Sam and Colt
Colt Warren stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom, putting on a tie. He never did like ties, so he rarely wore them. They always made him feel like he was choking. He struggled to fix it and after a few angry minutes of trying, groaned in frustration and kicked his door. He bit his lip to subside the pain and tried again. Colt could just barely remember the last time he wore a tie. It was to his middle school graduation? It seemed fuzzy, but he did remember his dad showing him a way to remember how to put a tie on. One of the few times his dad was actually there for him. Colt shook his head and finally fixed the tie, using his pneumonic device. He studied his reflection in the mirror. He looked tired, which made sense. He hadn't slept in days. His eyebrow ring glinted in the sunlight coming through the window. Colt rubbed his hands over his face and leaned over his dresser, knocking everything out of the way. Get it together, Colt. It's just a funeral. You've been to those before, just not the funeral of your girlfriend's dad. Just be cool.
Colt was heading out the door when his sister Maddie came running to him and latched onto his leg. "Where are you going, Colt?"
He tried to shake Maddie off his leg, but it was a lost cause. Colt bent down and put his hand on his shoulder. "Maddie, remember when you met Sammy?"
Maddie smiled. "Yeah, she was funny. She did good impressions of you."
Colt cracked a smile. "Yeah well, her dad died."
Maddie's lip trembled. "Oh no, that's terrible."
Colt nodded. "Yeah exactly, that's why I'm going to be with her and help her feel better."
Maddie thought for a minute. "Okay, I guess that makes sense. I love you, Colt." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Colt hugged her back, tight. "Love you too, Maddie. I'll be back soon." With that he stood up and left for the funeral.
Sam Davis stood underneath a large tent in the hot sun, fanning herself with her hand. Her friends and family milled around sadly, all wearing black. Almost everyone had come up to her to give their condolences or give her a hug or say they were sorry for her loss in the past hour, and she was getting sick of hearing it. She just wanted to go home, sit in her air conditioned room, and blast music to drown out her mom crying. Sam squinted in the sunlight, trying to make out who had arrived in the past few minutes. She could definitely see people from her school. Taylor, Jessica, Nicole, Maria, and Jill stood in a huddle, talking quietly. Amanda, Hector, and Howard sat in some metal chairs, and Zoe stood with her parents and some other relatives. Sam thought about going over to her friends and engaging them, but decided not to. It would be too much to stand there, making small talk when inside she wanted to die. Faintly, Sam heard the roar of a motorcycle engine, which filled her with relief. Colt. Sure enough, she was right. Colt's motorcycle came to a halt across the street from the tent. He got off his motorcycle and made his way to the tent. She could see him scanning the crowd for Sam, and when his eyes locked on hers, he smiled and walked over to her.
When Colt finally reached Sam, they hugged each other tightly and he kissed her on the cheek. They broke apart and Sam led Colt to some chairs where they sat down.
"How're you doing, Sam?" Colt studied Sam's face for any sign of, well, anything. Sam had this blank expression, like a poker face.
"I'm great. Everyone's been doing really great." Sam bit her lip and looked down, nodding slightly as if to reassure herself that it was true.
"Sammy, I don't know if that's what you've been telling everyone, but I can tell it's not true. Everything's not great. You can talk to me, you know that." Colt lifted her chin so she was looking directly into his eyes, and he could see it written on her face. She was an utter mess.
Sam sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She looked back into Colt's eyes and she knew that he was trying. He wanted to help. "I feel like shit, okay? I feel like the shittiest shit ever. My mom doesn't talk to me anymore, she hasn't talked to me in months since Zoe moved back in with her parents. Everyone thinks they know what I'm going through and they don't. They have no idea. I hate when people try to relate to me because no one can. It's bullshit, and I have to go up on the stage and read a speech that I didn't write about my dad, and I have to act like I mean it and that I'm not cracking up." Sam took a breath and let it out. Colt bit his lip and just nodded. Sam swallowed. "I just wonder sometimes why it has to be me."
Colt put his arm around Sam. "Things happen for a reason, Sammy. I know it seems bad, but it will get better."
Sam nodded slightly and they sat there for a few moments, until Sam stood up abruptly. She quickly wiped at her eyes and cleared her throat. "I have to um- I have to go sit with my family. I'll see you later." She walked off.
Colt stared at her for a minute before he blinked quickly and went to find people that he knew.