Page 98 of Sweetheart

Sam: Thanks, Kent.

Me: Also, a bakery? You must be hungry.

Sam: Hey, don't judge. I heard your stomach growl a second ago, so I know you are too.

Me: This is true.

I learned Sam's biggest fear (never finding a purpose), and he learned mine (losing the ones I love).Sam won another hole and asked me to name my favorite musician. I told him it depended on the day and my mood but thatTaylor Swift, Drake, Vivaldi, Tracy Chapman,and Daughter were always near the top of the list. When he asked who that last one was, Isent him a link to a playlist—and informedhim that he'd just used one of his questions.We hunkered down after that, agreeing without speaking to focus until theend of the game.We were in a dead heat.Sam still had one more win than me, but I could tie it up with thisfinal hole.

Fate must've been with me because I sunk my ball in two strokes.

"Yeah," I said with a fist-pump. "Your turn, Bishop."

He looked at me for a moment. "You're not going to getmad if I win, right?"

"I'd be more upset if I found out you lost on purpose."

Sam released a relieved breath. "That's good because I'm about to bring home this W."

He wasn't kidding.

Later—after Sam beat me by scoring another hole in one, this one even prettier than the last—we were walking with our ice creams, hands close enough to touch but not touching.I was still trying to take it in as Sam nudged my side.

"You look like you're thinking deep thoughts."

"I lost," I said.

"Yeah."

"I've never lost at anything." When Sam's eyebrows popped, I said, "No, really. This is the first time I've ever not won, the only time I failed. It's…different."

"Well, at least you didn't lose by much," he replied. "How do you feel?"

I took a moment to check in with myself.

Then I smiled.

"Not bad," I said. "Strangely,even though I'm a loser, I actually feel pretty fantastic."

Sam laughed. "Good, and before you say it, I know that counted as one of my questions, but I wanted to make sure I hadn't ruined our date."

I shook my head. "You didn't."

We ate our ice cream in silence for a moment, leaning against the trunk of his car, the moon and stars shining brightly against a blue-black sky, and then Sam turned to face me.

"What are your plans for after graduation?" he asked.

"I'll go to UNC, get my degree in music and business, land a great internship, preferably with a well-known conservatory in New York, graduate summa cum laude, play professionally for a few years, start my own freelance business composing, teaching violin, and focusing on lifting upyoung voices, make my mark on the world and hopefully make it a better place," I said, sending him a smile. "What about you? What are you going to do?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know."

I waited, but he didn't say more. "You must have some idea."

"Nope," he said.

"I thought you loved soccer," I said.

"Ilikesoccer.I like working at the garage too. ButI like a lot of things, Kent." He finished the rest of his ice cream, dusted off his hands, then said, "I'mjust not sure what I want to do with my life."

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