Author's note: Chapter 14! I didn't expect this story to be so long when I started writing it honestly. Buuuttt, I'm glad it has. Thank you to all of you who have reviewed, it means a lot. Anyways, enough talking. Enjoy!
He knew making this trip was necessary, but it still killed him to see her in this painful state. He wished she would say something, yell at him, plead to leave, anything. Say or do something. That would be better than this. Her face currently held an emotionless expression. She looked almost heartless, in all honesty. She'd spoke once since they'd arrived. He'd told her that they needed to get her things, but that she was staying in the car. He'd explained his reasoning for bringing her instead of going himself and leaving her at Carly's apartment. He'd been about to exit the car when he heard the passenger door open and slam closed just as quickly. He continually asked her what she was doing, ordering her to get back into the car. But she was definitely not in the mood to cooperate.
In response to his order, she'd simply said "Like hell I am" and continued walking. He considered arguing his case further, and almost did, but something stopped him. He realized she was deliberately not looking at him. It angered him at first, but he then realized her reasoning behind it. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know about her state, she knew that. Whatever was going through her mind or whatever she was feeling, she didn't want him to know about it.
They arrived at the hideous door in what seemed like hours, pausing before making another move. Sam took a deep breath, her eyes closing tightly. You can do this, Puckett she told herself. She could. Just get the stuff and get out. Not like she had that much stuff to get. Still, she dreaded seeing the filthy place again, and even more than that, dreaded seeing the faces that belonged to John and her "mother". Still, she pushed every ounce of fear that she could away. She could do this.
Without a warning, she opened the door swiftly and quietly. From the entrance, she could see the sleeping forms of John and her mother on the torn couch. It was obvious the two were sleeping off yet another hangover and wouldn't be up for good four hours, but she still stood frozen at the sight.
She almost forgot everything. Forgot Freddie was there, forgot where she'd been the last couple of weeks, forgot where her best friend was, everything. The only thing she could comprehend at the moment was she was back in hell. It seemed like she'd never left. The clutter was still exactly the same, the smell was still repulsive, and her mother was still in a drunken stupor with a man. But that man, he wasn't just any man. It was John.
The sound of his name in her mind brought her out of her fictional state. It wasn't the same, this time she was here for a reason. With that reason in mind, she quietly made her way to her bedroom. Once there, she gathered every necessity. Clothes, toiletries, everything. She didn't own anything that really meant anything to her, nothing sentimental. She was about to turn around and meet Freddie at his designated look out spot in the hallway, when she stumbled across something tucked away in a drawer. She picked up the yellowed picture gently, careful not to ruin it. A tear slid down her cheek as she examined it carefully.
In the photograph, a younger version of her was smiling proudly next to a middle aged man. The man had shocking blue eyes and thick curly brown hair. His smiled matched hers perfectly, pride mirroring hers. Had he had blond hair, she and Melanie would have been his spitting image.
She remembered that afternoon as if it were yesterday. He'd just gotten all of the bills paid off from a bonus at work and wanted to celebrate. Her mom agreed, but in a much different way. She'd taken $500 and Melanie to the mall for a shopping spree. He'd been so mad at first, but then he informed her that he had an idea.
He'd told her to start naming things off that she loved to do on a hot summer day. As she did, he wrote every single thing down. Once itinerary list was completed, they set out to follow it. The day included things such as eating ice cream, going to the pool, riding bikes in the park, everything she'd wanted to do and more. They'd even had a little photo shoot in the backyard.
It was that photo shoot that the picture originated from. They'd had all of the pictures framed, but she kept one in her bedroom. When he left, her mother burned every single photo she saw that included him in anyway, even if he'd been the one who took it. Had she known about this one, she would probably destroy it too. This was exactly why it had remained hidden for so long.
Reality grasped her again as she put the picture in her bag and went to join Freddie. She found him crouching behind an old empty bookcase. He looked at her in alarm, mouthing for her to hide. She was confused for a moment, until she heard it. The banging around in the kitchen and the deep groan from the couch.
Her heart felt as if it would explode in her chest, her body went completely numb, she couldn't move. She didn't know what to do. Freddie was frantically motioning and mouthing to her to hide, while trying to stay hidden himself.
Are you fucking stupid, Puckett? HIDE! She told herself. She was trying, she really was, but she physically couldn't. Her body refused to cooperate. She knew what would happen. They would see her; it would happen all over again. Freddie would be able to get away in all of the commotion, but she wouldn't.
Tears poured down her cheeks. This couldn't be happening. There was no way out, no escape. No matter what she did, she was stuck.
Author's note: Well? What do you all think will happen? Good chapter? Bad chapter? Let me know! I absolutely love getting reviews. Not only is it motivation, but it lets me know that others are interested enough to give me feedback. So keep the reviews coming