For Nevermore Season 1

“Can I give you a ride to school?”
    Noella didn’t know what to say, so she stared at the asphalt instead.
    “Please,” Sam said, then turned to Mako. “Do you mind if I take her from you? I’d give you both a ride, but to be honest, I’m sorta scared as it is, and if I have an audience I’ll probably barf on my sister’s upholstery. Ash’ll kill me.”
    Mako laughed. “That’s okay. We definitely don’t want you to barf.” She turned to Noella and lowered herself to a whisper. “Go, Noella. Talk to him. Don’t be dumb.”
    Noella looked in Mako’s eyes, desperate for her friend to find some way to keep her from climbing into the car. Noella’s eyes were pleading, but Mako’s were firm. Mako wrapped Noella in another hug, then said, “It’s okay. Go. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
    “Okay,” Noella said, opening the passenger side door of the Beetle. “See ya later,” she said, waving at Mako.
    “Good luck!” Mako said, smiling sweetly. Then added, “Bye, Sam. Be nice to her!”
    “Okay,” Sam said. “Bye.”
    Noella lowered herself into the car and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered, making her wish she’d not gobbled through a second bowl of Captain Crunch.
    Sam drove, silence settling in the car as they each searched for the right words to say. Noella both hoped and feared that they would reach the school parking lot before a single word was exchanged. But Mako was right. They had to get this out of the way or things would never be normal between them again.
    Sam was first to split the silence. “I’m sorry.”
    Noella’s eyes were staring out the window, but she could feel his eyes burning at the back of her head. She wondered if he was even watching the road. She wanted to turn around, longed to look at him, but didn’t want to start blubbering, so she just kept staring out the window.
    She opened her mouth and before she’d even considered what to say, said, “You don’t have to say sorry.”
    Wait . . . what is he apologizing for? That Becca got up in my face? Or for liking her? Does he even know what Becca did yesterday?
    Noella wasn’t sure, so she waited for him to break the silence again, hoping he’d be clearer.
    “We weren’t dating when she kissed me,” he said. “I was just as surprised as you.”
    Noella felt the early sting of welling tears.
    No, no, not now. Don’t you dare cry.
    Sam kept talking, “And I had no idea how you felt about me. How could I?”
    She said nothing, fighting her tears and momentarily winning.
    “How long have you felt like that?” he asked.
    Noella didn’t want to answer. She was certain that the minute she opened her mouth, her voice would split, and salty tears would flood both sides of her face.
    “I dunno,” she said, sniffling. “Since we met.”
    “Wow!” Sam said, laughing uncomfortably and shifting in his seat. “I would have never known. Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
    “I dunno,” Noella said, the first tear splattering her knee as several more coated her cheeks. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her sweater. “I didn’t want to make things weird.”
    Sam laughed again, “Yeah, well, so much for that.”
    They were a few blocks from school, but Sam turned on a side street and pulled the car into an empty parking spot at a small neighborhood park. The ground wore a carpet of snow, and the park looked was abandoned. Empty parks had always seemed creepy to Noella. Creepy in a Tim Burton or Neil Gaiman cool sorta way, not in a way that truly scared her. At that moment, though, the emptiness only leant to the strain between them.
    Sam killed the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt, then turned to face Noella.
    “Don’t look at me,” she said, hiding her face behind her sleeve.
    Sam was quiet, obviously searching for the words that would hurt the least. Noella felt stupid for allowing her emotions to overwhelm her and naked for allowing herself to cry in front of Sam. Sure, she’d cried in front of him before, over other things, but never when he was the source of her tears. She was tired of keeping her emotions hidden, though. It was exhausting, always having to hide how she felt. Part of her was glad to be having this moment of openness.
    If she wasn’t safe venting her feelings in front of Sam, who in the world did she have?
    “Do you love her?” Noella asked, weighing the question too long before letting it fall from her lips.
    Sam paused for eternity, then said, “I don’t