The Rift Between Us

The Pep Rally

Sam chuckled at the picture Carter showed him of his SSI partner. Carter already wasn't the tallest man, but his partner made it ridiculous. Sitting at 6' 7", he made Carter look like a dwarf.

"That's crazy, man. What's his name again?"

"Curtis," Carter said. "He's a basketball player, which makes sense with that height."

While Carter continued to talk, Sam turned his thoughts to Dan. In the week since they'd first met, they'd only talked during their fifth periods, when they actually saw each other, despite having each other's number.

Sam had come to appreciate the junior's dry humor, even when at his expense. Sometimes he even found himself looking forward to seeing him. They'd found some common interests in Marvel movies, board games, and surprisingly books. Who knew that they'd both be a sucker for romcoms?

"Sam?"

Sam blinked and looked at Carter, who had stopped talking and was definitely waiting for a response. "Yes?"

"I was asking if you had any ideas for what to do with Dan?" Sam had no clue. He'd thought of everything from rock climbing to bowling, yet nothing seemed like a good fit for the both of them. Sam was very sporty, spending most of his time playing football. Dan had said he spent most of his time doing homework or playing piano. He was having trouble figuring out how to combine the two without it feeling like a date. As much as Sam was starting to like his new friend, he wasn't sure if he wanted to take things there.

"I haven't come up with anything yet," he admitted, leaning back on the bench. Sports were easy. Talking to Dan? Not so much. He'd spent the past week running through every idea—bowling, hiking, even mini-golf—and none of it felt like a good match. Dan liked piano and reading. Sam liked hitting things and running fast. Not much of an overlap.

"Well, Curtis and I were going to go rollerskating next week if you two wanted to tag along?"

Sam laughed. "Really? Isn't that for like, little kids?"

"Come on, dude, plenty of people our age rollerskate."

"Sure man, whatever you say."

"Callaghan!" Coach Mike called out. "Get your ass out of here. Michelson, in my office."

"Well, that's me," Carter said. He gave Sam a fist bump before leaving, while the football players continued laughing in the steam filled room, the smell of soap mixing with the sweat of a long practice.

Sam swallowed a bit, walking to the coaches' office, ignoring the sweat starting to form. "Yes coach?"

"Sam, relax, you're not in trouble." His shoulders went down, and Sam let out a breath. "I just wanted to ask how the Support Initiative is going."

Sam raised an eyebrow. He got called in for that? Why not ask at home?

The coach sighed. "Fine, you got me. You see, Principal Henderson wants to show how well this program is working, so he asked me to see how you and... Dylan?"

"Dan," Sam corrected, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms. He'd told his dad about Dan already, would it kill him to remember his name?

"Right, how you and Dan were getting along."

"It's going fine, we get along."

The coach nodded, but his eyes were still not fully meeting Sam's. "That's good, that's good. You're not having any issues or anything?"

"...No? Not that I can think of?" Sam wondered what Coach was really trying to ask. Was he implying that he and Dan weren't getting along? Had he heard something? Was this about the bruise?