The Samantha Project (17 page)

“No, I’d rather stay here. Let my feet rest.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

When he left, I turned my attention to the dance floor. I noticed Jessica, my friend from work, who was dateless but still dancing like crazy. She waved at me when she saw me. Will was there, too, but didn’t see me. He was too busy trying to impress his date with his dance moves.
 

Allie was the best dancer out there, although to be fair, she had taken all different types of dance classes growing up. Brad tried to keep up but seemed more interested in checking out Allie. She was wearing a deep blue dress, probably to coordinate with the theme of the dance, although she’d never admit that. The dress fit snugly but wasn’t too tight; it had thin straps holding it up. Allie moved in ways that showed off the dress and her curves. It drove Brad crazy and she knew it.
 

“Hey, Sam. Nice dress.” I heard the sarcastic tone and knew instantly it was Caitlyn. She was wearing a long, tight black sequined dress with a slit on one side that went all the way up to her hip. It was a strapless dress, and she had to keep yanking it up so she wouldn’t fall out. “I noticed that your date’s not here. Let’s see—where is he?”

“Over there with the cheerleaders.” Stacey, who was in a short, bright pink strapless dress, walked up beside Caitlyn and pointed over at Colin. “Guess he knows where the hot girls are. And he leaves you sitting over here all alone.”

I ignored both of them, making Caitlyn even more determined to push my buttons. “Now that you’re done with school, I’ll see Colin way more than you. I’ll see him every single day. In the halls. At lunch. At practice. And seriously, do you think he can resist this?” She pointed to her body.

Stacey started to say something, but a guy behind her interrupted. “Sam, do you want to dance?” It was Matt Blake, one of the most popular guys in school. He looked good all dressed up—much better than he ever looked on a regular school day.
 

Caitlyn and Stacey were speechless. They looked at each other but still didn’t have a response.
 

“I was kind of saving the first dance for Colin,” I said. Caitlyn’s mouth dropped open. Apparently, girls never said no to Matt.
 

Before Matt could respond, Colin walked up behind him. “Putting your moves on my girl, Matt?”
 

Colin was kidding, but it took Matt by surprise. “What? No, I just saw her over here and thought she might want to dance.”

“I’m getting the first dance, but how about the next one, if that’s okay with Sam.”
 

“Sure, next dance,” I said, although I really only wanted to dance with Colin. But if dancing with Matt would drive Caitlyn and Stacey crazy, then why not? Matt walked away and some other girls raced up to talk to him.

Stacey started to say something but stopped when she saw Tyler and Braden, two guys from the basketball team, walk up behind Colin.
 

“Hey, buddy,” Tyler said, putting his hand on Colin’s shoulder. He leaned in as if telling Colin a secret but said it loud enough for all of us to hear. “Looks like you got the hottest date tonight.”

Caitlyn was fuming. She had been trying to date Tyler for years with no luck. She pushed Colin aside and placed herself directly in front of Tyler. “She’s dancing with Colin, but I could dance with you.”
 

Tyler ignored Caitlyn completely, which was easy to do since he was at least a foot taller than her. He started talking sports with Colin and Braden, but Colin quickly interrupted him. “Tyler, let’s talk at practice. As you said, I’ve got a hot girl waiting here.”
 

Tyler smiled and looked over at me. “Yeah, man. Got it. See ya at practice.”
 

Caitlyn stood there, still in shock. “Caitlyn, let’s go. Our dates are waiting.” Stacey went over and nudged Caitlyn away from the table.

“You see what I mean?” Colin whispered in my ear. “It’s not just me. Everyone sees how beautiful you look tonight. Now let’s dance.”

I had never paid much attention to my appearance, so it was an odd feeling for so many people to notice me that way. It
was
a great dress and Allie had done an exceptional job getting me ready.
 

The dance floor was packed, so I didn’t feel too self-conscious. Luckily, our first dance was a slow dance. Colin kept a good hold on me, making sure I didn’t fall.
 

“I’m getting better with the shoes now.” I leaned in close so he could hear me above the music. “You don’t have to hold on so tight.”

“Maybe I want to.” He whispered it in my ear, then kissed me. Normally I would have been embarrassed, kissing him with everyone around. But tonight I didn’t care. I kissed him back as if we were the only two on the dance floor. The next song was another slow one, so we kept dancing. I looked up to see the sparkly snowflakes and twinkling lights above us. It was magical.
 

By 11:45, it was time to leave and I, the girl who hates school dances, was sad to see it end. The night couldn’t have been any better. It wasn’t just the dance that made the night. It was being with Colin.
 

As we drove home, I felt like things would eventually be okay again. Like the days ahead didn’t have to be so sad. There was hope and Colin had helped me see that.
 

We got to my house at midnight. The lights were on. I knew Dave was waiting up for me.

“Thanks for tonight, Sam,” Colin said. “I hope you had a good time. I know I did.”

“Actually, for a high school dance, it wasn’t bad.” I paused, then smiled at him. “Okay, it was fun. Are you happy?”
 

“Well, well. Samantha had fun at high school dance. That’s a first. And a last because now you’re a graduate.”

“No seriously, Colin. The dance was perfect. You were perfect. Thanks for taking me.”

A light was flashing inside the house. It was Dave’s signal to get inside.
 

“I’ve got to go. I don’t want to, but Dave’s overplaying the parent role and it’s driving me crazy.”
 

“Okay, okay,” Colin said, noticing the flashing lights. “Have a nice Christmas. I’ll give you your gift when you get back.”

When he mentioned a gift, I remembered that I had completely forgotten to get him something. “Umm, you’ll have to wait a little for yours. I hate to say this, but I haven’t had a chance to get you anything with all that’s been going on. And there’s no place to shop up at the cabin.”

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t need anything.”

The lights from the house flashed again. As I gave Colin one last hug, I knew that it was finally the right time to say it. “I love you, Colin.”
 

He held on, not letting me go. “That’s all I needed, Sam. That was my Christmas present.” He gave me a kiss. “I love you, too.”
 

Dave was waiting at the front door. He glanced at his watch and mumbled something about me being late. I ignored him and ran up the stairs to my room. I didn’t want him to ruin my perfect night.

The next morning Dave was knocking on my door at 7. “Ughhh, it’s still dark outside,” I groaned. “Why do we have to leave so early?” I shouted, wondering if he could hear me through the blankets that were hiding my head.
 

“Get up, Sam. The weather guys are predicting a big winter storm. I want to get on the road before it starts.”

“Fine. I’m getting up.”
 

“I want to be out of here before 8, so hurry.”

I hadn’t even packed yet but figured Dave didn’t need to know that. I threw some jeans, t-shirts, and a hoodie in a duffle bag. I jumped in the shower and was dressed and ready to go before Dave’s ridiculous deadline.
 

The roads were starting to ice up from the light rain that was starting to fall. Not wanting to hear a lecture from Dave about how we should have left even earlier, I put on my noise-canceling headphones and listened to music while Dave listened to Minnesota Public Radio.
 

As we drove, I couldn’t stop thinking about my parents. It was Christmas week and I should have been spending it with Mom and Dad. I wanted to be back home, snug in my bed with Mom playing Christmas records on her old turntable downstairs. I wanted to smell cookies baking in the oven, the sweet aroma wafting up to my room. That was what Christmas used to be. And that’s how it should have been. Not driving up to some fishing cabin on a frozen lake in the middle of a winter storm.
 

When we finally reached the tiny town that was the only glimmer of civilization near Dave’s cabin, we stopped at a gas station that was attached to a small grocery store.
 

“Sam, do you want to pick up anything while we’re here? I brought plenty of food, but if you want to just check inside for anything else you might want, now’s your chance.” Rather than wait for a reply, he got out and started filling the tank.
 

It was the first time Dave had spoken since we left the house. He seemed angry at my moodiness. I wondered if he, too, wished he were back home, waiting for Christmas to be over rather than trying to make it into something it could never be again.
 

I got out of the car and was met with a mix of sleet and snowflakes. The storm had finally caught up with us. I pulled my hood over my head and ran into the store.

“Welcome!” an old woman called cheerfully from the counter. “Didn’t think anyone would be out here today, especially on a Sunday in a storm like this.”

“Yeah, well, we’re staying at one of the cabins nearby.” I walked to the grocery side of the store, hoping the old lady wouldn’t follow.

No luck. She was clearly looking for company, and I was all she might get that day. “Staying out there this time of year?” She shook her head and started walking toward me. “I’ll never understand Minnesota people. Seems like the colder it gets, the more they want to be out in the weather. It’s nuts.”
 

As she got closer, I noticed a flickering necklace around her neck. It had little plastic ornaments that blinked on and off. It lay against a bright red Christmas sweater that featured Santa and his reindeer flying in the night sky. The woman’s polyester pants were bright green, and plastic elf earrings dangled from her ears.
 

“I’m from Florida, you see. Well, originally. My husband dragged me here in the ’80s and I’ve been freezing ever since. He passed away a couple years ago and left me with this store and well, I just haven’t been able to sell it. It’s the only thing I have left of him, you know?”

I did know. And I felt bad for brushing the lady off. Like me, she was spending Christmas without the person she loved. Yet she continued on, running his store in a place she never wanted to live, just to keep his memory alive.
 

“Well, it’s a very nice store,” I said, even though it really wasn’t that nice a store. It was aimed at local fishermen and boaters, so was stocked with lures, Styrofoam coolers, cases of beer, and grocery basics like milk and loaves of white bread. But the old lady had made it a little more inviting by putting checkered curtains on the windows and festive lights around the displays.

“Well, enough about me. What’s your story? Is that your dad out there?” She pointed outside. “Oh, where is he now? Must be in the restroom.”

I looked outside but could barely see. Giant snowflakes were coming down at a rapid pace. Where did Dave go? What was taking him so long?

“Um, no, that’s my uncle. Well, I call him my uncle. He’s a close friend of the family.”
 

She looked at me puzzled. I anticipated her next prying question.
 

“My parents passed away.” It was the first time I had said that to someone. It felt strange to say it aloud. And it was really odd saying it to a stranger. But hearing the old lady’s story made me feel like we shared a bond—a membership in a special club of people left behind.
 

“Oh, dear, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” She got flustered and started rearranging a shelf lined with cereal boxes.
 

“No, it’s okay.” My attention switched to outside again. Dave was nowhere to be found. A strong gust of wind pushed the snow sideways. I got a glimpse of what looked like another car. I walked closer to the window to get a better look. And there it was! Out by the gas pump, right next to where I had last seen Dave. The black sedan with dark-tinted windows!

My heart started to race. It’s a coincidence, I told myself. But seeing any car out there in the middle of nowhere during a storm would have been strange. Seeing the black sedan—the car that had been outside my house for weeks—was more than strange. It was eerie. It was wrong. Something didn’t add up.
 

I couldn’t see anyone out there—no Dave and no owner of the sedan.

The old lady sensed my fear. “What’s wrong, dear? You worried about the storm?” She kept arranging her cereal boxes. “Your cabin’s just down the road a few miles, isn’t it? Don’t worry, you’ll make it just fine. The roads aren’t covered yet.”

“Yeah, but I wish my uncle would hurry up.” I moved to another window to get a view from a different angle, but it didn’t help. I still couldn’t see anyone.

“You know men.” The old lady continued talking but moved to a different shelf to stack cans of soup. “They’re always so slow. I don’t know what takes them so long. My husband used to help me wash windows, and when I’d finished 10 he’d still be working on the first one. And then there was this time that . . .”

I tuned her out as my heart raced faster. I was worried. Was Dave in the black sedan? If not, where was he? I looked at Dave’s car again, hoping he was inside waiting for me. But no, the car was empty. Had he gone to the restroom like the old lady said?

“Hey, where’s your restroom?” I interrupted the lady, who was still going on with her never-ending examples about how men are too slow.

“What? Oh, it’s outside. You need to use it? I’ll get the key. Just a minute.” She put her can of soup down and started to walk back to the register.