Boy Band by Jacqueline Smith Page B

to give him the bewildered animal facing their death look.  As it turns out, that’s not just an expression.  I actually feel like a bewildered animal facing her death. 
    I laugh nervously.  “You think I like Sam?”  
    “You mean you don’t?” 
    “Well... I... Um...”  I have so many questions bouncing around in my head right now that I can’t quite remember how to make words.  Why does he think that?  Is it that obvious?  Does everybody else know?  Does Sam know?  Did he ask Oliver to mention it to me?  Does Oliver know about the talk Sam and I had that night that Tara came by the hotel and Sam and I slipped out to watch zombie movies?  
    Oh, God.  I can’t handle this.  I really can’t. 
    But Oliver, bless that kid, he seems to know exactly what I’m thinking.
    “It’s okay.  No one else knows.  I mean, I think we all suspect there’s something.  But nothing has been said.”
    “Okay good,” I finally breathe.  
    I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. Furthermore, I can’t believe we’re having it whil e Sam is actually in the roo m .  Fortunately, he and Josh are still in hysterics over something.  Those two are hilarious together, and no one on Earth thinks they’re funnier than they do.       
    “You two are so close.  I can’t believe you haven’t told him yet.” Oliver says.
    “I - I just don’t want to scare him off, you know?  I don’t want to pressure him into anything or make him feel like I’m expecting something from him.  He doesn’t need that.”
    “I know how you feel,” Oliver says, gazing out the window at Joni.  
    “Hey!” Sam’s loud voice makes both of us jump.  He and Josh are strolling our way across the room.  “Why are you two lurking in the corner over here?” 
    “We’re plotting,” I tell him, all the while secretly praying he didn’t hear a word that Oliver and I just said.  
    “What are you plotting?” Sam asks.
    “Your downfall.”  
    “As usual.” 
    “Planning to stab me in the face, Mel?” Josh asks.  I knew I shouldn’t have told him about that stupid zombie dream, because now he’s never going to let me forget it.  “I always knew you had it out for me.”  
    “What gave me away?” 
    “Mostly the way you look at me like the Evil Queen looks at Snow White.  Like you want my heart in a box.”  Josh grabs his chest like he’s having a heart attack.
    “Just so we’re on the same page, you’re Snow White in this scenario?” I ask.
    “That’s right,” Josh announces, slinging his arm around Sam’s shoulders.  “And Sam here is my Dopey.”
    “I thought I was Doc,” Sam says, looking far too disappointed.
    “Bro, you are in no way smart enough to be Doc.”
    In case you were wondering, that kind of logic is precisely why Josh wins pretty much every debate or argument that happens to arise.  
    “So what are they discussing out there?” Sam asks, glancing out the window at the group on the balcony.  
    “I don’t know,” Oliver replies.
    “Let’s go find out,” Josh says and barges outside, letting in a rush of frigid wind.  
    I consider sprinting back to my room for my coat (all I’m wearing right now are jeans and my favorite beige sweater, which is pretty but doesn’t exactly keep me warm) but then I remember that if I look cold enough, then there’s a chance that Sam will notice and wrap his arms around me.    
    It turns out that the people out on the balcony, also known as the managers, are having a conversation that is so boring, it shouldn’t be allowed on a festive night in a city like this one.  New York nights deserve talk of music and lights and everything that makes life extraordinary.  
    Sam gets it.    
    “You know, sometimes I still can’t believe that we’re here,” he says to me, leaning against the rail and gazing out at the city, so beautiful that it almost doesn’t seem real.  The glow of the city lights illuminates his handsome