3:27 a.m.
The house was dark.
The kind of quiet that only happens when everyone's pretending not to be awake.
Except... Sam wasn't pretending.
He hadn't moved.
Still on the couch.
Still scrolling.
That one small tap earlier — following her — felt like a scream in his chest. And he wasn't sure if he expected her to post again.
But then—
She did.
No sound.
No caption.
Just a 12-second video.
⸻
[TikTok Video – Melinda, standing in soft light. No filters. No music. Just silence. She's turning slowly in a gentle circle. The camera catches her tattoos — all of them.]
• Spine: Never Normal — clean, black ink down the vertebrae.
• Sternum: Dumb & Wise — stretching across the scar of her skin removal surgery.
• Ribs: 3AM — raw, simple, personal.
• Lower back: Onward & Upward — the one that started it all.
No words.
No theatrics.
Just her body, her story, and the permanent proof that she's been here for years. Quietly. Fully. Loyal.
⸻
Sam didn't breathe for a solid ten seconds.
Then:
Sam (whispering to himself):
"She has Onward and Upward."
⸻
From upstairs, a shuffle of footsteps — Colby coming down to grab water.
Colby: pausing mid-step "You're still up?"
Sam: numbly "She posted again."
Colby: groans "Let me guess. A monologue about grief and ADHD?"
Sam: shakes head slowly, eyes still glued to his screen
"No. She didn't say anything this time."
Colby: approaches, peering over his shoulder
"...Whoa."
They both watched it again.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
⸻
Colby: "She has all of them."
Sam: quietly "Even Onward and Upward."
Colby: slow exhale "That's deep lore."
Sam: nods once "She's been here from the start."
⸻
Colby: studying his face "How do you feel?"
Sam:
"Exposed.
Seen.
Terrified.
...Safe."
Colby: soft smile "Then yeah, you like her."
Sam: eyes still on the screen
"She didn't do this because I followed her.
She did it knowing I would.
That's different."
⸻
And somewhere across the world, Melinda closed her phone.
She didn't check the view count.
She didn't check the comments.
She just... let it sit.
Because she knew.
He saw it.
And he understood it.
YOU ARE READING
Found You in the Algorithm ~ Sam golbach
Fanfiction"You don't have to thank me, sweet boy. I'm just glad you're seeing me." He wasn't supposed to see the video. Just a girl with 300 followers, posting TikToks about trauma, fandom drama, and Sam Golbach. But then... he saw all of them. And suddenly...
