2. Sam

SAM

August 2010 - Sam is 16, Annie is 14

"I've already picked your partners for the project, there will be no switching." My English teacher, Ms. Clements announces that our first assignment this semester will be a group project. A group of two people. It's only the first week of school and I'm still the new kid. Most kids in my class are not excited about the assignment, but this could be a good way for me to meet someone in my grade. I met Annie and Emily last week at the library, but I haven't seen them since.

I haven't been able to get Annie out of my head. Her bright red hair and shy smile makes me smile just thinking about it. I've been looking out for her here at school, but I haven't seen her around yet.

"Raise your hands when your name is called, since I know we have some new faces," Ms. Clements says as she starts to read out the list of names. I listen carefully for my name. "Sam Holland," I raise my hand, "you'll be with Noah Jones."

I scan the room and see a scrawny kid with dark blonde hair raising his hand. He gives me a nod and I offer a friendly wave.

After Ms. Clements announces all of the groups, we're given time to meet up with our partner to discuss which Greek myth we want to use for our project. I make my way over to Noah, sitting in the seat in front of his desk. "I'm Sam, I just moved here."

Noah runs a hand through his hair. "Cool. I'm Noah. I have to work most days after school, but I'm free in the evenings and during lunch hour."

"That works for me."

I don't have a job yet. I'm only a junior and my parents haven't made me get a job since we just moved here. They want me to make friends here first, which would be fine if I knew we'd be here longer than a year. I don't like getting attached to people because we move so often, because Dad gets antsy and likes to regularly change up what he does for work. My younger sister, Amelia, and I already have bets that Dad won't last one year as a cow farmer. She thinks he'll last a month longer than I do. Our other younger sister, Jodi, isn't old enough to know that this will be a pattern throughout her life.

When you move around so often, it's hard to make any real friends. I'm good at the surface level, but I don't let myself get attached because it's too hard when you have to say goodbye.

Before we decide what myth we'll be using for our project, the bell rings. Noah hands me a piece of paper. "That's my address. I don't have a car, so I hope you do."

I let out a laugh as I look at the paper in my hand. "You won't need a car to get to my house. I live next door."

As I approach Noah's house the next afternoon, loud voices are coming from inside the house. I give a heavy knock. Noah opens the door a second later, his hair is slightly rumpled as if he just woke up from a nap, and the yelling I heard before gets louder.

"We can work in my room," Noah says, gesturing for me to come in. There's a woman standing in the doorway of the kitchen who I assume is Noah's mother, she's yelling at a tall man who's slouching on the couch and his eyes are closed, I'm not even sure he's awake. Though I'm not sure how anyone could sleep with someone yelling at them like that.

"Sounds good." I follow Noah down the hallway. We walk past a room with an open door where I stop in my tracks and blink into the small, bright room. On the bed reading Emma is Annie, the girl I met at the library. She doesn't look up from her book.

My heart stutters.

It's her. Annie. She's been next door this whole time.

"That's just my younger sister," Noah says and when I look over at him, he's watching me.

Thankfully, he doesn't seem to notice that my heart has started to beat faster than normal. "She likes to read a lot. And hide away from my mom when she's yelling like this, not that I blame her."

It's impossible to ignore the profanity coming from the front room. Though, I'm trying.

"Cool," I nod. I don't tell him that I already met her, and I don't say that I've been wondering what she's been up to for the past week because I don't want to sound like a weirdo. I don't tell him that I also like to read. Seeing her again though is like a bright light in the darkness of a new place. She's familiar, that's all. That's what I tell myself as we enter his small bedroom and he quietly shuts the door.

"Sorry about my mom, she's been yelling at this boyfriend for days and he hasn't left yet. It's annoying, but I'd rather her yell at the men she dates than yell at Annie about something."

"She yells at your sister?" I ask. I have two younger sisters and even though they can be annoying, my mom has never yelled at them the way Noah's mom is yelling right now. I feel like I need to clean out my ears.

Noah nods, slowly. "Far too often. I have to calm Mom down after. Annie is good at standing up to her, but it's annoying. Mom always thinks she's right though, so I feel like I can't do too much. Anyway, let's work on the project and not talk about my family's issues."

I try to focus on our project, but my mind wanders to Annie, in the room next door, and I wonder how she feels about all the yelling. If I ever get the chance, I'll try to talk to her about it, make sure she knows that parents aren't supposed to yell like that at other people, much less their children.