Out of all the places Tucker could have chosen to meet at, it just had to be the Nasty Burger. Sam sighed as she turned off her car and headed to the entrance where she waited for Tucker to show. They had been talking for the last three days and decided to meet up on one of her days off to talk more in-depth about things. Most people would pick a coffee shop or something of that nature, but the Nasty Burger? Sure, it was affordable and fun during teenage years, but as an adult, she just didn't find it as appealing as she used to.
Across the parking lot, she could see Tucker approaching, still wearing the same red beret she saw him in last time.
"Why the beret?" She asked, causing him to shrug.
"Fashion." He replied.
"Are you sure?" She countered as he opened the entrance door for her, snorting at her response.
"Cute." He stated sarcastically as they walked inside together. "What are you getting?" He asked her as they waited in line.
"Coffee. Black."
"Like how you like your men?" He suggested jokingly, causing Sam to squint at him menacingly.
"I won't hesitate to hurt you. You see these boots I'm wearing? Steel toes." She could almost physically see him gulp and he gave her a sheepish grin.
"I'll keep that in mind." He said, noting to himself that she was definitely as intimidating as she looked. "Why don't you get real food?"
"Because I'm vegan. Hence the black coffee," she answered, causing Tucker to gasp dramatically.
"You've already disappointed me in so many ways," he told her.
"Tragic." She said sarcastically, but she cracked and started laughing, Tucker joining her in it. Even she couldn't take herself seriously sometimes. After receiving their food and drinks, they sat down at a booth in a corner away from everybody else.
"So I've been curious about something," Tucker started, taking a bite out of his burger.
"Ask away as long as you swallow first," she said almost in disgust as he aggressively chewed.
"That country club membership is expensive, so your parents must have money, right?" He asked.
"Yeah,"
"Then why are you working for the Fenton's?"
"Because the money isn't mine, it's my parents'. I want to make my own money. There's more pride in it."
"Fair enough." He stated, sipping his drink as Sam did the same with hers. "Speaking of, what do you think of the Fenton's?"
"They seem like nice people. I don't mind working for them."
"Their fascination with ghosts doesn't bother you in any way?" He queried with an eyebrow raised.
"Why would it? The supernatural is a pretty interesting thing, don't you think?" He mentally scoffed at her answer.
"That's definitely one word to describe it," he muttered.
"Their lab must be really cool. Have you ever been down there?" She asked him, but Tucker seemed to get stiff at the question.
"I used to go down there with Danny, but not anymore." He said, but judging by his reaction, Sam could tell something bad happened down there.
"Is that what the accident was? Something happened in the lab?" She asked softly, not wanting to push him.
"To put it simply, yeah. He hasn't been the same since," he said somberly, and Sam almost felt bad for bringing it up, but he also wasn't asking her to stop.
"Do you happen to have a picture of him? I'd like to actually put a face on the person I've been talking to," Tucker dug into his pocket to take out his PDA and started to scroll through his picture reel.
"Don't you see pictures at the house?"
"I think it would be kind of invading if I started going through their family albums," Sam said with a roll of her eyes.
"Danny doesn't really do photos. I have some from freshman year, though. Before the accident." He turned his PDA around and handed it to her and she laid eyes on a picture of a young Danny smiling brightly. He had shaggy black hair and his dad's crystal blue eyes that seemed to sparkle. All things considered, he was a cute kid.
"He looks like his mom," she said as she handed Tucker his PDA back.
"He looks like both. You can see it in person," Tucker replied. He returned his attention to his food as Sam gripped her coffee cup with both hands.
"Why does he let his parents run his life? I mean, isn't he our age? He's been an adult for quite some time now." He stopped shoveling food into his mouth long enough to give her an answer.
"Yeah, but they've been drilling their beliefs into his head forever and now he thinks like them. They truly believe what they're doing is the right thing for him." Sam sighed and sipped her coffee as Tucker finished devouring his food.
"How come Danny won't let me in yet? Talking to a door isn't as fun as it sounds," she asked him as he drank what was left of his drink.
"No offense, but we aren't sure if you're trustworthy yet. I mean, yeah, we went to high school together, but we never really talked. We're kind of still strangers."
"True." She stated as she sat back in her seat. She understood their concerns, but she would never try to expose Danny or his family. It wasn't about that, it was about being there for someone who needed it the most. She just knew that if they knew more about her, they would know that they could trust her.
"You know, speaking of high school, all four years were pretty dark for me," she began, getting Tucker's attention. "I didn't have any friends and my parents were always coming and going. Looking back they were away more than they were home. You know how people say if something is important to you then you'll make the time for it? Well, my parents didn't do that for me. I love them, but a lot of the times it feels like they don't even care. I'm always alone... I always have been," she trailed off as she got lost in her thoughts. She tried to block out high school for years, and just like that, all the memories were back.
"So that's why you have an interest in Danny..." Tucker said, causing Sam to nod. "Thanks for sharing something like that with me, but why? You agreed that we don't know each other very well and that seemed kind of deep," he asked her.
"Because it's something I never told anyone before. If you guys ever decide to tell me Danny's secret, now you have one of mine. I'm definitely not one who likes to share my feelings with anyone, so I'm really trying here. Now you know something about me that really no one else knows about, so I'm going to have to trust you won't tell anyone. Danny's an exception; I'm sure you tell him everything anyway," she added as she took a drink from her coffee.
"Well, you're not wrong," he retorted with a smirk, but his expression then turned serious. "You know, if I knew how lonely you were in high school, I would have talked to you, but you were always so..." He trailed off, causing her to raise an eyebrow.
"So what?" She asked.
"Intimidating." His response caused her to laugh and she raised her coffee to her lips to take another sip.
"Hey, I'm only mean to the people that deserve it. My bark is bigger than my bite," she told him, but he seemed to go deep in thought for his eyes glazed over.
"Danny's parents go out tomorrow night while you work, right?" He asked her, causing her to nod.
"Why?" She asked him.
"You should try talking to Danny again. I'll put in a good word for you." He said, causing Sam to perk up.
"Really?" She asked.
"Yeah, really." He confirmed as he got up with his tray in his hand. He tossed all his empty wrappers and containers into a nearby garbage can before turning back to Sam. "So, there's an arcade nearby. Are you down?" He asked her. She chugged the remainder of her coffee before crushing the cup in her hand and throwing it into the same trash can.
"Oh, you have no idea what you just got yourself into." She told him amusingly as they both ran out the exit together.
It looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship... hopefully XD
Thank you guys again for all the love and support. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know :D
