Hey, I'm back! I'll try to update as fast as I can and, well, enjoy!
When I made my way into Bushwell Plaza sluggishly, I was surprised to see that Lewbert, the crazy doorman, wasn't yelling at me to "Get out of his lobby!" I looked over to the front desk to see he wasn't even sitting there, to my relief. I dragged myself to the elevator and punched in the number to Carly's floor.
While the elevator was going up I thought to myself what Carly would think once I told her my news. Would she be happy? Would Spencer be glad that I was staying or would he just see me as a burden? He already had to tend you Carly, and God knows one teenager is enough, especially for a young man like him.
The elevator doors slid open and I walked out into the hallway and rounded the corner to get to 8-C. I was surprised to see Freddie sitting outside of his door with his head in his knees. I glanced at my watch and noticed it was only 6:34.
"Freddie?" I said, poking him in the ribs with my shoe.
"Huh?" he said, looking up and meeting my blue eyes with his chocolate ones. "Oh, hey Sam." he said with a weak smile.
"Why are you sitting outside of your door? Stalking Carly again or..?" I said with a chuckle.
He smiled. "No, actually. I lost my keys and my mom has a night shift. She left at 5 and doesn't get back until 2 or so in the morning. I texted her to let her know I'd be at Carly's for the night but Carly is at the Smoothie right now with Spencer and they said they'd be back in a couple of minutes."
"Hmm, well, move over, Nub. I'm staying with Carly, too." I said, sitting down and scooting over to him. He looked over at me in the process and frowned. "What?" I asked.
"You have, like, dried tears on your face? Have you been crying?" he asked, running his thumb across my cheek. I felt my cheeks warm involuntarily and looked away. Damn, he had to be observant. I should tell him…but I don't want him see me cry or know that I cry at all…but then again, Freddie was one of my best friends. I decided against it and just frowned.
"It's just allergies. I woke up after a nap today and my eyes were burning. Oh, and I swear if you touch my face like that again I will break your thumbs." I said with a glare so sharp that Freddie paled a bit.
"Message received," he said, pulling at his collar a bit. I punched his arm while he did so and he let out a yell. "Sam! What the hell was that for?"
"For touching my face this time!" I yelled back right in his face.
"You're just mad because I made you blush!" he said and I could tell as soon as he said it he wished he hadn't. "Sam, I'm sorry! I didn't-OW!" he yelled again as I tackled him to the floor.
I pinned his arms to the sides of his face and got on top of him to straddle him and keep him down.
"Sam, please, I didn't mean it like tha-" he started.
"Shut it!" I said, adding pressure so he was pressed even harder to the hallway floor. "Never, ever, ever think that for a moment you can make me blush. If anything, I was embarrassed on your behalf for acting so-so stupidly!" I whispered in a harsh tone, almost like I was secretly telling him he would die if he didn't agree with anything I said. He gulped and I felt stronger seeing him so weak.
Suddenly his eyes narrowed challengingly and I felt him tense under me. He took a breath then moved his face closer to mine, then his lips pressed right next to my ear. "Sam, I can promise you that you can cause me all the pain in the world but the thing is, I'm not afraid of you anymore." he whispered.
My whole body froze for a moment so I could process what he said but I didn't get a chance to until the air was out of my lungs and now I was pressed to the floor, in the same position as I had been with Freddie seconds ago but now we were flipped.
It took me a second to regain my breath but once I did, I spoke. "Fredward Benson, what the fuck? If you don't get off me right now, I swear I'll-"
"You'll what, Puckett?" he asked, boldly.
I didn't hesitate after those words. I bucked and kneed him right where he'd hate to be kneed.
"OW, OH MY FUCKING GOSH-" Freddie was so out of breath and in pain he could barely get more than that out.
"What is going on here?" Carly said, rounding the corner and seeing me on the floor and Freddie clutching his lower region.
"Frednub over here was being all clumsy and hit himself." I said, sitting up and brushing off any dirt from the ground.
"Yeah, stupid me." Freddie said, regaining his composure and shooting me a glare. I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Okay..." Carly said awkwardly sipping from her smoothie. "Well, let's go inside, okay?" she said, slipping a key into the door and opening it with a swift turn.
"That was a low blow." Freddie whispered in my ear. He didn't sound all that pleased.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I replied. For a moment, my situation back home had completely slipped my mind, Freddie providing an almost-fun distraction, but when I saw Spencer come in through the door with three smoothies in hand (one for him, one for me, and one for Fredweird.) I remembered what I had to ask him.
"Hey, uhm, Carly? Can I talk to you in the hallway for a sec?" I said, while Spencer and Freddie were making dinner.
"Uhm, sure Sam. Are you okay?" she said once we exited the apartment. I fished through my back pack for the letter my mom had left me and handed it to her wordlessly.
Carly gave me a funny look and looked down at the piece of paper. Her eyes scanned it slowly at first and then gathered speed. Every now and then she's look up at me and make eye contact with a sympathetic look. Meanwhile I just gauged her reaction, making sure she didn't seem like she didn't want me there. As soon as Carly finished reading she tackled me in a bear-hug, and all I could do was stand there and accept it.
By the time she let go, my eyes had gone a bit watery but I didn't care. "Sam," Carly spoke up. "I'm going to ask Spencer if you can stay with us, at least until you are eighteen, and everything will be okay. For now though, you need a, oh what's the word? A pick-me-up! That's it!" she said brightly. I couldn't help but smile and nod at her proposal. "I'll be right back, let me get my jacket and we'll head out to the movies, or maybe the mall. It's only about 7:45."
I watched Carly go back in and I just stared at my shoes until she came back out two minutes later. I gave her a weak smile and she wiped a tear I didn't even know had left my eyes. I was fine crying with Carly because I knew I could always put my walls down with her without fear. She wouldn't tease me or think less of me, it was sort of a breath of fresh air.
"C'mon, where do you want to go first? The mall just opened a meat buffet, I think it's called 'The Beef House' and I heard it's really good!" she said with a bright smile.
"Oh lord, that sounds like heaven right now. I think I could use a huge steak with bacon bits." I said, licking my lips. Carly smiled and grabbed my arm to pull me towards the elevator.
The night had been great. Carly took me to eat, then we went to Build-A-Bra, and finally we went to Millard's to try on old lady clothes and take pictures. We were in the car laughing and looking at out pictures.
"Oh man, that green leopard dress was hideous, Carls!" I said with a giggle.
Carly laughed too, trying not to wiggle the steering wheel too much as she did. "Yeah, but nothing like that blue grammy lingerie! Oh man, I didn't think the elderly wore that...stuff!" she said.
I laughed then a gross thought came to me "Imagine your grandfather in that!" I said with a chuckle, then the car was silent.
"SAM, Oh my GOD." Carly said and we burst into laughs. We were at a red light, a street away from Bushwell. I checked my watch and noticed it was 11:30.
I yawned, "Man, Carls, thanks. That was a perfect end to tonight." I said.
"No problem, Sam." she said, meeting my blue eyes with her warm dark ones.
The light turned green and Carly drove forward. I saw a bright light come from my right and I looked out the passenger window to see a car coming out way - fast. "Carly, watch out!" I screamed right before I felt the impact. All the air left my lungs as I hear a yell from Carly and the sound of metal screeching and grinding into each other. The car stopped moving and there was smoke coming from everywhere. I tried to breathe but my lungs were burning. The car didn't even look like a car and I tried to get out but my right arm and leg weren't moving. Regardless, I managed to get my head out to the fresh air and I took a breath that I let out with a whimper. Then, my head his the asphalt and everything went black.
Okay, you guys, that's chapter 2! Sorry that is was sort of a cliffy, and I can promise you Carly isn't dead, so don't stress (:
Review, please, it encourages me, and for those 6 reviews on the first chapter, Thanks! I love you guys!