It all begins with the click of the phone. An unproblematic phone call can alter everything.
“Hey what’s up?” I ask excitedly I had not talked to her in such a long time!
“Nothing, I feel like I haven’t talked to you in so long,” Sam said while painting her nails.
“I know it’s weird. We used to call each other and hang out everyday,” I couldn’t believe it. We never see each other anymore, outside of school.
“I’m so stressed out right now,” I said overwhelmed.
“Why?” Sam questioned in her usual annoyed with me tone.
“I don’t know, just some guy drama. I mean homecoming is in a week and I don’t have a date,” I was freaking out. It was senior year and I didn’t have a date.
“Well neither do I….I’m sure we’ll still have fun together. Plus, we still have a week. I mean, I really want a date, but homecoming has been a blast the past three years without one,” she assured me.

It was ironic that Sam didn’t know the guy I was crushing on, Jeff Moore, was about to ask her to homecoming. Jeff was perfect; tall, dark, and handsome. With a sun kissed glow. He was my dream date. He even knew how to make me laugh. That was one thing that I needed in a guy. He understood everything about me. I could tell him anything and I didn’t have to worry about it getting out.
“Yeah I guess. It’s weird. I thought that by senior year I would at least have a date, you know. I feel like guys are too afraid to ask girls to homecoming. There is so much drama…it’s so stressful mostly guy drama. I really like this guy but he likes someone else…Complicated - I know,”
I let out a sigh as my eyes started to wander across my plain white ceiling. My body started to relax and I lay there motionless on my bed. The stress in my mind was making my curls tighter. I could feel my cheeks getting warm and rosy.
“That’s weird,” Sam acknowledged. “Can you hold on a second? Someone is on the other line!”
“Okay,” I accepted her demand.
She never seemed to realize when I was in dire need of advice. I was coming to her in hopes that she could give me advice. I was jealous. She always got the guys. She had guys drooling over her and doing flips to try to impress her. She was the one that the guys wanted to get with or be around. Other girls wanted to be friends with her or be her. She was tall with dirty blonde hair that framed her oval face, accentuating her facial features. Her skin was flawless with no imperfections. Her almond shaped eyes had their way of flirting back. Sam was in the fashionable crowd at school. No, not the school sluts or the popular girls; she was in the semi popular group. This was our group. We could have a normal conversation with the popular people but at the same time we could chill out with our tight group of friends. Over the summer we were inseparable. We did everything together; went shopping, to the movies, out to eat, for ice-cream and of course late night bowling, our favorite. We had so much fun last summer, but before we knew it the late night hangouts and the all niters were over. The cool fall winds would sweep the leaves off the trees. We would have to get used to the fact that we would only be able to call each other once in a while. Our priorities would change from hanging out with each other to school: endless notes, procrastinating projects, pointless lectures, pop quizzes and of course drama. You can’t avoid it. It’s like a sore, even if you don’t pick at it, it still annoys you. It seemed like forever before Sam got back on the phone with me.
“Hey, I’m back.” Sam said.
“Who was it?” I questioned.
“Umm…Jeff. So what were we talking about again?” She asked.
“Just stupid drama,” I stated in an aggravated tone. She didn’t want to talk to me and I knew this.
“Right,” When she was annoyed she never said more than a word to me.
“I don’t know, have you every felt let down by a friend?” I asked.
“Umm yeah,” Her irritating tone rang in my ear I knew she really didn’t want to talk.
“Are you busy?” I asked.
“Umm, kind of. In a little while, I have to go.” She said relentlessly.
“Oh, where are you going?” I thoughtfully ask.
“Umm, I don’t know, somewhere…. with Jeff.” She said in a sarcastic I-can’t-believe- you-don’t-know tone of voice. I hated it when she did this.

“Oh right.” I should have guessed. She was going on a date with my crush. The man of my dreams and once again she didn’t realize how this made me feel.
“So what were we talking about?” she asked changing the subject.
“It’s ok, don’t worry about it,” I said feeling rejected and unimportant.
“Ok, I will talk to you later then? …..Are you ok?” she said pretending to care.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me…..ok bye,”
Somehow, Sam failed to notice that I was in love with Jeff, and Jeff was in love with her. I was out of the picture. Sam didn’t have feelings for Jeff; she just wanted the attention a boyfriend would give her. I talked to Sam about Jeff and his desire to be with her. Her response was so heartless: she had no feeling for him but she would be his girlfriend if he asked her out. She wanted a boyfriend; it was that simple. I was torn. Sam knew that I liked Jeff and that I wanted to go to homecoming with him: Even if we were just friends. But to add to this Jeff knew I was best friends with Sam so he would call me asking for advice especially on ways to impress Sam. I was being used for his benefit, so he could get in with my best friend and it killed me that Sam didn’t like him. She just wanted a boyfriend and the attention that would come along with it. What was I to do? My instinct was to call Jeff and tell him what a jerk she was, but at the same time, she was my best friend. But I didn’t care I was in love with him. I was completely and undesirably jealous that he wouldn’t even consider me. Something compelled me to call him. My figures went crazy; they knew his number by heart.
“Hello?” Jeff answered.
“Hey Jeff it….” Jeff interrupted me before I could finish,
“Jordan I know, I have caller id.”
“Ha-ha Right.” He caught me off guard.
“So what’s up Jordan? I haven’t talked to you in a really long time.” Jeff deeply cared about me. And I could tell.
“Seriously, I know, umm, nothing, just drama and crap…and you?”
“Nothing, just chilling with Chad…”
“Cool, what are you guys up to?”
“Watching Blue Crush. Actually Chad is watching Blue Crush and I’m pretty much talking to the coolest chick I know.” He said playfully.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said blushing.
“So what drama? You know I love hearing drama,” Jeff loved to girl talk. Sometimes, I wondered if he was gay, but dismissed it because he was too manly to be.
I couldn’t do it. There was no way that I could tell Jeff. I would be backstabbing my best friend. Even if I would be happier I couldn’t do it. Our friendship meant way too much to me, and I couldn’t hurt her.
“Just homecoming stuff…” I said as I rolled my eyes.
“Oh I want to hear about this…” Jordan always wanted to talk; he was always there for me and always willing to help. I stared intensely at myself in the mirror, posing, pointing out my flaws, (the reasons why I didn’t have a date to homecoming).
“Well I still don’t have a date to homecoming…” I said in a timid-whatever tone.
“Umm neither do I. I’m thinking about asking Sam though,” Jeff said unaware of how much this hurt me.
“Right I knew that. Well when are you going to do it?” I questioned.
“Soon, I just don’t know how to ask her.” He sounded so apprehensive and unsure of what he should do. I needed to help. I thought for a second.
“You should send her around on a scavenger hunt and you should be the last clue… she would love that!” I exclaimed. I was so happy, I pictured Sam being so happy. In that moment, I wanted the best for her.
“Yeah that’s a really good idea. Can you help me plan it all out?” Jeff asked.
“Yeah definitely.” Although my heart was breaking I was excited for Sam. I loved to see my friends happy and surprised!
“How about you make up all of the clues and I will deliver them for you.” I said.
“Okay. I will go and make up the clues,” The excitement in his voice made me feel so warm inside.
“Ok, so I will talk to you later then. tomorrow morning, meet me by my locker,” I said.
“Ok,” I could sense his thrill.
I was excited for this big surprise. I knew that Jeff was the only guy that would make Sam happy. She deserved him. I was torn that I wasn’t the girl of choice, but I knew this route would help me and Jeff get closer and after all, that is what I wanted. After I hung up the phone all I could think about was how happy I was for them. Jeff and I were getting closer.

It was Friday, the day before homecoming, and I still didn’t have a date. Sam and Jeff were going together as planned and I couldn’t be any happier. I was laying on my bed magazine surfing, partcularly reading my horoscope when my phone rang.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey Jordan, it’s Jeff.”
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked.
“Nothing, I kind of wanted to talk to you about something…”
“Ok, shoot. You know you can tell me anything.” I was feeling pretty good and according to my horoscope, I was doing the right thing; Listening.
“Well Sam doesn’t want to go to homecoming with just me…” My excitement was building as he went on.
“What? Why?” I said cutting him off. I secretly wished they would just make up their minds whether they wanted to go out and be boyfriend and girlfriend of not.
“She knows that you like me and wanted to go with me. She said that she couldn’t live with herself if she hurt you so I was wondering….” A thousand things were rushing through my head.
“So, Sam and I were wondering if you wanted to go with us?”
I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t believe Sam would do this for me. She really did care and she was really listening to me. She knew that he was my dream date and that I would be hurt if she went with him.
“Are you there?” Jeff asked.
“Yeah, I ’m here. I don’t really know what to think,” I was stunned.
“Umm. Hold on. Can I call you back, my mom is on the other line?” I inquired. It was a complete lie. I was going to call Sam.
“Yep sure. I think that we would have so much fun together; the three of us would be the center of attention. Everyone would be jealous of us.” Jeff said enthusiastically.
“Yeah jealous of you, you’d look like a pimp with two ladies. Ok let me call you back.” I said.This didn’t seem real. I felt like I was in a dream. I dialed Sam…
“Hello.” Sam answered.
“Hey Sam…. Is it true that you want to go to homecoming with the two of us?” I ask.
“Yes. You, Jeff and I would have a blast. I know how much you like him… And to be honest with you I don’t really like him like that.”
“Really?” I couldn’t believe this was happening. I would have never guessed this would happen. At that very moment I realized how much my friends meant to me. I realized that this was going to be the best homecoming.

The DJ announced that this was going to be the last song of the night. So find someone special. The three of us stood there. Our hair was a little bit looser. Our feet were killing us; (four inch stilettos weren’t the best choice). Sam looked at me then whispered something into Jeff’s ear. Before I knew it I was in Jeff’s arms. We started to sway with the music. It felt so natural yet, unreal. I looked over and saw Sam dancing with the Football captain. She noticed I was looking her way. She lipped to me: she had a blast and wouldn’t have changed a thing. Jeff leaned in closer to me. His hands were in the swell of my back. I couldn’t believe what was happening. Only the satin on my dress was separating Jeff from me. His hands felt so warm. The football captain had just kissed Sam. Jeff took note to this, looked deep into my eyes and kissed me. I was freaking out on the inside. Here I was, dancing with my prince charming and he had just kissed me! What more could I have wanted? Homecoming was everything I had expected and more. I learned in that very moment that sometimes the things you least expect, can happen if you just believe.