Joja Mart; the place where people come to die. Sam though as he mopped the same four floor tiles he had been working on for the past hour. He watched as two or three people from town came in and bought groceries. He hated his job. He hated feeling like he was wasting away into nothing while he could be working on his music. He sighed deeply as his reached his hand into his pocket, pulling out a small mp3 player, skipping to the next song. Today, his soundtrack consisted of songs that he was in the process of writing. Something about them felt off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Lately, Sam had been working on new music, a new feeling that was consuming him lately.
Sam hated being that guy, who stuck with the times. That guy who was always cliché. But, with the colder weather of fall and his best friend away with his girlfriend, Sam couldn't help but feel lonely, abandoned. Most importantly, however, he felt heartbreak. Not directly. But, Abigail had been distancing herself lately. Sam could understand why—everyone could—but, he was still there for her. I'm always there… He took another deep sigh, glancing towards a small clock that hung against the wall over the store doors. Five more minutes.
As Sam clocked out for his day, leaving the Joja Mart behind, ecstatic to be back in the real world. The automatic doors closed behind him, as he spread out his arms relieved. The sun was beginning to set on the ocean, and there was a chill in the air. Thinking of dinner almost being ready, he threw his work apron over his shoulder and began walking home. Sam hummed quietly to himself as his music was still playing through his head phones, when he saw something catch his eye in the distance. Normally, the town was quiet and still during this time of day. Everyone was at home being with their families. It was strange to still see someone outside.
He slowed his walked, watching in wonderment and awe as he neared the community center. Just like always, there was Abigail. Practicing for her adventures, sword in hand. He watched her for a moment, as he hid behind some shrubbery, as she tried to catch her breath. As she reached up to wipe her brow, he spoke out.
"Looks like you're getting pretty good."
"Damnit Sam!" she squealed, jumping at the sound of his voice. "You know I hate it when you do that."
"I know, but I didn't want to interrupt you."
"You could have said something, though." She said as she turned to face him. As she looked at him, Sam had to remind himself to say something, to keep the conversation going. Which felt odd. They had been friends for years, but recently, Sam was finding it more and more difficult to talk with Abigail, without the buffer of Sebastian around.
"So… They're still out of town for a few more days. Did you want to do something?" Abigail huffed, gathering her sword as she headed towards her home.
"Of course, they are. I don't feel like doing anything." She sounded agitated. Sam cursed himself for a moment—he had a knack for turning their conversations to Sebastian and Aisleigh, without thinking of how it would bother Abigail. No. Not this time.
"You know, Abigail. I'm trying to be a friend here. I know the whole relationship with Sebastian and Aisleigh is a sore spot for you. I get it. But, come on. There isn't anything you can do about it, other than get over it. You knew he didn't want to date you. I don't understand why you're so upset still." Abigail stopped in her tracks, her head hung low. Ah shit… "S-sorry, Abigail. I just hate seeing you like this. Before Aisleigh moved her, and even before they started dating, you were always this bright and sunny girl who was always up for anything. But, lately, you just seem so angry and I don't know why." Sam paused for a moment, waiting to see if Abigail would say anything in return. "You can still be friends with him. And Aisleigh. I'm pretty sure she misses you too."
"Doubtful…" She whispered.
"If they don't that's their loss. But, I know I miss you. The old you." Sam scratched the back of his head, misplacing his headset over his ears. "I've been working on some new songs. Somethings missing though. You wanna stop by later and go over them with me?"
"I dunno…" He could hear her voice crack as she spoke. Sam's shoulders sank, wanting to comfort her. Even if he was dense, he could see the heartbreak. The loneliness. The void around her world that was cutting her off from everything around her. He walked up behind her, wrapping his arm around her eyes. He could feel her tears against his skin as he pulled her in. Abigail turned to Sam's chest, holding on to his shirt tightly. Sam felt her shoulders shake, felt her breath deeply into his shirt. He stood for a moment, his head on top of hers, letting her cry all she wanted.
"I feel like they're going to forget about me. That, everyone is going to leave me behind and go on and do their own lives, while I'm still here. Working in my dad's shop day in and day out."
"I won't forget about you. I'm going to be here."
"Yeah, until you get famous or find a girl that whisks you away."
"Nah, no girl wants to take me away. I'm going to live my days here."
"Liar." Sam chuckled.
"I'm not. Abby, there is nothing in this world that will make me leave you all alone."
Sam sat on his bead, strumming away on his guitar as he continued to think about his conversation with Abigail. Is she really that blind? A knock came from his door, forcing him to smile as it creaked open.
"Hey bright eyes."
"Shut up, I look horrible," Abigail said as she walked in. Her eyes were red and swollen from the crying she had done earlier. But, she made no effort to cover it up. She had already exposed her feelings, why did she need to hide anymore? "What did you want me to listen to? My dad doesn't want me out late tonight. Something about having to open the store in the morning."
"Well, let's make this quick, shall we?" Sam said as he beamed a smile towards her. He jumped off his bed, putting down his guitar. Reaching his computer, Sam pulled up the songs he was listening to earlier. As music filled the room, Abigail walked around, touching all his knickknacks.
"When's your dad coming home? He's been gone for a while, right?"
"Yeah, he hasn't said in his letters. But, I hope it's soon. Mom misses him a lot. And Vincent asks about him all the time."
"I bet that's hard."
Sam shrugged, "I'm tough. I can handle it." As track after track played, Abigail made her way to Sam's bed, sitting down as the words spoke to her. After the last song was finished, Sam asked, "So, what do you think is missing?"
Abigail sat in silence, looking towards Sam's back. He didn't dare look at her. The songs that he had written and played for her, were his feelings. His true feelings that he covered up whenever he was around his family and friends. To them, he was this happy go lucky guy, who always was a rock. But, with his dad being gone, his friends slipping away, even a rock gets weathered away.
"Missing?" Abigail asked, clarifying as she thought about his music. "It's normally up beat and cheerful. Your music always makes me happy. This time, I didn't feel any of that…"
"I guess we can scratch this album then," Sam said as he moved his mouse over the music folder, getting ready to delete the whole thing. Just as his finger was about to click delete, he stopped as a soft warmness touched his hands.
"Don't. It's different. And it feels like it's full of pain and sorrow. I don't like it. But, at the same time, it's real. It has feeling. And I love it. It's weird. These songs are completely different from what you normally do. Despite being what they are, or trying to convey, and being so drastically unlike your other songs, I really like them." Sam sat in silence, repeating her words over and over in his head. They were real feelings. No, they weren't upbeat like his normal songs, but these were real. It was one thing for Sam to think happy thoughts and be able to put that into his music. It was another thing entirely to really understand his other thoughts, sadder, lonelier, isolating thoughts and understand them enough to put their meaning into his passion.
"You wanna get a drink? I know you said you couldn't stay late cuz work and all." His voice was softer as he spoke, keeping his back towards her.
"Sure."
It was close to two in the morning when Sam stumbled out of the Stardrop Saloon, with Abigail supporting him.
"So, this was a little bit later than I wanted to drink. Sorry about that," Sam said, looking underneath his arm.
"It's fine! I needed this anyway. And what's one day opening late?" Abigail replied, beaming Sam a bright smiled. He stared at her, almost dumfounded. Her hair flew in the breeze, and her cheeks flushed brightly. It was hard to tell as to why they were red, but Sam hoped it was because of him.
Trying to steady himself without her support, Sam stood, "What do you see me as?"
"What? Abigail asked confused.
"What do you see me as?" Sam asked again, this time more demanding.
Abigail raised a brow as she answered, still not completely sure of what he meant, "I see you as… As… A friend?"
"Just a friend?" Slightly angry, Sam grabbed Abigail's face passionately, "You don't see me as anything else?"
Abigail replied, her lips pursing together, "Well, you're always there for me. And you always try to make me feel better… I don't know what—" Her words stopped instantly, as she was silenced by Sam's own lips against hers. The moment, though fleeting, sparked a flame in Sam. Even though he was completely drunk, part of him had wanted to kiss her. The moment their lips touched, it made Sam wonder just who long he had been waiting for this moment. "What are you doing?" Abigail asked loudly, pulling away from him. "Is this why you wanted to go drinking with me? To get me drunk?"
"No, I honestly never wanted—"
"How could you do this? I thought I knew you better…" She stumbled over her words. Before she could let Sam explain, Abigail marched towards her home leaving Sam calling out for her from the bar's door.
"Son of a bitch!" Sam cursed, furious with himself. He had sobered up a little bit as he stood in the night's cool breeze. "Why the fuck do you always screw up, Sam?!"
"Ah, I d-don't think you're a screw up, boy." Shane said in between hick-ups as he left the bar. "Look at me. At least you don't waste your life away at this place. Always nursing a break heart."
Sam scoffed at the drunk, "If I continue like this, I just might."
"Nah, you're still young. And a good lad. A man can sense these things," Shane explained, throwing an arm over Sam's shoulders. "So, you struck out. You can always blame it on the booze." He winked.
"But, it wasn't just the booze," Sam said, his head sinking low. "I've… I've always wanted to kiss her."
"Kiss her? Who did you kiss? It better not have been Emily." Shane accused, narrowing his gaze at Sam.
"No, not her… Just someone else."
"Well, good. You and that other fellow, Sebastian always after the girls around here…" He ranted as he walked home in the dark. As soon as Shane was out of sight, Sam threw his hands into his pockets, and walked home, hoping that Abigail wouldn't remember what he had done.
Sam woke the next morning to the screaming sound of his alarm clock. As he begged his eyes to open, Sam was thrown back down to his pillow. He had a migraine from the previous night's festivities. That is the last time I drink with her. At least Sebastian will cut me off… Rolling on to his back, Sam tried to look at his ceiling, lost in his own thoughts. He tried to remember what had happened, only to jolt up when he remembered what he had done. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Was it just a dream? Wanting to believe it was a dream, Sam lightly touched his lips, as if that would prove whether or not he had actually kissed Abigail.
They felt warm to the touch, but that did not prove anything. What was she wearing? Any make-up? Sam turned to look at his pillow. Holy. Shit. There it was, clear as day—a red smudge stain of cherry red lip stick.
"She's gonna kill me…" Sam sat on the edge of his bed, debating if he should text Abigail to apologize. It was almost noon, and he had not heard anything from her. Not that he had lately. But, he assumed that with everything that had happened yesterday she would surely say something to him. Like she used to. She used to always tell me everything.
'Sam! Can I tell you a secret?' Abigail and Sam were almost fourteen, and had been friends for about four years. They had grown up together, it seemed. Since they had become friends, they spent most of their time together, exploring, making up adventures. Or just spending time together by the river.
'Duh, you can tell me anything, Abby.' Sam said, as he poked a bug while they explored the forest on the western side of town.
'I think I like Sebastian.' Abigail let out a giggle as she covered her mouth. Sam stopped what he was doing, feeling his heart sink.
'Sebastian? He doesn't even hang out with us. How could you like him?'
'I don't know. He's just mysterious. Like, what does he like? What does he do in his free time?' Abigail threw her arms up towards the sky as she danced in the leaves that fell to the ground. As Sam watched his best friend seem to leave him in the dust, he began to grow furious. What was so great about Sebastian?
'If you like him so much, why don't we go and tell him.'
'No! He'd probably get angry!'
'Why? Guys are supposed to be happy when pretty girls tell them that they like them.'
'Not Sebastian. He's weird.' Sam twisted his face. I want you to tell me that you like me.
'If you don't go and tell him, I will.' Abigail huffed, her face blushed. In a hurry, she ran away leaving Sam all alone in the forest where they played.
'Why is he so great?' He asked himself aloud as he curled up into a ball on the ground. Later on that evening, when Sam was getting ready for bed, there came a ticking sound from his window. Confused, he walked over only to see Abigail standing there. He could tell that she had been crying, but didn't ask what was wrong. He slowly opened his window, not really wanting to be around Abigail. But, something told him that he should be there for her, like she needed a real friend.
'H-he said he doesn't like me. That he thinks I'm annoying. Why would he say that? Why doesn't he like me?'
'I dunno, Abby. Sometimes us guys are like that.' Inside, Sam felt some kind of relief. At the same time, he felt bad for her. With a heavy sigh, he asked, 'What did he say?'
'I'm annoying!'
Sam sighed again as he rested his head on his hand, 'You're not annoying Abby. You're great and wonderful. If it makes you feel any better, I don't think you're annoying.'
'Really?'
'Really really.'
'Promise?" She asked, feeling better.
'Pinky promise.' She smiled at Sam's words.
'Well I have to go to bed. You want to play by the caves tomorrow?'
'I'd like that,' Sam smiled feeling happier about spending time with Abigail. The following day, Sam woke up to a text message from Abigail telling him to hurry up. I'm not going to wait forever for you. Hurry up so we can spend the day together. Just us.
As Sam tried to get dressed, he was still debating about explaining to Abigail about the night before.
"Hey Abby. I know last night got kind of weird. I just drank too much… She wouldn't believe that. How does that even come off? Really creepy. Shit." Not knowing what to do, Sam grabbed his phone as he walked towards the beach. Since Fall was on its way, not many of the towns people ventured out towards the open water.
Dude. I need your help. He texted Sebastian. Minutes passed by with no reply, it was making Sam nervous. Dude. Come on! He sent. It was almost half an hour before Sam got any kind of reply. But it wasn't one he was expecting.
"Hello?"
"Hey Sam. Sorry, Sebastian is talking with my dad about some work. What's up? I saw your texts, and it sounded urgent."
"Ah…" Sam scratched the back of his head not knowing what to do. "Fuck it. I kissed Abby. And I don't know what to do."
"You what?"
"I kissed her. We went out for drinks, and I just kissed her."
"Have you talked to her? Was it a mistake?"
"No, I haven't. I thought it was, because I never really said anything to her. But, the more I think about it, it wasn't really a mistake. I think I wanted to."
"I think you should talk to her. Maybe she feels the same way."
"Doubtful. She's still upset about you dating Sebastian."
"Is she really? Damn… I was hoping I could talk to her and she not be angry with me…"
"I don't think she's angry. Just she had liked him for so long and then you guys started dating."
"Well, it wasn't really something we planned. And like I told you, I was backing off because I felt bad."
"Yeah, I think she saw it coming though…"
"Maybe… Anyway. Back to your situation. What are you going to do?"
"I have no idea, Aisleigh. I… I don't want to lose her as a friend. But, I don't want to always see her trying to go after someone who has no interest in her. She isn't that only who is hurt by that."
"Sam… How long have you liked Abby?"
"Liked her?" Sam felt his cheeks blush as he thought about those words. I actually like her… When did I…? "Ten years?"
"T-ten years?! Are you serious?"
"I dunno… It just kind of happened. Shit, this is embarrassing…"
"I think it's more sad really."
"Why do you say that?"
"You grew up with this girl. Probably spent the better part of your life with her already. And you had to watch her constantly get her heart broken by your other friend who never really was interested. All the while, wanting her to look at you the same way. Feel the same feelings for you that she did for Sebastian."
"How do you know that?" He heard Aisleigh stifle a laugh.
"Story of my life, Sam. Story of my life." Sam knelt down onto the soft sand as the ocean waves echoed around him.
"So, what am I going to do?"
"What do you want, Sam?"
"I… I don't know…"
"Bullshit. That's a cop out, and you know it. Listen. If you like her, tell her. If you want something more with her, tell her. If you feel like it was a mistake, tell her. The worst thing you can do is just pretend that it didn't happen. Trust me, that causes more harm than good. Besides, I think you two would go well together."
"You do… Why do you say that?"
"I don't know. You guys just seem like you would be on the same wave link, you know? You guys have the same kind of energy. Like the same things. I hate to say it, but I think that's what ultimately brought Sebastian and I together. We could understand each other on a different level. A deeper level. Abigail seems to be head strong and is always going full bore. And, I think you would be able to keep up with her. Sebastian could never do that, they're just so different."
"Than—" Before Sam was able to get his words out, his phone sounded in his ear. As he pulled it away from his ear to see what it was, his heart flew to his throat. "I have to go. Thanks for the advice." As he hung up the phone, he reread the message over and over again.
I'm not going to wait forever for you. Hurry up so we can spend the day together. Just us.
As he stood waiting for Abigail on the edge of the forest, Sam was starting to feel nervous. He had no reason to be anxious, this was Abigail after all. However, when he thought back to her text, it made him curious. There was no context, no meaning behind her words. Maybe she just wanted to meet up because it had been a while since they just hung out together. Whatever her reasoning behind what she was doing, Sam didn't know what to expect.
"Hello?" He called out as he neared the clearing where they used to meet and play. "I didn't know where you wanted to meet up… I assumed that this was the place." All around him the wind danced in the leaves above his head. It was eerie how the branches moved, and how the wind seemed to howl. The sun had disappeared as soon as Sam had walked through the wooded arches of trees and limbs. It was as if he was transported to another world, another life that he had lived before.
Not much had changed since he had been here last, before he and Abigail became friends with Sebastian. But, it was odd. The more things seemed to stay the same, the more they seemed that they had drastically changed.
"The loss of childhood? Nah. Maybe growing up? Hmmm…" Sam thought to himself as he sat down on an old tree stump looking around into the abyss of simpler times, older times. Younger times. "Things used to be so easy. Nothing felt like it was being ripped away… Dad was still home. It was just us. Everything felt like it would last forever…" His head hung low as he talked aloud to himself, seeming to be alone in this dark place. "Abby would always be by my side, even when she talked about Sebastian so passionately. Now, everything that I had is gone… I don't know when Dad's coming home… Mom tries to put on a brave face, but I can tell she's worried about him… And Vincent doesn't help… Always asking her about news stories of the daily casualties… Even the friends I had… I know we all have our own lives that we're living… It just gets so lonely... I never thought, that Abby would be the last person to leave me…" He buried his head in his hands, trying to stop the tears from over flowing. He breathed in deeply, desperately wanting to take control of his feelings. But, as he exhaled, his breath was sharp and choppy. He bit at his bottom lip, hoping that it would stop him from crying. Come on, you're supposed to be meeting Abby soon… You can't let her see you crying over stupid shit… Everything Sam had tried to do, to somehow bring him back to his normal self, was all for not.
"Come on, Sam. Pull yourself together man." He took on last deep breath before he was able to compose himself, at least enough to where he could make a phone call.
"H-hey, Abby… I'm in the forest, didn't know where you wanted to meet."
"Meet? Oh shit! Sorry I totally forgot… My dad asked me to stay later at the store because he wanted to clear a few things out before he starts preparing for the fall season."
"It's cool… If you get done early, or whenever, I'll be here." Sam was disappointed that it seemed that Abigail had found something else to do. Regardless if it was true. He was looking forward to feeling like he used to, when they were younger and everything was so much easier.
"You'll always be there, won't you?" She sounded somber, like her mind was somewhere else. Perhaps it was in the past, just as Sam was.
"Probably."
"Sam…?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for being my best friend. And being there when I needed you. Even if I didn't want you there."
"You don't have to thank me, Abby. I told you, I'll always be here. Whenever you need me."
"Really?"
"Really really." He smirked at his phone, a warmness washing over him.
"Promise?"
"Pinky promise." For just a moment, Sam felt an old comfort in his heart. A comfort he didn't know that he missed. "Hey, Abby?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think… Do you think that you could just stay on the phone with me? I don't care if we talk… I just don't want to feel alone right now." He heard Abigail smile.
"Stupid. You're never alone."
"You say that…" Sam said as he felt tears on the brim of his eye lids. "But, you have been pushing me away lately."
There was a long pause before Abigail spoke again. But, during that silence, Sam was able to let his thoughts leave him. In that silence, he didn't feel alone. "I know… And, I'm sorry that I did that to you. I was being selfish. Throwing my own pity party. I guess for a little while, I felt alone. For some reason, my heart was broken. I had no reason to feel that way. It was like you said, it would have never worked out with Sebastian… It just hurt actually feeling that way. For some reason, I wanted to believe that one day I could have been with him. And, during that delusion, I had convinced myself that if I tried hard enough, that it would come true. Deep down, though, I knew it would never happen. You stayed beside me, knowing what would happen. You told me, in your own way. And yet, I still held out hope. When that hope was destroyed, you still stood beside me. Why did you do that?"
"Honestly?"
"Duh."
"I don't know. You were mean. You pushed everyone away. Even when people wanted to be around you, you left. Why should have I stayed? You clearly didn't want anyone beside you. And, you know, that fucking hurt. You weren't the only one that was hurting, Abby. You're my best friend and it killed me watching you fade away."
"I'm sorry…"
"… No, I'm sorry. That wasn't called for…"
"No, Sam, you're right. I was awful. I wasn't being a friend… I should have sucked it up."
"Nah… You were being who you are." Neither of them spoke for a while. Sam had no idea how long he had been sitting on that stump. As the air grew colder, Sam was desperate to go home. If anything for a change of scenery. Or to get warm. His thin long sleeve was not doing anything to keep him warm, like it had done earlier in the day.
"Sam… Did we… Did something happen last night? Between us?" Instantly, Aisleigh's words came back to him. Tell her. But, was that really for the best? Did he want to risk the chance of ruining his friendship with Abigail? Especially after it seemed that they had started to make up?
"No, nothing happened. Why do you think something happened?"
"I don't know. I just have this feeling that something did. I can't remember. I just feel different. Like something has changed. I don't feel brokenhearted anymore. I don't feel sad about Sebastian and Aisleigh dating. I'm not angry about it. It's like, there's a switch in my brain that was flipped."
"I dunno… Maybe you just had so much fun just hanging out, that you reset or something."
"Maybe… Are you going to be in the forest for long?"
"Probably not. My mom's gonna have dinner ready soon. So, I think I'm gonna head home."
"Oh, okay. You doing anything tomorrow?"
"I have work tomorrow."
"Oh." Sam could feel the disappointment in her voice. Suddenly, he didn't want to be around her. He found it odd, seeing as he had been so desperate to hear from her. But when she had brought up the night before, Sam just wanted to believe that there was nothing he felt for Abigail, other than a meaningful friendship. If he could put it off long enough, and keep telling himself that his feelings were a lie, then maybe he could feel normal around her. Feel like he was around his friend, rather than someone who was something more.
When Sam had returned home, he barricaded himself in his room. He didn't eat dinner, or ask why his mother was so cheery. He thought it might have been because she had gotten a letter from his dad. That's the only thing that seems to put her in a good mood lately. But, he didn't want any of that. He didn't want to see someone else happy because of their loved one. He felt bad for thinking that way. He was happy that she had heard something, that his dad was safe another day. But, it was too much for him to deal with. It was almost ten that evening when a soft knock came from his door.
"Honey? You alright?"
"I'm fine, Mom."
"Okay, just checking. Abby came by earlier. Said she wanted to talk to you about something."
"Yeah, I called her."
"You're sure everything is okay? You haven't been your normal self… Is it alright if I come in?"
"Yeah." As his door creeped open, Sam rolled over on his bed facing his window. It could have been mother's intuition as to why she did so, but as Sam looked at his wall, he felt the weight of his mother sit next to him. In a loving gesture, she touched his arm.
"Honey, I know these past few months have been hard on you. Caroline told me that Abby has been… Difficult lately. After her disappearing stunt in the caves, and when Sebastian started dating Aisleigh, it put a strain on her parents. But, since last night, Caroline said that it seemed like she had her daughter back. Do you know why?"
"I said something to her yesterday about getting over Sebastian. It seemed to work."
"I guess you're right. But, I feel like now you're different."
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, for one, you aren't your chipper self. It makes me worry. And when Abby came by, she was asking if I knew something that happened last night. She didn't seem angry or anything. Just confused. And two, your music has been darker. Almost as if you're in a lot of pain."
"I told her nothing happened."
"Sammy…" His mother bent over him, attempting to give him a hug, "When will you just tell her?"
"Tell her what? She knows everything, she's my best friend Mom."
"If that's what you want to think… Just don't get upset again if she finds someone else because you never told her."
"What are you talking about? Upset again? When was I ever upset about her liking Sebastian."
"I never said anything about Sebastian."
"So?"
"So, whatever you're hiding from her, is tearing you apart. You know what I'm talking about. I was young once too. And quite fond of a boy. He was stubborn like you, always putting off his feelings. But, sweetie, that's when he almost lost a friend too. He was too concerned about the dynamics of his friendships, that he was willing to sacrifice not only his future, but also his friend's future. And whatever future they could have together."
"What's your point?"
"My point is, Sam, that sometimes you have to take a chance. A leap of faith. If you don't you could regret it the rest of your life."
"So, this boy you were fond of… Did he take a leap of faith?"
"He did."
"And?"
"And, we got married."
"Do you think that could happen to me?"
"You getting married? Of course. Everyone who wants, has the potential to get what they want. It just depends on them, if they want it bad enough."
"No, with her?"
"It could. But," she began to stand, feeling satisfied that she had somehow gotten through to her son, "You won't know unless you try. And tell her."
"Thanks." As his mother left his room, Sam stared at his phone. Am I really about to do this? His fingers hovered above the keyboard.
Abby, I lied to you earlier. And, I'm sorry. But, I was afraid. Last night, I kissed you… I think… I love you. Before he could get a reply, Sam turned off his phone. He rolled into his pillow, his face burning against the fabric and tried to fall asleep.
