Every Rose Has It's Thorn

12

"Sam?" Ava called.

She hadn't been in class for the past couple of days, and Ava and Maddie were beginning to worry about her.

She never really missed school, so they knew something was up.

So as soon as school let out, they went looking for her.

"Hi." Sam forced a smile, lightly rocking on a swing in the park they'd usually play in.

"You haven't been in school." Ava sat down on the swing next to her and dug through her bag, handing her some worksheets. "That's the work you missed......in case you wanted to catch up."

"Thanks."

"Are you okay, Sam?"

"I'm fine." The girl didn't bother looking at her friend.

"Are you sure? You look really pale.....are you hungry?"

"A little."

"I didn't eat all my lunch today!" Ava perked up and dug through her bag again. "My dad gave me too much! He doesn't know what I eat. Here." She handed her an entire pastrami sandwich with a slice of a pickle.

Dan was so used to having Nathan in the house and catering to his needs, that he didn't really know how much a young, growing girl would eat.

And he figured that giving her more than what she needed was his best bet. Because even if it was far too much to handle, she wouldn't go hungry.

It was sweet, really.

"Aren't you gonna get hungry later?"

"If I do, I'll go home and eat something." Ava shrugged. "Have it. I don't want it."

"Thanks." Sam wasted no time in tearing into the sandwich, alternating bites between the pastrami and the pickle.

She really was hungry.

She looked like she hadn't eaten in a couple days.

"This is really good. Your dad knows how to make a sandwich."

"Yeah.....I told him I liked pastrami once, and then the next thing I knew, the fridge was full of it." Ava smiled. (A/N: Does anyone else's father do that?). "I wonder what will happen when I tell him I really like sour gummy worms...."

That comment made Sam laugh and momentarily forget about her troubles.

"Why haven't you been in school?"

"Things are kind of.....rough at home." Sam admitted.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just really tough sometimes, you know?"

Ava didn't, but she nodded all the same.

Sam didn't seem to want to go into big details, so she wasn't going to push her.

That would be counterproductive.

"....But if you needed something....you'd tell me?"

"Sure." Sam finished the food and stood up, dusting off her hands. "I have to go.....my mom needs help with some chores....I'll see you around?"

"Yeah..." Ava nodded and watched her go, leaving her to sit next to an empty, creaky swing.

That sick feeling silently began to creep up in her stomach once again.

And she didn't know what to do about it.

"Ava will be here, Mom." Lucas smiled at Karen as they waited outside the house for the youngest Scott.