"That bracelet, where'd you get it?!" Came Ashley's excited shriek as she looked at Liz.
Sam gave a not so subtle sigh at the cheerleader in front of her.
"Umm, cheer camp."
Ashley lifted her wrist, showing a very similar bracelet. Liz's eyes widened in excitement, "No way?! Where was your camp?" She asked.
"Raleigh, what about you?"
"Upstate New York."
Ashley wasn't expecting that, "Wait, where are you from?"
Liz gave her a small smile, "New York City. I just moved here."
Some other heads turned, "New York?"
"Wait you're from New York?!"
Soon enough a crowd of Haley's students were surrounding Liz, even Manny's eyes were wide as she explained where she was from and answered questions.
Sam rolled her eyes and took out the most recent book they were reading, 'Lord of the Flies.'
When Haley came into her classroom from the office she took in the scene. A group of six kids were listening intently to Liz, meanwhile Sam sat with her legs pulled in atop her chair. The book she most recently assigned them perched on her legs.
The warning bell rang, but that did nothing to deter the group of fascinated students from moving.
She gave Sam one more glance and inwardly sighed, "Alright class, I see you've already met our most recent newbie. Ms. Liz, while I appreciate all the love you're getting I think it's best if you all started settling down." She spoke in her teacher voice. They all sighed and made their way slowly to their seats. Manny slid on the other side of Sam, and Liz turned to her, "People here are easily excited." She said chuckling.
Sam put the book down, "It's a town in North Carolina, what'd you expect?"
Ashley turned around once more, "We should hang out at lunch. You can meet the other girls. I'm the only freshman in varsity, but I'm sure you can make it in too."
Liz smiled, "Awesome, thanks Ashley."
Sam groaned.
"What's your deal with her?" Liz asked Sam.
"Nothing." She didn't feel like admitting that Ashley enjoyed bullying her, "She's just annoying sometimes."
Liz shrugged, "You don't care that I hang with her, right?"
Manny put an arm around Sam, "We don't care at all! Although we would appreciate you remembering that Sammy and me are still people. I figured it wouldn't take long for you to cross over to their side."
Sam and Liz looked at him like he was crazy.
"What?" He said confused, "Well you both know it's true."
Sam moved his arm off her, "I told you he was crazy, but yeah I don't mind. Thanks for asking though." But in the back of her mind she knew that Manny was right. Liz was destined for popularity. Her and Manny, they were not.
The bell rang and Haley quickly started with class. She could see that Sam was out of sorts, but tried not to be obvious about her worried glances, Sam caught one of them and ducked her head to avoid it.
As the class filed out once the bell rang she caught a hold of Sam, "Hey Sammy wait up for a minute?"
Sam looked to Liz and Manny and they said their goodbyes.
"See you at lunch!" Manny said.
"We have biology together, right?" Liz asked Sam before heading out
Sam nodded.
"Ashley has that with us too!" Liz said excited, "See you Sam!"
Sam sat on top of Haley's desk and waited for Haley to talk to her, but Haley seemed preoccupied picking up the timed writes from the desks. Sam's impatience got the best of her,
"So what's up?" Sam asked.
"You tell me." Haley replied, "You didn't look too happy today."
Sam sighed, "Do I always have to be happy? I'm allowed to feel stuff, aren't I?"
"Of course Sam." She put the papers off to the side, "I just want to make sure that you're okay."
"I am."
Haley wasn't buying it, "You're sure?" She placed her hands on Sam's knees and looked straight at her.
"I'll be fine." Sam repeated.
Haley gave her a hug and kissed her head, "You can talk to me, okay? For whatever and whenever. Brooke and I are like sisters, so that makes me your Aunt."
Sam smiled at Haley's kindness. "So you're my Aunt Haley, huh?"
Haley tucked some of Sam's hair behind her ear, "If you want me to be."
Sam put her hands in her lap and bit her lip, "I, I'd love that. I've never had that before, an aunt."
Haley tried to hide the sympathy that poured over for the child in front of her, "Well now you do sweetheart. Now tell me, are you really fine?" She tried to search for the answers in the small girl's eyes.
Sam jumped off the desk, "I'll be fine Haley, and I know I can talk to you, but I have to get to class, unless you wanna let me skip?" She said with a mischievous look.
"Yea right, get to class kid." She said giving Sam a small nudge forward. Sam walked to class feeling a bit better. Sure the whole Liz and Ashley thing was weird, but she had an Aunt now and that was awesome!
"I don't understand why we always get this crappy seating." Manny lamented as they took their seats. Lunch had come and Manny and Sam were stuck with the table by the trashcans and the doors...once again.
"Maybe if someone didn't take so long, we'd get here earlier." Sam pointed out playfully.
"Hey! P.E takes a lot out of me, I take my time to change." He defended his lateness, "Do you think Liz will sit with us? I really like her."
"Well I texted her and told her where we were, maybe she will." Sam replied although she wasn't so sure herself. This was high school, after all.
Just then Ashley saw Manny and Sam and made a beeline to them, "Hey foster care. Hey dork." She spit at them.
"What do you want?" Sam fumed staring up at the girl.
"Nothing with you, obviously. Where's Liz?"
Manny looked down at his food, not wanting to fight. Sam on the other hand, had no qualms about arguing with the girl in front of her, "You have two eyes, go look for her."
Ashley looked around making sure there weren't any teachers then gave her a menacing glare, "You know your place in this school." Ashley said, "Your dad might be Coach Scott and your mom might be my idol, but clearly you're a mistake."
Sam bit her tongue and mustered up all she could to not cry at the words so viciously spewed at her.
Manny's head shot up to defend his friend, "Ashley, as much as I appreciate your talent as a cheerleader I don't appreciate how absolutely rude you are. I might not be a fighter, and I would never hit you, but if you could just back off please. We don't want you here. Besides you're cramping my style. So leave. Now. Bitch."
Sam's eyes widened at Manny. Ashley scoffed, "Whatever." and made her way towards her friends.
"Manny I didn't think you had it in you."
He squeezed his hand as if he had just finishing punching someone, "Well she was a jerk to you, and Tamara told me to watch your back. I was pretty great, right?"
Sam laughed, "You were perfect Manny."
Liz walked in and saw the two friends, "Hey guys!" They both smiled at one another as Liz walked over and sat by them, "So what do they have today?"
"It's Meatball monday. They're actually good." Manny said.
"I think I miss the food from my old school." Liz retorted as she leaned over to inspect Sam's food.
"Do you guys know where Ashley sits?" She asked them, "I wanna go meet the other girls."
Sam hid her frown, "Umm no, sorry."
"It's alright I see her waving at me." She got up, but then gave a quick glance back, "Your dad's taking me home too, right?"
Sam nodded, "Yeah, see you after school." She answered, then looked back to Manny and sighed. Maybe the two did need to find more friends because she didn't think she could be the brunt of Ashley's vitriol much longer, and Liz was soon to be popular, and Brooke would love that. She didn't want Brooke to think she was a loser. Yep, she needed more friends.
"Hey Manny?"
Manny chewed some, "Yeah?"
"We should start that club you were talking about."
He smiled widely, "YES!" His mind started working quickly, "We need a club advisor, which of course will be Mr. Parker, also I'll be the lead. It'll be wonderful. We just need to figure out how we're actually going to get people. I mean I'm sure there's plenty of kids that-"
Sam let him do his thing and talk. She let her mind trail off to the words that Ashley had said. She was just a mistake. And in truth, she was. If she weren't Brooke wouldn't have put her up for adoption in the first place. She had started off in this world as unwanted. That, Ashley was right about and no one could deny it. She poked at the meatball on her tray and pushed it aside, suddenly not hungry anymore.
A week later, and Liz was now donning a crisp cheerleading outfit. That was fast, already she was on the team, meanwhile Sam and Manny were struggling to get people to sign up for their glee club. Liz had offered to help, but Ashley somehow snaked her way into her brain, telling her that probably wasn't a wise idea. Liz reluctantly fell into line, but she wouldn't stop hanging out with the two, regardless of Ashley's subtle digs at their "loser" status.
"Hey you two!" Liz said catching up to the two pairs of eyes who were staring at an empty sign up sheet.
"Hey." Manny sighed sadly.
"Still no luck?" Liz asked.
Sam just shook her head, "Maybe this was a dumb idea."
Manny shot her a look, "What? Of course not! We just- we haven't done anything besides put up flyers. You and me need to play something at the rally next Friday!"
Sam looked at him incredulously, "No."
"Sammy girl, come on!" He pleaded and looked to Liz for help.
She complied, anything to get these two out of the low rung of the social ladder,
"Yeah Sam they're looking for an arts filler between the cheerleaders and the basketball team. You and Manny would be perfect."
Sam stared at them like they were crazy, "No, Luke's going to be there. He's my dad and I just, I can't."
"So what Sammy!" Manny blurted out exasperated, "Come on, you've been hiding this for four and a half months now. He's your dad, he'll love it, stop being so worried all the time."
"I'm not worried about it all the time!" She defended, "You just don't get it. It's personal!"
"Art is always personal, Sam. But it's that very intense feeling that speaks volumes when you play it for others. What if Beethoven never played in front of others because it was personal? What if Whitney Houston never sang? I mean, Lord God I wouldn't have an idol for pete's sake!" Manny shot back at her.
Sam took a deep breath and stared back at the empty sheet. Manny was right, she knew it.
"I just, I want them to hear me play at the right time."
Liz could tell that Sam was turning to deep thought. She put a hand on her shoulder, "Have them go to your showcase on Friday, Sam. We're going. Why not have your parents go too?"
Sam turned to look at them, Manny was nodding eagerly at her suggestion.
"I don't want them to think it's stupid because it's a whole bunch of us foster kids playing."
Liz shook her head, "Sammy, they'll love it. They are head over heels for you. You can probably play the triangle, and they'll still go crazy."
Sam chuckled, "Yeah...I guess so. But I want it to be a surprise."
Manny jumped in, "Just what I was thinking! I'm great at surprises!"
They both listened as Manny unfolded his plans, and Sam began to think that maybe everything would work out.
…. …. …. ….
Jack and Tamara sat on either side of Sam while they watched tv. Brooke and Lucas's homes were quickly turning into the go to hang out spot for all of Sam's friends. Not that they minded.
Lucas walked in and Sam was cuddled on Jack's chest. He rolled his eyes and only gave Jack a furious glance, but the boy was too engrossed in the show that he missed it. Damn.
"Are you two staying for dinner?" He asked, "Brooke's coming over soon."
"They're both staying over for dinner, but can Tamara stay over for the night today?" Sam asked still lying her head on Jack's chest.
Luke looked to Tamara, "You don't have school tomorrow Tamara?" He asked confused.
She nodded, "Yep, but I was just gonna take the bus."
Sam sat up, "Luke please?"
Brooke had filled him in on Tamara's living situation, so he couldn't really argue, "Alright, fine. But Tamara you'll go to bed at ten, just like Sam. No staying up late."
Sam felt a bit of blush pass her cheeks. Of course Lucas would enforce bedtime. He was so strict about it, unlike Brooke.
Tamara gave Sam a teasing look, "Sure thing Lucas." Sam just rolled her eyes at her friend.
Tamara kept kicking Sam's leg at dinner, pushing her to ask the question that her, Manny, and Liz had planned. Sam finally gave in and cleared her throat,
"Hey, so, umm, there's this play/show thing that I really want to go to on Friday." She said looking up at both her parents. They chewed slowly unsure of why Sam sounded so apprehensive. They usually let Sam go wherever she'd like to, within reason.
"Okay," Lucas prompted.
Sam nodded, "Yeah, it's in South Side, and I just, I really want you guys to come with me. I think it'll be nice to see it all together."
Brooke nodded, but gave Sam a sad look, "Sweetheart, that would be amazing. But is it possible to see it another weekend? Plays usually go for a couple weeks right? It's just Rebecca and I got called for an emergency meeting….to New York, until Monday. I leave Wednesday."
Sam felt her heart thud, not only was Brooke going to New York for the first time in four months, but it was during her show case. Surprise ruined.
Jack and Tamara tensed, their own hearts going out for their friend.
Sam looked to Brooke, "Oh, but, umm, you can't miss it?" She'd never ask Brooke to miss work, but this was special.
Brooke sighed, looking at Lucas then at her daughter, "Sammy, I'm sorry. I can't." She had already talked to Lucas about it, apparently Victoria had called up the board and having meetings behind her back with them. Brooke was going to be there for the next one and would lay down the law, some sneaky stuff was happening, and it just couldn't wait.
Sam clenched up even more when she saw the forlorn face on her dad too. She then remembered why. Friday was the quarterfinal for the Ravens.
"And you have a game." She spoke dejectedly at Lucas. He nodded, "Baby, we're sorry. How 'bout next weekend?"
Sam looked to her friends. She fought back tears. She was so excited to tell them, to finally do this. Her and Manny, and Liz planned it out. It would be great, but what was she expecting? She was a mistake. Ashley was right, and mistakes don't deserve much.
"No, it's fine. I get it." She said getting up, "I'm not hungry anymore. Can I go upstairs?"
Lucas stopped her, "Samantha, why can't we go next weekend?"
She shook her head, "It's just this weekend. Please let me go upstairs."
Brooke could tell Sam was letting her emotions get the best of her. They hadn't had a tantrum in a good while, and she hoped it would stay like that.
"Well why didn't you tell us sooner, honey?" Brooke said calmly.
What? How was this turning into her fault, now?! Well, I mean she could've told them before, but it was only until recently that she felt ready. But now she wouldn't bother, their priorities seemed set in Sam's eyes.
"I don't know, okay? Just, just forget I asked. It was stupid."
Lucas shook his head, "No, it's not stupid. You understand why we can't make it, right Sam? Work is just-"
"I get it!" Sam said too loud for both their tastes. Jack and Tamara put their head down, not excited to hear the blow up that was to come.
"You guys are too busy, like always. Why would you want to spend time with me anyways? I'm just a mistake, right? That's all I am, some mistake that landed on your doorstep."
Brooke and Lucas thought they were past this stage, but it was now obvious that Sam still felt uncertain of what they thought of her, and it hurt them to hear those words.
"Samantha that is not true. You are not a mistake." Brooke responded standing up to reach for the increasingly emotional Sam who had by now moved to the living room.
Lucas gave her friends a glance, "We'll be back guys. Stay put." He whispered, then stood up as well.
He sighed and made his way towards his upset daughter, "Come on Sam, let's talk about this upstairs."
He extended his hand, but she took a step back, "No. I don't want to talk about this. I want to be alone."
"No, young lady, we're not leaving you alone." Brooke responded, "What you said is not true, and I thought you understood that. Yes, we can't go, and we're sorry Sam, we are, but this can't happen every time plans with us fall through for you. You can't keep questioning our devotion to you because you'll just drive yourself crazy."
Sam wanted to scream, but knew better than to get louder than the level she was at now. Instead tears welled up and she let them fall.
"That's not it at all." She said through her cries.
Lucas went over and wrapped his arm around her waist, "Let's talk about this upstairs Sam." He tried once more. He didn't want her friends to see her either break further down, or get reprimanded if she threw a tantrum.
Sam looked at Brooke who nodded, "Come on Sam, let's go." She urged.
But Sam rooted herself to the spot she was at, "No!' She yelled and shook Lucas off, "Leave me alone." She seethed, "If I go upstairs I want to be alone, or with Jack and Tamara and not with you guys."
Lucas looked at his petulant child then bent to her level and whispered into her ear, "Do you really want to do this here?" Lucas told her quietly, "In front of your friends?"
His threat let Sam know that she was crossing dangerous waters. She looked past Lucas to her friends and knew she didn't want them to see her get in trouble.
"No, not here." She said through her soft cries, now taking his hand in surrender. Lucas kissed the top of her head to ease her nerves, "Let's go upstairs then."
They walked up and Brooke let them take the lead. She turned to look at the two teens at Lucas's table, "Guys, what's wrong with Sam?"
If anyone knew why Sam was acting out like that, it was them.
Tamara put a forkful of potatoes in her mouth and looked at Brooke defiantly. Jack sighed, "Umm she just really wanted you guys to go."
Brooke sighed and nodded, "Okay, both of you finish your dinner. Jack, I'll take you home afterwards. And Tamara we're probably going to send her to bed early today. You can still stay the night."
Tamara swallowed, "I'll go up once you guys finish talking to her."
"Once Lucas or I tell you when." Brooke corrected her. Tamara just nodded in agreement.
Once she disappeared Jack turned to Tamara, "Shit, T. Sam has no chill when she's mad."
Tamara laughed a bit, "Yeah, but you know this is important to her."
"So why didn't she just say something, like the truth?"
Tamara looked at him very seriously, "Because she's scared Jack. Scared to hear them say 'no.' At least this way their 'no' is to something trivial like a play. But if they say 'no' to her after she tells them about piano, then it'll really screw her up, so she'd just rather not, she likes where they are right now, and doesn't want to mess it up."
Jack was surprised at her insight, "Damn." He said.
She shrugged, "I know Sam better than most."
Brooke walked in and found Sam being held firmly between Lucas's legs. Lucas was giving her a hard look despite the fact that Sam was crying, her shoulder's shaking up and down, her sleeves constantly wiping at her eyes. But her gaze went past him and towards the wall. She would not give him the benefit of her attention. Lucas knew this, and would wait all night if he had to for his little girl to get it together.
He looked at his daughter purposefully, "You need to calm down and tell me why you're so upset."
Brooke slipped in and sat next to Lucas. If Sam noticed, she made no attempt to act like it.
"I- I don't…wanna… calm down!" Sam hiccuped between cries.
"Well your mom and I are going to wait here until you do calm down." He asserted, "You are working yourself up and that'll get us nowhere, now breathe champ."
Five minutes later her cries were calming down and turning into mere hiccups, although she still was staring past them.
"Are you done with the tears?" Lucas moved his head to catch Sam's stare.
She gave him a deep pout and looked away once more. He sighed. So they were going to do it that way. He grabbed one of her arms then brought his hand back and down, giving her two stinging swats.
She quickly moved her hand to her backside and rubbed the sting away.
She gave him an angry glare "...I'll stop." She finally answered begrudgingly.
Brooke and Lucas felt like they had gone down this road many times with Sam. Her tantrums had subsided since they first met her, but still bubbled up, like now.
"Good, now we can talk about this." He said more gently.
Her defenses started to fall a bit.
"Okay Sam, why did you say you were a mistake?" Brooke asked.
Sam's concentration broke at the question, she looked at Brooke then back at the wall, "Because I am. That's why you gave me up for adoption, and that's why you don't want to go with me on Friday."
Lucas grabbed her chin gently and made her look at him, "Samantha, that is not true. Yes, you weren't planned, but I hardly call that a mistake. The mistake was letting you go."
Brooke felt a tear roll down her cheek. It was her mistake. She was the one that let her go.
"Sam have you always thought this? That you were a mistake?" Brooke asked afraid to hear the answer.
No. It was Ashley that brought it to the forefront, but she wouldn't say that.
"I just started thinking about it." She said, "And you guys said no to the play, so that's proof!" She weakly argued.
"No Sam." Lucas answered, "We didn't say no because you're not our priority. You are, you're the first priority we have. I'm sorry we can't go, and I'm sorry it's the only time it's being shown. Next time we'll go as long as you tell us with time. Your mom and I have jobs and responsibilities that we need to take care of, so in turn we can take care of you. Understand? It has absolutely nothing to do with us viewing you as less important, or as a mistake. Which you are not." He reassured her once more.
Sam could only nod and wipe her eyes and nose with her sleeve once more.
But they would still be missing a very important moment for her. She would be performing something that was tied so closely to them and they would never know it. This thought left her terse with the both of them.
"Sam do you understand?" Brooke asked her once more, "The next time this happens you don't have to accuse us of not loving you. It's not true at all. We love you so very much honey."
Lucas could see that Sam was mulling over their words. He pulled her onto his lap then gently shook his knee up and down, rocking Sam until she relaxed.
"You guys are always so busy." She sniffled laying her head on her father's shoulder. She might've been mad, but she could never resist their affection.
Lucas grabbed the tissues that Brooke handed her and cleaned some of her tears, then put the tissue in Sam's hands.
"It'll calm down soon." Brooke assured her, "then we can go to all the plays you want."
Sam further nuzzled herself into her dad's embrace.
"…I'm sorry for yelling." She finally said after a few minutes of sniffling and Lucas rubbing her back gently assuring her it all would be okay.
"We're not mad champ." Lucas said gently patting her bottom.
Brooke could only watch her girl with sadness. It killed her to think that Sam ever thought she was a mistake.
Lucas tapped Sam's knee after a moment and she lifted her head up, "But you know your punishment for a tantrum."
Sam frowned, "An early bedtime." She groaned at the childish punishment.
"Next time, let's talk it out, and when I tell you 'let's go upstairs' you should probably just agree." He told her in a lighter tone.
She nodded and he gave her a kiss on the cheek, then grabbed her waist and stood her up, "Brooke, I'll take Jack home." He could get a chance to "chat" with him then anyways.
He went out and Sam sat on the bed, not looking at Brooke, but could tell her mother was eyeing her carefully.
"Your dad was right Sam, I made the mistake. I shouldn't have let you go."
Sam looked at her distressed, "Then why did you Brooke? Because you were young? You've already said that, but it doesn't feel like enough, I'm sorry. I mean, I really wish it would, but it just, it doesn't."
Brooke understood, "I know it doesn't. And it probably never will sweetheart, and it kills me that it's the only answer I can give you. But I never stopped loving you. I held you at the hospital and you looked at me with your big blue eyes, and it melted my whole being."
"You held me?" Sam asked in wonderment.
Brooke smiled, "I did, and your little hand didn't want to let go of me."
Sam frowned, "Then why'd you let them pull me away?" She said with the most hurt expression, "I wanted to stay with you."
Brooke let tears fall down her face. Sam had never been so open about this, "Everything was signed and set, sweetie. You had parents waiting for you already."
"Except they left me because I was broken." Sam got up, "I think I'm just gonna shower and get ready for bed now." She was upset, and talking about this was making it worse, "Can Tamara come up?" She asked.
Brooke gave her a sad smile, "I'll call her up."
She got up and was surprised to feel Sam envelope her, "But thank you for holding me before they took me away." She said with so much sincerity that Brooke felt all her emotions catch in her throat, so she only hugged her tighter in response.
"I just wish you could've kept me." She said letting go.
Brooke caressed her cheek, "Me too Sam, me too." She gave her a kiss and let Sam go shower.
…. …. …..
Sam stood there annoyed as Brooke tugged and pulled on her coat, "Brooke I think it's secure already." She groaned.
Brooke looked at her sadly, "I know, it's just I want to make sure you're nice and bundled up before you head out to eat."
"You'll only be gone until Monday, right?" Sam asked dropping all the annoyance she felt before. She was still mad at the woman and Lucas for not being able to go to her showcase, but it was anger that she couldn't express because it wasn't their fault they didn't know.
Brooke rubbed her arm, "Just 'til Monday buddy, I promise."
Sam looked at Liz who was getting the same attention she was by her own mother,
"Lizzie you call me, understood?" Rebecca said as she held her daughter by the shoulders.
"Mommy I will." Liz whispered in response.
"And be good. You know what happens when you're not good, don't you?"
"Moooooommm." She whined at the subtle threat.
Rebecca wrapped her daughter up, "I love you buggyboo. I'll be back soon."
Sam looked at her mother then down at her shoes.
"Brooke I'm gonna miss you." She admitted.
Brooke pulled her in for a hug, "I'm gonna miss you too peanut."
Sam breathed in her scent and clung to her mother for a second or two. She pulled back and gave her mother a pitiful look.
Brooke put a hand on her cheek, "Be good for your dad. I love you." She said looking to Lucas who gave her a wink. She went over and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
'Bye mama, I love you.' Sam thought.
"Bye Brooke." She said as Brooke got her things ready to head to the airport.
"Bye sweetheart." Brooke said before feeling Rebecca tug on her sleeve.
Lucas waited for the women to go out before directing his attention to the two girls who'd be staying with him for the rest of the week.
"Alright you two, let's go grab some food?"
Liz and Sam smiled at Lucas. Liz made her way out to the car, but Lucas got a hold of the back of Sam's shirt, "Hold on champ." He said. Sam turned around, "Yeah?"
"If you miss your mom you call her, okay? She'll pick up the phone."
Sam's blue eyes pierced at his, "You promise?"
Lucas gave her a smile, "Promise. Now come on."
Liz turned to Sam as she got in the car, "Peanut?" She mused at Sam's nickname.
Sam rolled her eyes, "Buggyboo?" Sam shot back.
Liz's face fell thinking Sam hadn't heard her mother call her that.
"Fair enough." She mumbled.
When they were at the restaurant Liz took the opportunity to ask Sam the question that was running through her mind, "Sam, so is your mom leaving early to see you play? I know my mom's not coming back 'til Monday."
Sam shrugged, "No. She said she couldn't."
"Wait, you told her right? After the surprise didn't work because of their meeting, you told her?" Liz asked with urgency.
"No." Sam said, "I didn't want them to hear them say no to that. It would've just made me angry, and I would've gotten in trouble." She mumbled.
"So not even Lucas is going?"
"Quarterfinals." Sam answered.
Liz fell into the booth, "Well, shit."
Sam gave her a weak smile, "It's okay. Julian and Haley said they'd go with me. I guess I can surprise them and they'll tell my parents."
Liz shook her head in dismay. That's not how it should work!
"Sam, what the hell?! They would drop everything for this!"
She turned and saw Lucas coming back. Sam sighed then looked at Liz, "But how can you be sure? Liz, how do you know?" There was so much uncertainty that Liz just wanted to tell Lucas then. She knew she had to do something. Her parents had to be there.
It plagued Liz until Thursday night and so she called up Manny, and they both decided to take matters into their own hands.
The next day Lucas left early to Liz's dismay as she wanted to talk to him, but Sam and her ended up taking the bus. Sam was mildly excited for her showcase, even though her parents weren't going to be there, she had worked hard for this and she would go through with it with grace.
Once at school Liz ran to Lucas's office leaving Sam behind. Sam was as confused as ever but let it roll off her shoulders. She headed towards Haley's office to make sure she remembered about today.
Liz found Manny headed to Lucas's office as well. They both entered, "Luke!' Liz said out of breath.
But his office was empty. "Shit." Liz cursed. Manny went to the assistant coach's office, "Mr. Murphy where's Coach Scott?" He asked him.
He looked at the two kids, "Headed to Quinta High with the boys. They got JV up first midday, so they went over early."
Liz felt her heart drop.
Manny frowned, "Thanks Mr. Murphy." Then closed the door, both crestfallen kids looked at one another. "We're just gonna have to call them both I guess."
The bell rang and they felt like the gods just didn't want this to happen. "We can't do it during passing periods. That only gives us like three minutes to talk." Manny said.
"So we have to wait 'til lunch?! Aunt Brooke's in New York."
Manny thought for a second, "Well it doesn't start 'til five. If we call her then she'll have time to get on a plane, and Lucas can just drive it won't be that bad."
"Fine." Liz relented as they walked to class. Hopefully their plea would be enough for the parents to drop what they were doing and head to South Side.
Lunch came and both kids got Sam to eat lunch with Haley to smooth out details of getting her to South Side for the "play."
They both took out their phones and dialed a parent. Manny had Lucas, and Liz had Brooke.
"Hello?" Lucas said.
"This is Brooke Davis." Brooke said.
"Aunt Brooke you have to get on a plane back! Sam didn't want to take you to see a play, she wanted you to see her play the piano. She has a huge part in the Clydesville showcase and has been working on it for a month. She wanted it to be a surprise! You have to come back, you have to! She didn't want to tell you because she didn't want to be disappointed if you said no." Liz said all in one breath.
"Liz, what?" Brooke said her mouth agape.
"Manny, wait, Sam, she, what?…" Lucas replied his hand making it's way through his hair.
…. …. ….
Sam peeked at the crowd from the curtain. Haley and Julian were both sitting down next to Liz and Manny, confused as to how Sam knew the performers of this play. She chuckled and got excited thinking about them seeing her play piano. She was the last act. Her parents couldn't come but she was used to disappointment, she'd just have to make the best of it.
Finally, the curtains opened and Sam watched the faces of both Haley and Julian go from confusion to pure wonder as they realized what was happening.
Sam smiled and joined the girls as they sang the song 'Use Somebody' accompanied only by Ms. Thrice at the piano. The voices blended beautifully and the girls could see some of the members tear up. Sam smiled widely at the stunned faces Haley and Julian had on.
Other girls did solos, and another played the guitar. The showcase was going beautifully and Sam felt proud of their work. A couple of messed up kids shining brighter than ever.
Liz and Manny turned straining to see if Brooke or Lucas were there. They frowned when they couldn't find them.
Haley turned to Julian, "I can't believe Sam kept this a secret. No wonder she was so upset about them not coming." She whispered. Haley had called them both, but neither answered. They were definitely in for it, when she got a hold of them.
Julian looked and winked at Sam on stage, "I know." He sighed, "Brooke's gonna be so upset that she missed this."
Just then the final guitar solo ended and everyone clapped. The lights dimmed further and Ms. Thrice came out and waited for the audience to quiet.
"The theme for this year was to choose songs that strengthened your will to play your instrument." Ms. Thrice said as she looked at the audience, "That instrument for many has been their voice, for others a guitar, and for one of my students. It was something different." She looked towards the side of the stage and saw Sam smiling brightly at her. "For her, it was the piano. And she'd like to share her story with us."
Haley and Julian shifted excited to hear the girl that Ms. Thrice alluded to. Ms. Thrice walked off stage and Sam took a deep breath and walked onto it. She moved into the stage light and peered at the audience. This was her moment, her time. She needed to get this off her chest, so that she could move on, and it was the perfect way to do so.
Julian and Haley sat up quickly. It was Sam? Sam played piano, what? Where the hell were Brooke and Lucas?!
"H-hi, my name is Sam Walker." She paused and wrung her hands together, a bit nervous.
"Go Sam!" Jack said from his seat. Both Tamara and Haley shot him a dangerous look. He shrunk into his seat and faked a cough.
Sam smiled when he heard him, "So, umm, Ms. Thrice told me to tell my story, and so that's what I'm gonna do." Sam gulped and swallowed her nerves, "Umm, see…when I was born my mom gave me up because she was too young to take care of me and my dad wasn't there for her either 'cause he didn't even know that my mom had me, and then the family that was supposed to adopt me gave me up 'cause I got sick so I grew up in foster care, and-"
Lucas and Brooke ran into the audience. It was full. They were both harried from their voyage to Southside but two worried and determined teenagers had persuaded them to drop it all and see their girl. They stood in the back leaning on the wall letting their breathing calm. It took them a few seconds before they realized the girl talking was Sam. Brooke grabbed Lucas's hand and he squeezed it. Their little girl was speaking.
"….and my first foster parents were nice until I was about six and then they weren't so nice, so I was sent to Clydesville. And so suddenly I was alone, I figured my foster parents hated me and one day I started crying and Thrice saw me. It was nighttime and she asked me what was wrong." Sam's voice caught as she thought back to that day. She sniffled, "And I, I told her that nobody loved me and that I just wanted to disappear and forget about everything. You know I used to ask questions like that a lot, 'Why didn't my parents want me?' 'Why am I so unlovable?' But I guess these are things that every girl on this stage has asked themselves."
Lucas put an arm around Brooke who leaned on his side and both felt hot tears hit their eyes. This was going to be tough to get through.
Sam pressed on, "So Thrice gave me a big hug and I remember wishing she could be my mom. But she told me that she could give me the ability to forget about the world with a really cool machine. And I was six, so I got really excited and that's when she showed me the piano, and I fell in love. It was the machine that helped me forget."
Brooke turned to Lucas, "She's perfect Lucas, she's so innocent. How could I have done that to her?"
He kissed her head, "Shhh." He cooed, "Not right now." He whispered, "Now is the time for us to listen. She's talking to us Brooke, we have to listen."
"And I got really good. I would play whenever I got the chance. I'd go to the music room at Clydesville all the time, and I still do on Tuesdays. And I'd lose myself when I played. It was perfect."
Sam's voice caught once more remembering Mike. Remembering his hands rubbing her all over. Tears blurred her vision, but she pushed through, "But something happened when I was 11. Something that made me feel really bad and just...miserable. And I remember running to Clydesville and towards the music room and I played my favorite classical song, Canon in D, but for the first time the piano failed me."
Sam's voice broke and she wiped furiously at the tears. She took in broken breaths to calm herself,
"I, I couldn't lose myself in the piano anymore because what happened to me kept replaying in my mind. And, and I was so mad! Mad because when I needed the piano most, it failed me. And I was alone, again. So I started to write in a journal and that helped some, but it just wasn't the same. At that point I gave up on hoping to find my parents too, 'cause when I played I didn't just lose myself, but I fell into a world where I had my mom and my dad with me and they'd hear me play and everything was perfect. But I couldn't go there anymore. I, I just couldn't. I guess I really wanted my parents to save me, but they couldn't, and that hurt me a lot."
The room was dead quiet as they listened to the girl's story. It was poetically simple. So sincere it was heart wrenching.
"And one day I was at a bookstore and I just sat down and read. I couldn't afford to buy books, so I'd just sit in there and read. And I was by the music aisle and I looked up and saw this guy on one of their sample screens playing the piano and he looked like he had lost himself in the music, like I used to do. And the piece was beautiful; it was sad and happy all at the same time. It was called 'River Flows in You.' and when I learned the name of the song I cried a little, because I felt so...dead inside. Like nothing mattered, but this piece it was electrifying and I wanted to feel something like a river flow in me, so I learned the song, and when I played it, I felt at home. I could imagine my parents again. I could feel them hugging me again." Sam composed herself a bit, "Every single time I played it, it made feel at home. But I just wanna say that I don't need this song to feel at home anymore."
She looked to where Julian, Haley, and her friends were sitting, "I have a home now, and I have parents now. My parents. And I have a family, like aunts and uncles. And this song it kept me going through the worst, and it'll always hold a special place, but I don't need to play it to feel like I belong somewhere, and so I felt like this could be a proper farewell to my song, you know figuratively speaking and stuff. My parents aren't here today because they're really busy with work, but I wanted to dedicate this to them."
At that point Lucas and Brooke wanted to run on stage but they kept their place in the back.
Sam nodded towards the audience but mostly to herself, "So here goes." She said. Then walked over to the piano.
She closed her eyes waiting until she could hear her own heart beat. The slow palpitations focused her and she placed her delicate hands onto the piano. Each finger in its right place, then let the notes flow from her. She swayed right a long with it, and played with as much fervor as when she had first nailed the song and lost herself.
She played and conjured up emotions from the depths of her heart. At times the notes were sweet and slow but they became stronger as she progressed. She tugged at the emotions of the audience. Even though they didn't remember letting her in, she snaked into their hearts, read their emotions flawlessly, and played the perfect song at the perfect time for all those listening. It was a presence bigger than the small girl on the bench. There was hope and hurt. There was love lost and love found.
Sam opened her eyes, lifted her hands off the keys as delicately as she placed them and looked up, a sea of people clapping fervently for her performance. She took a bow and said "thank you."
Suddenly her own heart betrayed her and she felt a sob catch her throat, but she held her smile, anxiously waiting for Ms. Thrice to walk out so she could get herself together in the back. Ms. Thrice walked out and Sam headed towards the side of the stage she came through, but was surprised to feel Ms. Thrice turn her to face the other side of the stage. Sam looked and felt her heart drop.
There stood her parents, both holding hands backstage with looks of pride, sadness, but most importantly love. Sam walked at first, but then ran into them and felt their embrace.
The notes of the song played in her head. The world she envisioned when she played was now her reality. Her heart swelled. Why was she being so stubborn about this? They loved her, and she loved them.
"Oh, sweetheart." One of them gushed.
"Mom." She squeaked, "Dad."
Alright guys, I hope you liked it! And drama will come soon ;) Please review, tell me your thoughts. I really take them all into account. Thank you for those who enjoy the writing and the pace of the story. And thank you to all your suggestions! I know a few people wanted her to call Lucas dad first, but the scene ran away as I wrote and it took me to this. Lucas is just as central to the story as Brooke, and I'll put more effort to writing scenes with him in it!
P.S Sam will meet Victoria in the next chapters ;D, and Ashley will take things to a whole new level.
Oh, and when I was writing this I imagined them singling like "Use Somebody" by the Scala and Kolacny Brothers, it's wonderful! And, of course the song Sam played is "River Flows in You" by Yiruma.