The last of the fireworks echoed overhead as Samantha sat up from leaning on Locke’s chest. Locke gripped onto Samantha again and pulled her back into a hug. He then lazily stands up and brushes off the grass from his clothes. He offers his hand down to Samantha who was calmly waiting.
The applause that was for the fireworks finally dispersed and after giving Sam’s hand a good squeeze, Locke swiftly hoisted her to her feet. Once standing, she stretched with her arms overhead and then looked up at Locke.
The path lights flickered on one by one illuminating the way to the parks exit. Samantha smiled at Locke and then to the calm sky.
“So, Miss Samantha,” Locke asked smoothly, “Shall I be your company tonight? I would hate to leave you alone at all.” He finished.
Samantha’s smile slowly melted as she thought hard about how the night was going to end. Her gaze drifted from the sky to the sea of people as she thought to herself. Her reaction to his playful question made Locke uneasy.
Her thoughts continued to churn and whirl in her head of all the different problems that might occur.
“If I brought him home and ‘something’ happened, he could easily turn it into a one night stand. He seems like the one to do that, but maybe I could change that. He has been so wonderful to me and……”
“Samantha!!” Locke said again snapping his fingers in front of her face.
Startled, Samantha looked up into Locke’s cool, grey eyes and smiled sheepishly.
“I….I’m sorry. I was just thinking. A little too much.” She muttered.
He chuckled a little nervously and stepped forward, wrapping her in a hug.
“Sammy.” He started. “I don’t know what has you so worried, but if you would like, I could simply drive you home, no questions. Ok?” Locke asked softly down into Samantha’s ear. She could hear a hint of pain in his voice.
Samantha smiled sadly. She was not happy for his pain but she knew she had uncovered more of his intentions. She stepped back out of his embrace.
“I just don’t know. I know my father trusts me and all, but I’m not the kind of girl to bring a guy home on our first meeting.” Samantha sighed.
Locke added to her statement. “And I am not the type of guy to make a beautiful young lady worry.” Locke stopped and looked around before continuing. “Come on, we still have plenty of time for you to decide my fate. But first, we need to leave here.” He finished nodding his head toward the path of the exit.
She smiled shyly, feeling better about Locke altogether. He held his hand out to take hers but she stepped forward and latched onto his arm and looked up at him innocently.
“Well, alright. That works too.” Locke laughed whole heartily.
They followed the rest of the guests toward the exit of the park. Not much was said between the two as they walked. They both finally came to the exit and then out to the parking lot. Coming up to a white car, Samantha stopped in her tracks.
Locke stopped also, “Sammy? What’s wro……”
Locke was cut off by a shrill wolf whistle and a voice he was afraid to hear. “Damn Locke. I didn’t think you could do it, get her to put out so easily, I mean.”
Leaning on the hood of Locke’s little red car was the two other boys from that afternoon. Samantha broke away from Locke’s arm as her face grew red from embarrassment and anger.
“Ah, man.” Locke mumbled, running a hand threw his spiked hair. “I forgot I had to drive these buttholes home too.”
Walking up to the car he protectively placed an arm around Samantha’s shoulder to encourage her to walk forward. He fumbled in his shorts until he found his car keys and unlocked the doors from the passenger side. He opened the door and Samantha quickly slid in, looking a little frazzled. Locke leans on the passenger side door to get closer to whisper to Samantha.
“You still want me to take you home? We can call your pop and I can’t tell you how these two will act towards you. They just love giving me a hard time and they know that my soft spot is for…..girls.” He chuckled nervously, finding it hard to cheer her up.
Samantha’s face grew redder at this but she kept his gaze just the same.
“If all the other girls you bring home can handle these two, then so can I.” Samantha says coldly. Locke just looks at her with amazement and realizes what he said.
“Oh! .....well, I mean….. there weren’t too many others, No! That’s not what I meant…. Oh man.” Locke ran a hand through his hair again nervously.
Samantha chuckled at his fumbling words. “Besides, I have decided I want you to see my house, regardless of what anyone thinks of me.”
“That settles it then!! The lady has spoken.” The boy with the shaven head said, clapping Locke on the shoulders as he stood up. Locke lightly closed the passenger door for Samantha and then turned around to his “friends”.
Samantha could hear bits and pieces of his soft promise to the others but she knew he spoke quietly so as to save her from those choice words. She thought to herself how cute he was acting protecting her like before. She knew she could handle any “trouble” the two bring her way but it was nice to have someone else stick up for her too.
Waving Locke off with a hand, the boy who spoke jumped into the back seat behind Samantha.
“Yeah, yeah. We will play nice with your lady friend.” The blond haired boy said climbing into the seat behind Locke as he slipped into the drivers’ side and closing his door.
“Right, dude. We were only seeing if this one was good enough for our best-friend.” The other added giving Locke another punch on the shoulder.
Samantha laughed at this and said. “It is not like he needs either of you two to judge anyone who he wants to be friends with. A gentleman such as Locke can act the way a proper man should, when need be while you two, and your middle school pranks, probably don’t even know how to approach a girl let alone talk to her in a civilized manner.”
The brown shaven haired boy snorted. “The girls I bring home, babe, don’t want to be civil.” He laughed at his joke as he buckled his seatbelt and started staring out the window.
Samantha scoffed and just rolled her eyes. “Whatever your choice in women is, please refrain from putting me down to their level, and now would you also let your best-friend drive in piece.”
The blond hair boy made a chocking sound as he held back a laugh at his friend. The brown haired boy just shrugged, and moved down in the car seat to rest his head on the door to sleep.
Locke was smiling as he turned around to pull out from the parking spot. Before facing forward he gave Samantha a sly little wink as she watched him drive. This made her blush and that made Locke laugh out loud this time. He flipped on the radio but turned it down to a nice level for everyone. A little bit of rock and roll music played and Samantha tapped on her knees the beat of some of the songs she knew.
The blond boy made sounds like he wanted to talk but then remembered Samantha was in the car and quickly tried to silence any noise he made.
“I hate to act like someone’s mother, but I will give you both permission to speak; if you believe we can have a civilized conversation?” Samantha said after the fifth time he made the weird muffled sounds.
The blond in the back cleared his throat rather awkwardly and spoke in a hushed tone that matched hers.
“My name is Austin, and my jerk brother, who is sleeping back here, is Charlie. It is nice to meet you outside of the prank we pulled.” Austin finished and brushed his dusty blond hair out of his face.
Samantha turned in her seat to get a good look at him. “It is very nice to meet you as well, Austin.” Samantha smiled and held out her hand as best she could, being turned in her seat like that.
They shook hands rather awkwardly as wall and then Samantha turned back around to stare out her window again.
“I can’t say either way if I was upset about your little prank or not. I believe it was just out of shock from the cold water I reacted the way that I did.” Samantha continued. “It was refreshing though. Plus it was just water.” She laughed politely.
“I guess I get it.” Austin chuckled back. “I mean, it was not like you were wearing a white shirt and no bra. Or something like that.
“Yes, I would have to agree that I would be pretty mad if that were the case.” Samantha said dryly continuing to stare out of the window at the stars.
Locke, who was driving with cruise on the highway, looked over to see if that remark had bothered her. She looked content just staring out her window and thinking to herself. It put him at ease to learn that she really wasn’t upset about their, “prank”.
He was also a little thankful for what Austin had said about Samantha and a white shirt. A small blush started creeping up his cheeks as he turned back to watch the road. He glanced over at her again to notice she still hadn’t moved. He let his eyes wonder while still trying to keep his eyes on the road. He noticed, in the dim lights from the dashboard, that her dress was a nice green color that matched her eyes.
The way Samantha was sitting with one arm holding her head up and the other laying gently across her lap, her dress seemed to pucker in the front and Locke could see what looked like a bit of her bra.
He snapped his head forward as his blushing deepened. He noticed that this was the first time he had thought of her chest, or any part of her body for that matter. He wasn’t normally like that with girls. Along with his friends they mainly ogled a girl’s body first and then the face but it felt as though Samantha changed the way his mind worked. And from what he could tell, it was for the better too, which made him smile. He was happy for the change and would gladly give up his old ways for her.
Staring at the road ahead his thoughts changed to his real intentions for the night. He was serious about just taking her home but then he kept beating himself up for even giving her that option in the first place. But his mind changed and he thought, he was changing for her, and for the better. “Anything to make her happy.” He thought. ‘As long as she is happy’, he mouthed silently to himself which made him smile.
Pulling into town, the rest of the ride went as well as before. Locke stopped in front of a house applying a bit too much speed to the brake. He threw an arm out to catch Samantha but the two on the back were awoken from the sudden stop of the car. Samantha giggled as they both climbed out of the car mumbling.
Samantha rolled down her window as the two staggered to close their doors and get into the house. As they reached the sidewalk next to the car Samantha called. “Good night Charlie and Austin!” Charlie was the first to react.
“Oh… yeah.” He shook his head to wake himself up. “Good night. Uh…..” Austin elbowed him in him ribs. “Her name is Samantha.” He hissed at his brother. “Right, night Samantha. Take good care of Percy for us.” He laughed his ordered to her.
“Percy?” she asked out loud. Locke laughed. “Percy Locke Cooper, at your service ma’am. I just don’t particularly like my first name much” She turned towards him to see his sly wink which made her blush. She turned back to look out the window to see Austin jogging back down the path. He came back to the car and stuck his head through the window and looked over at Locke.
“Dude. You really need to keep this one. I like her for once.” And just as he jogged back to the car he was jogging back to the house. Locke smiled and shook his head though he was already planning to do just that.
Samantha looked around and noticed that this was the street her father lived on.
She stretched her arm over her head as Locke slowly pulled the car away from the curb. He moved his right arm over and snatched one of her delicate hands in his.
“My dad’s house isn’t very far. I’ve glad I live on the same street as those two, I’m tired.” She yawned looking over all the different houses to find her father’s. Locke glanced past her and out the open window to smile at a house.
Locke slowed the car down to a crawl so that she could get a better look in the dark at all the identical looking houses. She perked up and pointed enthusiastically when she found the right number and house on the corner.
He stopped the car abruptly at the stop sign and just looked at her with amazement. “Your kidding right?” He asked laughing.
“What?” Samantha gasped, looking around her. “What’s wrong?” She asked a little worried at his reaction.
“Oh, nothing.” He said taking back his hand so that he can make the right hand turn onto the other street her father’s corner house sat on.
She pointed and said, “You can come down this ally and park in back, my father normally parks in the street anyways so you can use the carport back behind the house.”
Locke did as he was told and turned the car again to the right to drive slowly down the alley.
“Alright then, just pull in here and….” She stated and pointed at one of the identical empty car ports behind each house. “Locke, you missed my father’s. The house is the one on the corner.” She looked around confused again.
Locke just smiled to himself some more as he then pulled into the carport next to where her father’s house was. Samantha looked to this house and looked to her father’s. Nothing looked too different except the decorations in the yards.
Locke parked the car and shut it off. Stepping out his side and coming over to the passenger side to help Samantha out. She just sat confused and played along. He opened her door and gently held a hand out to her and a big smile on his face. She took his hand and returned his smile but she was not as enthusiastic as he is acting.
After she was out of the car he gently closed the door and while still holding her hand, motioned to the back door of the neighboring house.
Samantha chuckled. “But this isn’t my father’s house.”
“Oh, I know.” Locke retorted in a matter of fact tone. “It’s mine.”
