Star Light Star Bright

Chapter 24

The next day passed in a slow lull. Every second past slowly as I listened to the clock tick. As soon as I woke up I had taken a shower - which was something I’d been doing a lot to calm my nerves – and then gotten dressed in comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. Sam had said comfortable and that’s what I felt most comfortable in.

At noon I ran into Chris in the kitchen looking for something to eat. I awkwardly moved around him, without saying a word or even acknowledging him with a look. I could see Bethany glowering at me from the corner of my eye, but I didn’t pay any attention to her. I quickly grabbed my food and left the room.

After lunch I tried to occupy myself until seven. I read, then played on my lap top, then played with my cat, then wrote, then read again.

At five Chris left, which meant I was free to move around the house without being caught off guard by a longing and sorry gaze. I crashed on the couch and turned on the TV. That was a good way to pass a couple of hours without doting on ever second. The TV show in front of me droned on and on. The shows blurred together and I found it hard to concentrate on what was happening.

My thoughts kept wandering to Chris. I wondered where he was, who he was with, what he had gone out to do. I sighed, knowing I couldn’t ask anybody these questions without them getting suspicious. I had made a show to avoid him and not care an ounce about what he was doing, when in reality I wanted to know everything he did and thought. Especially if his thoughts were about me.

I wondered if he thought I was a complete bitch. I wondered if the felt like the time he spent toying with me was worth it, and mostly I wondered if he was waiting for me to apologize for something that didn’t require an apology.

When the doorbell finally rang, I jumped and was jolted out of my thoughts. I looked at the door slightly dazed, before finally coming back to reality. Sam stood at the doorway.

I ran over and threw the door open. “I forgot to add, grab sleeping stuff.” She smiled and stepped into the house.

My mother walked out of the dining room and smiled at Sam. “Hello Sam. I didn’t know you were coming over today.”

“I had some apologizing to do and something to make up for. Is it alright if Sage spends the night at my house tonight?”

My mother nodded with a polite smile on her face. “Oh yes. That’s never a problem.”

Sam grinned and grabbed my wrist pulling me up stairs. “Thank you!” she called down.

She grabbed a back pack and thrust it towards me. “Hurry.” She insisted.

I rolled my eyes and started to pack pajama shorts and a tank top, which is what I normally wore to bed, but she grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

When I looked up her lips were pursed in thought and she was shaking her head. “Something a little warmer; tonight is supposed to be a little chilly.”

“But we’ll be inside.” I retorted, but did what she said. After packing all of my essentials I looked back at her. “Anything else? Do I need my Lap Top, or Ipod?”

Sam shook her head, which surprised me. We were always on my laptop till the early morning when we spent the night. She’s never told me to leave it behind. “You won’t need any of that.” She reassured me. “Just grab a sweater and put your shoes on and meet me by the front door.”

She walked out of my room and I could hear her footsteps on the stairs as she walked to the front door. I stared after her for a few minutes before slipping on a light sweater and my shoes. Whatever it was we were going to be doing tonight, it wasn’t the normal sleepover we usually had.

I rushed downstairs to meet her by the front door, but slowed when I realized she was on the phone. Her back was turned to me, so she hadn’t seen or heard me coming. I took another step forward, trying to hear her conversation.

“We are on our way now.” She confirmed. “Yes we should be there in a little less than an hour. Make sure you’re ready. Ok… bye.” She hung up, and turned. I backed up a couple of steps, then came down louder, to announce my presence. She smiled at me and tugged at my hand. “Come on!”

“Bye!” I called to my parents, who were nowhere to be seen.

Sam pulled me out to her car, and I threw my bag into the back. “Where are we going?” I asked suspiciously.

“I guess you’ll see when we get there.” She laughed and climbed into the driver’s side. I sighed and climbed into the seat next to her and she pulled away from the curb.

After a few minutes she turned right, into the forest that bordered the river. She was heading out of the city, and away from her house.

“Sam…?” my voice was hesitant.

“Trust me. I know what I’m doing.” She reassured me and patted the top of my hand. There was a huge grin on her face and she bounced in her seat excited. “When I said I owed you something I meant it. We aren’t just having a boring night in.”

The ride was long, and the trees seemed to stretch on forever. The ride was pleasant enough. The radio was on and Sam and I talked about normal things, as if the conversation and fight from the other day were nonexistent.

But the trees continued to stretch in front of us endlessly, causing my tension to rise and I was sure Sam could feel it as well. Just when I felt like if I saw one more tree in front of us I would snap, Sam turned onto a discreet road and pulled over. I climbed out and grabbed my bag before surveying the scene in front of me.

Beside us was a small clearing with a tent set up in the center and everything that I assumed was needed to camp. There was a small fire pit, built up from stones and there were three fresh logs sitting in the middle of it. Two chairs were pulled close to the fire pit and a small table separated them. On the table were two roasting sticks and a bag of marshmallows.

“I can’t believe you did all of this for me.” I exclaimed turning to look at Sam, but she wasn’t standing next to me like I had expected. I turned a little farther to see her still sitting in the car. “Sam?” I took a step toward her and she shook her head.

“Sage, you need this. I know you are probably going to hate me for… well for forever, but I think this will do you good. Have fun ok?” She rolled up the window and turned around speeding back the way we had come.

I turned back to the camp site, unsure of what to do. If Sam was just going to leave why had she bothered setting up two of everything?

The flap to the tent rustled and the zipper slid down seamlessly. My heart jumped in my throat and I took a step back in fear. “hello?” I called. Very slowly someone exited the Tent. In front of me stood Chris, stiff as a board, with a nervous smile perched precariously on his face.