"Samantha! Samantha Carter, you are not paying attention!"
"What?" Samantha (never Sam) turned round to face her irate teacher. He was right. She hadn't been paying attention. What was the point? She knew it all anyway. It was much more fun to watch the game of street hockey outside. Especially when Simon was playing. He was tall, blond, and utterly gorgeous. He was also barely aware she existed. It wasn't surprising. Her mother kept telling her that her mousy brown hair would lighten into blond soon, that her figure would magically spring out of the puppy fat, that she would be able to discard the glasses soon as her vision corrected herself. Samantha wasn't so sure. Besides, being good-looking was kind of scary. It meant you had to stop playing with astronaut dolls, and wear frilly dresses and giggle all day long. She'd put up with being plain thank you very much, except for gorgeous Simon Bailey...
"Samantha, do you have any intention of answering my question this week?"
She looked round in panic. She was sure she knew the answer, if only she knew the question! She glanced at the guy sitting next to her, the one with the glasses and shy smile. He pushed a piece of paper at her. She glanced down.
'He asked you to describe a black hole' the writing said.
"Oh." Samantha said. "Well, basically, a black hole..."
Twenty minutes later, Mr Jones finally shut her up, and let the class go. He sighed. He should have known better than to ask Samantha Carter that question. Even he hadn't understood half of what she had said.
Outside, Samantha caught up with the friend who had passed her the note.
"Thanks Danny." she said.
"It's ok. I'm surprised he asked you. He normally leaves you way alone."
"Why?"
"Because you're so much smarter than he is."
"So?."
"Well, a lot of men feel threatened by a pretty, and smart girl."
"I'm not pretty Danny."
"You will be." he said confidently. He glanced outside to where Simon and his friend were still playing.
"He's a jerk." Danny said.
Sam looked too. "I know!" she wailed. "I tell myself that every night, but every time I see him, I just go gooey inside."
"Gooey? Sounds messy."
The two of them giggled as they crossed the road. Oh God! He was just a few feet away now! She could see his butt in those tight little jeans... no, don't look at his butt. Don't look at him at all! Just talk to Danny. Just keep talking to Danny Owww!
The hockey ball had flown up and hit Samantha bang on the arm, very hard. Simon looked up, and for one minute Samantha thought he was going to ask if she was ok, look down at her with those big blue eyes, and comfort her.
He came over and said, "Hey watch it, geeks! We're playing here!"
"Watch it yourself, jerk!" Sam yelled back, before she even thought. Then she gasped. She had called Simon a jerk! She was speechless.
"What did you say?" Simon gasped.
"Leave it, Simon." his friend said.
"Leave it? She called me a jerk!"
"Well, you are a jerk." he walked over to Sam. "If you weren't so crap at this game you wouldn't have hit her." He came over, leaving Simon opening and closing his mouth like a fish. "Are you ok?" his friend asked Sam, his brown eyes concerned.
"Yeah, I think." Her voice shook, and she could feel herself starting to cry, not because of the pain, but because Simon had called her a geek. She looked up into his friend's eyes, and smiled softly.
"You're going to have to teach him to be better at that game." she said.
"I don't think its possible." He smiled back. He could see there were tears in her eyes, and he guessed why. Simon had never noticed her, but more than once, HE had seen her, sitting by the field, looking wistful and sad, watching Simon. He knew Simon would never want her, and he was glad she had had the courage to stand up to Simon, and not to run away and cry.
"You'd better have the arm checked out." he said. "It's probably just a bruise, but I don't you permanently damaged."
"Thanks, I will."
"Well." he said, struck by the desire to keep her there, just a little longer, staring down into those eyes. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss...?"
"Carter." she said, giggling at his formality. "Samantha Carter."
"And I'm Jack."
"Thanks, Jack."
He nodded, but then Simon called, and Jack ran back to his friends.
"Well, he seemed nice." said Danny, an idea beginning to form in his brain."
"Yeah." she said. "Hey Danny, do you think he'll put in a good word for me with Simon?"
"Oh, Samantha!"
"Yes, I know, but I'm still..."
"Gooey?"
She laughed as they walked off together. Danny glanced back at Jack, who kept sneaking little glances at Sam. Danny had just thought of a brilliant plan to get Sam over Simon, once and for all.
xxxxx
The next day Danny peered round his math class anxiously. This was one class he didn't share with Sam, but he was pretty sure that - yes, there he was. Jack had just walked in.
"Hey!" Danny said as jack passed him by, a little nervously. Jack looked down at him puzzled.
"Hey. Weren't you with that girl the other night?"
"Yes! Yes, I was."
"Oh. You and she...?"
"NO! Absolutely not. In fact, I wanted to talk to you about her..." He stopped as the class bully stopped in front of his desk.
"You're sitting in my place." the guy with no neck said.
Danny sighed. He really ought to move, he knew that. But, if he gave in now, he would be giving in to bullies the rest of his life, and he had no intention of doing that. He sighed, readied himself for a beating, and said, "No."
"What?" the guy said.
"I said no. Are you deaf as well as ugly?"
Jack stared. He couldn't believe what he was seeing! The little guy was actually standing up to No-neck! Any minute now the guy was going to get pummelled into the ground. Jack almost couldn't bear to watch, but he was fascinated. The little geek had guts, he'd give him that. Then he thought, 'No. I can't let them do it.'
"Hey, No-neck." Jack said.
No-neck turned to face him. Jack stood up.
"What?" No-neck rumbled.
"Leave the kid alone, he's a friend of mine."
Danny leaned back in his seat, out of the way of the blood that was about to start flying about, when No-neck suddenly said,
"Ok, Jack. Whatever you say." and lumbered away. Danny gaped.
"How... how did you do that?" Jack shrugged.
"I beat him up when we five. He's been scared ever since."
Danny shook his head. What kind of friend had he just made?
"Anyway." Jack said. "You were saying?"
"I was saying... oh yes! Who are you taking to the prom?"
"Her."
Danny glanced over to where Jack had pointed. There was a girl. Her blonde hair was pretty, if you ignored the black roots. She had a good figure, shame her clothes seemed to be too small for her. Her face was pretty, if you ignored the vacant expression,and how she kept her mouth open when she chewed gum.
"Her?" Danny said.
"Yeah well, she's a cheerleader and I'm a sports captain, its sort of expected." He didn't seem too thrilled about the idea but he'd asked her to the prom already, so that was one idea down the drain. Time for plan b.
"I hate to get personal." Danny said, "But you're flunking math, aren't you?"
Jack shifted in his seat. "Just a bit."
Danny looked at him.
"Ok, a lot. So?"
"So Samantha is a genius. I'll bet she could help you pass."
"A genius."
Jack really didn't get on well with clever prople. They scared him just a little. "Uhh, I don't know..."
"Look, she's really patient. She got me through physics. She'd help you, I know she would."
Jack thought back to the girl he'd seen last night. Not the prettiest girl, but there was something about her, probably the way she had stood up to Simon even though she was infatuated with him. Ok, why not. He was flunking math. He'd go and see if this oddly fascinating girl could help him.
xxxxx
He found her in one of the labs during lunch, bent over a book. She was frowning slightly as she made notes, and she'd taken her glasses off.
"Hey." he said softly. She looked up in surprise. Wow, those glasses really made a difference. Without them, he could see how large and blue her eyes were. He suddenly felt unaccountably nervous.
"Hey." she replied. "Can I help you?"
"Do you remember me?" he said, and she smiled. Oh, that was it. The smile did it for him. It was the sweetest smile he'd ever seen. He was utterly hooked.
"Of course, Simon's friend."
Oh yeah, he was Simon's friend. The total jerk she was utterly in love with. "Well, we're not that close. I came to ask you... I'm flunking math. Danny said you could help."
Samantha was surprised. This guy was a jock and he was talking to Danny? And asking for help?
"Couldn't you get into college on a sports scholarship?" she asked.
"Well, you see that's the problem. I don't want to go to college. I want to join the air force."
"You want to be a soldier? What do you need math for?"
"No, not the army, the airforce. There's a difference. Will you help me or not?"
Samantha looked at him. She really wasn't in the mood to take on a pupil, especially one who's one desire was to join the army and kill people, or the air force or whatever. She didn't really want to be bothered by him, even if when he smiled at her - well, she didn't go all gooey, she just glowed with warmth, like she was home.
"What's in it for me?" she asked.
"Simon. I'll help you." Yeah, I'll help you alright. Help you see what a jerk he is.
"You'll help me? You'll put in a good word for me? Make him like me?"
It made his heart ache to see how excited she got over him. "You'll teach me?" he asked.
She smiled. "Oh yes."
xxxxx
So she did teach him. She was surprised. He wasn't flunking math because he was stupid. Far from it. He just had trouble with abstract concepts. If he couldn't feel or touch a thing, he found it difficult to understand. So Samantha taught him about geometry using pies, and vectors at the airport, watching planes. He learnt fast.
"Thanks, Sam." he said, the night before the final test.
"Samantha." she said, smiling softly.
"I don't know, I like Sam better."
She shook her head. Her glasses were lying on the table beside her, and Jack suddenly noticed something. He picked them up and looked through them.
"Hey, these are just plain glass!" he said. "Why do you wear glasses if you don't need to?".
"I used to need to! Give them back!" she snapped, angry that he was invading her private world.
"Tell me why Sam?"
She looked up into his eyes, and melted. She had to answer him. "Because the minute I stop wearing them, I start to grow up." she said. "I have to become all silly and girly like all the other girls here. I have to stop... I have to put my doll away." she stammered, trying to explain what she had never really articulated to herself before.
"You don't want to stop playing with your Barbie?" Jack said incredulously.
"No! That's not it at all! You don't understand! You're just like all the other men, aren't you! Just leave me alone!". She ran out of the classroom, Jack following.
He eventually caught up with her outside. He grabbed her, not too tight, and said, "I'm sorry. Really I am. Please, just explain what you meant to me."
"Alright. By doll, I don't mean Barbie. I mean Major Matt Mason, astronaut doll. I don't play with him, I just keep him out to remind me of my dream. If I put him away, I'll lose my dream."
"Dream?"
"To be an astronaut!" she said, her eyes gleaming. "To go out into space! To just go places no human has ever gone before!"
So that was it? Her dream? Not marriage, or being a movie star, like the other girls he knew, but to be an astronaut? And she thought she couldn't do it. He chuckled gently.
"Yeah, I know." she said, misinterpreting his chuckle. "I'm a girl, and girls don't go into space."
"No, its not that." he said. "When I went to the recruiting office for the air force, they told me about their astronaut programme. They're trying to recruit more people. They have to be incredibly smart, and I'm not, but you are."
"But I'm a girl!"
"I know! But its about time a woman got up there! You're tough Sam, I've seen you stand up for yourself. You could do it! You could become an astronaut! You could join the air-force, and do it. Didn't your dad tell you all this?"
"He's a bit behind the times." she admitted. "Do you think I could, Jack!
Do you really think I could join the air force? Go up into space? Be the first person ever on new planets?"
He smiled down at her. She was lovely - utterly beautiful. She glowed with excitement, and he had caused it.
"I think you could do anything." he said. He couldn't resist anymore. He bent down gently, and kissed her.
Her first kiss! So this is what it was like. It made her tremble, and go all shivery. She reached up to respond, then realised what was going on. She pulled away, then slapped Jack as hard as she could.
"What the hell!" he said.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Kissing you!"
"What about Simon?"
"What about him? He'a jerk. He'll never love you. He'll never love anybody but himself."
Sam went cold. "Have you always known this?"
"Yes."
"Then you got my help under false pretences."
"Sam..."
"The deal was, I help you, you help me with Simon. You were never going to do that were you?"
"No! I was! I just never... Sam, I just never figured on falling in love with you."
In love. That was the first time anyone had ever said that to her. But it was the wrong man! Sure she liked Jack, with his gorgeous eyes, and his funny little jokes meant for her alone, but she loved Simon. She loved SIMON!
"I'm sorry Jack." she said and walked away.
Jack sat down on the ground. He was there for about an hour, when Danny appeared.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down next to Jack.
"Everything. I really screwed up this time." Jack looked at Danny. "You set us up didn't you?" Jack asked. "You'd knew I'd fall in love with her."
Danny nodded. "Are you mad?" he asked.
"I ought to be. It's no use, Danny, she loves Simon. I haven't got a chance."
"Yes, you do. Just be at the prom."
"But I'm taking Chantelle! Sam can't see me with her!"
"Trust me! Take her! I'll sort it out."
xxxxx
"Danny, what am I doing here?" Sam asked. She was sat in the gallery overlooking the main hall where the prom was being held. Downstairs, Danny could see Simon, and his date, who was getting very annoyed, and Jack, who looked like hell. Danny glanced across at Sam. He'd persuaded her to wear blue, not black, and to dump her glasses for the night. She wasn't the most beautiful girl there, but anybody with any brains could see that one day, very soon, the ugly duckling was going to turn into the most gorgeous swan they'd ever seen. Jack seemed to be the only one who saw this coming, and Danny was going to make sure Jack had her before every boy in school was flocking around her. It was the best way of protecting his friend from all the bastards in the world. Speaking of which, he could see Simon and Jack going outside to talk.
"You're here because I asked you." Danny said, pulling at his tie. Damn it, he hated these things!
"But you hate these things!" Sam said.
"I think they're interesting from an anthropological point of view."
"Point of view?"
Downstairs, Jack was helping Simon throw up, and resisting the urge to rub his friends face in the mess.
"You're date doesn't seem too happy." Simon slurred.
"I just told her I never want to see her again."
"Why?"
"No reason. Come on buddy, lets get you back to your date, before she dumps you altogether."
"No, I wanna talk." Simon leaned against the wall. "Where you been buddy? I've hardly seen you the past few weeks."
Jack could see Simon's date leaving. Damnit! This meant he was stuck with the guy.
"I've been getting math tutoring. Your date's gone."
"Damn!" He swayed, and Jack pulled him upright again. "Guess that means I'm not getting any tonight." Simon said.
"I doubt you could manage."
Simon suddenly grinned. "Math tutoring? Who from?"
Jack gritted his teeth. "Samantha Carter."
"That faceache?" Simon laughed, not seeing the very hard glint that had suddenly appeared in Jack's eyes. "Hey!" Simon suddenly remembered. "Isn't she the one who fancies me?"
"No." If Simon had been sober, he'd have recognized the tone of Jack's voice, and shut up, but he didn't.
"Yeah she is, this Sara,"
"Sam."
"Loves me! Hey, if I can't get any tonight, there's always her, isn't there!"
Something in Jack snapped. He slammed his friend up against the wall, hard. "Listen to me, you bastard." he growled. "If you so much as look in her direction, I'll break every bone in your body - slowly. Do you understand? She's mine, and you keep your disgusting little paws off her. Clear?"
Simon nodded. Jack let go of him, and he crumpled to the floor. Jack stalked off to find Danny.
Simon hadn't been there very long, when he heard a soft voice say, "Hey, are you ok?"
Simon opened his eyes and focused on the biggest bluest eyes he had ever seen.
"I am now, Sara."
"Sam."
Jack found Danny finally. "Ok, Danny, I'm talking to her right now. Where is she?"
"Didn't you pass her?" Danny said. "She just went outside."
Jack stared for a second, then ran downstairs again.
"So, Sam, just me and you alone in the moonlight. Romantic?"
"Oh yes." Sam breathed. Simon put his arms round her waist and pulled her towards him so roughly she nearly fell over. She put her face up to his, and he leaned down to kiss her. She waited for the same sensations she had felt with Jack to reappear.
They didn't.
Sam was suddenly aware she had made a terrible mistake. She pulled away.
"Hey come on baby!" Simon said, refusing to let go. "You're not getting away that easily."
Jack arrived downstairs just in time to see Sam straining to get away from Simon - then saw her raise her knee, straight into his crotch. Simon's scream could be heard all round the school. Jack just watched as Sam pulled him up, and thumped him hard. He fell, and lay on the floor in a crumpled moaning heap. Jack went up to her.
"I thought you needed rescuing. Should have known better."
"I appreciate the thought." she said smiling.
"So what happened?"
"Well... he kissed me, and I thought it would be all shivery and lovely like it was with you."
"With me?"
"But it was just wet."
"Lovely?"
She nodded. "Can I kiss you again? Just to make sure?"
"You can kiss me forever." he said as he pulled her into his arms.
xxxxx
"Danny? Danny! Danny-boy, wake up!"
"Uh, what?" Danny stirred and opened his eyes to find Jack and Sam leaning over him - both in uniform, and both definitely not high school students.
"You fell asleep under the dreaming tree." Sam explained.
"Dreaming tree?"
"Its what the natives call it." said Jack has he helped him up.
"I can see why! I had the strangest dream. You were in it Jack, and you and... not you Teal'c."
"Yeah, and so was our little dog Toto." Jack said.
"No really, you were there, and it was high school, and, well, you don't need to know what happened, but then..." Daniel's voice trailed off as they all headed home again.
The End.
Story Notes: FEEDBACK; MBIRKY@HOTMAIL.COM
RATING; P/G
AUTHOR'S NOTE; REPLYING TO JAN'S HIGH SCHOOL CHALLENGE ok, this is my stab at the high school challenge. like i said, the closest experience i have of american school is buffy, and i'm guessing they're not all like that, right? so excuse the mistakes. anyway, here goes.
ARCHIVE; SAM AND JACK, HELIOPOLIS, PLEASE
RATING; P/G
AUTHOR'S NOTE; REPLYING TO JAN'S HIGH SCHOOL CHALLENGE ok, this is my stab at the high school challenge. like i said, the closest experience i have of american school is buffy, and i'm guessing they're not all like that, right? so excuse the mistakes. anyway, here goes.
ARCHIVE; SAM AND JACK, HELIOPOLIS, PLEASE
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]