This is a continuation of the Disguises series. Please let me know if you like it!
* * *
"Everybody give it up for Mr. Coulson and Ms. Knox!"
As everyone cheered, Sam strolled across the stage in front of all the eager prom dates to take his place at the podium. "Alright, alright... I'm here to announce South Glen's 1999 Prom Court." As Sam announced the princesses, the three barbie dolls shimmied across the dance floor to accept their place on the stage.
Ms. Knox approached the microphone and read off the names of the princes. From the back of the room, Rob cheered when he heard his name, and skipped across the dance floor to accept his post. Josie hugged him as he passed her, which did not go unnoticed by Sam who was watching her.
"And now," Ms. Knox continued, "South Glen South's prom king..." she looked down at her note card and smiled. "Guy Perkins."
Guy smiled and tried to feign a look of surprise. He looked over to Josie and smiled before walking up to the stage. As he received his crown from Ms. Knox, he sized up Sam's costume and sword, feeling a bit inadequate comparing it to his own.
Sam looked down at the note card in his hand, staring at the name listed under prom queen. He glanced at Josie and wondered if she had any idea. He stepped up to the podium, still watching Josie, and smiled as he said "And this year's prom queen, ladies and gentlemen..." Josie returned Sam's gaze, trying to read his expression. "Josie Geller!"
Josie Geller? Did he just say her name? Stunned, Josie looked around the room as if there was some mistake, but people were looking at her, smiling and clapping. She slowly made her way up to the stage, holding her breath most of the time. She stood in front of Sam, who was looking at her with a hint of pride shining in his eyes. He gently placed the crown on her head, touching her soft, silky hair. He then turned to hand her a bouquet of pink roses, wishing that they were really from him.
Getting caught up in Josie's gaze, Sam suddenly jumped back to reality and turned to the microphone. "And now, as is custom," he paused not wanting to say what came next, "the King and Queen will now have their first dance." Josie looked up to Sam, her eyes shining, not wanting to leave his side. She smiled and slowly walked toward Guy.
Let the fun begin, Guy thought to himself. He took Josie's hand, leading her to the dance floor.
Sam watched Josie and Guy take their spot in the middle of the room. Not aware of his body language, he folded both arms across his chest, watching every move they made. As they swayed slowly to the music, Sam noticed their animated conversation, trying to decipher what they were saying. Josie softly laughed at something Guy said, which reminded Sam of how he made her laugh when they painted the backdrop together. He was fixated on the way Guy was responding to Josie; the way he held her in his arms, the intensity in which he gazed into Josie's bright, questioning blue eyes.
Sam didn't think he could take much more of this. And then, as if it couldn't get any worse, Guy leaned in and held Josie closer in his arms. Josie seemed a bit startled by this, and as she bent her forehead against Guy's, she turned and looked directly at Sam.
Sam couldn't watch any longer. He was so consumed with jealousy that he needed to get away from being on stage, in full view of everyone. He stepped down from the podium and went toward the back of the room.
As the song came to an end, Josie excused herself and walked a bit aimlessly around the room, trying to find Sam, but didn't see him. As she approached the dessert table, she thought about the look on Sam's face when he was watching her dance. He looked to be upset. Was it because of Guy? No, it couldn't be. Why would he care? Josie reasoned that he was probably upset that Lara wasn't there to dance with him.
"Hey," Josie heard Sam's voice behind her. She turned around to see him smiling warmly at her. It took her breath away. "Wow Josie, you make a really beautiful prom queen." Sam knew he probably shouldn't have said it, but he couldn't help it.
"Really?" She was actually surprised by the compliment.
Yes really. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
"Really." Sam said instead.
"Thanks, Sa... Mr. Coulson."
They both realized Josie's slip, which caused them to blush at the same time. Looking down at the floor, Josie said in a soft voice, " I don't think I had the chance to compliment you on your costume." She looked into his eyes once again briefly, just before her eyes roamed downward to focus on where his bare neck and chest met, noticing a light sprinkling of chest hair. She felt a knot grow in her stomach as she quickly shifted her eyes upward, realizing that he probably noticed her looking at him in that way.
"You look very..." she paused and swallowed the lump in her throat.
Gorgeous. Incredible. In fact, you are the most handsome man I've ever seen in my life.
"...noble."
Sam's heart was racing from the way Josie was looking at him. There was no mistake about it: she was looking at him as a man, not as her high school English teacher.
"I see you decided to be adventuresome, after all." she added.
"You convinced me." Sam thought back to their discussion about disguises and how they made you feel freer to do things you wouldn't do otherwise. 'I guess it's time to practice what I preach' he thought to himself. "Josie," Sam's voice cracked, "do you wanna, maybe..." he motioned to the dancing couples. She smiled brightly and nodded and he took her hand to lead her to the dance floor.
On the other side of the room, Guy walked over to Aldys and asked her to dance. It was all part of a plan for the group to throw dog food on her when she wasn't looking. As soon as Guy and Aldys walked to the dance floor, Gibby summoned her friends over to the table and took a can of Alpo out of her purse. As they gathered around, she continued fishing into her purse. She looked up at the others with a hopeless look on her face.
" I forgot the can opener."
Dancing with Sam was so much different than dancing with Guy. Josie felt small shivers go up her spine the moment he held her hand in his own and placed his other hand gently on her waist.
Sam couldn't believe how great it felt to have Josie in his arms. Although they maintained their distance as they swayed to the music, it felt unbelievable. He could have spent the whole night holding her like this.
"Proms always make me a little sad," he found himself saying. "Graduation. Everybody scattering, moving on."
"Why isn't your girlfriend here?" the words came out of Josie's mouth before she could stop them. She smiled, with a hint of embarrassment, and then looked at the floor.
"She..." Sam didn't know how to answer the question. He wanted to tell her everything - his feelings for her, what happened last night - everything. After a very long pause, Sam murmured "Josie, there's something I want to tell you."
Josie looked into his eyes and her heart skipped a beat. She knew she had to tell him. She briefly let go of Sam's hand so she could unhook the wings pin from her dress. She dropped it to the floor on stepped on it with her heel.
"There's something I want to tell you too."
Their eyes locked while they continued dancing, holding each other a little closer than before. "Let me go first," Sam pleaded. She nodded slowly while they continued to hold each other's gaze.
"Josie, last night..." He stopped mid-sentence and froze.
"May I cut in?" Josie would not have noticed that someone was speaking to her, except that she saw the sudden change in Sam's facial expression as he looked behind her. She turned around and saw Lara, wearing a stunning costume. She was awe inspiring; she looked regal, like a queen.
And then, Josie realized wryly, Lara was a queen. She was dressed as Guenivere.
Josie also froze, speechless, as she unconsciously let go of Sam's hand.
"Lara," Sam whispered, "you're here."
Lara simply smiled, walked up closer to Sam and turned to Josie. "Thanks for warming him up. Sam and I love to dance together." She looked over at Sam and said dismissively to Josie, "You can go run along and play with the other children, now, honey. Sam and I have something important to discuss."
Josie looked up at Sam, as if questioning what to do.
"Thank you for the dance, Josie." He smiled reassuringly to her, sensing her disappointment. "I'll catch up with you in a little bit. Lara and I do have something we need to talk about." He tried to give her a look that conveyed his true sentiments, but it was lost on Josie.
Josie nodded and tried to smile, but failed miserably. She had misinterpreted things, after all. How could she possibly think that Sam had feelings for her? He had a beautiful girlfriend, and they were still very much a couple. As hot tears began to well up in her eyes, she slowly turned to walk away.
Sam watched helplessly as Josie disappeared into the crowd. As he stared into the distance, Lara wrapped both arms around him, pulling him close, so everyone could see them dancing intimately. She bent her head down slightly so it was nestled against his neck and shoulder. Sam was uncomfortable with her gesture, and stiffly reciprocated her embrace. He had to get this discussion over with � he needed a sense of closure. After they said nothing for several moments, Sam broke the silence.
"Lara, I'm actually glad you came. I needed a chance to apologize and explain what happened last night. It's not what you think." He could feel her smiling against his neck.
"I don't think I have to remind you that your little girlfriend is seventeen years old, Sam." Sam backed up slightly, to remove himself from her tight embrace.
"She's not my girlfriend, Lara. What happened last night has nothing to do with Josie. It has to do with us."
"Really," she snickered. "Why is it that I have a hard time believing you, Sam? It's not usual for you to mention another woman's name while we're making love. A student, no less. She's not even a woman. She's a... she's a teenager!" She realized she was letting her temper get the best of her, so Lara took a deep breath to calm down. She had learned as an attorney that the most effective way to make your point was to remain cool and collected.
"Lara," Sam began, "things haven't been good between us for a long time. You know that. Just take a minute to think about who we both are. We have very little in common -- we want different things in life."
"Yes, and apparently, you want one of your students." She retorted.
"Lara," Sam said, ignoring the snide remark, "I don't like the person that I've become. I'm not blaming you, but I feel like after five years, we've grown apart, and this relationship is making me someone different than who I really am. I want to be fair to you," he continued, "fair to both of us, and admit that neither one of us has been happy for a long time."
"Happiness isn't what this is about, Sam." She backed up slightly and looked him square in the eye. "Let me tell you what it's about. It's about me, breaking my back, day in, day out, to become partner at my law firm. I have waited for three long years for you to come to New York, so we could get married, and I could be the perfect picture of 'woman who has it all' - partner material, Sam. All this time I have been paving the way for you to come to New York. Do you have any idea how much trouble I've gone through?"
Sam was stunned. He never expected their five-year relationship to be diminished to what she had just said. "Lara, I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything, Sam." She smiled, and then embraced him closely once again, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Five years is a long time. I've invested a lot in this relationship and I'm not ready to say it's over yet."
"Come on, Lara. Can you honestly say that you still love me?"
"Love isn't everything, Sam." She said in a level voice. "For example," a small grin formed at the corners of her mouth as she glanced at Josie standing among her group of friends, "in your case, love can lead you to trouble. I'd really hate for that innocent girl's reputation to be ruined�and yours, for that matter. Is love worth losing your precious career, Sam?"
Sam froze in place and pulled away from Lara. Anger flashed across his face. "You wouldn't."
She pulled away from Sam and looked him in the eyes. "I think you really need to reconsider what's important in life, Sam." Her face turned cold. "Your fantasies about your underage high school student, or making a life with the woman you've known your entire adult life. It's your choice," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I must say," she turned to look at Josie once again, "even by your standards, I'm surprised that you would even consider her as a choice. I never knew you had a thing for teenagers, Sam. Is this why you love teaching high school so much?"
Sam backed up from Lara and glared at her. Before he could respond, she added, "I'm going back to New York tomorrow afternoon. I'm staying at the Four Seasons Hotel downtown tonight. I'll give you some time to think about what we've talked about, but I expect to hear from you by morning." She leaned over and kissed Sam on the cheek and he winced.
"What... What you think that you can make me stay in this relationship by blackmailing me?" Sam was furious. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I guess I never knew how manipulative you really were, Lara."
Lara didn't flinch, but instead had an unaffected, sugary-sweet smile on her face. "Think about it." And with that, she turned and walked away.
Sam felt like his insides had just been ripped out. He stood in the middle of the dance floor, by himself, in a daze. He had to find Josie. He had to talk to her.
Sam searched every corner of the ballroom, and even went outside into the garden to find Josie, but she was nowhere to be found.
She had already left with Guy.
* * *
"Where are we going?" Josie asked, still feeling defeated and let down from her encounter with Sam and Lara.
"A bunch of us are meeting at the beach - you know, to build a bonfire, hang out." Guy leaned forward to instruct the limo driver to take them to their destination.
"Rob's coming, right?" Josie asked, feeling a little nervous without her brother being present.
"Yeah, I'm sure he'll be there. I think he's catching a ride with the others."
The limo stopped first at Tommy's house, where the group met up so they could change into other clothes. Rob and Tracy were not there, but Josie was informed that they would be meeting up with them later.
Not knowing where she would be after prom, Josie had packed a simple black sundress and sandals. After changing out of her Rosalind costume and putting the more casual outfit on, she emerged from the bathroom and joined the others outside.
Josie sat next to Guy in limo, while Kirsten and Tommy sat across from them. On their drive to the beach, she looked down at the floor to avoid having to see them all over each other. 'What have I gotten myself into,' she thought with a pang of nervousness.
The driver slowed down to turn on Tower Road, a darkened street leading to a private beach. Josie remembered coming to this park as a child with her family.
"Is the park still open?" she asked naively.
"No. But they never check."
Josie was relieved to see that they weren't the first ones there. A group of South Glen students had already arrived and had built a large bonfire. Unfortunately, Rob wasn't there, but she figured he would get there soon, and she would be fine.
As the group gathered around the fire, Guy unrolled a blanket and spread it out on the sand for him and Josie to sit on. He held out his hand and helped Josie kneel down on the blanket so she could sit. He then sat behind her, extending both legs out, and pulled her back toward him so he could put his arms around her. He could feel her tense up, and knew he had to do something about easing her fears.
Out of nowhere, Brett, who had been there for a while, extended two plastic cups to Josie and Guy. "Here you go. Drink up!"
Josie cautiously took the cup and smelled what was in it. It smelled like a wine cooler. Guy immediately took his cup and took a big swig. She didn't know if she should drink it or not, but in the interest of blending in with everyone else, she decided, why not? She was twenty-five years old, after all, and having a few sips of a wine cooler wasn't going to get her drunk. And, as much as she hated to admit it, she was feeling pretty depressed and thought having a few sips of wine might make her loosen up and forget about Sam.
After a while of talking around the bonfire, Josie felt herself begin to relax. She was actually enjoying the conversation and felt more at ease with Guy. When another wine cooler was offered to her, she took it and didn't think twice. Josie wasn't a big drinker, but she knew that the alcohol content in wine coolers was pretty low. She was fine.
'Underage drinking in high school,' Josie thought to herself. Maybe Gus would consider that a story.
Over the next hour, Guy watched Josie relax more, as the alcohol began having an effect on her. He was enjoying the effect it was having on himself, as well. He had also had three full cups of it and was feeling pretty good. He thought now would be a good time to make his next move.
"Josie," he whispered in her ear.
She smiled.
"I have a surprise for you."
"I like surprises," she giggled. Guy stood up and extended his hand out to Josie to help her up. She took it and stood up, a little wobbly from her wine. "Oops," she laughed. He laughed with her.
"Come with me," he smiled. She nodded and took his hand as he led her up the stairs to the parked limo.
* * *
After the last of the students were leaving prom, Sam said his goodbyes to the teachers and walked outside to his car. What was he going to do? He had to talk to Josie, but there was no way he could before tomorrow.
After Sam started the ignition to his car, he left the car in park, wondering where he was going. He couldn't go home. He had too much on his mind. He felt like going to the hotel and telling Lara to take her ultimatum and go to hell. After tonight, he realized that staying with Lara would have been the biggest mistake of his life.
Sam considered for a moment what things might look like from Lara's point of view. After all, Josie was only seventeen years old and she was Sam's student. For these reasons, he had struggled with his feelings for her and tried his best to push them to the back of his mind. But over the weeks, Josie showed Sam what it was like to be accepted, even loved, he hoped, for who he was, unconditionally. He had never experienced that kind of acceptance, feeling and emotion with Lara. Josie had taught him what love really meant. Once he realized that, he knew that her age didn't matter. He would wait however long he had to in order to be with her. He was in love with her. He just hoped that she had the same feelings for him. He had to find her.
'We've got our hands full patrolling these beach parks.' Sam suddenly remembered the officer telling him that high school students liked to go to the beach after prom. He put the car in drive and sped off to a familiar place.
* * *
"Someone's gettin' hooked up!" Kirsten said in a sing-song fashion. Tommy, Brett and Jason started laughing. "Tommy... when are we gonna get hooked up?" She giggled and kissed Tommy. Brett and Jason looked at each other and started laughing even more hysterically.
Sam parked his car in the lot and noticed several other cars parked there. He stood at the top of the steps and looked down to see several of his students sitting around a bonfire, but Josie wasn't among them. He was about to turn and leave, when he overhead Tommy down below.
"Did you see Josie? She was wa-sted!" Sam froze and turned back to listen. He crouched down in the shadows so they wouldn't see him. "She had like, no idea what she was drinking. She probably thought it was a wine cooler."
"Nice of you to not clarify that point to her," Gibby said flatly.
Kirsten had a dazed look on her face. "What is this stuff, anyway?"
"It's like, some funky extra strong wine. It's like, three thousand proof, or something like that. But it still tastes harmless�that's the best part!"
"Oh." Kirsten laughed. "That's probably why I'm so drunk right now."
"Did you hear where Guy was taking her? Dude got a room at the Four Seasons Hotel on Michigan Avenue!"
Sam didn't stay to hear the rest. He was already in a flat-out run back to his car. He just had to get to Josie�before Guy did.
* * *