40"Look, I really think you should give me a chance," he whispered while jutting his lower lip out. He had seen pouts work on other people in everyday problems; he only hoped that his carried the same charm. He chose to ignore the icy glare she was sending him. "I'm a good guy. I don't pressure girls into sex. I don't lie, cheat, or steal."
"No."
"Please," he begged. He considered getting down onto his hands and knees but knew that it certainly wouldn't convince the blonde girl.
"Your moral standards aren't my business. I was here first. Go to the end of the line," she snapped. Sam cried out in distress. He had been waiting months to ride the newest addition to Cedar Point and some attractive girl was not going to keep him from it.
"But, you weren't really here before me," he grumbled. "Fine, you won't let me get in front of you. That's cool. I will go to the end of the line though 'cause I don't want to be stuck behind you," he retorted before stepping away. He hoped the blonde would feel bad for upsetting him and then offer him her spot as a consolation prize.
"Okay," she cheerily responded before turning around. Sam scoffed before stepping out of his spot in the line to look at the end of the line. The only problem was he couldn't find it.
"Dang it," he whined. "I'm just going to go to Joe's and get a BLT," he stated to himself before turning to leave. A quick tug at his arm sent him flying backwards into a soft body. "What was that for?" He cringed at how immature he sounded.
"Do you, well, do you think you would mind if I joined you?" Sam's eyes widened. The girl who had refused to let him pass her now wanted to give up her slot to go eat. He thought about telling her off but was instead caught off guard by her actual appearance. To say that he hadn't truly looked at her until then would be an understatement. Wavy blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders while hazel eyes pierced into his soul.
"Not at all," his mouth uttered before he realized what he had truly said. A smile lit up her face as she grabbed his wrist and tugged him along the way. He regretted choosing to wear flip-flops almost immediately as he began to trip over his own feet. "You must really be hungry," Sam called to her back. In an instant she stopped her brisk pace causing the poor boy to stumble into her back. Up close to the pale skin he couldn't help but wish his lips were acquainted with the creamy nape of her neck. He instantly backed away, unsure of where that thought had come from.
"I like bacon," she offered as though it were the most obvious answer on the planet. Sam shrugged his shoulders, still in shock over his mind's reaction to the girl-the girl whose name he still didn't know. He sighed in relief upon seeing a tiki-style shack in the distance. The blonde was proving to be in somewhat better shape than he; or she was simply motivated by the bacon, he wasn't sure.
"Where do you want to sit?" He asked while scratching the back of his neck. He desperately wished they were inside as he felt the material of his shirt clinging to his body with his each and every move. "What about there?" He instantly blurted while pointing to a table seated directly in front of the large fan. The blonde smirked, nodded, and led the way.
He had the urge to pull her chair out for her, but she had sat down before he had even gotten a chance to get near the table. "What's your name?" He licked his chapped lips before shooting her a sly grin. His plans of holding out on his name changed the minute she jutted her lower lip out.
"So it works on me but not on you," he mumbled aloud. He would have to take tips from the blonde on how to pout efficiently. "My name is Sam," he replied before holding his hand out for the hazel eyed girl to take. She stared at him as though he had some sort of disease before quickly shaking his hand and then wiping hers on a napkin. "Er, what's your name?"
"Quinn," she replied before resting her elbows on the edge of the table. Sam sniggered, unable to help himself, but stopped instantly upon seeing the smoldering look sent his way. "What is so funny?"
"Isn't Quinn a guy's name? Did your parents not realize you were a girl or something?" The blonde's face turned a deep shade of red.
"Quinn can be a girl's name," she snapped defensively. Sam arched an eyebrow, pleased that he was getting on the girl's nerves. He thought of it as payback for stealing his spot in the line of the most awesome roller-coaster known to mankind.
"I've never met a girl Quinn," he was quick to respond. With that he leaned backwards and rested his arms behind his head. He noticed Quinn looking at his arms in wonderment. He felt like offering to flex his bicep for her but that was probably taking it too far. "I'm going to go order my food. What would you like me to get you?" She opened her mouth to reply. "No, wait, a BLT, I remember," he answered himself.
"And a Diet Coke," she called out to his retreating figure. Sam rolled his eyes. She wanted a sandwich full of greasy bacon but a diet coke? Girls confused him. He made his way to the cashier and sighed. "I need a number two with a Diet Coke," he stated while ignoring the odd looks the man gave him. "I also need a number eleven with a Dr. Pepper." He took the plastic number and two cups before waltzing back to the table.
"How much was it?" Quinn asked while digging through the small purse she carried around. Sam reached across the table and grabbed her wrist.
"It's on me," he said with a small smile. Quinn's cheeks tinted a pink color. "So, where are you from?" He questioned, hoping to get the stiff conversation rolling along. Quinn sighed.
"Lima," she whispered. Sam nodded. He had no idea where that was. His knowledge of Ohio extended to where his grandparents lived. "Where are you from?" He grinned before taking a small sip from his drink.
"I'm from Germantown." Quinn's face scrunched up in thought. "It's not in Ohio. Or, I don't think it is. The one I'm from isn't anyway," he added for clarification. A beat went by with the blonde gaping at him. "What?"
"Aren't you going to tell me where that is?" Sam covered his face with his hands in mortification. He had thought he had been being cool, only to end up looking like a buffoon.
"I'm from Tennessee. You've heard of Memphis, right?" Quinn nodded. "Germantown is a little bit outside of it. I grew up in Nashville, but a few years ago my mom got transferred to Germantown Memorial."
"Your mom is a doctor?"
"A nurse." Sam waited a few minutes. "A really good nurse. My mom is awesome," he continued on. "She always gives me my action figures back when Dad tries to throw them away." Quinn's hands lightly covered her mouth before a loud giggle was emitted. Sam flushed with embarrassment. His only consolation was that he was having lunch with a beautiful girl, and he would never have to see her again.
"You are very weird," Quinn informed him.
"You aren't the first girl to tell me that," Sam admitted with a sad smile. Instantly he felt a hand resting lightly on top of his.
"I didn't say it was a bad thing." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something back to her, but the waiter was before them throwing their food down at them. He instantly shut his jaw and looked at the burger sitting before him.
"This looks good," he commented before digging in. He noticed Quinn looking at him as though he had lost his mind. "Oh man, do you pray and stuff? I can spit my food back out or something," he explained in between chews. "No, that's gross." It then dawned on him that he was already being incredibly gross. He thickly swallowed the bits of the burger and looked at the blonde. "You can pray now."
"That's not it," she replied. "You aren't a caveman, Sam." Sam's face lit up.
"You sound like my mom!" Quinn groaned.
They were walking around the park simply enjoying the company of each other. Sam had to admit that the day had turned out to be a lot better than he had expected. The blonde squealed before tugging on his arm and pointing at a sign. "Let's do it," she yelled in excitement.
"Do what?" He questioned while looking at the sign in confusion. He was aware that the blonde was watching as he struggled to read the damn sign. "I have really bad eye sight. I'm not wearing my contacts. What are we doing?" Quinn slapped the back of his head.
"What idiot goes to a park without their contacts in?" Sam grinned sheepishly before pointing to himself.
"Do you know what time it is?" He questioned before shaking his head lightly to get his bangs out of the way. The blonde rummaged through her small purse and pulled out a cell phone.
"Four thirty." Sam sighed. He had to leave in thirty minutes to go pick his brother up.
"Let's ride the Ferris wheel," he offered before tugging her toward the ride. "You aren't afraid of heights, right?"
"I'm a Cheerio, of course not," she shouted over the loud music. Sam arched an eyebrow.
"Because you're a cereal you aren't afraid of heights?" He was a weird guy, he knew, but he had never referred to himself as food. The blonde hung her head before laughing loudly.
Once seated together she leaned over, "The Cheerios are our school's cheerleading squad." Sam nodded, understanding the comment from earlier. "When do you go back to Tennessee," she questioned. Sam looked between them and noticed her hand resting against his leg. Would it be weird to hold her hand? He decided to go for it and prayed that being charged with sexual assault in Ohio didn't follow one to Tennessee.
"Friday," he replied before reaching for her hand. He smiled when she didn't pull away but beamed when she intertwined their fingers.
"You know this isn't leading to anything, right?" She asked, her voice hoarse and laced with an emotion he couldn't recognize.
"No, I know that," he replied before pulling his hand away. "Maybe we could be pen-pals or something though." She smiled.
"I'd like that," she replied. "I've always thought handwritten letters were special. Today everything is run by electronics." Sam swallowed.
"What's your last name?" He wondered out loud, thankful for the change of subject. "I know your name is Quinn and that you are a cheerleader. You like bacon. Your best friend is supposed to be here but she ran off with her girlfriend?" Quinn rolled her eyes.
"Fabray, what's yours?"
"So is mine," Sam exclaimed, rocking the cart lightly. Quinn's eyes widened in shock.
"That isn't a common last name," she replied.
"Long-lost relatives," he smirked. Quinn's face paled. "No, mine is Evans." The blonde punched his shoulder roughly before leaning over.
"Sam Evans sounds like an asshole," she whispered into his ear. He ignored the chills that instantly spread over his body and watched as she leaned back into her spot with confidence. He scoffed before leaning over here, mirroring her previous position. He trailed his fingers over her slender arm before pressing his lips near her ear. He could smell her hair and immediately regretted his decision to mock her. The strawberry smell was causing him to go into a sensory overload. He pulled himself together before having to do something drastic-like jumping over the ledge and dying.
"Well," he whispered, voice low, "Quinn Fabray sounds like a man," he finished before blowing lightly over her ear and pulling away. He wasn't certain what possessed him to do it but the way her eyes darkened instantly made him very happy that he did. "I gotta admit something," he stated with finality. "I've been lying. I think that Quinn is a very pretty name. It suits you." The blonde looked away for a moment. The ride quickly stopped in midair, interrupting the moment and effectively ruining any courage he had of doing anything slightly romantic for the girl. He looked out at the water in the distance and sighed. "Will you take a picture with me?"He didn't wait for an answer before pulling out his cell phone. He held it with his right hand while his left arm snuck around Quinn's shoulders. She shuddered causing him to pull her in tighter. "Okay, one, two, three," he exclaimed before capturing the moment. He pulled it back and looked at the outcome and smiled. "Thanks," he whispered.
"Are you going to send it to me?" Sam stuck his tongue out.
"No, I don't want you to have my number, you stalker." Quinn rolled her eyes for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day.
"Fine, let's just take another picture." Sam agreed and instantly resumed the same position. The blonde held the phone out in front of them and counted down. Before he lost his nerves he jutted over into her personal space and planted a messy kiss to her cheek.
Realization of what he had done dawned on him. She pulled the phone back to look at the picture and blushed before showing it to Sam. He felt like patting himself on the back; they looked like a hot couple. He waited for Quinn to reprimand him for kissing someone he met only hours before but it never came. Instead the ride re-started itself.
Minutes later he found himself safely on land and walking towards the exit. He wasn't ready to leave, but he knew that his family was waiting for him as it was. He stood awkwardly after they reached their starting point and sighed. "I guess this is goodbye?" He held his hand out once again but was instead given a light hug. He smiled, somewhat intoxicated by the girl's scent.
"Give me your address," she replied, intent on having a pen-pal such as Sam. He swallowed thickly before chuckling.
"You might be a serial killer." A glare was all it took for him to spring into action. The blonde handed him a pen and piece of paper before looking at him expectantly. "Why don't you give me your address instead and I'll write you?" He questioned before awkwardly shoving the two items back. The blonde arched a sculptured brow before telling him to turn around. She instantly used his back to prop the paper against and began to write her contact information down.
Sam smiled upon being handed over the small piece of paper. "I'll write you when I get back. It'll be cool," Sam informed. He was reluctant to go but he knew if he was late to pick up his brother then his grandmother would slap him, or worse, feed him.
He couldn't help but feel like he was leaving something important behind, but with a final wave and a smile he walked toward the exit with one Quinn Fabray on his mind.
He hadn't even minded that much that he didn't get to ride any cool rides or go to the water park.