Readers,
I have returned. Please enjoy the first little installment of my new story- it came to me out of nowhere, like a vision. Reviews encouraged- please let me know what you think!
oHv xxx
—
"Principal Franklin? Sam is here for her regular Tuesday appointment."
Ted Franklin rolled his eyes and sighed. Principal Franklin truly did care for Samantha Puckett- it was just that the frequent problems she brought onto herself were….difficult to deal with.
"Send her in." He closed his eyes for a few moments before the door to his office opened. "Good morning Sam."
"Mornin' Ted." she chirped. The principal rolled his eyes and gave her a look.
"Sam." He warned.
Sam smiled largely, correcting her posture as she robotically said, "Good morning Principal Franklin". Her smile disappeared as quickly as it came.
Ted smiled softly at her attempts and said, "Thank you. Now tell me, Sam, what trouble have you gotten into this week?" Sam didn't even hesitate before she started listing off the various infractions she had committed that week. It used to just be slapping Gibby with a piece of pizza and other harmless nuisances she would inflict upon Ridgeway. Something was different about her this time, and Principal Franklin could sense it. He had known her from the time she first entered Ridgeway to her senior year- she would be graduating soon and these little, consistent meetings would eventually come to an end. No more changing C's to B's in the school's computer system, no more "Texas wedgies", no more Samantha Puckett. He tried his best to read her facial expressions as she sat in front of him, now fallen silent. Normally she'd just say some insult about Miss Briggs and have him laughing his ass off without his own consent by now.
"Sam, is there something else bothering you?"
Sam was quiet. She looked at him with lost eyes and said nothing. She chuckled to herself, looked at the floor and spoke, "Nah Ted. That's pretty much it."
This of course did not satisfy Principal Franklin's expectations for a response, but he did not want to push her. With Sam, that just sends her in the opposite direction you want her to go.
"Alright Sam. If you ever need anything-"
"I know, Ted." She shifted her attention to the greening leaves on the trees outside blowing roughly, caught in a spring zephyr. They were quiet for a moment before Ted gestured to Sam that she was free to go. Sam thought about how much she hated these meetings as she left, closing the door behind her. She thought about how much she hated looking into Principal Franklin's eyes and lying to him after all the shit she had dredged through with him over the years- like he had become her sort of impromptu therapist. She knew Ted really cared about her and just wanted to help. Sam had always been able to spill just abut everything to him without fear of judgement- every person she terrorized or got revenge on, every drunken debacle with her mother, every stupid bitchfight with Carly. When it came to Sam, he always knew what to say, and he always knew when to listen. As she continued to mull all of this over, Sam began to slow her pace down the school hallway. For a moment she had the strongest inclination to turn back and explain everything to Principal Franklin. What would he say about what she had been keeping from everyone, even her best friends? Especially her best friends. This was something that had manifested itself into Sam's life at first as a vapor, but soon grew into something unmanageable. Something so emotionally draining and complex that even someone as unemotional as Sam Puckett couldn't suppress. Sam found herself retracing her steps back to the place she had just come, Ted Franklin's office. She needed to get this whole thing off her chest- out, gone, away. She felt like telling at least one person about it would be the right thing to do for her mental health at this point, so she made her way back to the familiar door of the principal's office. She found herself standing and staring blankly at the entrance to the admin office until the secretary noticed.
"Samantha? Didn't you just leave? Did you need something else from Principal Franklin, dear?" Sam blinked her eyes and looked at the secretary. There was a long pause as Sam looked at the door to Ted's office and gave a sigh.
"Nah, I'm good. Thanks." Sam answered as she turned and left the admin office for the second time that day.
—
Readers,
I appreciate your continued support of my work immensely. Writing this kind of stuff gives me back that creative spark I had before college and drugs sucked the life out of me. I started re-watching iCarly from the beginning all the way through because I realized I've only seen the whole thing on TV, not as one, long continuous story. It's bringing me back to the days I'd sit on my parents couch eating chocolate ice-cream on a Wednesday after school in 2009 watching Nickelodeon on cable TV. Although I should be studying for finals instead, I will definitely be continuing this story whenever possible- I think I'm onto something. REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
oHv xxx