The Freshman Child

Chapter 12: Boys Do Fall In Love?

Chapter 12: Boys Do Fall In Love?

Samantha was still fuming mad. I guess everybody in high school dreams of making an entrance with the school hero or the hottest girl around but frankly, it's not all it's cracked up to be, she thought irritably.

It really annoyed her to be viewed as nothing but "Max's new girl" especially when she was not. Suddenly, everyone wanted to be her friend. The girls in particular asked her all sorts of questions, almost always relating to Max, like when did they start to go out (barf!), where do they usually hang out (as if!), what was the first thing Max gave her (a giant-sized migraine!), what were their plans for the holidays (as far as she was concerned, to be as far away as possible from Psycho Max!).

Too distracted to notice that the class had been dismissed, it took Mrs. Palmer's bony finger tapping Sam's arm to bring her back down to earth.

"Did you hear me, Samantha?"

Sam turned red. Of course she didn't. She had been to busy cursing Psycho Max and his groupies to the depths of hell. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Palmer. I didn't catch what you said," she mumbled now.

"Oh. Well, I was wondering if you'd be willing to tutor one of Mr. Harper's students. Apparently the poor dear is having too much trouble in his class and has requested to be transferred to my class. Now, the school usually frowns upon requests like that but this time the headmaster has decided to grant the request in consideration of our mentoring program. So then, what do say, Samantha? Can you start this afternoon?"

Sam groaned. What she really wanted to say was, no can do Mrs. Palmer, what with being Max's slave and keeping up with her own schoolwork, she could barely manage. "Uh...I guess so, Mrs. Palmer," she answered. Argh! I am such a pushover!

"Perfect! You probably need to work with her for about an hour or so just to make sure she's up to speed with my class. Will that be alright, dear?"

"Yes, Mrs. Palmer."

"It's settled then. Don't worry,  it's only for a few weeks, dear. The headmaster requests that you meet Danielle at her house every afternoon and work with her until she can pull up her grade to at least a B- and keep it there." Mrs. Palmer smiled and handed her a piece of paper with a name and address scrawled on it.

Danielle Cavendish, 206 Goodwood Gardens, Baltimore, MD 21210.

Oh, good grief! Sam could feel her eyes narrowing at the sight of that most hateful name. There was just no escaping them. She was shit out of luck. Was it too late to tell Mrs. Palmer that she had changed her mind? 

This was unacceptable, beyond cursed. She was doomed. Not only did she have to tutor Dani, she would have to spend time at Max's house. His house!!! Every day! Every freaking day! When will the universe run out of ways to make her life miserable? Somehow she could feel Max's hand in all this. That sneaky, conniving, manipulative piece of shit!  He must be out somewhere laughing his head off with his dumb friends.

Before Sam can make up an excuse why she suddenly can't tutor Dani after all, Mrs. Palmer beat her to it. "That will be all, Samantha. Thank you."

Doomed. Jinxed. Ill-fated. That was Sam.

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"Megan! We have to do this right. We can't mess this up."

"Dani, I'm more scared about them finding out, about what they'll do to us."

"Oh, God! She's almost here. Let's do this," Dani said with nervous excitement.

"I'm going now. Don't forget to tell me all the deets, ok?" Megan said as she exited through the back door.