Freak | ✓

☠ t w e n t y - s e v e n ☠

T w e n t y s e v e n

"Jake!" Sam called from across the park. "You ready?"

Sam saw Jake fiddle with the silver video camera in his hand a distance away.

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" He called back. "With your injuries and all?"

Sam just grinned, knocking the helmet on his head. "That's what this is for. C'mon!"

Jake waved in defeat, holding up the camera. "Fine, you dickhead. Go!"

Sam took off, clattering his board to the ground. He pushed with his left leg hard, forcing himself forward. A breeze pushed through his skin, finding its way into his helmet, past his clothes and into his soul. For once, a smile didn't adorn Sam's face as he raced closer and closer to where Jake was filming. His eyes were narrowed towards his goal, his mouth in a hard line.

He crouched down, leaned forward as he drew close and then: up!

For a moment, the world stopped as he propelled into the air. There was no such thing as gravity and Sam was weightless. This is where he wanted to be always; on top of the world.

Up and over three wheelie bins, right onto the other side.

He stumbled a little from the force on the way down, saving himself by swerving left into a curve, hand shooting out onto the tarmac for balance.

Success.

Sam let out a laugh, eyes glittering, straightening up and letting himself move with the board, carefree. He looped and caught eyes with Jake who was running towards him just as Sam hopped off the board

"Nice one, mate," he said, hand raised for him to grasp onto which Sam gladly complied with, pulling him in for a shoulder bump.

"Injuries and all," he smiled proudly.

"Injuries and all," Jake agreed he elbowed him, right in one of Sam's many bruises.

"Doesn't mean I'm invincible, Jake," he wheezed, clutching his chest. Jake winced apologetically. "Shit, sorry."

Jake handed him the video camera and together they played back the stunt Sam had just pulled off.

"Looks good," Jake observed, nodding to the small screen. Sam watched a few second more, rewinding to the jump and watched again.

"Yeah..." Sam agreed half-heartedly. "The lighting could be a bit better."

"I'm not a cameraman, mate," Jake said, feeling insulted. "I tried my best."

"No, no. It isn't you," Sam assured, laughing and slapping him on the shoulder. "It's this stinking camera, need to get a new one with actual settings."

Jake him a pointed look, "oh, moving up in the world, are we?"

Sam rolled his eyes, turning away and fiddling with his camera, not really improving the video. Actually even if he tried, this wasn't really his forte. Mia was the one that turned his videos into something actually watchable. Even so, he pretended to know what he was doing for a few more seconds before turning back to Jake.

"Want to try again? I think if we shot it from over on the left before we lose most of today's light it'll be better."

"Can't man, I've got work in an hour, remember? Got to start heading there now actually."

"I'll walk with you I suppose then," Sam sighed like he was doing Jake a miraculous favour with his presence, taking his bag from Jake and placing the camera inside and swinging it onto his back, unclasping his helmet the onto his strap.

Jake grunted, rising an eyebrow and looking across the park. "You sure you don't want to stay here? Steven the stoner over there is giving you the eye."

Sam looked over despite himself, catching eyes with a local skater and his crew, all red eye-ed and shaggy hair. He waved, an endearing smile on his face as he realised he'd caught Sam's eye.

"My heart belongs to another," Sam said as waved back.

Jake snorted, "as if I don't know that. I was joking, you and Felix are basically married - you know, without the physical stuff."

"You suck."

"Well someone's got to do it," Jake leered. "Because you, nor Felix certainly aren't."

Jake left the skate park with a new bruise blossoming on his abdomen.

"Man, you have no chill," Jake hissed at him, rubbing his stomach and pushing his friend with the other, making Sam stumble with his board.

"How is work anyway?" Sam asked after the two friends had stopped a small attack on each other. "You never mention it."

Jake paused for a moment, hands clasping and his foot swinging out to kick a small rock before he shrugged. "Work is work. Not much to say. I clean tables, set them and try not to punch certain customers in the face."

"Must be hard for you, not being able to punch people," Sam teased.

"I'll punch you in the face in a second, mate."

"I joke, I joke," Sam laughed, patting him on the shoulder as Jake pouted. "I know that you've moved on from your immature, using our fists instead of speaking your feelings stage. I'm proud of you."

Jake flushed, slapping his hand on Sam's face and shoving him away. "Shut up, you sap," he complained, despite smiling widely and pleased. "Speaking of feelings..."

Sam groaned. "Don't start man, I've heard nothing."

"You never know, it's only day one of the October week" Jake assured his friend. "It's a small town. If he doesn't text first, you'll probably bump into him at one point."

Sam stayed silent, frowning at the ground. After his talk with Felix, his crush still hadn't asked him out. Even with the assurance that they were on the same page, it was unspoken that Felix had claimed the first move of progressing their relationship. Sam was left to wait.

At that moment his phone rang out with a distinct new message tone. The two boys froze.

"Is it...?"

Sam hurriedly pulled out his phone, dropping his board in his haste so it rolled down the street, causing Jake to go after it while Sam checked his phone.

"Is it him? Is it?" Jake asked, looking over his shoulders after picking up the forgotten board. "C'mon show me, what did he- Oh my God."

"He's- he's asked to meet me tomorrow morning," Sam uttered, voice breathless.

"Yesssss," Jake thumped him on the back, pulling him. "Go on, my son! Wait... morning?"

"Yeah, morn- wait morning!?" Sam reeled back to the text, but there it was, in small bold writing. Tomorrow morning.

"Well, there goes that vow of never getting up before 12 on the weekend or school holidays. You sure you're up for it?"

"We all make small sacrifices for love, Jake." Sam beamed.

Jake looked at his best friend, disgust written all over his face. "Never talk to me again."

Jake slammed the board into his friend's chest and walked away from Sam, leaving him to look dreamily to the sinking sun.

  ☠☠☠   

a/n: so i'm thinking I'm going to end our dear Freak in the next chapter. I was aiming for thirty, maybe get more in-depth with Felix and his relationship with his family and Oscar but it just didn't go that way story-wise and I'm running out of creative energy for this, which is when I choose to stop before I start despising my stories and you all start getting too frustrated with me.

This has been amazing to write and you have all been so supportive and lovely! Thank you all so much <3