Chapter 7: Easter with the Bensons Pt. 1

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, guys! :D

I'm doing this Easter thing because I like to make my stories around the same time as I write them, and since yesterday was Easter, I'll make it Easter in this story! :D By the way, happy Easter, belated Passover, or whatever holiday you celebrate! (:

P.S. This was going to be a really long chapter, but I'm splitting it into two. :p

On Saturday morning, I didn't get to sleep in like I would want to. I woke up to the sound of knocking.

My eyes opened when Freddie and my bedroom door swung open and the cheerful face of Marissa was the first thing I saw, in our bedroom doorway.

"Happy Easter!" Marissa exclaimed.

"What time is it?" I groaned. I picked up my pillow from under my head, about to throw it at her, but then I remembered that I had to be nice so I just put it over my face.

"It's already eight AM, Sam! Rise and shine!" Marissa said. She then looked at Freddie. "Fredward Benson, what is on your face?"

I looked at Freddie and I chuckled, seeing the whipped cream still on his face.

Freddie touched his face, looking at the whipped cream that he just wiped off of his face. "Hmm..." he said sarcastically, looking at me. He was smirking, like he already knew that I did the prank. "Um... shaving cream." I guess he knew that I pranked him... and he didn't want me to get in trouble. That was nice.

Marissa gasped. "Freddie, you shave your face?"

"Mom, I'm sixteen," he said, glancing at me in an embarrassed way. "I've been shaving for a year now."

I grinned. Little Fredward Benson is growing up.

"And why didn't I know about this?" Marissa asked.

"Mom," Freddie groaned. "Please."

A sad look formed on Marissa's face. "But it's Easter! Don't you want to go to that special Easter egg hunt you've always loved?"

Freddie's face turned bright red. I could tell that he was avoiding looking at me. "Um, yeah, sure… can I just… get ready?"

"Sure!" Marissa exclaimed, now looking happy. She shut the door to his room.

I tried not to let myself laugh about the Easter egg hunt thing. I really wanted to, but I knew that he was embarrassed enough.

Freddie looked at me. My hand was covering my mouth. He said, "Oh, just get it out."

I started laughing hysterically, and Freddie looked angry and maybe even a little sad. "I'm sorry," I said with one more chuckle.

Freddie smiled a little and rolled his eyes. "It's fine," he said, walking over to his drawers to get some clothes out as I did the same. He continued, "My mom's just annoying sometimes." He got some clothes out and started walking slowly to the bathroom.

I was picking out clothes, but when I heard him say that, I hesitated. I didn't know how to respond to that. Normally, I would make some joke about his mom, but my mom might just be a little more "annoying" than his.

I guess he heard me taking a deep breath. He put the clothes that he picked out down on his bed, and he said softly, "Sam, I'm sorry."

"No… don't worry about it," I said flatly. I wondered how much Freddie knew about what everything was like before I got kicked out. I wondered if he knew that the reason I got so tough was because if I wasn't tough, I would be dead right now. Thinking about it made tears fill my eyes.

"Sam…" he said tenderly, and I turned around only to be greeted by Freddie's arms. His arms were around the middle of my stomach, and he gently stroked my back. I put my arms around him, too, my arms touching the back of his shoulders.

The way he had his arms around me gave me the chills. Freddie's been so sweet to me lately… and I guess I've been pretty nice to him, too. I guess we're just getting close… but sometimes it feels like something else. But, whatever.

Then, he just smiled, gently pulling away. "You've never had a real Easter, have you?"

I grinned. There's always been this bond that Freddie and I had, where he just sort of gets me sometimes. There are a few things we have in common; like that we can always make each other laugh and all of that chiz. But also, I think that he knew that I really didn't feel like having a sad talk, so he changed the subject. I don't know, maybe I'm over thinking things. So, I just smiled and shook my head. "Nope," I said. "Well, I never did anything for it. Not even when I was a kid."

"Well," Freddie said with a small smile as he grabbed his clothes to change into. "Today, you're gonna have an experience that most people only have when they're kids."

I chuckled. "A big Easter egg hunt, huh?"

"Yeah," Freddie laughed. "In the park. My mom's taken me there every Easter for my whole life. You know, I think she always will, and maybe when I have kids I always will."

"A Benson family tradition, huh?" I said. "Hey, maybe if I like it, I'll take my kids there, too."

Freddie chuckled in a nice way, but I wondered why.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, nothing."

I raised my eyebrows.

"I'll tell you someday," Freddie said with a smirk. And with that, went into the bathroom, leaving me sitting on his bed, wondering what was up with him.