Teen Spirit.

『 nine: RATS AND SUPER RATS. 』

June took in the words. "I don't know what's going on with him, Lee." She said softly, her hands on the counter. "The way he is now ... who he hangs around with him. He's not our Sam."

"He's not really my anything anymore," Leah says.

June nods, again understanding. "I'm sorry."

Finally looking like herself, Leah reaches over and grabs June's hand in her warm one. "If you say you didn't know, then I believe you." Leah smiles weakly but her grip is softer. "I know you would tell me ... I don't know why I didn't think so. I've had some trouble trusting anything anyone says lately."

"I'm on your side," June proclaims, thinking about how Sam had been messing up too much. "He's not himself, I thought in time he'd get his act together but it's only seemed to get worse and worse.

Leah, seemingly satisfied, nodded. "I thought time would heal us, when he said he wanted to think about us and his excuse that it was all going too fast, I understood. But I don't understand how my cousin and he so easily found love, if you can even call it that, in that small amount of time."

June sighed, wondering what word she could use to describe Sam at the moment and decided that Audrey Hepburn's most iconic line would do this moment justice, "Some guys are rats— some are even super rats. Ugh, those are the worst."

"Trust me, I know." Leah replied. "The worst thing is that my dad is still okay with him? They're always together and the Elder's think Sam and his little boy shorts are the best thing to happen to the Rez."

"I thought it was only Jared?" June asked, frowning. "Sam's got more followers?"

"Paul Lahote." Leah relays. "Which is just as strange; I'm sure they've never spoken a word to each other before or when we were in school. Now, they're the best of buddies."

June taps her fingers on the table absentmindedly, "They're all jacked, too! They looked like they've taken steroids or something — it can't be they suddenly go to the gym because, I mean, we both know Sam doesn't work out."

Leah cracks a smile and she can see the painful edge it has to it. Wow, some men suck. "I'm starting to think I never really knew Sam, June." Leah tells her softly and June nods. "By the way, guess who I've been talking to lately?"

June shrugs, "No clue."

"Star Levinson."

June blinks. Star Levinson. Of course it rang a bell, it rang alarms, police sirens specifically. The Reservations resident bad girl who had the most fun giving her uncle a headache and the elders a reason to shake their head; Star was intrepid, she was too smart for her own good and June was pretty sure she'd end up ruling the world one day with her monotonous voice and the void threats she usually spewed at people. But most importantly, Star Levinson was known for her rebellious nature Reservation. Though looking at her, you'd might not believe it. But June knew how intense she could be, they had been friends since diapers, Star's own mother had been the one to get Daphne and Charlie together.

"Star?" June echoes, making Leah nod. "Oh, yeah she told me something about that. She felt really bad about, introducing you to Sam—"

"I told her she couldn't have known," Leah assured. "But she said it had been a while since y'all hung out, too?"

"Unfortunately, works been kicking my ass and cheer practice is every night," June frowned then smiled. "But I guess should we be starting our own jorts club too?"