After lunch Stacey tells me I seem a lot happier, launching into a speech about how she gets grumpy when she's hungry and protein always helps to get the blood sugar back up. I just smile and nod at her babbling - she could be talking about how she rides a dinosaur to work every day for all I care. Just smile and nod. I'm busy thinking about seeing Jacob again tonight. I can hardly wait the last four hours of work to check my phone again. When I finally get off work I fly to the back.
His text says he’ll meet me at the bookstore at seven-thirty. I check my watch. It's seven now. Luckily it doesn't take too long to bus downtown.
The bookstore is pretty quiet, and I spot Jacob right away sitting at one of the tables. It's gratifying to see his face light up when he notices me looking for him. He waves, nearly upsetting the cup sitting by his elbow.
“Sam! Over here!” He's wearing a blue knit toque over his unruly curls today - he looks adorable.
“How was work?” he asks as I sit down.
“Yuck,” I grumble. “Don’t ask.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Yup, but let’s not talk about it. No comics today?”
Jacob grins. “Well you never know. I might be tempted to browse that particular section before long.”
“I know what you mean - the books are calling me.”
Jacob quirks one eyebrow. “Really? What exactly are they saying to you?”
“No, I’m not crazy.”
“Not bad crazy. A little crazy is always good though.”
The conversation seems to just flow naturally with us. I don’t think I've ever experienced that with any of the guys at school. It seems like we talk for hours. I try to keep the conversation light, not telling him too much about my trust issues with Mom, or how horrible work is or anything like that, but he seems interested in every little detail. I end up telling him a bit about what Dad is like, and how I'm nervous he might find out I've met my mom. He asks what Mom is like, what her art work is like; he even suggests we go to the gallery sometime so he can see it. I feel like I'm dreaming. For once I don’t wish to be somewhere else, or someone else.
The girls working in the Starbucks end up announcing that the book store is closing in five minutes, a nice way of telling us to stop blabbing and get out.
It turns out we both ride the bus, since neither of us has a car, so Jacob walks me to the bus stop, and my bus comes way sooner then I'd like.
I wear a giant grin all the way home, up my driveway and into the house - until my dad’s voice knocks it off my face as I come in the door.
“Just where were you, Sam?”
He's waiting in one of the armchairs in the living room, arms crossed against his chest. The living room is dark but I can still see his angry scowl.“I’ve waited up for you.”
You mean you’ve been lurking in the dark living room, which is weird.
“It’s only ten,” I manage to choke out.
YOU ARE READING
I Am Anastasia
Teen FictionSamantha wishes she were someone else. Anastasia, to be exact. Anastasia doesn't sit in the corner and read because she's too shy to talk to anyone. She doesn't keep trying and failing. Anastasia slays dragons. Of course, Anastasia is only a charact...
