A Story Of Love, Life, And Never Giving In

It was beautiful. Absolutely stunning. The sky was bright and blue, and the air around me was warm. I was sitting by a stream, trees surrounding me and animals peeking through the grass at me. I looked down into the water to see my reflection and saw a girl with shockingly green eyes staring back at me, her long luscious black hair spilling down in waves over her shoulders, her lips full and a soft pale pink. She wore a loose white dress that moved with the wind, and a single red stone on a silver chain that hung around her neck. I realized this girl was my reflection and smiled, pleased.

"Samantha. Please, be careful by the stream." Called a soothing, velvety voice from behind me.

"Oh please, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl now, and I can take care of myself." I spoke, my voice soft and seemingly holding authority.

"Princess please..." He said, his voice uneasy and concerned.

I stroked my long hair, my fingers pausing over my lips. How come I couldn't be this beautiful all the time?

My eyebrows pulled together, the cause of my adviser annoying me. I turned to look at him, only to see him in the shadows. But I could still see his lean body in a soldier's suit, his shoes a dark black and his arms crossed, his stance soft and gentle, but edgy - as if ready to attack anyone who dare hurt him or myself.

I tilted my head to the right in thought. Who was this guy?

"Come here." I said, standing.

He stepped out of the shadows, shocking me. He was defiantly not beautiful, or soft at all, but rugged, ugly, fat, and possessed a long blade in his hand, a wicked smile playing on his vile face. He jumped at me, grasping my long slender neck in his meaty hands, pushing each side of my throat together - pushing hard. My vision became fuzzy, and my world was spinning - I was loosing everything.

But just before the pain was ending, I snapped back to reality - his hands no longer hurting me. But he now was on top of me, his lips against my ear. He held his silver blade to my neck, and dared me to scream, because then I'd be gone.

I realized that there was something uncomfortable pushing out from the inside of my stomach, and I became nauseous quickly. I knew just what he was doing. I screamed. I screamed, and screamed, and kicked and swore. But that's when I came to know real pain.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, the air escaping me completely as I thrashed my arms around, some sort of material holding me down.

I opened my eyes, beads of sweat spawning on my forehead. I tried to catch my breath, but it just wouldn't come.

"Mom!" I shouted, my voice catching. Struggling, I called out for her - frantic, terrified, but completely understanding. This happened every other month, the awful nightmares and going into shock.

My mom ran into my room holding a shawl around her nightgown, with her hair messy and her face sleepy. "What's wrong sweetie?" She asked, falling to her knees beside my bed.

I grabbed onto her and cried into her neck, sobbing to myself. I could still feel his awful touch burning on my skin, smell his awful stench in my hair, and feel his hands all over me. "What...what time is it?" I asked, rubbing away my tears as I turned to look at my alarm clock, which read 6:25 A.M. "Ugh...I suppose I might as well get up early...Sorry about waking you up mom....Just another one of those dreams, you know?"

"Samantha, those are not normal dreams...maybe you should start seeing somebody again..." Said my mom, hesitantly.

"No." I spat bluntly, moving away from her. "Not again. I'm going to have a shower."

---
"Morning, Jaana." I muttered, stepping out of my ugly white beat up truck into the cold spring air.

"Hello Sam. Are you okay? Your eyes have bags under them." Asked Jaana Filatov , my best friend who moved here from Switzerland.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just didn't get much sleep last night, that's all." I said, waving the conversation away.

"Oh, okay." She mumbled awkwardly, shuffling away into the small school of JMH.

Sighing, I continued behind her into the school - dreading all but one class. Art class. Art was my favorite for three very important reasons. One, I loved my beloved art class. Two, my favorite teacher just so happened to be my art teacher. And the eleventh and twelfth graders shared an art class third period, which leads to the best, and sexiest, reason, which was that it just so happened Travis Jackson, in the twelfth grade, was in this class. My class.

I walked into the foyer of the school, which held most of the high school's students, (besides the smokers who were still suckin' it back in the smokers corner), a pool table and some teachers walking around and supervising.

In the corner, playing pool, were the weird kids who finally got friends when the schools merged together. Inside the pit of the foyer, were benches and sitting on the farthest side were preppy girls and guys. Closest to me, were the coolest kids. The kids who'd stick up for anyone, and everyone. In this group, held Travis, the most popular guy in school. I really really liked him, but he never really noticed me much.

He laughed a deep laugh, throwing back his shaggy black and blue hair, showing his gorgeous bright smile and long black lashes.

I sighed, gazing at him longingly, wishing to be at the least his friend, when my entire body smashed into the pole beside where his group was. "Owwww..." I whined, making a face as I rubbed my nose.

Mr.Beautiful looked up at me, startled, and then he grinned. "Hey Tarzan, watch out for that tree. "

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep my eyes open now." I laughed, my cheeks turning red as I tried not to show the extent of my embarrassment. I gripped my book bag straps tighter until my knuckles turned white, and I walked away quickly biting my lip.

During first period, we began a french project where I was partnered up with Andon, the weirdest, greasiest kid I had ever met in my life, but to whom I was still nice to. This project, where we had to write and act out a french skit, required me to go over to his house, or him over to mine, and since I would never let him sit on my bed it turns out lucky me gets to see what his house looks like.

Also in second Andon passed me a note saying, "you jest lost teh gam." Which I think means, you just lost the game, and if that's not bad enough he giggled and winked when he passed it to me. For once in my life, I wanted to concentrate on my math homework!

But then finally, finally, the bell rang and I rushed out of the classroom and almost ran to my locker which was half way across the school. I grabbed my books in a furious rush, and bumped into Jaana, squealing. "Jeez- us, you scared me!" I huffed, pressing a hand to my chest.

Jaana smiled, shaking her head. "Sorry." She said, in her small little Swiss accent. "Why're you in such a rush?"

I smiled widely, rolling my eyes like she should know this by now. "Third period - art class. Travis - freaking - Jackson."

"Ah, I see." She smiled back, giving me a wink and a thumbs up. "I seen your nice little run in with him today. What happened?"

I rolled my eyes and gnawed on my lip. "More like a run into the pole. Travis called me Tarzan. Tarzan is a hairy dirty muscly gorilla man, and now I feel so gross. I mean seriously. Do I look like Tarzan? No. No I don't..." I huffed, then turned to look at her with a dramatized expression. "Right?"

She puckered and pulled her eyebrows together, and nodded sharply. "Right."

I put my hands on my hips and cocked my hip to the side. "It doesn't matter anyway, because he shall be mine!" I said, making a fist and staring up at the ceiling. I turned to look at her, my fist paused in the air. "I swear it."

"Right. Good luck with that!" Jaana said, rushing towards the stares with a smile on her face.

"Thanks!" I called out, waving to her.I walked down the hallway as quick as I could, stepping into the class room just as the bell rang.

"Sam-antha. Sam-antha." Sang my art teacher Mr.Fallon, a wide smile on his face. "Why are you late?"

I set my books down on the long table I shared with other students. "I am so not late. I came in just as the bell rang!" I mumbled back, making a grumpy face.

"I suppose I can let this pass, but just try not to be late again, okay?" He smiled, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, thanks." I sat down, getting my supplies out.

Mr.Fallon swiveled around in his seat, facing his computer and opened up a Microsoft PowerPoint. Standing, he turned towards the class. He clapped his hands together once, and cleared his throat. "For the next couple of weeks, we will have assigned partners and we will draw a portrait of the other person. Everyone, please come up to the front of the room, look at the sheet of paper posted on the wall, and find your partner's name. Then you can begin."

The classroom burst into groans, and excitement as everyone either sluggishly walked to the front, or skipped. I personally was ecstatic. I've always loved the challenge of drawing someone new!

After pushing through the crowd, I searched for my name and my partner. I spotted my name, and held my breath my eyes slowly sliding over to where my partner's name was. Their name is....

"Hey."

Looking up, I found the beautiful cerulean blue eyes of Travis Jackson. He smiled easily at me, and pointed to his face. "I guess you're stuck with drawing this mess."

I smiled, trying to play it coy. "Guess so. But I pity you. You get to draw the short kid while your buddy there gets to draw Malibu barbie." I laughed, nodding towards one of his friends who was eying his bubbly blond partner.

Travis glanced over his shoulder, and back at me. Placing a bent finger under my chin, he made a click! noise with his pierced tongue. "Nah, I don't want your pity. I'm kind of happy about it."

I blushed and bit my lip, looking at our shoes. "Thanks. Me too. And I enjoy your shoes by the way, mister."

He glanced down at his brightly colored Air Jordans, and chuckled. "Thanks. I guess it was my fault that you crashed into that pole - they must have distracted you."

I scrunched my face up, and rolled my eyes. "Dang, you got it dead on. That's what did it. Couldn't figure out why that happened, thanks man." I laughed, shaking my head, and picking up my paper and pencils. "So where do you wanna sit? I was thinking over in the corner beside the window. It has the best lighting I think."

"Sounds good to me. But you better let me lead the way - you know, in case there are any poles we should watch out for." He stepped in front of me and winked, before striding over to an empty desk in the corner.

I squished my lips together, pulling my eyebrows close. "But you better let me lead the way - in case there are any poles we should - meh meh meh." I mumbled, in a mocking tone.

"I heard that." He said over his shoulder with a grin plastered on his face.

"Good." I spat, returning the smile.

Oh he is so flirting. Or maybe he's just being nice. Well then I guess I'll just be overly nice too, why not?

"Alrighty then, almighty tour guide. You seem like the more skilled artist, and you take less time then I do - so do you want to go first? I might need the rest of the year." I said, sad that this was true. Honestly, I had compared our last individual projects.

He sat in a chair and leaned back on two of its legs. "If you say so. But if you think I'm talented with drawing, prepare to be severely disappointed."

"Doubt it mister, but I won't argue with you about it, for now. Anyway, how'd you want me to pose?" I asked, sitting down on a desk.

Setting the chair back to normal, he put his elbows on the desk and leaned forward, carefully studying my face. After a few seconds went by in silence, he shrugged and leaned back. "Just, smile for me." I laughed timidly, and blushed seven shades of red.

I thought about how happy I was to actually be sitting with thee hottest guy at school, and instantly smiled as big as I could - staring at him as he looked from the blank page and back at me.

The class went by slowly, but I didn't mind. I watched his hand fly over the page, hesitate, and erase furiously. I watched him smile, and frown and tilt his head in confusion. The bell rang, and he sighed - dropping his pencil onto his lap while I dropped the aching muscles in my face.

"I am never smiling again." I sighed, rubbing my cheeks and walking over to him and looking over his shoulder. "Can I see?"

"Not yet, when I'm done though." He said, looking up at me with a smile.

"Oh, fine then. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" I said, pausing picking up my supplies from the table to look over my shoulder at him.

"Yeah. And maybe even in the halls, or the jungle. You never know, right Tarzan?" Laughed Travis, ruffling my hair as he walked out of the class room, leaving me in a blushing, fuming mess. For one, he touched me!Yay! Second of all, he messed up my hair. He will so pay.

The three other periods and lunch dragged on boringly, dullfuly, and uneventfully, the exact opposite from what happened on the bus ride home.

I stood outside the building, waiting for my yellow limousine like I do every dull - ol' - day, when up walks Mr.Hunk with a grin playing on his lips. "Hey." I said, smiling when we made eye contact. "Sawp?"

"Hey. Nothing much. All my other friends ditched me to go snowboarding, so I thought I'd come stand over here, also because I go on your bus. You don't mind do you?" He asked, looking me over and giving me that damned crooked smile of his.

"O-of course n-not." I stammered, a lump caught in my throat. "No, um. Of course I don't mind. So, why didn't you go with them?" I asked, trying to busy myself with pulling a stray string out of my sweater sleeve.

"Oh, um...Well honestly? My mom wanted me to come home today to make a vanilla ice cream birthday cake for my dad today. His birthday's in like five days? And the only day we can make it is today while he's not around." Travis said, kicking at a patch of ice on the ground.

I formed my lips into a O and nodded over dramatically. "Oh...I see, mama's boy is going home to help his mommy." I said, giggling.

"Oh, shawd-up." He mumbled, looking away from me, a small smile developing on his soft pink lips.

"Only if you swear to never call me Tarzan ever again?" I said, stepping in front of his line of view, a questioning look displayed on my face.

He looked at me and shook his head. "Never, Tarzan. I could not call you by anything else."

"I'll tell your friends why you didn't go with them. That you were in the kitchen?" I teased, biting my lip.

"Nope. Still don't care. I'm not giving in, Tarzan. You can't just go and change your name on me." He said, crossing his arms and shooting me another crooked smile.

I sighed, my shoulders falling. "Fine then. You win, mama's boy."

I turned to look for my bus, my eyes searching through the cars that flew by on the road, when I felt somebody tap my shoulder. Fear rose up into my chest, and I whirled around, my mouth parted open in shock, but it was only Travis, smiling awkwardly. "Sam, I think we just missed our bus."

"What?!" I snapped, my eyes growing wide. "Shit. I don't want to walk all the way home. It's cold out! And oh look. It's snowing. Perfect. Just perfect."

"I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't realize until it already left. I think it rolled up when you were looking at the highway instead." He sighed, leaning on the wall.

"It's alright...I'll just have to walk home." I mumbled looking down at my shoes.

"If it helps though, I have to walk too? Maybe I could walk with you?" Travis suggested, his cheeks pink from the cold... I think?

Oh my god. Travis Jackson just asked me to walk home with him! Okay, try not to flip out Sam. "Oh, really? You'd walk with little ol' me?" I asked, a smile on my face.

"Sure, only if your willing to walk with me?" He laughed, motioning for me to start walking as he pushed himself off the brick wall.

"Of course...mama's boy." I smiled, beginning to walk. "Oh. Wait." I said, stopping, my eyes with with innocence. "Shouldn't little girls go first?"

Travis's eyes narrowed at me, and his lips formed a line. "Thank you, sir Tarzan." He said, stepping out in front of me with a triumphant smile.

I made a shocked sound, and shook my head. "What a guy." I mumbled, walking faster to catch up with him on our journey across town to our homely homes.

I am so glad I missed my bus.