In Your Arms (6 page)

“No, man, he’d ask questions. Besides, he doesn’t even know I use them. No, my only hope is stealing them back,” Josh said angrily.

“Not so loud, Josh,” Billy warned. “What are you going to do about it, then?”

“I have a plan. I’ll tell you after practice.”

Sam knew better than to look at them as she passed. She knew what they were talking about. She saw it in their eyes, their look of fatigue, their extreme mood swings and even in their heightened performance on the field.
Steroids.

Sam guessed that Josh had run out of steroids and money to purchase anymore. Someone must have confiscated them. Sam was surprised he didn’t get expelled for possession. Probably the confiscator didn’t know they belonged to Josh.

What was his plan anyway? He didn’t have any money, he obviously couldn’t borrow that much money from Phillip, or anyone else, for that matter. What exactly was Josh up to?

* * *

“So tell me what it was like,” Sam said over the phone later that night.

“What are you talking about?” Alex asked jokingly.

“You know what I’m talking about, so just tell me. I’m dying of suspense over here.”

“Well, all right, we just went to Jerry’s Pizza for a drink and some pizza,” Alex replied.

“And?” Sam urged.

“We just talked, about classes and other stuff. He asked me out again. Can you believe it, Sam?”

“Yes, I can believe it. I think that is just so cute. I knew it from the moment I saw you two meet. You were MTB,” Sam said.

“Stop being such a dork, Sam. You so did not think we were meant to be. You thought he was weird and you thought I thought he was weird. You never imagined us together.”

“Okay, fine. I admit it was a little sudden. But now, you two are so cute together. I just wish you could say the same about me.”

“What, you and Michael?”

“No, dummy, me and,
you know
.” Sam didn’t want to say his name.

“Oh, you mean you and dream boy, your prince charming.”

“Yes, okay.”

“You know, I’d better start my homework. My mom was kind of mad I came home late.”

“All right, Alex, see you tomorrow then.”

“Bye, Sam,” Alex said then hung up the phone.

PhilyCheeseSteak: Hey, Sam.

Sam heard her online messenger go off as she hung up the phone. It couldn’t possibly be Alex. Sam got up and sat down at her desk. She could hardly believe it when she pulled up the flashing box.

SamIam: Hey, what’s up?

PhilyCheeseSteak: Nothing, I just had a question about Bio. Did we have to do all of the questions on page 214 or just the even numbers?

SamIam: All of them. You think Ms. Hatchet would actually let us just do the only even numbered questions?

PhilyCheeseSteak: No, I guess you’re right. What was I thinking?

SamIam: It’s okay. We all have those days, besides I like to think you asked me that question just to talk to me.

Sam couldn’t believe what she’d wrote. Why was she being so obvious?

PhilyCheeseSteak: You’ve discovered my plan!

SamIam: You don’t have to sound sarcastic.

PhilyCheeseSteak: I wasn’t trying to be sarcastic, you really did point out my true intentions.

SamIam: Sure.

PhilyCheeseSteak: You don’t believe me?

SamIam: No. Why should I believe you? You give me no reason to.

What was she doing? Why did she have to be such an idiot? Why did she have to argue so much with him? Why couldn’t she stop?

PhilyCheeseSteak: I want to be your friend. Is that enough reason just to talk to you?

SamIam: Yes, but I wasn’t sure we were friends. You know you only just started talking to me. For all I know this could be some plot to embarrass me in front of the entire school.

PhilyCheeseSteak: I would never do that, Sam. I really do want to be friends again. When I saw you the other day in detention, I remembered how much fun we used to have. I don’t know why we ever stopped talking in the first place.

SamIam: You became popular. You began dating Tracy. I wasn’t socially acceptable, I suppose.

PhilyCheeseSteak: Let me make it up to you now. Let’s put the past behind us. Can we be friends again?

SamIam: If you’re sure this isn’t some evil plot to humiliate me.

PhilyCheeseSteak: Hahaha. I’m sure.

SamIam: So what’s up?

PhilyCheeseSteak: I believe you asked me this already.

SamIam: So I did. But now I’m asking as a friend and I expect an honest answer, no BS about Bio.

PhilyCheeseSteak: I just got home from practice, nothing else after that. I’m eating a PB & J. Is that friend material enough for you?

SamIam: Yes. Don’t you have a game coming up?

PhilyCheeseSteak: Yeah, against South Christian High. If we win, we’re in the finals.

SamIam: That sounds cool. I never was one to appreciate football. I just never understood the premise of the game. It’s just throwing a ball and tackling other players, all to try and score points. Just like hockey.

PhilyCheeseSteak: I’ll just have to explain it to you the next time we get stuck in detention, that way maybe I’ll see you at the game.

Talking online with Phillip was much easier than talking with him in person.

SamIam: I’d better go. I still have work to do. I spent the afternoon talking with Alex about her date, so I didn’t really have time to finish my work. You probably have homework too, especially if you just got out of practice.

PhilyCheeseSteak: Yeah, tons. So I’ll see you tomorrow?

SamIam: Yeah. See ya, Phillip. Nice talking with you.

Sam sat back in her chair, completely flummoxed. He actually seemed sincere about wanting to be friends again, and she didn’t know what to think about it. Something still seemed off here. As much as she wanted it to be true, she’d seen too many teen movies where the popular boy paid attention to the uncool girl as a joke to believe in it now that it was happening to her. Maybe if he broke up with Tracy…

* * *

The next morning, Sam noticed that Alex’s motorcycle was already in the parking lot when she arrive. For once, she wasn’t incredibly late, so she walked inside toward her locker, but Alex was nowhere in sight.

“Hey,” Alex said from behind her. Just as Sam turned to face her, hands covered her eyes.

Sam smiled. “Hey, handsome.” It was an old joke between them. Ever since they were in ninth grade, after they had seen a movie on a late night cable channel, whenever Sam or Alex snuck up on one another and covered their eyes, they would greet each other with the silly phrase. She laughed as the hands were quickly removed from her eyes.

Alex stood in front of Sam, giving her a This-Is-So-Hilarious-You-Should-See-Your-Face grin as Sam began to realize it wasn’t Alex who had placed her fingers over her eyes but….Phillip.

“Well, it was kind of sudden, but I’m starting to like it,” he said, referring to the nickname.

“Uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t—I mean, I thought you were Alex—I didn’t mean it,” Sam stammered.

“So, you don’t think I’m handsome?” He gave her a hurt look.

“No—I mean, yes—I mean, no, you are—um—”

“It’s okay, Sam. I kind of like the nickname. Fits, don’t you think?” He winked. God, he was so hot when he winked at her like that.

“Lacking some humility?” she said, refusing to be taken in.

“Only when you’re around,” he said.

Sam blushed just as the bell rang.

“See ya around, Sam,” Phillip said. “Bye, Alex.”

“Bye, Phillip,” Sam said.

“Wait a minute. I’m not leaving until I hear you call me by my nickname.”

“That’s not your nickname,” Sam insisted.

“Yes, it is. You gave it to me. Alex was there, she witnessed.”

“I didn’t think it was you.”

“It still counts. Now let me hear you say it,” he urged.

“We’re going to be late,” Sam stated.

“I only need to hear you say it, and then you can go. Besides, we’re friends and that’s what friends do.”

“What? Make each other late to class?”

“No, give each other nicknames. Yours just happens to be Sam, and mine just happens to be…”

“
Fine
, goodbye, handsome,” Sam said.

Phillip smiled. “Bye Sam. Bye Alex.”

* * *

“All right, guys, homework for tonight is problem set 65. This covers what we went over in class so if you were paying attention, you shouldn’t have a problem. Now for those of you who were not paying attention, and there were a few of you, read through the chapter or call one of your fellow classmates for help,” Mr. Stevens said to the class just before the bell rang.

Sam and Alex stood up and headed out the classroom door.

“Did you hear him?” Alex asked. “‘
For those of you who weren’t paying attention.’
”

Sam just smiled at her friend. They both knew Mr. Stevens was referring to them. They had been passing notes during class, again.

“It shouldn’t be that hard,” Sam said. “It’s not like we were completely ignoring him. I mean I was listening, some of the time.”

Both Alex and Sam began to laugh as they reached their lockers.

“Oh, hey, I forgot to turn in my homework to Mr. Stevens,” Sam said. “I’ll meet you in English.” Sam grabbed her English book and headed back to Mr. Stevens room. “Mr. Stevens,” Sam said as she walked into his classroom. “I forgot to turn in my homework.”

“Thank you, Sam. Oh, and next class, try and pay a little more attention to the lecture. You are my brightest student, but I would like a little acknowledgement once in a while.”

Sam smiled. “Sure thing, Mr. Stevens, see you tomorrow.”

Before Sam made her way down the corridor to English to join Alex and Michael, she stopped at a nearby water fountain in the East wing of the school. As Sam bent down and pushed down on the lever, she nearly choked when she heard several loud pops. Just like…gunshots.

Sam’s heart was pounding in her chest even before she heard the screams and saw students running down the stairs.

Chapter Five

S
am was paralyzed with fear. What was going on? Students were running down the stairs, passing her as they made their way outside the building. All Sam could do was stand there and watch as the whole thing unraveled. Teachers had come out of their classrooms and began escorting students and yelling directions. It was a mad house as everyone rushed to get out of the school.

Yet for some reason, Sam remained locked into place, too terrified to move. She thought of all the times she’d seen this on the news and couldn’t believe it was happening here. The gunshots weren’t far away, just up the stairs. Several more shots rang through the nearly empty hallway. Everyone had evacuated the upper level immediately after the guns first began firing. As Sam stood in an empty hallway, void of all activity, she heard echoing footsteps.

As the footsteps and voices grew louder, Sam quickly backed up against the wall near the water fountain and crouched behind it. She closed her eyes and prayed that the shooters wouldn’t see her or walk toward the water fountain. Sam maneuvered her body so she could see down the hallway.

As she did so, she saw two guys, both wearing ski masks. The only thing she could make out was their bulky shapes. Both wore jeans and black T-shirts

“Check and make sure the coast is clear,” one said, and Sam flinched back, trying to place where she’d heard that voice before.

“Don’t worry, man,” the other replied. “I checked twice and no one is here. It’s empty.”

“That’s good to hear. We have to move fast, the police will be here any minute.”

“Can we take these masks off now? They’re making it hard to breathe.”

“Yeah, I guess. Come on, we have to find those pills and hide them before the police show up.”

“I’m pretty sure they’re in the councilor’s office. I mean, that’s where Mr. Sheppard put them when he confiscated them.”

So these were students, Sam thought as the two made their way down to Mr. Sheppard’s office, a few rooms away from where Sam crouched. She began to put the pieces together, realizing that these were students she knew.
Josh and Billy
. She’d actually heard them planning this by their lockers that day, she just hadn’t known how far they were prepared to go.

“Come on. Hurry up and help me look for them,” Josh told Billy. “And try not to disturb anything.”

It didn’t take them long before they emerged with the pills. Josh took the pills along with the masks and put them up in his locker. Sam continued to hide by the water fountain, not sure what might happen if Josh or Billy found her.

Just about that time, Chris Hendricks peered out of the teacher’s lounge. Chris had been the school nerd ever since elementary school. He always studied, always hung out at the library, and was the epitome of a social reject.