Samantha

                “Cory! Hey, Cory!”
         I turned and saw Samantha jogging to catch up to me. “Hey, Sam. What are you up to?”
         “Nothing worth talking about,” she replied. “What about you?”
         “Just came from the library,” I answered, looking down at her. She was really pretty. She had dark hair and eyes.
         “What book did you get?” she asked me and I held it up for her to see. “The Outsiders,” she read aloud. “Is it good?”
         “Yeah. I have actually read it a few times, but I like it.”
         Samantha has been my best friend ever since I could remember. She and her family moved here when we were in kindergarten.
         I lived with my brothers, Cain and Carson. I was the youngest of three boys and do not remember much about my parents. Our mother died when I was two and our father ran out on us when I was five, so they are like characters in a book to me. You read about them but they are not real. Cain was the oldest. He has always been tough. He had just turned twenty-five but looked older, probably because he had to be a parent to Carson and me. His baby-face sometimes fooled strangers, but I have seen his temper too often.
         Carson was the middle child. He was very much like Cain, but he had an explosive personality. However, unlike Cain, Carson learned how to control his temper. He was the one I turn to when I needed advice on anything. He was twenty-two and knew more about cars than anyone I knew while working at one of the best garages in the area.
         Calhoun Dennison, or Cal, was Carson’s best friend. He lived with his Mom out by the railroad tracks, but he was always at our place. He slept on that cot in Chris’ room and was also a wannabe scientist. He was always trying new experiments and almost blowing himself up.
         Logan had been my best friend since Junior High School. We were the same age, but he was so much smarter than I was. He had blond hair and bright blue eyes. A real Ladies man.
         Finally, there was me, Cody Christmas. I know that it’s a strange name but I did not choose it. It chose me. I was a very quiet person back then. I rarely spoke unless spoken to and loved to read. I  probably read every book in the county library, including the Bible, all the way through. The New international Version. I could not understand the original King James’s Verson.
         Cammi was Samantha’s sister. If it weren’t for the age difference, they could have been twins. Cammi was Cain’s age. Samantha was my age. She was sixteen and so beautiful. I had recently begun to develop some sort of feeling toward her but I didn’t let it show right away. 
         Samantha walked to my car with me. I only had my license for about four weeks. Carson got me a job at the garage with him to pay for my car. It only cost me two hundred and fifty dollars, but I cannot complain. It gets me where I need to go. Samantha and I usually did our homework together because we helped each other. Well, I helped her with English and she helped me with everything else.
         Doing homework together and being this close never bothered me before, but on that day, it was near impossible for me to keep my eyes off her. Spring had just begun and she was wearing loose clothes, tanktops mostly, and it was torture. We were sitting at the kitchen table. I was doing Math when I came to a problem that I could not solve.
         “Sam, can you help me?” I asked her, my voice full of frustration.
         She looked up from her paper and smiled at me. “Of course,” she said and got up to lean over me. She began to explain the problem to me, but her perfume filled my nostrils and I did not hear a word she said. She wore a scent called Dark Vanilla. I bought her a bottle that year for her birthday.
         “Do you understand?” she asked me and I nodded, although I did not. “Okay.”
         “I’m thirsty,” I said when she sat. My throat suddenly felt like cotton. “Do you want something?”
         She nodded. “Sure.”
         “Iced tea?”
         She nodded and I poured two glasses. I sat hers on the table in front of her and she picked up the glass and took a drink. “It’s sweet,” she said.
         “Yeah,” I agreed. “Cain likes it that way.”
         I put the tea back in the refrigerator. I picked up my glass of tea, but I must have tripped on something because my glass flew from my hand, the tea landing on Samantha’s back. She squealed, because it was cold. I froze, not knowing what to say or do.
         “Oh,” I gasped. “I’m so sorry. I tripped on something.”
         She stood up and turned to face me. Yet to my surprise, there was a smile on her face. “You tripped over your own feet,” she said. She turned around and picked up her glass of tea and before I had time to react, she threw it on me.
         I gasped when the cold liquid hit my skin. When I reached out to grab her and spun around and ran through the living room and out the front screen door, interrupting the video game that was going on between my brothers and Cal.  I was right behind her. I grabbed the back of her shirt and we both lost our footing and fell to the ground, her on top of me. I reached up and moved a strand of hair from her face and we stared into each other’s eyes for a moment.
         “Cory, I . . . ” her voice trailed away when my hand went to the back of her neck. I gently pulled her down until our lips met.
         She pulled away from me and stood up. I got to my feet, quickly. We stared for a moment. She turned and went back inside before I could say anything to her. She left a few minutes later.
         Maybe that shouldn’t have happened, I thought. Naturally, my brothers told Logan all about what had happened.
         “Wait,” Logan said. “You kissed Sam?”
         I nodded. “Yeah.”
         “Wow,” he said. “What’d she do?”
         “She left. We’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember,” I told him. “Maybe I should have left it that way.”
         “But she didn’t stop you from kissing her,” Carson told me. “That has to mean something.”
         “I guess,” I said. “She left without saying a word to me. Why does it have to be so damned complicated?”
         “Love is always complicated, Cory,” Cain told me. “Get used to it.”
         “If it’s meant to be, it’ll work itself out,” Cal told me.
         I agreed with him and didn’t say anymore about it.
         During the next week, Samantha and I didn’t speak much. I rarely saw her and when I did, she avoided me. One evening, I was sitting in our back yard under the big tree, reading a book, when I heard someone say my name and I looked up to see Samantha walking toward me.
         “Hi,” she greeted. “What are you doing out here?”
         I shrugged my shoulders. “Just reading.”
         “What are you reading this week?”
         “The Scorpions.”
         “Is it good?”
         “It’s not too bad.”
         We stared for a moment.
         “Um, listen,” she said. “I’m sorry that I’ve been avoiding you. I just...”
         “You were avoiding me?”
         “Yeah. Sort of. I was just embarrassed and surprised about what happened. Maybe it shouldn’t have, but...”
         “But?” I edged her on.
         She sat down in front of me, her legs folded underneath of her. “I was scared.”
         I closed my book and laid in on the ground beside me. “Scared? Why?”
         “Well, aside for that being my first kiss, you and I have been friends for so long. I don’t want to mess with that.”
         “I know,” I said. “Neither do I. But I’ve had these feelings for a while.”
         “You have?”
         “Yes.”
         We stared for a moment and then she leaned forward until our lips met. It was perfect, better than the first time we kissed. Cal was right. It worked itself out.
         We went to the movies that night and then we stopped at the pizza place on the way home. My brothers and Cammi were there, as well as Logan and Cal. Samantha and I ordered some food and then sat down at a booth close to them. We were laughing and enjoying ourselves when Randy Jenkins, Samantha’s ex-boyfriend came in. When he saw us, he strolled over to us.
         “Hey, Sam,” he greeted, cooly. “Haven’t seen you around much.”
         “I’ve been pretty busy, Randy,” Samantha told him, her voice shaking nervously.
         “With what? Or should I say with who?” he asked, glaring at me.
         Samantha sighed, clearly annoyed. “Randy, this is Cory.”
         “I know who he is,” he said. “How you been, Cory?”
         “Just fine,” I replied.
         “You been having fun with my girlfriend?”
         “Ex!” Samantha cried. “Ex-girlfriend.”
         “It ain’t over for me, Sam,” Randy told her.
         “It is for me, Randy,” she told him. “You need to leave me alone.”
         “Shh,” Randy said, quieting her with his finger.
         She slapped his hand away and stood up. “Come on, Cory,” she said to me.
         I got up from the table and started after her, but Randy stepped in my path. “You ain’t going nowhere with her,” he said. “Stay away from my girl.”
         “It don’t look to me like she’s your girl anymore, Randy,” I told him. “Move.”
         “Or what, Cowboy?”
         I looked at him for a moment and then I swung my fist at him, catching him in the nose. He stumbled, but didn’t fall. Anger flooded his face and he took a sing at me, but I stepped to the side and he hit the table where my brothers were sitting. Cain stood up and grabbed Randy by his shirt and led him to the door. Cain kicked the door open and shoved Randy outside.
         “Go home,” Cain ordered and closed the door. He turned and looked at me. “Are you okay?”
         I nodded. “I’m fine.”
         Carson laughed. “Nice punch, Kid,” he told me.
         I looked at Samantha. “Are you all right?”
         She nodded. “I’m so sorry about him.”
         I pulled her into my arms and squeezed her gently. “It wasn’t your fault.”
         She hugged me and brought her lips to my ear. “I love you,” she whispered.
         My eyes widened a bit at her words and I backed up and looked at her. I smiled, slightly. “Really?”
         She nodded.
         “I wasn’t sure if you felt it, too,” I told her.
         “I do.”
         “I know.” I looked at my brothers. “We’re going home.”
         “Okay,” Cain told me. “We’ll be home soon.”
         “Be careful, Cory,” Carson said.
         “We will,” I promised.
         We headed back to my house in my car. There was a soft tune playing on the radio. I reached over and took Samantha’s hand. We were a half an hour from home when I saw headlights in the rearview mirror. The car swerved and went around us. I thought he was going to pass us, but he remained at a steady speed beside us.
         “Randy,” Samantha said.
         I looked at her. “Are you sure?”
         She nodded. “I would know his car anywhere.”
         He stay beside us for a minute and then he stepped on the gas and went around us, speeding up and soon he was out of view.
         “What was that all about?” Samantha asked.
         “I don’t know.” I took a deep breath and forgot about it. “I love you, Sam,” I said and looked at her.
         She smiled at me and then looked out at the road. I saw her eyes widen. “Cory!” she shouted.
         I looked ahead and saw Randy car, sitting longways in the road. I jerked the wheel and went around him, but the wet pavement prevented me from regaining control of the car. My car fishtailed and plowed into a tree. I saw Samantha’s body jerk forward and then back again, right before my eyes closed.
         When my eyes opened again, I was laying in the dirt. Cain and Carson were beside me.
         “Cory?” It was Cain.
         “Cain?” I said, but it didn’t sound like my voice. I didn’t recognize it.
         “How are you feeling?” he asked me.
         “I...I don’t know.” I didn’t. I didn’t know how I felt. My head was throbbing. I couldn’t focus my eyes. I felt confused. “What happened?”
         “You were in an accident,” Cain told me. “Help I on the way. Just relax.”
         It was all coming back to me now. “Randy,” I said. “He was in the road. He...”
         “Cory, you’re not making any sense,” Carson told me.
         I looked at them, quickly. “Sam,” I said. “Where’s Sam? Is she all right?”
         Carson looked at Cain and then he looked at me. “Cory...” Cain began. “She’s not okay.”
         “No,” I said, feeling the pounding of my heart in my ears. “No. She can’t...” I pushed myself up, even though it hurt like hell to do so.
         “Easy,” Cain said. “Something might be broken.”
         “I want to see her,” I said, trying to get up. “I want to see Sam.”
         Carson shook his head. “Cory, you don’t want to see her like that.”
         “She broke her neck,” Cain said. “Is that really how you want to remember her?”
         I stopped struggling and looked at them. “No,” I said, again. “Where’s Cammi?”
         Cammi was at my side in a moment. She knelt down in front of me. I looked in her tear-filled eyes.
         “I’m so sorry,” I said, suddenly feeling responsible.
         “Cory, it’s not your fault,” she promised.
         “No,” I said. “It was Randy’s.” Everyone exchanged glances and I quickly told them what happened.
         “Are you sure it was Randy?” Cain asked me.
         I nodded. “Sam knew his car.”
         “He’ll pay,” Cammi said. “Even if I have to do it myself.”
         Suddenly she broke and began to cry. I pulled Cammi to me and held her to me. My own tears running down my face. Then, I suddenly felt dizzy and everything went black.
         When I woke up again, I was in the hospital. My brothers were still by my side.
         “Hey,” Cain greeted. “It’s about time.”
         I smiled, weakly. “Hey.”
         “You scared the hell out of us,” Carson told me.
         “I’m sorry.”
         “Cory, there’s a Trooper Davis here. He wants to see you,” Cain told me. “We told the police about Randy and he wants to ask you some questions.”
         “Okay,” I said.
         “Are you sure you’re up for it?” he asked me.
         “I guess,” I replied.
         “I’ll go get him,” Carson offered and left the room.
          A few minutes later, Carson came back into the room, followed by an officer in a green uniform, reminding me of a forest ranger.
         “How are you feeling?” he asked me.
         I shrugged. “As good as can be expected.”
         “Forgive me for rushing straight to business, but can you tell me what happened?”
         I quickly described what happened and he wrote everything down in his notebook.
         “Okay, Cory,” he said. “We’ll pick Randy up for questioning and I’ll see you in a few days.”
         I nodded. “Okay.”
         I was released from the hospital in a couple of days and my brothers and I attended Samantha’s funeral. It went a lot smoother than I thought it would.
         Trooper Davis came by the house that evening. We invited him in for a cup of coffee.
         “Did you ask him what happened?” I asked him.
         “Yes,” Trooper Davis said. “He recalls fighting with you and your brother at the pizza place, but he doesn’t recall what happened afterward and he denies causing your accident.”
         “What? Sam and I both saw him.”
         “He has an alibi, Cory, and witnesses saying they saw him elsewhere.”
         “He’s lying.”
         “We need proof, Cory,” he told me.
         I sighed, heavily. “So, it’s my word against his.”
         “Basically,” he said. “If you think of anything else, call me right away.”
         “Thanks,” I told him. “This is messed up. Randy cannot get away with this,” I said, after Trooper Davis left.
         “What do you suggest we do, Cory?” Carson asked me.
         “Nothing,” Cain replied.
         “What? You don’t expect me to just let it go, do you?”
         “No, but I don’t need you getting yourself into any trouble over this.”
         Cammi called later that day and I told her what Trooper Davis had told me. She said she’s be over in a little bit. When she showed up at the house, she had a tape recorder that wasn’t any bigger than my hand.
         “Get Randy to confess,” she told me.
         I looked at my brothers and then back at her. “How?”
         She smiled. “I’ll leave that up to you.”
         So, a couple of days later, with Logan at my side, I confronted Randy in the hallway at school. The tape recorder was hidden in my shirt pocket.
         “You don’t really expect to get away with it, do you?” I demanded.
         “Oh, hello, Cory,” he greeted. “How are you? I’m sorry about Sam.”
         “Shut up,” I said. “Don’t talk about her.”
         “If you would have kept your nose out of our business, she’s still be alive,” he told me. “It’s sad, you know, because it wasn’t Sam that I was aiming to kill. It was you.”
         “You son of a bitch,” I said, and before I realized what I was doing, I shoved him to the floor and began to punch him over and over until Logan pulled me off of him. “If you ever talk about her again, I’ll kill you,” I shouted at him.
         At home, I played the tape for my brothers and Cammi.
         “I think that’ll do it,” Cain told me.
         I called Trooper Davis. He came out to the house and I played the tape for him. “Is it enough?’ I asked him.
         He smiled and nodded. “I think so.”
         And it was. But it wasn’t enough for me. Randy should die for what he did. He will get what is coming to him. I’ll see you that myself.