Chapter Five: Something I Can't Ignore
Sam held her coffee mug tightly, warming her stiff fingers as she passively watched whatever morning talk show was on currently. Danny had gotten up early for work, waking her in the process of getting dressed and leaving. Sam had been too nervous to fall back asleep, so she rose out of bed and brewed a pot while she watched the early morning sky turn from black, to grey, to a pale blue. As she sipped on what was her second cup, she found her mind wandering again, hoping that Danny was enjoying his first day. Well, however much one could enjoy getting up at the crack of dawn to do hard labor all day.
It had been a bit daunting to hand over her car keys to him, but Danny had insisted on driving himself. He thought flying would look too weird if he showed up with no car in sight, and he refused to let her get up and drive him so early. Sam trusted Danny, she really did, but he hadn't exactly gone through the process of driver's ed during his time in Amity. He had waved her concern away, saying he had taken plenty of joyrides around the hollowed out shell of Amity Park during his time there. 'But', Sam had wanted to protest, 'you can fly'. Learning how to drive properly was probably at the very bottom of his list of priorities during those eight years.
But he had pleaded with those big blue eyes, and she just couldn't argue. It obviously was something that mattered to him, just one small way that he could feel normal and sane. Besides, her resolve was much weaker in the morning, Sam was a later riser usually and her brain didn't work at full capacity until either the sun was completely out or she had her caffeine fix for the day. It's not like she needed her car today anyway, though she'd have to look into getting one for Danny if he was going to insist on driving every day.
The hosts on this talk show were much too cheery for Sam's tastes, and she frowned at their botox-tight smiles and bleached teeth. They were promoting some new up and coming pop artist and the whole thing was much too saccharine. She grabbed for the remote, mindlessly flipping through until she found The Shining playing on a random station. It was already halfway through the film, but she liked it and figured it was better than anything else she had seen. She watched as little Danny Torrance crept towards the door of room 237, his hand outstretched to go in. Having seen the film a million times, Sam knew there was a horrible ghost hiding inside, about to strangle him off-screen. The scene was suddenly too close for comfort and she found herself changing the channel back to the annoying talk show.
Sam sighed, deciding that was enough TV for the day. She stood up, downing the rest of her coffee as she went to retrieve her phone from where it was charging on the kitchen island. To her surprise, her home screen was covered in notifications. Some texts from Aubrey, a text from Lancer asking about this weekend, another missed call from her father (she had been ignoring these), and an email from the event organizers for the gala. She opened the email to find a polite but firm reminder to confirm the RSVP for her plus one. Sam groaned, rubbing her temple. Danny hadn't given a straight answer yet and she knew he would get moody if she brought it up again.
Maybe she should just let it go, afterall…he clearly was not into the idea. But on the other hand, the dinner with Aubrey had gone so well and he hadn't wanted to do that either. Sam really did believe that this would be good for him. It would be a chance for real closure, to celebrate the end of that chapter of their lives. Somewhat selfishly, she also thought it would be great to have his support there. Sam knew she couldn't possibly compare with what he had lived through, but Amity Park had been her home too. It's not like it was easy for her to say goodbye either.
Of course, the very thought made her feel shitty. How dare she be impatient and bitter about however Danny chose to deal with his grief? It would be hypocritical of her, to say the least. Sam had screamed and cried and thrown stuff against her wall, she had cut off relationships and curled up inside herself for years. The wound was much fresher to Danny, still very raw. Part of her recoiled at the irony of being on the other side of this sort of thing, now being the one trying to comfort and heal a broken loved one. It almost made her want to call her mom and apologize profusely for all the nasty, hurtful things she had said to her in her worst moments. Almost.
Sam opened her voicemail, palms sweating as she stared at the list of unopened ones from her father. She could at least hear him out, right? She pushed play on the first, from the day that she and her mom had their fight.
"Samantha, your mother has been sobbing for an hour. What did you say to your mother? I can't get her to calm down and tell me. Call me as soon as you get this, I need to know what's going on." The voicemail clicked, over already. It was short and though he sounded frustrated, she was surprised by the lack of anger in his voice. She clicked the next one.
"Sam, your mother finally told me what happened. Are you really going to pick that boy over us? I thought you were better than that. We are your FAMILY. Do I need to fly down there and get you myself? I don't want you talking to him anymore, this is ridiculous. Your mother is practically inconsolable. I can't believe you would speak to her like that, she just wants what's best for you. We both do! Call me immediately, young lady." Well, there was the anger. She clicked the next one, from yesterday morning.
"Samantha, you can't keep ignoring us. We are not the enemy, we are your parents. I know you're an adult, but you're our daughter and you will show us respect. Your mother and I have been trying, we really have. But we can't abide by these choices, call your mother and apologize. Dr. Yorke has already confirmed that she will continue her services. We can find another therapist if you'd prefer. Call back." He was beginning to sound desperate, grasping for control. If either of her parents knew her, they should have accepted that she wouldn't be controlled so easily already. She clicked on the final one from last night.
"Sammy. Please, we just got you back. You don't have to go to therapy anymore, just please call us back, okay? Obviously you care about the boy, obviously you're angry with us, message received loud and clear. But you can't really be willing to give up all this work for this, can you? We were so happy to have you back in our lives again. Please…just call me so I know you're okay." The voicemail finished with a click and Sam felt like a horrible person. Unfortunately, guilt affected her much more than threats or anger ever could. It's not like she was trying to punish them, but this was a boundary she simply couldn't take back. She wasn't going to forsake Danny, not even for them.
Sam exited her voicemail, regretting opening it in the first place. She checked the texts from Aubrey, needing a distraction. They were fairly mindless, a thanks for the dinner, some memes, and an invite for some show she was in next month. Sam hit the call button, bringing the phone to her face. Aubrey answered on the third ring.
"You're up early." She answered, yawning. "What happened to you not being a morning person?"
"Danny woke me up this morning and I couldn't fall back asleep. He's got my car for the day, do you wanna come over? Maybe we can grab some lunch or something." Sam proposed. It would be nice to get out, have some mindless fun while she waited for Danny to get home.
"Sure." Aubrey said sleepily. "Let me get dressed and I'll head over."
Sam opened the door to see Aubrey standing with sunglasses and nursing a giant cup of coffee.
"Hungover?" She asked, amused. Sam was more of a lightweight than Aubrey, but her poor friend seemed to get hangovers much more easily.
"Yes, so why don't you drive us around today?" Aubrey said, pulling out her keys and dangling them in front of Sam. Her key ring was ridiculous, full of all sorts of glittery charms and a mini canister of hot pink pepper-spray. The idea of Aubrey actually spraying it in someone's face was amusing to Sam. She accepted the keys, which rattled loudly in her hands.
"Sure, it's the least I can do since you dragged yourself out of bed for me." Sam closed the door behind her, locking it.
"No problem at all Sammy, I can tell when you need company." Aubrey replied. Sam winced, wondering how obvious her tone had been over the phone. It was really hard to fool her friend, Aubrey always knew when she was upset about something. "Where to first?"
Sam glanced at her watch, it was still too early for lunch.
"Mall?" She suggested. Sam wasn't much of a shopper herself, but malls had a nostalgic charm to them. Well, at least they did when they weren't haunted by murderous ghosts.
"That's perfect, I needed to get some stuff at Sephora anyway." Aubrey said, letting Sam lead the way down the long hall. They slipped inside the elegant, mirrored elevator and Sam pushed the button for the lobby. "This building is excessive." Aubrey piped up, peering around over her sunglasses. "You have a doorman."
"I can always get you an apartment here too." Sam offered, feeling guilty for having functionally abandoned their apartment together.
"I think this is a bit out of my price range." Aubrey said with a grin as the elevator chimed, arriving at the lobby. Sam rolled her eyes.
"Obviously I'd pay for it." She said. Sam had offered to pay the full rent on their apartment together many times, but Aubrey had always stubbornly turned the offer down. Sam didn't love being obvious about her wealth, but she thought it was ridiculous to make her friend split the bills when Aubrey had to actually work to make the rent. What good was being filthy rich if you couldn't make your friends' lives easier?
"There's nothing wrong with where I am now, but I appreciate the offer." Aubrey replied, stepping into the beautiful lobby. "Although this place is gorgeous." She said wistfully, eyeing the marble fountain in the center of the foyer. Sam nodded, accepting the denial. She could understand wanting to make your own way and work for things yourself, though she wished her friend could allow herself to be spoiled a bit more.
"Fine, but today's on me. I asked you out, so I'm paying for lunch. And whatever you get at the mall, my treat." She added with finality. She could be stubborn too. They walked outside together and Sam was relieved to feel that it was finally starting to cool down a bit, the obnoxious heatwave over with at last. "It feels nice out today."
"Too bright." Aubrey said pitifully. Sam laughed, amused by the way her friend shrank away from the sunlight as they walked to the car.
"And I thought I was the vampire." Aubrey playfully flipped her off before settling into the passenger's seat.
"Since it's cooling down, you can finally stop cranking your AC up so high." Aubrey said. "Your apartment is freezing, I thought I was gonna get frostbite at dinner last night." Sam switched the car on, sheepishly shrugging.
"Sorry, we like it cold." She offered, unable to explain that actually it was Danny to blame for how cold their apartment was and not the AC. Sam was silently grateful that Aubrey hadn't complained last night in front of him, because it would have soured his mood immediately. She pulled out of the parking spot, driving towards the mall. She bit her lip nervously, eyeing all the traffic. Danny may have taught himself how to drive, but he had never driven in traffic before, much less the Californian variety. People were assholes on the road here.
"So why doesn't Danny have a car?" Aubrey asked casually.
"He didn't need one in NYC." Sam lied smoothly. "I'm working on getting one for him now that he has a job."
"How has he been getting around when you've been gone?" Aubrey asked curiously, probably thinking about all the times Sam had left Danny to his own devices in the apartment while she was out. "He doesn't stay there 24/7, does he?"
"Well, he likes to walk." Fly. "And there's Uber." Not that Danny did actually leave the apartment all that much. Her hands tightened on the wheel, wondering if Aubrey was going to be in an investigative mood today.
"I see." Aubrey said simply, appeased. She pulled out her phone and scrolled while Sam finished their drive. She pulled into the parking lot, looking for a spot as close to the mall as possible. She may have not minded walking, but she wanted to spare Aubrey from the sunlight in her current state. She found one in the second row and pulled in.
"Here we are." Sam announced. Aubrey slid her phone back into her purse, exiting the car.
"I haven't been to the mall in months." Aubrey said. "Between auditions and bartending, I don't think I've gone out in a while." She seemed bummed out by the thought. Sam knew her friend was a huge social butterfly, she liked to go out and meet people and have a good time.
"Hey, I'm serious about rent." Sam said as they walked to the main entrance. "I know you're hardworking, but you're trying to get serious about your acting career now. If you need help, I've got you." She held the door open for her friend, seeing the beginning of a protest on her lips. "Think of it as freeing yourself up to channel all your attention into acting." She suggested.
"...Maybe." Aubrey said hesitantly. "I'll think about it."
Sam beamed, glad she was considering at least.
"Hey, it's really no trouble at all. Where to first?" Sam asked.
Sam and Aubrey huddled into a well-worn booth at their favorite cafe, overflowing shopping bags crowding them. Sam hadn't expected to get much for herself, but she found that Aubrey was much more comfortable shopping on her tab if Sam was getting things too. She had needed a dress for the gala anyway, so she decided to go all out and grab some other things too. One bag even contained a beautiful tux for Danny, should he agree to go. Sam felt a little sneaky for getting it before he had accepted the invite, but it was perfect for him and even Aubrey had agreed so.
"Dinner was nice last night." Aubrey began, browsing the menu. "When are we gonna do that again?"
"Hmm, we're really busy the next couple of weeks. Maybe sometime after your upcoming show?" Sam suggested. She already knew what she wanted from this restaurant, no menu needed.
"Good with me!" Aubrey said, flipping to the backside of the menu with a thoughtful look. "Should I go with the hummus wrap or the tofu scramble?" She asked.
"The hummus wrap is really good." Aubrey nodded, shutting her menu.
"Will Danny be willing to have dinner again?" Aubrey inquired with a curious glint in her eyes. "He seemed a little nervous when I showed up."
"I think so." Sam said, picking at her napkin. "He thought it went pretty well too." Aubrey leaned back, looking pleased.
"That's good. He's a shy guy, huh?"
"Yeah, he's pretty introverted." Sam confirmed.
"I'm just glad he actually talked to me. He's sweet, really. Funny too, in an awkward way." Sam looked at Aubrey with suspicion.
"Are you getting at something?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well…" Aubrey said, taking a sip of water. Her sunglasses were perched on top of her head, hangover finally fading after their mall adventure. "I know I said I wouldn't pry…"
"Just ask it." Sam said, rolling her eyes. Aubrey leaned forward, eager.
"So like, what's the deal with you two really?" She held up her hands at Sam's immediate frown. "I don't need to know details, you can keep the cover story for now. But like, are y'all dating or what?"
Sam's mind sputtered, unsure of how to respond.
"Because you live together, obviously, and you both look at each other like there's no one else in the room with y'all." Aubrey said, forging ahead. "But you're both so awkward too, like we're twelve and you've never held hands with anyone before. I've never seen you seem seriously interested in anyone before, but you obviously love him."
"I mean, I told you it's complicated…" Sam said, frustrated by the truth of such a stupid answer.
"You'd like to be dating though, right?" Aubrey asked with raised eyebrows. Sam sighed.
"Yeah." She admitted. Aubrey considered it, pulling away and settling against the back of the booth.
"Hm. So he's the one who hasn't made a move then."
"It's a little more-"
"Complicated, yes I can see that." Aubrey said. "Have you made a move yet? You know, besides moving in together." She added, with a look that told Sam how crazy that was. As if Sam didn't know how all of this looked.
"We both know how we feel about each other." Sam said, ignoring her own brain screaming 'Do you?!' at her. "We both have stuff going on though that makes it…difficult to do things conventionally."
Aubrey shook her head as their waitress came by the table. They quickly gave their orders as she filled their glasses. The waitress floated away to another table and Aubrey gave Sam a small smile.
"Samantha Manson, so dark and mysterious and complicated. Of course you'd get involved with a guy just as mysterious and complicated as you." Sam groaned.
"I know, it's not ideal. Trust me, I'm not having fun navigating this."
"You know you're allowed to have things be simple, right?" Aubrey asked, concerned. "Sometimes things don't need to be complicated. You both like each other, you're comfortable around each other, why not allow yourself to go for it if that's what you want?"
"You make it sound like it should be so easy…" Sam said, maybe just a touch bitterly.
"Because it should be." Aubrey insisted. "I know you've been through a lot and I'm guessing Danny has too, but for most people they wouldn't even hesitate. What is there to lose?"
'That's the problem', Sam thought. She has lost a lot, Danny more so. What if they messed this up? They'd lose what little they had left. Sam had been with people before, but never seriously, it had never mattered to her. It was a distraction at best. Danny was her whole world right now, and she could push aside her own feelings to give him the time to get better. He deserved to find his place and heal, without all the messiness that comes with things like feelings and relationships. How could dating even begin to be one of his priorities right now?
"I appreciate the encouragement, I really do. But like I said, we both know where we stand right now. Maybe in the future there will be something to pursue, but not now." That is if Danny ever got better, or if he did and suddenly Sam wasn't actually what he wanted or needed. The thought hurt, but he deserved to have options. How could Sam make a move when he didn't even know what else was out there in the world for him? She was the only girl in his life at all, a childhood crush. She knew she loved him deeply, but maybe there was someone out there that he would love more than her, if he had the opportunity to meet her.
"You're afraid, Sam." Aubrey said gently. "You're such a confident, strong woman but I can see what this is. You're afraid. I don't know why, but you are. I don't know all the gory details so take my advice with a grain of salt. But I can see as plain as day that that boy is head over heels in love with you. And if I had to take a guess, he's not gonna make the first move because he's scared too."
"What are you saying?" Sam asked.
"I'm saying that you're the bravest person I know and if you want this, you need to go for it instead of waiting for someone else to make the final decision."
Sam stared at Aubrey, searching for a response. Luckily, she was saved by the arrival of their food. Sam smiled at the waitress with relief as she set her bowl of borscht in front of her.
"I'm starving." Sam said, reaching for her spoon. Aubrey got the hint, but looked disappointed at the conversation ending so quickly. She picked up her wrap and took a bite, studying Sam while they ate.
When they were finished, Sam pushed her bowl away from her and grabbed her purse to fish out her card. Her phone screen lit up with a notification and she pulled it out to see another voicemail from her dad.
"Shit." She whispered. Aubrey gave her a questioning look. "Just in a spat with my parents right now." Sam explained dismissively. She threw the phone back into her purse.
"What's it about this time?" Aubrey asked sympathetically.
"I quit therapy." Sam said, placing her card down on the table for the waitress. "And they're not very happy about it."
"Do you think it was a good idea to quit?" Aubrey asked kindly. Sam knew it wasn't meant to be judgemental, but she still felt a little defensive.
"I didn't need it anyway."
"You don't need therapy?" Aubrey asked, this time with a teasing smile. If Aubrey wasn't her best friend, the comment might have been offensive but coming from her it made Sam smile too.
"Not this kind at least. My parents went behind my back and had my therapist reporting my sessions to them." Aubrey looked scandalized, suddenly angry for Sam.
"That's illegal, you know." She said. "She could get into real trouble for that."
"It's not worth the mess." Sam said tiredly. "She was nice enough, but my parents are very convincing. Or at least, their wallets are. I just don't want to go anymore."
"Is this why you wanted to go out today?" Aubrey asked. Sam nodded.
"Yeah, I love my parents, I really do. I want this to work between us, but they have to trust me first. That's non-negotiable. I just wish my dad could give me some space instead of blowing up my phone." She said, glaring at her purse.
"That's totally understandable. They seemed…" Aubrey trailed off, her polite Southern upbringing clearly tempering whatever she really wanted to say. "High-strung." She said at last. "At least from the interaction I've had with them."
Poor Aubrey had never even met Sam's parents until she went missing in Amity, so she could only imagine having to deal with them when they were in full crisis mode. Pamela could really wail and shriek like no other. Though, Sam supposed she could excuse the theatrics in that particular case. It was not a pleasant time for anyone involved.
"That's one way to put it." Sam agreed. "Anyway, there's not much to say. Either they accept my terms or they don't, it's in their hands now."
"Sounds like you gave them an ultimatum." Aubrey noted. Sam could sense the question behind it.
"Yeah, I did."
"Would Danny be involved in this ultimatum by any chance?" Aubrey pressed. Damn her for being so observant. Sam hadn't told Aubrey much about her parents' opinion on the whole Danny situation. There wasn't really an elegant way to explain without bringing up the ghost thing. If she told Aubrey that they didn't approve of her living with Danny simply because they didn't know him very well, that would sound understandable. If she said it was because their situation was untraditional, it made her parents seem prudish and uptight, but it also made the issue seem like not that big of a deal. So what? They didn't like her living with a guy, but that wasn't worth having a huge fight about.
No, Sam would have to explain that their dislike of Danny was very personal and ran very deep, and that would open up the floodgates to all kinds of questions about why. Sam hated lying unnecessarily and she couldn't think of a lie that both made sense and also didn't make Danny seem bad. Sam had hoped that Aubrey wouldn't pick up the fact that her parents and Danny were never mentioned in the same sentence together, but it appeared that she had in fact noticed.
"They don't like him very much." Sam admitted, tired of secrets and lying. It would be so much more bearable if her best friend knew the whole picture, and could actually understand the full scope of the situation. Sam knew deep in her heart that Aubrey wouldn't be scared of Danny, and wouldn't hate him for being different. But it just wasn't her call to make, so she'd have to keep toeing around the obvious omission of key facts. But it was unavoidable to confess to this one.
"If I ask why, you're just going to make something up, right?" Aubrey asked calmly. Well, it was nice of her to not use the word 'lie' at least.
"This falls into the territory of 'Not My Place to Say'". Sam said reluctantly.
"Hm." Aubrey said, tapping a nail against the table. "Is the dislike justified?" she asked. The question surprised Sam in its fairness.
"No, not at all." Sam insisted. "It's for something beyond Danny's control, it has nothing to do with his character or his actions. He hasn't done anything to them, or me."
"Well, then fuck them." Aubrey said at last. "I like Danny, even if he's a total enigma. He's got puppy dog eyes, that's hard to dislike." Sam exhaled in relief, content to know that her friend was the greatest friend in the entire world. Who else would so blindly have faith in her or Danny for that matter, even after all the lying and secret-keeping?
"Have I ever told you that you're the best?" Sam asked. "I'm so grateful for you. I know I'm not anyone's idea of a good friend. I have a lot of craziness in my life and I'm not good at opening up..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Sammy! There's no need to get mushy on me." Aubrey said with a smile. "You're a great friend, really. I love being your friend. I trust you and you trust Danny. Maybe one day you'll both trust me enough to tell me the full extent of whatever it is that's going on with y'all. But I'll let that happen naturally."
Sam stared at her, thinking back to what Danny had said about Aubrey reminding her of Jazz. At that moment, she could really see it. Her heart ached at the thought that they would have gotten along really well together. She felt like there was such a rift between her old life and this current one, Danny was the only one who linked the two of them together. If only she could tell Aubrey these things without sobbing or lying for Danny's sake. It should be so simple to say, "Hey, you remind me of Danny's wonderful, beautiful older sister who we both miss every single day." But instead all she could do was swallow and nod.
"Do you want to head back now?" Sam said, glancing at the time. They could hang out at her place until Danny got home from work. It would still be another few hours until he got off, but Sam wasn't ready to be alone quite yet.
"Sure." Aubrey said, rising from the table. Sam followed after her to the car, grabbing her card as she stood. Aubrey placed herself in the driver's seat this time, so Sam slipped into the passenger side.
"Is your hangover finally gone?" Sam asked.
"Just about. I need to take a break from the wine, ugh." Aubrey said with a flourish. Sam smiled at the dramatic delivery, ever impressed by her friend's need to be emphatic. She was pretty sure Aubrey had made this exact declaration the last few times they had split a bottle of wine together.
"You just need to drink more water, and stop working so hard." Sam chastised, knowing that Aubrey regularly worked shifts that went well past midnight.
"If that's an effort to convince me to quit and let you pay my rent, it wasn't subtle." Aubrey fired back. Sam laughed, her friend was sharp.
"Hey, most people would jump at the chance." Sam felt her phone buzz deep in her purse and ignored it, not wanting to see her dad's number again.
"Luckily for you, I'm not most people!" Aubrey said, grinning. She stopped at an intersection, waiting for the light to turn green. Sam's phone started buzzing again.
"Are you sure you don't want to answer that?" Aubrey asked, glancing at her.
"Hell no, my dad can leave another damn voicemail if he wants. It's getting ridiculous, really." Aubrey shrugged, pulling forward as the light changed.
"Parents are stubborn. I don't think mine even know what a text is, they always insist on calling even when they know I'm at work or an audition."
"My dad has worked with Wall Street guys for too long, he'll never send a text when good old fashioned yelling over the phone is an option. Sometimes I'm convinced I'm going to answer and be told I'm being fired." Sam said with a shudder.
Aubrey laughed as she pulled onto Sam's block, searching for a parking spot.
"Parking sucks here, by the way. It's much easier to park at our place." Sam was glad Aubrey still referred to it as their place, even though she was hardly there anymore. It made her feel welcome, like Aubrey didn't hold it against her for not sleeping there most days.
"It's the shopping district, people are here constantly. There's a spot." Sam said, pointing to one on the street. Her phone buzzed again and Sam ignored it while she watched in amusement as Aubrey struggled to parallel park.
"Don't judge me, I'm not from a big city like this." Aubrey said, as she awkwardly inched into the tight spot. "Parking is never an issue at home." She managed to get in at last and she put the car into park, before switching the ignition off.
"Hey, no judgement from me." Sam said with a shrug. She grabbed her purse and Aubrey helped her with her shopping bags.
"We went overboard today, huh?" Aubrey asked. They walked into the lobby, arms weighed down by the bags.
"Maybe, but I had fun. Thanks for coming out with me, hangover and all." Sam said, straining to hit the elevator button.
"Of course Sammy! It's not often that I can convince you to go shopping."
"Too many bad memories with my mother." Sam said, stepping into the elevator. "She used to drag me around for hours and hours. I'm still traumatized by the fights she would pick with customer service."
"How did you end up like this with parents like yours?" Aubrey asked in wonder. "You could have grown up to be like, a Paris Hilton or something."
"I honestly don't know, it's a miracle really." Sam admitted, watching the floor count go up as the elevator ascended to the top floor. "I'd have to credit my Grandma Ida for that. She wouldn't dare see me grow up to be spoiled rotten." Her phone buzzed again and Sam found herself getting mad. "I'm about to block his number." She muttered.
"Maybe it's something urgent…" Aubrey suggested, as the elevator dinged at their floor.
"No, it's just their usual psychological warfare." Sam insisted. These were the same people who had simply never called to inform her that Ida was growing sicker every day. They only called when they wanted something. They exited the elevator and walked down the hall. Sam felt her fingers pinching from the weight of the bags. She set them down, fumbling for her keys as her phone buzzed again.
"Oh my God." Sam said, shoving her keys into Aubrey's hand so she could turn her stupid phone off. Aubrey unlocked the door as Sam swiped her phone open to see several missed calls from Frank and Danny. "What the hell?" She said, stomach dropping. The door swung open and Danny stood up from where he had been waiting on the couch.
"Sam, I need to talk to you!" Danny blurted out.