Crushing Violently

Sam, I'm losing my fucking mind thinking about that day! Want to meet up?
~Mike~

Here she was, waiting for him at the campus cafe. He was late, like always.
It gave her time to think, though. They hadn't really talked about that day before. Ones the police closed the investigation and they were no longer needed all of them parted ways. Ashley decided to drop out of school and went back to her parents. Chris' death had taken a certain toll on her and she didn't want to see any of them. Mike had returned to college, deciding to deal with Jessica's death alone, without any support from anybody.
She herself decided to go home until vacation was over and to go back to school as well.
Mike and her and gotten closer, being the only ones who survived the night and still be in contact. Their classmates hadn't made an issue about the thing either. The girls were completely star struck by his black eye though. It showed the badass-side in him, they squealed like a hundred times a day during the first week. Mike didn't react to their flirtations. He just wanted to be alone. Sam was sick of it as well. In the girl's room she had heard them talk. Romanticize everything that had happened that day until dawn. They didn't know half the story, actually scratch that, they didn't know the story at all, didn't know how brave, sacrificial and protective Mike had really been. No one knew expect for her.

"Sam, hi!" She turned around as she heard his voice seeing the jock leaning against the bar, a beer already in his hand. A smile playing on his lips. "Hey," She greeted mirroring his expression. "Isn't it a little early for that?" She lifted up an eyebrow making him role his eyes.
"Ever the mother." She scoffed pushing him off the counter. He chuckled holding his hands up in defense, before taking place on the chair next to her.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Sam demanded taking a small sip of her coke. Mike went with a hand through his hair. "I've thought everything over again and again and again and I still can't get some fucking facts straight!" The frustration was hearable in his voice.
Sam had done some overthinking of her own, but to her it was all clear. At least as clear as it could be talking about supernatural creatures that weren't supposed to exist.

"What's bothering you?" She realized how stupid her question sounded. Everything about that night should be one big question for him, also for her. Mike made eye contact, parting his lips to speak; "Didn't," He couldn't get past the first word, having to take a large swing of his beer. "Didn't you notice something when we were face to face with the Wendigo?"

She expected practically everything but this. She liked to not think about their last encounter. If she had followed her instincts, she had blown up the house with Mike still inside but she just couldn't let him die. He was the only survivor besides her and Ashley and she needed someone to talk to, to build her back up piece by piece.
How selfish it may sound she needed Mike. Because after that experience she couldn't see her life without him. Without the boy who befriended a wolf, tried to be good, tried to discover the truth behind the chaos that he had seen in the Sanitorium, the boy who saved her.

"Nothing out of the ordinary expect, you know, those creatures being alive." Sam replied flatly. Mike shook his head muttering to himself; "I probably imagined things."
Feeling bad for her awful reply she laid her hand on his underarm. He looked down at the small gesture before smiling at her. "You can tell me, Mike. I came here to listen." Sam told him reassuringly.
He sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a second. "The Wendigo, Hannah... She could have killed me when I jumped in front of you to protect you, but she didn't. She threw me against the pillar, but, never actually tried to kill me." Sam bit her lip, pulling her hand back. "That was probably coincidence. She was too busy with me to care about you."
Mike shook his head, pondering out loud. "Nah, that can't be the reason..."
Lifting an eyebrow up at him she said; "And why not, President?"
Mike shot her a glare at her taunting nickname.

"When Josh and I went through the water, Hannah appeared and snatched him." Sam nodded; "I know, you told me."
"But not the whole story..." She frowned not knowing what to think. Did he sent Josh to his death, still mad because of that sick prank? Or did he just left him to rot?

"Josh and I went indeed through the water and Hannah was there, but she didn't grab him instantly. She pulled me underwater first, toyed with me before looking me straight in the face. After that, she let me go, literally left me. I swam towards a rock, not daring to get to the surface before I reached it. Ones I came above again I saw her drag Josh away. I was too afraid to do something, I was shaking. I did everything to get away from there, from her." He let out a hackled breath before taking another big swing of his beer. "Sam, Hannah s-she didn't kill me for some reason, and that's what's keeping me up at night."

Sam swallowed, her cheeks had become pale as realization had sunk in. The picture she had found in her room of Mike at the Prom, the test in the garbage bin, the stuff she had written in her diary that was hidden in the doll house Ashley had told her about, the way she undressed herself from the moment make out had left Mike's lips during the prank a year ago...
Hannah had had a crush on Mike since, well always and maybe a part of that had still been in her mind as a Wendigo. She still cared about him.
Sam's eyes shifted from her glass to Mike and back. He noticed her sudden nerves immediately, frowning at her.
"Spit it out, Samantha." She bit her lip before taking a deep breath. "When you and the others pulled that prank on Hannah you knew she had a crush on you." It came out more like a statement than a question.
"Of course, that's why we did it." Mike admitted guiltily. "I would do anything to do that day over." Sam hesitated a little before continuing; "How big do you think she had it for you?"

He was silent for a minute, obviously thinking about the question. "Probably as big as Jess had it for me. She kind of admitted she had a crush on me while I was dating Em too."
Why does everybody falls head over heels for this guy? Sam looked him up and down. Well he's intelligent and brave and kind and hot and-oh my God- that voice. She rubbed her face, Get your mind out of the gutter, Sam.

"Why are you asking me this?" He demanded, confusion showing in his eyes.
"I went to her room and I found some stuff. A photo of you, a test about you. Ashley found a diary, mainly about you. Mike, Hannah didn't have a simple crush on you. She was obsessed with you. Maybe so obsessed, that even as a Wendigo she still recognized you and couldn't harm you, couldn't kill you." Mike shook his head furiously throughout her small speech. "Sam, stop! I don't want to hear it!" But she didn't want to quit. She had to make him see the-pretty unbelievable-truth.

"Hannah cared so much about you, that even with the brain of a monster she still couldn't do anything to you, Mike. I'm starting to think she had more than just a crush on you. She was in love with you." He downed what was left of his drink at once before grabbing his jacket. "I've got to go, Sam." He left before she had the chance to tell him that she was sorry. "Mike!" She called after him in an attempt to stop him, but it was useless.

Mike had lost the most during that night. He lost his current girlfriend, his ex he apparently still loved, his best friend... He even lost his fingers in the crossfire and was almost blown into pieces. And now this.
Sam felt empathy for him, wanted to tell him it was going to be okay but she knew better.
It would take some time to accept what happened and while he was doing so she was going to be there for him.

The End