Sam ran into her room and grabbed the keys that had been sitting on her nightstand. In San Francisco, Aunt Sue had given Sam a car. They had had it delivered ahead of them just in case Sam decided she wanted to use it. She had never really used it in California, but it would definitely come in handy if there were anymore incidents like this one. At first, Sam had been reluctant about bringing it with her to Nevada, but now she was glad her aunt had insisted that she did.

Sam raced back down stairs, pushing pass Jen, who had somehow appeared in her doorway with a confused look on her face, and ran down the stairs. She ignored the shouts of protest behind her and climbed into her car. As she pulled across the bridge, she saw Jen and Jake standing where her car had been a few seconds ago. The rest of the Ely boys, their parents, Darrell, Brynna, and Aunt Sue were standing out on the porch watching her leave. Her cell phone started ringing. The screen lit up with Brynna's name. Sam picked it up and tossed on the backseat. She turned the radio up. And tried her best to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall down her face.

"She isn't picking up!" Brynna exclaimed frantically. After that little episode, everyone was rushing around trying to decide what to do.

"We should go after her!" Jen suggested, yelling over everyone else.

"Adam! Go grab the keys, we can go after her!"

"Who in the hell thought it would be a good idea to give her a car?"

"Leave her be. She'll come back." Everyone turned to look at Aunt Sue, whom was sitting calmly on the porch swing.

"We have to go get her!" Brynna argued.

"She'll come back."

"How do you know she won't do anything stupid?" Jen asked, her eyes wide.

"Look, you guys, back in San Francisco Sam and her…friends…ran around all of the time. Sometimes, I didn't even know where she was. It drove me crazy! But Sam's a big girl and she's responsible. She always came back. She just needs to clear her head. She has been through a lot. Give her a break. If you try to go after her, she will just keep driving away," Aunt Sue explained.

"That doesn't sound like our Sam at all," Jen said.

"Yes, well, did the Sam you saw earlier seem like the Sam you used to know?" Aunt Sue asked. "Did the old Sam blow up over nothing?" Everyone took that in.

"What happened to her in California?" Maxine asked curiously. Sue hesitated.

"Just…You'll know when she wants you to. If she wants you to," she replied.

"Okay, are all of the people in San Francisco this vague? Because it is really starting to piss me off," Jen declared, obviously frustrated.

Meanwhile, Sam pulled in front of the black, iron rod gate and turned off her car. It had gotten dark out about an hour ago, which means the gate was locked about an hour ago since people were not allowed in the cemetery after dark. It was short enough that she could jump over if she really wanted to, but Sam did not think she had the nerve—or guts—to do that. Besides, it looked really scary at night. Sam had seen too many horror movies that started out like this to risk it. Instead, she just sat there and stared at the entrance. After awhile, she glanced at her watch. It read 11:32. She cursed under her breath and started the car.

When she finally pulled back into River Bend Ranch, the only light on was the one in the kitchen. It was probably Brynna. Aunt Sue knew better than to wait up for Sam. In San Francisco, Sam had basically gone where she pleased, when she pleased. She had always told her aunt when she was leaving and who she would be with, so it was never a problem. Her aunt trusted her to make the right decisions. Actually, her aunt trusted her period. Obviously, Brynna did not.

As Sam was walking towards the house, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. It was a truck. Not just a truck, but the Ely truck. A year ago, Sam would have been furious. After all, there was really only one Ely who it could be. This time, Sam was just curious. Sam walked into the kitchen to see Jake sitting at the table, looking half-asleep.

"What are you still doing here?" Sam asked. The moment Jake realized that Sam had returned, his eyes flashed with anger.

"Waiting for you!" he replied angrily.

"Why?" she asked. He was not getting off easy.

"Because you can't do this Sam! I'm not going to watch you screw up every time someone makes you mad!" he was yelling now. Sam had never heard him say so many words in one breath.

"I don't need you to watch over me," she replied through clenched teeth.

"I can't believe your aunt wouldn't let us after you. You aren't responsible enough to be out on your own!" Jake was yelling now. Jake never yells. Sam could not believe he had the nerve to question her responsibility levels. If he kept it up, he was really going to piss her off.

"I used to go all over the San Francisco area without and supervision and nothing ever happened so if you think you can just step in and—"

"I cannot believe what crazy nonsense was going through your aunt's mind when she let you do that," Jake interrupted her. "You're just a little kid!"

"I. Am. Not. A. Kid. Stop treating me like a baby just because you feel sorry for me! I don't want your pity! I'm not your charity case! I don't need you watching over me!" Sam screamed at him.

"Well somebody has to!" he yelled back.

"Not somebody like you," Sam seethed. Jake went silent.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked quietly.

"I don't need somebody like you watching over me," she repeated. "Honestly, all I can remember is you always trying to keep me in a little cage. It's like you're too afraid to let me live my life because of some stupid little accident five years ago! It's over, Jake! It's done! I'm grown up now. I've experienced so many things that you wouldn't even imagine and I didn't need you breathing down my neck for any of it! I don't need you anymore!"

Jake didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed his coat and started walking towards the door. Sam watched him walk out the door. As she heard Jake drive away, Sam threw her coat on the ground and ran upstairs. Sure, she felt bad for yelling at Jake like that but he had no right to question her capability of doing something without him looking over her shoulder every single moment. It was too much! She just barely handled it when she was younger, but Sam was not about to let Jake Ely control her life and tell her what she can do and when she could do it. Sam could probably make it on her own if she really wanted to. There was no reason she had to live here with Brynna or even in San Francisco with her Aunt Sue. Hey, she could probably just go somewhere and start a new life. Not that she would ever do that, but still, the thought made her feel more confident about her argument. Sam went to bed, feeling nothing. Jake, however was not so fortunate. He returned home to find his brothers, Adam and Nate, waiting up for him in their room.

"So I take it Sam came back," Nate said nonchalantly to Jake when he walked into the room. Nate, Quinn, Adam, and Bryon were sitting on the floor playing some sort of card game. Jake grunted in response.

"I think our little Jake here caught into a small shouting skirmish with Miss Forster. What about you guys?" Adam said.

"I think your assumption on that would be correct, my dear brother," Quinn agreed.

"I don't understand why that girl thinks she can just up and leave for hours and have nobody have a problem with that!" Jake grumbled angrily. He always could say more than three words at a time when he was with his brothers. They pretty much knew everything about him; Darrell too. Beyond that, there had only been a few select number of people who Jake would actually converse with.

"You heard what her aunt said, Jake. Sam has basically been coming and going as she pleased in San Francisco for the past year. It's a habit. You can't just expect her to immediately be the old Sam who did practically whatever you said to," Bryon lectured Jake.

"I know that. I just wish she didn't. I swear, that girl makes me crazy!" he exclaimed.

"But you still love her anyways," Nate said solemnly. Jake snapped his head up.

"What?" he asked quickly, his face tinting red.

"Oh, come on now Jake. It's not that hard to see," Adam said, rolling his eyes at Jake's shock. "It's written all over your face. It's in your words, little brother!"

"Yeah, little bro! And I don't blame you!" Quinn exclaimed. "I mean, right now she does look sort of like she is sick, but Sam has always been one attractive lady."

"I am not in love with Sam," Jake replied, laughing at his brothers.

"Yes you do bro. Even if you don't know it yet, you do," Adam told him. Jake glared at his brothers before rolling in to bed. He wouldn't bother denying it again. They wouldn't listen anyways.

-Let's go to the next day!-

"Sam? Wake up."

Sam opened her eyes groggily to see Aunt Sue shaking Sam lightly.

"What's up?" she asked, half-awake.

"I'm leaving now, just wanted to say good-bye to my favorite niece," Aunt Sue replied, smiling.

"Oh shoot! I'm supposed to drive you to the airport, aren't I? Just give me a moment, I'll be ready in a minute," Sam said, sitting up.

"No, no, no; you get some sleep. Brynna is driving me," Aunt Sue assured her.

"Brynna? Why is Brynna driving you?" Sam asked.

"Well, she offered and I accepted. So you just go on back to sleep and I'll talk to you as soon as I land."

"But I wanted to say bye to you!" Sam protested.

"Then say bye now, dear! It isn't that big of a deal."

"Yes it is! You're my aunt! I'm related to you, and I should be the one driving you. Not Brynna!"

"Samantha Ann Forster!" Aunt Sue scolded her. Sam went silent. "Now I know that you don't particularly want to be here but you are so stop acting like a child. You have been living with me for the past year! You would think you would be glad to be getting away from me for awhile!" Aunt Sue leaned down and gave Sam a hug. "I will call you when I land. See you later. I love you!" Aunt Sue gave her one last smile as she left the room.

"Bye," Sam called after her. "I'll miss you." She stared at the door until she drifted back off to sleep.

xx Mere

There's a new wind blowin' like I've never known.
I'm breathin' deeper than I've ever done.
And it sure feels good, to finally feel the way I do.
I wanna love somebody,
Love somebody like you.

An' I'm lettin' go of all my lonely yesterdays.
I've forgiven myself for the mistakes I've made.
Now there's just one thing, the only thing I wanna do, mmm, mmm.
I wanna love somebody,
Love somebody like you.

Somebody Like You by Keith Urban