Hide and Go Seek // Sammy Wilk

Nineteen.

I didn't want this anymore. I wanted to start over and just do things differently. If I knew then what I knew now, I would've been stayed close to home for college. I probably would've gotten to know Sammy all over again without sneaking around. There would be no Nick, at least not in my life. I wouldn't have these bruises, sharply inhaling through my teeth everytime I stretched too hard & going through more cover-up than usual.

It took a while for them to set the trial. It blew up and ended up on the news mainly because of the Demarco's. I couldn't leave and escape anywhere because I was a key witness. I also had to be there to defend Johnson who got accused of illegal hacking. Eventually he was cleared being that it was a form of good behavior and led to the capture and exposing of Frank Demarco and all of his affiliates, including Nick. Plus, it was I who unlocked Nick's laptop, and since I was his girlfriend at the moment & was proven to frequently use it, it didn't count as hacking or breaking-in. The Demarco's and Nick had hired some pretty tough attorneys which had caused the trial to keep prolonging. I had to speak on the stand several times, bringing up the abuse & what happened that night...the last night I saw Sammy. Police tried searching for him, promising nothing would be counted against him, they just could use the extra witness in court. But they couldn't track him down. His mother and siblings were worried sick but the last I heard, he had called her from a payphone somewhere in Colorado, saying he was still on the move but he was completely safe. I had to explain on the stand how he's probably out there fearing his life but only at the cost of saving mine, an act of love. The other guys: Nate and Gilinsky had given their testimonies since they actually came in contact with Nick. Describing him as a nice guy at first but could tell he was too protective of me and sometimes aggressive with his words toward me.

Nick had requested to see me while he was being held in jail. It was almost comical seeing him out of his usual vintage attire and wearing orange but at the same time, it was painful. He had a promising future, he was smart, but he made poor life choices. Now there's thick glass between us. I showed up wearing my best. Nails and lips painted red, black faux-leather skirt, combat boots, & Sammy's black crew neck he had stuffed into my Vegas luggage because his was full of souvenirs. It smelled like his cologne and made me miss him more terribly than I had been already. I took my Ray Bans off and glared at Nick through the glass. We both picked up the phones at the same time.

"You look good," Nick gulped.

"Yeah?" I asked. "Sucks, I was getting used to the dark spot under my right eye."

Nick looked down at his hands. "I regret everything. Even meeting you."

"Likewise."

"Not like that," he shook his head. "You don't understand. When I first met you, it was all pure. I was going to stop it there. But once you told me you were from Omaha, I used it to my advantage. I knew Frank Demarco was living there under the radar and it didn't look suspicious for me to keep visiting the middle of nowhere as long as you were a reason."

"Wow," I scoffed. "Cool. You're cool."

"My feelings for you were real. Every gift I ever gave you was because I felt you deserved it."

"Does that include the hits? Did I deserve those?" I leaned forward a bit.

"...No. I'm sorry...for everything. I regret meeting you because I put you through hell and you didn't deserve it."

I leaned back in my chair, looking around and hearing another woman on the other end of the room, talking to her prisoner husband.

"Are you going to be with Samuel now?" Nick asked.

I shrugged and looked at the ceiling. "I have a lot to figure out. Besides, he's been hiding out. I mean, I would too if I pissed off someone involved with a drug kingpin and his businesses."