In Your Arms

  IN YOUR ARMS

  by

  BECKY ANDREWS

  OTHER BOOKS

  My Best Friend's Brother

  The Forgotten Night

  In Your Arms. 1st Edition

  Copyright © 2013

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Art and Design by Humble Nations

  This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locations are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously.

  All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Special Note from Becky

  Also By Becky Andrews

  Chapter One

  Detention with Mrs. Hutchinson wasn’t too bad.

  Samantha Baker had become all too familiar with Mrs. Hutchinson, due to the multiple times Ms. Hatchet, her Advanced Bio teacher, had sent her to detention. Mrs. Hutchinson didn’t care what went on in the classroom, as long as it wasn’t illegal or too loud.

  On days when Sam was the only one there, Mrs. Hutchinson even let her leave early.

  “Hello, Sam,” Mrs. Hutchinson said as Sam handed her the detention slip. She had seen Sam so many times she just threw the pink slip in the trashcan beside her desk and wrote Ms. Hatchet in her log book next to Sam’s name.

  “Hey, Mrs. H., looks like you have a full classroom today,” Sam commented as she looked around for an empty chair.

  “Yes, doesn’t look like we’ll be getting out anytime soon.” Mrs. H. looked regretfully at her silver-banded watch, no doubt a gift from her husband.

  “That’s okay. I have some homework I can work on.”

  “I believe there are a couple seats in the back,” Mrs. H. pointed out.

  “Thanks, Mrs. H.,” Sam said as she walked in between the rows of seats, making her way toward the back. She dropped her backpack on the floor and sat down.

  Half the class was sleeping at their desks, a few of the football players were working out strategies on some paper, and the others were either playing a game, trying to pass the time, or actually doing their homework.

  Sam looked reached down and pulled out a notebook with little doodles drawn all over the front cover. Flipping to an empty page, she began to sketch the handsome features of a familiar face.

  Phillip Corinodi. One of the most popular guys in school. She’d had a crush on him since seventh grade. They’d been friends back then, but he hadn’t even talked to her during the three years she’d been in high school. Besides, he was going out with Tracy Gibbons, the biggest bitch Sam had ever met.

  She started with his eyes, making them look as though they were piercing deep into her soul, as though they knew her every thought, her every desire. Slowly Sam worked her way around his face, completing the nose, the eyebrows, and his cheekbones. She began to draw his mouth, the lips parted as though they were trying to say something. Once Sam had finished her drawing, she smiled a bit at how well she’d managed to capture the guy of her dreams, before closing her notebook and storing it safely in her backpack.

  “Hey, Sam,” said the guy she’d just been drawing, taking the seat next to her. “I didn’t know you could draw so well.”

  Sam had always felt she had bad luck, whether it was playing a game, guessing how many of something was in a jar, getting a part in the school play, or even just being somewhere at the right time. She always managed to do something embarrassing. Something that would make her stand out from the rest of her peers and make her an easy target.

  But this! Oh, god! Did he realize she’d been drawing him?

  Sam turned slowly to face him, staring at his tousled dark hair and crystal blue eyes, so embarrassed she couldn’t even speak.

  “Hello?” Phillip said, waving his hand in front of her face.

  “Huh? Sorry. What did you say?” Sam said, still flustered.

  “I said I didn’t know you could draw so well.”

  “Uh, thank you. I only draw in my free time,” she managed to mumble.

  What was he doing here? He never got detention. He was Senior Class President, captain of the football team, the perfect student.

  “Well, from what I did see, you’re pretty good at it.”

  “Thanks.” Sam knew he’d seen it. There was nothing she could do about it but change the subject. “So why are you in detention? I mean, I didn’t even notice you come in.”

  “Well, you know how Ms. Hatchet is. She was angry I came in late, disturbing her class. I just got here. You were closing your notebook as I sat down.”

  Sam gave a slight sigh of relief. So maybe he didn’t see anything, not much anyway. Not enough to know the drawing was of him.

  “You know better than me about Ms. Hatchet’s mood swings, though. Huh?” Phillip asked.

  Sam’s problems with Ms. Hatchet were legendary. She wasn’t sure why the woman hated her so much. All of her other teachers liked her just fine.

  “Well, she is out to get me,” Sam confided.

  “She certainly seems to be,” Phillip agreed.

  Why was Phillip talking to her after all these years? Maybe because everyone around him was playing a game or sleeping. Or maybe he just didn’t know anyone else in the room. No, there were some guys from the football team on the other side of the classroom, but there were no seats over in their direction. So Phillip had just sat in the only seat available. That was it.

  She decided not to question it too much. Phillip Corinodi was talking to her , Samantha Baker. She’d been hoping for this for years.

  “I laughed at her that one time, which set it all in motion,” Sam explained. “Now everything I do makes her mad.”

  “I think everyone was holding in their laughter, too scared to let it out, including myself. You just had the guts to laugh out loud.” Phillip’s voice held a note of admiration that made her stomach flutter.

  “Well, what can I say? I’m cursed with overactive laughter.”

  Before Phillip could respond, Tracy Gibbons made a grand entrance into detention. She paused in the doorway, making sure everyone had a chance to admire her perfect body, showcased in her completely slutty outfit, then made a big loud show of getting signed in.

  Sam had always hated Tracy Gibbons. In seventh grade, Tracy stole first prize in the science fair by copying all of Sam’s work, but presenting first, making the teachers suspect Sam had cheated and leaving a permanent stain on how they viewed her.

  In eighth grade, Tracy turned the whole class against Sam when she put the blame on Sam for the death of the class pet, the cute brown-haired rabbit named Floppy. Then in ninth grade, Tracy managed to steal the only thing that Sam really wanted—Phillip.

  Sam loathed her for what she had done, so every time she encountered Tracy and her fake perky attitude, Sam wanted to deal with her in a way that would most likely end in her expulsion.

  “Phil, baby, what are you doing here?” Tracy said as she walked up the aisle and sat in the empty chair in front of Sam.

  “You were there when Ms. Hatchet sent me to detention,” Phillip said, looking uneasy.

  “I know. I was just joking. I wanted to be with you, so I decided to get a detention too,” Tracy told him, as though that were perfectly logical.

  “Tracy, that’s the only reason you got
a detention?” Phillip asked.

  “Well, technically I was throwing something at that freak. You know, the one who sits in the back by the window. Isn’t she your friend?” Tracy asked Sam, suddenly turning to acknowledge her.

  “Excuse me?” Sam snapped. Tracy knew very well that she and Alexis Brown had been best friends forever, since Alex had moved in next door to Sam in second grade. Now they were in their junior year at Birchwood Academy.

  “Oh, never mind. So I was throwing it at that red-headed freak. You know, we’ve talked about them before,” Tracy whispered loudly.

  Pain rushed through Sam at the thought that Phillip and Tracy sat around talking about her and Alex, calling them freaks. She had hoped he was different than the rest of the popular kids, but she should have known better.

  “Tracy,” Phillip interjected. “You know I never said that.” Beads of sweat started to appear at the corner of his hairline. At least he obviously felt bad about it.

  “Well, anyway,” Tracy continued. “Ms. Hatchet got mad at both of us. I was actually surprised she sent me to detention. I was almost certain that she was going to send that freak, but Ms. Hatchet—”

  “Alex, her name is Alex, and she’s not a freak.” Sam shook her head, the anger building.

  “Tracy, stop it!” Phillip shot Tracy a dirty look. Sam didn’t know whether he was sticking up for her because he really didn’t think she and Alex were freaks, or just because he was embarrassed that Tracy had told her the truth.

  “Come on, baby. You can’t be serious. I mean you can’t possibly be sympathetic to her. I didn’t hit her, really. I was just throwing paper on her desk, you know, passing notes.”

  “Tracy, you shouldn’t have done that,” Phillip said, sounding a bit angry. “It was so—”

  “Sweet? I know. I just wanted to be with my baby, because I love you,” Tracy said as she placed her hand over his.

  “Tracy, don’t.” Phillip pulled his hand out from under hers and leaned back in his chair so she couldn’t grab it again. Sam really didn’t understand what was going on. Why was Phillip so angry at Tracy? It was pretty clear he agreed with Tracy about the whole ‘freak’ thing, right?

  “You’re just embarrassed. I know you love me too. Come on, baby, tell me you love me too,” Tracy said, clearly trying to get at Sam.

  Sam wasn’t sure what she would have done next, if it hadn’t been for Principal Norton announcing over the loudspeaker, “Samantha Baker, please report to the Principal’s office.”

  “What now?” Sam murmured as she got her backpack and started heading out of the classroom, kind of glad she didn’t have to hear the tail end of their conversation.

  All the way to the office, she wondered about what had just happened. She still didn’t understand why Phillip had sat down next to her and started a conversation. She was still worried that he’d seen the picture she’d been drawing of him, and she didn’t know why Tracy had shown up to ruin the only conversation Sam had been able to have with Phillip since middle school.

  With a frustrated sigh, she went into the office, deciding it had all just been a random occurrence that hadn’t meant anything. Surely, Phillip hadn’t sought her out.

  “Well, I hope you have a great year. Oh, here she is,” Principal Norton said as Sam walked toward him. The principal stood next to a boy about her age, who she’d never seen before. They boy was tall and good-looking, but not as tall or as hot as Phillip. She groaned inwardly at the unwelcome thought. Why couldn’t she get Phillip out of her head?

  “Ah, Samantha, this is Michael Richman, a new student. Michael, this is Samantha Baker,” Principal Norton said, making the introductions.

  “Hi,” she said. “You can call me Sam.”

  “Nice to meet you, Sam,” he said as he extended his hand.

  Sam shook it, feeling awkward.

  “Samantha, I’m putting you in charge of showing Michael around, getting him settled and used to everything here,” the principal explained. “Michael, here is your class schedule and locker number and combination. Samantha will see to it that you are situated. Here are two hall passes, Samantha, you know what to do.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Norton,” Michael said, shaking his hand.

  Sam couldn’t help but notice how proper Michael acted. Did he go to a prep school before coming to Birchwood?

  “So, you’re new here. When did you come from?” Sam asked as she walked him to his locker.

  “Oh, my family moved here from North Carolina so my dad could work at this new job. He was transferred to a branch in Harrisburg. My parents looked around and decided that Birchwood was one of the top private schools around here,” Michael replied.

  Situated in the middle of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Birchwood Academy was one of four private schools in the city. Its population was much less than that of the public schools around the area. There were only about five hundred students who actually attended Birchwood, which included junior high and high school students.

  “Did you used to go to a prep school?” Sam blurted out.

  Why did she just ask him that? What was wrong with her?

  “Um, no, why?”

  “Oh, nothing. Forget I asked.” Sam was so embarrassed. “It must suck to have to move out here. You must miss your friends.”

  “Well, not really. I was home schooled, so I didn’t know too many people. All right, I only had one friend. I know, totally lame, but I’m not what you’d call one of the popular kids.”

  “Oh,” Sam murmured, totally able to relate. “Well, here’s your locker. I can show you your classes, just give me your schedule.”

  Michael handed her the piece of paper Mr. Norton had given him.

  “Hmm, this will be easy,” she said as she looked it over. “You have all the same classes as me. Well, except for Physics. I don’t take that, but next year I will.”

  “Like I said, I was home schooled. I did more studying than playing with the other kids in my neighborhood. Besides, I like science.”

  “Well, first period is Pre-calculus with Mr. Stevens. He’s awesome, you’ll love him. Next, we have Mrs. Minor’s English class. If you just laugh at all her jokes, she’ll love you.” Sam began to walk him around the halls, showing him the classrooms he would be in for the rest of the year. “After English, I have World Art and Music Appreciation, but you have Physics with Mr. Kellner. From what I hear, he’s a pretty good teacher. Oh, here is the cafeteria.” She gestured to the room as they walked by it. “And after lunch, we have US history with Mr. Wright. Study hard and you can do well on his tests. Mrs. Gonzales monitors us in the computer lab during study hall. None of us really study though, because Mrs. Gonzales doesn’t pay much attention to what we do on the computers. She’s normally too absorbed in her ‘O’ magazines.”

  Michael laughed. “I guess my parents didn’t look too much into this school.”

  “You would like to use the time to work? I mean, you can, of course, but why should you study when you can chat online? Anyway, last we have Advanced Biology, with Ms. Hatchet, my personal favorite,” she said sarcastically.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Worse. Well, at least for me. Let's just say we don't get along. But as long as you pay attention, and especially hold your laughter at her mispronunciation of certain words, then you’re golden.”

  “Wait. You laughed at her?”

  Sam looked down. How did he know? “Um, yes. But she pronounced strawberry as ‘stwabewy.’ How could I not laugh?”

  Michael grinned. “I guess I’m going to have to practice keeping a straight face.”

  “Anyway, Ms. Hatchet loves to assign a lot of homework and projects she knows we can’t possibly finish, but you said you love science, so maybe you won’t do so badly.”

  “So I guess you were pretty stoked that Mr. Norton called you out of her class.”

  “Well, actually I was in detention. She sent me there when I was late for class. You get a detention when you are tardy three
times to a class in one week, but it really wasn’t fair because my friend Alex was late with me—her third tardy too—and she didn’t get a detention. Ms. Hatchet probably didn’t want me to have someone to talk to in detention.”

  “Sounds rough, like she's out to get you.”

  “Yeah, I guess. I’m used to it by now. I can show you detention, if you want. Mrs. H., I mean Mrs. Hutchinson, is really awesome. She is by far my favorite teacher, even though she only runs detention. Well, she teaches Geography, but I took that a long time ago,” Sam said as she led Michael down the stairs and toward room 324.

  “Well, I can tell you have spent a lot of time in detention, if the teacher who runs it is your favorite.”

  “Ha, yeah, well.” Sam couldn’t think of what else to say, until they reached the door. “Oh, here we are,” Sam said just as the school bell rang. “Oh, well, you don’t really have to meet her, you probably won’t have any detentions. So I guess that’s it then, I can tell you more when I see you at school tomorrow.”

  “All right. So do I need to go to see my teachers or do anything?”

  “No, but hey, if you want to, I can introduce you to my friend,” Sam said as she made her way to her locker where she knew Alex would be.

  “Uh, sure,” Michael said as he followed her.

  “Sam! You were so lucky you were in detention. Ms. Hatchet was being even more of a pain than usual,” Alex said as Sam walked toward her. “Oh, hey, what did Principal Norton want to see you for? We all heard the announcement. You in trouble for something I didn’t know about?” Alex raised her eyebrows.

  “Um, Alex,” she said, moving to showcase Michael, who was standing behind her. “I want you to meet Michael. He’s new to the school, just moved to Harrisburg.”