Chapter 7
This chapter was really hard to write but I felt like it was needed. We see a bit of Sam panicking which is very unusual for her and therefore really difficult to write. I hope she isn't too out of character :)
Spencer grabbed his phone from his pocket, almost dropping it and began to the the leave the room.
Freddie turned around to say something to Sam but stopped when he noticed her clutching the fabric of her shirt above her chest.
"Sam are you okay?" He asked softly as he went to place a hand on her shoulder. She was about to say that she was fine but her body wouldn't allow it. She shook her head no as he breathing picked up by a mile. She let out a moan out in pain and began to wave her hands around frantically trying to get air to her lungs.
"SPENCER!" Freddie yelled just as he was about to leave the room. He turned around, hearing the young boy yell, something he didn't do very often. He didn't see anything wrong at first and walked back over to where Freddie and Sam stood and that's when he noticed that Sams chest was heaving up and down rapidly. He didn't panic and was just about to tell her to calm down when she reached out and grabbed onto the counter top.
"Sam?" He called out and place his hand on top of hers but she moved her hand away and once again started to flapping her arms around, fanning her face and gasping for air. "Hey, what's wrong?" He said trying to grab her arms to stop them flailing about.
"I-I don't. I can't. I don't know" She grabbed onto the counter again trying to keep herself up as her legs turned to jelly. She gasped for air and the world has started to spin. She groaned in pain as she clutched her chest.
"Sam, calm down alright?"
"C-can't breathe" she spat out as she whimpered. Her heart was beating at a ridiculous pace and everything was turning blurry.
"Okay. Okay Sam. It's alright" he said calmly placing his hands on her shoulders. She started to collapse to the ground in a heap. Spencer followed her down, sitting on the floor in front of her. She whimpered out in pain, once again holding her chest as it hurt.
"It's okay Sam. You're just having a panic attack" Freddie said trying to stop her from freaking out. "Have you ever had one before?" He asked softly. She shook her head no and her whole body began to tremble with every breath she took.
Spencer sat against the counter and pulled Sam against him. He grabbed her head and placed it against his chest. He beckoned Freddie to come sit beside him and placed Sams hand in Freddie's, telling him to hold her hand, he nodded his head.
"Sam. I need you to breathe with me, okay?" He exaggerated his breathing to try and get her to synchronise with him. She let out another cry for help.
"I-I can't" she continued to panic. Freddie squeezed her hand trying to comfort her.
"It's okay Sam. Don't talk. Just breathe, okay?" She nodded her head against his chest. Her breathing stayed rapid for a few minutes before beginning to gradually slow and eventually it was back to normal. They stayed in the position for a while after until Sam pulled away from Spencer's embrace and Freddie's grip before standing up.
"Are you alright now?" Spencer asked as he and Freddie stood up with her.
"I'm fine" she ushered quickly, though tears were starting to gather in her eyes. She put her head down trying to hid her face.
"Hey, you're okay now" Freddie said softly as he tried to look in her eyes though failed as they were hidden behind her golden curls.
"I know. That's w-why I just said I-I'm fine" she responded shakily, trying to sound intimidating but her voice wavered majorly. Her eyes were beginning to leak as a few stray tears began to fall. She swiped her hand across her face furiously, annoyed at herself for being such a baby. Freddie and Spencer noticed immediately that she was getting upset.
"What's the matter, huh?" Spencer asked carefully though it was probably a stupid question. After finding out that you're best friend had been kidnapped by a stalker, it was perfectly okay to be upset.
"N-Nothing" she choked out, she sounded annoyed and the guys were taken a back by her tone. She was annoyed at herself for being so weak. She wiped her hand across her face again. Her bottom lip quivered and she bit down on it hard to stop it. "I just- I have to pee" she squeeked before running of to Spencer's bathroom.
"She's upset" Freddie breathed, stating the obvious. Spencer nodded and they both walked over to the bathroom door.
"Sam, are you okay?" He asked carefully as he knocked on the door.
"Go away. I-I'm pooping" she spat out quickly, trying to think of an excuse. They both new that it wasn't the real reason she was hiding in the bathroom but she obviously wanted to be left alone.
"I think she's crying" Freddie said quietly, pain was evident in his voice at the blonde girls pain. Spencer looked at him, slightly shocked by his sudden realisation. Was she? Was Sam actually crying? The thought scared him.
"Sam, can I come in?" Spencer asked softly as he made his way back over.
"No, just leave me alone. I'm trying to go to the bathroom in peace"
Spencer shrugged. It wasn't fair to intrude on her when she was having a moment and so he just left it at that. Maybe she wasn't crying after all. Though when she eventually came out, he was proven wrong when her eyes looked red and her face was slightly damp.
"What's the matter kid?"
She sighed and sat down on the couch miserably. Freddie and Spencer followed and sat on either side of her.
"This- this is all my fault" she confessed her voice wavered but her eyes were dry.
"What's your fault Sam?" Spencer asked placing a hand on her knee but she threw it off and stood up some what angrily.
"This. All of this" she said almost shouting now as she paced up and down.
"I don't understand"
"I- I feel really bad and-and I don't know what to do because I-" she was almost hysterical now as she struggled to get her words out.
"Sam calm down, alright. Tell me what's upsetting you" Spencer said patting the space between him and Freddie and gesturing her to sit down. She shook her head but calmed down a little.
"I-I was making fun of Carly for-for not wanting to take the short cut and she got upset and walked off that way on her own" she eventually explained. Her eyes had began to tear up again and she turned away from them.
"Sam-"
"Shut up nub I'm not finished" Freddie blinked taken a back by her sudden aggressiveness. "I swear, I swear I tried, I-I followed her down but she-she was already gone" she stuttered out. The tears were so close to falling and she bit down on her lip hard, trying to hold them back. Suddenly, she felt a strong pair of arms turn her around and pull her into his embrace. Spencer. She tried to fight it at first but eventually gave in and lay her head on his chest, trying to blink away the tears.
"It's not your fault Sam" she heard Freddie's voice from behind her. "It's not your fault that there are some sick people in the world" he explained softly. A wave of relief washed over her as she realised that her friends were not angry at her for her reckless behaviour. She pulled away from Spencer and smiled at Freddie.
"Thanks Frednerd, means a lot" she smirked and gave him a friendly punch in the arm. Well not so friendly for Freddie as he clutched his arm in pain.
"So what now?" She breathed as if nothing had just happened. As if she hadn't just had a panic attack and a break down in the bathroom.
Spencer started at her for a while, trying to read her thoughts. She couldn't have possibly recovered from what she had just said so quickly but he let it go when he saw her look at him confused and waiting for him to speak.
"I'm going to go down to the station"
"Sounds like a plan" Sam said not catching on.
"You kids stay here, alright?" He said and ruffled Sam's hair. The situation just wasn't good on a kid. The stress was too much. They nodded there heads sadly. "Mrs Benson's just across the hall if you need anything, okay?" He took the criminals phone and Carly's backpack. He was going to give it to the police and tell them he found it where she was last seen. Of course not tell them that they had looked through it themselves.
I know Sam may seem out of character but when a person has a panick attack they can't think straight and therefore she wasn't able to retaliate in her normal sammish ways. Anyway I hope you enjoyed :)