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It was the Friday after the USO show and Sam and Haley were walking down by the riverfront enjoying ice cream on a warm day. Brooke was at an important business meeting, so Haley had agreed to give Sam a ride home from school, but they'd decided to stop for ice cream on the way back.
"So is it weird hanging out with your teacher?" Haley teased, playfully nudging Sam.
Sam chuckled. "A little," she admitted.
Haley smiled, she was so proud of the progress that Sam was making. She was excelling in school, had an overall good attitude, and seemed to be a lot happier than she had been only a couple of months ago. She seemed to be truly thriving under Brooke's care.
"I don't blame you," Haley said, taking another lick of her ice cream. "So, how are things with Brooke?"
"Good," Sam replied. "She's been really good to me," she smiled at the ground. It was true, she was really warming up to Brooke and she respected her as her authority figure.
"I knew you two would be good for each other," Haley said. "Brooke's pretty great."
"Yeah, she can get annoying though," Sam said nonchalantly, causing Haley to laugh.
"Oh yeah? Why's that?"
Sam brought her ice cream to her lips as the girls continued leisurely walking. "She has so many stupid rules," she shrugged. "And she's so high strung."
Haley scoffed. "She's just looking out for you, you goof," she told the girl.
"I know, I know," Sam said with playful annoyance. "Thank you for looking out for me too," She said in a quieter tone. "You got me out of a pretty shitty situation and I'm really grateful for that, Haley."
The teacher smiled sadly, her expression filled with sympathy. "You're welcome. You deserve a stable home, Sam. I care about you and I'm so glad that you're in a good environment now."
Sam just nodded, letting Haley's words sink in.
"And watch your language," Haley softly scolded.
Sam giggled and rolled her eyes. "Dude, I'm 15, relax."
"Mmhm," Haley side eyed her, clearly not impressed.
The girls continued walking and chatting for another 15 minutes before they eventually went back to the car and started heading back to drop Sam off.
"Are you sure you don't want to come home over and hang with Nathan, Jamie, and I until Brooke gets back from her meeting?" Haley asked.
"Yeah it's okay, I have a lot of homework I need to get done," Sam said. "Besides, I can stay home alone, you know," she added defensively.
"I know you can," Haley smirked. "Just thought I'd offer."
"Thanks for the ride… and for hanging out with me," Sam said as they pulled into the driveway. "I had fun."
"Anytime," Haley grinned. "I had fun too,"
"Bye Haley."
"See you Sam."
Sam was at the kitchen island doing homework when Brooke arrived home an hour later.
"Hey," Brooke announced cheerfully when she entered the house. She walked over to where Sam was sitting at the island and wrapped her arms around her from the back. Sam smiled to herself. She would never admit it out loud, but she loved when Brooke would hug her after a long day. It was something the designer had recently started doing, and it made Sam feel loved and protected.
"Hey," she replied. "How was your meeting?"
"It went pretty well I think," Brooke said, releasing her embrace. "How was school?"
"Fine I guess. Haley took me out for ice cream after."
"Oh fun!" Brooke smiled. She was thrilled that Haley and Sam were bonding more. "I'm glad you guys got the chance to hang out."
"Me too," Sam said. "So what's for dinner?"
"I don't know," Brooke shrugged as she set her purse down on the counter and got herself a glass of water. "What are you in the mood for?"
"Can we order Italian?"
"Sounds good to me," Brooke replied, resting her elbows on the counter. "I'll call the place in a bit."
A couple of hours later, Brooke and Sam were sitting at the table eating their takeout Italian food.
"So, uh, I was wondering," Sam said hesitantly as she shoveled a bite of Alfredo pasta into her mouth.
"What's up?"
"Parent teacher conferences are next week and I just, I don't know… are you going? Cause it's okay you don't have to," Sam said quietly, picking at her food. She really did want Brooke to attend. She'd been doing great in school recently and she wanted her foster mom to talk to her teachers and be proud of her. For some reason though, she felt awkward and embarrassed asking if Brooke was going.
Brooke could tell that Sam wanted her to come but felt uncomfortable asking, so she replied in the most casual, non judgemental tone that she could. "Of course I'm going," she smiled. "I can't wait to hear from your teachers. I wouldn't miss it."
Sam perked up slightly. "Okay, cool," she said.
"If there's anything bad you did that you got in trouble for you should probably just tell me now before I find out from someone else," Brooke teased.
"There's nothing," Sam laughed. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm perfect and can do no wrong."
Brooke raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" She scoffed. "You're funny."
Sam grinned. Most teenagers dreaded parent teacher conferences, but Sam couldn't wait.