entered the house. "Hey, Auntie Sue," she called. "Uncle Harry. I've got some fudge brownies for you guys."
Harry and Sue both sat on the edge of the couch in anticipation, watching the Seahawks playing against the Rams in a tight second quarter.
"Hey, Em," Harry greeted her, barely removing his eyes from the TV. "We appreciate it."
Seth popped out of his room and entered the kitchen with a grin on his soft face. "Aww, sweet!" he exclaimed, eyeing the plastic wrap-covered plate in Emily's hands.
"Let me know if they're good."
"Thanks, Em." Seth eagerly began peeling back the plastic and grabbed two pieces.
Sue didn't need to turn around as she told Seth, "Just one before dinner."
"Almost got away with it, too..." he mumbled under his breath.
Sue turned her head in his direction. "What was that?"
"Nothing, Ma!" He swiftly handed a piece to Leah, who stuck her tongue out at him.
Leah wrapped the brownie square in a napkin and retreated to her room, Emily following behind her. Once the door was shut, she lounged on her bed and Emily took a seat in the plastic desk chair.
"Okay, girl," Leah began before eating a chunk of the brownie. "What happened yesterday?"
She frowned. "I had the worst freakin' date ever— that's what happened."
Leah sat up, her eyes alarmed. "Was the movie that bad? 'Cause I still wanna see it." Her lips stretched into a grin. "Actually, me and Sam were thinking of—"
"No, Leah," Emily cut in. "The movie was good, but it was the guy who ruined everything."
Leah's smile disappeared. "But I thought like you liked Curtis."
"I did," Emily sighed. "And that's the worst part."
"What happened then?"
"We went to the movies, everything was cool, and then after that we were just chilling in his dad's car over at the park by his house, kissing or whatever. The usual."
Leah nodded.
"But then," Emily continued with a lowered voice and serious eyes, "Curtis basically said that he expected me to… you know."
"What?"
"You know," she repeated. "Not all the way, but the other one."
Leah's jaw dropped. "Nuh-uh, no way."
"He literally said that to me. To my face."
"Wait… did you do it, though?"
"No, I didn't do it!" Emily cried. "I heard it tastes terrible anyway."
"Sure, but I don't think we know anyone who's actually tried it."
"I know a couple girls from my school who have," Emily countered, "but still. It basically comes from where they pee—it's not like it'd taste good."
From the living room, Harry and Sue suddenly let out a bellowing whoop, making Emily jump. The Seahawks must have finally scored.
"Sorry. You know how they get about the Hawks," Leah said. "So what happened when you didn't do it?"
Emily looked her cousin dead in the eye. "He called me a tease, and when I told him to take me back home, he asked me for gas money that he specifically said I didn't need to give him before we went out."
"Are you serious?"
"And you know what's even worse? He said I was getting less cute to him because my scar is distracting."
"Yeah, he's super butthurt. You had the scar before you even met him."
"I know!" Emily let out a frustrated groan. "Ugh, I wish I never even went out with him for a third time! The first two times were totally fine, but then this happens? I'm really starting to think I'm cursed, Lee."
"First of all, you're not cursed. He's just a creep, not to mention a total scrub," Leah began. "And second of all, he's trippin' if he thinks he's just gonna get away with making you feel bad. You know what? We should go beat him up."
Emily just stared at her. Beneath the joking exterior, Leah meant it, especially if it meant that Em would feel better.
"He lives up on your rez, right?" Leah continued. "If you floor it, we could go tag-team curb-stomp him real quick and still make it back in time for dinner." It wouldn't be the first time she punched out a boy in her cousin's honor. The other kids from Emily's school knew of Curtis with the lips, of course, but they also knew of Leah with the hands.
Emily chuckled lifelessly. "I appreciate it, but I don't think that'll help."
"It worked before," Leah pointed out.
"Yeah, back in sixth grade. Beating him up won't do anything this time. By homeroom tomorrow, my whole school's gonna think I'm a tease. Or a prude. Whatever. I don't really know the difference."
"I'll ask Rachel—I bet she knows."
"Thanks." She paused for a moment. "At least I've still got options, though."
"Just say the word, and we can go jump him."
"I was actually thinking more along the lines of becoming a nun," Emily clarified. "I might be good at that."
Leah rolled her eyes. "Em—"
"But hear me out! I won't have to worry about nobody wanting to date me ever again since it's not gonna happen anyway."
"Come on, Em. Curtis wasn't your last date ever and you know it. You've been at this whole dating thing for a minute now, and we haven't even taken midterms yet. You've still got game."
"I guess you're right," Emily admitted. "I might take you up on that offer to go jump him, though. But how was it with Sam on Friday? I was so wrapped up in my whole thing with Curtis that I totally forgot to ask."
Leah's face immediately lit up and the fireworks returned. "Sam was so sweet, Em, you've got no idea," she gushed. "We got ice cream, and I found out he likes some of the same music as me. Then we went to the beach, and his car broke down for a little bit, but it was cool in the end."
Emily's eyes widened. "Wooow, Lee! I noticed you guys were gone for a while."
"I haven't even gotten to the best part yet," Leah went on with a grin. "At the end of the night, when he took me home, he said I'm cool. And pretty. And smart." Her voice dipped to a near-whisper. "I think he likes me for real."
"He'd be crazy if he didn't like you for real. Have you talked to him since then?"
"He hasn't called me yet," Leah replied, her smile fading a little. "It's been just over a day now, but he could be busy or something."
"Yeah. He'll make the next move, for sure."
"Right? 'Cause I really do think he likes me. God, Em, you had to be there."
"I believe you. If he tries to screw you over, though, just let me know."
Leah made a face. "I obviously know how to beat up boys if I have to. But okay."
"I'm just saying, Lee," Emily said, her tone defensive. "It's not like boys are known for being super nice—I.E. my situation. It'd kill me to see you get hurt."
"I'll be alright," Leah assured her cousin, brushing her off. "I think I'm pretty tough."
"You're the toughest person I know, and that's not just 'cause you're my favorite cousin and best friend. But you should be careful, that's all."
Leah gave an understanding nod of her head. She obviously means well, she thought. Just let her have this one. "Noted."
They didn't talk much about Sam after that, even though Leah deeply wanted to get into every last little detail about her first date ever. She knew it wouldn't hurt Emily's feelings to talk about Sam, but it couldn't feel too good now, after Em's disastrous third date with Curtis. For as often as Emily had bad luck with boys, Leah hoped the same wouldn't happen to her. Unlike Curtis, Sam seemed… different. Sweet. And he liked her. If she didn't know anything, she knew this. Leah wanted to give him a chance, to see the good in him. Was she meant to feel bad for wanting that?
The rest of the day went like any other Sunday. Emily completed her homework as Leah got ahead on her English readings, only to be briefly interrupted by Seth, who begged Emily to take him to the public library after he finished Holes. Emily and Leah paused their studies to drive over to Forks, where Seth picked up copies of The Giver and Bridge To Terabithia. They got back as the game ended, and the Seahawks ended up losing, per usual. Leah still didn't understand why her parents religiously supported a team notorious for performing badly.
Long after Emily had departed for Neah Bay, while Leah washed the dishes alone in the kitchen, the telephone finally rang.
This is it, Leah thought. The sign from the universe.
She scrambled to dry her hands on a dish towel before picking the phone up with a racing heartbeat and shaky fingers. If Sam didn't occupy the other end of the call, she'd never live it down.
But, of course, this flashed before her eyes as the sign. Her sign. The cosmos worked for her, after all.
"Hello?" she asked, pressing the receiver to her ear.
"Hey, Leah, it's Sam," he said. "How's it going?"
Play it cool, play it cool. "Pretty good. I was just washing dishes. The Hawks lost."
"Tell me about it. My mom's been mad about it all day."
"I think that speaks for everyone who lives in Washington. But what's up with you?"
"Nothing much. Just been doing homework all day. I was wondering about something, though."
She held her breath. "Yeah?"
"Do you wanna maybe, uh, study together tomorrow after school?"
"Sure!" she replied eagerly before her voice became apprehensive. "Wait, no, I'll have practice if I make the team."
"So you'll definitely have practice. My bad, I should've thought of that."
She idly began to wrap the telephone cord around her wrist. "It's okay," she said. "I'll definitely study with you if I don't make the cut, though. I'm gonna need someone to vent to. Maybe a shoulder to cry on if my pride gets crushed too hard."
"C'mon, you gotta have some faith in yourself, Lee."
She shrugged. "You never know. But, for real, we should probably start getting that movie group together too. I know Kim would be down, but she's impossible to make plans with on the spot."
"You still wanna see that one movie?"
She tried not to feel a tinge of embarrassment. Of course I do. "Yeah. Em said The Ring was good, and actually scary."
"Then I'll keep that in mind. In case the movie's too scary, you can always hold my hand."
Oh god. Her heart stuttered just as Sue entered the kitchen asking, "Hey, Leah, did you finish th—"
"See you at school tomorrow!" Leah exclaimed into the phone before effectively slamming it down onto the hook.
"Did I scare you?" Sue asked her as she made her way to the plate of brownies. She peeled back the plastic wrap and grabbed a treat.
Leah faced Sue and tried to focus on acting like she didn't just die a little bit at the prospect of holding hands with a guy who thought she was cool and pretty and smart. "No, I'm good," she replied.
"Sorry for interrupting, sweetie. Who were you on the phone with?"
"Kim," Leah answered automatically. With Sue, just mentioning a boy's name could open up a whole can of worms that she wanted to avoid for as long as humanly possible. "She was just asking me about Algebra homework."
Sue smirked. "Does Algebra homework usually have you this flustered?"
Leah nodded, hoping her mother couldn't see her coming up with an excuse on the spot. "Only when there's a test coming up," she assured her. She grabbed a brownie from the plate and scurried off to her room before Sue could say much else. "I better get back to studying so I don't fail Thursday. 'Night!"
She returned to her room, where her heart could finally stutter in peace. Even though she needed more practice playing it cool, she could see herself getting used to this feeling.
For the first time in her life, she eagerly awaited Monday morning.
Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable media or characters mentioned here. All histories and cultural aspects of the Quileute tribe belong to them.
