AN - I forgot about disclaimers in the first chapter, oops. Its been a while since I've posted. I still own nothing. Also please forgive me if there are any mistakes. I just got my nails done and they make typing feel weird .-.
Sam cringed as she stepped into the elevator, feeling the rather crusty and damp carpet beneath her feet. She cursed, rummaging through her backpack in hopes she packed sandals, socks, something…but no luck.
'How could I forget shoes?' She thought in frustration, running her fingers through her tangled blonde hair. 'Oh well, I'll just borrow a pair of flip flops when I get to Carly's.' She pushed the button for her floor, curling her toes and trying to ignore her disgust.
BANG BANG BANG
"Carls, open up!" Sam yelled into her best friend's door, knocking faster than she was talking. "Come on Carly, I'm starving!" She really was. Her mother didn't get dinner before she left. "Caaarly!"
Suddenly, the door flew open, leaving Sam face to face with a very annoyed looking Freddie, her fist still raised. Tempted as she was to punch him with her fist nearly parallel with his face, she settled for an:
"Ew, move, Freddork!" as she rolled her eyes and pushed past him. As she stepped into the Shay's living room, she could immediately feel the tone shift. It was like stepping into a vacuum; Sam could feel it in the center of her chest. Then, she noticed Carly, who was sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking slightly. Sam watched in minor shock and confusion as Freddie walked past her to sit next to Carly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Granddad died. We just got the call." Spencer, whom Sam didn't notice initially, spoke softly. Sam shifted her gaze over to him; he was more somber than Sam had seen him before, with his features looking heavy and tired.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Sam breathed, rushing over to sit on Carly's other side. Carly sniffed and raised her head, swiping at her eyes roughly. They were tinged pink and quite puffy.
"Thanks," she whispered unevenly, her voice sounding coarse and miserable. "It was just so sudden. I'm going to miss him so much." A fresh wave of tears cascaded down her face, and Sam grabbed her friend's hand. Spencer walked up holding out a box of tissues and looked at Sam and Freddie.
"We have to leave tomorrow morning, to drive out to Yakima for the funeral. We're going to be staying with some family there." Sam and Freddie nodded, both looking slightly uncomfortable and not sure of what to say.
"Can we do anything, Carly?" Sam asked, her tone serious. It was rare to see Sam in a state where she wasn't yelling, making jokes, or throwing out insults.
"No, but thank you." Carly replied, taking a deep breath. "Actually, I'd rather just be alone right now. I have this photo album he gave me and…" She trailed off, standing up. Freddie rose with her, and enveloped her in a hug.
"Try and get some sleep," he whispered, concern written all over his face. Carly nodded and pulled away, hugging Sam as well, and headed up to her room taking the stairs two at a time.
The room transitioned into an awkward, still silence.
"Well," Spencer finally said, "I have to start packing and calling family." He uncrossed his arms and starting walking towards Sam and Freddie.
"We'll be on our way, then," Freddie said with Sam nodding in agreement. Spencer gave a halfhearted smile as they stepped into the hallway, repeating their apologies. As Sam pulled the door closed behind them, the pair paused, looking at each other.
"Wow," Freddie said breathlessly, crossing his arms and looking down.
"Yeah…" Sam muttered, wishing she could do something more to help other than leave. Freddie eyes narrowed, his gaze still downward.
"Sam, where are your shoes?" He asked, bewildered, and raised his eyes just in time to see Sam's fist collide with his arm.
"Ow, what the -" He exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot on his bicep and inhaling sharply.
"Nub," Sam taunted as she walked back towards the elevator, leaving Freddie to return to his apartment.
As good as it felt to take out her aggression on him, Freddie's last comment brought her attention crashing back to her current homelessness situation. She felt bad for the Shay's loss, but she couldn't help but be disappointed at what it meant: her go-to place when she needed somewhere to stay was now not an option. For a brief moment she had considered staying with Freddie, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with him or his mom. Did she find him cute? She would admit it to no one, but yes. Could he also be incredibly annoying? Yes. She sighed anxiously as he feet led her back into the elevator, her mind not really aware of where she was going.
'Hotel?' she considered. No, she didn't have enough money. 'Sleep on a bench?' No, she didn't need to add being mugged to her list of problems.
The elevator's high-pitched ding cut through her current train of thought and jostled her back to the present. She looked out at the empty lobby, deciding she would walk around for a while until an idea of where to spend the night came to her. The cold night air hit her face first, perking her up slightly. Then her feet hit the cold, rough pavement. She winced, but after about a minute of walking she adjusted to the discomfort.
Sam spotted a cement ledge about waist high, and pushed herself up to sit with her feet dangling off. She placed her backpack next to her and took out her Pearphone to check the time. 10:37. She bit her lip and leaned forward to peer down the street. It was getting late and she really didn't want to be wandering around with the nighttime drinkers. Sam smiled slightly. She could totally beat any of them in a fight, though.
In the distance, about 10 blocks down, she spotted the luminous blue sign of a Walmart. She felt her hopes lift. It wasn't ideal, but it was somewhere, and she could get a pair of cheap flip flops while she was there.
Sam hopped down, feeling good about her decision. She couldn't wait to get some shoes on; the pavement was rough and kept scraping the bottoms of her feet. She turned to take her backpack when a cold chill ran through her body.
"No!" She yelled, jumping back on the ledge so she could look into the garden bed on the other side. "No!" She repeated, louder this time, her stomach sinking. She looked around wildly, her blonde hair catching the light off nearby streetlamps as it flew around her face.
Her backpack was gone. And nobody was in sight.
