NEW LIFE : A SECOND CHANCE

Now that Sam had a more concrete plan for Valentine's Day, he felt more assured of what to do.

"O-kay, anyway," Sam said as he tapped the paper in front of him, "Shall we get back to business? Are you interested or willing to help me out for this?"

"Sure!" Betty agreed readily.

Betty thought she was very lucky. By helping out Sam, she would be able to spend more time with him and dig more information. Sam was happy as well, for he could use this opportunity to get to know Betty better and woo her slowly.

"What is it that we need to do?" Betty asked.

"Well, this needs to be put up on the notice board," Sam explained, "But before that, we need to talk to every class representative about the rules. That will be done as a group, so any questions can be dealt with at the same time."

"So wouldn't this be the President or Vice-President's role? Why you?" Betty asked curiously.

"I'm the PRO, so naturally this would fall under me. Kyle and Beatrice have a lot on their plate already anyway, so of course, they'd delegate it," Sam explained.

"Are you sure I can be of help?" Betty asked, cocking her head to one side while looking at Sam.

"Of course," Sam assured her, a slight hint of a smile on his face. Betty nodded, smiling widely at him, hitting Sam squarely in the heart.

'Gosh, this bunny is lethal,' Sam thought to himself.

From a distance, Beatrice watched Betty and Sam as they talked. They looked so natural together. Their heads were rather close together, they were laughing - Sam wasn't even looking as stoic as he normally did.

A little part of her didn't quite like seeing that, for she was envious that Betty was able to invoke such reactions from Sam. He was usually very serious and talked like an adult yet, with Betty, he appeared like a normal 13-year-old boy.

Beatrice sighed.

She turned back to her work, thinking that she is what she is. She is not Betty and could never imitate Betty's natural bubbly personality. It would be a disaster! She may wish she had that ability but she was not resentful nor did she feel any animosity towards Betty for being able to do so.

?? Beatrice & Betty's Dorm ??

That night, Betty was busy 'reporting' to Beatrice about what she had learned from Sam.

"Well, it's confirmed," Betty was saying as she was brushing her hair, "Sam has someone that he likes but she only sees him as a friend. So now he's decided to try and get her interested."

Beatrice's heart felt a bit of pain upon hearing that but it was as she suspected anyway.

"I still think it could be you," Betty insisted, pointing her brush at Beatrice, "I mean, you guys have known each other for ages, and it was only recently that you realised how you felt, right? So he may be thinking that you still see him as a friend."

"Betty," Beatrice said with a sigh, "It's not me. It's a first-year student."

"What? NO! How do you know for sure?!" Betty gasped, turning around to look at her, "I mean, we suspected it only, right? But it's not certain."

"Yes, it's certain," Beatrice said with conviction then proceeded to tell Betty about the events that happened the other day in Sage Class, when Xing Han had announced he was going to ask a first year out and Sam ran off after him.

"But I've never seen him around the first-year classes," Betty said in deep thought, "Who could it be?"

"Well, as the Student Council PRO, he's been in contact with the first years quite a lot, hasn't he?" Beatrice pointed out.

"Not that much," Betty said with a nose twitch, "It was only during that assessment and when the results were announced. He helped explain what the classes were about but that's about it."

"You didn't see him with any first-year?" Beatrice pressed on. She hadn't been there when the results had been released, as it was basically Sam's role. Kyle had said Sam was enough to handle the matter.

Beatrice suspected it was Kyle's way of helping Sam meet with his crush.

Betty shook her head, "No, not really. Then again, I wasn't with him 24/7. Though he did help me quite a lot that day. Sam must have thought me to be so ditzy. He was really kind and patient with me and all my questions."

While Beatrice was listening to Betty talk about the day, a slight suspicion began to enter her mind. Once the thought came, she couldn't brush it aside.

Beatrice's heart started pounding hard for some reason.

The person he likes is a first-year.

The said first-year only sees him as a friend.

She took deep breaths and started thinking back.

The image of the two of them earlier in the day, as they were talking like old friends. Sam looked so patient, dealing with Betty.

The way Sam asked Betty to help him in his tasks when he was more than capable of doing it by himself.

The way Sam offered to help Betty in choosing her co-curricular activities and spent several hours doing so.

The haze in Beatrice's eyes lifted.

When Betty and Sam had been talking so well before, it wasn't that Sam was being patient with her. The soft expression on Sam's face wasn't due to him indulging Betty's antics but was borne from his feelings for her.

When Sam asked Betty to help. It wasn't because he needed help but because he wanted to spend time with her.

When Sam helped Betty to choose her co-curricular activities, it wasn't out of the kindness of his heart but from his desire to spend time with her.

Beatrice felt her heart constrict and blinked rapidly to stop any tears from forming. She looked at Betty who was still animatedly talking. Betty placed her hairbrush down and started to braid her hair before sleep. Beatrice knew Betty did this to ensure that her long hair didn't get tangled up badly while asleep.

Betty turned to face Beatrice as her fingers were busy plaiting her hair and she said, "You know, we will most likely find out who that mystery girl is on Valentine's Day."

Beatrice, whose throat had gone dry, managed to ask nonetheless, "Why? He's going to confess?"

"No, silly," Betty said with a smile, "He said he didn't dare and would only confess once he's confident enough. However, he did ask for tips like, what would the girl feel like if he gave her a gift out of the blue. So maybe he's going to make his first move then?"

Beatrice's heart was in turmoil.

She heard what Betty was saying but it only served to make her more panicked. If her suspicions were true, then Valentine's Day would be D-Day. The Day that the girl Sam likes is revealed.

Beatrice noticed how Betty's eyes seem to sparkle whenever she was talking about Sam, even though it was mostly about her trying to put in a good word for herself, Beatrice. Did Betty like Sam, too?

But she hardly knew Sam. How could she possibly like him?

Well, true, Sam was quite a catch and anyone would fall for him but she ... well, she had known Sam for longer. They got along very well.

Whereas Betty ... well, they only knew each other for less than a month. Would their connection be stronger than hers with him? Perhaps Betty was just a new fad?

After all, Beatrice had been attracted to her light as well. Betty is such a bright, lively person that she was the sun in her otherwise bleak life. Beatrice reasoned that Sam's attraction (if any) to Betty was most likely the same.

It was fleeting. Her connection with Sam was stronger as it was based on a solid friendship. Wasn't it?

Betty was right.

Sam is single right now. Until he actually gets into a relationship, he's fair game, right?

The more she thought about it, however, the more confused and unsettled Beatrice got.

If it did turn out that Betty is the girl that Sam had taken a fancy to, what would she do? What should she do?

Would she still fight to try to get Sam? Or would she step back? Fighting for Sam wasn't quite in her - and it's worse when it's against someone that she is close to. Yet, not doing anything would also eat up at her - would she be able to stand watching them together?

She didn't know. She honestly didn't know.

Betty means a lot to her so she couldn't suddenly hate her if it turns out that Sam does like her. Yet, she couldn't help feel some sort of resentment as Beatrice knew Sam first.

The thoughts kept swirling in her mind like a full circle and did not stop. It just served to confuse her even further. There was no solution.

Matters of the heart was irrational.

Beatrice wished she could have back her old life. It may have been boring, but it was safe. Logical. Everything laid out perfectly and things always went according to plan.

She sighed, half listening to Betty rambling on.

?? Sam ??

Sam had his hands in his hair as he struggled to think of a good Valentine's Day gift to give to Betty. It had to be something special yet not too personal that it would make her uncomfortable. He wanted to let her know that he liked her but not make it awkward should she not feel the same.

It was so difficult. If the gift was too impersonal, she would forever just view him as an ordinary friend. No, that cannot be. The gift had to make her heart open or at the very least, have her consider him as something more than a friend.

Yet, if it was too personal like a locket, then she won't be able to accept it with an easy heart if she had no feelings for him.

Sam felt like screaming out loud in frustration. Who would have thought that trying to figure out what to get the girl you like would be so difficult??

Sam leaned back on his chair. He gave up. He didn't know Betty well enough to be able to get something that would truly mean something to her. Then, as an idea came to him, his lips curled up to a smile.

Why didn't he think of this before?

He could just ask Beatrice!