Notes from the Moooooon,
This was a fun chapter to work on. From here on out most of my notes regarding the story itself and how I approached it will be at the bottom to avoid spoilers. Been tough trying to balance classes with wanting to write a lot these days, especially since I had both a paper and presentation due this week for a class.
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ImHereToKillChaos - Cody and Sammy both are in a weird place. Cody is overconfident in a way that stems from a lack of socialization, and Sammy has low confidence from her wealth of socialization with Amy and her friends. Regardless both of them, not just Cody, will be learning about their flaws in this story.
Thanks for reading! Now enjoy!
Chapter 4: Another College Loser
Sammy sighed in relief as she shut the door to her apartment behind her. She slid her knapsack off her shoulder, and haphazardly tossed in on the counter. She then threw herself onto the couch, flopping in face first. "Long day, eh mate?" An Australian voice called from the other side of the room. Sammy looked up, her eyes void of life. She nodded at her friend; a gargantuan woman with dark skin. She was wearing long, loose jeans and a comfy looking dark green sweater.
"Today was too much Jasmine." Sammy groaned, before stuffing her face back into the couch. Jasmine snorted, and pulled up a seat from the table.
"You were rather funny lookin' when you rushed in and tossed the groceries onto the table before bolting back out." Jasmine recalled. "You had like four hours between classes. Did something happen?"
Sammy pulled herself into a sitting position, and laughed alongside Jasmine. She fished her phone out of the side of her jeans, and laid it out on the coffee table. "Just a long day y'know." She staired at the ceiling. It certainly wasn't a lie. Between the two classes, sprinting to grab groceries before class, and the long tutoring session, she hadn't had a chance to decompress all day. Sammy saw herself as a social person after all. She enjoyed being around people. But like everyone else she absolutely appreciated a few minutes to just… do nothing.
"Fair 'nough." Jasmine shrugged. A coy smirk appeared on her face. "But I know your hiding something." She said as a matter of fact.
Sammy didn't have the energy to fully engage with her roommate's antics. But she appreciated the efforts. Then her phone buzzed. She picked it up lazily off the coffee table. She chortled, a silly grin on her face.
"What's so funny?" Jasmine raised a quizzical eyebrow, turning on the TV. She quickly navigated to the SetFlix app. "I thought you were tired."
Sammy fiddled with her phone. "I just got a funny text." She explained. Hilariously embarrassing. She failed to hold back a snort reading the text again.
Sup, it's the Codemeister followed by finger gun emojis. The text had broke the blonde girl, and she fell into a giggling mess. After all, what girl wouldn't after having received a text laced with a near lethal dose of cringe. The giggles started turning into full on laughs. Sammy shook with each laugh, sliding forward on the couch until her head hit the cushion, completely devolved into a pile of laughter.
Jasmine stared at Sammy, both confused, amused, and mildly concerned. "Uhhhh, mate. Should I grab my first aid kit?" It wouldn't be the first time she had to use it.
"Hahanonohahahaha No Haha I'm…" Sammy breathed between laughs; her body unable to keep up with the sheer amount of laughing as her eyes becoming hazy with tears. She took deep breaths, small giggles sneaking their way through as she exhaled. "Okay… I'm fine."
"That is certainly good. I wasn't sure you remembered how to breath." A third voice joked. Sammy turned to face her other roommate. A blonde, barbie like girl about the same height as Sammy. "I might have had to give you mouth to mouth."
"Don't tempt Sammy with a good time." Jasmine negged, leaning forward and elbowing Sammy gently. Well, as gentle as someone her size could. Sammy flinched, but blushed all the while.
"Wooooooow Bridgette, pick on the bi girl." Sammy rolled her eyes, pursing her lips to stop another laughing fit as she recovered from her first. She flipped her phone over, not wanting to let Cody's text send her back into a laughing fit.
"What made you sound like Geoff after his second blunt with they boys?" Bridgette raised a suspicious eyebrow, a cool smirk on her face.
Sammy shrugged. "Pffft sometimes you just have a laughing fit you know how it is." She looked away, getting a fleeting glance at her phone. "I'm not going crazy don't worry." She said.
"Cough cough, she was looking at her phone, cough cough" Jasmine said, faking a cough. Sammy tried to cover her phone with her hand, but Bridgette was simply faster. The malibu barbie snatched Sammy's UPhone from the coffee table. Sammy covered her face with her hands.
It was Bridgette's turn to let out an ugly snort. "I can see why this broke you." She tossed the phone to Jasmine. Sammy lunged herself forward to try and catch it, but the toss was just a bit too high for her to reach. Jasmine grabbed the phone out of the air, and read the text.
"Wow." Jasmine said with a nod. "Who is this guy?"
"Just a guy from my class." Sammy answered sheepishly, shrinking into the couch.
Bridgette walked over to the back of the couch, and leaned over it. "And you decided to give him your number?" She asked with a look of confusion.
"Yeah." Sammy squeaked. "He helped me with that really awful trig class and you guys always talk about how I need more friends." She said. "He's also in my other class today and Wednesdays."
Bridgette shrugged. "I mean you definitely need more. You're too nice not to." This made Sammy's entire face go red. "But don't tell me you like a guy who calls himself the 'Codemeister'." Bridgette held back a laugh as she said it.
Sammy shook her head, getting up from the couch to grab her phone from Jasmine. "I do not like him. I mean he is a decent guy once you get past his…" Sammy paused for a moment, looking for the right word. "Awkwardness. But he is not boyfriend material." She said declaratively, making a no way gesture with her hands. "Like, get this. He lied about liking black coffee to seem more manly! I mean who does that?" This made Jasmine and Bridgette recoil. "Plus, the first time we met he kept looking over at me during class."
"I mean, that's just because you're pretty. Guys tend to like looking at us pretty girls. I mean Geoff did the same when we first met." Bridgette jokingly struck a pose. "But that text is like the time Geoff put together that picture of us with scraps before we started dating."
"No, I think that's still worse." Jasmine said with crossed arms. Sammy got up, and stretched her arms high in the air.
"I need to get some sleep." Sammy yawned. "Got cheer with the JV squad early morning tomorrow." She explained.
"You really should try to make friends with some of them." Jasmine said, giving Sammy a pointed look. The cheerleader simply turned around and walked towards her room. She closed the door, and opened her phone, deciding to shoot Cody a quick text.
Hey, thx again for today! She typed out quickly, before turning her phone back off.
On the other end, Cody's phone buzzed. He staired down at the LED screen like it was his bag of candy on Halloween. He fought the urge to instantly open the text and shoot off another winning response. He figured that leaving a read receipt so soon wouldn't be the best play. Gotta leaves the ladies wanting more. He nodded to himself self-assuredly, not realizing the laughing fit his previous text sent Sammy into. He looked up at the TV, where Harold was playing Sigh of the Wilderness, While Noah read off to the side.
"Cody, buddy. I'm gonna need you to stop grinning like a serial killer so I can focus on my book." Noah quipped without looking up from his novel. Somehow in the few days between he'd managed to finish his thousand something paged novel and start an even larger one. "Otherwise, I might have to move out before I become the first victim."
"Huh?" Cody's wide grin faded, replaced by a look of confusion. "What do you mean? I'm acting totally normal."
"You look like you'll be on a true crime documentary in 7 years."
"Do not!"
"Can a guy game in peace?" Harold shot a glare over at his roommates.
"Then help me deal with this future serial killer."
Harold paused the game and looked over at Cody. "C'mon man, share the news! Don't act all secretive and stuff!" He pressured Cody. The tech geek looked to both sides. Harold, the good cop, and Noah, the bad cop. Cody widened his grin.
"I got a girl's number!" Cody announced, placing his hands on his hips and raising his chin proudly in the air. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the scrap of paper Sammy had given him. Cody proudly presented it to Noah and Harold, his face beaming.
Noah smirked and sat back in his chair. "Well, well, well. A first time for everything." He put his book on the table, a rarity. The snarky honors student looked to Harold. "So, who is it?"
Cody waved his legs back and forth like a kid on a park bench. "I met her in my advanced trig and history classes. Her name is Sammy, and she's super cute. Like mega cute." He rambled. "She does this thing with her hair where she pushes it behind her ear, oh and she's got great boo-"
"I get the picture." Noah cut him off. "We don't need to know every detail about a girl you've talked to like what? Three times?" Harold nodded.
"Be careful man. You tend to get a bit obsessed." Harold warned, causing Cody's smile to falter. "Sometimes you can get weird about women." Cody couldn't deny what his friend was saying. After all, after meeting Gwen he'd do nothing but think about ways to woo her, and what he'd do after wooing her. It was certainly true Sammy had occupied his thoughts most of the day after their café excursion. But it wasn't an obsession, she was just around him all day! Of course, he'd tried to focus on his history class by sitting alone, but his mind kept drifting. But it would be fine.
"Don't worry I've been learning guys." Cody said, trying to reassure his friends, and perhaps himself. Noah shrugged, and Harold picked his controller back up.
"Alright. If you say so." Noah picked up his book from the coffee table while Harold went back to gaming. Cody looked back at his phone, wondering what to text back.
Sammy was used to doing early mornings for cheer. In fact, she rather enjoyed them. The chill against her skin as she walked to the gym woke her up, and the subsequent warmth in her body as she finally got moving relaxed her. It was calming, therapeutic even. But she still felt uneasy. Not for any particular reason, or any person. It was just because. She felt an invisible pair of eyes on her, waiting for her to trip up, to make a mistake. Waiting for a moment to turn everyone against her. She isn't here, Sammy reminded herself as she finished her final lap around the gym. She shook out her legs, and stretched her arms before grabbing a swig of water. She kept a wary eye on her teammates as they went through the morning exercises before breaking off to work on their routines.
Sammy always played a supporting role in their performances. She stood to the sides of their formation, and when they finally created a pyramid, she formed the base, the backbone. She elevated someone else, let them shine. Sammy never particularly enjoyed the spotlight. Or perhaps the moment's she got were never quite the spotlight that anyone wanted. Plus, when you were the base, the only person you needed to worry about was yourself, she reasoned. The person on top had to rely on many other people. It wasn't like the ground would let you fall down in an incredibly embarrassing manner for an entire football stadium to see. No, the base of the pyramid was right where Sammy belonged, she reasoned as their coach gave them a quick round of applause, telling them to get down and start again.
By the time the morning practice had ended, just shy of eleven am, Sammy's body felt like mush. It was one of her favorite feelings. She took a warm shower, letting the sweat come off of her, and then changed into sweatpants and a loose tee, sitting in the lobby of the college gymnasium while she let her hair dry. She watched the other girls leave in pairs or trios, talking about what they planned to do after. Some were going to grab lunch together, and others were going off to study together. She thought about asking to join some of them, but opted not to. It'd be awkward to just insert herself into the different social groups within the team.
At least she told herself that.
In truth, she was simply used to being alone on a team. The idea of comradery and trust in a team environment were foreign to her, especially after being on every team with her sister. But in some ways, it was nice. Others could rely on her, without her having to rely on others. While sitting on the bench, her phone buzzed. She turned it on, and read the incoming text.
Yeah, it was np! If you need help studying for the upcoming test lmk!
Sammy smiled at Cody's message, a direct response to the one she'd sent last night. She wondered if the delay was him trying to seem cool and aloof, but ultimately didn't think that much of it. She quickly typed out a text back.
I'll let you know if I do :) Sammy texted back. She considered that she did need the help, and he was a genuinely nice guy. But Sammy wasn't blind. She could see his flirting attempts from a mile away. It was fun and sort of endearing to watch him stumble through trying to flirt, but keeping a healthy distance would be better to avoid breaking his heart. He'd honestly be pretty cute if he wasn't trying so hard.
After everyone had left, and her hair felt drier, she exited the gym, making her way to the dining hall for a meal before her afternoon classes. Sammy chose the grilled fish and a small side salad, and opted to throw in some breadsticks since she felt extra hungry. Even if it broke her diet. She assured herself of her metabolism. She ate alone. Typical of a college loser.
She had two intro level teaching courses that took up the entire afternoon. She used the new studying methods she'd looked up the previous day, focusing more on getting the major points. It made the classes feel just a bit easier. The day came and went, and the sun fell below the horizon before she'd even left class. Another day she'd spent alone. It didn't bother her much, not having too many friends in classes or her clubs. When you had friends, it meant you had to trust them. But when she entered the apartment at half past six, it was devoid of any life besides herself. Bridgette was likely at Geoff's, and Jasmine was out studying. Without thinking much, she pulled out her phone, and scrolled through her messages.
Most of her contacts were either classmates who she had worked on projects briefly with or family members. Jasmine and Bridgette weren't wrong about her lack of friends. Moments of eerie silence made her consider their advice. She scrolled back up to the top of the list. There was a single contact she hadn't considered yet. A person who all things considered, probably had some extra free time on their hands.
What are you up to?
Sammy put her phone back down, and turned the TV on. It wasn't until moments later that her phone buzzed. Sammy wasn't sure why she decided to text him. After all, she barely knew Cody, and giving him the wrong idea by texting so late at night would only make things awkward. While she looked at the TV, she wondered if that might be preferable to doing nothing all night in the dim apartment.
Not much, just about to head to a club! Cody's text read.
So, he was busy. Sammy was about to put her phone down and turn the TV on for a boring night with soap operas and ice cream before her phone buzzed again. She looked, finding another text from Cody. You all good?
Sammy considered her response for a moment, before replying. Nothing to do. Lol. What club are you going to? She waited for a moment and surely enough Cody responded quickly.
Was gonna go to the dodgeball club with a friend! Sammy shrugged. She didn't even know the school had a dodgeball club. But that meant he was busy. She snuggled into a small ball on the couch, her muscles sore after her practice. She shot off a final text.
Sounds fun! I hope you have an amazing time! Before she could even turn off her phone, Cody had already sent a response.
Wanna join?
It was stupid. After all, Sammy did not have fond memories of dodgeball. She was commonly used as a human shield, and spent most of the time either getting hit, or standing on the sidelines. Ten minutes later however, she found herself walking out the door in magenta yoga pants, an athletic top, and a thick purple jacket. She texted Cody a quick See you there!
A frigid twenty minutes later she entered the gymnasium for the second time that day, and headed for the practice room Cody specified. She pushed the door open, and was greeted with the smell of the wrestling mats lining the walls of the practice gym. About fifteen different college students, mostly men, were chatting over in the back. Despite dodgeball being a sport, the majority of the participants didn't look much like athletes, save a few, like a guy in a red track suit tossing the ball up and down. The oddest of the bunch was a comically large man who looked upwards of 500 pounds, and a redhead in a weird outfit clinging to him like a kid on a jungle gym. Sammy walked over and set down her bag. When she stood up, Cody was right next to her.
"Hey!" Cody greeted her with a grin that showed off the gap in his teeth; a detail Sammy might have found adorable if he smiled normally. He was dressed in a plain, thin white tee and some dark blue athletic shorts, much different then his usual look; a mix between preppy and casual, sitting on the proverbial fence. "Glad you're here."
"Oh, I just had nothing better to do." Certainly not a lie, though it wasn't like she couldn't have gotten a jump start on her homework. "Thanks for inviting me." She smiled, not amiss of the slight pinkness on the math geek's face. "Is this something you regularly do?" Sammy wondered whilist looking around the room at the assortment of oddballs in attendance.
Cody nodded. "I've been coming to the club since last year. You could say I'm a bit of a dodgeball wizard too!" He bragged, puffing out his chest a little bit.
"I look forward to seeing it." Sammy said with a nod. She wasn't quite sure if he was bragging about an actual talent, or if it was another black coffee situation. She didn't let it eat at her though, since she would know the answer pretty shortly.
WHEEEEEEET! The sound of the whistle echo'd through the room. Everyone turned to face the guy in the red track suit. Sammy followed suit. "Welcome all to Dodgeball club! I'm the club manager Tyler!" He introduced himself with the most jock like voice ever. He picked up the big red ball from his feet, and smirked. "Now who's ready to dodge some balls?"
*LE GASP* A SAMMY FOCUSED CHAPTER?
Yeah I like writing Cody but Sammy absolutely deserves her own chapters. Ideally they will get a 50/50 split as the fic goes on but that's not something I plan to enforce if I get a better idea. Writing Sammy was really difficult for the first few hours. She's normally acting upbeat but as we saw in her episodes that's not entirely the case with her inner monologue. I also got to take some creative liberties trying to really figure out what I want that distinctive voice to be. Once I found it, everything fell into place; How she views herself, how she view's Cody, and more. One of the most fun parts to write is how differently they view each other. There isn't just some mutual attraction from the get go; Cody falls in love really easily whereas as of now Sammy is still a bit wary of this guy she just met.
As always, thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed please leave a review if you enjoyed it! I love hearing your thoughts!
AnonymousWinton