The Many Loves of Samantha Greene

4 | Mason: The Beginning

"Plenty of guys have come up to you in the past month, and you've rejected all of them. What happened to not resuming the boy ban?"

    Since I had punched Tyler Vanzy in the face one month previously, Jessica had not let up on getting me to date someone else.

    "I just want to get someone who I feel something for, you know? Someone who I can actually see myself being with for longer than a few months."

    The fact was, no one who had approached me with the offer of a date seemed to be that into me. Half the time they asked if the date could be to one of my dad's concerts, and the other half of the time the guy was so nervous to talk to me that he ended up only getting three words out before bolting.

    And the part that I didn't want to admit to Jess, or my parents, or anyone else, was that I was still a tad bit hung up over Tyler. I hadn't seen him since the incident, but he was always at the back of my mind. I had really liked him, and despite him not thinking so, he was my first boyfriend. He was the first person I had called my boyfriend, the first person I had been on a date with, and the first person to give me a glimpse of what it felt like to have your heart broken.

    There was little else for me to do at this point but wonder why I hadn't been enough.

    "What are you looking for? Who would make you feel something?" Jessica prodded, and I realized that the conversation was far from over.

    "I don't know, Jess. Maybe another athlete? They're cute and have nice bodies. They would probably make me feel something."

    "Good. I'll get one of them to ask you out."

    "Jess."

    "Sam, come on. You're hot and available and someone is going to ask you out. Stop moping over Tyler."

    "I'm not moping!"

    "Please. I'm your best friend, I'm not stupid."

    I sighed as Jessica looked around us in the hallway, her eyes landing on a tall kid with dark brown hair who was sporting a soccer windbreaker.

    "I'll be back shortly." She informed me.

    I didn't even bother protesting as she walked up to Mason Wright, one of only two sophomores to make the varsity soccer team at my high school this year. She said a few things to him before pointing to me, at which point I felt it was my duty to wave to him.

    He waved back and laughed at something Jessica said before walking over to me with her.

    "I'll leave you two alone now." Jess winked at me before bouncing off to talk to some of the cheerleaders who were milling around, getting to class clearly not a priority.

    "Your friend is incredibly energetic." Mason informed me after we stood in silence for an incredibly awkward moment.

    "That's for sure." I nodded. "She's completely insane too."

    Mason laughed shortly.

    "I can tell." He grinned, "So you're Samantha Carter, right?"

    "I like to go by Samantha Greene."

    "Fair enough." He nodded, "Well I've definitely seen you around school and you seem really chill. Do you want to hang out sometime?"

    I thought for a moment, and my first instinct was to say absolutely not. He had referred to me by my actual last name, meaning he knew who my family was, and he was only asking me out because Jessica told him to.