Look at me | SAM x DEENA | FEAR STREET 1994 |

Chapter 38

Even though they had just returned from a three-day vacation from school, and many of them were exhausted, the students were required to return the very next day. Deena was fast asleep on the couch with Josh. The TV was on static until it shifted to the morning news. It was loud as they were watching a movie last night, and it woke both of them up instantly. Frightened at first, but just realising it was the news, the sound of the reporters woke them both out of their disorientation.

"What time is it?" groaned Josh, rubbing his eyes.

Deena yawned and stretched her arms as she also rubbed her eyes to focus on the TV. Her sleepiness immediately wore off when she saw the time.

9:20 AM.

They looked at each other and shouted loudly. Within a second, they jumped off the couch and ran as fast as they could to get ready. Deena got changed and brushed her teeth so rapidly that she thought they might fall off. When they were both ready it was almost 9:40, and Deena grabbed her keys off her bedside table and ran to the old car in the drive way. Josh was in the passengers seat yelling at her to hurry up.

They drove as fast as they could without speeding or driving dangerously, and arrived at the school just before first period ended. They yelled bye to each other as they ran to different blocks of the school. Deena had Biology. She ran to the science labs and burst into the doors to see that the seating was rearranged. She looked around the room, and realised Kate was sitting with Jackson, and Simon was sitting with Peter. Deena was so confused until she looked at the whiteboard saying:

GROUP TASK.

Her stomach dropped. There were many things Deena hated in this world. Shadyside, footballers, John Travolta, but most of all were group projects. If it was with Kate or Simon she didn't mind at all as it would be fun and educational, but seeing who her friends were sitting with at the moment, she knew she would be paired with a random person.

"Well, nice of you to finally join us, Miss Johnson." the teacher snarked. There was a slight giggle across the room. Deena just stood there, feeling a little humiliated as she didn't know who she was paired with.

"The task is due tomorrow, and each pair/person will have their dedicated part." he continued.

Deena sighed. "Okay so w-"

"You've been partnered with Samantha Fraser, Miss Johnson. You have been assigned the topic of Infectious Diseases. Please sit with your assigned partner." he finished.

Deena could have shot herself right there. Sam? Did the universe hate her this much that they would force her to be with the one person she refused to even want to acknowledge? She would have preferred to make out with Peter Chernin for an hour then have to work with Sam. Deena glanced over to Kate and Simon who were both pulling faces and pretending to shoot themselves with their fingers as a joke. They were laughing at her, but this wasn't funny to Deena. She could not think of anything worse at this moment.

She looked over to the table Sam was sitting at, and her head was down, actively avoiding eye contact with Deena. Deena reluctantly walked over to the desk, moved her chair as far as she could from Sam's and dropped her bag and as she sat down she let out a heavy sigh. But as she sat down, that familiar sweet scent filled her nose. That warm and inviting scent of vanilla, with floral accords. If a smell could be pretty, this was it. Too bad it had to be Sam's.

As the teacher began talking to the class and finishing the lecture Sam finally lifted her head off the table. She looked sick. She had eyebags, her eyes were puffy and her face was pale. She didn't even look at Deena.

"We have to get it done tonight so come over to my house after school." she said coldly. Sam wasn't looking at Deena, she was focused on the table. She had no tone or inflection in her voice. She sounded like a corpse was brought back to life.

Deena just looked at her and scoffed. "How about I just do it myself? I don't have to see you. I'll just put your name down." she said back to her.

"Your handwriting will be the same." Sam groaned.

"I'll use my other fucking hand then." Deena hissed her. Sam put her head in her hands and sighed. She sounded exhausted. This made Deena feel a little bad about being so mean to her.

"This is worth 40% of our grade. I'm not leaving that up to the chance of your left hand." she replied.

Deena didn't realise how important the assessment was. This made her even more angry because that means 40% of her grade also depended on Sam's work. Could Deena even do an assignment like this on her own?

"Alright fine then. Whatever. But I'm not going to your house." Deena replied.

"Why not?" Sam asked

"Creeps me out." said Deena coldly.

"That's rude." said Sam, raising an eyebrow.

"It's true."

Sam shook her head at this comment. For a second Deena thought that there was a slight smile, but Sam's hands were covering her face.

"I prefer the comfort of my own home" she began to say.

"So do I. Unless you mean you prefer the own comfort of your Sunnyvale, high class, rich, luxurious home?" Deena snarked.

"Deena..." Sam sighed.

"Oh don't worry! I get it.. I mean it's scary having to experience what it's like being such a lowlife Shadysider." she shouted in a whisper. Sam just dropped her head further in her hands.

"I'm too tired to deal with you right now. We'll go to yours, okay?" she said.

Deena was about to reply, but the bell rang. She used this as an opportunity to escape this awkward hell. She grabbed her bag and almost sprinted out the door, Simon and Kate running to catch up to her. They could see it in her face that she was angry. When they asked what happened and she told them that she was coming over they stopped in their tracks. Deena turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"Dee..." said Kate.

"What?" Deena asked her. There was no reply. "Well go on, say something." she enquired again.

"Nothing, nothing. It's just that we're worried that she will hurt you again. Please, just be careful, okay Dee?" Kate replied.

"Pshh. She'll be fine. She's ladykiller for a reason, Kate. Sam will probably be too busy jacking off to sexy thoughts of Deena anyways-" Simon joked, and Kate hit him playfully on the arm. Deena laughed loudly at his joke, and took the three of them by the arm to their next class.

The periods went by fast, and Deena didn't see Sam once other than first period and in the cafeteria. Deena just immersed herself in the friendships she had, and she enjoyed the rest of the day while she still could. When the bell for the last period rung, Deena was met with an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. She walked as slow as she could, out of the door. Kate and Simon were waiting eagerly, both of them saying stuff to her, but Deena was not registering it. She said a reluctant goodbye to Simon and Kate at the gates, and looked over to the parking lot to see Sam waiting for her by her car, leaning against the hood.

Deena walked down, and as she walked, Josh approached Sam. Deena forgot she also had to drive Josh home and that he would also be home. She unlocked the car, and Josh got in the passenger seat while Sam sat in the back. No one exchanged any words, and the only sounds that were heard were the sound of Josh's Gameboy, and Deena's mixtape playing The Pixies from her stereo. She was humming to the song, and as she looked in the rear-view mirror, she could see Sam lip-syncing some of the lyrics. This shocked Deena, but it was one of their popular songs so Deena just ignored it.

When they got home, Josh left them and went straight to his room. It was just Sam and Deena standing in Deena's living room. There was a silence.

"Do you wanna work in my room or out here?" Deena asked coldly.

"Your room." Sam replied instantly.

Deena nodded, and showed Sam to her room. They went inside to begin working on their project. This would be the most excruciating project Deena would ever have to work on in her life solely because of the company.