-Insignificant-
Small, sorry, pointless.
Carly had Freddie, so why was Sam even around?
The blonde pushed her dinner around her plate, not really seeing it, and her mother put down her wineglass. "Is something wrong, Sam?"
"Nah."
A sigh. "Are you—?"
The pointless question was interrupted by the shrill ring of the cordless in the kitchen and the woman excused herself, pushing her chair back and going to retrieve it.
"It's for you, Sam. It's Carly."
Cue butterflies.
She waffled for a long moment, shuffling from one foot to another in a dance of indecision. Finally, she took the device from her confused mother, raising it to her ear and whispering, "Hello?"
[Sam, where in the world are you?]
"Huh?"
[It's movie night. I'm not going to start without you.]
Ba-bump.
Right… Every Friday they watched horrible, lame movies, ragging on subpar acting and numerous plot holes and having a good laugh while they were at it. There was something about having good company that made even the worst of experiences worthwhile and Carly Shay happened to be the best.
"I'll be right over."
Carly had waited for her… And that made her feel a bit better, she supposed.
Shay Residence…
It was Carly who answered the door and the grin that split her face in half made the blonde do that stupid little skip-hop.
"You'll never guess what I found online." Dark eyes shone excitedly. "Bacon-flavored popcorn."
"I could kiss you." Even as she said it, she regretted the hyperbole and the painful truth behind it.
"I don't think Freddy would like that," Carly laughed, completely oblivious to the way her best friend's expression darkened. "Come on, let's do this.
…
The TV screen flickered, casting blue-white light over the room's contents: the girls were sitting side-by-side on the plaid sofa in front of it, their feet propped up on the polished surface of a coffee table.
Sam reached out for more popcorn, flinching when her hand brushed against Carly's. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
The movie progressed—some kind of love story about a sparkly-skinned, pretty teenager with some sort of superpowers and a girl with a bland personality who lacked them; she really hadn't been watching because her attention kept wandering back to her companion—and there was movement at the other end of the sofa that the blonde didn't pay any mind to until the rustling stopped and she tensed as Carly snuggled into her side, resting her head against the older girl's shoulder.
"Mm… Sleepy."
Suddenly, her throat was desert dry. "So go to sleep."
She was so close that Sam could feel her eyelashes flutter shut. "Do you mind?"
"…"
This was… so unfair. Because, while such a small, insignificant action meant nothing to the brunette, it meant the world to Sam.