kari's pov
it was the end of the school day.
i was hurrying to get back to my dorm room, because sammy wanted me to hang out with him and gilinsky before curfew, and if gilinsky was there, i knew very well that johnson and carrington would be there.
but when i reached to unlock the door, it opened from the inside and nate bumped into me. i stared at him questionably - quickly observing his messy hair, his shirt that was buttoned incorrectly and him, fixing up his belt.
my lips turned into a smirk, "so, what have you been up to, nate?".
"oh, i, uh..." he hesitated and i peeped inside the room to see chantelle making her bed again. "...chantelle and i were just talking".
i nodded my head, even though i didn't believe him one bit, "okay, so talking involved messing up chantelle's bed?".
"we also looked for this textbook that i really needed for world-".
"save it, nate" i patted him on the shoulder and said. "i'm not stupid".
i playfully shook my head, and walked past him to finally go into my room.
i settled my bag on my bed, as chantelle continued to perfect her bed sheets in silence. we're still not speaking and to be honest, it's been too long and i'm starting to miss my best friend.
i cleared my throat, then walked over to my closet to find a new outfit, "so, it looks like you and nate are back on track...that's great".
"why do you care?" she mumbled back and i exhaled with my eyes shut.
"because you're my best friend, and i like seeing you happy" i explained, while still facing away from her.
"well, that didn't really seem to be the case when you never told me that nate cheated on me with mere".
i finally turned around, "actually that was the case, chantelle. i know very well that deep down, nate doesn't actually mean any harm, and meredith certainly doesn't either. so, i felt like not telling you was the right thing to do because you were happy with him and it was a drunken mistake".
while she sat on her bed, she glanced up at me.
"but remember towards the end of sixth grade, and we promised to tell each other everything because back then, i learnt that lying just makes you lose people. just like my dad was lying to my mom about his affair" she replied.
"well, we also promised not to let anything to do with a boy get in between us" i remembered as i fiddled with my hands. "...i'm sorry".
chantelle sighed deeply and stood up.
"i'm sorry too. i was a complete bitch during that soccer game and i should have never told anyone about you and sam" she said, but i brushed it off and shook my head.
"it's okay. i mean, he's one of the most popular alexander boys, everyone was bound to find out eventually" i explained. "but that doesn't matter anymore - what does, is that i have my best friend back".
my mouth formed into a smile and so did chantelle's, before she hugged me tightly and i did the same.
"okay, now spill the details about you and sammy" chantelle immediately demanded, as she got comfy on her bed and patted the space beside her.
i laughed at her eagerness, "there is no 'details' to spill".
"yes, there is! last time i checked, you would have never classed bad-boy-wilk as your type".
i awkwardly scratched the back of my neck, "well, johnson has carrington so i might as well have sammy".
"wait, is this just a way to get back at johnson?" chantelle asked with one eye slightly squinting, as if she was trying to see right through me.
"yes, and no" i replied almost inaudibly. "...but mostly, yes".
chantelle gasped dramatically, "i knew it! i knew that you two making out whenever johnson came by wasn't just a coincidence. so, is sammy in on this or...?".
"he's not, and he doesn't need to" i quickly told her. "i know that it sounds kind of harsh, but when i've finished torturing johnson, i'll let him down easy".
i explained before chantelle placed her hand on her heart and stared at me like a proud mother.
"i never knew that you had it in you, kari phillips. admit it, these boys have had an impact on you and you know it" she almost cried and i playfully rolled my eyes at her drama performance, then stood up.
"i am not going to admit anything, because i need to get ready and meet sammy outside in a few minutes" i announced, before quickly going back to looking for an outfit in my closet.
***
through the window of the doors, i saw sammy waiting for me as he sat on the steps and smoked a cigarette.
i couldn't see gilinsky, or johnson and carrington there too but i opened the doors any ways and jumped down to sit beside him.
"so, where's gilinsky, or johnson and carrington?" i subtly questioned as he exhaled smoke from between his pursed lips.
"so, you're just using me to get back at johnson, huh?" he turned his head to me and i gulped at the confrontation.
"...not entirely" i quietly mumbled, but he scoffed at my answer.
"i heard you talking to chantelle, so stop bullshitting, kari".
"fine, i'm sorry. but, i was just really angry on friday and i knew that hooking up with you would make him jealous, and it's worked" i aimed to explain. "...but i understand if you hate me now or whatever.
i began to stand back up, but to my surprise, sammy gently grabbed me by my wrist.
he chuckled lightly, "i don't hate you. i mean, come on, it's you. plus if you wanted my help with making johnson jealous, all you had to do was ask".
my eyes widened, "really?".
he simply nodded at my question, then put out his cigarette on the ground.
"okay, i need to smoke some real shit now and i can't do it in front of the school doors. but i get, if you want to go back inside because johnson isn't—".
"no!" i spoke a little too quickly. "...i mean, i don't mind if it's just you and me. after all, you are supposed to be my boyfriend".
i smiled and took his hand to walk down the steps.
sammy followed me to the hilltop behind the school building, while i mentally questioned his reaction to me, using him just for some jealousy from johnson.
he sat down on the green and i sat opposite him, watching the rolled up drug burn at the tip as he lit it with his lighter. sammy knew that i wasn't very fond of the smell, so he held the joint a little away from my breathing space.
"so, your school's reopening in two weeks," i mentioned and crossed my legs neatly. "i bet you're happy".
he chuckled and shook his head lightly, "happy? no way, i'm gonna miss all these thirsty bitches".
"sam,"
"i'm kidding" he brushed off. "but i am gonna miss something".
i furrowed my brows, "what?".
"...you" he answered, before taking a drag at the joint.
my heart skipped multiple beats, as the look in his eyes when he spoke completely amazed me. not because he was on the verge of getting high, but the way he looked so sincere and almost...sad.
"me?" i softly questioned and he nodded his head.
"definitely," sammy assured. "i'll miss everything from your bomb ass body, to the way you roll your eyes when i say something stupid, to that tongue thing that you do when you're concentrating on your classwork".
i covered my mouth and laughed at his last point, since i knew very well that that was a habit of mine.
"...you know what? i'll actually miss you too, sammy. even though i completely despised you on your first day here".
"see, we've come a long way" he winked and i smiled back.
silence soon fell upon us both whilst sammy came close to finishing his joint and i sat opposite him, helplessly thinking back to our memories.
"you know what's been bugging me for a while?" i suddenly began, and he glanced at me. "a few weeks ago when we stood outside in n out, i thanked you, you said that you've dealt with guys like him before and that i'd find out sooner or later?".
"oh, that was just about my mom's boyfriend - that's what i meant" he explained. "he's an asshole and a alcoholic, and a druggy and an abuser"
sammy slowly moistened his lips, before continuing.
"from the age of eleven to sixteen, i spent most of my days trying to fight him off my mom" he added.
"sam, i-i'm sorry, i shouldn't have—".
"no, don't apologise. i mean, he's locked up and my mom's in care" he shrugged and continued to inhale and exhale the remaining marijuana.
i bit down my lip at how carelessly i bought up a sensitive topic, but he quickly noticed the dismay on my face and snickered.
"stop stressing, kari. i told you that you were bound to find out any ways" he reached over with his free hand and stroked mine. "...it's okay".
i smiled at how assured he looked and finally eased up.
"so, what's the plan on making jack j jealous?" he soon asked.
i shook my head, "oh, you don't have to do that. honestly, i'm sorry for stringing you along like that".
"come on, if i had to choose any salvatore girl to string me along, i'd instantly choose you" he nudged my thigh and i cocked my eyebrow at him.
"sam, is this your attempt to flirt with me?".
"no, my attempt to flirt with you would be saying: your lips look lonely, would they like to meet mine?" he winked and i held onto my stomach as i laughed at the cheesy pick up line.
"you're gonna have to try much harder than that, wilkinson" i said in between laughs and he playfully shook his head at me.
***
it was almost 5pm and sammy was walking me back to my room. 5pm is the time that all the alexander boys are permitted to leave the school grounds and us, girls should be inside the school building.
"okay, so i'll see you in the morning" i gave sammy a smile as i twisted the door knob, but he gently held my hand back.
"hey, i, uh, had fun today" he softly admitted and i looked up into his diluting, brown eyes.
"but we were just talking" i chuckled and he bit down on his bottom lip to suppress his smile.
"exactly" he simply said and i broke our eye contact, since i was beginning to blush.
"well then, i had fun too" i nodded my head and almost turned my back to go inside my room, but i paused and immediately gave sammy a hug with my arms locked around his neck.
he eventually hugged me back and i could feel his heart beating incredibly fast, against my body. before i let go, i gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
"thank you, for being so cool about everything" i said and took held of his hand. "y'know between johnson and i".
"it's fine, no worries. i'll be sure to put on my best performance whenever we bump into him tomorrow" he assured me and slowly began walking backwards, letting go of my hand the further he went.
"goodnight, sam" i called out.
"goodnight, princess" he winked at me and instant flashbacks of when we first met came rushing through my head, before he faced forward and started walking away as normal.
i entered my room and saw chantelle lying down on her bed with her laptop in front of her. i shut the door behind me and leant against it, before i gave a deep sigh and smiled helplessly.
"well, what's made you so happy?" chantelle questioned as she continued staring at the screen.
"oh, it's nothing" i shrugged and sat myself down on my bed to remove my shoes.
"did johnson finally break up with miss barbie?".
"...who?".
"um, johnson?...the guy you're trying to make jealous with sammy?" she recalled for me, and i quickly snapped out of my sudden reverie.
"oh yeah, uh, no" i finally answered. "it was just me and sam hanging out today".
"and?..." she trailed off, and seemed desperate for me to insert more information.
"and we talked, that's it" i shrugged and started grabbing my toiletries as fast as i could, so that i could go to the shower and not have to spill how glad i am that sammy and i hung out today.
"oh, so is that what they call sucking on each other's tongues these days?" chantelle sarcastically questioned, so i threw my pillow at her, and hurried into the bathroom before she could get me back.
-
i have returned! okay, i'm sorry for not posting in months, but it was only because i had the biggest writers block EVER, and i didn't want to write something that i wasn't proud of. but now i'm back and ready to finish this story for you all.
also, check out the new character visual on the first chapter.
pls vote, comment and share. ❤️