You've Reached Sam (35)

“That’s gross,” Mika says.

Sam looks at me. “Straws are bad for the environment anyway. I hear they’re trying to ban them in Seattle.”

“Are you trying to impress us, or make us feel bad?” Mika asks.

“Feel free to ignore her,” Sam says with an eye roll. He takes off his jacket, then removes his hat.

“Oh—” I notice his new haircut. “I like your hair.”

“Really?” he says, suddenly blushing. “I was worried they cut it too short.”

“No, it’s nice.”

We smile awkwardly at each other. I take a sip from my milkshake as Sam sits across from me. I watch as he stares into his strawless cup, waiting for it to melt.

“So there’s no school this Friday,” Mika says to stir up conversation. “Isn’t that a relief?”

“Yeah … finally a three-day weekend,” Sam says. He looks at both of us. “Do you guys have any plans?”

Mika nudges me with her foot.

“Oh—uh, well, I hear there’s a concert this weekend,” I think she wants me to say. “Sons of Seymour is playing.”

Sam leans into the table, his eyes bright with excitement. “Oh my god, I just bought my ticket to that. I didn’t know you listen to Sons of Seymour.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know you did, either.” I take a sip of my drink, trying to be casual.

“Of course! I’ve been obsessed. What’s your favorite song from them?” Sam asks.

“Oh—” I pretend to think about it. “Uh, I like the entire album. The new one, I mean.”

“It’s so good.”

“Right?”

“Maybe we can go together,” Sam says. “I’m sure they’ll sell tickets at the door.”

“I’d love that.”

“Cool.”

I glance at Mika. She smiles to herself as she sips her milkshake, appearing very pleased.

It was at this moment that I decided to like her. I started looking forward to those days she would tag along with us. I especially loved it when she’d send Sam on random fetch quests to give us a moment to chat—often about him. Like that time we were at the Wenatchee Valley Museum, looking at the Ice Age exhibit, and she made Sam go get her jacket from the car.

Mika leans her nose to the glass case, examining a mammoth bone. “How was your weekend in Seattle?”

“It was fun. It rained most of the time, though. What about yours?”

“Sam and I rewatched Avatar: The Last Airbender,” she says. “One of his favorite shows. He asked me about you.”

“Oh?”

She taps the glass, even though we’re not supposed to. “About what I thought about you, that is,” she says.

“And what did you say? If you don’t mind me asking…”

“I said I liked you better than other girls at school,” Mika says. “Which, frankly, isn’t saying too much, considering where we live.”

“I’ll still take that as a compliment.”

“As you should,” Mika says, nodding. “My approval is very important to Sam. He knows I have very good intuition. Especially about people.” She looks at me. “I hope I’m right.”

Eventually Sam returns from the car.

“You never brought a jacket,” he says.

Mika slaps her forehead. “I totally forgot.” She checks her watch. “Anyway, I’m late for work. I should really go.”

“What do you mean work?” Sam asks. “It was your idea to come here.”

“It slipped my mind,” Mika says. “You two can finish the exhibit without me.”

“How are you getting back?” I ask.

“My mom’s picking me up. She should be here any second now.” Mika checks her phone. “Gotta go. Have fun, you two.”

This isn’t the first time she’s done this. Makes plans for the three of us to hang out, then finds a way to leave us alone.

Sam and I turn back to the mammoth bones. It’s my favorite thing in here.

“Sorry about Mika,” Sam says with a sigh. “She tends to … get involved.” I hold back a knowing laugh. “Just to be clear. I’m not behind this.”

I turn to him. “Does that mean you don’t want to be here?”

“What? No! I only meant—” Sam stops, takes a deep breath, then calmly starts over. “What I mean is, as much as I love Mika … I don’t need anyone’s help to ask you out.”

“That’s fair,” I say.

We turn back to the glass. After a moment, Sam’s phone chimes. A second later, mine does, too. We look at our messages.

I look at him. “Is yours also from Mika?”

“Yeah.”

“What does your text say?”

“She says I should nix the exhibit and ask you to dinner.” He looks at me. “What about yours?”

“She says I should say yes.”

It’s impossible not to smile. Especially for Sam. “Shall we, then?”

Sam holds out his arm. I link mine with his. And we leave the Ice Age and mammoth bones behind us.

Eventually he finds the courage to invite me out more often. And so do I. While we start spending more and more time together, Mika is never out of the picture. I learned you can’t get to know one without getting to know the other. They were like siblings that way. We drive to school together, have lunch at the same table, share a group chat, and go on the occasional road trip. The most memorable road trip we took was to Spokane, where we snuck into a pub to see a battle of the bands contest. It also happened to be our worst.