~Chapter Nine~
Sammy's Storm
So-So Is How I'm Doing If You're Wondering;
I'm In A Fight With the World, But I'm Winning.
Stay There, Come Closer; It's At Your Own Risk.
Yeah, You Know How It Is…
Life Can Be A Bitch.
I Just Wanna Scream and Lost Control,
Throw My Hands Up and Let It Go.
~Runaway, by Avril Lavigne
Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.
Sammy's P.O.V.
Ugh, Monday…
I really hated Mondays.
Why? Because! Because…I…I…
God, I have to go to school, and I have to walk through the whispers and the smirks, and I have to listen to everybody talking about the latest conquest of Paul Lahote.
My heart ached bitterly, beating in time to the small headache pounding in my eyes and the shrill beeping of the alarm clock beside me. I slowly reached out to shut it off, hand hitting the silver button, before I climbed out of bed and walking to the computer. It would probably hurt, but I needed to email Paul.
He needed Sk8ter Girl…
I smiled sadly.
Not me.
To: Hothead
From: Sk8ter Girl
Topic: Like Genie Said to Aladdin – "Bee Yourself."
Sent: 6:45 am
Dear Hothead,
You know, I wish that I was you. You are so sweet, and strong, and I really envy you. I can't begin to explain how wonderful it must be to find somebody to love. You have found this really Pretty Girl, with her pretty smile and her pretty laugh, to love. She is pretty lucky, too. Why?
Because, Hothead…
She has you.
Did that sound weird? I hope not. Honest to God, I'm not trying to flirt with you! But I might be for all I know. Like I've mentioned before, I'm not exactly the best in appearance or social skills, but anyway…
You want to know how to make her love you?
What NOT To Do: Don't stalk her. Don't be crude. Don't just try to get into her pants – uh, panties?
What To Do: Do something sweet for her. Talk to her. Be there for her. Become her friend. Above all else, though, and most importantly – Be yourself.
You might not believe me now. You might think I'm trying to sabotage you. Because the Hothead you've managed to portray at school is mean, rude, loud, and – surprise, surprise – hotheaded. You're always hitting people, friend and foe alike. And if I slept with that many people, I would have lost track by now! :P
But I have seen you. I have seen you stop to hold the door if the teachers walking through them have too much in their hands to do so. I have seen you give other people the help they need if their car or truck is stalled. I have seen you smile, and laugh, and be the person your mother raised to be good and kind.
What do I know, though? While I might pretend to know everything in the world, I really don't know anything at all. Daddy is always gone. Mom is really sick. My brother spends all of his time working. I have no experience in love. I have no experience in dating. Or sex.
I have myself, I have my older brother, and…I have you.
You're still learning, but…
So am I.
:)
Sincerely,
Sk8ter Girl
Afterwards, I practically crawled through the steps in my morning routine. I started with a warm shower, during which time I stared blankly at the blue tiled wall in front of me, a stream of water running over my neck and shoulders. And I ended with the usual perusal of the (mostly empty) refrigerator. My lips parted, and I sighed faintly in exasperation. We usually had plenty of groceries to pick from, but I hadn't been to the store in awhile, which meant that Seth had inhaled – uh, eaten – pretty much everything in the kitchen.
So I opened the cabinets and pulled down the last box of cereal from Sammy's Secret Stash…
…Yes. You heard correctly! My Stash! I regularly hid food in between this cabinet and the next because Seth did not search through these two; the cleaning materials – the dish towels, dish soap, and etcetera – scared him off. I usually squirreled Fruit Snacks, Oreos, Cheetos, and other tasty treats in this little hideaway because, otherwise, Seth would steal them! The Saints, too!
Oh, I'm out of Froot Loops. My head tilted to the side, I thoughtfully mused, Maybe I will just skip helping out at the library today and head to Wal-Mart, instead…
CHIRP! New Message.
I blinked curiously.
Who…?
To: Sammy
Sent: 7:14 am
You better hurry your ass up, or you're going to be late, Wheels! Wouldn't want that now, eh? Put the pedal to the metal! ;)
Oh, boy…
I facepalmed.
My brother is a moron.
To: Seth
Sent: 7:15 am
"Dude! Who stole my car?!"
Seriously, Bumblebee isn't working yet! I have no car! Remember? XD
Distantly, I could hear him snickering about it. My Camaro still needed the differentials flushed, but Seth hadn't had the time to do it yet, and I did not know enough about that engine to do it by myself. He continued to laugh in the back of the house, in his bedroom – at least until it ended with him choking and coughing hoarsely, anyway. My lips slowly curled downward, and I frowned at his closed bedroom door in worry. Seth didn't usually fall ill, but whenever it happened, the illness usually kept him in bed for awhile.
Note to Self: Buy Sudafed from Wal-Mart!
And Seth coughed his lungs up again.
Yeah, I winced. A lot of Sudafed…
To: Sammy
Sent: 7:17 am
Oh, oh, oh! Movie quotes! I have one, too! School starts in twenty eight minutes, and it takes twenty five to walk there. So, yeah! You better – "Run, Forrest! Run!"
Get it? Forest? In La Push?
Hahahahaha!
My mouth full of Lucky Charms, I burst into laughter, and barely managed to keep from spitting the bright breakfast cereal everywhere in the process. I snorted, "What the Hell, Seth?"
No, Seth did not need Sudafed! He already sounded higher than a mothertrucking kite! My brother was a moron, as most brothers tended to be, and I wouldn't hesitate to tell anybody – including Seth – how much I believed this to be true. But I loved him.
He could always make me smile and laugh, especially if I wanted to break down or cry.
Like now…
To: Sammy
Sent: 7:19 am
Hey, I almost forgot…
…I love you.
Eyes bright with happiness, I wandered out the front door and then paused to breath in the fresh air; I loved the mornings here in La Push. Everything was so quiet, and bright, and beautiful! I smiled and whispered, "You too, Seth."
Everything seemed somewhat better now. It might be difficult, and I might be sad for awhile, but I could make it through this (tall and hotheaded) bump in the metaphorical road. I really did like Paul; however, I had several other people to fret over. My life wasn't easy. Problems at home and at school made it difficult to keep smiling and being optimistic about everything, but…
Everybody else in the world had problems, too. So while I couldn't exactly solve mine, I tried really hard to listen to other people and to solve their problems, instead. Who would help me with mine, though? Daddy couldn't – wouldn't – help. Mom didn't need the distraction or worry. And Seth wouldn't take it seriously.
Only I could decide what to do about Paul, and I didn't have the faintest clue how do deal with this crush! Except to –
Avoid Paul Lahote.
Unfortunately, Paul didn't know about this secret mission. My friend lifted his dark eyebrows at my surprised expression – because, really, I had not expected Paul to be waiting right here – and smirked handsomely down at me. "'Sup, Sammy?"
EEP!
Abort! Abort! ABORT! ABORT! ABORT!
Yelping, I hurriedly ducked under his toned, muscular arm and continued skating through the front entrance to La Push High School. I swiftly fumbled for the iPod I carried everywhere with me, a playlist already starting with Mr. Mister's Broken Wings. Paul stared stupidly after at me as my small feet went into overdrive – like Speedy Gonzales – to send the skateboard soaring swiftly down the hallways. A teacher nearly lost his leg because of the stampede, but I pretended not to hear his sharp yell of outrage over my music. Ignorance is bliss!
"Wait, Sammy! What the fuck is going on? Where are you going?" Paul exclaimed, before his flurry of words became lost beneath the annoyed growl burning in his throat and the music singing sweetly in my ears.
Distracted by the task of looting around into my small locker and finding the necessary materials for Chemistry, I did not see my angry, confused crush stalking down the hallway to his first class. Nor did I hear him quietly grumbling to himself – "Dammit! How'm I supposed to become her friend if I can't even get her to talk to me?"
Who would have thought that Paul would be waiting for me? He claims not to have other friends, but I thought that Pretty Girl would have at least monopolized his attentions for now. I sighed. My heart calmed, but I could not sit still for the remainder of class; however, it might have had something to do with the spitballs that Jared sent my way…
After classes, I darted through the halls and to the cafeteria, where I decided to buy an orange to fill out the pathetic – and totally unhealthy – lunch of Oreos and Pepsi I packed this morning. I scampered off to the library to eat in relative peace. As was my normal routine, Mrs. Kane and I exchanged quick pleasantries, and then, I walked to the table furthest from the entrance. My classmates all ate lunch in the cafeteria and the courtyard, but I preferred the silence of the library, with only Mrs. Kane for company.
Quiet thoughts whispered inside of me. I stared blankly out the window, head in the dark clouds above, but I had enough brain cells to recognize that it would rain soon. My blue plaid umbrella, predictably, had been left at home. Sunshine had bathed the world in its warm, golden glow earlier this morning, and I quickly decided against toting it to and from school.
Ugh, I should have known better than to think it would last until I made it home. I lived in La Push, Washington. Not Orlando, Florida…
"Shit!" I mumbled, before gathering up my wrappers and empty bag to toss into the trashcan. I hurried to the entrance; however, the soft voice of the librarian called out to me as soon as my warm palm curled around the door handle.
"You shouldn't walk home in the rain, Samantha," Mrs. Kane sternly scolded, though her expression gentled with concern. She glanced through the glass panes of the window and frowned at the overcast skies. "You could get sick…"
"Yes, ma'am," I said, the polite girl that Daddy and Mom raised rising to the surface to greet the Authority Figure. "But I really need to get home because Seth is sick with the flu." My smile warmed at the next thought: "He needs me."
Usually, I needed Seth, and although it sucked that Seth would be sick for several days, I liked being helpful; I wanted to help him feel better. My brother rarely let me worry over anything of importance – paychecks, hospital bills, and the health of the rest of the family – because I was younger. So I only had responsibility for shopping, restocking the kitchen, and occasionally helping Seth fix dinner. I vacuumed, dusted, swept, and kept the house clean. Otherwise…
"Hurry, then," Mrs. Kane urged, with her voice softer now and filled with affection, to which I smiled brightly and waved to her in goodbye.
Rushing outside, I lifted the hood of the Legend of the Zelda jacket that I wore, and hurried down the path that led to the student parking lot. My Bumblebee wasn't there, but I could cut through the hole in the old fence surrounding the lot and make it home much quicker than if I went the normal route. Shortcuts! Gotta love 'em!
A flash of lightning zipped through the black skies, and I shivered, the rain soaking into my skin, clothes, and to the hair protected only by the thin hood hanging over my eyes. Thunder followed the lightning, and I yelped in surprise because of how loud it seemed while outside; it sounded calming if I listened to it at home. I curled into myself, forearms over my chest. My teeth chattered quietly.
Headlights suddenly rushed at me, and I jumped in surprise, darting to the sidewalk and staring at the humongous F-150 with wide eyes. This F-150 wasn't the newest model of the vehicle, but the driver obviously cared about his truck; it looked clean, with few dents, and the engine purred warmly. A teenager, tall and muscular, climbed out through the driver side door and stomped through the rain to greet me. I squinted through the onslaught of ice cold rain to make out his face, but deep inside, I already knew who it would be.
A smirk warmed his handsome face.
"Need a ride?"
Paul…
***Author's Note***
HI! Sorry for the two month wait, Ladies and Gentlemen, but I'm a senior in college, and stuff happened, and yeah...
Anyway, I have Paul and Sammy back again! Sammy did her best to avoid him, but Paul is the Wolf, and Sammy is Red. She would've been caught one way or another. ;)
QUESTION: My plans for the next chapter involve a "date." Where do you think it will be? What do you think will happen?
Please Read and Review!
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