Authors Note: HEYO! XD Please tell me what you think; I would love to know XD I own nothing and no one, apart from the following: Sam Campbell, Charlie Jones, Zane, Chase, Gabriel, Ben, Mia, Veronica, Xavier Jason Danvers, Josh, Red, Jensen, Jared, Ashley, Harlequin (Harley),Stiles' fox = Melrakki (Rak), Stiles' wolf = Okami (Oki), Derek's wolf = Cana.
JUST SO YOU KNOW: like everyone else, I have no idea what Stiles' real name is, so I'm just going along with what everyone else puts :) and I've made his middle name up XD
Please, please review XD
You guys are all so amazing and I love you all! In a non-creepy non-psycho kind of way XD
Chapter 45 - Part 4
Stiles
When eleven rolled around, people dragged themselves out of bed. There were a few moments of grogginess, everyone trying to figure out just why we were all up.
And then it hit us - Los Angeles!
Within minutes, people were up and showered, dressed and fed. All we had left to do was pack up the cars and head out.
Of course, none of us expected that, when Sam and Charlie turned up, they would have three large family vans... Sam drove one, some cases already packed inside, whilst Charlie drove another, the third attached to the back of it.
"You didn't think you were going to drive cramped cars for seven and a half hours, did you?" Sam grinned, jumping out when she cut the engine. "I even managed to book seven hotel rooms at the Four Seasons. The hotel isn't too far from Pride so, when we get there, you can grab a little more sleep and a shower."
She said it so casually, as if it wasn't that big a deal that she booked us rooms at the Four Seasons, which just so happened to be in Beverly Hills!
"It was the least I could do for the short notice." she shrugged, blushing slightly. "Now, who's driving the other two vans and who's going with who?"
Peter and Derek immediately volunteered for driving, leaving no room for arguments once they did. I don't think anyone was going to argue, liking the idea of maybe sleeping a little more on the drive.
Charlie, however, being the concerned mother hen she was, asked if they would both be alright, driving for so long without getting some extra sleep. The mood kind of dropped a little when the two older wolves said they were used to little sleep... No one needed to ask why, no one needed to ask how. We all knew why, we all knew how.
As quick as I could, I moved the topic of conversation onto who was going with who. We knew Sam and Charlie would go together, we knew the Betas would want to be with their Mates, we knew Harlequin would want to stay with me and, probably, Derek or Peter. We also knew that, two cars, would have more people than the other. With that in mind, everyone decided it might be better if Harlequin and I were in a car with just Derek or Peter, the small boy probably feeling more comfortable if there was only three people in the car.
Peter, immediately, said we would go with Derek.
"He seems to thrive with you both." was Peter's explanation.
Derek didn't even question it, just hefting his suitcase into the back of the van, along with mine and Harlequin's. All he did say was that, if needed, we would take some other luggage, just so the others had enough room. Which is how we ended up with Peter's, Jackson's and Lydia's.
In the end, it was actually quite easy to sort out who was going in which car - Charlie, Isaac, Danny, Jackson and Lydia went with Sam; Erica, Boyd, Allison and Scott went with Peter; Harlequin and I went with Derek. Simple.
Then, after checking everyone had enough food and drink for the journey, after one more bathroom stop, we were on the road.
LA, here we come...
We stopped every two to three hours at a gas station, only pausing long enough to fill up the tank, stock up on food and drink and for people to visit the bathroom. At most, we stopped for ten to fifteen minutes at a time, if that.
I managed to stay awake the entire journey, sitting up front with Derek and just talking with him. We spoke more about what he was worried about, though he was a little more relaxed the longer he drove. We spoke about the Pack and he told me more about what happened after I left for Dallas. In turn, I told him things I could remember about living in Beacon Hills, the two of us just reminiscing, strengthening that bond we had started to get back.
Harlequin slept for the majority of the journey, clutching his elephant to his chest as he did... I couldn't help but turn around to check on him, making sure he was alright, making sure the elephant hadn't dropped... The entire time, Derek would just laugh a little, always comparing me to a protective mother.
"Why a mother?" I asked, turning back around to face the road. "Why is it always 'mother'?"
"You're acting all maternal." Derek shrugged, snickering. "Sure, it's stereotyping, but Allison was the one that pointed it out."
"When?!"
"When we first brought him back to the house. You had gone upstairs to let him sleep."
To the day I died, I would deny that my arms folded and pouted like a three year old. Derek, on the other hand, would gladly laugh about it whenever it came to mind.
It was nice, hearing him laugh. He didn't do it enough. He smiled more, that was for sure, not glaring as much as he used to when I first moved in... Derek always looked a lot younger when he was happy, the worry and stress lifting off of him, the shadows that covered his face disappearing for a while. He looked better when he smiled. He was gorgeous anyway, but he looked better when he was happy.
"I can't help it, you know? It's like I need to know he's alright. I can't explain it but..." I said, glancing at the sleeping kid. "You know when you meet someone and, instantly, there's that connection? You think, yeah, this person is going to be my best friend, or something like that? That's what it was like when he hugged me, when we found him."
Derek's eyes left the road for a split second, his eyes meeting mine for that moment. He looked thoughtful, a light frown on his face.
"I guess that means we, you, were meant to find him." Derek shrugged. "This was supposed to happen. Don't get me wrong, I think the idea of 'Fate' is kind of stupid, but I don't know any other way to describe it."
Derek's hand reached out then, gently landing on the lower part of my thigh, just above my knee - just like he had done when they all took me shopping, back when I had first moved into the house. Only, this time, there was no panic at all, not like then. It felt natural, comfortable. It felt nice.
I guess it proved just how far I had come.
By the time we had gotten off the I-5 S, pulling into the parking lot of the hotel, it was closing in on eight o'clock. With everyone awake, if slightly sluggish, we pulled out our cases, trudging into the hotel.
The lobby was amazing!
Chandeliers, fancy plants, perfectly placed tiles... It was nothing like I had ever seen before!
As I looked around, I paid no attention to Sam going to the front desk, collecting the keys to the rooms she had managed to get us, which, by the look of the place, did not come cheap! I had no idea she had got them - until she jumped on my back.
"This one's for you and mini-you." she laughed, forcing the key card into my hand. "Your room joins with Derek's and Peter's, so you're not too far away from them."
Rolling my eyes, I managed to shrug the exuberant blonde off of my back, watching as Harlequin giggled slightly, still trying to wake up.
"Pride starts about nine, but we don't have to go right away." Sam told us. "I'm thinking: go to bed for a couple of hours, get ready for the day, go to the Parade, look around there, have some lunch... We could leave about half ten?"
Everyone was perfectly fine, loving the idea of, at least, two and a half hours more sleep!
Our rooms were all on the third floor, all next to or opposite each others. Five had double beds - for the couples - two rooms had two double beds. If I thought the lobby was amazing, well, I had another thing coming!
I mean, the rooms were huge! And had great views!
Not that we had much time to look around.
Harlequin and I practically collapsed onto the beds as soon as we walked in, with me on the one closest to the door. Even though he had slept for the entire drive, the kid was still exhausted, not used to the long drive or the periodic wake up calls when we stopped at gas stations. I didn't blame him for being all tuckered out.
It was just nice that the beds were so comfy...
We got to Pride just before eleven. Instantly, I was hit with colour. It was amazing! Left, right and centre, everywhere I looked. Colour, shirtless people, people in drag! Hell, there was this one guy that was in this halter neck style dress that cut off mid thigh, wearing the highest red heels I had ever seen, his blonde hair falling in long ringlets down to his lower back - all natural, he insisted. He looked amazing! And, his legs? Oh my God, people would die for his legs, they looked so good!
A lot of people were in drag. Drag wasn't really my thing, probably not something I would indulge in, but I was a fierce respect for people who did. And, let me tell you, they all looked stunning! Like, I'm not kidding you. You see all these pictures of people in drag, usually people who were taking the piss, and they looked awful. If only they saw it done right...
There were stands all around us - some selling flags, some selling gay literature; food; an array of LGBTQ+ merchandise; beer and liquor. Music blasted all around us, speakers dotted around the site, decorated with ribbons of every colour.
I couldn't remember the last time I had smiled so hard!
Spinning around, I grinned at everyone with me, taking in yet again how they were done up.
Charlie was wearing this rainbow sundress she made - yeah, made...the girl is handy with a wrench, as well as a sewing machine - a pair of angel wings, of course in the Pride flag colours, on her back.
Sam was in jeans, black biker boots, a white t-shirt with the words 'Love is Love' across her chest in a rainbow, with a similar pair of angel wings.
Danny wore what he wore to the last Pride he attended - a custom made, rainbow, Hawaiian Tribal costume. This consisted of a grass skirt, grass ankle and wrist cuffs and a lei around his neck, deciding to walk around bare footed.
The others were dressed in regular clothes, getting lost in the vibrant colours surrounding us - though, Harlequin did let his wings out...
Me? Well, Sam had all but forced me into what I was wearing... I was in my tightest pair of jeans, combat boots she had had 'lying around' that just so happened to look brand new and were in my size, I was shirtless, also with a pair of angel wings on my back, exactly like her and Charlie.
And, well, let's not forget the finishing touches!
All of us, and I mean all of us, had been sprinkled with body glitter - thanks to Lydia - and attacked with body paint - thanks to Sam, Charlie and Danny.
All fourteen of us had a little Gay flag painted somewhere on our faces or bodies - even Harlequin - but it hadn't stopped there.
Isaac had become a human canvas for Danny, every inch of visible skin painted with every colour Danny could get his hands on.
Peter had, reluctantly, allowed Sam to paint him, the words 'I support' decorating his forehead and cheeks.
I had ended up with my chest painted with the flag, glitter that matched each of the colours practically coating my entire body. I was even attacked by Charlie - Charlie - so I had the words 'It's ok to be Gay' painted on my back.
Harlequin had been all for the glitter - Fairies like shiny stuff, remember? He let the girls go crazy on him, so now he just sparkled like those vampires in that teen movie.
But the best, the absolute icing on the cake? Derek.
Not only did Derek have the flag painted on his cheek. Not only was Derek and his clothes covered in glitter. But, with everyone's help, Sam had managed to do something I thought no one, not even me, would be able to do.
She got Derek in rainbow make up.
His glare did not work with his eye shadow - no one could agree on the colour, so all of them went on there, creating another flag - quick drying, liquid eyeliner outlining them and 'making them pop'. That was the most Sam did, not wanting to risk her life any more than that! Derek had tried to wash it off instantly but, as soon as I stepped in his way, he froze... He hadn't tried to take it off since, just settling for glaring.
"This is amazing!" I laughed, raising my voice a little to be heard over the music.
I was really at my first Pride!
Protesters.
We should have seen it coming, it's not like you can avoid them, unfortunately. And, of course, Sam being Sam, just had to go over to them, dragging me with her.
She walked straight up to the guy leading the protest, smiling at him with her arm linked with mind.
"What the hell is your kind doing over here?" he sneered. "Children, keep back! You don't want to get infected!"
Flinching slightly, I waited for Sam to explode, wondering if she wouldn't be able to keep her cool this time as the guy kept hurling insults at us. I watched as Charlie started to inch closer, frowning slightly, her hand twitching to reach out for Sam.
"Sir, I have four the light. I am willing to turn to the light of the Lord." she told him, her hand over her chest, dramatically.
"O-Oh, it's so good you've turned to the Lord for help! What made you change your mind?" he questioned.
"When I finally realised I don't need an orgasm to be happy, thank you very much!"
A grin split across her face, all of us snickering with her as she bounced over to Charlie, bulling the tall redhead into a deep kiss. The guy just yelled profanities with the rest of his crew, shouting about 'sins' and how we were all going to hell. Sam just turned to Charlie, saying that hell would be fabulous, how they'd get to bang all live long day, because everyone there is gay.
I just stood there, laughing, forgetting I was still close to the protesters. Well, I did, until someone spoke to me.
"Are you gay because you don't have a strong male figure in your life?" the very stern looking woman asked, her eyes narrowed into slits.
"No, ma'am. I'm gay because I want a strong male figure in my ass!" I grinned, winking as she let out this outraged gasp.
That just riled them all up even more. All of them were so pissed!
Well, all of them, apart from this kid who couldn't be any older than, maybe, seventeen. I was barely paying attention to Sam's fake dying and illness, saying how she was allergic to bullshit, when someone shouted out she was sick.
I could hear her laughing, most likely about to leave now she caused trouble, when she spotted the kid too.
Sam
When I realised Stiles was distracted, I tried to find what he was staring at. Never would I have thought I'd see this seventeen year old kid, grinning and trying to smother a laugh, the sign that had been forced into his hands pointing to the ground, as he eyed up Derek, Peter and Stiles like they were candy!
Now, this sent my gaydar going. What I didn't understand, however, was why he was with them if he was like us. So, obviously enough, I went over to him.
"You alright, kid?" I asked.
He startled slightly, jumping, his eyes drawing away from Stiles' chest as he turned to face me. He just nodded. Frowning slightly, I just nodded back, heading off with the others, glancing back towards the kid until he was out of my sight.
Now, I thought that was the last we would see of him, so we all just went to grab some lunch, stopping at this burger van.
As soon as we got our food, I had no idea I would see the same kid running up to me.
"Hey, c-can I talk to you?" he stuttered, a small blush bursting onto his face, glancing slightly at my best friend before he focused back to me.
I didn't need to be a werewolf or anything to know everyone was just as surprised as I was. I didn't have to be one of them to know that some started to get a little protective. Well, all but Stiles. I could tell he knew.
Grabbing Stiles' arm, not that I needed to, I told the kid to walk with us, only taking him a short distance away where I knew the others would still be able to hear the three of us.
"What's your name, kid?" Stiles asked, smiling slightly, trying to calm the nervous boy.
"J-Josh." he stuttered, the blush darkening a little.
"Well, hey there, Josh." I grinned. "I'm Sam, this is Stiles. So, you gay? Bi? Pan?"
Stiles and I watched as his eyes went wide.
"Dude, I saw you staring up my friends like they were pieces of meat." I shrugged, nudging Stiles.
"I'm uh... I'm gay." he squeaked, biting his lip as the tension is his shoulders dropped.
"First time you said that out loud?"
The kid just nodded.
"I remember that feeling." Stiles chuckled. "What is it? Mom? Dad?"
Josh sighed, staring down at the floor, ashamed. Glancing at Stiles, we both got the kid to sit down in a nearby chair, the two of us crouching down on either side of him.
"My dad." he whispered. "He uh... he made me do this every year. And I'm so done! I so tired. I just want to be me and I want him to accept me. But... He told me and my brother he won't 'house a queer' and, that if he found out either of us were, he'd rather us dead."
We watched as this kid, only a year younger than some of the Pack members, started to choke up, his words getting faster as his throat started to close up, trying to keep himself from crying.
"Want my advice?" I asked, softly, waiting for him to nod."
"That's why I tried to find you." he whimpered.
Placing a hand on his arm, Stiles doing the same, I took a deep breath.
"Ok... If you would have found me a few years ago, I would've gotten you into a life you would have never wanted. I would've said sell drugs, get money and get your own place. Be homeless, because that's where I was in my life." I told him. "My mom and me... Look, she did some terrible things to me, so did my dad. Some 'cause I was gay, others 'cause they don't like me. My advice to you? Leave. Stay in school. Your, what, seventeen? I say, go to school, get a job and leave. You can't be there. He may kill you, he may hurt you, I don't know. But I can't have that, can't risk it. I could call the cops, but it won't help - I know, I've stay with a friend; you have to change your life and shape it to what you want. Do you have someone you can stay with?"
Josh nodded vigorously, his head swinging back and forth like a bobble head.
"I have a friend who I...really like. But I don't think he sees me like that." he admitted, the blush coming back. "He's my best friend, he's do anything to help me."
"Hey, don't be like that. You seem like an amazing kid, I'm sure he likes you." Stiles grinned, nudging the kid a little.
It was only moments later that Josh sighed, his smile dropping, saying how the others were expecting him.
Of course, I couldn't let that happen, saying he was staying with us for a bit, telling him Stiles and I would introduce him to everyone and have a great time. And, yes, I warned him that none of them were single - or, at least, wouldn't be for long if Stiles and Derek pulled their heads out of their asses - so he shouldn't try to flirt, or he'd be killed immediately. His response?
"What about the cute dirty blonde with the goatee?" he asked, nodding towards Peter.
Ew!
"Dude, he's thirty six, too old for you!" I gagged. "He's like my dad, stop!"
Stiles, the ass he was, just laughed.
"No way! I thought he was twenty five or twenty six! Holy crap!" Josh giggled. "What about you?"
"I'm so gay, you have no chance." I winked. "Nah, see the hot redhead over there? That's my fiancée."
I still couldn't get over calling her that!
Stiles
Sam ended up bringing the kid over, introducing him to everyone. No one made a fuss, no one had a meltdown. They just accepted the new addition to our group for the day, dragging him along.
With Josh relaxing a little, away from the protesters, with people he could just be himself around, we saw a whole new side of him. He was kind of confident in himself, but not overly dickish about it. Hell, he even let Sam decorate him in body paint and glitter!
It was just before the parade when he spotted the friend he had told Sam and I about - his best friend, the one he liked. Watching him jog the short distance to his friend, Sam and I saw this whole new confidence installed in him - probably just adrenaline.
"Kevin!" Josh yelled, throwing himself at the other boy. "Kev, you're gay, right?"
'Kevin' went bright red, smiling slightly.
"I-I'm bi." he giggled. "But I tend to go more towards guys."
"That's great!" Josh beamed.
"Look, Josh, I really like you! I've been trying to tell you three years, but I really do! I... I know you're not like me, but I just needed t-"
Never did I think Josh would stop the ramblings with his mouth.
Sam and I looked to each other, laughing as she forced me into a high five, both of us watching as Josh dragged Kevin away, waving back to us.
"Wow, he moves fast." Jackson snickered.
When it was time to leave, Sam and I still hadn't seen Josh or Kevin. We were kind of worried, wondering if something happened, so we stayed behind a little, telling the others to head to the cars without us, that we'd meet them in a bit.
But we never found him.
Sam took it harder than I did, dragging her feet as we made our way to the cars. Of course, that's when Josh popped up! He was dragging Kevin along with them, both of them looking a little more than dishevelled, both of them flushed and not from the heat.
Josh just ran up, jumping onto Sam, chanting a thank you over and over. It took a moment, but Sam hugged him back, holding him tightly as she smiled at our new friend's new boyfriend.
"Hey, give me your phone." she told Josh as he pulled back.
As soon as it was in her hand, she typed something into both phones, only handing Josh's back when she was done, ruffling his hair slightly.
"Now you've got my number. I want to know what happens, ok?!" she grinned.
"Hell yeah!" he grinned. "Bye, Sam! Bye everyone!"
He ran off again, Kevin still in tow.
"Aw, young love." Jackson mused.
Even with the day we had, I was still awake early hours of Wednesday morning. I wondered if it was just the excitement of the day, my mind going through every detail, that was keeping me awake. Or, maybe, it was because I wasn't at home, in my bed, but in a fancy five star hotel instead.
I didn't know what it was, but I just couldn't get to sleep.
I wondered if Derek was having as much trouble sleeping as I was, if any of the Betas, or maybe Sam. Harlequin sure wasn't having any trouble - well, as far as I could tell, anyway. I would assume he was fast asleep, I mean, the kid had been running around all day, almost flying - literally - through the entire parade! He had even managed to find this little stall, selling clothes for, I assume, kids toys.
Peter had ended up buying the kid a cloth rainbow jacket for the elephant.
Chuckling as quietly as I could, I heard a small creaking from the other bed, a thump on the floor quickly following.
So he isn't asleep...
I sifted over to one side of the bed, flicking on the lamp beside the bed as Harlequin crawled in. He shuffled under the covers, curling up on the edge instead of sliding closer.
"Can I tell you something?" he whispered, staring down at the mattress."
"You can tell me anything, Kiddo." I frowned, placing a hand on his upper arm.
Tentatively, Harlequin nodded, pulling his elephant in closer to him.
"You know about Fairies, right?" he said. "Some identify as male, others as female, some as neither, no matter what the gender of their body is?"
"Yeah, I think I remember reading that." I replied.
"W-Well, there's no in between. It's one or the other, nothing else. It's another reason why they don't accept me as one of them."
I just pulled the kid a little closer to me, not wanting to say anything until he had explained. Sometimes, people just needed someone to listen not talk.
"Humans have a term for it - Gender Fluid. I don't identify as just one like the others, I'm all three." Harlequin sniffled, one little tear running down his cheek. "They said I'm a freak... Am I a freak?"
He wasn't crying like he had when we first found him.
He wasn't blubbering.
He was crying like I had, the day we went out for lunch with Charlie and Sam. Only, I hadn't been upset - he was.
I pulled him in as close as I could, hugging him tightly to my chest, his tears soaking the front of my shirt. One of his hands closed into a fist around my shirt, his small frame shaking hard.
I couldn't think of what to do apart from hug him. I was surprised that he seemed scared to tell me, as if I was going to treat him badly now I knew. I could understand, of course I could! I had been terrified when I came out to my dad - look what happened to me! I didn't blame him for feeling as he had.
All I could think of was to hug him, offering as much comfort as I possibly could, trying to show him that it was all fine.
It took a long while for him to calm down. The sun was slowly starting to rise, birds chirping outside our window. He lay there, sniffling, his head still buried into my chest.
We had spoken a little. I wanted get a few facts, wanting to learn from him so I could make him comfortable. I think we made a lot of headway with it all.
I had asked him about pronouns, how he would like to be referred to. He had told me that he wanted to pronouns to change, depending on which gender he identified on which day. When I asked about the days he felt like neither, he said he would still answer to male pronouns, he didn't mind on those days.
I had asked him about his name. He had admitted that, yes, he didn't exactly like his name on the days he had identified as female. He didn't like to be called that on those days. I had been quick to nickname him Harley. It was a unisex name, something we could call him no matter what gender he identified as on any given say. I didn't want him to hate his name or feel pressured into changing it.
He completely relaxed after we finished talking, the tears drying up on his face.
I let him stay in my bed for the rest of the night - well, morning, but that wasn't that point! He needed to know that he was accepted, I was happy to show him that.
"I think you and I should try get some sleep." I whispered.
"Ok..." he yawned. "Can you sing, please?"
Laughing slightly, I hugged him a little closer.
"'Course I can, Sweetheart." I said, belatedly realising the term of endearment I had tagged on.
It didn't matter all that much after I felt him grinning, the small amount of tension left in him leaking away.
Relaxing myself, I quietly started to sing Hey Jude by The Beatles, the kid falling asleep halfway during the song.
Harley and I didn't get up until midday. I was up first, finding a text from Derek saying he thought he'd let us sleep, explaining that he had overheard the conversation I had had with the kid. He also said he wouldn't say anything to the others, leaving it for Harley to tell them or asking me to.
I set a quick text back, thanking him and saying we'd meet them in a bit - apparently they were downstairs by the pool, waiting for Harley and I before having lunch.
It didn't take long for Harley and I to get ready, meeting the others in the lobby in a little over ten minutes. I had sure to double check with Harley, before we had left the room, what he identified as today - I didn't want to make him uncomfortable by misgendering the kid. He had giggled slightly, telling me 'it's a boy day'.
"Finally! Now we can eat." Charlie grinned when she saw us. "Sleep well?"
"Like a rock." I winked, hooking my arm around Harley's neck.
We walked to a cafe close by, thinking it would nice to have a look around instead of staying cooped up inside the hotel. Not that we did much looking, everyone just wanting to get food.
It wasn't that long a walk, only ten minutes, if that.
The cafe wasn't empty, nor was it crowded. It had, what I would say was, a decent amount of people inside. I think the guy at the till almost had a heart attack when he saw all of us. Peter and Derek refused to let Sam pay for this. Their argument was that she had already paid for rooms for all of us, brought cars for all of us to us - they didn't want to make her do everything.
It took a while, but the blonde agreed in the end.
"Harley, come see what you want, Sweetheart." I called to the kid that was staring at a picture near the front of the cafe.
As soon as he heard his name, his head had swivelled around, grinning as soon as he heard the gender neutral term of endearment, running over as soon as I had finished speaking. He practically jumped over to me, leaning back against my legs as he looked at the over counter menu, one hand holding onto my arms as they wrapped around his shoulders.
That was when I heard the snort.
"Did you just call him what I think you called him?" Jackson snickered.
I should have expected it.
"Why don't you go talk to Derek?" I whispered. "Maybe he knows if there's something you'll like."
Harley, bless his heart, just nodded, running over to the Alpha wolf, only to be lifted up and placed on Derek's shoulders. The entire time, I was just getting teased and mocked.
But, hey, screw them - Harley liked it!
"Yes, I did." I shrugged. "Shove it up your ass, if you have a problem with it."
Throughout the day, I was still getting shit - well, not shit, probably not the best word - just for that simple word. I mean, honestly, what was so bad about calling the kid 'Sweetheart'? He liked it, he had told me he liked it, he told me that it made him feel more comfortable with himself. What was so bad about it?
In the end, when we were all hanging out by the pool, even the kid had enough.
"Can you stop, please?" Harley sighed, slumping down in his seat.
I don't think I had ever seen a group, a group like ours no less, go so quiet so quickly. I think I actually heard teeth clack together! But I didn't blame him for getting fed up with it.
"Do you want to tell them, or should I?" I asked him, moving my chair a little closer to him.
"You, please." he whispered.
So I did, ruffling his hair slightly.
I explained everything Harley had told me early that morning, told them how these nicknames had come around.
They were surprised, no doubt about it, but they didn't act badly - I knew they wouldn't. They felt shit about the teasing, that much was obvious...
"So, when you saw the skirt the other day-" Derek started.
"I really did think it was pretty..." Harley blushed.
"Well, it looks like we need to add to your wardrobe." Lydia winked.
"Looks like we know what we're doing tomorrow!" Sam grinned
Our time in Los Angeles was just what we needed. It was fun, it was relaxing, we celebrated Jackson's birthday!
It was just a shame we only spent a week there, arriving back home just after five in the evening on Tuesday, June 17th. We could have stayed longer, Sam even said she wanted us all to stay longer, but Charlie had to go to a convention for work. Honestly, I think Sam wanted us all to stay because she was worried about Charlie being away for a little over a week...
Sure enough, the a few hours after Charlie left on Wednesday, June 18th, around two that afternoon, Sam came staggering up to the house, completely and utterly drunk.
She was clinging to this bottle of Vodka, chugging it down. I could see empty bottles littering her car - yeah, the idiot drove to the house - another full one in her other hand. Peter, as the father figure he had become to Sam, tried to take both bottles away from her...
She screamed bloody murder, saying that it was her but it didn't help, she could still hear her. She was telling Sam that she had to do it 'for the good of the family', saying that she couldn't stop, that she wanted us to leave her alone.
I tried to get closer to her, especially when she knocked the bottle back again. Sam just kept backing away, whispering about how everyone was going to hurt her in the end, that we were going to hurt her. She was begging us not to hurt her...
Sam was so scared, trying to keep her eyes on everyone, her head jerking... I could see the moment it got too much for her, could see the moment that my best friend couldn't stand it anymore. I could do nothing as she downed the rest of the bottle, dropping the empty and full one to the ground, rocking back and forth as she clutched her head.
I kicked the full bottle away before she could notice it, Peter running forward and catching her as she passed out.
In the house, Peter placed Charlie onto the couch, just so we could keep an eye on her, just in case. We covered her with a spare blanket, placing a rather large bucket by her head.
"We need to call Charlie." I sighed, leaning against the side of my armchair. "And get her stuff. There's no way she's being left alone."
"Girls, could you get some on Sam's belongings?" Peter asked, handing Erica the spare key he had to Sam and Charlie's place, not taking his eyes off of Sam.
"I can't believe she's done this. She's been dry for six months."
Sure, it didn't sound like long... But, for Sam, it was the longest she had been alcohol free for in a long time. Well, that's what she told me. I suppose, Charlie being gone hit her harder this time.
"I'm gonna call Charlie." I muttered, pulling out my cell. "Back in a bit."
Sam didn't wake up until five that evening.
We had all been sitting in the kitchen, talking, Harley up in his room getting changed into his pyjamas - thank God, for small miracles! Sam didn't really seem to realise she wasn't home, walking almost like a zombie to the fridge. As soon as she opened it, I saw the change.
She grabbed Allison in a choke hold, before I could say anything
Instantly, everyone was on their feet.
"Where am I? Why am I here?" she demanded, still not fully realising where she was.
"Sammy?" I whispered, slowly raising my hands in surrender. "Let Allison go."
It was like a switch had been flicked.
Sam's arms dropped from Allison, stumbling back slightly. Her eyes seemed to focus, looking around as she really took in who she was with, where she was.
"What happened?" she asked, quietly.
"Well, my dear, you drunk yourself stupid." Peter sighed, sitting back down on his chair heavily.
Sam flinched at the memory.
She started to say something, her mouth opening - maybe to apologies, maybe to explain. We would never know. Why? Because that was when she saw her stuff in the living room.
"Why are my things here?" Sam inquired.
"You're staying with us." Derek said, voice completely blank. "Charlie wants you to stay here, we want you to stay here. Simple."
Sam drew herself up, glaring back at Derek. The two just stared at each other, facing off, as if seeing who would crumble first.
Honestly, didn't she know she wouldn't win?
I wanted to say something, wanted to say that we were worried about her; that we just wanted to make sure she would be alright. But the words never came to my mouth. I could never handle a drunk person. I could handle being drunk, that was easy to do until the next day, but I couldn't handle anyone else being drunk. I had my Dad to 'thank' for that.
It was annoying. Sam was my best friend and I couldn't even speak to her. Sure, she didn't seem to be drunk at that moment in time, the sleep seeing to have sobered her up slightly, but her behaviour seemed to be so unpredictable.
I didn't want to get on the wrong side of that...
"You know I could just go home." Sam glared.
"I'll come and get you." Derek growled.
"I'll leave at night."
"The door is locked."
"I can pick the lock, Dummy! Done it before, do it again."
"I'll just tell Charlie if you do."
I had never seen such a vicious grin on Derek's face before. He had quickly figured out what to say to make it known she would have to stay. Sam slumped in defeat, as if resigned to her fate.
None of us expected her to bolt for the front door, running as fast as she could.
"Shit, how can a human be so fast?!" Derek muttered, chasing after her.
Now, obviously she didn't get far.
First of all, Derek's a werewolf and she's a human. She would never be able to out run him!
Second of all, though she wouldn't have been able to out run him, she would have been able to get a little further away if she didn't get distracted. See, medication and alcohol do not mix well.
We all followed Derek through the house, some watching in amusement as Sam was hung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I was the only one - apart from Peter - who seemed worried, watching as Sam dangled there, beating on Derek's back.
"Behave or I'll tell Charlie!" Derek hissed.
She went completely limp, muttering to herself.
"Hey, Derek?" Sam said, waiting for him to grunt before continuing. "You have a nice ass!"
I couldn't help but laugh as she poked said asset, making a mental note to give her some more meds.
She started talking about random shit, going on about how everyone in the Pack was hot as fuck. Telling us that, if it were a different time and place, that we could bet our asses we would have all been hit on - even Peter, if she didn't think of him as something else! She even went as far to say how he looked very good for his age.
Derek was just getting more and more confused. So, taking pity on the poor man as he stood frozen just inside the living room - still trying to get over the fact Sam had poked his ass - I riffled through her bags, grabbing out her meds.
"Oh, thanks, dude!" Sam grinned, lifting her head up as much as she could.
"No problem, Sammy." I chuckled, placing them down onto the coffee table.
She watched me, curiously for a moment. I was about to ask her what was wrong... Until she grabbed my wrist and forced my hand on to Derek's ass, making my fingers curve so I was repeatedly squeezing Derek's ass!
I couldn't remember a time I had been so red.
"DO YOU FEEL HOW FIRM AND SOMWHOW SQUISHY THIS IS?!" Sam yelled.
I didn't complain when Derek dumped her onto the couch.
This is going to be a LONG week!
Friday, June 20th 2014 - Day 2 of Sam
Sam did a lot of weird shit.
She would hand from trees and read. She would sleep in her car or not sleep at all. She would meditate on the table... That type of shit. It was funny, kind of endearing, but it was still rather quirky. But we never tried to stop her. Hell, Harley even joined in sometimes!
She even started giving nickname to Peter, just to annoy him. Throughout the day, we would hear: Pete, Petey, Tweety Peter. Those were the constant ones. But Peter didn't complain, just cocked his eyebrow at her. He didn't even tell Sam to stop when she said she would, if it annoyed him, telling her it was better that Peter Creeper.
He should have seen it coming when she said she'd 'add it to my list'.
So, yeah, we were used to her doing weird shit.
But, Friday morning, we never expected to find her painting, a lot of paint covering her.
I know, it wasn't weird, but we had never seen her paint. Not really, anyway. We would see her draw in her sketchbook - which, I figured out, she had two! Only one of them would she use in the morning.
On this particular Friday morning, we found said mysterious morning sketchbook. She had never let any of us look inside it, not even me! So, of course, we were nosy.
I tell you now, we didn't expect to see what we did.
I suppose you could say it was like a diary, of sorts, but with pictures of what I assumed were dreams. Well, nightmares, to be fair. They looked awful - a girl tied to a bed, a man on top of her with a distorted face, something I thought may be a memory...; a horrible black raven tearing out a girl's eyes; a thin sickly looking girl, her eyes cave in, sitting on basement steps, begging to be let up again...against, I wondered if it was a memory; a huge house, burning to the ground, hands reaching out of windows, doors, everywhere...
We closed the book, placing it back where we found it, all of us dispersing before Sam walked into the kitchen, covered in paint and giggling.
It was later on that morning that Sam was painting again, outside, with music blasting from her car, some canvases leaning up against the vehicle turned away from prying eyes.
We had all walked out to see what she was doing - we were nosy, so freaking what?
"No!" she yelled. "You won't like them, don't look!"
Even after begging and puppy eyes, she was still saying no!
That was when Derek picked her up, moving her out of the way, as Erica went over to over of the backward canvases, none of us listening to the blonde huntresses protests.
Erica turned the first one over and it was...Erica and Boyd.
The way she had done it was a style I had always wanted to try, but never knew how to do it! Boyd was compose of the dark night sky, with all the gleaming stars, whilst Erica was so pale she illuminated him, like a moon. The moon to his sky.
Everyone's was different, all of them holding some sort of meaning, all of them in couples. Like, the one of Derek and me! Both of us were dressed in leather, Derek smoking in his 'bad boy' attire, whilst I was leaning in and laughing, the pair of us looking as if we were about it kiss...
Everyone was there.
Apart from Peter.
He was trying not to look hurt, I could tell. He just, kind of, shrugged it off. But he was sad, that much was obvious. As soon as Isaac where Peter was, Sam stiffened, blushing and coughing awkwardly as she walked over and reached into the car.
Her blush darkened as she showed us the picture of herself sitting on his lap, laughing, as Peter smiled as he read to Sam. It had that feel of father and daughter, especially since the Sam in the picture was far younger than the one standing in front of us.
She didn't noticed Peter tearing up.
"You have to teach me how to do some of this stuff!" I grinned.
Sunday, June 22nd 2014 - Day 4 of Sam
Sam, just like me, was known to not having the best sleep a person could. Her third day with us, neither of us could sleep, both of us plagued with different thoughts that happened in our past. Neither of us spoke about it, neither of us asked about it. We just made some hot chocolate and sat on the couch.
By the time everyone had woken up and were coming downstairs on the fourth day, still in their pyjamas, Sam was dozing off, her head in my lap as she listened to my heartbeat. Both of us had dark circles under our eyes, both of us were yawning like mad, trying to stay awake... It really hadn't been a good night...
As we looked at everyone, we saw how no one had bothered to tame their bed hair, it was kind of cute how 'Little Miss Perfect' Lydia had let her hair be five kinds of crazy! I was about to say good morning to them, smiling as Harley leant against Derek's leg, still half asleep, when Sam slipped off of the couch and slipped on her shoes - still in pyjamas, hair still a mess.
"You guys hungry?" she yawned.
Which, come on, stupid question! Obviously we said yes, so I got up to go make breakfast, only to be held back by Sam.
"Get your shoes on. You guys are about to experience the best eggs and bacon of your lives!" Sam announced. "Don't even have to get out of your PJs!"
Hesitantly, we let her, everyone piling into cars - Peter going in Sam's just in case.
We all had this group call going, one passenger from each car manning the phone. We all tried to get some information out of the blonde huntress, but she refused to tell us where we were going, saying something about if we knew where we were going then we wouldn't have gone.
So we followed her, everyone intrigued.
It took thirty minutes - we were still in Beacon Hills, but I had never been to this particular part. As soon as we were out of the cars, everyone went ape shit - thankfully, I had covered Harley's ears.
We were standing outside of this little shabby building, looking like it may fall apart. Three hard core motorbikes were parked out front and, even from where I was standing, I could smell the stale cigarettes and beer.
It was a bar that was, literally, called Bar.
As soon as the smell hit me, I knew there was nothing I could do to stop the oncoming panic attack. Just remembering the burning, the sound of it sizzling against my flesh. Remembering the smell of burning skin, the awful smell of smoke as it clogged up my lungs.
I could barely hear Derek yelling at Sam, screaming as he asked what the hell was wrong with her. Berating her for bringing us to that place, bringing Harley to that place.
None of it was sinking in as it got harder to breathe.
I didn't tell them why it had happened, once I had calmed down. None of them pushed for an answer.
Sam did, however, take it upon herself to just walk into the bar, all of us rushing after her. As soon as we stepped in, we were hit by this blanket of warmth, seeing Sam completely relax.
Of course, unfortunately, there was a drunkard still sitting at the bar. He was totally wasted, telling Sam that they 'don't need your kind of service here'. Derek managed to cover Harley's ears faster than me. This guy just kept on rambling, his slurring words making no sense at all... That is, until, he said he's get the manager. Sam just smiled, telling him to go ahead and do it.
That was when this big ass dude, this guy that was buffer than Derek, even taller with a shit ton of tattoos, came out from the back, telling the dude at the counter to get lost.
"But I'm a Goddamn regular! You're gonna choose a skank over me, Red?!" the guy yelled.
"Damn right I am!" Red snarled, his voice gruff. "Get lost."
Thankfully, the guy did as he was told, stumbling out of the bar. It was empty then, apart from all of us and this Red.
As soon as the door swung shut Red was grinning madly, vaulting the counter to grab Sam in a bear hug, spinning her around.
"Jesus Christ, Sammy, how we've missed you!" he laughed. "Jensen, Jared! Sam's back! Sammy's back! When did you get back? Why did you come here?"
"It's been too long, Red." Sam shrugged.
Before we could even open our mouths, the door Red had barged through opened again, two guys a lot younger that Red rushing through. They did exactly the same thing as Red, grabbing Sam in a hug, asking what she was doing back.
"If I'm not mistaken, you've had a busy night." Red said, pouring a shot, before realising the rest of us were standing just behind Sam. "They bothering you? Did they follow you, do I need to kick 'em out?"
"No, no! These are my friends!" Sam yelled. "I brought them here to get some of your cooking!"
That was when Red passed her the shot. Everyone was tense, ready to jump... To our immense pleasure, she turned it down, asking for a shot of orange juice instead. All three of them looked confused, asking what the hell was going on, trying to get a handle on the situation as he downed the shot himself.
So Sam explained. She had quit the 'business' and gotten clean and dry. Red just laughed, telling us that any friends of Sam were friends of his and 'his boys'.
"You have friends?" Jared frowned - seriously, this guy could be one of the pups!
Sam just punched his shoulder, asking Red if we could order or what.
Once we did have our food, Red and the boys sat with us, talking about anything and everything. They asked what Sam had been up to, how she met us, just everything. The entire time, Red seemed to shift closer to Sam unintentionally - Peter didn't take too kindly, though, growling at the guy. Whilst Red looked offended, Sam just laughed, explaining how 'dad, apparently, doesn't like another man trying to steal his place'. Red just got confused, saying he thought we weren't 'customers'. We couldn't help but snicker as she explained she didn't mean 'dad' in that way!
I could see that Red was about to question some more, when this country song came on, Sam instantly being dragged away by Jared and Jensen, a cowboy hat thrown on her head as they pulled her around in a line dance. The boys just claimed how it was their song, how could they not dance. Red just took the opportunity to talk to us.
"Don't hurt her..." he said. "She says you aren't customers and I believe her. But, if you hurt her, I will personally kick your asses, understood?"
"You say that, yet you know nothing about us. You don't know our stories." I glared. "Don't assume that we've all had it better than her."
Red just looked at me, staring hard for a few moments, before leaning back in his chair.
"You're right." he nodded. "Thank you."
He disappeared then for a few moments, bringing out more food, telling us all it was one the house when Sam and the boys rejoined us. Of course, she insisted she pay him back, after everything he had done for her in the past.
So we ate, everyone content with just eating and talking. That was, until Step off by Kacey Musgraves came on the sound system. Red got up, grabbed a microphone and threw in to Sam, telling her to go ahead. Sam got up, singing and dancing, just having a good time. We couldn't help but laugh along with her.
Song after song, Sam would dance to, grabbing all of us and making us dance as soon as she had finished singing. Even Red, Jensen and Jared!
It was far more fun than I thought it would be...
Tuesday, June 24th 2014 - Day 6 of Sam
Tuesday night, we had a thunderstorm.
I had slowly started to get better with them - I didn't freak out as much, but it was still a work in progress. Because of this, everyone would keep their doors open, just in case. Not that Sam knew this... We had gotten so used to her being awake all the time that we didn't think about it.
At the first strike of lightning, the first clap of thunder, everyone apart from Harley had jolted awake. As soon as I flicked on a light, knowing I would get any more sleep, the power cut. It was dark, it was storming... Great.
That's when we heard noises from downstairs.
The Betas waited until Peter, Derek and I got to their floor, after checking that Harley was still asleep, before we all made our way down. We walked into the living room, only to find Sam huddled into the corner, jumpy, clutching her gun as she mumbled to herself.
I still wasn't sure what exactly happened. I was tired, my mind hadn't exactly cleared... But I remembered pieces.
I remembered the mumbling. Sam saying that she would be a good girl. Saying: 'don't hurt the people upstairs, please!' Begging someone to stop. She kept chanting out names, going through them all, stuttering and crying the louder and brighter the room would get.
She didn't realise we were there.
She kept talking about gunfire, about keeping the people upstairs safe from the back people; the bad people wanted them dead. She kept going on about having to keep the people upstairs safe,
She screamed when there was another clap of thunder, yelling how she was 'so fucking sorry.'
We thought she would snap out of it, you know? Maybe the lightning would let her see us and she's snap out of it? Nope. It just made things worse.
The muttering and mumbling went on for a long while, none of us knowing what it to - no matter what we did or said, it just made it worse! She was calling Charlie's name over and over, saying how Charlie was supposed to protect her. She even called out for Derek. Saying how Derek would help, Derek was an Alpha, he could help. She kept saying our names then, attaching something to our names - Erica's strong and would protect her; Boyd's calm and collected, but would fight for his Pack; Isaac's kind eyes, his sparkling personality. She attached something to each one of us, even Harley and Peter.
Peter was dad.
The man in question was far more than distressed, just twitching to go over to her, yet not wanting to cause any more panic for Sam.
It was a smart move on his part, considering a huge clap of thunder came rumbling from outside. Sam shrieked, struggling slightly, as she fired her gun, the bullet shooting past my head, just grazing my ear. Immediately, I jumped in the space between Derek's armchair and the wall.
Much like Sam, I couldn't stop the images, the memories, flashing in my head. I just had enough presence of mind to tell them to focus on her, not me, trying to calm my racing heart. Even calling for Sam to put the gun away, begging her, asking her to let us help, that what she was seeing wasn't actually happening. Not that it worked.
All I could do, after that, was cover my ears as a couple more shots were fired, everything else drowning out. It wasn't the right time for me to be panicking.
The next thing I knew, however many minutes later, Peter was next to Sam, singing You are my Sunshine, a song he apparently used to sing to his girls.
Waking up the next morning, Sam wasn't in the house. There was a brief moment of panic, until I heard her voice outside, speaking to Charlie. She was apologising for something, her voice a little muffled.
I only noticed why when she walked into the living room, bags of doughnuts being carried in her mouth, takeout trays of drinks balancing in her hands, her phone squished between her shoulder and ear.
There was a huge sigh of relief heaved when we saw her standing there.
It took a while for us to convince her to tell us what happened the night before. She had even disappeared upstairs for three hours, before she finally caved in and talked to us. Harley, the clever little thing he was, took that as his cue to go to his room whilst we all spoke, only stopping to hug Sam tightly before heading up.
"Do you really want to know?" she whispered, glaring slightly.
"We do." I told her, gently. "So we know how to stop it from happening again.
Her shoulders had slumped, pacing slightly as she bit down on her thumb nail.
It took a few minutes for her to explain.
She first asked if we remembered the run in we had had with her mother. Once we all nodded, she took us back to when she was a kid. Sam told us how, when she was younger, her mother was vile - a lot more than we had seen. The woman had hurt Sam, locked her in the basement for days, sometimes weeks; Sam would beg for food or water. She told us she missed the sunlight, but that wasn't the worst part.
The worst part was when the money Sam's sperm donor - not dad, sperm donor - left her had run out, Sam's mom had no way of getting the drugs she needed. However, the mother found a solution - Sam.
Already I could tell where it was going. Sam could tell I knew.
Sam explained how, when she was eleven, her mom introduced Sam to her friend Jonah. The guy stuck a needle in Sam's arm - she didn't know what it was, she just knew it made her feel good, like she could fly. The drug made it hard to move, until she just couldn't function. That was when Sam was tied to the a bed - Jonah got Sam's 'services', her mom got drugs.
I was about ready to throw up, to kill this woman.
Sam told us how there were others, a lot of others. She told us that, last night, when she had seen us, we weren't ourselves. We were those people, those people who had done something so disgusting to a child. She said how they would drag her down to the basement, told her if she was a good girl that it would all stop - it was always a lie.
She was crying again, at this point. Understandably, of course! I mean, who wouldn't cry when recounting some of the worst moments of your life?!
She told us how it was the lightning that set it all off. The sound had morphed into a belt buckle - apparently her mom and my dad had something in common with that... And, just like my dad, Sam's mom would never hit her face, although, for different reasons.
She told us that, when she heard the thunder, it had morphed into gunfire. It took her back to a bad case she worked. There had been a group of hunters, they put mountain ash around a building and locked the family in the basement. Everyone had to same idea when Derek and Peter shared a look. That was when Sam stopped pacing, her eyes going dark, dead. She told us they had set the house on fire, all of them werewolves or something - they had healed, only to have their fleshed stripped off again and again, until the fire had killed them. She told us how she and her partner tried to help, tried everything they could. Neither of them could do anything, even with her partner being the Alpha werewolf he was.
"They were all dead when we got inside - I still remember their screams. I guess it was just another Kate follower, or something. I mean, they came back to admire their work!" Sam spat. "They saw us getting out, so they opened fire on us - I had to call for back up. Long story short, my partner died. He shot down the head honcho, I went off... Shot them down, sliced them to bits The leader of their little group - I killed him, shot him in the head after he told me there was more. I spent about a year tracking down every last hunter, pulling the trigger on every single one of them."
She told Derek and Peter that she only had one regret - not making that man suffer. That she didn't make him pay for the pain and misery he inflicted; that she didn't burn him from the inside out, to make him feel what they had felt.
She stopped talking when I hugged her, all of her rage leaking out of her as she just broke down and cried. She cried as she told us she couldn't let that happen to us, that she needed for us to be ok and that she was sorry for shooting the wall, just muttering how she was just sorry about it all.
For the rest of that day, we Puppy Piled. Sam laying between Isaac and I, Harley laying on top of me, watching all the movies she never watched as a kid, something I was thankful enough to get for a few years. She tried to tell us it was ok if we wanted to leave her alone... She just got a light tap around the head, all of us saying she was an idiot if she thought we were abandoning her.
Thursday, June 26th 2014 - Day 8 (Last) of Sam
Thursday was the last day. Charlie was coming home late that evening, so we only had to wait a few hours until Sam would be back to her normal Sammy-self. On this day, we had to go grocery shopping - it was inevitable.
Sam had practically speeded through the store, dragging us around, completely on edge. I kind of expected it, considering Charlie wasn't there, yet she was so close t being home. She was agitated, I would have been too.
She only slowed down when it came to choosing candy for movie night.
She took a long time choosing, blinking owlishly at everything in front of her. I could guess why she was doing it - the others didn't seem to understand. Hell, even Harley understood, but I suppose the kid was having the same problem.
"Will you hurry up?" Jackson grumbled, earning a sharp jab in the ribs from Peter.
"What's in this? Is it good?" she frowned, pointing to a bag.
"Haven't you ever had a snickers?"
Sam sighed, not turning to face us as her head dropped.
"For my eleventh birthday, I had a friend who found out I had never had chocolate, so she bought me a bar of Hershey's. It was amazing! But, my mom found out, forced me to through it up." she admitted, still a uncomfortable with the sharing. "She said we didn't except charity... I've been to afraid to try anything since then, so I don't know what a lot of candy is. Charlie's been trying to get me to try it since we've been together, but I've been too scared."
"What's chocolate?" Harley asked, frowning at everything in front of him.
I kid you not, I added so much shit to the cart I was surprised it didn't topple over. I put in a few bags of every candy, picked up mixes for cakes and brownies, grabbed things to make pies... I grabbed everything.
"You're both trying everything I've that's been put in this cart." I told them, leaving no room for argument. "You will help with baking, you will taste every little thing."
The bill was over $600.
Sam tried to pay for it, but Derek refused. He didn't care if Sam was loaded, she was not paying for what she should have had as a kid.
This was when we met Ashley.
Ashley was the girl at the cash register, someone who, apparently, knew Sam. At the speed they were talking, I couldn't make out what they were saying. All I could tell was that they were friends of some kind.
As soon as we had paid, Ashley took her break, walking with us to the cars, helping us get everything packed in as she continued to talk to Sam. We gave them their space to talk, of course, after everything was put in the trunks... That didn't mean we weren't listening in.
We overheard Ashley telling Charlie she hadn't been doing too well. She was in debt, her bills couldn't be paid, she was going to lose the house unless she came up with $10,000 by the end of the week.
I guessed before it happened that Sam would take out her wallet, writing this young girl a check for ten grand, telling her to take it. Telling her to get her life together, to take care of her young baby, telling Ashley she believed in her.
Ashley said she couldn't take it, trying to push the check away and back into Sam's hands, but Sam was having none of it. She told Ashley to think of it as compensation for not letting her starve - for the bread and peanut better that helped her to eat, to survive.
Ashley had Sam in the biggest hug, thanking her for everything before someone called her back inside.
We didn't discuss it when Ashley left.
We didn't discuss it when we got back to the house.
We just let it be.
We just relaxed, waiting for Charlie to get home.
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