What Friends Are For

Chapter Eight

CHAPTER 8

"True friendship is seen through the heart, not the eyes." -Unknown

Later that Sunday, Bella and I went to the YMCA to go swimming. As we lined up to scan our cards, I looked in front of me and looked at the back of the head of the boy in front of me.

I almost screamed.

It was one of our school friends, Sam.

"SAM!" I yelled to him. "SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!"

He turns around.

"Hi guys," He says, smiling. Sam was always one of the nicest kids in the school. Correction: he IS the nicest kid in the school. "I'm going swimming. You are, too?"

"Yes," Bella says. "We are."

"Great," Sam says, grinning. "I'll meet you at the edge of the pool. See you then."

"This is going to be a blast!" I say excitedly.

After we get into our swimsuits, we go to the edge of the pool. Sam walks up to us.

"Last time the pool was freezing," Bella laughed.

"Then let's all jump in at once," He says happily.

"NO WAY," Bella screams.

"Yes way," I say to Bella. "Let's do it!"

She sighs. "Fine," She says, giving in. "I will kill you after, though, Izzy."
We all stand at the edge of the pool.

Then we all jump in.

"Wow," Bella says to me and Sam. "The pool is soooo warm today."

"It is," Sam agreed. "Awesome."

We spent the next 45 minutes playing hide and seek tag, doing waterslide races, and playing volleyball in the pool, laughing the whole time. It was incredibly fun.

"I have to go soon," Sam tells us, peering at the clock on the wall. "Want to go to the hot tub?"

"Sure," I said with a shrug.

When we were in the hot tub, Bella and I started whispering to each other.

"We should tell him about Alexis," I whisper. "He's so nice, he'll know what to do. He is Alexis' friend, too."

"Okay," Bella says. "You go tell him."

"ME?!" I whisper angrily. "YOU do it!"

"We'll do it together," Bella snapped.

"Are you guys good?" Sam says, eyeing us suspiciously.

"Yes," I say quickly. "Well, no. I mean, not really?"

He raises an eyebrow.

"Nicely done," Bella whispers in my ear.

I push her away.

I tell Sam. I tell him about not knowing what to do.

"I know Alexis," He tells us, unalarmed. "She's not going to do it."

"She's abused at home," Bella says in a low voice, so nobody else could hear. "By her mom."

"All parents of our religion are like that," Sam says with a shrug. "They all hate their kids. It's what they do. I mean, mine do."

"She gets bullied at school, too," Bella says.

"Wow," Sam says, surprised. "By who?"

"I'm not sure," I say sadly.

"Did you tell a teacher about it?" Sam asks us, seriously.

"Well...no," Ada says, biting her lip.

Sam shakes his head.

"You can't keep that a secret," He says to us. "You need to tell a teacher about what's going on."

"We can't," I say to him.

"Why not?"

I explain everything to him. About how it would make it so much worse. How we didn't know what to do.

He sat there and thought about it hard.

"Woah," He said suddenly. "What a dilemma."

"I know, right?" Bella says with a sigh.

"When life gives you dilemmas, make dilemma-nade," I scoff. "What a joke."

We sat there in silence. I could tell Sam was worried too.

Did we make a mistake telling Sam, I ask myself. Is he going to tell someone?

"So she's bullied and abused," Sam tells us.

"Right."
"Any signs of depression?"

Bella and I exchange glances.

"She cuts herself," Bella says to him in a whisper.

He opens his mouth to speak, but closes it again when his older brother comes over to where we're sitting.

His brother looked a lot like Sam. The same shiny black hair, the same facial expression. I've seen him after school before, waiting for the bus.

Bella and I sit up on the edge of the hot tub, while Sam and his brother talk. Sam tried to push his brother away so we could talk, until he finally got up and left Sam alone.

"Sorry about that," He sighs. "So Alexis cuts herself?"

"Yeah. Alexis cuts herself," I repeat to him.

He doesn't say a word. He just sat there thinking.

"You sure we shouldn't tell a teacher? Or SOME adult, at least?" Sam asks me and Bella. "I mean... I understand that you don't want to take what she loves away from her, but... you're sure we shouldn't tell a teacher?"

"No," Bella says with a sigh. "We're not sure."

"We will when...it gets to a certain point," I assure him. "But we'll need to do some thinking first."

"Do any teachers already know?" Sam says.

"Ms. N does."

"Is that good enough?"
"I don't think so. Alexis seemed the same after she supposedly 'had a talk with her teacher and is now fine.'"

"Then obviously if she SAYS she's fine, she clearly isn't OK," Sam says sadly. "But I have an idea."

Bella and I quickly look at him.

"What? What is your idea?" We say at once.

He pauses.

"It's a bad idea," He admits.

"Any idea will do," I say, my voice filled with hope.

"I will talk to her about it, or maybe follow her around and see how things are," He says to us. "Kiiiind of creepy, though."

"ASK her about it?" Bella says. "That will make things worse!"

"Follow her around?" I say, shocked. "That's creepy!"

"Well, not follow her around exactly," He tells us. "I meant...umm... forget it."

Sam glances at the clock.

"Oh, I have to study in the library," Sam says, getting up. "That was fun. Bye, guys."

"Wait," I tell him. "DON'T tell anyone about this."

He stops. He sighs.

"Okay," He says after hesitating.

He nervously brushes his hair out of his face.

"No promises. But I'll try."