Forbidden Love

A love that was never meant to be

“I know nothing can ever happen between us, but I just had to let you know,” Samantha’s blue-green eyes filled with tears.

  Eric’s mind raced with excitement and confusion.

  “I thought you had made up your mind to stay with Paul,” he replied.

  “He has nothing to do with this,” she said, holding back her tears like a dam wall holding back its flow.  “It’s my heart telling me it’s true…”

 

  “Good morning, Florida.  The sun is up and so should you be,” Noël Johnson’s voice broke into Samantha’s deep slumber.  “And now, to get your day started, we have Just Jinjer with ‘Like You Madly’.”

  Samantha rubbed her eyes and yawned like a polar bear waking up from hibernation.

  The bright sun rays crept through her curtains.

  “How was that for great South African music?  You go boys!”

  As Samantha smiled at the sound of her favourite band she thought, What better way can you start off your morning other than with Just Jinjer?

 

While driving to school, Samantha put the radio on.

  “You’re listening to West Ville Stereo.  93.9FM. Playing Today’s hits and Yesterday’s favourites.”

  This was virtually the only radio station Samantha listened to – she knew one of the DJs, Noël (he and her boyfriend were old friends), and they played the widest variety of tunes.

  “This one goes out to Samantha Walker.  It’s one of her favourite songs at the moment.  Hope you’re listening, Sam.”

  Samantha blushed at the sound of her name.

  “This is My Chemical Romance with ‘House of Wolves’.”

  She sang along to the dedication.

 

When Samantha arrived at school, there was still fifteen minutes before the bell was going to ring.  She parked her car in the safest place in the school – the teachers’ parking lot.  She and the principal, Mr Davidson, knew each other well – Samantha’s brother had attended Oakhill High eleven years before she had started there.

  As she took the key out of the car’s ignition, her cell phone rang.

  “Samantha Walker.”

  “Hey, Sam.  It’s Noël.  How are you?”

  “Hi, Noël.  Not bad.  Yourself?”

  “I’m well, thanks.”

  There was a moment of silence.

  “Did you hear…?”

  “Thanks for the…”

  The both laughed.

  “You first.”

  Samantha took a breath, “I just wanted to know how you knew that that was one of my favourite songs?”

  “So, you heard it,” Noël laughed.  “At least I know that you’re still listening to our show.”

  “Indeed I do,” Samantha replied.  “But you haven’t answered my question.  How did you know?”

  “Sam, Sam, Sam.  You know if I tell you, I am going to have to kill you.”

  She stifled a giggle, “Noël, we both know you couldn’t harm a fly.”

  “You’re right,” he sighed.  “I found out from Paul.  But please don’t tell him I sent it out on-air – he already thinks I’m after you.  Look, we go way back, but, man, has he got a screw loose!”

  Samantha was now very interested in the conversation, “Meaning?”

  The silence was so dead that she could hear Noël’s pulse beating as he clutched the receiver tighter.

  “Noël?”

  “Look, Sam, I don’t want to cause any trouble…”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I’ve said too much already.  Keep well.  Bye.”

  With that, he put down the phone, leaving Samantha listening to the dialling tone.

 

  Honk!   Honk!

Samantha jumped, “What the heck?”

  She turned, her thoughts now broken, to see a white Honda Ballad with the registration number HMY728GP.

  “Mr Roberts,” she whispered under her breath with a grin spreading across her face.

  He waved to her as he parked next to her blue Ford Fiesta.

  She started walking away, but he called her back.

  “What’s the hurry, Sam?”

  He smiled and Samantha melted.

  Eric Roberts is a coloured man with mischievous brown eyes.  He has something not all men have – gorgeous hands and sex-appeal.  Eric also had a great sense of humour.  Well, at forty-four, he ought to have.

  Samantha never believed his age because he looks twenty-seven, never mind twenty-six years older than her.

  “Oh, I uh, have to hand in my Accounting homework at reception.”

  He caught up to her, “Well, then we can take a stroll to the office together.”

  Samantha’s heart raced with excitement as they walked side-by-side.

 

  “Hey, ho!”

Samantha turned around so fast she nearly hit a girl who was passing by to the ground.

  Behind her stood one of her best friends, Jim Miles.

  “Hey, you male w***e.  How ya doing?”

  “Okay, thanks.  Did you watch ‘Smackdown’ last night?”

  Jim is wrestling’s number one fan.

  “Rock kicked Undertaker’s a*s!  Break your neck!”

  Undertaker is Samantha’s favourite wrestler and she couldn’t stand to see him lose, “I’ll break your neck!”

  Jim laughed as he dodged a punch, “Oh, you want to fight, huh?”

  He lifted a hand to punch back, when Eric walked passed.

  “Morning, Sir.”

  Eric turned around, “Morning.”  He winked at Samantha and continued to his classroom.

  Jim nudged her with his elbow and started singing ‘Love is in the Air’.

  Samantha blushed bright crimson, “Jimmy, no!”

  But he wouldn’t stop.  Teasing Samantha was his second favourite pass-time.

 

  “Good morning, class.”

  “Good morning, Mrs Butner,” the class greeted in unison.

  “Today I’m continuing with Logarithms.”

Charlie Adams’s face filled with confusion, “Loga-what-ims?”

  Mrs Butner got irritated, “Logarithms.  We started them last week already!”

  He shrugged his shoulders, “That long ago?  No wonder I don’t remember.”

  The class erupted in laughter.

  Mrs Butner quickly quietened the class down and continued with her lesson.

 

The rest of the day seemed to pass Samantha without her realising it.  That was until Science class, of course.  Jim made sure she wouldn’t forget that she had a double lesson at the end of the day.

  As Samantha walked into the class, Eric was walking out.  Neither of them saw the other coming and they collided at the door.  The papers Eric had been carrying were now scattered across the floor.

  Samantha’s face heated up with embarrassment, “Sorry, Sir.”

  Eric bent down to help her pick up the papers, “It was my fault – I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

  They both reached for the last paper and their hands touched.  Samantha pulled her hand away and looked up at him shyly.  He smiled at her as he picked up the paper.  She quickly looked away and stood up.  He followed suit and she handed him the rest of the papers.  She then picked up her bag and went to her desk.  As she sat down, she covered her face with her hands.

 

  “Hey, you.  What’s the matter?”  Sarah Dalton tried to pull Samantha’s hands from her face.

  Samantha looked at her classmate through her fingers, “Didn’t you just see what happened?  I’m so embarrassed!”

  Tracey Jackson leaned over Sarah’s shoulder, “I saw how Roberts was flirting with you.”

  Samantha sat up straight, “What did you say?”

  Tracey stood up and backed away as Samantha stood up to chase her.

  “Sam and Eric sitting in the tree…”

  Tracey had to dodge chairs and bags as she ran from Samantha’s ‘Grip of Death’.  Just then Eric came back into class and Tracey tripped over Sarah’s bag, landing at his feet.

  He looked down at Tracey and then at Samantha, who was helping her up, “And now, Miss Walker?”

  Samantha giggled, “Just teaching Tracey a lesson, Sir.”

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Eric was called to the office in the second period, so Samantha took out the story she had started writing.

  Sarah read out loud, “‘Josie wasn’t considered a pretty girl, but she did have a mysterious beauty…’  Why do you write like that about yourself?”

  “Well, I’m not pretty, but there are times when I have a strange prettiness,” Samantha replied.

  Sarah read on, “‘But on this night, Josie looked ‘drop-dead gorgeous’.  Eric stared at her with his mouth hanging open.  He couldn’t believe it was really her.’  I take it that Josie had a complete make-over and looked stunning at the Farewell Party.”

  Samantha nodded, “In other words, I’m hoping to look so damn hot that…”

  Tracey cut her off, “So that Roberts will drool all over you.  We gather as much from your story.”

  Tracey read on:

  ‘Earl took her hand, “May I have this dance?”

  Josie blushed as she took up the invite.  They danced so close that Earl could feel Josie’s heart beating.

  “You look beautiful, Josie.”

  She smiled and thanked him.  As they slow danced across the floor to ‘I Swear’ by Boyz  II Men, people began clearing off.

  The DJ made an announcement over the microphone, “This one is for you, Josie Wentzel.’”

  Terry Barrett stood next to Samantha, “You have a romantic imagination.  It’s cute.  I’m assuming that you’re ‘Josie’.  But then who is ‘Earl’?”

  Samantha giggled nervously.

  “Oh, come on,” Sarah butted in.  “As if you don’t already know.  I mean, it’s so obvious!  The little jokes that only they share.  The continuous eye-contact…”

  “And not to mention those little ‘hand-touches’.”

  Samantha arched an eyebrow in confusion, “What are you on about, Tracey?  Today was an accident.”

  Tracey smiled mischievously, “I’m not talking about today, but now that you mention it…”

  Samantha was still confused, “But when then?”

  Tracey rolled her eyes, “Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten.  With the stop-watch?”

  Samantha gasped, “You can’t count that!”

  “Oh yes, I can.  Come on, Sam, you especially offered to leave the stop watch on his desk, but he insisted on fetching it from you, taking your hand in his.  A mistake?  A slip of the hand?  I think not!”

  Terry felt lost, “That still doesn’t tell me who ‘Earl’ is.”

  Sarah and Tracey looked at each other and cracked up laughing, “It’s…”

  Just then Eric walked in.  The class fell silent as he sat down at his desk.

  “That was a close one,” Tracey whispered.

  Samantha sat in silence.  Her secret was almost given away.

  What is it about him that I like so much? she asked herself.

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  “It’s so obvious – you’re going to leave me for him!  I saw how happy you were together.”

  “Were you spying on me?”

  “And so what if I was?  You’re my girlfriend – I should be able to trust you, but instead I find you with another man!”

  Samantha sighed, “Guys, let’s back up a bit.  James, tell me, what do you think your character is feeling when he accuses her of wanting to leave you for another man?”

  James stood in silence for a while, “I guess he would be angry.”

  “And…?”

  “And jealous.”

  “That’s right.  So now I need you to find a way of making yourself come across angrier, more jealous.  Use the tone of your voice as well as your movements.  As they say, ‘actions speak louder than words’.”

  James nodded and went into deep thought.

  Samantha then turned to Janine, “Okay, now what I need from you is to be more ‘catty’.  He’s invading your private life and you don’t like it.  Surely you’re going to b***h about it.  I know I would.”

  Janine giggled.

  “Alrighty then.  Let’s pick up on your last line, James.”

  James looked up to see Eric entering the hall, “Hi, Mr Roberts.”

  Eric nodded, “Hello, James.”  He turned to Samantha, “How are things going here?”

  Samantha shrugged her shoulders, “Not too bad.  Okay, everyone, you have an audience so let’s do it properly this time.  Right from the top.”

  She turned back to Eric and offered him a seat,  “We need your honest opinion.”

  He sat down and watched as the actors performed the play.

 

  “And that’s a wrap.  That was the best one so far.  Well done!”

  “When is the next practice?” asked Natasha.

  “Tomorrow afternoon.  Directly after school.  And if everything goes well, I’ll take you all to McDonalds for lunch.”

  Their faces lit up with excitement.

  “Goodbye for now.  Enjoy your evening and just go over your lines once or twice before you go to bed.”

  They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

  “You’re a good director, Sam.  Did you write the play?”

  Samantha smiled shyly, “Yip.  And I did it all on my lonesome.  What do you think of it?”

  Eric gave a soft, sweet smile, “It’s romantic.  Very well written.  But what made you decide to write it?”

  She blushed, “Um, well, I uh.”  She took a deep breath, “You see, I have this fear of going to look for Paul and finding him with another girl.  It’s happened before.”

  “But in your play the boy finds the girl with another man.”

  Samantha looked up, shocked, “I guess I just wanted to see how a guy would react in that situation.  James helps me capture that side brilliantly.”  She tilted her head, “Why do you look so unconvinced?”

  He sighed, “It’s just that you’re always talking to Sarah and Tracey about some other guy.  I don’t mean to eavesdrop.  But you look so happy when you’re talking about him.”

  Samantha didn’t know what to say, “I’m with Paul.”

  “And just how old is Paul, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “He’ll be twenty-seven in December.”

  “Why don’t you rather go out with someone your age?”

  Samantha smiled uneasily, “I guess I just can’t handle the childishness of the guys my age.  In any case, age is just a number.”

  “But I heard that he hurts you.  Why don’t you get out?”

  Samantha’s face filled with horror, “Where did you hear that?  He doesn’t.  He’s changed.”

  Eric decided not to pry anymore, “I’ll take your word for it.  But what about this ‘other guy’?”

  “Sir, chances are that nothing will ever happen between us.  I guess I just like dreaming.  I’ll leave it at that for now.”

  Eric wasn’t happy with her response, “For now?  Sam, I really think you need to sit down and think about where you want your life to go.  Boys aren’t everything – you’ll find a new guy.  A better guy.”  He grabbed her arm, “Don’t stay with him.  Don’t be stupid, Sam.”

  She pulled her arm away and rolled down her sleeve as quickly as she could, but Eric had already seen the cuts on her arms.

  Samantha smiled thankfully at his attempt to help, “Thank you for caring so much.”  She kissed him on the cheek and walked out to her car.

 

While driving to the apartment that she and Paul shared with Paul’s best friend, Justin Arquette, and his girlfriend, Jessica White, she thought back to the kiss she had given Eric. 

  Why did I do that?  He probably thinks I’m such an idiot!  What if he realises that it’s him I have feelings for?

  She still couldn’t believe what she had done, but her thoughts were interrupted when a car hooted behind her.

 

As she parked her car in the garage, she wondered what they were going to have for dinner.  Paul was more of a cook than she was – baking was Samantha’s forte.  She unlocked the door leading into the apartment and was about to call out to see if anyone was home, when she heard soft moans coming from her flat-mates’ room.  Slowly, she closed the door behind her and made her way to the lounge.  Jessica and Justin’s clothes were scattered across the floor, so Samantha stepped over them to get to the couch.  She put the TV on to block out the sounds coming from the bedroom, but it just became louder.

  “Oh, Justin,” Jessica giggled.

  Samantha sighed and put the volume of the TV louder.  Just as she was enjoying the music video for ‘Boiler’ from Limp Bizkit, Jessica’s cries filtered through to the lounge.

  “Yeah!  Yeah! Oh, f**k, yeah!”

  Paul had just walked in the front door when he heard the cries.

  He knocked on the door, “Do you mind?  We would actually like to listen to something else other than the two of you.”

  Justin’s voice bellowed from inside the bedroom, “Does it look like we give a f**k?”

  Paul opened the door to see Jessica on her all-fours and Justin in right behind her – Doggy-style.

  “You might not ‘give a f**k’, but you’re sure as hell getting one.”

  Samantha got up off the couch and went out onto the balcony.  Paul joined her outside.

  “How can you be so damn forward?” she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks from the way she had been laughing.

  Paul shrugged his shoulders, “What are flat-mates for?”

  He then put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.  Softly he kissed her forehead and moved down to her lips.

  “You have the cutest a*s, do you know that?” he said squeezing her bum.

  Samantha smiled uncomfortably.  Paul started kissing her down her neck.  He then started undoing her shirt’s buttons.

  She put her hand on his to stop him, “I don’t want to, Paul.”

  Paul grabbed her arm and pulled her inside to their bedroom.  He shoved her down on the bed, and turned to lock the door.

  When he turned around, he had an evil smile on his face, “Now, where were we?”

  Samantha tried to squirm away, but Paul was too strong.

  “You’re going to enjoy this,” he said menacingly as he forcefully removed her clothes.

  There was nothing she could do, so she lay there, quiet, and watched him have his way with her.

 

When Samantha woke up, Paul, Jessica and Justin had already left for work.  She went to the kitchen to get some cereal.  As she poured ‘Coco Pops’ into a bowl, she noticed a bunch of roses on the counter.  The card attached was addressed to her.

  She read it out loud, “‘To my darling wife-to-be.  This is just a small thank you for being the best girlfriend in the world.  You mean everything to me and I never want to lose you.  Love you always.  Paul.’”

  Samantha started crying.  How could he say he loved her after what he had done to her the night before?  She picked up the roses and tossed them into the bin.  She then ran to answer her ringing phone.

  “Samantha Walker.”

  “You’re going to be late for class, Principessa.”

  Samantha sighed, “I know, Paul.  And the quicker you get off the phone, the quicker I can leave.”

  Paul sounded disappointed that she was trying to get him off the line so quickly.

  “Did you get your roses?”

  “Yes,” she said, looking at the stems sticking out of the bin.  “They’re beautiful.”

  “Well, okay, Principessa.  Enjoy your day.  I love you.”

  Samantha forced herself to reply, “Same to you.”

  Once the call had ended, she let out a shriek of anger.  She hated the nickname he had given her.  ‘Principessa’ is Italian for ‘princess’ and Samantha felt far from it.

  She read the last line again, “‘…I never want to lose you…’”

  Then try loving me instead of hurting me all the time, she thought. Or you are going to lose me, for good.

 

On her way to school, Samantha’s mind drifted to Eric.  Her play was an indirect way of telling him how she felt about him without him really finding out.

  But why had she fallen for him?

  In one word – Paul.

  Paul didn’t make her feel loved.  Instead, he constantly beat and raped her.  Samantha is the type of girl who needs to be shown that she’s appreciated – that she is worth something.  Paul didn’t do that for her, so she felt the need to look elsewhere.  Eric was the perfect candidate – he gave her a lot of attention and made her feel good about herself.

  But he’s in his forties and is my teacher! she thought sadly.

  She turned the radio on.

  “That was Backstreet Boys with ‘(Quit Playing) Games with My Heart’.  And now for some ‘Golden Oldies’.  Here’s Gary Puckett and the Union Gapp with ‘Young Girl’.”

  As the song played, Samantha began to cry.

 

  “Class, please welcome Tanya Baker.  She moved here from Randfontein.  Say hello.”

  “Hello, Tanya, “the class greeted in unison.

  “Tanya, you can sit there next to Chantelle.”

  “Thank you, Miss Rose,” Tanya said shyly.

  As she walked down the aisle to her desk, Jim looked up and smiled at her.

  Samantha noticed this and nudged him, “Does Jimmy Wimmy have the hotty wotties for Tanya Wanya?”

  Jim blushed, but turned his head away.

  “Aah, don’t be like that, Jim.  You know you can trust me,” she pouted her lips and batted her eyelashes.

  Jim looked at her from the corner of his eye and laughed, “I’ll remember this.  Roberts will know all about your little fantasies,” he said, wagging his finger at her.

  She smiled mischievously, “The ones about you and me?”

  Jim’s face went bright scarlet, “I’m not that cheap you know.  I’ll leave that to Roberts.”

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At break, Tanya walked around the school on her own.  Samantha called her over to where she and Jim were sitting.  Tanya walked slowly towards them.

  “Hi there.  My name is Sam and this is Jim.  We’re in your register class.”

  Tanya blushed, “I’m Tanya.”

  Jim stood to give her his spot, “There, have a seat.”

  “Thank you,” Tanya said shyly.

  As Samantha started to say something to Jim, Eric walked up the corridor from his class.  Samantha stood in silence as he came closer.  He looked up and smiled at her.  Then, just before he passed where they were sitting, he stopped.

  “Sam, do you come to me after break?”

  Samantha’s heart was in her throat, “Yes, Sir.  Why?”

  He held out the classroom keys, “Will you please unlock the class after break and let everybody in?  I’m going to be a bit late.”

  Samantha nodded and reached out to take the keys.  As her fingers touched the keys, they fell to the ground.  Both her and Eric reached for them, but just before their hands could touch, Samantha pulled hers away.  Eric handed her the keys and, somehow, his fingers still managed to brush against hers.

  Outside, Samantha was clam, but inside, her heart was racing like greyhounds chasing a hare.

  With Eric starting to walk away, Jim felt that he had the chance to get back at Samantha, “Why don’t you just take him into the bathroom and have a good shag?”

  Her cheeks heated up, but she didn’t have a reply.

 

  “Isn’t it weird starting at a new school in your final year?” Samantha asked Tanya as they walked together to Geography class.

  “It is kind of weird.  Especially having to leave all my friends behind.  But at least I’ve met two new friends already.”

  Samantha smiled at the compliment.

  “Hey, Sam.  Wait up!”

  Samantha stopped and waited for Natasha to catch up.

  “Listen here, I can’t make it to today’s rehearsal.”

  Samantha frowned, “But why, Natasha?  You know we can’t afford to have any people missing.  House Plays are in one week’s time.”

  Natasha sighed, “I know.  I just have some serious family issues to deal with today.”

  Samantha studied her face and then broke into a gentle smile, “All right.  But you have to be there on Monday.  No excuses.”

  Natasha nodded and thanked her.

  “Oh, and Natasha,” Samantha called after her.  “If you need to talk, you have my number.”

  Natasha smiled thankfully and ran back to her class.

  “You’re doing a play?” Tanya asked.

  Samantha smiled, “Yeah.  I wrote the play and I’m directing it with some help from Mr Roberts.  At least it’ll all be over soon.”

  She turned to face Tanya, “I need some help with the music.  Jim is doing the lights and can’t do the two together.  Would you be interested?  Jim will show you everything.”

  Tanya blushed, “Well, okay.  Sounds like fun.  As long as Jim doesn’t just leave me hanging.”

  “If he does, I’ll leave him hanging…from the flagpole!” Samantha laughed as they continued to class.

 

Just before second break, Samantha went to Eric’s class and stood leaning on his desk.

  “So, Mr R.  Are you joining us for McDonalds after school?”

  Eric looked up at Samantha and his mouth dropped open.  She had taken her blazer off and had unbuttoned her white school shirt one button more than was the school regulation, allowing the slightest hint of cleavage to stick out.  Her long light-brown hair was hanging loose over her shoulders, adding to the image.

  He took a deep breath, “Well, I didn’t really bring money today, Sam.”

  Samantha frowned as if she were highly offended, “Sir, I’m hurt!  I asked if you would like to help me with this play, and you said ‘yes’.  That means you are part of the team.  So, do you really think that I would offer to pay for the rest of the crew and not you?  How rude!”

  Eric blushed, “It’s just that I didn’t expect…”

  Samantha laughed, “Do you know what?  You’re cute when you blush.  I’ll see you in the parking lot after school.”

  Eric blushed even more as she walked out of the class.

 

  “Thanks for the lift, Sam.”

Samantha frowned, “I wasn’t going to let you walk home on your own!  With that girl who got attacked yesterday?  Not a chance!”

  Janine laughed, “Thank you again.  See you Monday.  Bye, Mr Roberts.”

  Eric waved goodbye.

  “You’re very caring,” he said, as they drove back to school.

  “I just would never have been able to live with myself if something had happened to her.”

  Eric gave a soft smile, “You shouldn’t worry so much about that sort of thing.  It’s your final year of school – you don’t need that sort of stress.  People can look after themselves.  It’s not your problem.”

  Samantha sighed, “I guess you’re right.”

  She parked outside the school.

  “Thank you for your on going support, Sir.  It means a lot to me.”

  Eric took her hand in his, “You always need someone who you can talk to about things, and I am always here, Sam.”

  Samantha blushed, “Thanks, Sir.”

  Eric gently let go of her hand as he got out of the car, “Oh, and thank you for lunch.”

  Samantha smiled brightly, “Anytime.”

  “Have a good weekend.  No naughty stuff, hey.”

  She giggled, “Same applies to you.”

 

Paul was standing cutting tomatoes when Samantha walked in.  She walked to the bedroom, dropped her bag on the floor and collapsed onto the bed.

  “Rough day?”

  Samantha looked up at Paul and rolled her eyes, “That’s the understatement of the year!”

  Paul sat down on the bed next to her.

  “It couldn’t have been as bad as mine was,” he said, running his fingers through her hair.

  “Why?” she asked, her question dripping with sarcasm and irritation.

  Paul worked as a radio operator for Viking Security.

  “First of all, our systems crashed at about 11o’clock. And only came back on half-an-hour later!  I had twenty outstanding calls.  And then, to top it all off, we had two break-ins!”

Paul makes everything sound so much worse than what it really is, Samantha thought silently.  I mean, come on!  Two break-ins in one day?  The police have to deal with ten-times more than that, and he’s complaining about two!

  Samantha was very bitter – he never asked about her day at school or how the play was coming on.  He didn’t seem to care.  All that mattered was himself.

  “I’m just so happy that I have you to take all that s**t away,” he sighed.

  If only I had someone to take all mine away.

 

  “Where did Jessica and Justin go tonight?”

Paul swallowed a mouthful of food, “Justin said something about a party at ‘Muggs Inn’.  I told him we’ll join him later.”

  Samantha sighed, “You know I don’t like that sort of place, Paul. I hate the atmosphere.  I hate the people it attracts.  They get so disgustingly drunk and…”

  She didn’t get to finish her sentence.  Paul just cut her off and began yelling at her.

  “You’re implying that ‘my class of people’ are ‘disgusting drunks’?  Not everybody is as ‘perfect’ as you, Samantha!  We like to have a drink every once in a while!”

  “‘A drink every once in a while’ isn’t my problem.  It’s the amount you have every night that bothers me!”

  Paul stormed off into the kitchen, “Again, I’m sorry I’m not ‘Miss Prissy-Perfect’ like you!”

  Samantha started crying.  Fights like these always started when she put her opinion forward.  Paul was abusive as is, but once he had been drinking, he was even worse.  She hated being around him when he was intoxicated.

  She grabbed her keys and ran to the door.  Paul stopped her at the doorway.

  “And where do you think you’re going?” he asked menacingly, twisting her arm behind her back.

  “I’m going for a drive.  Just let go of me,” she pleaded.

  Paul’s grip loosened, but as Samantha started moving away, he hit her.  She fell to the ground and her tears flowed uncontrollably.

  “You go where I tell you, when I tell you to.  Not when you decide to.”

  Paul turned his back, so Samantha took the opportunity and ran down to her car.  He turned around to see that she was gone and stood at the door calling her back, threatening her if she didn’t return.  But all she could hear was her heart beating.  She didn’t know where she was going.  She didn’t care…

 

The lake in the park near Oakhill High glistened in the light from the street lamps.  Samantha sat down on a bench and watched as the water rippled in the soft breeze – the water seemed almost calming.

  Suddenly a loud ring from her cell phone broke the silence.  She just ignored it and it finally stopped ringing.  She then switched her phone off so that Paul had no way of contacting her.

  He’s probably just calling to scream at me again.

  Her calmness had completely disappeared.

  “Why do I take your crap?” she asked aloud.  “You’re always hurting me and treating me like s**t!”

  She raised her hand to her face where he had hit her, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

  A twig snapped somewhere behind her.  She turned around but couldn’t see anything.

  There was a deadly silence.

  Samantha, feeling uneasy, got up and started walking back to her car.  The wind suddenly picked up and howled through the trees.  Samantha quickened her pace when she heard footsteps behind her.  Her stomach knotted in fear, but her legs felt too weak to run.

  A man stepped out from behind a tree in front of her.  Samantha gasped and turned to run, but a second man stood behind her.  The first man grabbed her around the neck from behind and the second, with knife in hand, stepped closer.  The blade reflected the light from the street lamp as he swayed it from side to side.

  “She’s a pretty one, hey Snake?” the man with the knife said.

  Samantha tried to squirm away as he rubbed the knife across her cheek.

  “Feisty.  I like it,” Snake hissed, breathing hard down her neck.

  She tried to scream, but her voice choked on her throat.  The knife moved down to her neck, leaving a trail of red, warm blood trickling down the side of her face.  Snake tightened his grip and she began to choke.

  This is it, she thought.  Goodbye World.

  “Hey, Billy, how about some fun with the little lady?”

  They dragged her from the light.

  “Let’s do it.  Let’s have some fun…”

 

Eric took a jog around Waterfull Lake every night.  It was his way of calming his nerves after a stressful day at school.

  As he ran, he heard a soft whimpering, like a dog crying in the cold.  He slowed down and walked in the direction of the sounds.  When he neared, he heard voices and saw two men through the bushes.  He sneaked quietly towards the bush, but he hadn’t seen a pile of leaves in front of him.

  Crunch!

  Eric ducked behind another bush.  He saw one of the men hit what looked like another person – a girl, maybe.  Then, without another thought, he lunged at Billy, grabbing him around the neck.  Snake got to his feet and starting running away.

   Eric tightened his grip as Billy tried to wriggle free from his choke-hold.  He managed to escape and tried to stab Eric.  The knife missed him by only inches.  They struggled as Eric tried to take the knife away.  It fell to the ground and Eric reached out to grab it.

  He put the knife to Billy’s throat.

  “What did you do to her?” he asked, pointing to the girl lying in the leaves.

  “N, n, nothing man.  We was just fooling around.  The s**t said she enjoyed doing it in ‘exotic’ places.  We just gave her what she wanted.”

  The girl moved and Eric turned to look.  While Eric’s back was turned, Billy backed away and ran.  Eric began to give chase, but stopped and returned to the girl.  Leaves covered her face, so he brushed them away.

  His heart skipped a beat when he saw her face, “Sam!”

 

The ambulance siren was painfully loud as Samantha was taken to Florida Hospital.  Eric sat in the back of the ambulance and held her hand.

  “Don’t worry, Sam.  Everything’s going to be alright,” he whispered, squeezing her hand tight.

  The paramedic sitting in the back saw the concern on Eric’s face.

  “It seems like they raped her.  She’s lucky you got there when you did.  Who knows what else they would’ve done?” Craig said softly.  “They hit her a couple of times, probably to keep her quiet.  The cut on her cheek is going to leave a bit of a scar.”

  He sighed, “What bothers me most is that there are a couple of old bruises.  You know, as if she’s been beaten before.”

  Eric frowned disapprovingly, “Paul.”

  “You actually know her?  Who is Paul and why do you think it’s him?”

  “I’m her Science teacher.  Paul is her a*****e of a boyfriend.  I found a poem she had written about how unhappy she was in the relationship.  It also spoke about how he abused her and how she cuts herself to overcome that pain.  Look at her arms.”

  Craig lifted her arm to inspect the cuts.

  “Why doesn’t she leave him?”

  Eric shook his head, “I think she’s too scared.”

  “She can go to the police and get a restraining order against him…”

  “They stay together.  From what I understand, she ran away from home to be with him, and her family has since moved away.  She would have nowhere else to go if she left.”

  Craig wrapped a second blanket around Samantha.  Eric squeezed her hand tighter.

  “It’ll be okay, Sam,” he whispered again as they neared the hospital.

 

xxxxxxxxxx

 

Eric sat with her through the night.  Morning brought the bright sunlight and birds’ chirps into the room.  He sat up straight and stretched as he tried to wake up.  Samantha had just woken up too.

  “Why am I here?” she asked Eric.

  There was a hint of fear in her voice – she was afraid of hospitals.

  He explained what had happened and Samantha began to cry as the memories of her argument with Paul came filtering in.

  Just as Eric was about to get up to comfort her, Paul walked into the room.

  “What happened, Principessa?  I was worried sick about you!”

  As if you really give a s**t…  Samantha thought bitterly.

  “I’m alright,” she sighed.  “If it hadn’t been for Mr Roberts, I might not have been here right now.”

  Paul glared over his shoulder at Eric and sighed in disgust.  Eric felt uneasy, so he stood to leave.

  “Thank you so much for your help, Sir.  I probably wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you.”

  Eric turned back to face Samantha, “It’s all in a day’s work for us super heroes.”

  He glanced over at Paul, who was glaring at him menacingly.

  “I have to go home and get dressed for a Teachers’ Workshop.”

  “On a Saturday?”

  “Yip.  Hope you feel better soon.  Look after yourself, and I’ll see you at school sometime.  Bye.”

  Samantha smiled a soft, thankful smile, “Bye, Mr R.  Thank you again.”

 

About half-an-hour later, Dr Martins came to see Samantha.

  “If you feel up to it, you may go home now.”

  Samantha was about to reply when Paul cut her off, “Great!  Let’s get you dressed and out of here.”

  Samantha smiled meekly.  Why did he never give her the chance to make her own decisions?

  The doctor caught a glimpse of anger and irritation in her eyes.

  “It’s all up to you, Samantha.  Are you ready to go home yet?”

  Samantha looked up shyly, “I’m okay, thanks Doctor Martins.  I’m ready to go home.”

  She glanced up at Paul, who was already pacing impatiently in front of the door – she didn’t need to start another fight.

 

  “So, what’s going on between you and the teacher?”

Samantha arched an eyebrow, “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Paul scrunched up his face in disgust, “I saw the way you two were looking at each other.  You know what I think happened last night?”

  Samantha sighed loudly, “What?”

  “I think you started that fight last night so that you could have an excuse to run off to your loving teacher.  And then, when you didn’t do what he wanted, he beat and then raped you,” he accused her as he turned into the garage at the flat.

  “Oh, and by the way, Jessica went to pick up your car at the police station.”

  Samantha got out of the car and made her way up the stairs to the flat.  Paul was unlocking the door when she reached the top.

  “You’re a vicious, heartless b*****d!”

  Paul turned to face her, “Excuse me?”

  Samantha started shaking with anger, “You heard me!  How dare you accuse me of starting that fight?  All I did was put my opinion forward.  But I should’ve known – only the ‘Great Paul Baines’ may have an opinion!  And, boy does he have a fucken opinion about everything!”

  Paul started to reply, but Samantha shut him up, “And how dare you accuse me of cheating on you, when I was the one who walked in on you with Rachel?  What you need to understand is that if it wasn’t for Mr Roberts, I might not have been here now!”

  Streams of tears ran down her face, “But then again, what would you care?”

  She went to her room and slammed the door shut.  She quickly locked the door and put the key on the table next to the bed.

  Paul banged on the door, “Samantha, let me in!”

  She grabbed a pillow and put it over her head to block out his yelling.  She couldn’t stand his sarcasm and accusations anymore.  The last time she had felt this hurt, was when she walked in on Paul and Rachel, his ex-girlfriend, a month before.

  How can he accuse Mr Roberts of raping me, when he’s the one who rapes me every other night?

  With the pillow over her head, Paul’s voice became a soft humming in the back of her mind.  Slowly, she drifted off to sleep – she felt drowsy from the painkillers that hadn’t worn off yet.

  “Sam, please.  Just let me in.”

  Paul’s voice disappeared.

  “Sam…”

 

When Samantha woke up, it felt to her as if she had been asleep for days.  She stretched and yawned as she swung her legs out from under the blankets.  The room was dark, except where the moon shone through the opening in the curtains.  It created an eerie, bright white glow that looked like the lights of an alien spaceship.

  Samantha walked to the window and opened the curtains to look out at the sky.  Her eyes blurred from tiredness, so the stars looked as though they were coming alive.

  She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked out the window again.  The moon was full and bright.  Samantha sat on the bench at the window and stared at the moon.  Suddenly the events from the night before crept into her mind.

  “She’s a pretty one…”

  “Feisty.  I like it…”

  The image of the knife flashed into her head.  Tears rolled down her face as the fear built up inside of her.  Her stomach began to turn and she got up to run to the bathroom.  She tried to open the door, but it was still locked.

  Feeling her way along the wall, she fumbled for the light-switch and flicked it on.  The bulb glowed brightly and Samantha’s eyes stung.  She found the key and unlocked the door.

  She made it to the bathroom just in time.  Her body shook and became weak.  Samantha collapsed to the ground, hitting her head on the side of the bath.  She grimaced in pain as she hit the floor.

  While she lay there, unable to move, her mind drifted again.

  “Don’t worry, Sam.  Everything’s going to be alright.”

  Samantha recognised the voice.

  It sounds like...  But it can’t be him.

  She opened her eyes slightly, but shut them quickly.

  It’s him!  It’s Mr Roberts!  He’s holding my hand…

 

Morning came at a snail’s pace.  Jessica was the first to walk into the bathroom.  Her eyes widened in horror when she saw Samantha’s lifeless body sprawled out on the floor.

  “Justin!  Paul!  Come quickly!”

  Both men dragged themselves to the bathroom, but when they saw Samantha on the floor, their actions became panicky and hurried.  Paul knelt down beside her and felt for a pulse.

  “She has a pulse, but it feels weak.  Call an ambulance!”

  Justin ran to get a phone.

  Paul listened to see if Samantha was breathing.  Her chest rose slightly and fell, indicating that she was, although it was shallow.

  Justin stood at the door, “They said they’ll be here in two minutes.”

  Paul looked up from Samantha, “Thanks, man.”

 

The ambulance arrived two minutes later, as promised.  The paramedic who had attended to Samantha the first time was the same one who attended this call out.

  “Hi.  My name is Craig.  Can any of you tell me what happened?”

  They led him to the bathroom where Samantha was still on the floor, motionless.

  Craig sighed, “Samantha.”

  Paul asked suspiciously, “How do you know her name?”

  “I was the one who took her to the hospital the night before,” Craig replied.  “You’re Paul, right?”

  Paul nodded, “How did you know that?”

  Craig knelt down beside Samantha, “Her Science teacher told me that you are her boyfriend.  Apparently you have a big influence in her life.”

  Paul smiled weakly.

  “Now, can someone please tell me what happened?”

  Jessica told the story of how she had walked into the bathroom and found Samantha just lying there.  As Craig listened, he timed Samantha’s pulse.

  Paul stood at the door, watching as Craig worked on Samantha.  He handed Craig a facecloth and he ran cold water over it.  When Craig put the cloth on her face, she blinked a few times, but couldn’t quite open her eyes fully.

  “The painkillers haven’t quite worn off yet.  The doctor must have given her a strong dose.  She’ll be alright though.”

  Craig saw a little cut on Samantha’s head.  He took out a piece of cotton wool and put disinfectant on it to clean the cut.

  “She must’ve hit her head when she passed out,” he said.  “It’s going to leave a bit of a bump.”

  Samantha, still groggy, managed to open her eyes.  Craig and Justin helped her to the couch.  Craig made a final inspection before leaving.

  Samantha smiled gratefully.

  “Thank you…”

  “Craig.”

  She laughed, “I have a classmate whose name is Craig and he wants to be a paramedic.”

  Craig smiled, “Maybe him and I should get together one day and talk body parts.”

  He then turned to Paul, “She’s still going to be woozy for a while.  Best would be to put her back in bed to sleep it off.”

  They walked to the door, out of earshot. Craig looked Paul up and down.

  “Take care of her this time,” he whispered.  “Or you’re going to lose her.”

  Paul stepped closer, “Is that a threat?”

  “It’s a guarantee.”

 

Paul spent the day next to her bed, thinking about Craig’s words.

  “What have you been telling people about me?” he asked the sleeping Samantha.

  “Why would I lose you? You’re mine – there’s no way you’re ever leaving!”

  He stood up and walked to the window.  Samantha’s eyes fluttered open – Paul’s angry voice had woken her up.  As she started closing her eyes again, Paul noticed that she was awake and took long, angry strides to get to her.

  He grabbed Samantha’s arm and pulled her into a sitting position, “What have you been saying about me?”

  Samantha’s eyes grew wide with fear, but she didn’t reply.  He shook her hard.

  “Answer me!” he shouted.  “What did you say?”

  She remained silent, waiting to see what Paul would do.  He raised his hand to hit her, but stopped short.

  “Watch your mouth, b***h!  You’ll be sorry.”

  Samantha just stared at him.

  “You’ll be sorry,” he repeated.

  With that, he left the room.

 

Things at home remained tense, and to add to it, things at school were getting hectic.

  “Okay, everyone, we have thirty minutes before we go on.  If you need to take a leak, go now.  I need you guys to stay here.  If I find anyone out of this room in five minutes…” Samantha gave them a mock menacing glare.

  Everyone giggled nervously.

  “I’m going to check out what’s happening with our lights and sound, but I’ll be back soon.”

  Samantha turned to Janine, “I’m putting you in charge of keeping everyone here.  Please… I trust you.”

  Janine smiled brightly, “No problem, Sam.  When do we start putting the make-up on?”

  “Start with the basic stuff so long – Tracey and Sarah ought to be here in a few minutes.”

 

Jim and Tanya were busy getting the equipment set for the sound and checking that the controls for the lights were on the right settings.

  “Do you watch wresting?”

  Tanya’s eyes widened, “I LOVE wrestling!”

  “Who’s your favourite wrestler?”

  “Duh!  Only the best wrestler that there ever was!”

  Jim chipped in excitedly, “You mean, The Rock?”

  Tanya shot him a dirty look, “Hell no, boy.  The Rock sucks!  Booker – T is my man!”

  Just then Samantha walked in, “Once you two have completed your argument and discovered that they are both total losers, and that The Undertaker is the best, will you let me know if everything is ready?”

  Tanya laughed, “Everything is A-okay and ready to go.”

  “Well, alrighty then.  I’ll leave you two ‘Love-Birds’ to sort out your ‘Wrestling Saga’.  I have to get back to check how the make-up is going.”

  Samantha gave Jim a big ‘thumbs-up’ as she walked out.

 

  “Sam,” a voice called.  “Slow down.”

She turned around to face Eric.  He smiled happily.

    “How are things going?” he asked.  “Are you guys ready?”

  Samantha sighed, “They had better be because we go on in ten minutes!”

  He put his hand on her shoulder and led her to the room where the cast had been getting ready.  He knocked and Janine popped her head out.

  “Hi, Mr Roberts.  Come in,” she said enthusiastically.

  Eric stood aside to let Samantha in first.  She smiled thankfully.

  “Tracey.  Sarah.  You guys are ‘Make-up Whizzes’! They look great!”

  Tracey and Sarah smiled triumphantly at their ‘creations’.  Just then Tanya came running into the room.

  “You have seven minutes, so I suggest you get moving,” she said, trying to catch her breath.

  Samantha’s smile faded, “You’re not serious.  Okay guys, join hands.”

  Everyone joined hands as they stood in a circle in the centre of the room.

  “We have worked very hard to put this play together.  This is the only chance we have to show the audience and the judge what we’re about.  So let’s get out there and win that award!”

  Everybody cheered as they made their way to the backstage area.  Samantha and Eric stayed behind for a couple of seconds.

  “Don’t look so nervous, Sam.  Your play is going to be a success.”

  He put a hand on her shoulder again and squeezed, “Let’s get backstage to watch.”

  Samantha smiled gratefully.

  “By the way, Sir, this is our play.”

  Eric’s face glowed brightly as they made their way backstage.

 

After all the plays had gone on, the cast sat in silence in the gallery, holding hands as they anxiously awaited the results of the judge’s voting.

  Eben Hugo, the judge, stood centre stage with the results in his hand.  Everyone took a deep breath and squeezed each other’s hands.  Samantha sat near the end of the row and Eric came and sat next to her.  He took her hand and held it tight.

  “This is the moment you’ve been waiting for,” he whispered.

  Her heart raced – the anxiety to know who had won was high, but also because Eric was holding her hand.

  “And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I will start by announcing the award for ‘Best Supporting Actress’.”

  There was a moment of silence.

  “Nicole Waters.” – A girl from the first play, ‘A Day in the Park’.

  “‘Best Supporting Actor’,” Eben called out.  “Brent Matthews.”

  Yet another from one of the other plays, ‘Chocolate Soldier’.

  “And now for ‘Best Actress’…”

  Everyone had their eyes on Eben.

  “Janine Harris.”

  Janine jumped up in excitement.  She pushed past everybody, but stopped in front of Samantha to give her a hug.

  “Well done, Janine!” she said enthusiastically.

  “‘Best Actor’ goes to, James Abrahams.”

  James just sat there – he couldn’t move.

  “James, this is no time to get stage-fright,” Samantha joked.

  Everyone applauded as he finally made his way up the stairs.

  “One last award before the big one everybody’s waiting for.”

  Eben smiled as he looked across all the eager faces in the crowd.

  “This award is for ‘Best Director’.  Now, this person has directed twice before, and every time the plays get better.  But this person isn’t just a great director, they write their own plays too.  So without further ado, the award goes to Samantha Walker.”

  The cast crowded around to congratulate her.  She made her way forward to receive her award.  She shook Eben’s hand and smiled thankfully.  People where still cheering when Samantha returned to the gallery.

  Eric squeezed her hand, “I knew you would get it.”

  The audience become silent as they waited for the final award to be announced.

  Eben’s smile faded as he looked down at his watch.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a slight problem – we seem to have run out of time.  But join me here tomorrow night for the final result.”

  The audience stared disbelievingly at Eben.  A mischievous grin spread across his face and the audience sighed gratefully.

  “Just joking, people.  The award for ‘Best Play’ goes to…”

  Everyone sat forward in their seats.

  “‘Love Shock’; written and director by Samantha Walker.”

  The cast jumped up and down.  They then made their way to the stage.  Eben shook everyone’s hands and handed the trophy to Samantha.

  “Is there anything you would like to say?” Eben asked.

  Samantha took the microphone, “Yes, there is.  Firstly I would like to thank everyone for coming tonight to watch the plays.  And to all of those who performed tonight, you are all stars.  A big thank you to Eben Hugo for taking time out to, once again, to be our judge.”

  She turned to her cast, “Thank you to my wonderful cast.  This award wouldn’t be ours if it wasn’t for your hard work and dedication.”

  She then turned back to the audience, “Another couple of people who were a big part of making this play a success are Jim Miles; Tanya Baker; Sarah Dalton; and Tracey Jackson.  Tracey and Sarah did the make-up that made my cast look so good.  Jim and Tanya controlled the lights and sound that made the stage come alive.”

  She signalled for them to come to the stage.

  “There’s one more person I would like to thank.  This person has been my support throughout the duration of putting this play together.  He helped me smooth out any glitches in the story-line and helped me realise that a proof-reader is actually a really good thing to have around.  This ‘thank you’ goes out to Mr Eric Roberts.”

  Samantha insisted that he come onto the stage with the rest of the crowd.  She handed him a little gift.  He took it and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  The audience cheered and Samantha blushed a bright crimson.  The play had been a huge success!

  I wonder what lame excuse Paul has for missing my big night.

 

With the play out the way, and Samantha’s afternoons now free, her days were less stressful.  Matric Prelim exams were due to start in a month’s time, so Samantha stayed after school for a couple of extra lessons.  The afternoon came where she had Science problems to discuss.  Eric was sitting at his desk when Samantha walked in.

  “Hello, Sir.”

  He looked up and smiled, “Hi, Sam.  How are you?

  “Okay, thank you,” she sighed.  “How about you?”

  “I’m fine, thanks.  So what questions do you have for me?”

  Samantha put her bag down on her desk and took out her Science workbook.  She sat on her desk and paged through the book.

  “Here we go,” she said, finding the page in her notes.  “Electrostatics.  There’s this one question that I just can’t understand.”

  Eric told her to read the question out loud and then write the relevant information on the black-board behind him.  He handed her a piece of chalk and she began to write.  She got to the ‘problem spot’.

  “This is where I get stuck.  I just don’t get what I’m supposed to do next.”

  Eric stood behind Samantha, reading the problem on the board.  He stood so close that Samantha felt his chest pressing up against her back.  She looked up at him and he smiled at her, staring deep into her eyes.  Samantha blushed and looked down.

  “All you need to remember with this type of question is…” Eric continued to explain how the question is meant to be answered.

  “And then you substitute the symbols with the relevant amounts and work out the final answer.”

  Samantha stood staring open-mouthed at the equation on the board, “You’ve got to be kidding me.  That’s all we have to do?  I feel like such a moron!”

  Eric laughed, “You were just thinking with blinkers on.  You have to remember to open up all your avenues when it comes to this type of problem solving.”

  “Oh, I will remember that for sure!”

  Slowly the conversation drifted from Science to Eric’s life.

  “My son is coming down for Christmas,” Eric stated, smiling brightly.  “He’s coming to show off his new girlfriend.  But they better know that I’m not letting them sleep in the same bed together!” he added sternly.

  “How old is your son?”

  “He’s twenty-two.”

  Samantha sighed, “But, Sir, if he’s twenty-two he can make his own decisions.”

  “I raised him on my own.  His mother had nothing to do with his up-bringing,” he said bitterly.  “And I am not letting any girl take away all my hard work!”

  Samantha smiled softly as he told his story.

  “Where is your son coming down from?” Samantha asked.

  “England.  He’s working as a chef,” Eric beamed with pride.

  Samantha could see the pride and love for his son in his eyes.

  If only I could find out for myself if he’s as loving a partner as he is a father…

 

  “Good morning, class.”

  “Good morning, Miss Arbuckle.”

  “Please be seated so that I can do the attendance register.”

Miss Arbuckle, Samantha’s English teacher, began calling out names.

  “Jack?”

  “Here, Ma’am.”

  She ticked his name off.

  “Sharon?”

  “Over here, Miss Arbuckle.”

  She continued down the list, ticking off as she went along.

  “Neylan?”

  “Late as usual, Ma’am.”

  “Figures.  Samantha?”

  There were two Samantha’s in the class, so Samantha Hutchinson stayed ‘Samantha’ and Samantha Walker became ‘Sam’.

  “Here.  On time as always.”

  Miss Arbuckle laughed, “For a bloody change.”

  The list continued down.

  “Sam?  I saw you somewhere.”

  “I’m here,” she said, raising her hand for the teacher to see.

  “Oh, there,” she replied, spotting her.

  Miss Arbuckle put the register away, “I need the class to go sit outside on the field while I do ‘speeches’ with the following people…”

  As she read their names, they stood aside.  The rest of the class cheered as they searched for a sunny spot.  Samantha walked towards one of her guy friends, Lee, who was sitting on a bench in the sun.

  “Hello, friendly friend,” she smiled happily.

  “Hi there,” he greeted.

  They sat and spoke about Lee’s latest girlfriend.  In the near distance, Samantha saw Eric walking towards the field.

  Lee saw him too, “I see your boyfriend is coming to say hello.”

  Samantha blushed.

  He came nearer, “Hi, Sam.  Lee.”

  She smiled brightly, “Hey, Mr R.  How are you?”

  “Good, thank you,” was his reply.

  There was an uncomfortable silence.

  Samantha took out her packet of sweets, “Do you want some Jelly Beans?

  She offered to Lee as well.

  “No, thank you – I’m on diet.”

  Samantha giggled.  Eric was usually telling other people that they should go on diet.

  “Sam, will you please do me a favour?”

  She nodded her head.

  “Please tell all the Higher Grade Science kids that there is a meeting in my class at first break.”

  Samantha smiled, “Will do, Sir.”

  Eric then returned to his class.

  “I see someone’s blushing over a certain somebody.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to blush over me, Sweetie,” she replied with a wink.

  Samantha was good at coming up with quick comebacks.

  Lee laughed, “You know what I meant.”

  Samantha smiled as she walked away to find the rest of her Science class.

 

  “What’s the meeting about?” Sarah asked, as they walked into Eric’s classroom.

  “In all honesty, I haven’t a clue.  Mr Roberts just said to meet him in his class.”

  Sarah arched an eyebrow playfully, “Are you sure he wanted all of us here and not just you?”

  Samantha blushed, “I’m pretty sure.”

  Eric walked out of his office and to his desk, “Where is everybody else?”

  He turned to Samantha, “Did you tell them there’s a meeting?”

  Just then the rest of the group poured noisily into his class.

  Samantha smiled, “Well, if I didn’t, then there is a large group of people coming to complain about something.”

  He laughed as they began to surround his desk.

  “This had better be quick, because my break is on the line here.”

  Everyone turned and sighed, “Oh shut up, David.”

  “Okay, calm down everybody.  I called you here to tell you that we have been invited to attend a Maths and Science fair in Valhalla tomorrow.  Unfortunately I can only take nine of the twelve, so who really wants to go?”

  Craig and David jumped at the invite, “We do!”

  Eric ticked their names off, “Okay, seven more.”

  Tracey and Sarah glanced at each other and nodded.

  “Put us down too,” Tracey said.

  Four down, five to go, Samantha thought.

  She really wanted to go, but if someone else wanted it more, she wouldn’t protest.

  “I want to go,” Terry said.

  “Yeah, me too,” Lisa added.

  Three spaces.  Six people.  Who was going to go?

  Is there enough space for Vanessa and I?” Kim asked.

  Eric nodded, “Yes, and there’s still space for one more.  Who is it going to be?”

  He turned to Samantha, “Sam?  Would you like to go?”

  She looked around at the remaining people, “Yes, but only if no one else wants to go.”

  Eric didn’t wait for anyone’s response – he ticked her name off immediately.

  “You’ll get a notice during your Science lesson.  It needs to be signed by your parents and brought back first thing tomorrow morning.”

  The pupils chatted excitedly as they walked out of his class.  Samantha was the last to walk out.

  Eric called her back, “I hope you’re not afraid of heights.”

Samantha frowned, “Why?”

  Eric smiled mischievously, “There’s a little something I neglected to mention.”

  “And that would be?”

  His eyes twinkled, “We have been chosen to go on a helicopter ride at the fair.”

  Samantha’s face lit up with excitement, “Are you serious?  Why didn’t you tell the rest of the class?”

  “The notice will tell them.  Let’s see how long it takes them to figure it out.”

  Samantha began day-dreaming of how much fun the day would be.

  “Come on.  There’re still a few minutes of break left.  Let’s go.”

  Samantha snapped out of her day-dream and walked with him out of the class.

 

 

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Jim and Tanya sat cuddling on the stairs of the library at break.  Samantha and Eric walked out of his class laughing.  Jim’s face brightened up with mischief as he thought of a way to embarrass Samantha.

  Samantha said goodbye to Eric and walked to where Jim and Tanya were sitting.

  Just before Eric had turned the corner to the staffroom, Jim shouted, “Sir, Sam wants your beef!”

  Samantha’s eyes grew wide as she turned to see if Eric had heard.  But if he had, he didn’t acknowledge it.  She stuck her tongue out at Jim and laughed triumphantly.

  “So, what’s been going on with you ‘love-birds’?”

  Tanya smiled excitedly, “Jim and I are going to watch the wrestling live at the Dome on Saturday!”

  Samantha’s mouth dropped open, “WWE is in South Africa?”

  “Uh ha.  Isn’t it exciting?”

  “Yeah, but not as exciting as tomorrow is going to be for me,” Samantha giggled.

  Jim and Tanya frowned.

  “I know that Fridays are generally fun, but why is tomorrow so special?”

  Samantha looked into the distance, trying to make pictures in the clouds, “I get to spend the whole day with Eric!  Well, almost the whole day.”

  Tanya asked, “Who’s Eric?”

  “Mr Roberts,” Jim explained.

  Then he turned to Samantha, “Why?  What’s happening tomorrow?”

  “We – the Higher Grade Science pupils and a few Standard Grade peasants – have been invited to attend a Maths and Science fair at Valhalla,” she said excitedly.

  “Valhalla?  Why does that sound so familiar?”

 “Isn’t it the ‘Viking Heaven’?” Tanya asked.

  Samantha shrugged her shoulders, “I think so.  Isn’t that where all the ‘fallen heroes’ were sent to?”

  She suddenly stopped, “That’s so totally not a cool thought!  Especially with the idea of going up in a helicopter.”

  “A helicopter?” Jim and Tanya asked in unison.

“Yip.  But don’t tell the others – they’ll find out in the last period.”

  “Who all is going?”

  Samantha thought for a second, “Terry; Sarah; Tracey; Craig; David; Lisa; Kim and Vanessa.  And from Standard Grade, Lee; Neil; Brian; Chester and Monique.”

  Jim laughed, “No one who can take your attention off Eric.”

  Tanya added, “And no one to take his attention away from you…”

 

When Samantha got home, she tried to think of some excuse to tell Paul as to why she would be late the next day.

  He’d have a fit if he found out I wasn’t at school for the day.

  As she reached for the doorknob to unlock the door, she noticed that the door stood ajar.  Quietly, she opened the door and peered in.  Clothes were scattered across the floor.

  Samantha sighed and giggled, “When will they learn?”

  She shook her head, remembering the last time Jessica and Justin had gotten home early.  But as she walked passed their room, she noticed that the door was open and no one was inside.  Her heart pounded against her chest as she neared her room.  The door stood half open.  Walking towards the door, Samantha held her breath.  She stopped when she heard sounds coming from inside.

  “Oh God, this is good,” she heard Paul’s voice saying.

  Then he whispered, “Turn around.”

  A girl’s voice began moaning in delight.

  Samantha couldn’t take it anymore – she stormed into the room but stopped short when she saw a girl on top of Paul in a 69 position.

  “Rachel?” she screamed.  “Get out!  Get out now!”

  Rachel got off Paul and ran to get her clothes.  Samantha turned back to Paul who was still lying on the bed.

  “How could you?  You promised you wouldn’t…”

  Paul stood up and slapped her across the face.  She staggered back and raised her hand to her face.

“Why did you chase Rachel away?  I was enjoying the magic of her tongue wrapped around my…” his voice faded as a smile spread across his face.

  Samantha couldn’t hide her disgust any longer, “You make me sick!”

  Paul grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the bed.  He pushed her down on her knees.

  “Seeing as you didn’t let Rachel finish her job, it’s now your job.”

  Samantha tried to pull away as Paul put himself in her mouth.

  “Sit still, B***h!”

  She couldn’t move; couldn’t breathe.  She bit him and he pulled out, hitting her again.  He pulled her to her feet and rammed her head against the wall.  Black spots floated in front of her eyes.

  “Stupid s**t,” Paul said through gritted teeth as he tied her arms to the bedposts.  “You’re going to get what you deserve.”

  She tried to get her arms loose, but the rope cut into her wrists.  Paul ripped off every item of clothing Samantha had had on, leaving her completely naked.  Then he forced himself on her, harder and deeper each time.

  “Please stop,” Samantha pleaded.  “You’re hurting me!”

  But her pleas only excited Paul and he pushed deeper and harder.

  This is the last time, Paul, she vowed silently, tears rolling down her face.  The last time…

 

Friday arrived and Samantha was determined to enjoy it.

  No thoughts of Paul, she thought, rubbing her rope-burnt wrists.

  She ran to catch up with Sarah and Tracey.

  “Are you guys ready for this?”

  They both nodded their heads excitedly.

  “I can’t believe we’re going on a helicopter,” Sarah said, unable to hold back her excitement.

  Tracey couldn’t help but laugh at her friend, “It’s just a helicopter, Sarah.  Calm down!”

  She then turned to Samantha, “Where do we pay our money in to?”

  Samantha shrugged, “I was hoping you would know.  Let’s go ask Mr Roberts.”

  “We’ll meet you there - I have to quickly go see Mrs Kneen,” Sarah said.

  “Okay, see you there.”

  Samantha took a slow stroll to Eric’s class.

  Nothing is going to stop this from being an awesome day, she thought as she entered his class.

  A gust of warm air erupted from inside as Samantha opened the door.  People crowed around Eric’s desk, but he caught a glimpse of Samantha as she entered.

  “Sam,” he called, “Did you pay your money in yet?”

  She shook her head, “I came to ask you where I’m supposed to pay.”

  “Well, okay.  You can give me the money.  It’s fine.”

  He opened a plastic bank bag and handed it to her.

She heard someone calling her name and turned to see three boys staring at her – Jim; Michael; and Darren.  Samantha walked to their desks to talk to them.

  Before she could say anything, Jim was already giving her a lecture, “Now, no sex with the teacher.  I know it can be exciting in a helicopter, but no!”

  Samantha blushed and slapped him.

  “I didn’t know you’re going in a helicopter.  That’s so cool!” Darren exclaimed.

  “Aren’t you afraid of heights?”

  Michael was always the one to act like a big brother.  He protected her from all sorts of harm at school.

  “Not really, but thanks for the concern.”

  The bell rang for the end of the first period.  The boys got up to leave, but when they passed Samantha, they each stopped to give her a hug.

  Darren was first, “Have fun.”

  Jim second, “Behave yourself.  We don’t want any teenage pregnancies.”

  Samantha blushed blood red.

  Then Michael hugged her, “Be careful.  But enjoy every second of it.”

  Samantha smiled thankfully at them as they rushed off to their next class.

 

  “Okay, everyone in,” Eric called as he stopped the school minivan outside the main gate.

  Samantha and Monique had been discussing their seating arrangements, and agreed that Samantha would get in the front first.  This would allow her to sit next to Eric as he drove.  The seating was made a bit awkward by Eric’s bag which was put at Samantha’s feet, causing her to sit with one leg up against the gear lever.

  When everybody was in and ready to go, Eric started the van up and began the hour-long trip to Valhalla.

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The journey there was a fairly quiet one.  The kids in the back of the van chatted excitedly, and Monique and Samantha discussed their idea of an ideal date with a guy.

  “All I want is one dance with him,” Samantha stated.

  Monique looked at her as if she had gone mad, “A dance when you have the opportunity to push for so much more?  Girl, you must be crazy!”

  Samantha started blushing, “Gees, why does everybody keep saying that?  Do I look like a s**t?”

  Monique started replying, but Samantha interrupted her, “Don’t answer that!”

  They both laughed.

  Samantha then turned her attention to the clock on the dashboard.

  Eric shifted from first to second gear, ‘accidentally’ rubbing the back of his hand up her leg, moving her skirt a little higher.  Samantha tried to move her leg to make it easier for Eric to change gears, but when he shifted from second to third, his fingers still found her leg.  She blushed, but tried not to pay any attention to it.

  While watching the road, Samantha felt someone looking at her.  She lifted her eyes to the review mirror.  As her eyes met Eric’s, he smiled and looked back at the road.  Samantha tried hard to stop herself from smiling, but to no avail – a bright, wide grin spread across her face as she turned her gaze back to the cars on the road.

 

  “Nearly there,” Eric said excitedly.

As they drove into the entrance of the air force base where the fair was being held, Eric stated that he was hungry and asked for his bag.  Samantha handed it to him and he took out a banana.  He peeled it and offered a piece to Samantha.

  “Oh, gross!” Kim yelled from the back.  “How can you offer her a piece of your banana?”

  Being teenagers, everyone had a dirty image in mind and the van erupted in laughter.

  Eric pulled off the road and got out to sign the registration papers.  Everyone else got out of the van to stretch their legs.  Samantha, however, didn’t – she was in too much awe.  Eric wasn’t the type of person to share food and drinks with people.  But now, to contradict everything, Eric had offered her a piece of banana.

  Had things progressed between them?

  Samantha couldn’t wait to find out.

 

The group from Oakhill High School were crammed into a room with three other groups, listening to a lecturer drone on about ‘the applications of Maths’.

  Craig tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a yawn, setting off a chain-reaction.  First Craig; then David; Tracey; Sarah; Neil; Lee; Terry; Chester; Kim; Vanessa; Brian; Lisa; Monique; and finally Samantha.

  “Gee whiz,” Samantha whispered to her group.  “Yawns are contagious!”

  Just mentioning it triggered off another yawn.  This set off another chain-reaction, which infected the other schools as well.

  The lecturer noticed this, “I’m only asking for two more minutes.  Do you think you can stay awake for that long?”

The group from Oakhill High burst into uncontrollable laughter.  The lecturer finally gave up and let them all leave.

 

  “This is so exciting,” Vanessa whispered to Kim as they stood waiting for Eric to arrive.

  Samantha spotted him walking briskly towards them.

  “And where have you been?” Samantha asked as he came to a stop in front of them.  “And how could you leave us with that Maths bore?”

  Eric smiled mischievously, “Well, I didn’t want to be stuck in there, so I snuck out and left you guys there.”

  He laughed as he looked across the groups’ faces, “Oh, and while you were having so much fun in there, I was sitting in on the 11^th Grade Science lecture.  It was very interesting.”

  Terry’s eyes widened, “You were where?  And you left us here?  I don’t believe you!”

  Eric was very amused by all of this, but his amusement suddenly changed to shock.

“What time is it?” he asked Samantha.

  She looked at her watch, “It’s ten-to-eleven.”

  Eric’s movements became hurried, “We only have five minutes to get to the helicopter landing!”

  “And where is that?” Kim asked.

  “On the other side of this complex!”

 

  “Hello, everyone.  My name is Candice.  I’m here to show you to the debriefing room.”

  Candice turned to Samantha, “You’ll have to leave your bag somewhere.  You can’t take any loose objects up in the chopper.

  Suddenly everyone was putting their belongings in Samantha’s bag.

  “I hope you remember what belongs to who in there, because I ain’t taking responsibility for lost goods.”

  “Alright.  I think we can start leading in now,” Candice said as she directed them into the debriefing room.

  They sat down and began chatting excitedly.

  Candice had to quiet them down, “Guys, I need you to keep it down – the pilots are having a meeting next door.”

  They sat in silence, waiting for the second group.  Once they had arrived, the debriefing began.

  “Good morning.  My name is Fred Lewis and I’ll be your pilot.  This is Josh Silberman, and he’ll be my co-pilot.”

  Captain Lewis gave them the basics of the helicopter and Captain Silberman began debriefing them about the safety precautions.

 

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The Oakhill High group was the first to take the ride.  Samantha took a seat right next to the door and Chester sat next to her.  Eric sat across from her, and Kim next to him.

  “Don’t you want to sit next to your man?” Samantha asked Kim.

  Kim and Chester had been dating for almost as long as Samantha and Paul.

  “Yes please,” she said, jumping across to take her place next to Chester.

  Samantha now had the chance to sit next to Eric.  The helicopter’s propellers began turning, slicing through the air like an animal’s claws through soft skin.  Everyone cheered as the helicopter lifted off the ground.

  This is awesome! Samantha thought as the earth below grew smaller.

  Captain Lewis started the ride smoothly, but as time passed, he became more daring.  The helicopter tilted to the right, and the group cheered excitedly.  At this angle, Samantha looked straight down at the ground.  It suddenly felt as if the helicopter had lost control and was plummeting to the ground, but it turned upright again and Samantha realised that it was just her paranoia kicking in.

  She wasn’t afraid of flying or of heights, but she had always had a fear of crashing.  It didn’t matter the mode of transport – it was just one of those irrational fears.

  Once again, the helicopter tilted, but this time to the left.  Samantha breathed in so quickly that her throat closed up.  She tried to breathe in again, but her passages were all blocked – no air went in.

  Samantha started panicking.

  The helicopter tilted a bit more and the sun shone directly into Samantha’s eyes.  She got so dizzy that she passed out for a couple of seconds, but as the helicopter levelled out again, she came to.  While trying to focus again, Samantha saw Lee looking at her with concern.

  “Are you alright?” he mouthed.

  Samantha shook her head as she struggled to breathe.

 

  “Don’t forget to move out in a ‘V-shape’,” Eric shouted as the helicopter landed.

  A member of the landing-crew was positioned on each side of the helicopter to help them get off safely.

  Samantha was one of the last to get off, and when she did, she had to hold on tightly to her skirt to prevent the wind from the propellers from blowing it up.

  As soon as they were clear of the chopper’s blades, Monique dropped to her knees and kissed the ground.

  “Drama Queen,” Chester muttered, shaking his head.

  She quickly stood up as the rest of the group passed her on their way back to the debriefing room.

  Samantha was walking up front, still struggling to breathe.  Suddenly she sat down on her haunches.  Lee and Eric were the first at her side.

  “Are you alright?” Lee asked.

  She looked up at him, then Eric. “I can’t breathe,” she whispered.  “And I don’t think I brought my asthma pump.”

  Eric asked around the group to find out if anyone had a pump, but no one did.  With Lee’s help, she got to her feet and continued to the debriefing room.  When she sat down, Tracey and Craig sat next to her.

  “Put your arms above your head,” Craig instructed.  “Remember, like we taught you in First Aid?”

  All Samantha could hear was the soft humming of her group’s voices in the back of her head.  Everybody started crowding around her, trying to help, but instead they made her feel claustrophobic.  She stood up and pushed passed everyone to get to the door.

  Captain Arthur Augustus was standing outside when Samantha ran out.  Candice was right behind her and, seeing the look on Captain Augustus’s face, she explained what had happened.

  “I see,” he said grabbing a plastic chair for Samantha to sit on.  “Now, you sit here and stare far into the distance.  You’ll feel better soon.”

  Samantha took a seat and looked out onto the runway.  Captain Augustus brought her a glass of sugar-water.  Samantha managed a grateful smile.

  As she slowly sipped the water, her breathing returned to its normal pace.

  “How you doing?”

  She turned and smiled, recognising the voice, “I’m better now, thank you.  It was such a weird feeling!  I just totally blacked out up there.”

  Lee frowned, “You had us pretty worried.  Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Samantha smiled appreciatively and nodded her head.  She finished the glass of sugar-water and returned inside to her group.  Eric turned to face her, and she smiled.  His face softened and a smile spread across it.

  “Welcome back,” he said.  “How are you feeling?”

 Samantha took a deep breath, “Much better, thanks.”

She saw the look of concern still lingering in Eric’s eyes, but it slowly faded as he turned to the group.

  “Righty-oh, then.  Let’s get going.”

 

As the group made their way back to the school van, they came across some people handing out South African flagged stickers.  Each person took two and stuck them somewhere on their uniform.

  “Hey, Samantha.  How’s your lover-boy?”

  Neil knew about her fondness for Eric and ripped her off about it every chance he got.

  “You know what, Neil, kiss my South African flagged a*s,” she said pointing to the sticker on the back of her skirt.

  Everybody who had heard her comment chuckled.  Neil looked around at all the eyes staring at him, and cowered away.

 

  “Is everybody in?” Eric asked as he started up the van.

They all looked around to see if their buddies were there.

  “Tracey and Sarah went to the bathroom,” Craig reported.

  Eric switched the van off again and they waited for the girls.

  “You won’t believe it, but I’m hungry again,” Eric stated to Samantha.

  She reached into her bag and took out a packet of Barbeque flavoured potato chips.

  “Unfortunately this is all I have to offer,” she said, handing him the packet.

  “That’s awesome, Sam.  Thanks.”

  Eric opened the packet hungrily and offered some to Samantha.  She declined, saying that she had another packet in her bag.

  “Were you waiting just for us?” Tracey asked as her and Sarah got into the van.

  “Yes.  And now that you’re here, we can go,” Eric said through a mouthful of potato chips.

  He put the packet next to the handbrake and started the van.  Every now and then he would put his hand into the packet and grab a couple of chips.  Every time he did so, the packet pushed up against Samantha’s bum.  She giggled nervously, but tried not to make a scene.

 

  “Who’s up for McDonalds?”

Everyone cheered at the idea.  Eric turned off the highway to get to the McDonalds.

  “It’s already nearly three-thirty, so we had better hurry,” Eric said, as he parked the van.

  The Oakhill High crowd piled out of the van and made their way to the counters.

  “Do you want anything?” Samantha asked Eric.

  He took out a twenty-rand note and handed it to her, “Yeah, please get me a packet of chicken strips with a lemon and herb dip.”

  “Sure thing,” she said, taking the money from him.

  When she walked through the door, Craig and David jumped out at her from behind the plant.  Samantha jumped back in surprise and the boys giggled hysterically.  Rolling her eyes, she walked passed the ‘giggling Gerties’ to the counter.

  “Good afternoon.  How may I help you?” the girl behind the counter asked as Samantha stepped up to the counter.

  “Hi.  I would please like two junior cheeseburgers, a packet of fries and a medium Vanilla Coke.  Oh, and a packet of chicken strips with a lemon and herb dip.”

  “That will be thirty-seven, ninety-five.”

  Samantha took out the twenty that Eric had given her and took out another twenty from her wallet, and handed it to the girl.

 

As Samantha handed Eric his chicken strips, he stuck his head into her bag.

  “What did you get?” he asked, still peeking into the bag.

  “Two junior cheeseburgers, fries and a Vanilla Coke.”

  His eyes grew wide as she removed one item at a time.

  “You’re going to get fat if you eat all of that,” he teased.

  Samantha slapped him on the arm.

  “I actually bought one for you,” she stated, pushing the cheeseburger towards him.

  Eric’s face lit up, “You didn’t have to.”

  Samantha shrugged, “Well, I did and that’s that!”

  He found himself speechless.  Although he knew there was a huge age gap between them – he had sat thinking about it before – there was just something about her.  It was her long hair; her innocent face; her naughty smile; and those eyes.  Those blue-green eyes that sparkled each time the two of them spoke.  Those eyes that held so much pain while hiding so much.

  Eric’s thoughts were interrupted when Samantha’s cell phone rang.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  Paul’s angry voice bellowed on the other end of the line.

  “Where are you?” he yelled.

  Eric watched as the fear filled Samantha’s eyes.

  She swallowed hard, “I’m on my way.  I just stopped to put petrol in.”

  “Just get your a*s home,” he said.  “And make it fast!”

 

Once Eric had parked the van and everyone was making their way to the gate to meet whoever was fetching them, he grabbed Samantha by the arm.

  She turned in shock to face him.

  “Don’t go home,” Eric said, his face full of concern.  “He doesn’t deserve you.”

  Samantha’s eyes filled with tears, “I have to.”

  She looked down at her shoes, “He’ll kill me if I don’t.”

  She began sobbing softly.

  Eric moved forward and put his arms around her, comforting her.  He stroked her long, flowing hair, a fruity scent filling his nose.  He couldn’t bring himself to let her go, but he knew there was no stopping her.

  She pulled away and looked up at him.  Her eyes glistened from the tears, but there was a shimmer of joy hidden inside.

  Leaning in again, Samantha held on tight.  She liked the way he held her; the way he stroked her hair; the smell of deodorant that still clung to his shirt.  She wished she could spend eternity this way.

  Pulling away again, she reached up and put her hand on his cheek.

  “As always, thank you for your friendship and support.”

  With that, she started jogging to her car.

  “Sam, wait!” Eric called, but it was too late – she was already gone.  He stood there, his hand to his cheek where she had touched.

  Why hadn’t he tried harder to stop her?  Why did he let her out of his arms?

  These thoughts circled around in his mind for the rest of the evening.

 

  Eric spent most of his weekend worrying about Samantha.  He had her cell phone number, but knew he would only get Samantha into trouble if he phoned her.

  If he has hurt her again, I swear… he thought angrily.

  He sat on the couch in the lounge and turned on the T.V.  Bright colours flashed on the screen; loud sounds boomed through the speakers, but Eric’s mind was elsewhere.

  After staring blankly at the screen for a couple of minutes, he got up and walked to his bedroom to fetch his cell phone.  He had to find out if she was okay.

  Even though Eric knew this wasn’t appropriate – their relationship should be purely during school hours and kept to that professional level – he found it hard to let this one go.  He and Samantha had shared enough to become good buddies and he couldn’t stand the fact that Paul roughed her up the way he did.  Eric didn’t know if Samantha had confided in anyone else, but if she had, they weren’t doing anything about it.  He couldn’t just be a bystander – he had to do something.

  He held his cell phone tightly, trying to muster up the courage to contact her.

  What if Paul picks up? he wondered.

  He decided to just send a text message to avoid any unwanted confrontations.

  “Hi, Sam,” he typed.  “How are you?  Is everything okay?  Please reply if you can. ER.”

  Once he had typed in her number and pressed ‘send’, he knew that all he could do was wait.

 

  “SMS arrived.”

Samantha recognised the French accent that alerted her when her phone had received a message.

  She got up off her bed where she had been revising the last bit of her Maths study material, and walked over to where her cell phone had been charging.

 As she lifted the phone off the table by the window, she tried to guess who the message was from.

  “Probably Paul telling me how much fun he’s having without me,” she said out loud.  Not that she really cared.

  She unlocked the cell phone keypad and read the text.  A confused smile spread across her face as she got to the end of the message.

  ER? She tried to place the initials.

  “Hey!” she suddenly screamed out.  “Eric Roberts.”

  Excitedly, she replied.

  “I’m alright, thanks.  How about you?  Spent the weekend alone.  What have you been up to?  Sam.”

  As the text was sending, Samantha couldn’t help but smile.  Her feelings for Eric had kept growing stronger as the days passed.  His caring nature and friendship had come to mean everything to her.

  Her mind drifted back to the previous Friday when he held her, comforting her.  Her heart fluttered at the memory.

  Samantha sat down on the bench at the window and stared out at the sky.  She longed to have his arms around her again; his fingers running through her hair…

  “SMS arrived.”

  Her cell phone interrupted her thoughts.  Eagerly, she read the text.

  “I’m fine.  Why have you spent the weekend alone?” she read aloud.  “Where’s Paul?  I’ve been so bored.  Preparing exams is not fun.”

  “He’s out screwing his ex-girlfriend or something.  Got home to an empty apartment Friday night,” she typed.  “Our flat-mates have gone to spend the weekend in Sabie.”

  Eric’s reply came through quickly, “He doesn’t deserve you.  You’re worth so much more than that.  I know this is inappropriate, but would you like to go for coffee somewhere now?”

  Samantha looked at her watch – twelve-twenty.  Not knowing where Paul was or when he would return, Samantha wasn’t too eager to leave the apartment.

  But come on, Samantha reasoned with herself.  Do something for yourself for once.

  “I’ll meet you at Notch Mall, outside Mountain Cat Coffee Shop in an hour?”

  She didn’t wait for the reply.  She tossed her phone on her bed and started rummaging through her cupboard for something to wear.

 

Eric read Samantha’s reply and smiled happily.  He got off his bed and looked through his cupboard for a pair of jeans and a white golf shirt,

  Standing in front of the mirror to see how he looked, he grabbed his Lacoste deodorant and sprayed it lightly across his clothes.

  After taking one last look at himself, he made his way to his car.

 

  “There he is!”  Samantha said to her car as Eric walked into the mall.

His white golf shirt showed off his muscular physique and contrasted his dark skin.  His blue jeans fit perfectly, framing his sexy, tight a*s.  Samantha couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  She had waited in her car until he got there, just in case Paul was lurking around.

  Getting out of her car, she straightened her denim skirt and readjusted her purple halter-neck top.  She couldn’t wait to sit across the table from him and just stare into his sexy brown eyes.

  She locked her car and made her way inside.

 

  “Afternoon, Sir.  Can I lead you to a table?”

Eric turned to face the waiter.  He was wearing a T-shirt with a cat on the front and ‘Mountain Cat Coffee House’ printed in brown below it.

  “Not just yet, thank you.  I’m supposed to wait outside for someone.”

  Daniel nodded and returned to his post at the door.

  Eric had only been standing for a couple of minutes when he spotted Samantha.  His eyes traced down her body, admiring her outfit.  Her denim skirt stopped high above her knees, showing off her long, muscular tanned legs.  Her purple halter-neck sat perfectly, displaying her tanned shoulders.

  Samantha waved as she got closer.

  “Hi,” he said.  “How are you?”

  She smiled, “I’m good thanks.  You?”

  He swallowed, trying to keep his voice casual, “Good.  What you say we get a table?”

  Daniel ushered them to a table at the back, where they could have some privacy.

 

  “So, what makes you think that Paul is off with his ex?”

Samantha sighed, “First of all, I caught him in bed with her twice now.  And second of all, he told me as much.  ‘When I get back from Rachel’ he had said.”

  She laughed bitterly.

  Eric saw the hatred in her eyes and found it hard to understand why she stayed with him.

  Samantha smiled, “You’re wondering why I’m still with him, aren’t you?”

  The question caught him by surprise.  Had his thoughts shown on his face?

  “Yeah.  I mean, he treats you so badly.  You deserve better.”

  Samantha sighed.  How could she explain it to him?  She couldn’t even explain it to herself.

  “Sir…” she started.

  “Please, it’s Eric,” he interrupted.  “We’re not at school.”

  Samantha giggled, “Okay, Eric.”

  Her smile slowly faded, “I have nowhere else to go.  If I leave him, I have nothing.”

  She looked down at her hands, “In any case, who else would ever want to take a chance with a creature like me?”

  Eric was shocked by the term she used.

  “Sam, you’re no creature.  My God, just look at you!  You’re beautiful and you look stunning today!”

  Samantha looked up and their eyes met.

  Eric blushed and looked away, “I’m sorry.  That was inappropriate.  It’s just…  Sam, you can’t spend your life with an a*****e like Paul.  You really deserve better.  There are many guys who would kill to be with you.”

  “Are you ready to order?” Daniel asked, taking out his note pad and pen.

  “Um, yeah.  Sam, you ready?”

  She glanced quickly over the menu, “Yeah, thanks.  I’ll have an iced coffee shake, please.”

  Daniel jotted it down.

  “And you, Sir?”

  “I’ll have one of those too.”  He looked at the cakes on display then turned to Samantha, “Want to share a piece of carrot cake?”

  Samantha nodded, “That’ll be nice, thanks.”

  Daniel took down the order and went to the counter to collect it, leaving Eric and Samantha in silence.

 

Once Daniel had cleared the glasses and plates and brought them the bill, Eric took out his wallet to pay.  Samantha followed suit.

  “What are you doing?”

  Samantha looked up in shock, “Excuse me?”

  “I invited you, so I pay.  It’s only fair.”

  He smiled and Samantha fell more in love.  Paul had only ever taken her out a couple of times in the year they had been together, and most of the time Samantha had to pay.

  Daniel fetched the bill and they got up to leave.

  “Thank you,” Samantha said to Eric as they reached the door.

  “It’s my pleasure, Sam.”

  They walked out to the outdoor market and looked around at the stores.

  Samantha kept thinking about their conversation in the coffee shop.  Why hadn’t she told Eric how she felt about him?  Why had she said that she wasn’t leaving Paul?

  Fact is, she was going to move in with an old family friend, Ria Magan, until she found a new place.  Samantha and Ria had run into one another while out grocery shopping.  When Ria found out about Paul and all that had happened, she insisted that Samantha move in with her.  She agreed – she wanted to get away from Paul at all cost.

  When they got to the end of the market, Samantha and Eric made their way to the nearest bench.

  “Mr Roberts,” Samantha started as they sat down.  “I have something I want to tell you.”

  She kept her head straight, her eyes focused on the water fountain in front of them.

  In the distance, two kids were tossing a Frisbee back and forth, giggling each time they missed it.

  Eric found it hard to read her expression.

  “Sure, Sam.  Go ahead.”

  She took a deep breath and, still looking at the fountain, started her speech.

  “I’ve fallen in love with you, Eric.”

  She turned to face him and their eyes met.

“I know nothing can ever happen between us, but I just had to let you know,” Samantha’s blue-green eyes filled with tears.

  Eric’s mind raced with excitement and confusion.

  “I thought you had made up your mind to stay with Paul,” he replied.

  “He has nothing to do with this,” she said, holding back her tears like a dam wall holding back its flow.  “It’s my heart telling me it’s true.”

  “I’ve decided to move in with one of my mom’s old friends.  Our family has known Aunty Ria for more years than I have been alive,” she continued.

  “But earlier you said…”

  “I know what I said, Sir,” she interrupted.  “I don’t know why I said that.  Guess I’m still scared.”

  She looked out at the fountain again, tears stinging her eyes.

  “This time I have spent away from Paul has made me realise just how much I have missed this freedom.”

  She turned back to him.  His eyes studied her face as he listened in silence.

  “And the times I’ve spent with you…” she smiled lovingly.  “You make me feel good about myself.  I enjoy spending time with you.  You are such an amazing person.”

  Unsure of his feelings and unable to look into his eyes anymore, she looked down at her hands.

  Eric was at a loss for words.  Here sat a beautiful eighteen year old girl and she had fallen for him.  He just couldn’t fathom this.

  Samantha suddenly got to her feet.

  “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have said anything,” she said trough tears.  “I’m sorry.”

  Before Eric could react, Samantha was making her way through the market.

  Sitting alone, watching the two kids playing Frisbee, Eric mentally kicked his own a*s.

  Why hadn’t I said anything?  Why did I just sit here like an a*s? he thought.  But how can I tell a student just how much she has wiggled her way into my heart?

  His anger at himself grew, and he suddenly swore out loud.  Two old women walking passed stopped at stared, but he didn’t care.  He got up and began running towards the parking lot in search of Samantha.

  I have to find her, he thought.  I have to let her know…

 

Samantha drove home crying.  Her tears blurred her vision and she felt as if she was driving through a rain storm.

  “How could I have told him that I’m in love with him?” she asked herself, a fresh batch of tears trailing her cheeks.  “He’s my teacher, for f**k’s sake!  He’s not supposed to know that s**t.”

  She stopped at a red traffic light.

  “He probably thinks it’s just a teenage crush,” she whispered to her car, wiping away her tears.

  As the traffic light turned green, Samantha pressed play on her CD player.  The lead singer, Ville Valo, of her favourite alternative/gothic band, HIM, began singing.

  “The world was on fire and no one could save me but you…”

  It was an old Chris Isaak song, Wicked Games.

  “…And I want to fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)…”

  Tears welled up in her eyes again.

  It’s true, she thought.  This world is only going to break my heart.

 

“So tell me have you ever, really, really, really ever loved a woman?” Bryan Adams crooned over the radio.

  Eric kept mentally kicking himself for letting Samantha go without telling her how he felt.  He had it all planned – what he was going to say, how he would say it…  But then she said the words that would forever be etched into his mind.  She caught him so off guard that he had lost his train of thought.

  When she had run off, he searched the parking lot for her, but she was gone.

  Now, sitting in his car in front of Waterfull Lake, he thought back to that fateful night that he had found her here.  He wondered what had brought her to the lake at that time of the evening.  He didn’t have to wait long for an answer – when Paul walked into the hospital room, the answer was clear.

  Eric’s blood boiled as he thought about things Samantha had told him Paul had done to her.  He didn’t deserve her!

  He suddenly couldn’t stand the thought of Paul’s hands on her.

  “I have to make sure that she gets out of there without Paul interfering,” he said out loud.

  He didn’t care that she was a student – her final year was almost over.  She had warmed a spot in his heart that had been cold for years.  Was this love or just infatuation?  He didn’t know.  He didn’t care.  He liked spending time with her.  Loved watching that smile of hers which brightened her entire face.

  He took out his cell phone, punched in her number and pressed dial.  Holding the phone to his ear, he listened to the ringing.

  After a couple of rings it switched over to voice mail.

  “You have reached the phone of Samantha,” her voice said.  “Please leave your name and number, and I’ll decide if I feel like calling you back. Giggle.”

  He lowered the phone and ended the call.

  “She probably doesn’t want to talk to me,” he said, looking at his phone.

  He knew the only other way to get hold of her was to send a text.

  “Sam,” he typed.  “I’m sorry about earlier.  I should’ve said something.”

  He sighed, “We need to talk.  But only when the time is right.

  “If you need help moving let me know.  Eric,” he concluded.

Eric put his phone down on the seat next to him and stared out at the glistening lake.

  Please reply, Sam, he silently pleaded.  Please.

 

Samantha struggled to get her ringing phone out of her pocket.  By the time she got to it, it had stopped ringing.  She put the phone on her lap in case it rang again.

  “SMS arrived.”

  Her phone sounded as she parked her car outside her apartment.

  With red, swollen eyes, she read the text.

  “We need to talk?” she repeated.

  “When will the time be right?” she asked.

  While waiting for his reply, she made her way into the apartment.  Still no one was there.  Samantha was relieved.

  “Soon,” was Eric’s reply.  “Just give me a couple of weeks.”

  Samantha smiled through her tears.  She knew he hadn’t meant to hurt her.  She was just over emotional.  It was a very deep intimate secret she had told him, and when he didn’t reply, she was hurt.

  “When will you be able to help me move?” she typed.

  His reply was quick, “Right now, if you need me.”

  She looked at her watch – two-forty-four.  She didn’t know when Paul would return, so thought better of the idea.

  “Could you help me one afternoon after school?” she asked.  “Paul works until 6 every day this week.”

  “Definitely,” was his reply.

  Samantha smiled.  Once she was out of that apartment of horrors, she could start a new life.  And with the school dance coming up in a couple weeks, she would have the freedom to enjoy it as she should.

 

  “Please make sure all your notes and books are left outside the hall,” Mr Davidson said over the loudspeaker.

  Students hurriedly looked over their notes in a desperate attempt to learn something new.

  Pushing passed one another, the students fought to get their numbers so they could get to their seats.

  Once in the hall, everyone grew silent except for a few friends who were wishing each other luck.

  Samantha spotted Jim and Tanya hugging each other near the front.  Her seat was at the back of the hall, so she sprinted up the isle to wish them luck, and ran back to her seat.

  “Make sure you have all the stationery you need,” the teachers were saying as they walked down the isles.  “You will not be allowed to borrow anything.”

  Soon everybody was seated ad nervously waiting for their prelim exams to be handed out.

  “Good luck,” Samantha whispered to the students around her.

  The papers were handed out and the tension in the room could be felt.

  “Check to see that you have the correct grade paper.  There are twelve Higher Grade Maths students and twenty-six Standard Grade students,” Mr Davidson announced.

  Samantha made sure that hers said ‘Standard Grade’, and that all the pages were there.

  “Once you have checked,” he continued.  “You may start.”

  Everyone picked up their pens and began writing frantically.  Samantha glanced at all the students, their faces twisted in frustration as they realised that they hadn’t studied that section.

  Teachers walked up and down the isles.  Mr Zorrin was on the far left of the hall; Mrs Butner was two rows away from him; Mrs Rose, two rows away from her; and Mr Abrahams on the far right.

  Samantha lowered her head and started reading the first question.  The first Maths paper was always Algebra and Samantha was more than happy about it – she hated Geometry and Trigonometry which was combined in the next paper she wrote.

  “x + 4y = 12 – x,” she whispered to herself.

  As she wrote, she spoke her way through it, “Take the x over and it becomes positive.  Hence, x + x + 4y = 12 – which is 2x + 4y = 12.”

  Looking up from the paper to think, she took a deep breath and looked back down.

  “Okay,” she whispered.  “To get y as a single variable, I have to find the lowest common denominator, which is 2.  Which means it becomes,          x + 2y = 6.

  “But I still need y on its own,” she continued.  “So I have to take the x back over and it becomes 2y = 6 – x.  Y has to be a single variable - in other words, divide by 2, leaving me with y = 3 – x/2.”

  Samantha stared unsurely at the answer.  Reading the question again and looking over her workings, she decided to leave it as is.

 

The first hour of the two-hour paper had flown by, but yet Samantha had already finished her paper.  It was a bad habit – she was almost always finished an hour or so before the test was over.

  Because students weren’t allowed to leave once they were done, Samantha asked for an extra piece of paper so she could doodle and keep herself busy.

  The teachers swapped positions - four new ones replacing the others.  Samantha watched as Mr Powell; Mrs Oliver; Miss Davis and Eric took up their positions in the isles. 

  Her heart started beating faster when she saw him.  They hadn’t had much time to talk because Eric had been setting the Science paper.  But he had offered to help her move after this exam.  She was so excited to have the opportunity to get out of that apartment.

  It had been a hectic couple of days with Paul, but somehow Samantha made it through.  She knew it would only be for a short while longer.

  She sighed, remembering what a mission it had been to pack some boxes without Paul noticing.  There were only a few more left to do.

  Eric made his way down her isle and when their eyes met, he winked at her.

  Samantha felt the butterflies in her stomach begin to take flight.  She never remembered feeling this way about Paul.  She had never felt as in love as she did at that moment.

 

  “That wasn’t too bad,” the students commented as they left the hall.

Others had different reactions, groaning and shaking their heads in disappointment.

  Samantha remained seated until everyone had left.  Eric stood waiting by the door for her.

  “Your car or mine?” he asked as she reached the door.

  She pulled her keys out of her pocket, “Mine is easier.  Let’s just wait for the initial traffic to disperse.”

  They took a slow walk down to the tuck shop.

  “Would you like anything?” she asked as they stood in line.

  “No, thank you.”

  Samantha tried to see what was on offer, spotting more things she wanted than what she had money for.

  “May I please have a peppermint Aero and a guava juice?”

  The lady behind the counter gave Samantha her goods, took the money and gave her the change.

  Samantha and Eric then began their walk back up to her car.

 

  “And that’s the last of it,” Samantha said, closing the car’s boot.  “I thought there would be more.”

  She turned to face Eric who was wiping his hands on his handkerchief.

  “Thank you,” she said moving closer.

  He smiled, “It’s my pleasure.  Anything to get you away from him.”

  Samantha looked down at her watch.

  “Speaking of him…” she said, motioning for Eric to get into the car.  “He’ll be home soon.”

  “I thought he was only coming back at six,” Eric stated.

  Samantha shrugged her shoulders, “I thought so too.  But there’s a note on the fridge saying he wants a whiskey and coke ready at four, when he gets home.”

  Eric still couldn’t understand how she managed to stay with him.  He knew that what she had told him about what Paul had done, wasn’t half of what he had really done.  His anger and hatred slowly calmed down as they rounded the corner and drove away from the apartment.

  “So, where is this new place?” he asked, his nerves calming.

  “About a block from Waterfull Lake.”

  Eric’s eyes lit up, “Which street?”

  Samantha looked quizzically at him, “Raven Street.  Why?”

  A smile spread across his face, “Just wondering.”

  As they turned out of Raven Street and into Raven Manor – the complex Ria’s apartment was in – Eric couldn’t keep his mouth shut any longer.

  “If we hadn’t left my car at school, I’d be just about home now.”

  Samantha arched an eyebrow.

  “Excuse me?” she said, parking her car outside the flight of stairs.

  Eric laughed at her confusion, “Apartment 36B in Raven Heights – the block next door.”

  He pointed across towards the appointment block to the right of Raven Manor.

  Samantha’s mouth dropped open, “You’re kidding me.”

  “Nope.  Looks like we’re kind of like neighbours.”

  She couldn’t believe it.  It seemed like a fantasy dream.

  “Well, let’s quickly get my car unpacked so we can go get your car,” she said, opening her car’s boot.

 

Once all the boxes were out of her car and in her new room, Samantha felt calm and happy.  She knew the happiness would’ve soon been shattered by Paul when he had phoned, but she had bought herself a new SIM card for her phone, giving her a new number.  There was no way Paul would be able to contact her ever again.

  Samantha couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face, as a warm, fuzzy felling consumed her body.

  “You okay?” Eric asked, coming up behind her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

  She turned to face him, “Never been better.”

  Her eyes ran over her new room again, “Thank you for your help.”

  “Only the greatest of pleasures,” he replied, removing his hand from her shoulder.  “When does your mom’s friend get home?”

  Samantha glanced at the clock on the wall.

  “Only at about five-thirty,” she stated.

  Eric looked up at the clock too.  Four-forty.

  “Does that leave enough time to get my car and a ‘house-warming’ cake from the bakery?”

  Samantha nodded her head, “More than enough.”

 

 “Hi, Aunty Ria,” Samantha greeted as she entered the apartment.

Ria leaned around the corner from the kitchen, “Is that you, Samantha dear?”

  Samantha confirmed that it was, and made her way to the kitchen to hug the old family friend.

  “I saw your car parked outside and wondered when you had gone,” Ria commented, stirring the gravy she had on the stove.

  “Oh, Aunty Ria.  You’ll never guess,” Samantha said excitedly.

  “One of my best friends stays in the apartment block next door.”

  Ria’s face lit up with joy to see her friend’s youngest child so happy.

  Samantha looked around the kitchen, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Don’t you worry about a thing,” she replied.  “Go make yourself comfortable and dinner will be ready shortly.”

  Making her way to her new room to unpack the last few things, Samantha finally felt at home.

 

With the prelim exams over and the marking just about done, students returned to class for their marks and revision.

  “Okay, everybody, settle down,” Eric called as the students’ voices reached an unbearable high.

  Everyone slowly quietened down, keeping their eyes on Eric.

  “When I call your name, you may come up two-at-a-time to see your marks,” he stated.  “If you don’t want your mark, just say so and I will read it out loud to the rest of the class.”

  The class laughed nervously.

  Samantha knew her name was last, so she didn’t bother listening as the other names were being called.

  “How’s your story coming along?” Tracey asked, as she waited for her name to be called.

  “Just about done,” Samantha smiled happily.  “Just have to pick a good ending and a title.”

  Tracey giggled, “Why not call it ‘Chemistry Lessons’?”

  Samantha shoved her off the chair, “That is so lame!”

  “What about ‘Forbidden Love’?” Sarah suggested, returning from Eric’s desk.

  Samantha let the name run through her mind.

  Forbidden Love.  I like the sound of that.

  She looked up at Sarah, “That’s brilliant!  I really like that one.”

  Sarah smiled triumphantly.

  Once all the marks had been given, the class got into some casual discussions.

  “Have you ever noticed,” Eric started.  “That prostitutes are always represented wearing red dresses?”

  Samantha’s mouth dropped open, “Are you saying that I’m going to look like a s**t at the farewell?”

  Eric’s eyes twinkled mischievously, “Are you going to be wearing red?”

  She nodded.

  His mouth curved into a naughty smile, and he just shrugged his shoulders.

  Samantha pretended to be hurt by his comment and reaction.  But she noticed a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.

  I can’t wait ‘til he sees what my outfit is going to look like, she thought, smiling to herself.

  And with only a week and a few of days until the farewell, Samantha and Ria had a lot still to do.  But she didn’t mind – the rewards would make it all worthwhile…

 

  “Sam, you look beautiful!” Ria gushed as Samantha walked around the living room.

  It was the night of the farewell.  All the exams were over, and now the celebrating began.

  Ria ran her hands over Samantha’s silken skirt, straightening the ends.

  “Thank you so much, Aunty Ria.  This is perfect!” she said admiring herself in the mirror.

  Samantha had chosen a red silky material with a black backing for her outfit.

  She twirled in front of the mirror, her skirt flaring.  Ria had made two high, sexy slits on either side of the skirt, showing off Samantha’s tanned legs.  Her top was a halter-neck with a low-cut plunge in the front, accentuating her breasts.

  I hope he makes it tonight, Samantha thought.

  Eric had urgent business to attend to, but couldn’t tell Samantha what it was about.  He said he would try his best to make it though.

  “How are you getting there?” Ria asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Jim’s brother-in-law has offered to give me a ride along with Jim and Tanya,” she replied.  “When we get to school, a bus will take us to our venue.”

  “And where would that be?” she asked.

  Samantha shrugged her shoulders, “Dunno.  It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

  She gave herself one last look-over.

  Please make it, she silently begged…

 

The bus’s engine could barely be heard over the excited chatter of the students, as it made its way to the farewell venue.

  Samantha couldn’t stop staring at her friends.  Tanya was wearing a deep blue dress that reached to the ground; its bodice a snug fit, with spaghetti-string straps.  Jim was in a black suit, with a black shirt and a deep blue tie – the perfect colour match to compliment his date’s dress.

  “I know I keep saying this, but you guys look stunning!”

  Jim and Tanya looked at each other and smiled.

  They came to a stop outside a strange shaped building.  It had an oval shaped roof, giving justice to its name: The Dome.

  “We’re here,” the bus driver announced.

  Everyone cheered excitedly.

  Samantha was one of the last off the bus.  As she climbed off, making sure her black velvet, high-heeled shoes didn’t hook on the stairs, she heard some guys whistling.  She turned to her left and saw Darren, Michael and Neil staring hungrily at her as her skirt slits raised seductively with every step.

  “Down boys,” she joked as she passed them.

  Another round of whistles broke out, the boys now walking behind her.

  Samantha couldn’t help smiling to herself.

 

  “Wow,” came the stunned responses as they walked into the dining hall.  “This is beautiful!”

  The round tables had silver tablecloths draped over them and were decorated with silver and gold confetti; silver candleholders and red ribbon.  Each table held ten places, each chair elegantly draped in silver covers.

  People made their way to their allocated seats, still admiring the set up.

  The teachers had already taken their seats when Samantha walked passed.  She glanced over the faces, but Eric’s wasn’t one of them.

  “He’ll be here,” Jim said, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder.

  She looked up at her friend and smiled.  Jim was a b*****d when it came to teasing Samantha, but he had a good heart.

  As Jim and Tanya got to their seats, a photographer seemed to pop out of nowhere and started taking pictures.

  “Now, all three of you together,” the photographer said.

  They huddled together and smiled as the camera flashed several times.

   Samantha had barely sat down when Jim pulled her to the dance floor.

  “Hey!  What’re you doing?”

  “Come on, Sam.  Our song is on.”

  The song that was playing suddenly filtered through to her and she started protesting.

  “Don’t be a spoil-sport, Sam.  One last time,” Jim shouted over the music.

  “You and my baby, ain’t nothing but mammals…”

  Samantha couldn’t believe that Jim would make her do this again.  Two years prior, they had made up a dance to this song and performed it during a soccer match at school.  It was a crowd-pleasure, but a highly embarrassing moment for Samantha.  And now Jim was making her do it a second time.

  “Put your hand down my pants, and I bet you’ll feel nuts,” the song continued as they took up their positions.

  As they continued, everyone began standing around the dance floor watching as the two of them did their dirty little dance.

 

The evening continued and there was still no sign of Eric.  Samantha’s heart sank with every passing minute.

  “This next one is for the lovers,” the DJ said into the microphone as ‘I Swear’ began playing.

  Jim stood, took Tanya by the hand and led her to the dance floor where they slow danced. 

  Samantha sat alone at the table, remembering her story and willing Eric to pop out of nowhere and ask her to dance.  But she knew the chances were an absolute minimal.

  “And I swear,” the guys from Boyz II Men sang.  “Like the moon and the stars in the sky…”

  Samantha couldn’t help but feel disappointed.  Her fantasy story was to end as just that – a fantasy.

  She took out her cell phone and began playing games.  Her phone vibrated to let her know that a message was coming in.

  Reading the message, she couldn’t help but smile through the disappointment.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it tonight, Sam.  Feel like s**t about it.  But I made sure that they at least played your song for you.”

  Samantha wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes.

  “I’m sure you look absolutely stunning tonight.  Well, you always do.  I hope this message gets to you before the end of the night.  Eric.”

  When she reached the end of the message, the tears just streamed down her face.  She wanted him to be there so badly, but knew now that it wouldn’t be.

  Lee came up behind her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Is everything okay?”

  Samantha looked up and smiled, “Yeah, thanks.  I don’t know why, but I just somehow thought that I would find my story’s ending here tonight.”

  Lee smiled sympathetically, “Oh, Sam.  You’ll find the ending you want.  Maybe tonight just isn’t the right time, that’s all.”

  Samantha smiled at Lee’s attempt to cheer her up, “Thanks, Lee.  Maybe you’re right.  The right time will come.”

 

  “Last call.  Everybody on the bus.”

The teachers walked around rounding all the students up and getting them onto the bus.

  “If you lag behind, you get left behind.”

  Samantha got into the bus and found a spot right in the front.  It was a single seat, but she didn’t mind – she wasn’t in the mood for talking.

  Staring out the window as the bus made its way back to school, Samantha zoned out all the surrounding sounds.  She watched as the street lights seemed to be running past the bus in the opposite direction.

  The bus ride seemed to take forever.  Samantha felt as if they were in a cartoon - the same scenes passing them over and over.  The crowd in the back of the bus started getting rowdy as they neared Oakhill High.  There were cars everywhere – people waiting to pick up their friends to take them to the ‘after parties’.

  Samantha was in no mood for partying, so she stayed in the bus until everyone had gotten off.

  “Hey, Sam.  Come on, let’s go to Eden.  They say it’s going to be the party of the year!” Jim said, tugging on her arm.

  She shook her head, “Jim, please.  I really don’t feel like going.  I’ll give Aunty Ria a call and ask her to come get me.”

  Jim gave Samantha a stern look, “Sam…”

  “Jim, don’t start.  Go, please, and enjoy yourself.  Teach Tanya our dance and do it at Eden.”

  Jim laughed, “No, Sam.  That will forever be our dance.”

  Samantha smiled and hugged her best friend.

  “Please promise you’ll never forget me,” she said, her voice wavering.

  Jim squeezed tightly, “How could anybody ever forget you, Samantha Walker?”

 

As Samantha made her way into the darkened school grounds, she felt her phone vibrate in her bag.

  “Even in just the moonlight, you look stunning.”

  Samantha smiled and looked around to see Eric standing at the gate, red rose in hand.

  “Eric!” she exclaimed as he made his way to where she was standing.

  He held out the rose and she took it, smelling the fresh, beautiful fragrance.

  “It’s beautiful!  Thank you.”

  He smiled, “I tried to find the perfect red and just hoped it would match what you’re wearing.  Lucky break, huh?”

  Samantha laughed, “Pretty damn close, I’d say.”

  His voice suddenly dropped, “Sam, I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it tonight.  It’s just…I…”

  Samantha moved towards him, “You don’t have to explain, Sir.”

  “I feel I owe you an explanation,” he said.

  “You owe me nothing.  Come on, let’s go for a walk.”

  Eric and Samantha walked to the school sports ground, their path illuminated by the bright, white glow from the moon.

  They came across a bench and sat down.  Eric still felt that he should explain to Samantha what had been going on in the last week of his life.  He didn’t want to hurt Samantha, but he knew that things could never progress between them the way she would like.

  Samantha could sense that things were different.  She tried not to let it bother her, but inside her heart was tearing apart.

  What did I think? She wondered to herself.  Did I imagine that he would literally sweep me off my feet at the dance and then whisk me off to a magical, far away place?

  Inside Samantha kicked herself.  She couldn’t believe how naïve she had been about this whole situation.

  Eric felt her discomfort, “Sam, I…”

  “Shhh,” she interrupted.  “Look at the stars.  What do you see in them?”

  He looked up at the bright array of glistening lights in the cloudless sky.  The sight was beautiful and he soon found himself lost.

  “You know what I see?” she said after a long moment of silence.  “I see a whole universe that is still to be discovered.”

  She looked at him and smiled.

  “Eric, I know things could never work out between us.  For many reasons.  But will you stay my friend?”

  Eric smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, “Forever, Sam.”

  Samantha closed her eyes and put her head against his chest.  A smile spread across her face as she thought of the perfect ending to her story.

  This may be a forbidden love, she thought.  But it will not be a forgotten one…

 

Copyright©JosieWentzel2003-2008