BLACKOUT; JR [1]

7.4

Eventually, I found Sam sitting on one of the benches in the school grounds, looking gloomy. I sat down beside him, looking out at the crowded school yard. The chair was sat in front of everything, so you could sit and watch what was going on at the basketball court, around the side of the building and even all the way down the sports fields. Andy was sitting with Ellen and her friends on the oval, as promised. Jake looked like he was making friends, playing basketball with his old buddy Trent. Felix was inside somewhere, hopefully he was doing okay.

Then there was Sam.

"Hey." I said, seeming to snap him out of his thoughts. I tugged down on my dress, crossing my legs as Sam looked over at me.

"Hey." He replied in a mumbled voice, sending me a small smile, but his face hardened as soon as he looked away from me. He kept throwing disgusted glances toward Sammy and his buddies, who were bullying Mike. "Jerks." We said in unison. He looked at me and chuckled quietly then, but his face fell pretty quickly.

"Sam, look." I started, but he didn't budge. "I know this sucks, okay. This totally sucks. But we have each other." He picked his head up at my pressing words, my voice unnecessarily desperate. Then I giggled, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm kind of a loser, so if you're prepared to ruin your reputation, we can hang." I smiled, gesturing to myself, and I actually made him smile. Then Mia skipped by us, causing Sam to practically leap up from the chair. Before he walked away, he looked down at me and apologised for preparing to leave me on my own. I knew that the look he was sending me was him silently asking if he could go after her. "Aren't you gonna go get the girl?" I quipped, nodding toward Mia. She was walking rather briskly, and I wondered where she was going and why she was trying to get there so quickly. Sam shot me a wink before running after her. I watched the scene play out, and it didn't look like the universe was in Sam's corner. Mia kept trying to walk off when Sam approached her, but then Sam would stop her and they would say a few words to each other before the cycle repeated. He pulled a loose piece of paper out of his notebook and cautiously handed it to Mia. He didn't get to talk to her for very long before Sammy's friend noticed, and they all charged over there like it was some big deal. I quickly ran over to them, standing right next to Mia as her boyfriend approached. "Okay, let's not do this now." I said, mostly to Sam but he didn't seem to hear me. I pulled on the sleeve of his shirt, but he and Sammy were apparently in a staring contest, and Sam really didn't want to lose. I sent Mia an apologetic glance, something she reciprocated.

"Just back off." Sammy warned, seeing the sheet in Mia's hands and snatching it from her grasp. She looked offended, and I was offended for her.  

"Give it back to her." Sam snarled, looking genuinely pissed off. Sammy shoved Sam's chest as a response, and he smirked evilly. He shoved Sammy backward, and he stumbling into his friends as he dropped the paper.

"Fighting again? Are you serious?" Mia snapped, her narrowed eyes darting between them. "You're as bad as each other." She pushed past the group, shoving her boyfriend slightly as she stormed away. Sam tried to stop her, but any protests were immediately silenced by another push from an angry Sammy.

People started chanting at the boys to start fighting, and they obeyed. Sammy started throwing punches, and he missed Sam by a dangerous distance. My friend was really close to me, standing in front of me as he kicked at Sammy and his accomplices. When one of the boys threw a punch that was a little too close to my face, Sam shouted at them. Then I realised that he was protecting me. Students circled the squabbling boys, and I didn't know what to do. There was nothing I could do now. I felt a hand on my arm, then on my stomach, and then I was pushed backwards. I was worried that somebody was going to start fighting me, too, but then I saw Jake. "Get back! What are you doing?" He said, full of adrenaline. I didn't actually get to reply before he jumped into the fight, his attention on Sammy's friend instantly. As I looked into the crowd, my eyes met with Andy's. The look on his face was asking me for any answers, but nothing I said would matter. Ellen was beside him, holding her phone up. I was astonished to see she was literally filming the fight. Sam managed to escape one of his pursuers, scooping up the piece of paper and bolting away before anybody could drag him back. It was just Jake then, and I once again felt like I was going to vomit. Jake had Sammy by the collar of his school shirt, a dangerous look on his face.

"What is going on here?" Bates yelled, emerging from the large group of students. Everybody dispersed quickly at the sight of a teacher, and I stood off to the side, hoping to go unnoticed by Bates. 

Jake shoved Sammy away from him roughly. "Nothing." He hissed, his eyes tightening at the boy. 

"That kid's a thief!" Sammy cried, referring to our Sam. Bates waved a finger around, telling the boys to go to the Principal's office. "He broke into my house!" Sammy added, but the teacher didn't seem to be worrying about that right now. "He's a maniac!"

"I didn't do anything." Jake snapped at the teacher, looking absolutely outraged. 

"We do not condone fighting at this school, Jacob." Bates said, earning an eye roll from the blond boy. He didn't say anything else before retreating from the scene and walking toward the school office. Sammy followed him, keeping a good distance between the two of them.

I sulked to a bench seat near the outside lockers, sitting by myself for a while and getting lost in my own thoughts. I didn't even notice Sam beside me, not until he nudged my knee with his own.

"Hey." He said quietly, almost sounding sad. 

"Hey. Did you find her?" I asked him, referring to Mia. He nodded, but his face fell slightly. I remembered the paper, and during the fight I was close enough to see it was a drawing of Mia. It was really, really good. "Did she like the drawing?" I added, causing his eyes to brighten slightly.

"Yeah." He said simply, a tiny smile on his lips. 

"Nice work, kid." I muttered under my breath, nudging his knee, a silent congratulations. From the corner of my eye, I saw Andy round the corner. When he reached us, he slumped down beside Sam, out of breath. 

"Hey, brainy dude." Sam greeted, the both of us sending Andy a small smile.

Andy looked exhausted. "I never realised being popular was so stressful." He sighed, causing Sam to chew on his bottom lip. 

"Why is that?" He asked politely, chuckling to himself. 

"Being noticed all the time, girls hanging off my every word." Andy said, shaking his head as if he was glad for the peace and quiet. "I can feel my anxiety levels creeping up on me with every compliment." I laughed at that, and he rolled his eyes at me because of it. 

Sam stared at Andy for a few seconds without speaking, the sadness returning to his face. "Well, if it's any consolation, being un-popular sucks, too." 

"I saw Emma and Skye earlier." I stated, and both Sam and Andy's heads snapped toward me. A small smile broke out onto my lips at their excitement, and they beamed back at me. 

"Did you talk to them?" Sam asked, leaning forward in his seat. 

"Are they the same?" Andy's question followed shortly after, and I laughed again before nodding me head. 

"Exactly the same. You have no idea, it's crazy. Skye was singing, Emma was playing the piano." It was a huge relief for us to know somebody was the same as they are in our world. Sam smiled and sighed happily, while Andy grinned at the ground. 

"Oh, no!" Andy exclaimed, another sudden outburst. "I've let my popularity get in the way of my true mission!"

"Which is?" Sam questioned, eyebrow arched.

"Wormholes." Andy stated with a curt nod. "I'll see you both back in class!" He stood up then, racing into the building and toward the library.

Sam chuckled. "Once a nerd, always a nerd."