"God I hate math!" Sam moaned as he clutched his math textbook, desperately flicking through it in an attempt to cram in the last minute. After five minutes his efforts turned out to be in vain and he gave up. He might as well spend the next five minutes before class started chatting with Luke.

"When did the stupid teacher say he was going to give us a test on last year's material? I mean we haven't even begun yet?! And it's not your usual surprise quiz the purpose of which is…."

"Alright, alright, alright. I get it. It's unfair, but, honestly, I don't see the difference. And he did not warn us in advance. And for the record, you moan louder than a seal giving birth." Luke said, heaving an exasperated sigh.

Sam huffed and was about to comment on Luke's choice of words at the end when his eyes landed on someone he had recently met. Sam did not know what overcame him, but he could not help but smile and whistle, drawing the kid's attention. Sam waved enthusiastically and motioned for the boy to come and sit in front of him and Luke.

Peter blushed slightly from embarrassment, but ignored the slight anger that had started rising. He kept repeating in his mind that that was just who Sam was – loud, obnoxious, irritating… wait, why was he friends with him again? Oh yeah Sam had saved his life and there was just something about that boy that made him likeable no matter how much he annoyed Peter sometimes.

"What's up?" Luke asked when Peter sat down.

Peter shrugged and answered:

"Nothing. Just getting ready for another wonderful school year. The usual."

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me! They should be paying us for all the stress we have to endure!" Sam grumbled as he put his head on his hands in order to be more comfortable.

Luke and Peter chuckled at the boy's antics. If there was one thing Sam Alexander hated, that was school and they both knew it yet they could not help but admire the effort Sam made when he wanted to finish something. And even though he said that he did it only because he did not want to fail, Luke and surprisingly even Peter knew that there was more behind those words. Unfortunately, not even Luke was aware of what truly motivated Sam.

"Hey Pete, you ready for the quiz?" Luke asked to which Peter nodded.

"It's not a quiz, it's a test actually." Peter corrected.

"Does it matter? It's still stupid." Sam grumbled yet again.

Peter chuckled. Normally he would not propose doing such a thing, but seeing how cute Sam looked when he was moaning and complaining was too hard to resist. Peter wondered how Sam would look if the cause of his moans was something different, entirely different…No! He should not go there, not when the object of his fantasies and friends were right in front of him!

"Normally I would not suggest or offer such a thing, but if you're so worried about failing, I could help you out. I mean surely it would not be that hard to tell you enough right answers in order to get a D, right?"

Sam's left eyes twitched. Just how stupid did his friends think he was? Sure he did not pay much attention in class and hardly ever studied, but even he could remember enough of the material of last year in order to pass. The thing that angered him even more, however, was the fact that Peter had known him for what? Two weeks? They were not even that close and yet he had the nerve to make stupid assumptions and even more so – ones that were not even true in the slightest.

"I appreciate the help, but don't underestimate my intelligence. I think I can handle one quiz by myself." Sam answered icily, which made Peter flinch slightly. Apparently the blue-eyed teen still had not got used to Sam's sudden mood swings. It intrigued and bewildered Peter how fast and easy it was for Sam to change from one mood to the next in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

Peter held up his hands and said:

"I was only trying to help man. No need for you to get all riled up about nothing."

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose and replied:

"Like I said I'll be fine."

With that he got up from his seat and went to sit in the opposite side of the room, leaving a bewildered Peter and worried Luke behind.

"What did I do this time? Usually it takes him only a few seconds to get over an argument we've just had and this can't even be classified as one." Peter said and looked at Luke for some answers. The thing that he saw, however, was not what he had been expecting. He was hoping that Luke would be able to answer him and was praying that he would not be mad at Peter for hurting Sam's feelings or whatever it was that Peter's harsh words and mocking tone had bruised. However, he saw nothing of the like. Instead of anger or disappointment, Peter saw pain and worry clouding Luke's normally cheerful and resolute features. One thing was for sure – something definitely was not right with Sam and it was not Peter's fault for his current condition.


It was now lunchtime and Peter and Sam had yet to speak. Luke was finding it harder and harder to try to get those two to just sit down and talk. He knew what day was approaching and how hard it was for Sam to stay sane or sober on said day. And even if he did not get wasted, he'd still be quite somber and thanks to his melancholy, there was no way in hell you could get a normal word out of him or interact with Sam without him snapping at you every now and then. That was why Luke hated the 23rd of September. It was the only day of the year when he was afraid for his best friend's life. It was even scarier and more life threatening than what Sam did with his mask on.

"I've searched everywhere and I have yet to find Sam. I even double checked the places he usually goes to." Peter said.

Luke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This was starting to get out of hand. Perhaps it was high time he told Peter a little more about Sam. He knew the latter would not approve, but what other choice did Luke have? He'd rather have Sam safe and sound with a few secrets discovered than dead and all his secrets buried with him.

"Listen Pete there's something I have to tell you about Sam's….past." Luke hesitated when he said that word. It felt foreign on his tongue. He had never referred to the accident as part of the past. He normally did not even address the issue when Sam was around.

"Hey there he is!" Peter exclaimed and ran off to a bench in the park that was near the school. Luke gaped at the teen but decided not to join them. He knew it would only be harder for Sam to keep his mask on when Luke was around.


Peter ran as fast as he could and was soon in front of Sam. He sat down on the bench and elbowed the boy in the gut. Sam gasped for breath and winced in pain. The impact had not been that big, but it still hurt.

"What the hell man? What was that for?!" Sam yelled as he rubbed the spot he had been elbowed at just a while ago.

Peter glared at Sam when he answered:

"That was for worrying me."

Peter then hit Sam again and added, "And that was for making Luke worried as well."

Peter was just about to hit Sam for the third time, but the boy managed to dodge it. Sam glared at Peter, but soon his eyes softened and he apologized.

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. Normally it's easier to deal with this shit on my own. I guess what they say about time being able to heal all wounds is nothing but bullshit."

Peter's eyes widened slightly, but he understood immediately. Something had happened a long time ago around this date and it still had an effect on Sam, a bad one at that. Peter wanted to do something to comfort the boy or help him out, but deep down he knew that there was nothing he could do or say to change the past. That was the main problem with the past – it could not be erased no matter how hard you tried or wanted that to happen.

"Want to talk about it?" Peter asked, figuring it was best to start from there, see if Sam wanted to share his troubles and get involved if he received a positive answer. If not, Peter would stay away and not pry or rather he would try, key word: try.

Sam shook his head and looked down at the concrete. He kicked a pebble that was near the wastebin. Peter bit his bottom lip. He had been hoping to receive a positive answer, but as it turned out, he had been given a negative one. With a deep sigh Peter got up and started walking back to the school. After all, he had made a promise not to disturb or venture into unknown territories and he was going to keep it. Plus, he and Sam had known each other for a little over a few weeks. It was not like they were best friends or anything.


Peter tried to laugh it off. He wanted to erase that part of his brain that was screaming at him for leaving Sam to sit alone on that cold bench. He wished he could mute the sound of his annoying conscience but in truth he could not. Not now at least. Perhaps in the future Peter would've gained enough experience to be able to turn such trivial things on and off.

"You're wrong. Having a conscience is not something trivial. It is important. Sometimes it could help you decide whether it's better to save or take someone's life."

Peter turned around sharply. His eyes widened when he saw who was in front of him. He was just about to go home since school had finished earlier than usual (the biology and chemistry teachers had suddenly left and the principal wasn't able to find someone to cover for them on such short notice) when he heard someone respond to his thoughts.

"You were speaking….or rather talking out loud." Sam said as he gave a nervous laugh at the end. The boy then scratched the back of his head and added, "Um…listen I… ugh I don't even know where to start."

Peter was slightly puzzled by the incoherent blabbering that followed Sam's not so understandable second sentence. Peter sighed and rubbed his forehead as he listened to the boy before him struggle to find the right words to say or even a suitable word to begin with. After a few minutes Peter was fed up with all the nonsense that had come out of Sam's mouth and put his hand up. The gesture made Sam shut up immediately. Sam looked at Peter, slightly afraid and worried that he had probably made the boy angry, but that was not the case. Instead Peter was smiling and was finding it hard to hold back his chuckles. He even had to put a hand in front of his mouth and laugh quietly. Sam's left eye started twitching, but he managed to recover soon. After a few seconds Peter did as well.

Sam was grateful that he had not angered Peter with his partially selfish actions. The only problem was that he did not know where to start. He was just about to say something when Peter beat him to it.

"Can we start over?" Peter asked.

Again Sam was thankful. He nodded and took a deep breath in. Sam then opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He tried again and again, but the result was the same. He could not utter a single damn word. And the worst part was he could not even look Peter in the eye and apologize. That was why Sam did the one thing he knew all too well – he ran away.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Sorry for the late update and for any mistakes I've made.

I hope you liked it. Please review!

Until next time I update and/or post a story my fellow readers,

~ QueenofRhymes ~