WARNING: Slight Creddie at the start. Don't worry, it is all going to change.
"Bye Freddie," Carly hugged me tightly. "I'll miss you."
"Then call me," I smiled, returning the hug. "Come back soon, promise?"
"I'll return as soon as possible," she replied, before pulling out from the embrace. The sudden loss of her touch made me disappointed. I wished I could hold on to her forever. "Bye Sam, bye Stephanie."
Sam gave her a brief hug and Stephanie just waved.
"Take care of yourself," Sam instructed. "Oh, and don't ever touch the mushy stuff in the-"
"Don't... go...on..." Carly interrupted her. "Thanks for the reminder anyways. I definitely don't want to experience that again."
"What mushy stuff?" Stephanie asked, eyes wide in curiosity.
I smiled nervously. "You won't want to know..."
She nodded in understanding as she backed away.
"Well, it's about time," Spencer glanced at his watch after giving Veronica and Lucy kisses in the air. "Let's get into the RV."
He loaded the luggages and sat in the driver's seat. Carly went up the vehicle and sat on the front passenger seat, her head stuck out of the windows, waving towards us.
"Bye!" we waved vigorously as the vehicle trailed into the setting sun. If it weren't for my insecurity, I would have taken the scene in with much relief that she wasn't leaving for another man, but for her grandfather.
"Frankly speaking, I don't feel so good about her leaving. Somehow, I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen," I remarked.
Stephanie chuckled. "Hahaha... Frank." Sam laughed along.
The girls have been really sensitive to the word recently, like there's an inside joke between her and Sam.
"So, how's your little prank to Frank?" Sam asked.
"It was good, until the cops found me in possession of 'suspicious liquid'," she put air quotations around the words.
"You got arrested?" Sam almost shouted. "You know you're supposed to play safe!"
Stephanie pouted. "But you were the one who taught me how to play the prank."
"Yeah, but I thought you were smart enough to not get arrested," she stated. "It could have left a record! You know how difficult it's going to be for you to find a job with a record."
"Wow, that sounded weird coming from you, Ms. I've-been-to-juvie-a-million-times," I remarked.
"Watch out, dork," she frowned. "Now that Carly's gone, I have all the more reason to beat you up."
I backed away in fear. The demon could kill me.
"Sam, you're the best," Stephanie gleamed at her heroine.
"How is it that she sides with an outsider instead of her cousin?" I asked.
"Well, it all happened when she realised you were just another nub," Sam smirked. "Let's not trail off the topic here... Why are you still here if you're arrested?"
Stephanie's eyes trailed toward me as she nudged at my arms.
"I guess there's still some use for a dork after all," Sam joked.
"Don't ever underestimate my capabilties, Puckett," I grinned. "After all, I did save the President. If it weren't for my security suite, the-"
"The country would have been bombed by terrorists," Stephanie completed the sentence. "Man, you're becoming as naggy as Aunt Marissa."
Mom snapped her head toward us at the mention of her name. "Did someone call me?"
"No, mom," I smiled at her. "We were just talking about the time when Stephanie almost landed in juvie."
"Well, all I know is that it was definitely caused by that delinquent," she pointed at Sam.
"Come on, Mrs. B," Sam frowned. "Will you forget that already?"
Mom raised her hands as if she was wrongly accused. "How can I forget the dark ages when you almost married my son!"
"Mom..." I groaned.
"You guys almost got married? How come I never knew?" Stephanie beamed.
"That delinquent dated my son when they were still studying at that horrible school," Mom exclaimed. "Thank goodness that awkward teenager... What's his name... Jibble?"
I corrected. "It's Gibby."
"Yes, thank goodness he broke them up, or I would have suffered an anuerysm."
Sam rose her eyebrows. "Awkward teenager?"
"What happened, Aunt Marissa?" Stephanie asked, curious to know more. I cleared my throat forcefully, indicating my displeasure at her desire for information. But she just ignored my attempt with a "Shhh..."
I rolled my eyes. "I think it's about time we return home. I'm getting hungry."
"I brought some hammered fruit," Mom shuffled through her bag before tugging out a box of mushy apples. "Would you like some?"
The girls giggled at the sight. I knew it would amuse them.
"No, thanks Mom," I shook my head. "I just want to get back home."
"Sure," she smiled, hurrying us into the vehicle. "Come on, everyone. Do remember to put on your seatbelts! Seatbelts are fun, when it comes to-"
"MOM!" I disrupted her before she completed her rhyme. That's another thing to the list of 'Why Carly and Sam are my only friends'.
Sam almost boarded the vehicle before her phone gave out an abrupt ring. "Sorry, I have to take this."
We smiled in acknowledgement. Well, at least Stephanie and I did. Mom just shrugged with her why-do-I-even-care face, which she only showed to Sam.
As Sam spoke to the person on the receiving end, she looked as though she was talking to air. I silently chuckled to myself, but her serious expression was one which spelt trouble, morphing my chuckles into a nervous smile.
"Sorry, guys. I have to go," she frowned. "The cops have another mission for me. I guess I won't be able to join you guys for dinner."
"It's okay," I replied. "Just be careful on your trip."
Mom just rolled her eyes in impatience. "You should have told us you would not be boarding, we could have gotten home earlier."
"Well, I-" Sam was about to explain before I cut her off with a hand signal. Having understood my hand signal, she calmed down. "I'll join you guys for dinner next time."
"There's still a next time?" Mom exclaimed.
"Mom..." I groaned. "Shall we drive home now?"
She sighed after noticing my pleading eyes. "Alright."
"Bye Sam!" Stephanie giggled, seemingly amused by the events that have unfolded around her. She would probably be asking questions throughout the journey later, but I was just glad Sam wouldn't be around to feel the awkwardness in the air.
"Bye!" she waved back, backing away at a steady pace.
Unconsciously, I compared the scene of Sam leaving with Carly leaving. The sun had already set beyond the horizon by now, leaving streaks of pink in the blue sky, as if the clouds were blue ballerinas dancing gracefully with ribbons of pink. For some reason, both scenes gave me a sense of insecurity and uncertainty. What if things happened differently years ago?
"Hey, look," Stephanie pointed in the distance. "It's Missy."
"Yeah," I frowned.
"What's she doing here?" she asked.
My eyes were squeezed into a thin line as I tried to make sense of the blur and small image of what Missy Robinson was doing. But after realising that it was a large difficulty to see from just a large distance, I gave up.
I just hoped it was a coincidence.
