Free Fearless (The Story of Samantha Smith #1) by Devon Hartford Page B

got to my apartment, I stashed everything in the fridge. I took a couple of towels outside to spot-clean any remaining coffee left in my car. There wasn’t much to do. Adonis had done a thorough job with his impromptu cleaning supplies.  
    Inside, I made myself a blueberry smoothie and kicked back on the couch in my living room. I was on the second story of a small building, and had an amazing view of the ocean.
    I thought back to the August day I had arrived in San Diego.
    When I had first rolled into the driveway of my new apartment complex, I was ecstatic. The building was beautiful, and lived up to the pictures I’d seen online.  
    My parents had insisted I live off-campus, even though it was my first year and I didn’t know anybody. Their logic was that if I was in the dorms, I wouldn’t get any studying done. I didn’t know from experience, so I took their word for it, like always. That was slowly starting to change.
    Ever since leaving D.C., I’d felt a growing sense of independence I’d never known while living under my parents’ roof.  
    I had driven my VW from D.C. to San Diego by myself because my stuff took up every available inch of my car. I was glad there wasn’t room for my mom or dad to come along. It was a hella long drive, but I had my mp3 player and my tunes to keep me company.
    My parents had discussed flying out to help me settle in, but they were short on cash and couldn’t get time off work to make the long drive. I was okay with that.
    Maybe I would miss out on the glory of an action-packed college social life in the dorms, but in exchange, I would be able to study diligently in this idyllic beach environment. I mean, I could actually walk to the beach and study there. How awesome was that?
    I did owe a debt of gratitude to my parents. Although I had to take out a hefty student loan to cover tuition, my parents could afford to pitch in on the apartment, taking a huge load off my shoulders.
    I was all set up to take ownership of my own life.

    I pulled out my books and laptop, and studied for awhile. Some time later, my phone warbled. It was Madison.
    “What up, Mads?”
    “So, tell me what happened with Adonis! I want to hear all the details.” I had texted her about running into him at the museum while walking to my car, before the police fiasco.
    “Oh, gosh. It was a disaster.”
    “What happened?”
    I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. “It’ll probably be on the eleven o’clock news.”
    “What?” she shouted.  
    “The cops were involved. Need I say more?” I sighed.
    “Wow, your car must’ve been super dirty from the coffee! That’s why the cops came, right?” she joked.  
    “Okay, that was funny,” I grinned. “But the real story wasn’t.”
    “Wait, don’t tell me yet. The full story demands Thai food. I’m buying. I’ll be at your place in two minutes.”
    Madison had her own apartment a few miles up the Pacific Coast Highway. She had roommates, but wasn’t into the dorm scene either. We were our very own college subculture.
    We got Thai food on the boardwalk near my apartment and sat outside. The sun was low over the ocean, but the air was still warm and pleasant.
    Madison wound her chopsticks into her noodles. “What happened with Adonis?”
    I shook my head. “He got arrested.”
    Madison’s eyebrows arched. “What? Creepy. You called the cops on the poor guy for flirting with you at the museum, didn’t you? Harsh, Sam. Harsh.”
    Based on her nonchalance, any remaining fears I had that Madison harbored any sort of crush on Adonis were completely gone, thanks goodness. “No, it wasn’t me. Well, it was sort of me. I think.”
    “What happened?”
    “I bumped into him at my car. We were talking and the cops showed up and cuffed him and took him away. The cop told me they had a warrant for assault. I think it’s because he punched that guy this morning.”
    “What? That’s crazy!”
    “That’s what I thought.” I tweezed a