It had been 2 days since the news had reported of how a fire had started at the University of Oregon. I still lived in Seattle, since I attended the University of Seattle. I still lived in the same apartment, with the same person, and with the same neighbour. Freddie hadn't moved either. The person who had moved was Sam, my former best friend. Former was the wrong word. I still considered her the best friend I have ever, and probably will ever have but because of an argument a year ago, I hadn't spoken to her and neither had Freddie. Initially it was an argument between the three of us, but it's hard staying angry with someone who lived opposite you and went to the same school. As for Sam, I never had the chance to tell her I was sorry.

"Hey Carly, gotten through to Sam yet?"

I shook my head, taking my eyes off the television for the first time in hours. "No."

Freddie looked to the floor in sadness. "Oh. We better go though if we want to make it on time to class."

I nodded, getting up from the couch and taking my phone with me. I checked for any missed calls, and messages back from her. Any signs she was alive. I felt a wave of worry run through me. The thought of Sam being dead was bad enough.

"Freddie, how do we get a hold of her?"

As we made our way down the stairs to his car, she sighed and shook his head. His eyes showed so much worry and sadness, I couldn't help but wonder if he had everything I had tried, maybe even tried more.

"I think we should drive down to Oregon if she doesn't get a hold of us in the next day."

I nodded my head in agreement. "Okay."

Once we were in the car, he started the car and headed for the university. It only took about 10 minutes to get there, but it was a long 10 minutes with the radio station on the news. There was nothing new about it except for one horrifying thing; someone had died.

Freddie's grip on the steering wheel tightened as I stared at the radio in complete horror. It was true that the chances of it being Sam were slim, but wasn't everyone thinking that about everyone that was missing?

"Although the name of the girl-" A girl. The chances have heightened. "-is unknown, a description has been revealed. Blonde hair, 5'2." Blonde. Sam's height. The chances of it being her only seem to increase.

My hand covered my mouth as I let out a little whimper. "Oh god..."

Freddie turned to me quickly, and turned off the radio as he did so. "Carly, it's not her. It isn't. It can't be!" His hands slammed down on the steering wheel. He was having a hard time convincing the two of us.

We made it to school a little after 11, since both our classes weren't until a little later on. He was about to park in his usual place, but saw a car already parked.

"I've had a well established parking space for the past year and here comes along some new kid with their shiny red Chevy and thinks they can just park in my place!"

It would have been funny if it hadn't been for the fact that one, he was serious and two, so was I. I sighed and just shrugged. "Just park somewhere else."

The car door to the Chevy opened to reveal a blonde haired girl with her curly hair pulled back into a ponytail in a plaid top with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, dark jeans turned up at the bottom, and converse wrecked by, what looked like, soot. Her head was low as she put in earphones and went through her iPod. She turned back around and took out a bag from her car and put it over her shoulder.

Both Freddie and I exchanged glances. "IT'S SAM!"

I jumped out of the car. I heard Freddie yelling for me to wait, but I ignored him. That was Sam right? It was her, wasn't it? I saw her, and so did Freddie. Those golden curls could belong to no one else, but Sam. Unless... I stopped dead in my tracks and took a deep breath. What was I doing... Of course that wasn't Sam. Sam wasn't here. She wasn't anywhere. Especially not here. It was just my mind playing tricks on me. Cruel, cruel tricks.

Freddie had caught up to me and was looking around. "Did you see her?! Was it Sam?!"

"I didn't even bother. Why would that be Sam?" I stormed past him, tears threatening to fall. I ran, trying to reach the nearest toilets. I was angry, scared, upset, confused. I let it out on the person who I unfortunately collided with in my haste to the toilets.

"What the hell is wrong with yo0u? Didn't you look where you were going? Why can't people just look!"

I had my head hung as I let the tears fall to the floor. I kept my eyes shut, but I still felt the presence of whoever I had been shouting at. They finally said something.

"Uh. Sorry. I'll look out more in future for emotional kids who may be running towards me with their eyes not ahead of them."

My eyes finally opened and I saw the shoes and upturned jeans of the girl who had left Chevy in the parking lot. My eyes slowly made their way up to the face of the girl in front of me. Finally I saw the face of the girl, that familiar face. The face I hadn't seen in a year, and thought I would never see again. The only difference being the slightly bruised cut over her right cheek and the cute above her left eyebrow.

She looked at me slightly wide eyed before furrowing her eyebrows. "Fantastic" was all she muttered to herself as she walked past me. "Fan-freakin-tastic."