Cursed Waters

2

[edited as of 12/1/15]

Sam

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

I watched the clock, tapping my pen against the top of my desk.

This was the day I had been waiting for since the first time I stepped foot onto Woodrove High School campus four years ago. It was the last day of my senior year — and the first official day of my life as an adult. Or, college student. Whatever.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

I side-eyed the girl sitting next to me, my curiosity aflame, as usual. Sculpted, tanned legs inside a pair of dark shorts, a tie-dye shirt, elbows bent outward as she scribbled on the notebook in front of her, long blonde hair held up in a messy ponytail on top of her head, heart shaped mouth, vibrant, blue eyes that were narrowed and focused on whatever picture she was drawing.

I was possibly crazy, and a total stalker, but it was kind of impossible to look away from Millie Clearwater once you had already caught sight of her. She was magnetic and enchanting and completely out of my league, but that had never stopped me from admiring her.

Of course, the second she looked up, her lips pressing into a thin line as she realized she was being watched, I averted my gaze.

My obsession with Millie was a secret — secret, as in, everyone but Millie knew about my obsession with Millie.

 "Sam," Millie hissed, and I jumped in my seat. "Sam, were you just looking at me?"

Maybe I wasn't as sneaky as I thought I was.

 "Um, what? Me?" I glanced around, like there were any other Sams in the area that could've been staring at her. After receiving a head nod and thumbs up from Brandon, and realizing that there weren't, in fact, any other guys named Sam, I looked back at Millie. "Right, no, I wasn't looking at you."

Millie didn't smile, but I hadn't really expected her to. She wasn't a smiler. She did this thing, though, where she squinted her eyes and bit into her lower lip which I thought meant she was amused or pleased or any positive combination of emotions. It was only one of many looks she had, but it was my favorite.

And as I grinned sloppily at her, she gave me the Look, even reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear that wasn't there, a move she only did when she was truly in a good mood.

After glancing at Mrs. Teasdale to make sure she hadn't looked up from her book yet and noticed the rare moment of attention Millie was bestowing upon me, I leaned toward the girl in question. "Hey, are you going down to the bluff tonight with everyone?"

Millie's Look vanished. "No. It's the first night that we're all going to be together, since Clea and Daphne are getting back from school today, so..."

"Right." I bobbed my head up and down. "But, I mean, you could bring them. It's not exclusive or anything."

"So, I could bring my thirty-six year old uncle, too? That's how all-inclusive it is?"

I grimaced. "Um, I'm not sure how much fun you'd have with your uncle there..."

"I was kidding." Millie tapped her pen once on the top of her desk.

"Of course! I knew that." I grimaced. Smooth one, Sammy boy. "Well, I mean, you should think about it. Coming, I mean. It would be cool to see you outside of school." And not just when we both happen to be standing on our front porches at the same time.