It was the first day of high school at last.
Fern woke up at 5 AM (the bus came at 7) and moved as quickly as she could. Gothic fashion was not allowed at Carson High, so Fern applied a thin line of eyeliner around both her eyes and removed her eyebrow & navel piercings. She wore a black fitted tee, black skinny jeans, red Converse, and a gold belt. She got her binders and skull & cross bones backpack ready, and by the time she was all set, it was 6:15. She settled in the couch to watch the Pretty Little Liars episode she's DVR'd the night before.
Maya was so nervous she couldn't even get up from bed. Her 8th school in her 14 years of life. She'd gotten pretty school supplies from Office Depot with Sam, but she felt sick to her stomach. She wasn't ready for this!
Sam was always the good student, and woke up at 5 (like Fern). He got dressed in 3 minutes, ate breakfast in 7, and got his backpack ready in 2. Then he cracked open his textbooks for some last-minute cramming.
His phone beeped. He'd gotten two texts.
Maya: Will you walk with me to the bustop?
Fern: I'll come over in 5.
Sam groaned. Who would he go with?
With a sigh, he realized Fern's reaction would be more serious if he chose Maya, and he had gone school supply shopping with her. So he texted Maya: "Sorry M I promised Fern " and he texted Fern: "Ok".
His phone beeped again.
Maya: It's okay. I'm going to hitch a ride with my mom. Carson is on the way to her office. Thank you for offering
"When did I ever offer her anything?" Sam wondered.
His doorbell rang.
"Come in," he called.
Fern stepped inside, unhappy as usual. Sam whistled.
"We got us a sexy babe in this house!" he crowed.
Fern picked up a pencil from Sam's desk and hurled it at him. It smacked him in the nose.
"Mom made me change my lipstick," she growled. "From black to red."
"What a pity." Sam grinned. "First day hugs?"
Fern actually cracked a smile. First day hugs were their old tradition for every first day of school.
She gave him a small squeeze, melting in his arms. He rested his chin on top of her head.
"Parents went to work?" he murmured.
"Yeah,"Fern mumbled back. She didn't care if they'd died, for that matter - every second she was in his arms, it was pure heaven.
"Well, Ferny? Let's go."
"Okay," she whispered.
They grabbed their bags and dashed off to the bus stop.
As Fern ran with Sam, she sincerely wishes "First day hugs" would soon change to "Everyday hugs".
YOU ARE READING
Touched
Romance*BOOK 1 IN THE "TOUCHED" SERIES* Fern and Sam have been best friends for a very long time. Fern secretly has a huge crush on Sam, but is unsure about how he feels about her. Her plans to make an epic romance bloom between them is messed up when her...
