Lost Stars (The Jewel Project #3)

03.1 || Detention

Sam entered his school building with a weird sense of foreboding. He couldn't believe how much he'd missed it. It wasn't the building itself, but the feeling of security and monotony it promised. But this time, it was a little different. Like the simple life would be taken away from him before he even got the chance to get used to it. Because that was what had happened last time he'd dared to think things were calming down.

"Wow, you really are a rich, privileged brat," Tom mumbled, craning his neck up to see the building better.

Sam looked at it carefully for the first time in years. He'd been studying here since he was eleven, so he was used to the tall red brick building reminiscent of Ivy league colleges, the grassy front lawn where students lounged during breaks, the tall windows which made sure the silver grey lockers and tiles always shone. But to Tom and Jimmy, it was something different. It was posh, it was private and it was something they'd never thought they'd be part of.

"And now, so are you," Billy said, clasping Tom on the shoulder. "We're going to have so much fun."

Tom and Jimmy nodded, and Sam had to agree that Billy had a point. From having just two best friends, he now had an entire squadron to hang out with. His brothers, Billy, Jessie and Angie. Even if Jessie had skipped the first day to go look at apartments with Kay. His senior year was already promising to be a memorable one. And once they entered the building, he realized it would maybe be more memorable than he wanted it.

All eyes turned to them as Sam lead the way towards the amphitheater for homeroom. Girls grinned, giggled and waved, guys nodded, some frowned and turned away. He was no longer invisible. And it made his stomach knot up in tension. Not that he was unpopular or ignored before, but he was nothing but another student, and he liked that. He only stood out at the end of the year when his GPA was the biggest in the school. But after the first two years, not even that was a surprise anymore. But now...

"Hey, Sam!" Harry came through the crowd towards him, two grinning girls under his arms. "We're so popular now!"

"You were actually popular before," Sam pointed out. But the words were empty. He could see the difference. It was obvious when a few more people approached them and started asking Tom and Jimmy questions. Like where they'd been, how dramatic the reunion was and why they were given up in the first place.

"Homeroom!" Sam said, trying to push through the crowd that had formed around them. "We'll be late."

Jimmy and Tom squeezed between the people surrounding them and followed Sam at a brisk pace towards the auditorium.

"Was it always like this?" Tom asked somewhere between amused and freaked out.

"No. It must be the news coverage. I was pretty much invisible," Sam mumbled, picking up the pace because more people seemed to want to stop them and have a little chat.

"I was never invisible," Tom said with a smirk.

"That's because you're a freaking show off," Jimmy replied, opening the door to the auditorium.

"True," Tom said, apparently pleased with himself.

Sam rolled his eyes, but breathed in relief once they settled down in the middle of the crowd, in one of the top rows of the amphitheater. The room was huge, filled with seats almost to the ceiling and the best place to disappear in the mass of people for a while. He'd never thought he'd hate attention that much. Undeserved attention. Not entirely because the mission did happen. Another happened that no one knew about or things would be so much worse. But it was still so awkward.

"Is this seat taken?"

Sam's head snapped up so fast, his neck creaked. Angie stood next to Tom, an innocent smile on her face, wearing her school uniform of white shirt, navy blazer, scarlet tie, and navy and white checkered pleated skirt. Before he could make a move, Tom jumped to his feet and hugged her. Sam was grateful for the lack of kissing.