"Sam! Are you going to eat that?"
"Huh?" Tucker's boisterous voice snapped Sam out of the haze she was in. Without meaning to, she had fazed out of the conversation and found herself looking off into the distance.
The three best friends were underneath a large tree in front of Casper High, a new lunch spot that they had really taken to. Sam especially loved any opportunity to get away from the cafeteria chaos and enjoy some time outside with her favorite people.
As she sat there, her legs sprawled out in front of her and arms leaning back, she closed her eyes softly and took a slow, deep breath. She bunched up pockets of the plush grass beneath her and rubbed them against her hands to ground herself with the earth.
It had been a few days since the awful nightmare, and Sam was still feeling more affected by it than she cared to admit. In true character, she refused to confide this truth to anyone and was doing a deceptively impressive job masking her distress—but her body was giving into this moment, in the cool fresh air, to breathe and let her shield down for a second.
What she didn't notice, with her eyes still closed, was Danny eyeing her inquisitively from beside her, an eyebrow raised into his thick black hair.
Tucker's attention, however, was clearly elsewhere. He dramatically sighed and pointed to the basket of onion rings Sam had picked up for lunch and barely touched. "We can't let these go to waste!"
Sam chuckled, somehow finding Tucker more amusing than irritating on this certain day. She opened her eyes and gave him a gentle smile. "Sure Tuck, go for it."
As Tucker dug in, her lavender eyes fluttered shut once more. She felt so comfortable in their presence, so calm in this secluded lunch spot, and so… Tired. She hadn't had a decent night of sleep since Saturday.
I'll just lay down for a moment… She didn't piece it together then, but the feeling of safety the boy's presence brought her made her feel like she could actually drift off into a peaceful slumber. Without thinking, she gently laid herself down onto the grass, a hand grazing over the belly button ring exposed from the movement and the other padded on the soft ground…
"Sam?"
Someone was touching her shoulder tenderly, rubbing their thumb onto her bare skin in circles. It felt nice.
"Sammy…"
The voice was so gentle. She willed herself to slowly open her eyes.
Danny was all but leaning over her, confusion and some slight concern etched into his face. She suddenly felt very small underneath his towering frame. And for some reason, a little bit shy.
"Sammy, are you okay? You dozed off…" Danny was being so kind. His thumb was still rubbing circles into her skin; an action he didn't realize he was still doing. He was studying her face, trying to find clues in her expression that would tell him what was going on.
A blush flooded her cheeks from the proximity, and Sam immediately snapped up and swatted Danny's hand away. "I'm fine, Danny. I just wanted to take a little afternoon nap!"
Her reasoning was met with an unconvinced set of blue eyes. Deciding it was best not to push her, Danny simply raised an eyebrow and stood up from his crouched position over her body. He held out a hand to help her up. "Alright Sam, whatever you say."
As Sam got up and brushed the grass and dirt off of her clothes, she couldn't help but smile inwardly. The nap, however short, was peaceful and deep. She already felt a million times better than she had in the past few days.
It was just a bad dream, she thought to herself as she followed her two best friends to class.
