Samantha: Teen Age Novel

By Alice Levine

Samantha is a high school student who spends her first two periods at home with three friends after her parents have left for work. She is in love with Joey, one of the three friends. He is a dropout who smokes pot. Samantha knows her folks will be upset when they find out she has been cutting classes, but she can’t bring herself to give up these morning trysts. Her school counselor warns her about her cutting classes and asks her to give piano lessons to a disabled student in her music class. Samantha begins to teach him and is astonished at the boy’s love for music and his talent. But she is still unable to stop cutting. Her family is upset because her married sister is being abused by her husband. Joey leaves town mysteriously and when he returns, he wants Samantha to live with him. She realizes he is wrong for her.

How will she solve her problems?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669818847

Alice Levine

Author Bio coming soon.

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 by Alice Levine.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 03/31/2022

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

841685

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Dedicated to my children

Judith

Jean

Laban

Susan

Sol

And to my beloved Bert

CHAPTER ONE

After Samantha Parker’s parents left for work each day, she and her friends cut their morning classes and got together in the Parker’s living room. Today they were here as usual. Billy Kellog lay stretched out on the floor like a moth-eaten fur rug with Joyce Tipton’s red head pillowed on his skinny stomach. Joey Baldwin, Samantha’s boyfriend, oldest of the four, was draped over the couch inhaling a fresh joint.

But Samantha was worried. She was afraid that these pleasant parties were in danger of being discovered, afraid that she would find herself in real trouble. With one hand on the doorknob she stood looking at her friends, tapping her foot impatiently.

You can’t stay here, she told them. I gotta go to school. You’ll have to leave.

They appeared disinterested. Man, we just got here, Billy whined.

Yeah, we just got here, Joyce echoed vaguely.

Joey studied Samantha with his soft, grey eyes, and held the newly lit reefer aloft to tempt her. This stuff’s mighty good, Sammy Baby, he observed before passing it to Billy.

If I don’t show up at Dr. Paxton’s office on time she’ll try to call me out of class, Samantha snapped. And when she discovers I’m not there she’ll telephone my father.

They all reflected for a moment.

Big deal! Joey replied after a pause.

That’s, easy for you to say, retorted Samantha. You don’t have a father.

Wow! exclaimed Billy. That’s really hitting low.

Joey rose to his feet. So long, Baby. I thought we’d get together today, but I guess you don’t want to make it with a bastard like me. Grinning, he put his arm around her waist.

She pushed his hand away. Don’t be silly. I’ll see you later at McDonald’s.

Closing the door after her friends, she carefully sprayed the room with a deodorant. Then she ran to the kitchen where Tammy, her Yorkshire terrier, jumped on her, licking her face and yelping joyously.

Be a good girl. Tammy. We’ll have a nice walk when I get back.

The terrier’s silky coat perfectly matched her owner’s honey colored hair. Every morning Samantha selected two matching ribbons, one for her throat and one for Tammy’s. Today she wore a faded blue gauze blouse with her embroidered jeans, so her ribbon as well as Tammy’s was of pale blue. Every night, each received a shampoo and a blow-dry brushing, a practice which her parents loudly deplored, though Samantha detected admiration in their complaints. For she and Tammy were adorable together.

Samantha liked being adorable, and the thought of disappointing her parents bothered her. But self control wasn’t easy, she had discovered. The morning sessions with her friends were so enjoyable. Being with Joey before he went off for the day was just plain heavenly. But she was afraid that someday. . .she shuddered pleasantly at the thought. Someday she might go too far.

She could hear the tiny dog’s staccato little barks as she locked the front door. Pretending to tie her sneaker, she slipped her key under the doormat. The Parker’s townhouse was attached to its neighbor, and identical to it except for its turquoise shutters. She saw elderly Mr. Marini peer through his pale yellow shutters from the adjoining house as he watched her cross the street to school.

Samantha wondered how much he suspected about her morning activities. She tried not to think about the consequences if her hard-working parents ever found out about her cutting her morning classes. In the old neighborhood she would never have dared. But the three friends she had made here didn’t take school seriously. Billy and Joyce frequently took off the entire day, and Joey had dropped out of school altogether. Joey. A thrill ran through her as she pictured his sensuous mouth and his beautiful grey eyes and glossy hair. And the way his fingers touched her. He was hard to resist. Sometimes she thought she didn’t want to resist him any longer.

The school security guard at the front door was absorbed in a conversation with Mr. Marcus, Clearwater High’s pudgy economics teacher, when Samantha entered the building and approached the hall table.

Class ten-three, said Samantha. The guard handed her a late pass without a glance in her direction, but Mr. Marcus looked up. If you hurry, he told her, you can get to class before the bell rings for the third period.

She thanked him as she slipped the pass into her bag and hurried down the hall to the guidance department. Two upper classmen were leaving the college office as she took her seat in the waiting room.

With your average, David, a wiry-haired boy was saying, You’re crazy not to try for a number one college.

As his friend spoke, Samantha realized that the tall, sandy-haired boy looked familiar. He was explaining to his companion that he couldn’t afford to go a college away from home. As he passed Samantha he flashed her a lopsided smile, and she recognized him. It was the friendly jogger who waved to her every morning when she walked Tammy. Before she could say hello, the secretary motioned to her that Dr. Paxton would see her.

The guidance counselor had just concluded a phone conversation. She faced Samantha smilingly across the desk, a pencil parked in the dark hair coiled about her head.

How nice to see you, Samantha. I haven’t spoken with you since last spring. It has been almost a year since you entered Clearwater High, hasn’t it? How do you like our school?

Focusing her eyes on a photo on Dr. Paxton’s desk, Samantha murmured a reply too low for her to hear. Ignoring this, Dr. Paxton continued. Which of your courses do you like the best?

The girl’s eyes closed briefly behind her dark glasses. What a pain, she thought.

Did you just arrive at school?

Samantha’s eyes were wide open now.

You’re still wearing your dark glasses. Were you cutting gym and English again?

Samantha hastily dropped her glasses into her bag. It’s a hassle getting undressed right after I get to school.

Dr. Paxton nodded as she opened an orange-colored folder and examined its contents. And your English class?

Mrs. Harris won’t let us in class after the bell.

The guidance counselor looked up without speaking

And sometimes they won’t even let us in the front door after the period begins.

How about last term? asked Mrs. Paxton evenly," referring to the folder in her hand.

I hated that math class!

And you dislike gym too?

Mrs. Fenton runs that class like a prison. And she hates me!

"Then why do you think she