The Sudden Change

The period bell rang. Jake and I gave a disparaging look to each other and agreed on going into the class. We had waited for Sam long enough. As if missing all her morning classes was not enough that she now also stopped receiving Jake’s calls. He asked me to call her, but I had left her last message on seen. I did not want to go back to see what she had sent; otherwise, I would have to reply to it, and honestly, I had better things to do than read her ranting messages. I mean, she was my best friend, but sometimes she got way too clingy and annoying. I needed none of that right now.

Strangely from the past two days, it seemed as if she had begun taking her sophomore year as a joke. She was never like this. Once a nerd was now missing her classes. Just a week back, she had met Louisa, an Erasmus student from Spain. Ever since Sam changed her company, her way of talking and behaving saw a drastic shift. I will not lie; I began envying her a bit. Nevertheless, not enough to read Sam’s last message.

Last night after the party at Jake’s house, she left with Louisa. Well, they had pre-planned a sleepover at her place. Jake and I were discussing that what do girls do at a sleepover anyway? Talk about boys, eat mac and cheese and probably watch a chick flick? Sam could do neither of these. She liked Avengers and had never had a boyfriend. I knew for a fact that they would not be drinking. Although Sam’s parents were not strict, they trained her well to neither accept drinks at a party nor go crazy with the ones at her father’s bar. So with complete conviction, I could say that my best friend did not make herself a result of way too much drinking last night to miss her classes today. She probably overslept.

We went into the class and saw Louisa sitting with someone. I stopped at the door and did not move an inch after my eyes met hers. I had never seen anyone this beautiful. A hazel-eyed and freckled girl had stolen all my attention from the thoughts of my missing friend. It took me a while to realize that it was my missing friend. The teacher screamed my name in my ears, almost cutting a hole through my eardrums. I recollected myself, and all embarrassed went to sit back.  

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What had happened to Sam? I wondered. I quickly took out my phone and typed her a message. “Is this you?” I sent it. This person sitting on the first desk could certainly not be my friend. She looked way too different; of course, nothing like Sam in hindsight. She wore a skirt and a crop top which made her look so feminine. Sam never dressed like this. Not even for homecoming or any game. For the first time in the last year, I started paying attention to her. I began to observe every little thing she was doing.

She tied her emo hair in a bun leaving only two strands out, which swayed on both sides of her face. Those two strands continually blocked my view to her eyes. I had never noticed that they were hazel-colored and so beautiful. Where did her glasses even go? She had told me months back that she owned a pair of contact lenses but never found the time to put them in place every morning. She played with her hair and tugged the strands back when wanting to concentrate on her book. Sam was a reader. I guess this is why she would disappear in breaks. She turned the page of the book and hid her palms under her thighs. At this point, I could go and offer her my jacket to wear. I had a weird urge to protect her, but what from? Cold? What was even happening to me?

While I was lost in finding answers to these questions, Sam got up from her chair and left the class. I did not see any point in being here, too, and went after her.

“Sam,” I screamed her name. She turned back and looked at me. “Samantha.”

“What are you doing here, Kevin?” She asked.

“You look beautiful, Sam-Samantha,” said I. Why was I stammering? Realizing this was certainly not the answer to her question, I added something else too. “I want to have some water.”

“Okay,” she said, breaking into a smile. “And thank you.”

She really looked beautiful. I wanted to sit beside her and admire her all day. What even was happening to me?

“Do you want me to walk with you to the disperser?” she asked.

“I would love that.” I behaved oddly. It was kind of her to have asked that. Had there been some other girl at her place, she would have left seeing me blush. One minute I covered my smiling face with my palms, and in the next, I walked all stiff with hands by my side, all expressionless. Towards the end of my destination, I had started stealing glances of her too.   

She turned to look at me and finally asked, “What happened to you today?”

“Isn’t that something I should ask you too?” I threw in a counter-question. “Why do you look so beautiful today?” This was the stupidest question I had to ask her, but I would lose myself every time I looked into her eyes.

She looked down, breaking our contact, and then glanced at me and said, “Strange that you finally found some time to notice me.”

“Notice? I could not take my eyes off you in the class. I can’t even take them off right now.”  

I felt as if her focus moved from my eyes to my lips as if she wanted the same thing I did. Not wanting to miss the chance, I leaned forward in an attempt to kiss her, but she turned her face and left. I closed my eyes and banged my head against a wall. What a dumb prick, I said to myself.