Chapter Ten - Kumbaya My Lord

"Okay? Okay?! Really Samantha? I just confessed my feelings to you!" Klaus exclaimed.

"I'm sorry I-I don't know what to say, okay?! This is the first time someone's kissed me!" Samantha replied in the same tone.

Klaus stepped back and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice like that. I hope I didn't frighten you?"

"A little. But it's okay, I'm not mad or a-anything. I'm sorry for raising my voice as well." She said flushed and avoiding eye contact.

"I didn't know that was your first kiss even though you reciprocated my wave length perfectly before bush Shaggy and Daphne interrupted us," Klaus said sheepishly.

Samantha continued to play with her hair, avoiding eye contact, and she couldn't contain her fidgeting and stuttering. Klaus' loss of composure was a shock to her, but the understanding and calmness he exhumed immediately frightened and excited at the same time. The anxiety gave her an additional source of curiosity that increased the dopamine levels in her brain, resulting in her body reacting to the heat of the matter. Each passing second, as Klaus tried to change the subject back to the Northern Lights, she got more excited. Experiencing this fresh sensation towards a mysterious boy who she only started talking to two weeks prior, alleviated her from the dark cloud that surrounded her mind from time to time. Talking to him almost every day slowly dissipated the dark cloud, and the cloud no longer hung over her head after he kissed her. Meeting him and being introduced to other interesting people gave her new hope of finding peace and letting more people back into her heart.

"Hello? Earth to Samantha. Are you listening?" Klaus said, waving his hand in her face.

"I'm sorry, what were you?" She replied.

"I was saying, if that was too much for you, you can respond to everything another time. Let's head back before everyone wonders where we are." He said.

Even though he sounded confident, his shaking hands and flushed chicks said other wise. The two walked back in silence again.

Back near the bonfire, most of the students were lined up by the telescopes, taking notes of the phenomenon awaiting the meteor shower. However, some students were surrounding Mr. Morty and the other teen boys signing Kumbaya My Lord with everything they had. They were more enthusiastic that in the car ride to Erie that even Paul sang like he wrote the song and the college students look mesmerized by his voice range. Nicole rushed over to Klaus and Samantha, noticing the awkward demeanor between the two.

"Klaus, we've been waiting for you to join our little barbershop quartet," Nicole said, pushing Klaus from the back towards the others.

"I think I'll pass Nicole. I can't really sing." He said.

"Oh, come on. Do it for Samantha." Nicole replied, grinning.

Klaus stopped and looked at Samantha. "Fine." He said flushed.

Klaus walked over and causally joined his peers. He naturally harmonized with them and the performance amazed even the students who were by the telescopes.

"Wow, I didn't peg him as someone who can sing so well," Nicole said.

"Yeah," Samantha said. She couldn't keep herself from smiling as she stared at him.

"Okay, spill it. What happened on your little walk?" Nicole asked.

Samantha explained everything that had happened, even up to the two students that interrupted them. Nicole stood there in awe and just smiled.

"You kissed? Like pecking or tongue?"

"Tongue," Samantha replied, covering her face.

"You nasty," Nicole laughed.

"It just happened, and it was my first time and it was...so good. But I didn't respond well to his confession. That's why it's slightly awkward."

"Well, I can't blame you. Though it's good how he calmed himself. So you have feelings for him?" Nicole said.

"If I'm being honest, yes, but I'm scared," Samantha replied.

"That's perfectly normal. You just need to tell him, grab his ass and kiss him back. That would be so epic." Nicole said, so excited that her feminine side was more pronounced even in her baggy jeans and black death metal t-shirt.

"But what if I kill him, too?" Samantha muttered under her breath.

"Sorry I didn't hear what he said but don't worry. We've all known that he likes you since he transferred here." Nicole replied.

"What? He's liked me for months now? Now I feel like a jerk for thinking it was a recent spontaneous attraction."

The dark cloud slowly crept back into her mind until, suddenly, the sky was filled with streams of light shooting part of it. The meteor shower had begun, making the shower have a green and orange tint from the Northern Lights.

Nicole turned and looked Samantha straight in the eyes. "Look, Samantha, don't run away and regret never knowing where you two can become. Tell him and see where it goes from there. What do you have to lose? Your GPA? Nope, maybe your virginity, but we're teens, so who cares? Sam, live and experience life. I know we just became close, like literally yesterday, but I've seen you around school and you're distant. Let him in, let us all in."

The words from Nicole dissipated the dark cloud and rejuvenated Samantha's spirit. Immersing herself in books and solitude was all but a means of distraction and penance. However, Bridgette and her parent gave her a sense of mental probation. Nicole reminded Samantha of Bridgette so much. The only difference was that Nicole had better discernment and analysis of Samantha than Bridgette due to age and experience.

"You know you're pretty wise and weird at the same time." Samantha sob a little and hugged Nicole.

"I know it's a gift from the gods as a Sister of Fate." Nicole smiled

They both laughed and watched the meteor shower while the boys now sang Hotel California with Klaus beat-boxing because he didn't even know the song.