Fighting Back

Chapter One.

"Finn?" Sam's voice was filled with sadness as she spoke. Finn was oblivious to her voice. All sorts of questions ran through his head. Was she actually being serious? Who set her up to it? How much was she being bet? "Finn?" Her tone was getting harsher. It was still filled with sadness but she needed to hear his voice, know that he was there. Finn knew his Sam. She wouldn't joke about something like that. Sam's arm reached out to Finn and she placed it on his shoulder. Finn shook it off.
"Get-off-me!" He spoke through gritted teeth. Sam ignored the comment. She knew how terrifying the news was. Her arm reached out again. This time, Finn jumped up onto his feet. "I said get off me!" He shouted. Sam's eyes welled with tears. Finn felt bad but wasn't one for apologies. "I... I have to go." He spun around and left Sam sat on the park bench all alone. She stared into the distance while blinking back her tears.

Finn ran into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He screamed as he picked up a photo frame from his desk which held a picture of him and Sam. He threw it across the room. All the sadness he felt was being transformed into anger. He didn't, couldn't cry. He wasn't that sort of person. He was the bad-boy. One of the biggest bad boys at Waterloo Road. The biggest until the new boy, Kyle Stack arrived. He looked at the broken frame on the floor, glass shattered. He looked past the brokenness and looked at the smiling face of his girlfriend. What was he thinking? Within moments he had left the room once and was walking the streets.

Sam sat on the little wooden bench, still staring into the distance. Even when she saw him sitting next to her, her eyes didn't even blink. "I shouldn't have acted like that..." He waited for Sam to tell him it was ok, but she didn't, just continued staring ahead. "I... I didn't know what to say." There was still no sense of emotion on Sam's face. "I was stupid, ok? I shouldn't have flown off the handles but I was scared and I'm, i'm..."
"You're what, Finn? Sorry for shouting at me? Sorry for acting like a total prat? Sorry for leaving me here on my own? What Finn?" Tears began falling violently down Sam's cheeks and Finn put his arms around her, holding her tight.
"I'm sorry for everything, but it's ok, I'm here now." Sam continued weeping.
"I'm so scared, Finn."
"I know, but it's ok. Now the hospital have found it, they can make you better, right?"
"I guess... They gave me tablets, loads of them. They are supposed to help shrink the tumour..."
"See... it'll be ok." He pulled away from her and gently punched her arm. "You're a fighter. You'll be fine."
"You won't leave me, will you?" Finn shook his head.
"No, never again, Sam. I'm here."

Finn watched as the surgeons crowded around her. She was no longer visible to him. He listened to the life support machine, praying that it would steady and she'd wake up smiling. The surgeons rushed around her, they laid her bed flat and began resuscitating her. Finn continued to pray. He blamed himself. He was being punished by God and he was taking the most important person away from him. Tears ran down his face as the surgeons stepped back. "Time of death 12:31."

Finn struggled to stay awake as he walked to school. His earphones were playing 'Kings of Leon' loudly in his ears but not even that was enough to wake him. He hadn't slept much the last night. He tossed and turned most of it, and the numerous times he had managed to drop off his dreams had haunted him with the same old nightmare. Each one seemed more horrific than the last. "Finn!" Finn jumped as he felt a hand grab hold of his shoulder. He pulled out his ear phones and turned around to see Sam standing there with possibly the biggest smile on her face. He couldn't understand how she was so happy.
"Sam, hi." He kissed her passionately and they made their way into the school hand in hand.