The Dog Whisperer

●Chapter Three

ChapterThree

"What's up your ass today?" Sam asks coolly, popping a chip into his mouth as he pores over government notes.

I flop down into the space next to him on the bench. Valerie seats herself across from us.

"You haven't told him?" she says quizzingly, her eyebrows furrowed together. Sam is one of the first people I go to with a lot of issues, particularly when I need someone to vent to. I debated for a while about calling him last night to spill everything but decided it would be best to wait. I was too angry to speak to anyone.

"Told me what?" Sam gazes over at me with a smirk. "Will knocked somebody up?"

"No." I shake my head, looking disgusted.

"You febreze-ed a fly to death again?" His eyebrow cocks up with the rise of his voice at the end of his question.

"Hah! No, actually."

Sam props his chin up on a closed fist, eyes searching mine with curiosity. He lowers his voice. "Somebody's taking up my sloppy seconds again?"

This cues a shriek of laughter from me and earns him a playful punch on his arm.

By sloppy seconds, he's referring to me. If there was an infomercial about breakups, Sam and I would be those rare success stories that get to share our experience. We dated last year for a few months before breaking it off. Our breakup was calm, brief, and most importantly, mutual, and both of us gave the typical "let's be friends" spiel afterwards. However,  we are one of the few couples to actually follow through on this. There was nothing weird about it, almost like we just picked up our normal friendship without skipping a beat. It's remained that way ever since.

"Nobody wants your sloppy seconds, trust me," I answer. "But...I have two detentions."

"What?" Sam asks in confusion, then turning his head to Valerie who has just opened a container of strawberries. "Hey, Val?"

She rolls her eyes and reluctantly hands one over. "Only because you let me copy the physics assignment yesterday." Val isn't one to share her food, and typically only does so with good reason.

"Only one?" Sam pushes, not before sending his charming grin her way.

"Don't push it, Bray," she tells him with narrowed eyes and swats away his still-opened palm away.

He twists his head back over to me, resuming our conversation as he takes a huge bite from his strawberry. "This is because of Friday?"

"Yes."

He shakes his head, smirking. "The one football game I miss, and something exciting actually happens."

I sigh. "Yeah, yeah." I've heard it all before. "But oh, no, that's not it. I'm grounded for a week."

"That's not too bad."

"That's because my parents figured out another suitable alternative."

Sam squints his eyes in thought, and then they bulge out as he figures it out. He lets out a bellowing laugh before practically shouting, "Oh my god! They're making you tutor Will!"

His volume attracts a few nearby sets of eyes to stare, but he's completely oblivious. Sam is rarely ever embarrassed about anything; he's got a very natural confidence about him. As he should. Attractive, funny, and outgoing, it's pretty hard to find something that Sam should be shy about.

"Yes," I groan, hiding my face in my hands

"Oh, you've really done it now," Sam sighs, a residual smirk left on his face.