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After gym, the group hung out together out in the grass near a tree for lunch dressed back in their uniforms.

Spencer, of course had to bring his camera to try and document whatever paranormal activity might happen to the two. Cam had his doubts about anything happening despite all of the things that have happened to Zack over the years. So far, nothing had changed between Samantha and Zack.

They ate their meals in silence with Spence asking questions here and there.

“So, how do you feel now?” he asked for the 5th time since they’d been outside.

“For the last time, Spence, I’m fine!” Samantha exclaimed in an annoyed tone.

“So am I! So quit asking about it every five seconds!” Zack agreed in the same tone.

Cam and Spence stared at the two before Samantha spoke again.

“I’m sorry,” she said with an American accent.

“So am I, Spence,” Zack agreed.

“Oh no,” Cam said in a worried tone.

Sam and Zack wrinkled their brows seeing as they both were confused.

“Zack, you’ve become an empath to Samantha,” Spence answered their looks.

“Please just call me Sam. Samantha is way too formal, but isn’t that impossible?” Sam asked looking at the trio.

“Well, the thing is, Sam, I’ve experienced weird stuff happening to me my entire life,” Zack said with a laugh.

Sam didn’t speak and quickly Zack’s laughter faded replaced with a look as though he were thinking.

“What are you doing?” Cam asked as though he were weirded out.

“Thinking,” Zack answered as though it were obvious.

“About what?” Spence asked.

“Nothing,” Sam answered before sighing.

“If Zack is my empath then that means he can feel the emotions that I’m feeling, but not know what I’m thinking. But the question is, how far does this extend?” she asked catching the others off guard.

“What do you mean extend?” Spence asked intrigued by her question.

“I mean, think about it; with Zack close to me, he can feel any and every emotion I feel, right? But what if we’re in different places like-,” she began, standing before running over to the entrance of the school.

“OVER HERE!” she called.

“Zack, can you feel what Sam’s feeling right now?” Cam asked.

The trio’s eyes landed on her as she waved at them, smiling from ear to ear causing them to smile.

“She’s happy and hopeful,” Zack said to his friends.

“It didn’t work,” Spence said with a sigh.

Vernon appeared behind Sam and the two began talking. Zack felt annoyance fill him.

“I guess Vernon isn’t her favorite person either,” he said before they ran over to her.

Suddenly, though Zack was soon able to hear the same words Sam was saying to Vernon and even hear what Vernon was saying to Sam.

“What are you doing hanging out with-them?” Vernon asked glancing at them as they ran over.

“They’re my friends-or at least I think they are. Besides, why do you care about who I hang out with?” she asked folding her arms across her chest.

“Sam, you’re my responsibility. If our dads find out that you and I aren’t hanging out together, then-,” he began, but she cut across him.

“Then what? They’re just normal people like we are,” she retorted.

They finally reached the two when Vernon opened his mouth to speak to them.

“Look what the cat dragged in; a Science geek, a pretty boy, and a Greenburg,” he spat.

“Knock it off, Vermin,” Cam said getting heated.

“Haven’t you reeked enough on Sam?” Spence asked pulling her closer to them.

“Sharpe, don’t test me,” Vernon retorted.

“Test what, Vernon? Just because you have money doesn’t mean you intimidate anyone. Leave us alone and go somewhere else!” Zack said taking the words out of Sam’s mouth.

She stared at him before shooting Vernon a look that read the same as the emotion Zack said his words with.

“Fine, but I’m telling Father about all of this-this nonsense!” he threatened before walking away from the group.

A sigh escaped them and Spence awkwardly removed his hands from Sam’s arms. She stared at him, clearing her throat before turning to face the trio.

“I think we have a problem,” she said with certainty.

…

Algebra came along and the group sat the same as they did in Ms. Arlington’s class. They smiled more often at one another and even began talking as a group once split into them.

“You’re actually good at math, too?” Spence asked impressed at Sam’s work.

“Of course! Math is my favorite subject,” she answered slightly embarrassed with a small smile.

“You know, Zack had a paranormal experience when he was actually better than Spence at Math,” Cam mentioned in boastful tone smiling at the three Sam being the last.

A small laugh escaped her.

“Really? What was that like?” she asked with interest causing Zack’s mood to change from embarrassment to intrigue.

“This has got to stop. I can’t keep changing emotions like this,” Zack said in an annoyed tone.

“We’ve got to do something about that. How were you able to hear Sam’s mind and even her conversation with Vernon?” Spence asked.

“I don’t know. How do you feel, Sam?” Zack asked in a concerned tone.

“Wait, how did you do that just now?” she asked.

“Do what?” Cam asked in confusion.

“Zack just used his own emotions even with sitting next to Sam. Is something wrong with you, Sam?” Spence asked in a worried tone.

“I don’t really feel anything,” she admitted.

The boys exchanged worried looks.

“That’s not good, is it?” she asked in a monotone.

“No, it’s not,” Zack answered.

Cam and Spencer exchanged worried looks again then stared from Sam to Zack and back again.

…

After the day was over, the group decided to meet in Ms. Arlington’s class (which was almost always empty after school), but Sam’s condition had worsened and was starting to affect Zack as well.

“What would cause Sam’s emotions to be cut off, though?” Spence asked walking around an almost apathetic Sam as she sat in an empty chair near the front of the class with the boys surrounding her.

He held some technological device he’d made some time back to read auras, but nothing happened.

“It seemed like it happened after the argument Sam had with Vernon. Maybe that’s the key?” Cam asked a little confused.

“No, that’s exactly it!” Zack exclaimed. “When Sam and Vernon argued, I could hear her saying it as though she were me or right next to me. It was as though I were Sam,” he began, his eyes staring at her emotionless figure.

“I felt everything she felt. She thinks we’re her friends and even stood up to Vernon for us,” he added.

A shocked expression covered Cam’s face while an idea came to Spence.

“I got it! All you have to do is give her emotions back to her. That way, you won’t feel an extra amount of emotion and Sam will have her emotions back!” Spencer said in almost a ramble.

“But how? Zack had made Sam happy. How is he going to give her emotions back when she doesn’t feel anything?” Cam asked.

“Well, it seems to me like all she wanted was to be friends with us, right, Sam?” Zack asked.

“I did, but Cam doesn’t want to be my friend,” Sam answered in a monotone.

Zack and Spence’s eyes landed on Cam as he scoffed from the shock of her words to him.

“Th-that’s ridiculous,” he stammered.

“Is it? Ever since I got here, you’ve treated me as though I don’t belong yet you don’t know a thing about me. I’ve done nothing but be nice to you and the only time you were nice to me was when this all happened! How is that fair, Cam? You want to be accepted by girls, but when a girl comes and Gwen’s gone, you can’t handle it!” Sam rambled, but the monotone was changed with a hint of anger.

“It’s because she left!” Cam exclaimed just as angrily.

Silence fell over the group for a minute before he continued.

“She left and didn’t even say anything to any of us. I will admit, I’m mad at her for doing that, but-,” he began, stopping once he saw the gold aura around Zack.

“It’s working, keep going!” Spence encouraged.

Zack inched closer to Sam as did the other two.

“But even though we’re stuck with you, you’re not as bad as I thought you’d be,” he finished, looking away after he was done.

A small smile tried forming on Sam’s lips so Spence decided to pitch in to help.

“The truth is, even though you’re no Gwen, you’re still a friend to us,” he said in a kind tone.

“Really?” she asked in shock.

“Yeah!” Zack exclaimed as though it were obvious.

She stood, giving them all a group hug.

“You guys are so sweet!” she gushed, closing her eyes as she felt happier than earlier from Zack’s comment during Gym.

The aura exchanged from Zack to Sam as a bright smile covered her lips, but she quickly pulled away and quickly saw the looks on Cam and Spencer’s faces. Zack smiled just as much as they both sighed with content.

“Much better!” they said in unison.

Cam and Spence cleared their throats.

“Um, that’s great. We’d better get going before someone finds us here,” Spence began, gathering his equipment, but realizing one thing.

“No! My camera!” he exclaimed walking over to it as it stood in front of the desk. “It wasn’t recording!”

“I’m sorry, Spence,” Sam said apologetically.

“It’s not your fault. This almost always happens,” he replied with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

“Spence is right. We’d better get out of here,” Cam agreed.

“Let’s go before-,” Zack began, but someone else cut across them.

“Before someone sees you,” Headmaster Monk finished.

“M-Mr. Monk! Hello, sir!” Cam stammered.

“Hello, Cameron. What are you four doing here in the classroom after school’s over?” Mr. Monk asked in a stern tone giving them all hard looks.

“Sir, if I may, these gentlemen were just telling me about some of their previous years spent in this classroom and how great of a teacher Ms. Arlington is,” Sam answered before the rest could.

He stared from the boys whom nodded, to Sam and back again before speaking.

“Well, that’s good. Um, but you all really should get going,” he suggested.

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison, grabbing their respective bags and heading out of the door nearest them.

Mr. Monk smiled after they left, shaking his head as he exited the door at the back of the classroom.

The boys couldn’t help but exchange compliments and words of gratitude towards Samantha for her quick thinking and actions that bailed them out of for sure detention that by the time they reached the entrance of the school, the boys’ parents had arrived.

“That’s my ride. See you tomorrow, guys,” Zack said giving Cam and Spence handshakes of sorts and hugged Sam last.

She smiled, waving goodbye to him when Spence took his turn to leave, leaving Cam and Sam alone for a moment.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Sam,” he said masking his nervousness.

“See ya,” she said in agreement. They both turned and took a step before turning back with Sam speaking.

“Cam?” she asked.

“Yeah?” he responded.

“Did you mean those things you said earlier?” she asked.

He shoved his hands in his pockets before responding to her.

“Yeah. You’re a friend to us and as you showed today, you’re a lot more useful than Gwen,” he said feeling that pang of regret inside.

Sam nodded as she knew what he meant before turning to head back inside the school while Cam smiled, but quickly scolded himself mentally for being a little harsh with his words.

But even so, at the end of the day, each boy knew something was certain: Sam was their friend and it was evident she may be more valuable than they thought she was.