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from him but he held on tightly. She pushed hard against him. "Stop it, Sammy, stop!" she shouted desperately, writhing and wrenching herself loose from his fierce hold.

"Ashley, come on," he pleaded quietly, looking around the table. His friends thankfully had moved away . "I love you. Can't you try to love me?"

"I do love you, Sammy. You know I do, just not like you want. You're my best friend but that's all. I'm sorry but this isn't working,"she said desperately.

"Sam!" Tom shouted and ran to him. "Coach just canceled practice."

"Why?" Sam gruffly asked standing up and purposely blocking Ashley from view. Though Tom hadn't looked at her Sam considered punching him anyway.

"His wife's having the baby. We should get him a present, I suppose," Tom said distractedly.

"A present? Just because he knocked up his wife?" Sam said derisively. "What about practice? We're playing Thorndale soon and they're tough."

"No they're not," Tom said dismissively,

"Can't we run practice ourselves?"Sam asked irritably.

Tom stared at him incredulously then glanced around Sam's broad shoulders. "Bit keen on it, aren't you? Don't you want to spend some time with your girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I would if I had one," he replied miserably, then wished he hadn't said it. Tom kept looking at Ashley with a quizzical expression.

"Sammy, please," she mumbled looking ready to cry.

"Anyway, we'll have practice tomorrow, Sam," Tom said, casting one last covetous glance at Ashley before he walked off.

"Sammy?" Ashley said tugging on his hand. He pulled it roughly away and sat down saying nothing.

"Sammy, do you hate me?" she asked shakily.

"Why would I hate you? Cuz you want to be another in the long line of girls groveling at Tom's feet?"

Aghast, Ashley stared at him open-mouthed. "I... I don't like him. I don't know him. I never even talked to him."

When the bell rang, Sam stood up on automatic taking his lunch tray with him.

Ashley grabbed his hand again. "Can we hang out after school since you have no practice?" she asked tentatively.

"What for?" he snarled, "I mean nothing to you!"

"That's not true, Sammy," she said, her lip trembling, "See, I knew this would happen and you didn't believe me. I knew it wouldn't work out."

"It would if you'd kiss me instead of pushing me away. I could make you love me if you let me,"he returned heatedly.

"I don't feel that way about you. Can't you understand? You can't make a heart feel something it doesn't," she said earnestly.

He blinked at her suddenly remembering, all too well, after his dad had unceremoniously announced he wanted a divorce, packed his things and moved in with a girl he met online.

His mother was at the kitchen sink peeling potatoes with tears streaming down her face as Bonnie Raitt sang her sad song of unrequited love. "...cuz I can't make you love me if you don't... .you can't make a heart feel something that it won't..."

"You said it wouldn't ruin our friendship and that's exactly what's happening,"Ashley said tears welling in her eyes.

"I don't want to be friends. We were never friends, Ashley. Don't you get it? I've been in love with you from the start. I was just pretending to be your friend until you figured it out,"he harshly spat out.

"No," she said shaking her head unbelievingly. "You're my best friend, Sammy."

"Screw that!" he shouted, slammed down the tray and sending bits of pizza crust flying.

He bolted out into the hall pushing kids away from him as he went. He stalled only a second by Tom seriously wanting to punch him but he knew it wasn't his fault. As Bonnie Raitt sang so eloquently, "You can't make a heart feel something that it won't." Sam knew that now, first hand.

Learn more about this author, Glory Lennon.
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