Free In Your Arms by Becky Andrews Page A

really feel like doing anything.”
    “I hear you. I’m so used to not being at school that—oh look, it’s your boyfriend,” Alex said, stopping mid-sentence to point out Phillip, who was running toward them as they made their way out of the school entrance.
    “For the last time, he’s not my boyfriend. And could you be any louder?”
    “I could,” Alex said with a grin.
    “Please don’t,” Sam said as Phillip caught up to them.
    “This is my cue to leave. So I’ll talk to you online later, Sam?” Alex asked.
    “Yeah, sure.”
    “Hey Sam,” Phillip said, catching his breath. “Uh, how are you?”
    “I’m fine and yourself?” she said, trying to pretend nothing had happened between them.
    “I’m doing fine. Did Alex tell you I said hi?”
    “Yeah, but I didn’t get the message until just now.”
    “Oh, okay, because at first I thought that you were ignoring me. You know, after what happened and especially since I didn’t see you at lunch or—”
    “I was, uh, in the library. And I just thought that, uh well, I don’t know what I was thinking but—”
    “It’s okay, I was just wondering though if you wanted to hang out. As friends, of course,” he interjected. “I’m free this Saturday.”
    Sam smiled. “I’d like that, but, uh…” Sam mustered up her courage. “I already told Alex and Michael I’d go ice-skating with them.”
    “Oh, well, maybe some other time then.” He actually sounded disappointed.
    “Well, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind me bringing someone, if you wanted to come.”
    Yes! I did it! She finally asserted herself and asked Phillip to go with her. The only question was if he would agree to go.
    “Uh, yeah sure, it sounds like fun.” He smiled. “I’ll talk to you later about a time?”
    “Yeah, that’s fine.”
    “Well, I have to run. Football practice.”
    “It’s okay, I have to go get my math book, anyway. I forgot it in Mr. Steven’s classroom, and he locks his door early, so I should go too. Talk to you later then,” Sam said as she began walking backwards toward the classroom.
    “Bye, Sam,” Phillip called.
    “See you around, handsome,” Sam said then turned around and made her way down the hall. She didn’t want to see his expression, yet at the same time she yearned to see whether he was smiling at her or not.
    Sam made her way to Mr. Stevens’ classroom and turned the handle. It was locked. She peeked through the space between the edge of the window and the blinds to see if he was still inside and realized why Mr. Stevens locked his door early.
    Mr. Stevens was fairly young to be teaching. He was twenty-five, fresh out of graduate school, tall and had short, shaggy dark brown hair. Sam thought he was cute, but of course she had never thought of him as anything other than a good teacher. Other people obviously thought differently.
    As Sam looked through the small crevice, she saw yet another thing she didn’t want to have to keep a secret. She knew, though, if she told someone—even Alex—word would get out and Mr. Stevens would probably be fired, because right in the front of the classroom, he was making out with a student.
    Tracy Gibbons, to be precise.
    She’d always had a feeling Mr. Stevens was dating—if you could call it that—a student. She just wasn’t sure who.
    Why was Tracy Gibbons kissing their teacher? Tracy was dating Phillip, so why would she do this to him? Sam couldn’t think, didn’t know what to do.
    “Oh, my God,” Sam whispered under her breath. “I have to get out of here.”
    She turned around and started running down the hallway, but as soon as she turned the corner, she ran straight into Josh McFadden.
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” Sam said nervously, picking up her backpack, which she had dropped in the collision. Sam continued to look down as she gathered a couple of books that had fallen out of her backpack. “I’m sorry, again.”
    “Just watch where you’re going next time, Baker,”