Disclaimer: I do not own 'Complete Savages', nor do I own the characters, however given the rights of a fanfictionnaire I can willingly do whatever I want to them in my imagination… and onscreen (computer screen).
Chapter Three.
"Sam!"
Sam wakes up with a start… he'd slept on the couch and had seemed to roll onto the floor in the night. He hadn't been bothered to get back up there so he'd just fallen asleep there.
"Sam…" its Nick.
Sam looks up at his father squinting, as he hovers over him.
"Sam, we're going out as a family – can you look after the dog?"
Sam's hurt expression is clearly evident on his face, but he brushes it off and nods meekly.
"Good then. Oh and stop by the shop again and grab some bacon, we've run out…"
He nods again.
Nick heads into the hallway to join the others.
"Why isn't Sam coming dad?" TJ asks with a puzzled look on his face.
"Because he doesn't want to" Nick tells him.
Obviously TJ hadn't been fed the lies yet, and that gave Sam little comfort as he knew Kyle would soon put an end to that. Sam lifts himself up off of the ground. He stumbles over to the door and whispers to TJ before he closes the door.
"TJ?" he questions, making sure he isn't in on it all.
"What is it Sam?" he says innocently.
"TJ, I had no say in this, the family, everyone is ignoring me, and its all because of something Kyle has made up. He's fed them lies TJ, said that I've done something terrible to him…"
"Saying you'd done what?"
"That's the thing - I don't know what I'm supposed to have done"
"Then how'd you know you haven't done it?"
"Because I never do anything bad, never mind terrible and I'd never hurt you guys… but he's told them something really bad, so bad TJ they beat me up... look…"
Sam lifts his t-shirt up and his body is decorated in bluish purple bruises. Sam's eyes are wet again.
TJ's expression is one of shock.
"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Jack shouts from a few metres away, they'd all gotten in the car and realised TJ wasn't there and now they are all standing around the door with very angry expressions on their faces.
Sam lets his shirt drop down and gulps. "Nothing."
TJ is very confused and refuses to move until Nick grabs his arm, "Come on son" he says softly in contrast with the tone of voice he used with Sam before.
"Don't believe KYLE…" Sam shouts to TJ as he is led away.
A blow to the stomach by Jack cuts him off. He leans over coughing and grasping his stomach while Jack kicks him to the ground.
"Stay away from him you PERVERT!" Jack says as he kicks him in the chest.
Sam gasps. What did Jack just call him? How could Kyle lie about such a horrible act? Many questions raced through Sam's mind as he lay there, confusing to the point of almost disbelieving Jack had said what he'd said.
"Jack, why…" he coughs, "…why are you… calling me that…"
"Don't play dumb with me – Kyle described what you did to him… in detail, you dirty son of a…"
"Jack!" Nick calls from the car. "Don't even bother wasting your energy on the sack of crap. Come on."
"He's trying to act all innocent again!" Jack replies, anger pulsing through his veins.
"Look we'll sort this out later okay?"
'Sort him out' he all Sam heard, his head spinning.
Jack nods, and then as he leaves he spits at Sam – it lands on his arm, and he wipes it off on the grass. He doesn't move until he hears the engine of the car fade in the distance and then he drags himself painfully into a sitting position. He lays his head resting on his hands.
"Pervert" he says aloud. "How could any of them believe that… how could Kyle be this evil…" he begins to cry again, unsure of how to handle his emotions. He aches even more than before now, and he's getting sick of being everyone's punching bag, even if they do think he's done something so terrible.
"Hey, you" Sam sniffs and feels the prod of a walking stick - he flinches away at the touch of the stick and looks up frightened, only to find old lady Riley standing before him. He is unsure about her – Kyle could have told her lies too.
"What's wrong with you Sam?" she'd never used his name before.
He doesn't answer. He can't. He's too messed up to answer… and so he bursts out crying again. He a feels warm liquid begin to sneak out of his nose once more as he rubs at his eyes, embarrassed.
"Oh, you poor thing you. This is serious isn't it?"
Sam nods as he feels old lady Riley's hand on his shoulder. She isn't strong enough to help him up, but she tries to guide him up. Sam lifts himself up from the ground, his hands are scraped and his face is smeared with blood.
"No one believes me" he whimpers as she rests her hand on his arm while they walk towards her house.
"I know, it's alright, you can tell me what's wrong" Mrs Riley tells Sam.
This is a very alien reaction to Sam, as in the history of Mrs Riley living next door to him the only time she was ever nice to them was the time him and the others had supposedly 'saved her life' and that didn't seem real… this seemed real, but he was still afraid she was going to turn around and call him that awful word. Why would Kyle say such things? He wasn't going to get this thought out of his mind.
They reach her front door, which is already open, and she guides him inside and tells him to sit down on her couch.
"Would you like a mug of hot chocolate?" she asks sincerely.
"Yes, please" Sam nods forcing a small smile to cross his lips, "Mrs. Riley?"
"Yes?" she replies looking down at Sam, in his position on the couch.
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
Old lady Riley smiles, "Because you need it, because you deserve it… I'll get you a tissue" she says lastly, a somewhat torn expression in her eyes as she looks over his injuries.
"Who did this to you?" she asks from the kitchen.
"Erm, my brother"
"A fight that got out hand…"
"Not really…"
"Oh well do you want to tell me about it?" she replies as she enters the living room once more with a few pieces of tissue gripped in her hand.
She hands him the tissue. "The kettles on"
"Thank you very much"
"You know you were always my favourite of your brothers… I know your father doesn't really appreciate your good nature, but I do"
"Thanks Mrs Riley, you don't know how much I needed that"
Maybe the old woman isn't as crazy as she seems.
"Your don't have to tell me if you don't want to. We can just sit here."
"I'd like that" he almost whispers.
It doesn't seem right to be discussing such matters like this with old lady Riley, so he just sits there in the comfort of her home, the smell of hot chocolate soon filling the air as she finishes up in the kitchen.
Sorry about the slight months long delay – I've been extremely busy, but I feel like I'm getting back into fan fiction writing again so I'll try and write the next instalment soon. Take care all, cesca, x