Unwanteds High (AU)

Chapter 37

((Alex's POV))

On Monday, school just wasn't a good day.

It was a normal day. Same classes, same group of friends. Well, everyone except for one.

Samheed.

Samheed told Lani he was sick, but I didn't believe that for a second. The look on his face on Friday before he jogged off to his parents, the angry look on his fathers face... It was stuck in my mind.

After school, Aaron and I were given a ride home by Meg and Sean. But as soon as I got home, I grabbed my bike from the garage despite it being cold outside. I rode my red bike all the way to Samheed's house, determined to figure out what was going on.

I didn't have to do much digging. I didn't have to even knock on his house door. Getting off my bike with walking it, I went to the end of his driveway. The cars were cleared out of it, and Samheed shot a perfect basket. He was practicing. And by the way his dad was, I assume he made Sam stay home to practice for the next game on Friday.

"Hey," I managed to say.

Sam jumped a little from me startling him. But he kept his grip tightened on the ball without dropping it.

"Stowe? What are you doing here?"

I placed my bike down on the ground and walked towards him. I stuck my hands in my light blue jeans, the cold air hitting the bottom of my legs where I cuffed them.

"Wondering why you weren't at school," I said.

"Stomach bug," Samheed said. "Don't come too close. I might be contagious."

"We both know that's bullshit," I said, my eyebrows knitting.

Sam sighed. One thing about him is that he couldn't hide anything from me. I knew him by now. I knew when he was lying and when he wasn't.

"Fine. My old man made me stay home to practice."

"It's freezing out here," I frowned. "You actually could get sick."

"You're one to talk," Sam said, a little smile forming on his face. "You rode a bike over here."

"Whatever," I huffed. "That's not the point. The point is is that I've been worried sick about you."

"Oh, you have?" Samheed smirked with wiggling his thick eyebrows a little.

"Oh screw off," I huffed.

"I'm kidding!" He laughed. "Only kidding. Look, I appreciate the concern... A lot actually. But a thing to know about my family is that, well... It's a bit of a mess."

"I could figure that out just by the way they spoke to me," I admitted, kicking a pebble off of the drive awkwardly with my white converse.

"Exactly," Samheed sighed. "If I could play basketball without going to school my dad would keep me home. If he had his way, basketball is more important over school. And after I graduate, if he truly got what he wanted, I'd be off to the military..."

"But you don't want that," I said.

"No. Not in a million years," Sam said, bouncing the basketball without looking at me.

"What do you want to do after high school is over? I know that's not for a bit but," I asked.

"Go to college. Major in theatre education. I want to be just like Mr.Appleblossom when I get older. What about you Stowe?" Sam asked as he smiled that smile at me.

"Me? Oh, probably go to art school. And if I can't afford that, I'll probably open a small art business like an Etsy or something," I said. "Speaking of selling art.. I'm starting to sell mine."