Note: This is a slight change from how things happened in the movie.
* * *
"I always liked Betty better," Sam said as he approached Josie from her left. The pleasant surprise of hearing Sam's voice put a smile on Josie's face as she turned to him.
"Really?" Her smile was so genuine, Sam thought to himself, as she looked into his eyes.
They strolled slowly through the Prom props, leisurely walking and discussing the dance that was all anyone could talk about over the last few weeks.
"So, Josie, how do you feel about your Prom theme being selected?"
Sam was making small talk, but the real issue on his mind was whether or not Josie was excited about being Guy's date. He knew that he had no right to be caught up in her dating life and that he had to be careful of steering the conversation in that direction. After all, she was only seventeen, his student, and he had a girlfriend. He had no business being jealous.
"I'm actually a little surprised that they asked me to pick it." She remembered standing up in front of the class, saying the first thing that came to her mind: Meant for Each Other. That's how she felt about herself and Sam Coulson, who she knew she had strong feelings for. She was afraid that when she looked at him he would know that's what she meant. She elaborated by adding one more thing: Famous Couples Throughout History. To her surprise, Guy and the others really liked her choice. It was the beginning of her being accepted as part of their group.
They slowed down a bit and Josie realized that Sam was holding out a flower to her that he picked from the one of the Prom props. "Thanks," she smiled, and then blushed like she always did.
"So, Josie, I uh hear that you will be going with Guy Perkins," The words slipped out of his mouth. Careful Sam, he thought. Keep it simple.
"Oh, right." She looked down at the sidewalk, closely studying a discarded candy wrapper. "Yeah, he asked me last week."
"That's great," Sam lied. "Have you decided what famous couple you will be going as?" Strictly casual. Keep it casual, Sam.
"I will be dressing as Rosalind, and he will be dressed as Orlando. You know, in the spirit of bringing a little bit of Shakespeare to life." She looked into his eyes to read his reaction.
Sam was briefly hit with a wave of jealousy at the idea that she was dressing as Rosalind for Guy, someone who didn't enjoy Shakespeare, let alone know who Rosalind and Orlando even were. He covered it with a big smile and said "That's great, Josie. I'm sure you'll be the best dressed people there."
They spotted two empty benches side by side in a shady area next to a tree. Sam motioned for them to sit down. As they both sat, they looked up to find themselves extremely close to one another. Josie's gaze into his eyes was almost magnetic, drawing him in. He then realized that if he didn't move he might do something he would regret, like touch her face to feel her soft skin, or worse yet, brush her beautiful lips with his own, as he knew deep down he wanted to. He slowly inched away from Josie and looked down to break the connection.
Josie felt the same intensity as Sam. In that moment, she thought perhaps they were close to doing something that was appear inappropriate between a student and her teacher. Her first instinct was that Sam might kiss her, but she reasoned with herself that Sam probably was picking up on her attraction to him and he didn't know the best way to respond without hurting the feelings of a student with a school-girl crush on her teacher.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you," Sam changed the subject, "I got you a meeting with the admissions guy from Dartmouth."
Josie looked up at Sam, both surprised at his revelation and disappointed in his choice to change the dynamics of the conversation into a teacher-student discussion. It was clear he wanted to keep it that way.
"But, I wasn't going to go to college," she explained quickly, as she realized that her portrayal of a high school student was getting more carried away each day and leading her in several directions she didn't want to go.
"Yeah, I know. But I pulled some strings and got him to look at your writing, and, well, he agreed to meet with you." Sam examined the look on Josie's face. He couldn't tell if she was embarrassed, angry or disappointed. He so hoped that he didn't upset her. She was just too talented not to go to college.
Josie was touched at the idea that Sam was trying to help, even though she recognized what a mess her disguise was causing everyone. "You believe in me that much?"
"Of course I do Josie," Sam said a bit too quickly. "You are a great writer!" He reached out and took her hand without realizing it. Josie felt small shivers go through her, and again had thoughts that maybe, just maybe, Sam Coulson had feelings for her. "You just have to find your story."
Sam looked down to see Josie's small hand being held in his own. He quickly released it and ran his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit he never could shake.
"You never did tell me what you will be dressed as."
"I'm sorry?" Sam asked, still trying to recover from his slip.
"Prom? You know, famous couples throughout history? Who will you be?" Josie was trying to recover as well, and thought she would focus on Prom, an easy subject to revert to as everyone was working on the props around them.
"Oh, no one interesting. I guess I'm going as Sam Coulson, mild-mannered high school teacher." Lara had made him buy a tux two years ago when he accompanied her to a gala for her law firm. He had dug it out of his closet and had it dry-cleaned a few days earlier.
"Oh come on Mr. Coulson. Where's your sense of adventure? You stood up in front of class and talked about disguises and how liberating they can be," she grinned, "I thought of all chaperones, you would be the most likely to do something creative."
Mr. Coulson. Chaperone. Suddenly, Sam was back in reality. Josie was his student and that's all she wanted to be. He was reading into her feelings for him and had misinterpreted them.
"Well Josie, you have a point. I guess you'll just have to wait and see who I end up as." He looked down at his watch as if he had somewhere to go. He didn't. "Oh, wow. I have to grade some papers. Don't want to have to do work this weekend- I'd rather enjoy going to Prom and seeing all of you kids having a great time."
Kids. That's what he thought of her. One of his students.
"Oh, well, I don't want to keep you Mr. Coulson. I see Guy over there, I think I'll catch up with him. See you on Saturday." And with that, she walked away. Sam sat on the bench for a few moments watching her as she approached Guy. Watching as Guy put his arm around her shoulders. Watching as the two of them walked away together.
* * *
Upon returning home from the office, Josie kicked off her shoes, went to the refrigerator to grab a soda, and flopped down on her comfortable, worn-out loveseat. She laid back and stared up at the ceiling, inspecting a small crack that was developing in the corner.
It was a Friday night and she had no plans. She had every intention of moping over what Gus had said to her.
He's your story.
Sam Coulson.
The man who was changing her life.
How could she betray Sam even more than she already had? How could she write a story about him acting unprofessionally? Wasn't it bad enough that she was pretending to be a student when she was really 25 years old? He was a good teacher, a good person who was just trying to help his student. The notion that he was acting inappropriately toward one of his students, more specifically Josie, was ludicrous. She didn't know how she was going to do it.
Just then her phone rang. She knew that Rob was going out with Tracy and the rest of the group, an invitation she declined, so she wondered who would be calling her.
"Hello?"
"Josie? It's me, Guy."
"Guy... I thought you were going out tonight."
"Well, I was, but when I found out you weren't going, I decided not to go. Do you have any plans tonight?"
Josie was quiet for a moment, not knowing the best way to respond. "Not really. I was just going to hang out. You know, rent a movie, put the comfy clothes on, that kind of thing. I need to save my energy for Prom tomorrow night," she giggled.
"I know. I'm so excited. It's going to be so rufus." She was really getting tired of that word. "Anyway, it's so nice outside. I thought maybe we could take a walk or something like that. What do you think?"
Josie thought about the idea of enjoying the warm, spring evening and getting some fresh air to help clear her head. "You're on. I've actually got some errands to run and I told Rob I'd drop something off at his house. Can I meet you there?"
"7:30 okay?"
"Sounds good."
* * *
Josie parked Bambi in the driveway and quickly snuck into her parent's house to leave a note for Rob. She didn't want him to think she was returning his car to him just yet. She put the note on the refrigerator, knowing that of all places Rob would find the letter, that was the best choice.
Josie sat on the steps of the front porch, waiting for Guy. At 7:35, she saw his pale gold Eldorado convertible pull up to the house. He parked it on the side of the street and jumped out, over the closed door.
"Good evening, Miss Rosalind. Sorry I'm late." I reached for her hand and lightly kissed the top of it. Josie had to smile at his mock chivalry.
"Not a problem. Do you want to walk from here?"
"Actually, I thought we could drive a bit toward the forest preserve. They have some great paths there."
"Okay, sounds good."
The drive was pretty quiet, except every now and then they chatted about the Prom, which couples were going, and what people were going to be dressed as. Guy pulled his car into a parking space and joining two other cars in the medium-sized lot.
He jumped over his door, as he did before, and walked over to Josie's side and opened the door for her. "My lady," he said and winked at the same time.
Josie blushed as she got out of the car. He took her hand and led her to a path where they began their walk.
* * *
"There are mosquitoes everywhere! How long do we have to stay out here?"
Sam leaned back on the picnic table bench he was sitting on and just stared at Lara. He had gone out of his way to put together a fun evening for them. He knew that she preferred not to go to the Prom with him tomorrow night. She though it was beneath her to hang out with a bunch of high school kids. As a way of making it up to her, he was trying to do something spontaneous and romantic. He forgot how much she hated being outdoors, even on nights as beautiful as this one.
"Lara, why don't you put a little more repellent on. It's so nice out, I'd hate to go back now. Besides, you haven't finished eating yet."
"The repellent smells, Sam. I've lost my appetite. I'd prefer to go back now."
"Can I at least finish my meal?" Sam rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself, "so much for romance."
Sam picked at the pasta salad he had bought at the deli and suddenly wasn't hungry anymore, either. He knew, deep down, that he wasn't happy with things. He was trying to force a comfortable, romantic evening with the women he had been with for the last five years. The truth was, he didn't really know her anymore. And what he did know, he didn't really care for.
Just then, Sam heard voices in the distance.
He and Lara turned to see who was coming. "Great," Lara said, "with our luck some family with little brats is going to show up and sit at the table over there."
"I'm telling you," the female voice said, "Shakespeare really isn't that different from modern day soap operas." Sam raised an eyebrow when he thought he recognized her voice. No, it couldn't be.
"I don't know about that," the male voice said. "It's too complex for me to understand. Us ordinary people don't get it the way you do. You make it all seem so simple." With that, the female voice laughed softly. Sam knew that laugh. What were the chances? He looked off into the distance as he tried to answer that question.
"Mr. Coulson?" Sam looked up and saw both Guy and Josie standing in front of him, hand in hand, with a look of surprise on their faces that they had run into their teacher, apparently on a romantic date.
When Josie's eyes locked with Sam's, she immediately let go Guy's hand without realizing it. A wave of sadness overwhelmed her as she slowly glanced from Sam to Lara, to the romantic meal set up on the picnic table dressed up with a red and white checkered tablecloth.
"Josie... Guy... What a surprise!" Sam's high-pitched voice let out. "You remember Lara-- Lara, you met Josie and Guy at the Club. Remember?" Sam recognized the helplessness in his voice.
"No, I don't remember. Hi, I'm Sam's girlfriend Lara." Instead of extending a hand, she stared Josie up and down, just like she had at the Club. "Sam and I were just leaving. It is so buggy out here. I can't believe anyone would come here tonight- I'm surprised we weren't the only ones lacking common sense to go to a forest preserve this time of the month." Sam turned his head and looked at Lara with complete disappointment.
"We were just catching up on things," Guy said, and turned to smile at Josie, who had a sad look on her face. He reached over and took her hand once again, ever the smooth operator. "We're both looking forward to Prom tomorrow night. Mr. Coulson- you're going, aren't you?"
"We're BOTH going," Lara exhaled, as if it was going to be the worst experience of her life. "If Sam is able to put together the ridiculous outfit that he decided to wear at the last minute." Sam looked over at Josie, who grinned just slightly. "I don't know why you can't just wear the simple black tuxedo that we bought you. Isn't that what men wear to the Prom? Tuxedos?"
"Well," Sam jumped in, "In any case, I think we'll ALL have a great time," he turned and emphasized his point to Lara. He looked back at Josie and Guy and focused on their locked hands. "I hope you guys have a good evening. We don't want to keep you." In fact, Sam did want to keep them from continuing their date, but he knew he didn't have a choice.
"Looks like we're interrupting something as well, Mr. Coulson," Guy winked at him. "Have a good night yourself."
"Goodnight," Josie practically whispered. For a brief moment she locked eyes with Sam once more before Guy put his arm on her shoulder and led her down the path into the distance. As they walked away, Sam overheard Guy asking Josie if she was cold and he offered her his leather jacket.
* * *
On the drive back to her parent's house, Josie couldn't stop playing the encounter over and over again in her head. Sam was having a romantic dinner with his girlfriend. Secluded. In the woods. A beautiful evening. With no one around. The thought of it made her feel sick to her stomach. She knew she shouldn't want what she couldn't have. Instead, she was sitting next to someone eight years younger than her, who she had no romantic feelings for, whatsoever.
Guy pulled up in front of the house and turned the motor off. Oh no, Josie thought. What if...
"Josie?"
"Yes," she stared straight ahead in the distance.
"I think we're going to have a really nice time tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to it." Out of the corner of her eye she could tell he was looking at her, but she refused to turn to him.
"I think so to," she lied, not really knowing what to expect tomorrow night.
"Josie?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I give you a kiss goodnight?" A kiss. He wanted a kiss.
"Um, I have to get going..." she panicked and grabbed the car door handle next to her, but the door wouldn't budge. "Ah, this door," she kept pushing "it's not opening!"
"Don't worry," Guy said soothingly. "Here, let me help." He leaned across Josie and grabbed the handle. Magically, it opened. He sat there for a moment, leaning across her, and slowly rose up so he was just inches away from her face. She was shaking slightly. "There's nothing to be afraid of, Josie." And with that, he softly kissed her on the cheek. "Have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow."
* * *
Sam and Lara drove back to his apartment in silence. The night was a total disappointment, only further reinforcing what he was realizing about Lara and their relationship. He was embarrassed at how she treated Josie and Guy, as well as humiliated with the notion of what they thought of his choice in girlfriends. But most of all, he was bothered by seeing Josie and Guy together, and the look of sadness on her face.
She was there with Guy, hand in hand.
Guy.
Did she have feelings for him?
Why was she sad?
"Can we talk about this Prom thing for a minute?" Lara broke the silence.
"What is it?" Sam spat out, unaware of his tone.
Lara glanced over at him and rolled her eyes. "I was going to ask if I really had to be there, but I guess I already know the answer to that. For some reason, it's really important to you."
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, it is."
"Seeing as though I flew in from New York just for tomorrow, I'll be there Sam," she scowled. "I know you changed your mind about what you're wearing, and that's fine, but I really don't want to wear the matching outfit."
"Come on, Lara. What is the big deal? Where is your sense of adventure?" He realized that Josie had asked him the same question earlier that afternoon and smiled at the thought.
"The big deal," Lara sneered, "is that I don't want to wear it! And that's that."
"Yeah," Sam muttered under his breath, "I guess it is."
Sam parked the car in his usual spot and they both walked up the steps leading to his apartment without saying a word. Upon entering the foyer, Lara turned to close the door while Sam went straight to his bedroom. His head was starting to throb and he realized that he was probably getting one of his terrible migraines. He sat on his bed and looked out the window as he took his shoes and socks off.
What was this relationship all about? Why were they still together? They obviously had little in common.
"Sam, honey," Lara's voice filled the room. "I don't want us to fight." She slowly walked toward the bed and sat to the left of Sam, who was still looking out the window with a blank look on his face. She put her right arm on his back, gently rubbing her hand back and forth, and turned to face him, while resting her left hand on his leg. "Why don't we make up? We're so good at it." She leaned in and began kissing Sam softly on his cheek, trailing small kisses down his jawline and then down his neck.
Sam's head continued to throb as his headache grew. The combination of Lara's perfume, her hot breath on his neck and her hand on his knee all made him feel like he was under water and could barely come up for air.
"Lara..." Sam spoke quietly, "I don't think so." She continued softly kissing his neck and her hand started moving further up his thigh. The sensation of her closeness was affecting Sam, even though his head told him their relationship was over. For a brief second, he imagined Josie sitting at his side. Josie's hot breath on his neck. Josie's hand on his thigh. He then realized that Josie might being doing all of those things to Guy Perkins at this very moment.
Sam suddenly turned to Lara and put both hands on each side of her face, hungrily pulling her mouth to his own.
* * *