Two/Blur
.x.
Spin, spin, and spin- she was out of control.
Sam let her eyes slip close, taking in the scent of sweat and drugs as she twirled around in some sort of dancing fashion. She wasn't drunk but she felt the part, her body loose and core far from grounded. Somewhere in the crowd of melting bodies she knew her best friends were looking for her, worried that their crazy best friend had gotten herself into trouble again. She wasn't in school, she had hitchhiked across half of the country and these days 'home' was anywhere between California and New York. She was out of control; a downward spiral. They had to look after her. Always.
She twirled faster; head rushing as she peeked her eyes open and a blur of sound and colors came rushing at her.
It wasn't like she could take care of herself, that maybe she knew what she was doing. It couldn't be that she wanted to have fun doing what she liked instead of spending the rest of her life aspiring towards things that would never make her happy- that would just be crazy. If she ended up a waitress in New Jersey, living in some crappy apartment, it would because she didn't try hard enough to succeed, not because she wanted to be there.
"I just want to help you," Carly's voice came rushing back to her. "I'm worried about you, Sam. You don't even realize what you're doing to yourself, do you?"
She could still see the disappointment shining the depths of her friend's black orbs. Sam had failed her, she knew, but she also knew that she hadn't failed herself yet and that was supposed to be the important thing.
Wasn't it?
Her world came crashing as arms caught her waist, dragging her against something that felt like a wall. Her senses were attacked by the smell of some fruity soapy scent- maybe lavender-and the blinding color of blue and white stripes.
She groaned.
"Oi," she said, or maybe slurred. The world was still spinning too fast for her to get a full grip on the whole speaking thing. "Nub, let me go. I was dancing."
The body against hers sighed heavily, tension running up from his shoulders and into his voice. "Sam, are you drunk?" She almost wanted to say yes, slur her words a bit more and giggle randomly. It was what they were all expecting from her.
Unfortunately, she wasn't in the mode to play girl gone wild so she pulled away from his embrace to glare up at him. "Do I look drunk?" her words were clear and packed with punch, each one holding a little threat.
"So you stayed away from the alcohol, got it. You were just 'dancing' like a fool in the middle of a crowd for no reason."
Sam raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. "Oh, don't tell me Mr. Harvard didn't get the symbolism behind my actions. I was spinning, get it? Like spiraling out of control? I'm real into that whole deeper meaning chiz these days."
His face crunched up, a bit of amusement and a tinge of sympathy forming on his lips to make some hybrid of a smirk and a frown. "Ha ha. You're a true genius."
She shrugged, "What can I say? I don't try, it comes naturally." Sam was faintly aware of the song changing in the background, the poppy techno tune changing into some live act.
The mood seemed to change as Freddork got his 'serious eyes' on, that hazy intense thing they did when he wanted to divulge deep and see into her inner soul; no matter how many times she protested she had no soul to see.
"Carly went outside to see if you left," he told her, his body becoming awkward as couples paired up and swayed around them.
Sam took the initiative, throwing her arms around his neck if only for comfort and forcing him to do some kind of jerky jump thing that for now would have to past as a sway.
"What, did she think I needed a smoke break?" Freddie rolled his eyes but didn't respond. "Why do you losers think I'm five? I'm nearly twenty two, if I stray from your sight for two seconds the world does not end. Newsflash, pedophiles are only interested in children."
"I know, but-"
"Carly asked me to keep an eye on you," she mimicked, batting her eyes lashes extra hard in an emasculating fashion. "Just couldn't say no. Plus, I secretly think you can't take care of yourself either." She smacked the back of his head, glaring.
"Ow," he removed one hand from the place it had somehow settled on, the base of her hip, to rub the spot. "I didn't even say any of that, you did!"
"I have ESPN, Fredina; I know what you were thinking."
"It's ESP."
"ESPN, on the right channel."
A small smile came to his lips as they shared an inside joke, bloomed from way too many Saturday nights spent on the Shay's couch waiting for Carly to make her way home from some date or event.
"She's just worried about you."
"She hardly knows me anymore. The more time were apart the more time she has to create this new Sam-"
"Sam, she's-"
"And I think the more you're becoming taken over by this girl too. I really believe you'll both be relieved if I showed up on your doorsteps with needle marks on my arm and glossy eyes. You want me broken so you have something to fix, I got it. I get that I'm the screw up in our group and without me you're all out of sync, but it's getting pretty chizzy."
"Chizzy?"
"Yeah, Chiz is shit so chizzy is-"
"Yeah, I got it."
"I'd be worried if you didn't."
"Back on topic." They seemed to be actually dancing now, though Sam couldn't be sure since she had never been calm enough to just move back and forth for long periods of time before. "You know it's not like that. Carly just has trouble understanding the unconventional."
"Oh, and you're writing a book about scribbling outside the lines?"
"No, but I know you and-"
"So you're saying you know me better than Carly."
"No," he glared, not wanting to let her have the opportunity to interrupt again. "I'm saying I know you in a way different than Carly. Carly has always seen you as the one she has to protect, so now that you're out in the world where she can't see you she automatically comes up with things to protect you from. Drugs, alcohol and such are just a few things she feels you need to be protected from. It's like how whenever there was a fight in school everyone always assumed you had something to do with it. She takes what she knows and comes up with a logical explanation for your behavior."
The song had changed again, Sam noted with a sigh as she set her head on Freddie's shoulder, something oddly uncharacteristic. "So all those times you went all stalker crazy on Carly really helped you understand her inner psyche, huh?" She didn't look up, but he could feel him grin.
"I guess."
There was a silence, and she could almost hear him working up the courage to ask some question she knew she wouldn't want to answer.
"I like this song," she said to fill the gap, slipping her eyes shut.
"It doesn't seem your style."
"Style is for losers."
He laughed. "Of course it is."
"Of course."
"Sam, do you ever think-"
"There you are! I was looking everywhere for you! Why didn't you tell me you found her?" Like it was natural, Sam jumped away from Freddie and took on a bored expression.
"Didn't you hear the announcement? Found, young women with blonde hair and possible drug dependency. They played it like four times; I knew they should have cut off the music."
"That's not funny Sam, I was worried sick. And you," she whirled on Freddie, "What, you decided to just chat when you knew I was looking for her. What happened to 'I'll text you when I fine her'?"
"I was just trying to tell her how worried you were-"
"Oh, yeah, that's what it looked like it looked like you were doing."
The air shifted something awkward and foul taking over. Sam had been unaware she was missing a piece of the puzzle until it popped up in front of her and then suddenly, when she inserted it into the picture and took a step back, everything was clear.
"Well, if he hadn't kept struggling in my grip I might have actually got a good headlock on him," Sam drawled, drawing a confused look from Freddie.
Carly cocked her head. "You were trying to strangle Freddie?" she asked flatly.
"Yeah, what did you think we were doing?" And then it happened. Almost unnoticeably, Carly deflated in relief.
"Oh, well, nothing, but…" she seemed much calmer."I was still worried."
"Yeah, yeah," Sam took a step away from the two. "Aren't you always? Are you ready to blow this club scene, it's so overrated." Without waiting for a reply, Sam turned on her heel, walking towards the door.
"Sam, wait! My jacket and bag are still in coat check- wait a second while I grab it. Don't move." Sam sighed, turning back around to see Carly already sprinting towards the coat check, probably afraid if she took too long Sam would disappear.
Sam could feel his gaze burning a hole in the side of his face, confusion and something else she was too lazy to be bothered with mixing in his eyes turning his gaze acidic.
"Why did you lie?" he questioned, sounding strangely angered.
"Lie?"
"About the headlock?"
"Headlock?" She continued to play dumb.
"Sam."
"I am blonde, Fredward, you're going to have to make things a bit clearer."
"You weren't trying to put me in a headlock."
"Wasn't I?"
"Sam."
She just shook her head, looking up at the ceiling. "Because lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off."
"That's a song title."
"Is it?"
"Sam, you're dodging the question. A very simple question."
"Drop it, Fredamina."
"But-"
"Got it," Carly huffed, rejoining the group. "Ready?"
Sam spun around, marching ahead.
"I guess that's a yes," Carly chuckled, trailing after.
Freddie stayed routed to the spot though, staring straight ahead as he tried to figure everything all out.
"Freddie, you coming?" Carly stopped, by now, Sam was nearly to the door.
"Of course," he said, still feeling lost.
Just as he was about to push past Carly though, something strange happened. Something warmed took his hand and when he looked down it looked strangely like Carly's hand. He looked up at Carly, who was looking to the floor but tugging him ahead with light pressure.
A light seemed to go off above his head and Sam looked back with a smile and small shake of her head, "Give the boy a prize."
.x.
This chapter is a bit confusing but it's the last one-shot-ish chapter from this point on so look forward to things smoothing out.
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