Mixed Signals

This is what has happened in the previous chapters. Right after the kiss fiasco, Sam and Salah went to their room both quiet and in shock abou what had happened. Salah tried to explain to Sam that it wasn't his fault. Luckily for Salah, his friend understood, even if he still wasn't very happy about the whole situation. The next morning they would go to the Valley of the Kings and Queens. As they headed to their destination, Mohammed, the guide, warned everyone about the hustlers that they would find in the valley. "They will offer you gifts, but will later catch you and charge you a lot of money for it! So don't accept anything from them," he said (O'Connell, 100). Of course, once they got there, Octavia accepted a lot of gifts, and Sam did the same just to impress her. As they continued their tour, Octavia's shoe broke, so Sam offered to carry her and her bag full of makeup and water. They had a really good time together and Octavia even dared to share her poverty secret with Sam. He was really impressed but he promised he wouldn't tell anyone as he saw the regret on her face for telling him. This made Octavia feel better, so she kissed Sam on the cheek.

(Sam with Octavia)

On their way back, Sam changed his shirt so that the hustlers wouldn't recognize him. Once they were all in the boat, Sam was so excited about what had happened with Octavia back at the valley that he planned a surprise for her with his friends. He would set up a whole scene with candles and cushions back in his room and he would give her the things that he got from the hustlers as a gift. To distract her while Sam was preparing everything, Salah took Octavia and Rosie to watch a movie in their friend's room. Unfortunately, Octavia hadn't taken the valley experience with Sam so seriously, so she started flirting with Salah once again while they were watching the movie. This is why, when Sam walked into the room to tell Octavia that he had a surprise, she refused to go. This let Sam, extremely frustrated with Salah, so he just left the room without saying anything else. The next day, Rosie followed Sam after breakfast and saw how beautiful his room looked with so many decorations. Rosie realized how madly in love he was with her best friend so she decided to help him get what he desired the most!

"I knew that I could win that kiss. All I needed was more time." -SAM (O'Connell, 114)
At this point I became mad with the character of Octavia. Why would she give Sam that kiss and let his hopes up?. If I were Octavia I would have told Sam since the beginning that I wasn't interested in him to  prevent him from so many disappointments. What she is doing is not fair. And the worst part is that Sam is SO in love with her that he still doesn't understand that Octavia is not in love with him.Wake up Sam!

"I swear to God I was in some sort of Shakespearean farce. Only not a funny one. Maybe a tragedy? I wanted to ask Octavia to move away but I just didn't see how I could without drawing Rosie's attention." -SALAH (O'Connell, 130)
I thought it was pretty interesting the way that the author compares Salah's situation with some sort of dramatic tragedy. That example truly reflects how Salah isn't able to love the one he really likes because of all the obstacles that Octavia sets.  Why Octavia?!? Why do you have to get everything you want? Why can't you just understand that Salah and Rosie are meant to be and that you are just standing in their way? Will true love win?

In conclusion, I have realized that the only person causing all the problems is Octavia. If she would just like Sam, everything would be perfect and everyone would be happy. On the other hand, if it wasn't for Octavia, there wouldn't be any plot in the story. I am really attached to this book and I am really enjoying every part of it. All that I can think of is what will happen next. The ideas are original and since the characters are near my age, it makes their situations way more relatable to me. I wonder if any of the problems in the novel will end before the school trip ends? I predict that, while helping Sam get Octavia, Rosie will probably change her mind and fall in love with Sam. We'll find out in my next post in Scriptum Interpretations!