Something About Sam

Chapter 20

There was a brief knock on our door. Boone and I glanced over at each other, both of us raising our eyebrows in our typical "I'm not answering that, you better answer that" fashion.

"Not it!" Boone announced, pushing his reading glasses up on his nose. It was a Thursday night, so we were both busy with homework after practice. He was leaning against his bed, sitting on the floor with all his books spread out around him. I huffed, then got up, stepping over his bio lab to head towards the door. Just as I shouted a quick "coming!" the door flew open in my face.

I resisted the urge to swear as the doorknob cracked against our wall. But once I saw my sister standing in the doorway, I smiled.

"Your day just got ten times better," she told me, smirking as she handed me a small bag of her belongings. I tossed it on my bed and pulled her in for a close hug.

"Hey Sar," I squeezed her tighter. "I thought you were coming tomorrow?" Pulling away from her, I took a few steps away, letting her step into the room.

"I don't have class tomorrow, so I wanted to surprise you."

Her eyes shifted around the room, her pin-straight hair swaying with every turn of her head. "Cute," she said, eyeing my half of our shared space.

"Yeah, it is cute. Probably because you picked it all out."

Sarah snorted and began mumbling about how her taste is impeccable, but was interrupted by the adorable sound of Boone clearing his throat behind her. Sarah paused, then slowly turned towards the noise.

He had stood up from his seat on the floor, now occupying almost three times the space Sarah did. He was 6'5, so our seven-foot ceilings made him look like a giant. He was still wearing the reading glasses that tucked behind his ears and into his soft brown hair. I watched my sister tilt her head slightly, taking him in.

"My name is Boone Anderson," he sounded confident, but his outstretched hand was clearly shaking. Slowly, my sister took his offer of a hand with a small twitch of her lips. She shook it.

"Sarah Jefferson."

I watched as Boone's gigantic fingers held my sister's for just a touch longer than any normal man would. "If you don't mind me saying so," Boone paused. I watched him take a deep breath in. It was almost like he couldn't speak. "I think you may be the most beautiful girl I have ever seen."

I felt my lips curl into a smile. Looking at my sister, I knew she was stunning. She was tall, with hair as blonde as mine that fell in shimmering waves past her shoulders. She had pale, porcelain skin and deep green eyes. She was wearing a short black dress, gray tights that tucked into small boots, and a denim jacket. A hot pink scarf was tied around her neck. She always had an eye for fashion, and she was without a doubt the most noticeable person in the room everywhere she went.

I expected my sister to laugh in Boone's face—that's just the way she was. She never took anything or anyone too seriously. But instead, I watched my sister blush. Never in all my 20 years had I ever seen something like that. She turned towards me, her hand still in Boone's, and raised her eyebrows. She turned back to Boone.

"Well thank you, Boone." She let go of his hand, then turned back towards me. Her cheeks were no longer pink. She was Sarah again, unwrapping the scarf from her neck and throwing it on my bed like the diva she is. "I do hope you have fun things planned for your darling sister this weekend." She bent over towards my bed, grabbing her bag and placing it on the floor. I watched Boone's eyes float dangerously close to my sister's ass. I shoved his arm, but all he did was smile at me. He looked like he was on drugs.

Taking the place of her belongings, Sarah sat on the edge of my bed looking at the two of us, her eyes shifting back and forth mischievously.

"I mean, there will be a few parties," I told her. "And people are probably going to the bars tonight."

"Excellent," she said, crossing her legs. "Boone, you'll go with me? Tonight?"

I knew for a fact that Boone had an 8 AM biology exam the next morning. I also knew that he had just started studying. I also knew football players weren't allowed to go out to the bars. Especially on a Thursday night, with practice the next day.

But, of course, Boone didn't hesitate when he told her, "Absolutely."

She smiled. She didn't smirk, she actually smiled. "Perfect." She stood up. "I'm going to run to the ladies' room, then we'll go?"

Boone only nodded as she walked towards the door and disappeared.

He watched her as she left. He even stared at the door for a good thirty seconds before he even dared to look at me. With all the strength he could muster, Boone stood up straight. "Hey Jefferson?"

I grew wary. What the hell was he about to do? "Yes, Boone?"

"I'm going to marry your sister."

I burst out laughing. "You just met her!"

He shook his head. "That's the feeling."

"What are you saying, Anderson?"

"The feeling," he paused, smiling. "The constricting in your chest, the can't even speak, the absolutely petrified but completely okay with it? That's it. She's the one."

I rolled my eyes at him. "She's a beautiful girl, Boone. That's why you're petrified." He only smiled back at me.

"No, Taite. You'll see."

When I woke up the next morning, Sarah was asleep on an air mattress I had set up for her. She was closer to Boone's bed then she was to mine. Both of them were asleep, but Boone's arm was draped off the side of his bed, his fingers a few inches from Sarah's face, as if he had watched her fall asleep, gently stroking her cheek as she did.