Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but well done & thank you to the person that does.
Author's Note: My sincere thanks to Karen & Shelle, as without their words of encouragement and generous support I would not have done this! Also all the other fanfic writers, I think your work is wonderful; you are my inspiration! A thanks also to my dictionary/thesaurus, cheers Oxford!
I'd love to know what everyone thinks of my attempt, so either e-mail me here or leave a message on the board.
* * *
"Josie, who did Archie date: Betty or Veronica?" Gibby asked Josie as she and Kirsten approached her, taking Josie's attention away from her conversation with Rob.
With Josie's attention distracted by Gibby's question, Rob looked around the courtyard and spotted his "girlfriend" Tracie. He turned and headed off in her direction.
Meanwhile, Sam, who had been hovering around the ticket table, heard Gibby's query and moved in closer to hear Josie's answer. He knew he should have learned his lesson about eavesdropping on Josie's conversations after the incident in sex-ed class, but he just couldn't seem to help himself.
Josie smiled at Gibby and Kirsten and nodding her head sagely, answered, "Both."
Gibby aimed a petulant look at Kirsten and announced, "See? I told you�" as they both walked off.
Sam moved closer to stand in Rob's recently vacated spot while Josie's back was still turned. He knew he shouldn't be this near her, especially when he'd been having such difficulty hiding his growing feelings for her lately. But, she just looked so beautiful in her white floral sundress and her golden hair done in a sophisticated flip style, he was drawn to her like a magnet.
Sam called himself a fool, but still leaned in and half whispered to Josie, "I always liked Betty better�"
Josie jumped at the sound of his voice. In surprise, she turned to see Sam standing next to her smiling. "Really?" she asked shyly. She couldn't help but smile back because his smile was contagious.
"Yeah," he said as they began to stroll the school grounds through the prom decorations. The light that had sparked in her eyes when she recognized his voice made his pulse jump. He tried valiantly to maintain a look of composure. "Betty was always so fun and spunky� I mean Veronica had the great legs, but she was too moody, very high maintenance," Sam said with just a hint of a teasing lilt to his voice.
Sam couldn't help but make the comparison apply, at least in his mind, to his own life with he being Archie, Josie being Betty (heck, she even looked like Betty!), and Lara being Veronica. He was startled at the accurateness of his prior teasing statement with regard to both Josie and Lara. He closed his eyes briefly in shock, but quickly recovered, since he was in Josie's sparkling presence.
Josie blushed a little at Sam's statement, thinking how nice it would be to be Sam's "Betty". She sighed to herself. Sam would never see her as more than his student�would he? She looked up at him and he smiled charmingly at her. Why, if she didn't know better, she'd swear that Sam Coulson was flirting with her!
They walked together aimlessly, looking at the floral panels, the catering tables, even the backdrop they had helped paint, just enjoying each other's company. Sam was amazed at how good he felt about himself when he was with Josie. Whenever she smiled at something he said, he felt like there was a beacon inside him, shining brightly and that everyone must be able to tell. He'd never felt more comfortable with anyone, including Lara. Josie really seemed to like him just as he was and it was a heady feeling. God, how he wished�
Sam cleared his throat self-consciously, chiding himself for the direction that his mind had been taking. "Ahem� Well, Josie, it's been fun working with you on the Prom committee�" he glanced at Josie to gauge her reaction.
Josie smiled with a hint of sadness. "Yeah, it has� You made it fun for me." She sighed. "I know I haven't been here that long, but I'll miss South Glen�" Josie trailed off, but not before her mind thought, 'And you�' Josie knew it was true. Above everything, she would miss the time she had spent with him.
Sam noticed Josie's wistful expression and secretly wished that a little of it was because she might miss him, too. He certainly knew he would miss her�terribly. Looking for a safe topic to take his mind off her eventual departure from his life, he asked Josie, "So� are you looking forward to the prom?"
Josie twisted her hands together uncomfortably. Without thinking, she replied,"I guess so, although proms make me kind of nervous�"
Sam laughed and asked curiously, "Proms? Just how many proms have you been to?"
Josie froze momentarily, realizing her blunder. Quickly, she recovered, saying, "Oh, umm� Just my Junior prom last year�at the old school. It's just I had a bad experience at something very similar once, that's all."
Sam could tell that it was a very unhappy memory. "Oh, I'm sorry, he commiserated. He broke out one of his stories to make her feel better. "My Senior prom didn't turn out to be exactly the greatest night of my life, either�"
"Really?" Josie found that hard to believe.
Sam smiled knowingly and continued, "Really. I was taking this girl that I had liked for months, and had finally gotten the courage to ask out. I was on Cloud Nine. My mom had bought me a suit especially for it. At the time, I suppose it was in style, but it was this awful tan color that would make you shudder if you saw it now� Very Eighties� At the time I thought I looked so great!" Sam laughs at the memory.
Josie gleefully joined in his laughter. She knew just what kind of suit he was describing, since, of course, she had grown up in the Eighties as well.
"I'll tell you one thing, though, Josie� You'll never forget your prom," Sam confided.
'That's for sure,' Josie thought to herself. 'I certainly haven't.' Her mind went back to her first prom. She too had a hideous outfit�something she had in common with Sam. She chuckled to herself at the memory, and then realized it was the first time she'd been able to laugh about any of that night, ever. Here was yet another way Sam had helped her, and he didn't even know he had done it. Being able to let go even a little part of the hurt surrounding that night gave her the most incredible feeling of freedom. One little piece of her "Josie Grossie" persona fell away, making room for the newer, stronger Josie. "So what happened at your prom to make it so awful?" she asked.
Sam shrugged. "Well, the prom itself went okay, I guess. It was really after prom that ruined the night for me. We went to a party, and she ended up ditching me and going off with some other guy."
Josie looked at Sam incredulously. She could not imagine anyone not wanting to be with him. "Oh, that's awful!"
But Sam didn't look that upset by it. Actually, he was smiling about it. "Yeah, later on that same night, the guy she liked went off with another girl, so I didn't feel so bad!"
They simultaneously burst into laughter, eventually ebbing to small sighs.
Sobering a little, Sam commented, "I hear Guy Perkins is taking you tomorrow�"
"Yes, he is," Josie said, sounding slightly disappointed. What she really wanted, however impossible it might be, was for Sam to escort her to the prom.
"Ah, well, he's a nice kid," Sam said noncommittally. He had known Guy would be escorting Josie to the prom for some time, but hearing it from her lips made his body ache with jealousy. What he wouldn't give to be the one escorting her!
'Yeah, exactly�a kid,' Josie thought, she was starting to think that it wasn't right to take Guy; it was almost as if she were using him.
Josie's double life was beginning to take its toll on her. She would be very glad when it would be over and she could be herself again. She hoped desperately that her time here would not end up being a waste, but she knew that time was running out. She needed to come up with a great story before it was too late.
During her time at South Glen, she had learned more about life and herself than she could ever have imagined. The feeling of 'fitting in' was one that did please her greatly yes, but in the back of her mind she knew it was all superficial; she realized how little it actually meant. She was still not being true to herself, to the friends she'd made like Aldys, and�most importantly�to Sam.
Josie was more than aware of her romantic feelings for him, which grew steadily by the day. Whenever she was with him she felt beautiful, like the sun was shining on her, that she was all that mattered to him. He made her believe in herself, in her writing. He had been nothing but sweet, caring, and honest with her, and all this time, she was lying to him. Her lie fermented in her stomach and she didn't know how much longer she could do it. She knew she had to tell him the truth soon; she owed it to him, at least, after all he'd done for her. She didn't dare hope that she'd be lucky enough to have him return her feelings; that was more than "Josie Grossie" could ever expect.
The silence between them started to get to Sam, so he started a new topic. "So, what do you want to do when you leave college, Josie?" Before he could stop it, the words 'Marry me?' tumbled out of his subconscious and into his thoughts. Sam shook his head slightly in disbelief and told himself to get real, that it could never happen.
"Me?" Josie asked, incredulously.
Sam simply nodded his reply.
'Think, Josie, think!' she prodded herself, but nothing convincing came. Finally, she settled on telling him, "I haven't really thought about it." Ugh! Her stomach turned again with the telling of yet another lie.
"Yeah?" Sam said, wrinkling his nose up in amusement. "That surprises me. I would have thought that you of all people would have decided years ago! What with your talent for writing, don't you want to use that? Become a writer�? A novelist or reporter or something like that?"
Josie didn't like where the conversation was headed, but thought since they were on the subject, she might as well test the waters. "Well�what do you think of reporters?" she asked tentatively. For some reason, his response was very important.
"Umm�" Sam thought about it for a moment. Then he replied, "Well, I guess it depends on what type they are. I despise the sleazy ones, you know, the ones that will do practically anything to get a story. But there are plenty that do a lot of good; they uncover real injustices and praise unsung heroes. I could see you doing that, actually�" He smiled softly at Josie while he spoke.
Josie, though satisfied with his reply, had developed a huge lump in her throat and could only nod. Because while she wanted to be the type of reporter he mentioned last, she knew that right now, she was acting more like the first. Sure that her cheeks were a fine shade of scarlet; she prayed Sam would change the subject.
"You know, I'll really miss having you in my class," Sam said earnestly. They had reached a small red bridge and began to walk over it. Josie turned to face Sam and walked backwards down the other side of the bridge holding the rail as she went. Their eyes connected and they smiled at each other.
"You will?" she asked breathlessly. 'He'll miss me!' Josie couldn't help but beam from that knowledge. "Why?"
Sam's smile widened as he reached for a white balloon that had been tied to the bridge, giving the string a tug so that the balloon danced gaily up and down in the breeze. He thought of many inappropriate reasons but said earnestly, "Well, just because you really understand me, I�" Sam stopped after he realized the deeper meaning of what he had said. He smiled self-consciously, blushed and looked away momentarily, wanting to adjust his remark so that it didn't sound quite so�lovesick. He glanced back at Josie and finished sheepishly, "�my lectures, that is�"
'Ugh,' Sam thought with a cringe, realizing how inane that sounded. He seemed to be battling his entire being, fighting an uphill battle to not profess his feelings for her�and he was afraid he was losing.
She was decidedly stunning today which didn't help matters any. She looked staggeringly feminine in a white summer dress with small blue flowers on it. Sam was completely drawn to her. What he wouldn't give to touch her? he thought with a sigh. Just looking at her silky hair blowing in the breeze, her beautiful skin that looked so soft made his heart melt and legs weaken. He gripped a little harder on the edge of the bridge's railing to steady himself. Looking up, he swallowed hard and tried to determine whether she had noticed his embarrassed blush.
Josie didn't fail to notice the embarrassment wash over Sam's face after his awkward statement. Josie was extremely flattered. She had felt their 'connection' back on the Ferris wheel ride they'd shared on Senior Nite, and the long walk on the pier afterward, but it seemed different when Sam acknowledged it out loud. It made it more real somehow.
Wanting to put Sam at ease, Josie leaned closer to Sam and told him something she had wanted to tell him since the day they'd met. "You know, you're a very good teacher, Sam." Almost immediately, Josie realized what she had done and held her breath, waiting to see how he would react to her slip.
Sam's eyes widened and his breath caught. Hearing Josie use his first name sent an incredibly warm wave through his body. His eyes closed momentarily as he reveled in ripples of the blissful sensation she'd created in him. His name had never sounded so inviting; he wanted to hear her say it over and over again. Suddenly, a picture flashed in his mind� Josie whispering it in his ear as they made love. Shocked at the turn of his thoughts, he blushed furiously, cleared his throat and gasped, "Excuse me?"
Josie bit her lower lip to keep from smiling. She hadn't planned on using his first name but his last seemed somehow�inappropriate. The expression on Sam's face when she'd used his first name was magical, and the reaction was better than she could have hoped for. It was obvious that it had affected him. But she hadn't expected to see him look so flustered, so, feeling slightly self-conscious, Josie partially repeated her statement, "I said� You're a very good teacher." She smiled at him briefly, and then fixed her eyes to the ground. She could feel his eyes on her, studying her, and she blushed under his gaze. 'Was this flirting?' she wondered. Whatever it was, she was enjoying it!
Josie's compliment meant everything to him, and he knew by the flush of her cheeks it had come from her heart. "Thank you� Thank you, Josie; that means a great deal to me�especially coming from you." Sam sent Josie his heart- warming sexy smile.
Sam led Josie toward a bench off to the side of the courtyard. It was rather secluded, having tall bushes and trees practically surrounding it. A part of him knew that he was mad to do this, to put himself in a situation that would only make his temptation worse, but he couldn't seem to control his actions today. He made a gentlemanly gesture with his left hand for Josie to sit first, which she obliged, sitting at one end of the bench. Sam sat at the other end. They sat together in peaceful silence for a long moment, just absorbing the beautiful day around them.
Sam knew the moment had arrived. The setting was perfect: he could no longer hear the giddy chatter and bursts of laughter of students and knew the majority would have left by now. With all the courage he had, and then some, he began, "J�Josie there's something I've wanted to tell you�" Sam kept his eyes fixed to the spot of ground between his feet, not sure whether he would be able to tell her if he looked at her.
Josie turned to face him. "Oh?" she said craning her neck to try and read his expression. Whatever it was Sam wanted to tell her, she could see that it was serious.
He took a deep breath and looked at his hands. They were shaking. "You see Josie, I�, umm..., well recently I've," He sighed and tried again, "The thing is Jo- .�" Sam looked up and accidentally met her eye "-sie�" he whispered as his voice died.
Sam was mesmerised. Josie's eyes were quite simply the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen�and they belonged to the most beautiful person he'd ever met. In that moment, Sam knew that he would be happy for the rest of his life if he could just look into her eyes. He could almost hear the faint sound of Cupid himself shouting 'Bulls-eye!' and imagined him thrusting his chubby fist in the air in triumph.
Josie bit her lower lip as she looked deeply into Sam's eyes. They were filled with such an intense longing that it made her gasp. No one in her entire life had ever looked at her this way; she was in heaven.
Sam realised dimly they had never shared a gaze this long before. He'd never had one such as this either; it was overwhelming; he didn't want it to ever end. Sam knew that what was happening between them was wrong, but he didn't seem to have any control over himself when he was around her and that scared him to death. He couldn't seem to stop the desire that was coursing through his body.
"Yes�" Josie breathed, almost instinctively egging him on.
Sam tried to find his voice, but it was gone�along with his heart, he thought. He felt himself leaning towards her but he was helpless to stop it; her eyes were calling to him and it was the only sound he could hear. Sam reached out and gently cradled Josie's face in his left hand as he stroked her cheek slowly with his thumb. A shot of electricity rushed up his arm from the incredible softness of her skin.
Josie tilted her head so that it lay more completely in Sam's hand. She too, was caught by their gaze. She was unable to move, unable to feel anything except the gentle pressure of his hand and the soft touch of his thumb. Josie's eyes closed for a moment and her lips parted in a soft sigh as Sam's thumb traveled softly along her bottom lip. Instinctively she knew that he was going to kiss her, and she knew she wanted him to with all her heart and soul.
Sam's gaze traveled from her incredible eyes, to the glow of rapture on her face, to her wonderfully soft full lips. He watched as her lips parted when he ran his thumb against them. He looked up to Josie's eyes once more, giving her one last chance to pull away�but she didn't. Sam's hand slid upward into Josie's silky hair. He felt a tingle as Josie's left hand slid up his right arm to rest just below his shoulder. Slowly he pulled her head toward his as he leaned in and covered Josie's lips with his own.
Their kiss was wondrous and magical, as if the world had stopped around them. An explosion went off inside of Sam and he felt an unalterable truth: that this was the woman he was meant to be with�every day for the rest of his life. His heart and soul belonged to Josie now, and nothing that would ever happen afterward could change that. But almost as soon as it had begun, their kiss ended as Josie abruptly pulled away from him.
"Sam," she said almost in pain, "I can't�I�I�" her voice barely a whisper.
Sam searched Josie's face; she looked so frightened that his first reaction was to comfort her. He reached out his arm, as if he would pull her into his embrace, when suddenly they heard footsteps approaching.
Sam leaned back again, but kept a reassuring hand on Josie's arm, since she still looked so fearful. He wanted to do something, anything to remove that look. "I�" he began, wanting to apologize, but the footsteps were too close. He quickly removed his hand, but maintained eye contact with her until he heard over her shoulder:
"Hey� I was wondering where you were�" It was Guy Perkins. Josie broke the stare and looked over her shoulder at Guy to acknowledge his presence, her hands twisting nervously in her lap.
Sam lowered his eyes to the ground and swallowed hard as the realization of what he'd just done sank in.
Meanwhile, Josie responded to Guy, "Oh right� We were going to pick up our costumes, weren't we?" In the thrall of Sam's presence, Josie had completely forgotten.
"Yeah," Guy said, rocking back on his heels and smiling down at her. "It's a rufus costume." Guy looked from Josie to Sam and then shrugged. "How about I bring the car around?"
"Thanks, Guy," Josie said, smiling at him before looking back to make eye contact again with Sam. "I'll be right there."
Guy started to walk off, but then Josie remembered something. "Oh�Guy?"
He turned back around. "Yeah?"
"Would you mind if Aldys came with us? She has something to pick up at the store as well�"
Guy stared at Josie a moment, but then shrugged again. "Yeah, I guess so. If you want to." Then he turned and walked off.
Once Guy was out of earshot, Sam looked up from the ground and back to Josie's face. "Josie?"
She turned to face him and was about to explain when her beeper went off. She wanted to ignore it, wanted to make sure that Sam understood, but soon decided that she wouldn't be able to have a serious conversation with Sam over its infernal beeping. Giving Sam a remorseful look, she reached down to the ground, picked up her purse and fished around inside it for her beeper.
Sam exhaled heavily, a million thoughts and emotions rushing through his mind.
Panic registered in Josie's chest for a moment when she saw the number. It was Gus�his special page that meant, "Get out of there and call me right now!" The realization suddenly struck her that he would have seen everything that just occurred through her "wings" camera.
"Oh my God� What have I done?" she whispered, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. 'How could I have been so stupid!' she thought.
Sam was bewildered by her reaction. Guilt washed over him in waves as he watched Josie's anguished response. She meant so much to him; had he destroyed her trust with one foolish action? 'What in the hell came over me!?' he thought with self-disgust.
Thinking quickly, Josie surreptitiously pulled her wings pin from her dress as she went to put her beeper back into her bag. She dropped the camera into the bottom of her purse and placed her beeper on top of it.
Josie placed a hand on Sam's forearm, and he looked up at her in response. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off saying seriously, "Sam, we need to talk, but we can't right now." Josie looked over her shoulder as if she were afraid that someone was watching them. "Not here. Can you meet me somewhere later?" She was afraid to breathe as she waited for his response. She was taking a huge risk here: her job, Gus' job, her heart.
Sam closed his eyes for a moment, as if in pain and confusion. Josie could see the internal war he was waging; it was written all over his face. But in the end, he opened his eyes, sighed, and looking her in the eye, replied, "Where? When?" He too, was taking a huge risk, Josie realized.
Josie pulled a slip of paper out of her purse, scribbled furiously on it, and then slipped it into his hand, closing his fingers around it. Peeking over her shoulder again, she half-whispered, as if she were afraid someone would hear, "I need to go. Call me later, okay?"
Sam's voice came out as a choked whisper. "Okay." Sam would have said more, but Josie simply gave him a pleading smile, which stopped him. Josie gave his arm a final squeeze, and then she got up and walked away.
Sam watched as she went, thinking, 'Did I really just kiss her?' It had happened so quickly and ended so abruptly that he wasn't sure whether it was real or just some hallucination he'd had. He opened his right hand and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper that Josie had placed there. It was her telephone number. A moment of shock hit him, but then he remembered her beautiful eyes being so close to his and the glorious feeling of touching her skin. As his body filled with warmth as he relived the sensations, he realized that, oh yes, it had definitely happened.
As Josie crossed the courtyard heading toward the student lot, she closed her eyes in a silent prayer and thought, 'Please, please, let this work�' As soon as she was out of Sam's line of sight, she fished her cell phone from her purse and dialed Gus' direct line.
"Oh Josie, that was brilliant! For a while there I thought you'd never get a story� Great work, Geller." There was a pause and then, "Hey, what happened to transmission?" He demanded.
"Oh, I knocked the transmitter off by accident when I went to put my beeper away. I didn't dare pick it up, because I didn't want to make him suspicious," she stammered, hoping he'd buy her excuse.
"Fine," he said. "Then get with George. I'm sure he's got plenty more where that came from. I'll see you in my office as soon as you're done with that Guy kid." And with that, he hung up the phone.
Josie reached Guy's car to find Guy and Aldys laughing together. Even though the two of them seemed to react when she arrived, Josie didn't really notice. She was only just recovering from her reeling senses from the shock of the profound moment she had just shared with Sam�the profound moment that Gus had witnessed and now expected her to write her story about. As she opened the front passenger side door to climb inside Guy's car, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that George had gotten out of his van and was looking over at Josie with a baffled look. She pretended not to see him as Guy put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb.
* * *
Josie got to the Sun times building a little after 6 and en route to Gus's office she turned off her cell phone. She certainly didn't want Sam calling her while she was in with Gus.
Gus did not immediately notice Josie in the doorway. He was sitting behind his desk, his Magic 8 ball in hand, murmuring the question "Does she like me?" He shook it for an answer and his reaction told Josie that the answer was no, because he gave a sad sigh and placed it on his desk. Wanting to make her presence known, Josie tapped lightly on the door while thinking 'Does who like him?'
Gus looked up startled, but quickly replaced the look with a smile. "Geller!" he exclaimed proudly, "Come in! Sit down�" Josie did so, her palms sweating like crazy.
"I just wanted to say, great work�student teacher relationships! I couldn't have thought of anything better. I haven't told Rigfort about it yet, but I'm sure he'll positively salivate!" Gus paused, and then said, "I'm sorry that I didn't believe in you from the start�you've obviously got the stuff!" He had picked up his 8 ball again and was tossing it from one hand to the other. For a moment, Josie wondered whether his murmured question had been about her, but quickly dismissed it. That wouldn't make sense.
"Have you told anyone?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant. 'Please God, say no,' she thought.
Gus gave her a bit of a curious look, but replied, "No, I thought I'd pitch it in the morning meeting."
"Right� Great." Josie nodded, giving Gus a huge false smile. Suddenly she began to feel boxed in and wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Standing she said, "Well, if that's all, I'd better be going�I've got homework to do."
Gus raised an eyebrow, but did not comment. "Yes, that's all," he replied. "I presume I'll have your story to me in a few days?"
"Umm� yes," she said meekly, afraid to meet his eyes. She was terrified he'd see the truth in her face if she did. 'This was it' she realized. Her chance of getting out of this assignment had gone; this was her shot at becoming a reporter, the only one she was going to get. 'I've got to grab the bull by the balls!' she thought, trying to maintain her composure. She turned to leave.
"Actually Josie, there is one more thing�" Josie turned back to face Gus. "I may not have been able to see your face through that camera, but I saw his�" he tilted his head down and raised his eyebrows in censure. "So don't go doing anything stupid," he finished calmly.
"What do you mean?" she said, trying to play it off like she didn't understand.
Gus didn't buy it. "You know exactly what I mean, Josie. For the past 6 weeks, the whole floor has been in here watching you two. It's been like the God damn Young and the Restless," he frowned. "This is it, Geller, for both of us� Don't even think of screwing it up."
"Gus, there's nothing going on between Sa� Mr. Coulson and I. What happened today was just� research. I mean�if you wanted the story, then you'd need this sort of ending, right?" Josie prayed he'd believe her, although even she didn't think it was very plausible.
Gus didn't reply.
"Gus, becoming a reporter is the most important thing to me. I've wanted to be a reporter since I started working here�actually much longer than that. I know I've got what it takes," Josie said matter-of-factly.
"Hmmm." Gus wanted to believe her�for both their sakes�but was not convinced. "Did you get a new transmitter from George?" he asked.
"Uh�no," Josie replied. "I was thinking� Seeing as I've found my story, I don't need to wear the transmitter any longer, do I? After all, you did say the reason was so that you could help me find one, and now you have."
Gus was about to argue but stopped. He knew Josie held the key to him keeping his job at the Sun Times, so he just nodded, looking supremely dissatisfied with her.
Assuming she was dismissed, Josie exited Gus's office just as Anita was approaching it. "Hey Jos!" she exclaimed ebulliently.
As they paused in Gus's doorway, Josie noticed him looking from his 8 ball to Anita and back. 'Aha!' Josie thought, and smiled with her secret knowledge. "Hey Anita, what are you doing here?"
"I had the afternoon off, but I thought I'd come in to get some work done" she said, glancing at Gus.
"Oh, right," Josie said, wondering if Gus was he 'work'� "I think I might get a little done myself, actually," Josie said, turning and walking toward her office.
Anita, frowned and caught up with her quickly. "There's something different about you, Josie. What is it?"
"Nothing's different," Josie denied. She should have known that Anita would notice� "So how's things with you? What did you do this afternoon? Shopping?" Josie said, quickly changing the subject. She was getting thoroughly sick of all this lying. Pretty soon, she'd be lying to everyone!
"Yes, there is," Anita insisted, completely ignoring Josie's attempt to change the subject. "You've got this�glow about you." She grinned knowingly.
"A glow?" Josie repeated nervously. "No I don't."
"Yes, you do! C'mon Jos, what's going on?" Anita's eyes narrowed. "You're up to something� Have you met a guy?"
"No!" Josie said almost too quickly. Calming her voice she explained, "Listen Anita, there's no one new. I mean, when would I have time?" 'Well,' Josie thought, 'at least that much was true.'
An idea formed in Anita's head at Josie's words. "Wait a minute! It's that hot teacher, isn't it?" She continued without letting Josie reply, "Mmm� Can't say I blame you�" Exasperated because she knew Anita would not give up until Josie told her, she pulled Anita by the arm into her office and shut the door. Turing to face her friend, Josie confided, "All right. I'll tell you� But you mustn't tell a soul, especially Gus�"
Anita's eyes glistened with excitement and sat, waiting to hear Josie's story.
* * *
Once Josie had left the office Gus turned to face out the window. Too much was riding on this undercover assignment of hers, and with that moony look on Geller's face, he was no longer sure he could trust her. He'd be dammed if he lost his job because of it. Without another thought, Gus turned, picked up the company phone list and skimmed it until he found the number he was looking for. He dialed�
"Merkin? Gus here," Gus said by way of greeting.
"Oh! Howdy, Mr. Strauss!"
Merkin sounded his usual over-eager self, Gus thought. "Listen� I'd like you to do me a favor."
"Of course, Mr. Strauss. What is it?"
"I'd like you to spy on Josie for me," Gus explained.
"Spy on Josie? Why?" he exclaimed.
"I'll tell you tomorrow� You'll do it, right?"
Merkin hesitated for a moment, but then said, "Yeah, I'll do it."
"Right. Fine. You can start tomorrow night at the South Glen South prom." Before Merkin could protest, Gus continued, "Take Rhoda with you� it'll be a good excuse to ask her out," he remarked with a half smile. "Make sure Rhoda doesn't mention anything to Josie, either. Your disguises will need to be to be good so Josie doesn't recognize you. I'll call you tomorrow with details."
"You got it, Mr Strauss!" and with that Merkin placed the handset down, leapt to his feet, thrust his arms into the air with Olympic flare and bellowed, "I AM TOMMOROW BABY!"
* * *
Sam got home around 6:30, just as the sun was starting to cool, making way for a warm Chicago evening. He'd stayed at school to put some finishing touches to a couple of props, but after all the students had long since left, he found himself standing silently on the red bridge he'd walked over with Josie, lightly running his fingers over the rail that she had held. The white balloon was still tied to it, ready for the next evening. His mind was still full of his kiss with Josie, and the turmoil surrounding it.
Dropping his keys on the coffee table, he headed straight for the fridge and cracked open a beer, wondering if drowning his troubles in alcohol would help. He walked over to his dining room window, raised his free hand to his head and leaned against the windowpane, looking out to the street below.
'What the hell were you thinking!?' he asked himself for the hundredth time since Josie had left him sitting speechless on the bench in the school courtyard. 'She's 17, Sam,' he scorned himself, as he shook his head in disgust.
Sam noticed a couple on the street below; the girl was walking backward facing the guy, laughing hysterically. She looked like she was teasing him about something. Suddenly, the guy grabbed the girl's shirt and pulled her to him and kissed her passionately.
He sighed deeply. 'Ugh, that was just what I needed to see,' he thought dryly. He turned away from the window and sat on the windowsill. He was still undecided about whether or not to call Josie. After all, what would he say? More importantly, What would she say?
He was sure that he wouldn't like the news she was going to tell him. The picture of Josie's face, full of pain, fear and anguish, had convinced him of that. Maybe she had been placed undercover by the school board to inspect the school and it's teachers, he mused. Well, he was one teacher who would undoubtedly get his marching orders. After all, she certainly didn't act 17 he thought.
Then he laughed at the insanity of his thinking. No, he decided, he may not know everything there was to know about Josie Geller, but what he did know of her was enough for him to realize that she was the kindest, most considerate person he'd ever met. He was sure she wouldn't hurt him�would she?
He walked over to his phone and started dialing, but not to Josie. After a moment, he said, "Abby? It's me, Sam. I'm sorry to bother you, but I just had to talk to you�"
* * *
Josie didn't get back to her apartment until around 8 o'clock. She rushed straight to her answering machine only to discover there was no flashing light indicating a new message. Her body slumped, as she realized she was being irrational. She had given him her cellular phone number. She had turned her cell phone on soon as Anita had left her office, but he hadn't called. In the end, her mind had been far too preoccupied with the days events to get any work done, so she had called a cab and left about 7:30.
Josie moped about her apartment, trying to think of anything other than Sam, and her growing doubts about his feelings for her. She cleaned her kitchen; she vacuumed everywhere (but not before putting her phone onto vibrate and attaching it to a hook on her jeans); she showered while keeping one eye firmly fixed to her cell phone, which she'd placed on the edge of her toilet seat lid knowing if it rang it would fall off; she had even had a very deep, meaningful conversation with her turtles, describing every last detail to them about Sam, and she was convinced they were impressed.
Finally, Josie plopped down on her loveseat, exhausted and depressed. Sam wasn't going to call. She'd risked it all for nothing. She had been wrong about him. She closed her eyes against the burning tears welling up in them. She angrily grabbed her cell phone, ready to toss it onto the coffee table in frustration, when it finally started to ring.
* * *