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“Did you say last-minute Christmas shopping?” Samara asks as she walks over to join us.

“Yeah. Wanna come?”

“Definitely. Who’s going?”

“Me, Eli Dubbs, and Payton Benner.”

Samara scrunches up her nose. “I know Eli, but not Payton. Who is she?”

“I work with her at the ice cream shop. She goes to Griffin Hill.”

Samara shakes her head so hard and fast that I swear it might fall off. “Nevermind. I’m not hanging out with the enemy,”

My blood boils from Samara calling Payton the enemy. How dare she when she doesn’t even know her? “Payton’s actually really nice.”

Samara takes a step back as if she’s afraid of me and puts her hands in the air. “Whoa. Chill. I didn’t mean anything by it, I promise. It was a joke. I just thought maybe the two of us could go. You know… team bonding and stuff.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “I already made plans with Payton and Eli.”

Samara smiles a crooked smile. “You said that’s later this afternoon.” She must realize I’m still pissed, because her face becomes serious. “I really am sorry for what I said about your friend. I was just kidding. I didn’t think it would upset you so much. I really wanna spend some time together… just the two of us… if… if you’re down. I’ll make up for my douchey comment by taking you out to lunch first. Please.” She brings her hands up in a praying motion.

I smile in spite of myself because she looks so ridiculous. “You had me at lunch.”

We decide to go to a pizza place inside the mall, and Samara pays, as promised. We make small talk, which is surprisingly nice. After finishing the last bite of her pizza, Samara wipes her mouth, throws down money for a tip, then jumps to her feet. “Want to go to the arcade? There’s a basketball game. We can find out once and for all who the best shooter is.”

I’m definitely not backing down from this. I jump to my feet as well. “You’re on.”

Ten dollars later, we’re still playing since Samara is pissed she hasn’t won yet. I think about letting her win just so we can stop, but I know I would never hear the end of it.

“I thought you had Christmas shopping to do,” I say as I touch the money in my pocket, praying I can save the rest of it for more important things.

Samara shrugs. “I’m all done. I just wanted to hang out.”

“But why?”

Samara tilts her head to the side, and I have to admit it does make her look incredibly cute. “What do you mean?”

“You hate me. I know you claimed you don’t, but you don’t do a very good job of showing it.”

Samara’s smile dips into a frown and she drops her eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry.” She rubs at the back of her neck. “I'm really bad at this.”

“Bad at what?” I truly have no idea where she’s going with this.

“Friendship. Hanging out with someone who’s clearly cooler than me.”

She thinks I’m cooler than her. I smile and push my shoulder against hers. “Well, you can start by saying that again.”

“What? That I’m bad at friendship?”

“No. The other part.” I grin and wiggle my eyebrows.

Samara groans, gaining the attention of the two other teenagers in the arcade. “Fine. You’re cooler than me.”

“Thanks. I don’t actually think that’s true, but it’s nice to hear.”

Now Samara looks up at me, and instead of the cockiness that I’m used to seeing, there are tons of questions in her eyes. “You truly don’t realize that you’re the coolest girl in our grade? Probably in the whole school?”

I shake my head. “I’m just nice to people.”