I got a second chapter out of this! Yay! Of course, it wouldn't leave my alone until I wrote it up. I did the best I could with the thoughts I had. Review if you want. If you don't want to review, suit yourself. Have a nice day all of you.
XxXxX
After freshman year, high school was perfect. No secret identity, I was dating the girl whom I couldn't imagine my life without, and my mother helped Jazz, Sam, and Tucker with ghost hunting when I was busy. This ended abruptly when in junior year Sam called me up crying telling me her mother left. I flew there and held her in my arms while she cried loudly into my shoulder, and I cried silently into her hair. Seeing Sam so torn up about something, it was something private and absolutely heart-shattering.
I tried doing everything I could to help her after that. We offered her and her father a place to stay after they were kicked out of the house. I could tell she was trying to push me away though, and that broke my heart even more. She was more than just my girlfriend, she was my best friend, and I loved her.
The night I told her was full of tears. She and her dad and finally gotten their own house. Sam was working two jobs just to pay the rent. When she got home, I was sitting on her bed. Like usual, she crawled into my arms and we just laid there for a while. Neither of us saying anything. Finally, I rolled over to face her. I kissed her gently and before she could say anything, I said it.
I think those three words were what finally broke our relationship. She pushed me out the door, and just like that…
I saw her sometimes still, but whenever she saw me she'd avoid eye contact. Even if she knew I was there, she'd avoid eye contact. It took months for me to come to terms that we were over with.
I was accepted into Cornell after a ton of hard work. The day I left for New York is the day Sam started talking to me again. It hurt but I talked to her anyway. I missed her everyday. I missed how she could make me feel better with just a look. Every time I tried talking about our past, she'd change the subject. Instead I talked about how I missed the ghost fighting and how few ghosts there were in Ithaca compared to Amity Park. I kept trying to talk with her like we used to, but it never worked.
One day I never heard from her again. Each time I reached out, I got no reply. My parents told me she was fine, but I wasn't so sure. I wanted to leave New York to check on her, but that was a no go.
When Sam's father died I went to the funeral, but I don't think she noticed me. I noticed her though. She had grown out her hair and it was her natural color again. A beautiful red. It hurt though. Seeing her again after she had pulled every step in pushing me out of her life. I left before the service was over.
XxXxX
After that I became what you might call a 'serial dater'. And as a revealed superhero, there was no shortage of girls lined up at my door. None of them lasted long. No one was a replacement for Sam. No matter how hard I tried.
It was a Thursday when Tucker texted me about the engagement. Sam had gotten engaged to Dash Baxter. I was...upset? Angry? Confused? I'm still not sure. I was in Amity Park for the wedding, but I ended up attending in a Fenton Thermos. Jazz didn't want me ruining the wedding since Sam had moved on. Unfortunately, I agreed with her. I kept dating, but I didn't settle down. I couldn't even imagine settling down with anybody except for Sam.
XxXxX
I got my first child when I was twenty-six. I visited her regularly, but when her mothers health began deteriorating I started fighting for custody. It took months of battling before she was in my care, but it was something I had to do. Her mother was too unstable to have a was the most precious thing I had ever laid my eyes on, and though I sometimes wished she was mine and Sam's daughter, I loved her to pieces anyway.
With Delia in my care, I moved back to Amity Park and I got an apartment near the high school where I was going to take over for Mr. Lancer in the fall. Funny enough, Jazz was working as a school counselor there.
On a nice Saturday day, two days before Delia started preschool, I decided to take her to the park. Stopping in mid-stride when I saw Sam sitting there. I sent her off to the playground and watched as Delia joined the other two children. Then I started to approach the person I had loved all these years.
"Beautiful children. Are they yours?" I asked her and I saw her freeze before turning around. When she said my name it sounded broken. My first instinct was to try and help her stop feeling sad. I asked to sit down next to her and she nodded. I got as close to her as she felt comfortable with. I looked at the two children playing with Delia on the playground, spotting the similarities between them and Sam. And there were a ton. I commented on how much they looked like her. She seemed to untense when I said this and I let out a sigh of relief.
Then she was pulling me into a hug and I was hugging her back and I never wanted to let go, afraid that the second I did she would push me away again.
I pulled back from the hug first. "I've missed you." I said, not adding on 'every day since we broke'.
"I missed you too." She said.
"How have things been?" I asked her, and there was hesitation while she thought of an answer.
"Things have been dull without you." She smiled, and I had to agree. We spent the next few hours catching up while our children became friends. The five of us ended up going out to dinner after it got too chilly.
When we got back to her place, she hugged me. "Want to try again?" I whispered and she nodded. Walking away, I noticed there was a wet spot on my shoulder. I turned to look at the house again.
"I like her daddy." Delia said and I picked her up in my arms.
"I like her too, Delia." I said mostly to myself.
XxXxX
Jazz usually babysat the kids while Sam and I were out. Getting them to leave her house was the hardest part of course. It was good though. I was happy that I got another chance.
She picked the first date, which we spent flying around the city. It was always beautiful at night. And getting to hold Sam again was a huge bonus.
The second date was one I picked which was spent at our table at the Nasty Burger while teenagers stared at us, wondering why two adults were at the teenage hangout. We spent most of it reminiscing, and I spent each moment hoping it wouldn't end.
We agreed on the third date in the ghost zone. Something that could easily symbolize something else, as it was infinite but always changing. The ghosts seemed to stay away, but I spotted many chattering cheerly amongst themselves.
On the fourth date, I kissed her. I wanted to kiss her again for so long, and I finally had my chance. She hesitantly kissed me back. I spent the rest of the week wondering if I had made a mistake, but she kissed me on the fifth date.
After the third month of dating, I saved every penny I earned that didn't go towards rent, food, or Delia.
Month seven came around and I finally had enough money for the engagement ring I was looking at. The night I bought it, I took Sam out to dinner. I knew better than to actually ask for her hand in the restaurant. She still wouldn't hesitate to kill me if I embarrassed her publicly. No. I walked her home and stopped under a street lamp near her house.
"Sam?" I asked, and she turned around. I rubbed the back of my neck. "I've really been waiting for this moment for years actually. No days have gone by in years that I haven't thought of you." I knelt down. "I was in love with you, and I am in love with you, and I have been in love with you for almost fifteen years. I really can't imagine spending the rest of my life with someone else, and…I would be honored if you would say yes to this marriage proposal." I said, looking at her the entire time. I could see tears at the edge of her eyes as she nodded the answer. I stood up, and put the ring on her finger.
We were married a few months later on the anniversary that we were reunited. And that was that.