For Nevermore Season 1

I’m not gonna sit by while you all trash her. She’s still my friend, and that isn’t cool.”
    “Vicky was only joking,” Becca said, “just like we always are. No harm, no foul. I didn’t hear you sticking up for Caitlin or Jeremy or anyone else.”
    She had a point. Sam was angry with himself for not defending Jeremy when he wanted to earlier. “Listen, I know you and Noella don’t talk anymore. I don’t know what all happened, nor is it my business. That’s fine. But she’s still my friend, so all I ask is that when I’m around, you respect her.” Sam stared at Becca, silently challenging her to push back, and half expecting her to mimic his words in a mocking voice like Vicky sometimes did.
    Vicky spoke instead. “Oh, I hope he sticks up for you like that when Scarella is talking crap about you.”
    Sam narrowed his eyes at Vicky, “Noella doesn’t talk about either of you like that. And you may have a hard time believing it since you think everyone in the world cares about everything you do, but Noella couldn’t care less.”
    Before Becca or Vicky could respond, Robin, one of the girls clinging to the lowest rung of the EnvyUs ladder, came rushing up to them, interrupting their argument with hot-off-the-press gossip.
    “Oh. My. God,” she said. “Did you hear about Laura and Jake?”
    The three of them were standing in an open-mouthed half circle, shoulders raised, but Robin didn’t notice. She just kept flapping her gums into the settling silence.
    “They were like popping Oxys behind the gym after school and got caught by Mr. Roberson. He sent them to Dean Dinnon, and Dinnon called the police and everything. Kathy said she heard they’re getting expelled because of Zero Tolerance.”
    What looked like it was about to be a big blowup between Sam and Becca just seconds before was quickly rendered irrelevant by Laura, Jake, and pending police action. Fine by Sam.
    He half-listened to the gossip, mostly so he’d have a barometer on the truth when Becca and Vicky invariably twisted it on the way home. Sam’s mind started to wander, mostly around his recent decision to get serious with Becca. Their relationship was fresh, much newer than Noella likely realized. The kiss in Keefer’s was their first, and had surprised Sam as much as it excited him. Getting closer seemed natural after that, especially since they got along so well, at least when alone.
    They got along reasonably well around the EnvyUs girls, too, but that was on account of Sam knowing when it was best to simply shut up and keep his opinions buried. The problem was, Becca wasn’t Becca when she was with Vicky. And while most people would have made the argument that the reverse was true, and that Becca actually wasn’t herself when she was with him, Sam didn’t buy it for a second.
    Sam knew the real Becca, the one he thought about in quiet moments, the one he imagined holding hands with, the one who showed up for drama every day at 1:30 and acted with passion, soul, honesty, and emotion.
    The real Becca was bursting with life and surprising opinions. She didn’t care what others thought and had enough of an internal belief in herself to ignore what others thought and focus on the endless world of possibilities in front of her. The world was her oyster, and its pearls made her invincible. She was exciting and unpredictable, keeping Sam surprised, and interested. The real Becca was the one who was embarrassed when Sam found out she gave ten percent of her savings to the Surfrider Foundation. The real Becca was the one Sam was certain he could draw to the surface if given a chance.
    But maybe he couldn’t.
    And even if he could, maybe it wasn’t worth his time or energy. Life was fleeting after all. It was easier to see Becca’s flaws in the light of Noella’s confession that she loved him. He had always liked Noella, might even have loved her, but never enough to ruin his friendship with his best friend.
    Robin was still rattling on and on, now about some other line of gossip, so he slipped from the huddle, headed toward the counter of Starbucks, stood in line, then ordered two Frappuccinos and set them in the center of a table for four just as the girls were saying goodbye to Robin. Sam felt another pain in his gut as if someone kicked him hard, and glanced to see how far away he was from the restrooms in case he needed to make an emergency run.
    “Does your phone have a signal?” Becca asked, looking down at her