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 Four.
Sam glances around the living room with glazed eyes – the place is quite homely, with its quaint little fireplace, soft cushions and array of smiling faces. He doesn't like to look at them for too long though – it reminds him of his own family photos, of his mom.
"Here you go…" Mrs. Riley's voice echoes from the kitchen as her approaching footsteps reach the living room, and she enters.
Sam looks up at her friendly face and the mug of hot chocolate in her oven mitted hands. He almost lets out a small laugh but holds it in. It seems the perfect picture image of what a grandmother should be like. He suddenly wishes Mrs. Riley really was his grandmother – a thought he'd never thought would cross his mind.
"Oh, thank you very much" he says appreciatively.
"Always good to see a boy with manners.. How old are you now?"
"Ah, I'll be 17 in May" he replies taking a small sip of hot chocolate.
"Almost a man" she comments, sitting her oven mitts on the coffee table in front of them and sitting beside him.
Sam looks up at her and gives her a small shy glance, smiling thankfully. He drinks the hot chocolate fast – the mug hiding a lot of his face while he sips. On one of the family photos sitting on the small table beside the couch he notices a young couple. They look to be around the ages of twenty-five to thirty and are grinning gleefully at the camera. The woman has short blonde hair and the man brown wavy hair and they're both holding hands, while the woman had a stick of cotton candy in her other hand. Sam picks it up.
"That's Jacob – he was my husband…" Mrs. Riley says trailing off.
"Oh, I'm very sorry…" Sam says putting the photo down.
"Don't be. Its not like you killed him," she laughs somewhat.
Sam doesn't really know how to reply so he just sits there awkwardly.
"No one ever knows what to do when a stranger tells them a loved one died"
Sam smiled knowingly. Mrs. Riley looks at him amusedly. "But you're not a stranger." He added.
Mrs. Riley laughs again. Sam knows why she is laughing. He remembers laughing before, when he'd told friends his mother was dead, when he'd told Angela. They never knew what to do and they always said the same thing. It was this that made him laugh and yet he'd heard himself say practically the same thing moments before. No one ever learns. No one ever understands, but Mrs. Riley does.
"When mom died, I kept thinking… was it something I did? Was it a punishment from god? But I suppose in a way that might be a pretty selfish way of thinking…" Sam trails off.
"No, I don't think so… look how good you turned out even without her. I think she'd be really proud of you"
Sam holds back tears.
"Ya think?" he says, his voice straining.
"Of course. Those boys, your dad, they don't appreciate you. I can see though. I see you sometimes. When you cry alone, when you're drawing, or thinking to yourself, you sit outside sometimes because you feel like you don't fit in…" she pauses.
The tears are close to falling now. Sam sniffs and almost chokes on a cry he desperately holds in. Maybe he could tell her – maybe she would believe him and wouldn't judge him…
"…Its okay to cry Sam – its your god given right"
The sobs make their way out and the tears fall and he feels like an emotional wreck, wishing away the pain.
"..If… if I… tell you something… will, you, you promise to believe me" he sniffs, trying to the force the words out through sobs.
Mrs. Riley nods her head, "I promise Sam…"
"Have any… any of my family talked to you recently?" he asks her.
She shakes her head signifying a 'no'.
"They, well, they've all turned against me. Kyle…" he almost chokes on another sob and then holds them back to get the words out.
"…Kyle told them I did something bad to him, but I've never done anything bad to him, I hit him yesterday because he was pushing and shoving me and treating me horribly… it was like he wanted me to hit him… and now I don't know what he's told them but Jack.. he called me a.. a… a pervert today, and so he must have told them that I like did something awful to him... but I don't know why he would make something so horrible up about me.. why would he do that? They keep beating me up and I don't even know what I'm supposed to have done…Please believe me… please…" he cant hold the tears back any longer and he begins to cry again, burying his face in his hands and rubbing at his eyes.
Mrs. Riley watches him with a shocked expression her face and then after a few moments she speaks. "I do Sam, I do, I believe you…" she puts her arm around him and pulls him toward her as he cries into her shoulder.
"Oh god, please believe me…" he repeats despite her reply.
Sam had been asleep on Mrs. Riley's couch for what seemed like minutes but must have been hours when he heard loud knocking on her front door. He lifted his head with worry and then tried to sink further in to the comfort of the couch cushions. He listens as she goes to the door to see who it is.
Mrs. Riley makes her way down the small hallway and begins to unlock her door leaving one of the latches on. She opens it and peers out to see Nick standing there.
"Have you seen Sam?" he asks in a huff.
"I did, but he's gone now" she lies. "He was quite upset – I have a right mind to report you and your boys…" she begins.
"No. I have a right mind to report Sam, I can't believe I even raised such a sick little monster…"
Sam could hear all of this and he buried his head under a cushion so as to not be able to hear any more of it.
"Excuse me, but Sam is none of those things, he is a wonderful young man and he had told me how his 'supposed' little brother has made up lies about him. I'm afraid it is your other son you should be looking to for the monster, now if you don't mind I'd like you to get off my property." And with that she closes the door in his face.
As she closes the door she can hear Sam trying to hold back more tears in the living room and wonders why the world had to be so cruel to someone so pure and innocent.
"Sam, Sam its morning."
Sam stirs out of his sleep and yawns as he rises up, scratching his head.
"Thanks for letting me stay last night" he says smiling and yawning up at her at the same time.
"No problem" she says, "What are you doing today?"
He sighs. "I have to work today… which means I have to go home."
"But you're in danger there…" she says concerned for him.
"I know, but I need the job. Mrs. Riley… if its not too much to ask… nevermind…"
"What?" she asks curiously.
"No, its too much to ask of you."
"I'll decided on that, you just ask me"
"Man, I never thought things could change so much in a matter of two, three days…"
"What is it?" she says growing impatient.
"Can I stay with you, if I give you money got rent, I'll get another job… I'll pay for as much as I can?"
Mrs. Riley smiles kindly and reaches out to Sam wrapping her arms around him as if he were a magnet she were pulled towards. "Yes Sam. You can stay with me… it's a little short notice, but you can stay with me"
"Maybe they'll realise Kyle was lying soon enough… maybe… I hope so"
"I hope so too, but what they've done to you is still terrible – it just goes to show people will believe anything if its serious enough…"
So, here's chapter 4. What do you think? A little too sob story, or what? R & R please. Take care, Cesca, x