iWant Out
Evangelline
"Sammy? They're… they're fighting again. Please wake up…" A tearful Melanie shook her twin's shoulder gently. "I don't know what to do."
Sam, the tougher of the twins rubbed at her eyes and sighed tiredly. "There's nothing we can do, Mel." She rolled over so she was lying on her stomach and pressed her face into her pillow. Her next words were extremely muffled, "Just try and go back to sleep."
"But Sam, I can't ignore what's—"
The floors shook just a little as heavy objects, most likely furniture, smacked loudly against the ground downstairs. Melanie stopped talking and Sam turned and jolted upright in her bed. The sound of glass shattering followed… And then the sour sound of their parents shouting and bickering.
Melanie's sobs worsened. "They really hate each other, don't they?"
Six-year-old Sam wanted to cry along with her sister, but held her tears in. She had to be strong enough to help Melanie through this. She patted the edge of her bed, inviting Melanie to sit next to her on her bed.
Melanie plopped down on Sam's bed, wiping furiously at the salty moisture that stained her cheeks. She turned and looked at her sister with bleary eyes before encircling her arms around her.
Sam swallowed the bile in her throat and hugged her sister back. She could feel Melanie's chest quivering against hers—and it made her want to sob even more. Her eyes were extremely watery, but none of her tears ever shed.
More breaking glass sounded. More shouting. More furniture falling and breaking. A scream. An accusation. A comeback.
The hours went by, the sounds continued. Melanie had fallen asleep in Sam's bed… And Sam was fed up. She was finished listening to everything.
Sam crept out of her and Melanie's bedroom quietly, careful not to wake her sleeping sister. She made her ways towards the stairs—it almost seemed as though she was turning up the volume with a television remote every time she stepped closer. Her parent's fight was becoming clearer, she could hear what they were screaming.
"You're terrible at raising our children!" her mother's voice bounced from wall to wall, making Sam freeze at the first stair. "I mean, just look at Sam! She's becoming a delinquent."
"Oh no, she takes after you! Melanie takes after me. She's careful and always thinks thoroughly before making a decision!" her dad's voice was filled with venom and Sam's heart sunk in her chest. "Sometimes I wonder if I should just take Melanie and leave."
"You don't mean that!" There was some cursing following that, more broken glass.
Sam's sadness was beginning to fade and anger was taking its' place. She stormed down the stairs and made her way into the kitchen, where her parents were fighting. The table was overturned, some of the drawers were out of their cupboards, silverware was all over the floor, and broken glass was scattered all over the floor. She could feel the glass pricking into her feet, but didn't care a single bit.
"Stop fighting!" She exclaimed, loud enough to stun both of her parents.
"Sam, go back to sleep." Pam told her daughter, her voice was stiff. "Go back upstairs…"
"It's impossible to sleep with this noise!" Sam clenched her fists. "You're both scaring Melanie!"
Both parents were silent for a moment. "And you expect us to listen to you when you don't listen to us, Sam?"
Sam quirked her head to the side and glared at her dad. "What?"
"We tell you not to get in trouble and somehow you always land yourself in detention." Her father crossed his arms. "So I don't think we should be taking advice from you."
"She's only six! You're supposed to be the adult here!" Pam scolded her husband. She turned back to Sam. "Go upstairs, clean your feet, and tell Melanie that everything's going to be okay."
Sam looked at her bloodied feet and was tempted to throw up. She looked at her mother, and then at her father before tramping up the stairs. She didn't normally enjoy taking orders, but decided it'd be best for everyone if she did.
She made her way into the upstairs bathroom and sat on the tiled floor with the first aid kit in her lap. Slowly, she removed the slivers of glass that got caught in her feet, washed the blood away with water, and bandaged them. And then she went back to her room. Melanie was hugging her knees to her chest, curled up in a little ball in the corner when she got back.
"It's almost over, Mel. It's almost over." Sam murmured as she plopped down on her bed and glanced at her sister.
As if on cue, the fighting suddenly worsened and a door slammed. The sound of their mother sobbing followed.
Sam and Melanie just stared at each other solemnly. They didn't even have to ask—they simultaneously understood that their dad was gone for good. And after that we let our tears fall freely.
"Sam!" The bathroom door quivered under Carly's fist as she banged on it. "Sam!"
"Sam, open the door!" Freddie's voice followed.
"We just want to know if you're okay! C'mon, Sam!" Carly's voice was distressed, "We heard you get sick. What's the matter?"
I snapped out of my daze and wiped my mouth. I glanced at myself in a mirror and realized that I really didn't look all that great. I was just as white as a sheet. I turned the cold knob on the sink, cupped my hands underneath the running water, and splashed it on my face. I gave her head a good shake before unlocking the door and opening it to meet Carly and Freddie's worried faces.
"Everything's okay. I'm alright." I smiled weakly, "There's nothing wrong."
"Something's wrong, Sam!" Carly crossed her arms. "You can tell me."
"I… I can't." I held the side of my head with one of my hands, suddenly feeling a little dizzy. I wobbled over to the couch and sat down as black dots began to dance before my eyes. I waited for a moment and everything was clear again. Carly and Freddie sat on either side of me.
"Was it something you ate?" Freddie inquired, in no rush to make me spill what was wrong. Sure, he was worried, but he seemed to understand a little better than Carly did that it took a little more time for me to admit something that was wrong.
"No, it was nothing I ate…" I leaned back and closed my eyes. "That guy at the door…"
"Did the thought of foreign toothpaste make you want to throw up?" Carly crossed her arms.
"No! No, Carls." I couldn't help but laugh. "No… It wasn't a guy selling foreign toothpaste at the door."
"Then who was it?" Freddie asked with ease, setting a hand on my shoulder. Normally I'd playfully glare at him and tease him about something like that, but right now it was soothing enough that I didn't push him away.
"My dad."
The room was silent for so long that I could hear the clock on the wall ticking.
Carly, Freddie, and I all lacked a parental figure of some sort—we never really talked much about them. Sure, they were my best friends and they already knew that my dad left home… But they were never informed of the details.
"Is it bad that he's back?" Freddie was the first one to form words after that somewhat heavy silence.
"Well… I wouldn't say that my dad was a really pleasant guy to be around." I shrugged before looking at my hands, which were settled in my lap.
"Do you know why he's back?" Carly asked gently.
"Nope." I popped my lips on the 'p'. "My mom texted me and told me that he wanted to come talk to me… But I didn't really let him talk."
"He's been gone for eleven years now, right? Maybe he came to rebuild a relationship with his family." Carly suggested sweetly. She liked to look on the bright side of the situation.
"I don't see why he would, though. He hated my mom and me. The only person he really ever cared for was Melanie." I muttered.
"Sam, hate's such a strong word…" Carly started—but I couldn't let her finish.
"He would say nasty things to me… And he didn't treat my mom that well either." I sighed, "My mom and I do fight a lot… But things were kind of better without him."
The room fell into silence once more.
"I think I should go home and talk to my mom…" I turned to Carly as I got up. "You mind if I spend the night here if things get messy?"
"You know you're welcome here, Sam." Carly smiled at me encouragingly.
I smiled back at her and headed for the door.
"Sam, wait." I turned at the sound of Freddie's voice. He placed his hands on my hips and gave me a quick kiss. I smirked and he smiled. "You know, for good luck."
"You're such a nub." I poked his nose before turning the doorknob. "But thanks."
"I'll call you later." He nodded.
"Kay." And with that, I left the apartment.
I want to thank those of you who reviewed and favorited this story, I really appreciate the support and feedback I've received! Hopefully the flashback segment of this chapter wasn't entirely cliche. I know the Seddie moments have been a little vague, but they'll have their scenes in later chapters.
School starts tomorrow. D: I may or may not have enough time to update on a weekly basis.
iCarly does not belong to me.
Review if you've got the time! I love hearing feedback and I'm very willing to improve my writing.
-Evangelline