Jack of Clubs (BxB)

24: It Felt Like A Promise

I could hear Mrs. Warner walking down the hallway with what sounded like the clicking of heels. Even though I had yet to see her face-to-face I predicted that she was always dressed to the nines. The sound of her heels only furthered that belief.

The door lightly clicked shut once more, and I made sure that my eyes were shut tight so that Sam wouldn't know that I eavesdropped on his conversation with his mom. It was likely that he wouldn't even care that I did, but I didn't want to risk it. Besides, maybe I was pleased enough just to know that his mom was not only real, but every bit as kind sounding as Sam insisted she was. Maybe that was a happy thought that I wanted to keep to myself.

A moment passed before the bed dipped as Sam climbed back into it. I felt him get closer and closer to me, until his arms snaked around my waist and pulled me against his chest. I just allowed him to think that I was still asleep, which I knew was soon to come true because being that close to him was just so damn comforting.

As I slowly seemed to drift off once more, Sam's hand found my hair. He lightly ran his fingers through it, carefully avoiding the numerous tangles that always seemed to occupy it. I could feel his eyes on me, and a brief thought entertained me.

What did he see when he looked at me?

Then I heard him mumble to himself, as though the following words were too much to keep trapped inside. Like he had to let them leave his lips just to make sure they rang true. "Boyfriends, huh? I'll do so much more for you, Sawyer."

It felt like a promise. One that I captured with my heart, and kept safely tucked inside. It was mine from then on, even if Sam didn't know it.

•O•O•

"On Friday?" I sighed, wishing that maybe we could escape reality for a little while longer. But of course not, because apparently Sam was informed that we all had to meet up with those psychos yet again. Joy.

"Unfortunately." He nodded. We were sitting at a table in the courtyard at school, waiting for Sam's friends to join us. It felt weird to sit at the very spot that I used to dread even glancing at. Plenty of students cast us confused looks as they walked past, wondering why the hell Sam and I would ever consider sitting next to each other. We had been getting looks like that ever since Sam first began driving me. I wondered what they would think if they knew the truth.

"Great." I sighed, wanting anything other than to attend another meeting. "And I take it you won't allow me to go somewhere else?"

"We both know that's a bad idea, don't pretend otherwise." He said in a matter-of-fact tone. And he was right, of course, but maybe I liked living in a fantasyland sometimes. It was easier than dealing with the mess we were all well over our heads in.

A moment later, and there his friends seemed to manifest. Caden was the first to greet us, just like he always was. "Hey, Sam! Hey, Sawyer!"

"Hey, Cade." Sam smiled, watching as they all took their respective seats. Caden besides a characteristically quiet Brian, and Dennis across from Sam. "I was just telling Sawyer about Friday."

"Oh, yeah." Dennis huffed, in the middle of eating handfuls of chips.

"I'm thrilled too." I nodded sarcastically.

"It's always so much fun." Caden added, his previously enthused expression dropping into annoyance. Not even Caden could be optimistic about the future when it looked so damn bleak. That should have been the biggest red flag, because Caden usually looked at the bright side of every scenario. It was hard to believe that not even he could make this easier.

Sam bit his lip. "I certainly don't enjoy it either, but here we are."

The conversation probably would have gone on longer — possibly even progressing into another argument about the whole thing — but it was cut short when someone came up behind me and tapped my shoulder. I turned around, finding my best friend staring back at me with wide eyes.