For Love, Service and Faith

The Night We Met

It was a balmy June night, and the cicadas were chipping. Sam looked out the window at the dilapidated house in the woods. It was an interesting location for her first party. Zach pulled his truck up by the house hid his car in the trees. He put it in park, hopped out and quickly made his way toward the back of the house.

“Make sure you lock the door behind you” he called over his shoulder. Lauren’s whole family had a cavalier attitude towards life, and Zach was no different.  As everyone started to unbuckle Agnes sat with her arms folded, indignantly glaring at the back of Lauren’s head.

“I cannot believe you all” she muttered. “We’re going to get caught and I for one am not looking forward to the walloping coming my way.”

Lauren laughed, “you’re in it now Ag, you might as well deserve the punishment and have some fun along the way.”  

Agnes looked to Sam, her eyes pleading for some support. Sam paused, but pushed the door open and mustered what she hoped looked like a nonchalant shrug.

“Oh come on Ag, maybe you can sneak a call to Brian and catch a ride home.”

Agnes was not convinced a call to her older brother while he was out on a date would be fruitful, but she reluctantly got out of the car and the two girls walked across the lawn, arms linked. They could hear the thumping music get louder. They tentatively pushed the open the gate and a saw a land of teenage debauchery laid before them. Agnes’ jaw dropped “we’re so dead!” She took a step back towards the car. Sam’s feet were planted firmly to the spot taking in the scene. She looked at the old stone house, at the ivy climbing over the roof. She looked back to the woods, and noticed that even though the fence stopped halfway back, the party extended into the treeline. She looked down the gentle hill and saw a bonfire, and to the back left corner and spotted an empty space. Sam tightened her arm in the crook of hers and pressed into the throng. To say it was an interesting experience for two girls who had never been kissed to work their way through a crowd of inappropriate gyrating, couples making out, and not even knowing where hands were would be an understatement. Sam pulled Agnes close, and said in her ear “I wonder if they know how stupid they look?” Agnes finally cracked a smile. They made their way towards the bonfire in the back and saw a pile of soda bottles and red solo cups. “What’s that funny smell?” Agnes asked, Sam didn’t know, so she simply shrugged. They looked over to see Zach with his friends playing Stump in the opposite corner. They decided to pour themselves a drink, and watch the boys, and try to ignore the mass of people essentially having s*x. Agnes was still looking around the pile. “I cannot believe there is no alcohol here!” she said suddenly.

“Oh there is alcohol, you just have to earn it” a silky male voice purred.

Agnes looked at Sam, puzzled. Eric Dorfman had appeared from the crowd and slid his arm around Sam’s waist and reached for Agnes’ shoulders. But years of headlocks from Brian had made her hyper vigilant, she read Dorfman’s movement and artfully dodged, spilling her rootbeer all over her shirt. She looked down at her now transparent top, threw her arms over her chest and started running towards the house as Eric started laughing. “No one wants to see it anyway, ya tight ass b***h!”

         Sam tried to wriggle out of Eric’s arms, but his grasp was too strong. He grabbed her wrist and spat at her “I know you want it, I bet you’re just grateful someone’s even offering.” Sam didn’t know what to say. She was trapped, one arm pinned against him, her other arm being forced towards the growing bulge in Eric’s pants. Time seemed to slow down, when she felt her hip slam into the ground. She felt Eric’s arm underneath her back. She looked up see a head of jet black hair, leaning over Eric’s body pinned to the dirt, an elbow at his throat. “You think you’re a tough guy cause you’re the captain of the douche squad? You’re just a ginger one beer queer, sad that no one wants to touch your pathetic d**k. You try that s**t again and I’ll beat your ass. Now f**k off.”

Sam felt Eric yank his arm out from underneath her. She watched him swing at the black haired boy, then heard the sickening crunch. She closed her eyes and listened to the rustling of clothes and the sound of impact. Then all she heard was one panting voice ask, “Are you okay?” She looked up into gentle blue green eyes that were eager to hear the answer. “Ye-ye-yes” she managed to get the word out. He held out his hand, grabbed her forearm and pulled her to her feet. She looked down at Eric’s unconscious form. She took a deep breath, steeling herself from the nerves in her stomach, and squashing them back down. She felt inexplicably safe and comfortable next to the boy who saved her, it was a weird but pleasant feeling. She looked at him, trying to decide if it was safe to trust her gut with this strange boy.

“Where did you learn to do that?” she asked brusquely.

“Do what?”

“Fight like that.”

“Oh, no where really.” He said with a cocky grin.

She looked at his wiry frame incredulously. “Uh-huh… real answer? You obviously took” she stopped. “Thank you.” She stuck her hand out to shake his. He looked at her funny for a second and then took it. They stared at each other feeling the energy flowing between them. She didn’t know if a moment or minutes had passed when he spoke.

“Krav Maga. I started taking classes when my dad started getting belligerent.”

She pondered, “what a deeply personal thing to say to a complete stranger”. “Oh wow, sorry, hi I’m Sam” she gushed.

“I know” he flashed that cocky grin at her again.

“Alright mystery man. How am I supposed to tell the story of your heroic rescue if I don’t have your name? Where will I send the cookies to?”

“I like mystery man, to be honest. Has a nice ring to it.” He chuckled. Sam wasn’t daunted by his lack of cooperation. Time to change tack.

“What’s your favorite color?

He looked at her, perplexed. “Blue… why?”

“Favorite sport?”

“Baseball” She recognized him now. “You sure it isn’t quidditch Harry?”

“Ha ha. No, it’s baseball. I thought you were smart. Isn’t that why they call you down at all the assembly’s?”

Sam’s brain whirred, he was definitely one of Lauren’s brother’s friends. Dylan maybe? He played shortstop for varsity. She just needed to remember the back of his jersey.

“Sam!” a voice soared out of the crowd.  Lauren, Penny and Agnes rushed towards her. They took in the mystery man, and Eric’s unconscious form on the ground. Lauren grabbed her hand and started moving towards the woods. “Party’s about to get busted, Tommy called from the station. Zach is pulling the car around to the other side.”

“That’s my cue.” with that the Mystery Man took off. The four girls fled through the woods and hopped into Zach’s car. They all started laughing.

         As soon as Sam got home she got out her yearbook and flipped to the class of (figure out what year they graduated) and looked for the mystery man. She spotted him, and her stomach flipped, there he was, Jake McNally, sporting that same cocky grin. “Must be a trademark” she mused. She felt a smile creep onto her own face.  She found him in the sports section; “boy he looks great in uniform” she smiled again. She heard her mother on the stairs; she closed the book quickly and silently, hit the light and dove underneath her pink paisley covers. Her mother cracked the door open to see Sam gently breathing, horizontal on the bed. Sam fell asleep thinking of the boy with the crooked and cocky grin.