No sound but the humming of
the Porsche Cuba can be heard as Sam and Nancy ride in silence. It is Monday. Morgan somehow managed to convince his wife to accompany their son to school.
"Mom , I'm sorry " Sam attempts to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Save it Samuel!" his mother cuts him sharply.
He absentmindedly stares out the window as the trees on either side of the car become a blur. They arrive at the front gate,Sam feels his palms beginning to sweat, a lump forming on his throat as his mind grips the reality he is faced with. A trickle of sweat appears on his forehead.
His mother gives him a cold glare before stepping out of the vehicle.
"L-lemme show you Mr Ferrell's office" Sam suggests , his voice coming off croaked.
His mother nods in reply. He sheepishly leads the way towards his maths teacher's office. As they enter ,Mr Ferrell is grinning from ear to ear , his eyes are glued to his computer screen, an excited moan can be heard from the speakers .His grin vanishes when his gaze falls upon them. He quickly switches the computer off.,
"It would be wise to close your door when watching adultery Mr Ferrell" Sam suggests.
"What are you talking about Samuel?"Mr Ferrell snaps.
" Oh I heard the sounds, I'm no child"
"Samuel! That's not why we're here" his mother furiously reminds him.
"Mr Ferrell, I'm Nancy Blake, Samuel's mother" Nancy greets offering a handshake.
Mr Ferrell , to Nancy's surprise, takes her hand and slightly kisses it,making certain to send Sam a mischievous look. Sam just blankly stares at him.
"You can go to class now Samuel, I promise I won't kidnap your mom while you're out of sight" Mr Ferrell jokes. Sam does so.
Mr Ferrell clears his throat before starting " You're probably wondering why you're here Mrs Blake aren't you?"
"Well yes I am Mr Ferrell"
"Tobey, call me Tobey"
" Well Tobey, tell me why I'm here"
"Right, right. Your boy seems to be struggling academically"
"And so do lots of other kids"
"I'm talking minor things here Nancy, some of which ,even an eighth grader would ace with their eyes closed. I'm thinking that this poor academic performance is more of a psychological problem, and that's where you, his family , come in.
Tell me, how's the boy's behaviour at home?"
As Mr Ferrell and his mother care talking, Sam is leaning on the closed door, listening in on their conversation.
"Bingo!" he whispers to himself before running off.
**********
Jeremy Butler, the school's biggest bully is seated at the very back of the second row, his face is a mask of confusion and frustration as he stares at the piece of paper on his right hand.
"I'm over this calculus shit!" he shouts in frustration.
Sam approaches carefully, he stands next to Jeremy's table, clears his throat and starts
"I think the problem is psychological"
Jeremy gives him a look of disbelief , but before he can utter a word, Sam continues
"Tell me , how's your behaviour at home?"
Jeremy answers him by tackling him down to the ground. He then starts punching him as he has pinned down both his arms to the floor.
"Trying to make fun of me Blake, huh?"
"Stop! Get off him" a voice shouts from somewhere in the crowd of students that have gathered around Jeremy and his victim.
Sam instantly recognises it. Hearing it somehow eases the pain a bit,at the same time making his heart race. Jeremy stops his punch amidst its journey towards Sam's face as he hears the voice. He slowly turns his head , searching for it's source. His eyes land on a not so intimidated Darla Martins. Sam's eyes on the other hand, seem to have grown an inch bigger.
"You know what , fuck this !" Jeremy shouts as he gets off Sam. The students part like the red sea as he passes them on his way to the door. They then go about their business as if nothing occurred. Darla crouches next to Sam , she studies his face.
"Th- thank you " Sam says , his lower lip slightly bleeding.
"You're welcome, but it's not like I did anything, he could've continued if he wanted to"
"Well , you shouted for him to stop, that's doing something , right?
" I guess it is "
She then helps him to his feet and the two of them sit in the middle row next to each other.
"Well let's give it up for Supergirl" Zack Tyler, the captain of the school's football team shouts. His teammates behind him sarcastically clap their hands. Just then , Miss Crawford, the English teacher arrives.
"Morning guys" she enthusiastically greets. The whole class murmurs a 'morning' back.
**********
"S-so , how's this place been treating you so far?" Sam asks Darla as the two are walking towards the gate.
"It's been good to me so far, besides the fact that there are maniacs who just grab people into bushes." she answers with a small chuckle. Sam's face reddens in embarrassment. He awkwardly clears his throat, searching for words to speak.
"Look, I'm so sorry about the other day, it was stupid of me to..."
"It's OK , I'm over it" she reassures him, to which his face lights up.
They continue chatting about random things , until they are near the front yard of the Blake home, they say their goodbyes. Sam watches Darla as she walks home, but is shocked when she just goes up the stairs into the front porch of the house next to theirs. "She lives here" he says to no one in particular, his words more of a question than a statement. He then rushes into the house in excitement. His mother doesn't miss the full grin which adorns his face. Choosing not to spoil his mood , she doesn't ask him about it.
"Hey mom," Sam greets, the grin turning into a smirk.
"Well hello Samuel, go get changed so that you can tell mommy about your day"
Sam groans and drags himself to his room.
The doorbell rings as Sam puts on his shirt.
"I'll get it!" he shouts , speeding down the stairs. He opens it. His heart almost leaps out of his chest as he takes in the sight before him. Though he was just with her minutes ago , Darla Martins seems to be a thousand times more beautiful as she stands opposite him.
"Hi, again" Darla greets with a friendly smile.
"D-do come in"
Sam stutters whenever he talks to her. She is carrying a tray of pancakes as she enters.
"Hi, I made these for you guys , we moved into the neighbourhood a week ago" she says , giving the tray to Nancy. She takes it with a friendly smile.
"My ! These look delicious, thank you uhm......"
"Darla, Darla martins " Darla finishes for her , offering a handshake. Nancy accepts it.
"See you guys , I kinda snuck out"
"Alright" Nancy says with a chuckle before adding,
"Don't be a stranger now"
"I won't" Darla assures her.
Nancy then clears her throat , turns her head slowly to face Sam, a mischievous look on her face.
"Don't start, mom" Sam says before any words escape her mouth, to which Nancy laughs uncontrollably.
"She's a nice girl though" she says after a moment of complete silence.
"Yeah, she is" Sam agrees.
*******
"Morgan lives here , I saw him." Claire Martins whispers to her cellphone.
"Are you sure it was him?" the voice on the other end, distinctly male ,skeptically asks.
" Yes I'm sure Wiley what the fuck! , you think I'm paranoid or something! " she assures him, her temper flaring. At that instance Darla enters the dining room , a wide grin adorning her face.
"Well somebody's feeling jolly" Claire states, hiding her cellphone behind her back in a manner in which a kindergarten kid would hide an important item if caught playing with it.
"Mom, I'm gonna visit Tiffany, I'll be back at four" Darla says, avoiding her mother's gaze.
"OK Honey , have fun!"
She is taken aback by her mother's answer which is definitely not what she expected.
Claire carefully watches her daughter as she excitedly heads out ,closing the door behind her.
She let's out a sigh of relief
"That was a close one, Wiley, you still there?"
"Y-yeah I'm still here hun"
******************************
A/N
Vote and comment, it would mean the world to me. My work is barely noted.
- Cheers, Mlekeleli
