The house Sam had felt almost identical to the one I grew up in. It was a red brick house, right beside a brown brick one. The door was white and so was the roof, the floors were covered in thick dark timber. The walls painted a solid white. It felt like I had never actually left. That I would wake up tomorrow still fourteen years old, getting ready for school before rushing over to my bestfriends house to enjoy a nice breakfast.
My family never actually felt like a family. More like two adults forced into a marriage to save their three kids from the view of divorce. I wasn't sure if my parents had ever actually loved each other. Dad had mentioned that they were going through a hard time before my mother fell pregnant with me. He tells me I saved the marriage for the fourteen, almost fifteen years that I had been born. Yet my mother blamed me for the end of their relationship, I was the problem child to her. I wanted to play soccer, I wanted to stay in England and continue to play with my bestfriend. Mother always believed I should quit and that 'it was a boys sport'.
She never payed for my funds, dad couldn't afford them on his own. When I was eleven, I was heartbroken to inform my bestfriend that I would have to quit, my entire dream being crushed. My bestfriends parents had saved me. They had put in extra funds to pay for my soccer. If I ever saw them again I would pay them everything back.
I hadn't seen my bestfriend or my bestfriends parents since I was forced to move to Australia. I didn't blame dad, he was struggling, and he had been stuck with me after mother told me she would rather die then ever have to deal with me again.
My father was ruined by the divorce. It never seemed like my parents were in love. But my father did love my mother. He needed healing time. I couldn't fight him, not after everything he had done for me. I just wished I could've said a personal goodbye to Leah and her family.
I had asked my mother to, but I never received a text or a call from her since that day. I wasn't even sure she had told Leah. I wanted to believe Leah knew I had no choice but to leave that day.
Leah had been my first and only friend for my entire life. We had other friends, but I always came back to her. We had always been neighbours. When my father was working and mum wasn't in the mood to deal with a young baby, she would make up an excuse to have Amanda and David babysit me.
Leah and I had only been a few months apart, meaning we found ourselves in the same age catagory every time. We were inseparable. If Leah was in a different class than me, dad, David and Amanda always made sure either Leah changed classes or I did. We were everything to one another. I owed her everything, she had changed my teenage life for the better.
Leah was almost the opposite to me, we were always told that why she worked so well. She had light blonde hair while I had dark brown. Her eyes were blue and mine were brown. She had always been a Arsenal fan while I went for Chelsea and Spurs. She was a defender while I played a striker role. She was a dog person while I liked cats more. She loved Spring while I loved Autumn. She liked Marvel and I loved D.C. She adored cheeseburgers while I loathed them. We were ying and Yang. We we total opposites and ended up being better friends than ever.
We didn't fight often, and if we did they weren't serious. More like when I got annoyed if she talked to much about Arsenal beating Spurs, or her if I score to many goals against her. They were always silly, we were really good friends.
I almost rolled my eyes to myself. Friends. I was a naive teen, but I wasn't a stupid one. Locking our bedrooms doors to 'experiment' with one another was something friends definitely shouldn't have done. We kissed a lot for two girls who were supposed to be just friends. I had thought it was just practice for the near future. I hated the thought of screwing something up, I didn't want to kiss someone wrong.
Leah didn't like it when I called it 'practice', although she called it the same thing. As a child I didn't understand her anger when I acted like it was nothing. Because it wasn't nothing. I was to in my mind to notice how my heart quickened around Leah, how those so called 'butterflies' exploded in my stomach. But Leah had noticed. Leah had felt it all.
I realised years later.
My childhood was dawning on me, revisiting so many past memories I hadn't thought of in years. I probably looked like a complete weirdo starring out of my window like that. I turned away from the winter air. Hearing the door to my room open again and Sam walk in with a smile, and a screwdriver.
"Look what I found! Didn't even know for sure if I had one of these bad boys." Sam laughed "he was deep in my tool box and look! Four little thingys!"
I couldn't help but to laugh back "thank you Sammy."
I knelt to the floor, next to my bed head. Tilting my head up to my teammate I ask "do you know how to build one of these?"
"Nope." Sam replied
My smile completely dropped. As did Sam's "we're fucked aren't we?"
I nod.
"Are there instructions?" Sam asked
"Dad threw them out when we first built the bed." I answer.
"Okay — okay" Sam nodded her head, thinking for a moment "I think Millie might know how to build these things."
I liked her thinking "okay! Call this Millie girl and let's get my bed built."
"Sorry? This Millie is not just a girl" Sam placed her hands on her hips "I know you live under a rock and forget to learn people's names of those you play against. But Jesus Christ Ame! It's Millie Bright."
"Oh I like her" I smile, putting the name to the familiar face "I tore my ACL against her."
"Oh"
"The second time"
"Oh"
I raise my brows with a small smile still on my face "are you gonna call Millie or what?"
"Oh — oh yeah!" Sam patted her pockets "shit where did I put my phone."
"Sam!"
