Sam and Freddie sat at a table in the emAsphalt Cafe. The students were all in class so they didn't need to worry about anyone over hearing. He had bought her fries but she hadn't touched them. They had been sitting in silence for five minutes when he finally spoke.
"Sam, do you realise that doing this could end up killing you?" he asked gently.
"I told you, I'll stop when I lose some weight."
"Sam you're trying to reach this perfect weight but there's no such thing, and when you don't reach it then you're gonna get upset, and Carly and I have seen you upset Sam, we don't want that to happen again," he said touching her wrist gently and she flinched.
"Jesus Christ Benson it's been years since that happened!" she snapped.
"Sam it would only take one little thing to tip you over the edge and we'd be right back where we were in 9th grade," she sighed, letting his words sink in and he watched as she processed everything he'd said.
"I-I'll get help, I promise," she said defeated, picking up a fry delicately and putting it in her mouth.
"Thank you," he whispered squeezing her hand.
"Now come on, we have to get back to Carly before Cat talks her ear off."
...
"Sam's really nice and she's pretty and she saved me from the scary men!" Cat babbled.
"Uh huh," Carly murmured.
"So why are you here?" Cat asked Carly with a confused expression, "Sam wouldn't tell me what was wrong."
"Well, um, Sam, s-she's kinda sick..." Carly began.
"What sort of sick? Like she has the flu sick? Or she needs special medications from the scary doctor sick?" the bubbly red head asked and Carly looked at her confused, "The doctor gives me funny tablets and I don't know what they are but they make me happier!"
"Oh...well, no, neither of those, Sam has something called bulimia," she told her gently.
"I don't know what that is," she said then looked up at a girl dressed in black, "Ooh Jade Jade Jade!" she said hopping up and skipping towards her.
"Hheeyy Cat."
"Did I do good?" she asked with a wide smile.
"Yeah you did."
"Come meet my new friend Carly," she said dragging her towards the brunette.
"Hi," Carly greeted.
"Hi."
"She's Sam's friend. Sam's the girl who's been staying with me the last couple days but Carly and Freddie are here to get Sam because she's sick but I don't know what's wrong with her."
Jade looked at Carly, "Uh, S-Sam has bulimia," she said softly and Jade's mouth formed a small 'o'.
"Hey Cat, how about I tell you what that is later?" she said turning to her friend.
"Okay," she said, although obviously itching to know right then and there.
That was when Freddie and Sam came back in.
"Hey Cat, thanks for letting me stay with you kid," Sam said walking over to the red head.
"You're leaving?"
"Yeah," she said softly and Cat enveloped her in a tight hug, "Can't. Breathe."
"Sorry," she said letting go and then she pulled a pen out of her bag and wrote something on Sam's hand, "I let you live in my house for two days, you have to promise to call me."
"I will," she laughed as Cat finished writing the number on her hand, "You've been a good friend."
"Yeah, friend..." Cat nodded sulkily before she turned back to Jade.
"C'mon Carly, Freddie, we should get going," Sam smiled at them.
...
Sam really did get better, it took a long time, it wasn't an over night thing, but she had Carly and Freddie with her the whole way. And Cat regularly called, she didn't bring up the bulimia, she was just there for a chat.
Sam and Freddie didn't get together, because this wasn't a rom-com where everything turns out perfectly and all that shit, this was real life. Sam got better and she had three fantastic best friends. Maybe one day, the blonde would want more out of life, but for the moment, what she had was enough.
