The Samantha Project Read online

  “I didn’t take it over, Stephen,” she said. “I left you that corner spot, right by the sink.”

  “A child couldn’t work in that amount of space, El,” he teased.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll move some of my stuff,” she said, rushing back to the kitchen. “But the week before Christmas, I get this whole area for two days. I’m not even letting you in. I have tons of new cookie recipes to try.”

  I laughed. “Guess we’ll be eating takeout for those days.”

  “Oh, speaking of that, the pizza guy just came,” Dad said as he went to get plates. “Go get ready. We’re gonna eat soon.”

  We always got pizza on the night before Thanksgiving so Dad wouldn’t have to make dinner while trying to prep all the food for the next day.

  I went up to my room to put my school stuff away. We lived in a 100-year-old house that wasn’t big, but I loved it because I was sure it had an interesting story. I liked imagining all the people who had lived there before us. The rooms were small and the ceilings were low and the wood floors squeaked all the time. But I still loved it.

  Mom let me do whatever I wanted with my room, but I kept it simple. A basic wooden dresser was on one wall and an old desk and chair was on the other wall, next to my nightstand and bed. And I had a soft and comfy bright green chair near my closet that I liked to sit and read in.

  “Sam, come on. Dinner’s ready,” Dad called from downstairs.

  I went down and sat at the table, where my parents were waiting.

  “How was school?” Dad asked. “You know, I can’t believe I won’t be able to ask you that in a few weeks. You’re gonna be done soon. My little girl, all grown up and graduating high school.”

  “I can’t believe it either,” Mom said. “Seems like just yesterday we dropped her off at kindergarten. Time goes way too fast.”

  “I’m ready to be done. I’ve had enough of high school.”

  “Oh, Sam. You’re not going to miss any of it?” Mom asked.

  “Well, sure, I’ll miss some things. But I’m excited to go to college.”

  Dad got up quickly from the table. “Oh! That reminds me. We have a surprise.”

  “What is it?” I asked, unsure what type of surprise he could have.

  He came back and dropped a large envelope on the table. I turned it over. It was from Stanford.

  “Dad! Why didn’t you tell me this sooner? Did it just arrive?”

  “I got the mail right before you came home. Open it!”

  I ripped open the top of the envelope and pulled out the first sheet of paper.

  “What does it say, Samantha? Read it!” Mom said.

  “On behalf of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, we are pleased to offer you admission to Stanford Univer…”

  Before I could finish, they ran over and hugged me, nearly knocking me off my chair.

  “Sam, we’re so happy for you,” Mom said.

  “Congratulations, honey. That’s a big accomplishment.” Dad was beaming from ear to ear. He, too, had gone to Stanford.

  The news really was a surprise because I didn’t think I’d get in. School had always been pretty easy for me, so I took the hardest classes and got straight A’s. But so did lots of other people my age. There were thousands of people just like me. So I couldn’t believe that I got in. Maybe Jessica was right. I did have a perfect life.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Thanksgiving

  “I have to go call Colin!” I said, getting up from the table.

  “Don’t you want to finish dinner?” Mom asked.

  “Later. I’ve got to tell him now. I can’t wait!” I ran upstairs to my room to phone Colin. He answered right away.

  “Hey, Sam. Change your mind about tonight? Cause I can come . . .”

  “I got in! To Stanford!”

  “That’s awesome! I knew you would.”

  “I didn’t. I thought for sure I wouldn’t get in.”

  “You’re crazy! You’ve got perfect grades. Great test scores.”

  “Yeah, and so do thousands of other kids. But I did it! I got in!”

  “I’m coming over and congratulating you in person.”

  “You don’t have to do that. We’ll see each other tomorrow.”

  “No, I’m coming over now. Your house is on the way to Braden’s anyway. I’ll see ya soon.”

  I put the phone down and did a happy dance in my room.

  I ran back downstairs to find Mom clearing the table. “Did you want any more pizza?”

  “No, I’m done. Colin’s stopping by in a few minutes. Oh, I need to call Allie.”

  Mom laughed. “You can’t call her. She’s flying home today, remember? She’s probably somewhere over the Atlantic right now.”

  “That’s right. I’m all confused on what day it is.”

  Allie was my closest friend after Colin. She’d spent the semester in Greece on an exchange program for high school students. Her mother did business with some people from Athens that wanted their kids to study in the U.S. and that led to the whole exchange idea.

  “I should call Uncle Dave,” I said.

  Dave wasn’t my real uncle but had been friends with my parents for years. He assumed the uncle role on the day I was born. My parents had no living relatives, so Dave had always been an adopted member of the family.

  I went to grab the phone, but Dad stopped me.

  “He’s at work tonight, Sam. He sounded pretty stressed when I talked to him earlier. Why don’t you wait until tomorrow at dinner?”

  “Okay. I just feel like I want to tell everyone.”

  “I know you do.” Dad smiled and gave me a hug. “Your mom and I are so proud of you. You’ve really worked hard for this.”

  The doorbell rang. “That’s Colin. I’ll get it.”

  I opened the door, where Colin was waiting with a big helium balloon. He gave me a hug before I could even invite him in.

  “Congratulations!” Colin went in for a kiss, but then saw my dad standing there and settled for a peck on the cheek. “Hello, Mr. Andrews.”

  “Hello, Colin. Nice balloon you got there.” Dad snickered.

  “Oh, yeah. Here.” Colin gave me the balloon. “I stopped at the grocery store and that’s all they had. I would’ve got you flowers, but they didn’t look very good.”

  The balloon said “Congratulations” but was all pink with a teddy bear on it and seemed to be meant for a new mom.

  I smiled at the goofy balloon. “This is great. Thanks!”

  “My mom says congratulations, too. But she knew you’d get in. We all did.”

  “Dad?” I gave him a look to give Colin and me a minute alone.

  “Oh, well I’ve got to get that turkey ready. And Colin, you better be here tomorrow for dessert. Sam and her mom are making a bunch of different pies, and I can’t eat them all.”

  He laughed. “I can help you out with that. See ya later.”

  Dad went in the kitchen with Mom and turned on some music to give us more privacy.

  As usual, Colin looked perfect. He was one of the hottest guys in school. Just like Prince Charming, my mom always said. And it was true. He was tall and muscular, a natural athlete, and had dark brown hair and deep brown eyes that drew me in with their intenseness.

  Colin and I had been friends since second grade. As kids, we spent hours doing silly science experiments. We were sure we would cure cancer or save the world. And he loved that my parents were real-life scientists.

  By middle school, Colin started playing sports, and we spent less and less time together. He ended up being really good at sports, which caught the attention of all the girls. By freshman year he was dating a cheerleader, much to my disappointment. We barely spoke during that year, other than a casual hi in the hallways.

  Then, in the middle of sophomore year, Colin suddenly turned his attention back to me. One day, he showed up at the coffee shop I hung out at after school. We talked for hours that day, like we had never grown apart. He wanted us to be
more than friends, but I wasn’t ready for that. I figured it would ruin our friendship. But last year, I gave in and we started dating.

  Before that, I’d never had a boyfriend. Sure, I’d been on dates, but they never turned into anything. I’d always told myself that I didn’t want a serious boyfriend in high school. So I avoided getting too serious with Colin.

  A few months after we started dating, Colin told me he loved me. I responded by saying nothing because I didn’t want to say it back if I didn’t mean it. I knew my silence had hurt him, but he didn’t get angry over it. He just never said those words again.

  “So Stanford,” Colin said, smiling. “That’s huge. I’m happy you’re so excited about it. When you applied, I wasn’t sure if you even wanted to go there.”

  “I just didn’t want to get my hopes up. But I knew I wanted to go there. It’s a great campus. When I went on the tour, I felt like I just fit there.”

  “Hey, now that you’re accepted, you’re not gonna start in January, are you?”

  “What? No. I hadn’t even thought about doing that. I mean, I didn’t think I’d get the letter this early. I’ll start in the fall, just like everyone else.”

  “Good. ’Cause I’m not ready for you to leave yet. Stanford’s a long way from Minnesota.”

  “I know. But let’s not think about that now.” I grabbed him and gave him a long kiss.

  Colin looked surprised. “That’s a first. You never do that with your parents in the next room.”

  I sighed. “Well, I’m a college girl now. I’m maturing.”

  “You still got a few weeks of high school left,” Colin reminded me.

  I kissed him again.

  “But I do like this college girl thing,” he said.

  “You should probably get going,” I said. “Your friends are waiting.”

  “They’re your friends, too. You should come.”

  “They’re not my friends. They don’t even like me. They just put up with me because I’m your girlfriend.”

  “That’s not true. They always ask why you don’t come over with me.”

  “They do not. And I’ve gone with you before. The guys sit around talking sports, and their cheerleader girlfriends sit there talking about, I don’t even know what. Nothing I’m interested in. And they ignore me.”

  Colin shook his head. “They don’t ignore you. They just don’t know what to say to you. If you just took time to get to know—”

  “Hey, I don’t want to talk about it. Just go and have a good time. I’ve got pies to make.”

  He smiled. “Okay. But you’re going out with me Friday night, whether you want to or not. Darin’s having a party, or if you don’t want to do the party thing, we can go to a movie.”

  “If I must,” I kidded, smiling back.

  He gave me a kiss goodbye and left. I tied the silly balloon to the dining room chair.

  Mom walked in and noticed the balloon. “Hmmm. Isn’t that meant for a . . .”

  I laughed. “Lady who just had a baby? Yeah. It’s all he could find.”

  “Well, that was very sweet of him. Okay, everything’s ready for the pies. You want to make the pumpkin, the apple, the raspberry, or the chocolate cream?”

  “I’ll do the pumpkin and the apple. And I get to cut the dough scraps.”

  “Of course,” she said.

  Dad turned up the music and we got to work. Mom always made the pie crusts and fit them in the pan, giving me the scraps to roll and cut with cookie cutters. Then I’d sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar.

  As we worked on the pies, Dad prepped the turkey and mixed up his secret stuffing recipe. Then he made his famous deviled eggs and a gelatin salad.

  “Dad, I hate to tell you this, but nobody likes that pink gelatin fluff or whatever that is,” I said, watching him mix it up.

  “It’s a classic. You gotta have this. My mom always made this for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. You like it, don’t you El?”

  Mom paused before answering. “Well, it’s not my favorite dish that you make.”

  I laughed. “She doesn’t like it either.”

  Dad ignored us both. “Well, fine. More for me then.”

  Mom put the pies in the oven and we sat down to watch Dad finish up. I was glad I’d stayed home with them instead of going out. I know it’s not cool to hang out with your parents, but I really did like doing stuff with them. And I loved our traditions.

  “I’m really gonna miss you guys next year.” The words just came out. I don’t know why. I rarely said stuff like that, especially to Mom and Dad. I figured I didn’t need to. They knew how I felt.

  Mom leaned over and gave me a hug. “We’re going to miss you, too, honey. But you’re going to have so much fun in college. You’ll meet new people. Make new friends. You’ll forget all about us.”

  Dad chimed in. “Heck, I never wanted to come home when I was there.”

  “Stephen, that’s not true. Your mom used to say that you were so homesick.”

  “Well, maybe the first week or two. But I got over that. You’ll see, Sam. Once you get there and get settled, you won’t even think about home.”

  “She’ll think about Colin,” Mom teased.

  “Okay, new topic,” I said, getting up to check my pies.

  Mom got up, too. “Still up for games?”

  “I’m in,” Dad said.

  “Me, too.” I went to the living room closet to pick some out.

  After a couple hours of games, I went upstairs to get ready for bed. As I was changing clothes, I heard Mom and Dad talking downstairs. It was faint at first and I couldn’t figure out how I was hearing anything at all. I was upstairs with my door closed. They were downstairs in the kitchen. There was no way I could hear them from that far away.

  Their voices suddenly got louder and I could pick up certain words. “I talked to the guy today . . . only a year old . . . have it ready . . .”

  I opened the door. My parents weren’t anywhere near my room. They were still in the kitchen. I closed the door and listened again, this time trying to focus on what they were saying.

  My mom was talking, and when I focused, I could hear her every word. “Well, then I don’t think we should wait,” she said. “Let’s give it to her in a few weeks, when school’s done.”

  “Okay. I’ll tell the guy next week. Sam’s gonna love that car. And I’ll feel a lot better with her driving this new one than our old one.”

  I ran downstairs to the kitchen. “Are you really getting me a car?”

  “Sam, were you eavesdropping?” Dad asked.

  “No, I just heard you from my room. You must have been talking loud because I had my door closed and everything.”

  Mom seemed confused. “We were whispering. You couldn’t have heard us from up there. That’s not like you to eavesdrop, Sam.”

  “I wasn’t. Really. I’m telling you that I heard you guys from my room.”

  Dad shook his head, not believing me. “Well, I guess it’s not a surprise anymore.”

  “So what kind of car?” I asked, eagerly.

  Mom looked at Dad. “We’re keeping that a surprise,” she said. “You’ll just have to wait.”

  “Maybe we should make her wait even longer since she ruined the surprise,” Dad kidded.

  “But I didn’t mean to hear you guys. I swear.” I knew they didn’t believe me, so I went back to my room. I could still hear them talking but ignored it and turned on some music.

  Another great Thanksgiving Eve, I thought to myself. Pizza, pie-making, and games, along with a visit from Colin, an admission letter from Stanford, and the news that I was getting a new—or new to me—car. It couldn’t have been any better.

  I woke up the next day to the sounds of pots and pans clanking together downstairs. Dad was up and working in the kitchen. We wouldn’t eat the big meal until 1, but it took him all morning to get everything ready, even with his prep work the night before.

  My dad took his cooking seriously
. He saw it as a science, and the scientist in him liked experimenting with different ingredients and flavors. He said it let him express his creative side, which he didn’t get to do as much in his real job as a professor of genetics at the university.

  Although my dad had excelled in his years at Stanford and could have worked at some fancy university on the coasts, he chose to return to Minnesota, to the town he grew up in. It wasn’t a small town, but it wasn’t huge city either. Fortunately for him, it was a hotbed for medical research with a large university and teaching hospital that attracted patients from all over the world. And the university had an impressive genetics department.

  My mom worked at the same university. She was a professor of biochemistry. Having two scientists as parents piqued my interest in science early on. In fact, I was even planning on majoring in genetics in college.

  I heard a knock on the door. “Sam, are you awake?” It was Mom. “The parade’s gonna start soon. You better get up. I’ve got cinnamon rolls in the oven.”

  Another tradition. Breakfast on Thanksgiving morning was always Mom’s cinnamon rolls and fresh fruit.

  “I’m awake. I’ll be down soon,” I called back.

  I got up just as my cell phone rang. “Hi, Colin.”

  “Happy Thanksgiving!”

  “Thanks. You, too. How was last night?”

  “Good. We just hung out. Watched some movie that Braden rented. How was your night?”

  “Awesome. Get this. I’m getting a new car!”

  “No way! What kind?”

  “I don’t know. They won’t tell me. I don’t get it for a few weeks. Actually I think it’s used, but I don’t care. It’s new to me.”

  “When did they tell you?”

  “They didn’t. I heard them talking. It was so weird. I could hear them from my room. And they were in the kitchen. It’s like I had superhearing or something. Anyway, they got mad at me for listening. Said I ruined their surprise.”

  “I can’t believe you’re getting a car! I’m stuck with my dad’s old car. I’ll probably have it for the next 10 years.”

  “Well, I should go. Cinnamon rolls, you know.”