"So what are you searching for, Sam? Maybe I can help you out?"
Rose asked Clara with a smile on her face. Clara was her best friend, and even last night when they talked on the phone, she didn't mention something like this.
"Oh! It's nothing. My mother wanted to see him, she mentioned me this morning abruptly, so I went ahead and drove myself here. I am sorry I should have called you earlier."
Clara replied with an apologetic look on her face and then pinched Rose's cheek gently with a smile, Rose's serious face broke into a big wide grin.
"Oh! Look at you, you are wearing the cardigan we bought together. It fits nicely."
Clara touched Rose's pink floral cardigan, then looked at her chest with a frown.
"Your boobs are too big."
"Don't be jealous, I am sure you will develop soon enough."
Rose chuckled, and then with a proud expression, she took a piece of toast and began to butter it, and then took a big bite out of it. Clara looked at Rose's smug expression with a half self-deprecating smile on her face.
"Don't feel bad, come on. We will go to Newton Mall. There's something called a padded bra, I will buy it for you. Alright, here he comes. Laugh, you're terrible at acting."
Rose held Clara's hand to reassure her with a wink, then shoved her half-eaten toast in Clara's mouth because, in her eyes, Clara is too naive to fool Sam.
"Hey guys! Do you guys have plans later tonight?"
"Uhhu! N…Planm "
Clara's small mouth was stuffed, so she barely made some noise and shook her head, while Rose just shook her head.
"How about we three head to Newton tonight? It will be fun? Clara, are you free?"
Sam, with a smile, said then sat down. His smile was unusually big for something so simple, he was actually looking at the transparent glowing panel in front of him. He felt happy because no one other than him could see it, and he also knew now that he could dismiss it with his mind.
"I am totally free, but Clara's mother needed you for something."
Rose, seeing Clara almost choking, helped her out by forcing the toast out and replied to Sam on her behalf.
"Haaah! You almost killed me, you idiot."
*BANG*
Clara smacked Rose's head with her hand, her whole face was red, she was breathing hard, and she looked a bit flustered.
"I am sorry about that, here, have some water."
Rose, with a naughty grin, gave Clara some plain water. After drinking some water, Clara calmed down a lot. Sam was not bothered by their mischief at all, he was used to it. Rose and Clara were best friends and would always pull pranks on other boys and girls in the school. Because of Jack, no one messes with her even if she goes overboard.
"Mother wanted to see you about that automatic wheelchair you made for her, she feels like it's jamming up, so that's why. That can wait till the evening, I'll let her know. When we leave for Newton, maybe you can visit her on the way."
Clara, with a happy smile, said, "Sam nodded his head because that was actually more to his liking."
"Alright, I will head back to Mom's shop to help her out. You guys enjoy your time, I'll call you when it's time to leave."
Sam stood up, the black jacket on his body looked a bit worn out, but he wore it like it was his prized possession. His dad used to wear it, so he felt more warm in it somehow.
"I can give you a ride if you need it."
Clara looked at Sam with her dancing brows, Sam just half shrugged his shoulder as if to take her on the offer.
"Let's go, Rose."
Clara grabbed the car keys with one hand and Rose's hand with another.
"I can't, there's no one home. Mother will kill me if she finds out I went out when there's no one here. You come back as soon as possible."
Rose, with a sad expression, said she really wanted to go but couldn't, she might get grounded if she ignores this rule.
"I'll be back in ten minutes."
Clara confidently said, then with a righteous expression walked to her car and started it dramatically. Sam took a big breath and then nodded at Rose before heading out and entering that car.
"That bitch wants to steal you from me for sure, I hope one day I can kill her."
As soon as Sam closed the door, Clara uttered these words with a smile on her face while half waving at Rose and reversing the car.
"Sigh!"
Sam sighed as if this was nothing new at all, he looked at Clara and her smile, and then a small laugh escaped his mouth.
"Why do you laugh? Is it funny? She flirts with you all the time. Do you know how hard it is for me to keep my emotions in check?"
Clara asked. The car is facing the main road now, and Clara can see Rose still in the porch, smiling.
"You clearly love her, maybe you can even die for her, so don't be bitter."
Sam calmly said it always amuses him how Clara behaves around others, with him, her demeanor would change.
"That I can. I can actually die for her, but I can't give you to her. She can take my favorite horse or three ponies, she can take everything but you."
Clara complained while still driving to the correct path. Clara and Sam were actually engaged unofficially, as in today's day and age these things are nothing but a farce. Their families joked about the grandfathers' decisions of each family, and the topic dropped, but ever since Clara saw Sam, she can't drop it, she became very obsessed with him to the point she would open her emotional self to Sam only to maintain an outward sane persona.
"So your mother's wheelchair is fine?"
"Obviously, you made it after all. How can it get jammed so easily? If you were in your mom's store, things would have been easier, we could have spent some time together."
Clara said she was fuming somewhat, and keeping her emotions in check was a really hard thing for her, but she was mastering it slowly with Sam's help.
"Alright, here's perfect, stop the car."
Sam suddenly said, as they were in the middle of nowhere, only empty fields were everywhere.
"This?"
Clara looked confused, she had no idea why Sam suddenly wanted to stop, but she pulled the car to the side and stopped the car.
"Listen, things are changing much. I got an acceptance mail from Harvard just last night. I am waiting for MIT, and even if I don't get it, I'll be leaving for Harvard soon, so first remove that crazy and crying look from your face. I am not dying. I know you're Christian and go to church and all. I am Christian as well, technically, so what I was proposing was let's hug each other for the first time and calm yourself down."
Sam opened his arms, and Clara just entered his broad chest and stayed there for a full fifteen seconds before she straightened herself up with a red tomato face.
"You walk from here. I have to spend more time with Rose. You guys will probably go to nice colleges, but I have to be here. Get out."
Sam nodded his head and stepped down from the car, Clara took a sharp U-turn, then stopped in front of Sam.
"She knows I am like this, she told me to hide it from you. How can I live without her?"
Clara yelled at Sam, her cheeks were running with tears. She was not good at studies, and she loves her family farm too much, and as the sole daughter of the family, she can't just walk out.
"We are not dying, this is our town too, you know…"
Sam replied, and before he could finish, her car drove off towards Martin Estate.
"These two"
Shaking his head, Sam slowly walked towards his mother's shop, which was in the middle of the town.