Because You're Different ✔

30. Court case

Sam

"What are you doing?"

I ignored her. Somehow, she knew exactly how to get on my nerves.

"Sam, are you spying on them?"

"Shut up!"

"You know, I'm starting to think you're like, having a crush on her."

Yes. This. This was why I hated her guts, and I didn't care June always said you should never say you hate someone, because she also pushed me to tell the truth, and this, this was the truth. All of it. "I do not have a crush on June, I just wanna know what she's giving him!"

Hayley folded her arms, looking at me with her eyebrow raised, something June taught her, since she thought her new friend needed some intimidation skills. Well, it worked. When Jennifer and I broke up, I thought we'd go back to the way it was, but no. Hayley was everywhere these days, and June's bossiness was rubbing off on her. "It's none of your business," she said.

I wanted to tell her to go fly a kite and leave me alone, when it dawned on me. "You know, don't you?"

She giggled. "Well, duh. June's my best friend. Of course she told me."

If she'd been a boy, I'd have kicked her right then and there. But she wasn't. "Tell me what it is!"

"No."

Well, fine. Then she left me no choice. I was going to go right in and snatch the envelope from their hands!

"No, Sam, stay — here!"

She yanked at my shirt. For a girl, she was really strong. I tried to push her away; she wasn't letting go, though. Together, we crashed into the wall, me slamming into her. Ouch, shit!

When I realized I was practically flat against a girl for the first time in a month, I hastily jumped away, hoping she wouldn't notice my boner. Luckily, it was dark in the hallway. I might hate her guts — that didn't take away she was a girl. Essentially the same problem as with Jennifer. She was annoying as hell, but shit, that ass... It wasn't a guarantee for good sex, however. I'd found that out in the most awkward of ways. I was so glad no one knew about it.

Hayley hadn't seemed to have noticed. She'd taken my place at the door, squinting through the small open space. Hypocrite. Coming down here in her pajama, telling me off for spying, while she obviously left June's room for the same reason.

"Let me watch too!" I whispered, harshly pushing down her head so I could look over her. She glared at me again. I wished she'd do that with Nathan as well, so he could see I was right about her and that he shouldn't let her stay over. He never believed me, said she was a shy girl who barely spoke a word. Yeah, right. Why didn't she spend Christmas Eve with her own family, like normal people? At least her dad was coming to pick her up tomorrow. We'd be rid of her for a while.

June and Nathan were settled next to the Christmas tree, on the carpet they'd bought last month, close together. She'd just handed him the red envelope, and he was smiling at it like she'd given him a million dollars. What the hell was on those cards? I'd tried to find the one she gifted him last year, with no success. I was starting to suspect he kept them in the safe or ate them or something. Carefully, he opened it up, then slowly read through it.

"What are they saying?" Hayley asked. "I can't hear, with the music playing."

Music? Complete crap, more like. June's taste had been ruined by him; suddenly, new stuff wasn't good enough for her anymore. No, she liked to listen to dudes that were either dead or ancient. "I can't hear with you talking and breathing — ouch!" She'd elbowed me, only narrowly missing my nuts, and I was very thankful for it.