"Life isn't about finding pieces of a puzzle. It's about creating and putting those exceptional pieces together." – Glenn van Dekken
"We're almost there. It's just around the corner," the bubbly redhead quipped as the two girls continued on their trek to the Fenton residence.
While the trip itself had been fairly short, for Sam it felt like it was taking forever. She just kept mentally chiding herself, wondering how her parents would react when they found out that their only daughter was not only hanging out with a Fenton, but spending time at their house. Oh man, this had 'bad idea' written all over it followed by 'restraining order.' Ugh.
Her mind kept going back to the conversation she had with her mother. What if she thought Sam was hanging out with Jazz just to bug them? What if they found out about it and tried to bother the Fenton family? Not that they would do anything too crazy, but her parents were notorious at being nuisances when it came to people whose lifestyles they didn't agree with. She loved her parents to death, but sometimes their ignorance and snobby personalities could be too much for the teen to handle. Thinking about it only made her annoyance surface once again, no matter how hard she tried to pack it away.
It didn't help that her combat boots were making an obnoxious squeaking sound with each step she took, as if they were taunting the goth over her moment of clumsiness. If that weren't bad enough, she could feel her now damp socks squishing between her toes. This was getting out of hand – well, foot.
Thankfully, the hellacious walk was nearing its end as a large and familiar building came into view. There it was, Fenton Works, in all its glory. Not a lot of people actually knew what mysteries lurked behind the large blue door, but there were certainly a lot of rumors. Whether they were true or not, Sam didn't know nor did she care; or she didn't until now. The amethyst-eyed girl didn't think she would ever be stepping foot into the building, and now she couldn't help but wonder what to expect. Her nerves rattled as they inched closer and before she knew it Jazz had grabbed her wrist in an obvious attempt to get the younger teen to speed up a little bit until they finally made it to the cobblestone steps.
"Well, here it is," the teal-eyed girl announced anxiously before turning towards the goth. "Look, I know it looks weird on the outside and my family doesn't have the greatest reputation, but they're good people. They're just… Eccentric."
"Jazz, you don't have to expl—"
"Yeah, I do. I've heard what people say about my parents, and I promise you they're not mad scientists bent on taking over the would or anything stupid like that. They study ecto-energy and try to understand it so that maybe we can understand our world a little better. It's a little out there, but I didn't even believe in ghosts until a few days ago… Just, before you run off and decide to avoid me forever because of my parents' weirdness, give them a chance? None of my friends have ever agreed to hang out at my place before, so it would mean a lot if—"
"Jazz, it's cool, really. I wouldn't have agreed to come if I didn't want to. And to heck with what everyone else says; they're just ignorant, judgmental jerks who can't handle anyone being different from them!" Suddenly, Sam realized she had started ranting and how close it was hitting to home, so she took a moment and inhaled sharply. "I said we could hang out, so let's go."
With her arms crossed, the goth watched as Jazz seemed to look at her quizzically, once again trying to decipher the truth behind Sam's dark mood. Thankfully, the taller girl decided against asking what was up and instead smiled brightly at Sam and tugged at her wrist once again.
"Okay! Come on in!"
"Hey, wait, hold on!" Sam yelled back as she yanked her arm away from Jazz's hand.
"What's wrong?"
Sam motioned to herself, giving the other teen a pointed look as if it were obvious, "My clothes are all wet."
"So?" The older teen rolled her eyes playfully before smiling. "I said you could borrow something of mine."
"Yeah, but I'll track mud all over the place with these," she lifted her right foot slowly, showing how muddy it had gotten from the walk. "I doubt your mom and dad would appreciate me getting the place all filthy. Just give me a moment to take off my boots."
"Oh please," Jazz replied as she placed her now free hand on her hip. "You should see what my mom and dad's inventions do with the place. Besides, I'm pretty handy with a mop."
Saying nothing in response, Sam simply sat down on the steps and began unlacing and removing her beloved combat boots. The process didn't take long – thanks to the goth being accustomed to removing the heavy footwear daily – and before both girls knew it, the younger teen was back up, boots in hand, and smirking at the redhead's look of indignance.
"It's about time," she stated in mock annoyance. "Ready?"
There was a brief moment when Sam thought about making a last-minute excuse and running home. The raven-haired girl was once again thinking about her mother's earlier behavior. She really didn't want to deal with that again, but would she let her parents' snide remarks and unfair judgement dictate who she befriended? Of course not! Besides, Jazz seemed like a nice enough person. Even Danny – though she never really spoke to him – didn't seem so bad. His friend, however…
Suddenly, Sam realized that she was about to enter her schoolmate's home while drenched in water. Now that's embarrassing, she thought while fighting a grimace. Not only was she about to awkwardly walk in to the Fenton home soaking wet, she realized that a certain techno-geek was bound to be hanging around and wouldn't dare miss a chance to bug the goth. For an only-child, Sam suddenly felt like she was about to deal with an annoyingly bratty little brother. Oh great…
Nodding slowly while trying to hide her sudden discomfort, the amethyst-eyed girl received a reassuring smile from her teal-eyed acquaintance and both made their way up the steps. Sam was somewhat nervous as Jazz excitedly pushed open the blue door, still unsure as to what to expect within the stone walls. Until…
Huh.
For some reason, she was expecting the place to either be sleek and fancy or full of ghostly devices. Instead, it looked like… Like home. Or how home should look. Sam couldn't help but arch an eyebrow as she took in her surroundings, curiosity gnawing at her like a termite on wood.
The walls were a soft blue, just a few shades lighter than the carpet. The dark grey couch looked soft and roomy, and fit in nicely with the décor. Adorning the walls were family portraits here and there, some of the whole family of four and some of just the children. It was amusing to see both Fenton parents wearing their trademark hazmat suits, but what caught Sam's eye was how genuinely happy the family appeared to be in each photo. How can anyone think negatively about the Fenton family?
"MOM! DAD! I'M BACK!" Jazz yelled, pulling Sam out of her thoughts and making the goth jump back out of surprise with a shriek.
Before she could even begin spouting the string of curse words that were forming at the tip of her tongue, Maddie Fenton appeared from what seemed to be the kitchen, "JACK, SWEETIE! JAZZ IS BACK WITH THE FOOD AND—OH HOW LOVELY, SHE BROUGHT A FRIEND!"
Sam knew that if she could see herself, she'd look like a deer caught in headlights. A poor, defenseless deer that was discreetly trying to come up with a contingency plan; an escape route of some sort. It wasn't that she was afraid of the Fenton parents, of course not. She just wasn't prepared to be in the spotlight. Besides that, she was starting to feel somewhat awkward as the older woman calmly walked closer to the teens.
"Mom! You don't have to announce it to the world like that," Jazz mumbled, her face red from embarrassment. "This is my friend, S—"
Crash!
There was a loud scuttling noise as two familiar heads poked from the kitchen's entrance.
"Jazz has a friend?"
"Is she hot?"
"Gross, Tuck, that's my sister's frie—Sam?"
Suddenly the words "bad idea" were boldened as they crossed through the goth's mind once again, her eyes widening as she chewed her bottom lip. Why the heck did she agree to come here? She was so close to coming up with a lame excuse and leaving until she noticed a small, sad smile make its way to Jazz's face. It was as if the girl was saying, go on and leave, it's okay if you want to. But she didn't want to, not really. The raven-haired girl was just caught off guard with all the yelling attention.
Returning Jazz's reassuring smile from earlier, the young Manson crossed her arms, careful of her muddy boots still in hand, and looked back to the two gaping males and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, hi Danny. Tucker." Her gaze then went back to the older red head whose lilac eyes shined with curiosity. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Fenton. I'm Sam."
"Aw, Sam, you can call me Maddie," she smiled and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder before her eyes widened. "Dear, you're all wet! What happened?"
"Are you okay?"
The goth turned her head to see Danny Fenton, now standing fully in the doorway, with concern in his eyes. Behind him was Tucker Foley and he – despite being a pain in the butt the past few days – even had a look of worry flash his features. Sam couldn't help but find it ironic considering just yesterday they were at each other's throats.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded before moving her gaze back to Maddie. "I fell."
"In water?" The Fenton mother did not look convinced.
Realizing there was no way she was getting out of this without some sort of explanation, the raven-haired girl fought back a blush and cleared her throat. "I was sitting at the fountain in the park and then I just…"
"I kind of surprised her," Jazz cut in, much to Sam's relief. "I saw Sam sitting there and started calling her name, but when she started to stand her foot slipped. We live closer to the park than she does, so I figured she could come by to hang out while her clothes dried."
"I really don't mean to intrude," Sam started as she tried to avoid eye contact with everyone, preparing herself for their laughter.
Oddly enough, it never came.
"Oh, Sam, it's okay; we're happy to have you," Maddie smiled warmly as she took the bag of food from Jazz's hand. "You and Jazz can head on upstairs to find something dry to wear. Be sure to bring your clothes down when you're done so I can dry them."
Before Sam could say her thanks, there was another crashing sound followed by an even louder scuttle. Jeez, how many other people are here? It was then that Jack Fenton's large form became visible as he took a whiff. It was almost comical to see him grin as he wrapped an arm around his wife.
"That smells delicious, Mads!"
Giggling, Maddie leaned closer to her husband before nodding her head in Sam's direction, "Jack, we have company. Jazz invited her new friend over for dinner."
Sam was just about to greet the Fenton patriarch when she felt Jazz nudge her shoulder, whispering, "Get ready, he's a hugger."
That was all the warning the goth had before she found herself picked from the ground and engulfed in a bear hug.
"Nice to meet you, goth kid!"
"It's Sam," she breathed out as the tall male put her back down. If she wasn't fighting back the urge to run from the sudden human contact, she would have laughed at how Jack's lopsided grin matched that of his son's.
Cue the snickers that Sam had expected earlier. Rather than retorting back sarcastically like she normally would, the 14-year-old girl simply rolled her eyes with a smile. The Fenton's were an odd bunch… But a good odd, she amended.
A/N:
Man, I have so many updates to post and PM's to reply to. I feel terrible for putting everything off, but things have been kind of hectic on my end. From some family issues to mandatory overtime at work, I'm lucky that I was able to finally upload this. I probably won't get to update Kaleidoscope until tomorrow... And I keep rewriting part three of Valentine's Resolutions. I'm so sorry for being in-between updates right now, but I hope this can kind of make up for it. Anyways, how is everyone doing? Anything new with y'all?
Actually, I thought I would share some interesting things from my end! In a few days, I'm actually going to meet Tara Strong - the voice of Ember and Timmy Turner. It's going to be wickedly awesome. It would only be that much better if I could meet Grey DeLisle (Sam); funny thing, I found out recently that we both share a birthday! You know, along with millions of other people, but hey, it's still cool.
Invader Johnny: I'd say so, though Sam is also pretty good at hiding her annoyance... To an extent, haha.
Wxnderland: Thank you, again! Honestly, I feel like Sam and Jazz could have made great friends on the show. I could understand Sam being protective of Danny and his secret, but it's strange that she and Jazz weren't closer considering that Sam and Danny seemed to know each other for most their lives and, by extension, Sam and Jazz knew each other for most their lives.
ShadowDragon357: Same here! I can't think of anyone who hasn't - at some point in their lives - try to stray from the norm. Besides, it's kind of normal to judge others, in a way. It's how you act on your judgement that determines the type of person you are. And like you said, she's just a teen and still learning. Why all the hate? And don't worry, you'll see Tucker and Sam clash as this fic continues. I always loved their dynamic; both have their own points, but in the end they always worked things out. I feel like they always had a sibling-ish relationship.
Joy D. Boy: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
MonsterousThings: Haha, aww. Never fear, the update is here!
You guys are so amazing; I still can't thank you all enough, even if you're just reading my stories. It all means a lot to me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I look forward to posting more updates for my other stories before my trip. Let me know what y'all think!
-NC
PS: I totally giggled at the "Jazz has a friend?" line because that's something my little brothers do all the time.