Have you ever had the hiccups? Once I heard this girl describe them to me. She called them little surprises, they keep happening over and over, but you never know when. I thought it was such a beautiful way to look at something so trifle. But sometimes little surprises can be annoying, very annoying. Especially when your best friend is Drew Salter and you’re Samantha Singh. Because then the little surprises turn out to be life changing events that cause you to make idiotic plans that completely end up…well I don’t want to give the story away. Anyway, back to the little surprises, Drew told me his latest little surprise around the beginning of our first semester.

“Hey!”


“You seem unusually happy, what’s up?”

“I met a new girl,” he said, grinning.

I rolled my eyes, “Drew, you are going to have a relationship problem when you get older. All these girls just isn’t healthy!”

“Yeah Sam, and you go to the other extreme, you haven’t had a boyfriend since seventh grade!” Drew retorted.

“I have more important things to worry about Drew,” I argued. But I knew he was right. I didn’t like the boys at our school, they didn’t really want a relationship, just someone to play tonsil hockey with. So I focused on school and sports; soccer and basketball. I had enough games to play.

“Look all I know is the first relationship you have you are going to take it way to seriously because you haven’t been with anyone,” Drew prophesized.

“And you’re going to be way too lackadaisical, oh mighty one,” I shot back angrily. Drew always seemed to be concerned about me dating someone. Why couldn’t he just leave my business to me? It was after all, my business! He didn’t need to worry about it.

“Whatevers, I’ll see you later,” he said, slamming his locker shut, which made his thick black locks float in the wind.

I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my smile. I loved the way he thought he could solve every problem in the world with just a “whatevers”. But this time it wasn’t going to work, this conversation was far from over.

“You like him!” cried my other best friend, McKenna, creeping up behind me. I shook my head, as I always did when she said that to me, and started towards our homeroom. “Samantha Singh! You have to be honest with yourself. Do you think he’s cute?” she asked, sounding as if she already knew the answer.

“Yeah I do, but so are hundreds of other guys at this school, but guess what?! They’re all pigs.”

“But you never know with Drew, he can be nice.”

“When he wants something,” I scoffed.

McKenna is a nice girl but she didn’t know Drew like I did. He tells girls things just to get them to kiss him, or do stuff for him, and then tells me all about it. I tell everyone that he isn’t as wonderful as he seems to be, but no one believes me.

Then at the end of the day I wonder what is wrong with me for staying friends with a guy who I know is a user. Then I remember how sweet Drew really can be, towards me, the girls he dates, with anyone really; and I try to remember that part of him.

But when Drew asked me to the coffee shop later that afternoon I knew something was up. Hopefully not another little surprise, I was getting really tired of those. He said he was bringing the new girl, Amy, to the place we hung out in middle school. It was called De Café. Get it? At twelve for some sad reason I thought it was the best joke I’d heard and we loved going there. Drew liked it because it was cheap and I liked it because I got to see the real Drew.

But there was one secret though that none of Drew’s girlfriends, or guy friends, no one, would ever know. He was just a big old cry baby! When I took him to go see The Notebook he emptied like an entire box of tissues, not even to mention when we saw Bambi. I liked that Drew, but this time at De Café would be different. Amy would be there and that meant an appearance from the real Drew’s alter ego.

I was early and he was running late, as per usual, but I wasn’t concerned with him. I was looking for someone, anyone that could be Amy. Finally I could see Drew’s car pulling up. It was a shabby old Ford that used to be his dad’s. His dad told us he threw up in the backseat at least fourteen times. He had brought it when he went to college and that was when he first started drinking, after knowing that I never sat in the backseat again. Besides, the front with Drew was more comfortable anyway.

Out stepped Drew, and next to him was the most gorgeous girl you have ever seen. She had long blonde hair, at least to her hips, and the faintest pout on her mouth. She was grinning and frowning at the same time. Her eyes were hazel, the kind of hazel that caramel is supposed to be, like the Werther’s candies. And finally to top it all of she was tall and had an amazing sense of style. She was wearing a blue American Eagle shirt, while skinny baby blue jeans and black ballerina shoes complemented the lower half of her body. Drew was putty in her hands.

I felt underdressed compared to her. All I had on was a plain black tee and some old jeans I found in my closet. Not to mention the old fashioned, Converse All Stars I had. My ratty black hair was brushed, but nowhere near as neat as hers. I should’ve known by now that if she was dating Drew and he was excited she’d look like a supermodel, a glamazon.

“Hi! You must be Sam, right? I’m Amy, Drew has told me so much about you,” she exclaimed in a smooth voice.

I hated it when they said that, and they all said it. She sounded like she was Cameron Diaz from My Best Friend’s Wedding and made them all seem phony. Revealing Drew’s “flawless” taste. Yet I smiled and replied, sweetly, “Yeah, I’m Sam. It’s great to meet you too! Here sit down, would you like some coffee?”

“Oh no, I’m fine, I know places like this are expensive anyway. So you have to tell me more about you, all I have heard is from Drew,” she replied. “Nice, keeping it safe, making Drew a priority, yet still avoiding talking about herself,” I thought to myself, smiling a bit. She was cleverer than some of the others, but still annoying me.

“Don’t worry about it babe. Get anything you want, with a girl like you cost is no object,” Drew said, sitting down in the chair next to her and pulling a few dollars out of his wallet.

“Okay! I’ll be right back so we can talk Sam.” Amy walked to the counter and looked over the appetizing snacks that were all under one dollar.

“So where’d you find her? A glamazon garage sale?” I teased Drew.

Drew smiled his trillion dollar smile and replied, “No, actually it was a yard sale. But seriously, she’s great. She’s seems really nice and I think you two will get along. She said you had some of the same interests. She is a little older though, she’s a junior. Wonder why I haven’t seen her around though, don’t think I’d forget that. But remember anything she says that sounds unfamiliar to you…”

“I make like I didn’t hear it and change the topic of conversation or look to you for an explanation. I know Drew, I know. Trust me you’ve told girls enough lies for me to keep track of them. And by the way, if she’s so great how come you said “she” like six times instead of Amy?” I whispered as Amy approached us.

“Samantha, you must come here all the time? Drew said you suggested. I’ve never actually been here. I love the decorations, the whole atmosphere of it!” Amy exclaimed sitting down and looking around, “Even the snacks are great!” she added as she bit into a seventy five cent chocolate chip cookie.

I tried my hardest to contain a laugh. She thought that two forty something cashiers and one twenty something girl with thirty piercings, ninety nine cent decorum, and twenty or so people smoking or drinking, not coffee, was atmosphere? Oh I was going to have fun with her, so much fun.


“Oh yeah, sure. So what did you want to know about me?”

“Well just about your life…you grew up here right?” Wow she really was good. I expected some idiotic answer but she even had a topic ready. Drew better watch out for her, this was one that would handle him good.

“Well I was originally born in Miami. I lived there for two years and moved up to New York City for four years then moved back to California to be closer to my family in San Francisco. I’ve lived here ever since.”

“Oh that’s so nice. I’ve lived here my entire life and I’ve always wanted to go somewhere else. I’ve only been out of the state twice! So embarrassing.”

“No, not at all. Having strong roots is good, it keeps you firm about where you want to spend the rest of your life, and who with,” I murmured, looking at Drew.

Daggers were all I saw from Drew’s eyes, looks that would have killed anyone else. Except I was the one who had taught him those looks. I winked back when Amy turned to face him.


“Yeah but we won’t have to worry about that for a long time. But Sam, anything else about your life you’d like to share?” Drew asked, with extra emphasis on “your”.

“Yes please Samantha, I’ve heard about your moving, but not about your childhood.”

“Well I went to Oakmont School for kindergarten and first grade; it was a private school in New York. Then when I moved here I went to Pleasant Grove Elementary, Central Middle School, and now Northridge High School. I mean there isn’t much to my story.”

“Oh come on, there’s more to you than that,” Amy implored. I shook my head and shrugged.

“Well I suppose we’ll find out more in time.”

She threw a stray hair over her shoulder and replied, “Well I want to go to San Francisco State or even Chico State. I was thinking of a UC school but their requirements are so hard. Well not really the requirements, but necessary actions to be competitive for admissions. If I did go to a UC it would probably be Davis, or possibly Merced. I’m not totally sure. I still have a little while to think about it though.”

“Well that’s interesting. I’ve had my heart set on UCLA for years, but there are a few other schools I’ve been considering.”

“Like what?”

Damn this girl was nosy! “Well Yale, Duke, Cambridge, and Oxford are some nice schools. They’re just so far away, and so out of my price range.”

“Oh I’m sure you can afford it with scholarships and financial aid. Do you know what your level of need is?”

I stared at her incredulously. What did she just ask me? Who did she think she was talking to? I didn’t know what my level of need was but even if I did there was no way in hell I would tell her, a stranger, and worse yet, Drew’s girlfriend. Blondie had better watch it. I put my hand in my pocket and tried to set an alarm on my phone. I was tired of her and tired of Drew drooling over her. I didn’t need it, I had homework to do.

I paused for a moment after I had set the alarm, and pretended to actually think about answering. Finally a minute later my phone went off and I jumped up. “Oh that’s my mom. I’ve got to get home. Nice meeting you Amy!” I called, practically sprinting out of De Café so happy to be rid of them. I didn’t get these girls Drew dated, they were stupid and annoying. I just couldn’t see how they could fall for his tricks.

I knew I wasn’t going to feel better so I caught the bus to the mall and went window shopping. I checked the time and sighed when I saw it was only three thirty. I had told my mom I wouldn’t be home until five. I caved into my loneliness and called McKenna. “Hey I’m at the mall. Want to go shopping?”

If there was anything McKenna Jameson loved, it was shopping. She was born to do it, only she wasn’t born with the money to do it. Sometimes she says she even aspires to be a personal shopper. I like it too but she enjoys every aspect; from flirting with the cashiers, to trying on clothes, or even putting things on layaway.

Less than fifteen minutes later McKenna was there.

“They’re all sad,” McKenna said in reply to my story, sitting in the food court sipping a soda.

“Yes but I don’t understand why he likes them!” I groaned.

“Sam, if you were his friend you wouldn’t care, and if you did care this much you wouldn’t associate yourself with him. You do all of this because you like him.”

“If I liked him I wouldn’t help him get these girls.”

“Yeah, yeah, they’re sad and pitiful.”

“You aren’t sad or pitiful,” a voice in my head murmured; and it was right. I wasn’t sad; I was hip to Drew’s tricks and could definitely keep that womanizer in line. So we should be together, right? I shook my head, thinking. Even if I wasn’t perfect for him, I was better than Amy, that was definite. And that’s when I began to formulate my plan to break them up…