I circled the tree, looking for somewhere to put my new ornament. I found the perfect spot and frowned at it. It was too high for me to reach.
Sam stood in front of me and motioned for me to get on his back. I grinned and jumped on him, reaching up and putting the last decoration on the tree.
"Happy with it there?" Sam asked underneath me.
"Yep."
"Good," he mumbled, before dumping me on the couch. He gave me a quick peck on the lips and pulled me up. "You wanna go over Becci's?"
"Again?"
He chuckled. "Yeah. You look like you need a distraction."
I nodded my head sadly. "Yeah, I do."
"Go get changed, we'll go in half an hour, yeah?"
"Okay," I mumbled, heading upstairs.
I dressed in my favourite jeans and a tank top. I stared at Jack's Uni hoodie for what felt like hours before I yanked it over my head, inhaling his faint scent that still lingered on the inside of the hood. I tied my hair into a messy plait which hung over my left shoulder and ran back downstairs into the kitchen.
Sam and Jake were eating sandwhiches at the table and I pouted at them.
"Where's mine?"
Sam rolled his eyes and gestured to the plate next to him. I smiled and sat down between them, picking up the sandwhich. Ham and cheese. My favourite.
They both shot me worried glances.
"I'm fine," I mumbled.
Jake frowned and took my hand. "You know you don't have to be right?"
I snatched it away, frowning back at him. "I want to be."
"But you bottle it all up; it's obviously not good for you. You end up breaking down like you did earlier," he told me.
'"So?"
"So?! I'm sorry, are we even on the same page here? Do you not remember what happened a few weeks ago? You missed your parents and you bottled it up and one little trigger sent you flying over the edge... You tried to kill yourself!" He snapped.
"That's what you think? As my best friend, you still believe I rired to kill myself after all the times I've tried to explain?" I asked, noticing how small and sad my voice sounded.
He ran his hand down his face, sighing.
"I'm going, you coming?" I asked Sam.
He nodded and patted Jake on the shoulder as we left.
"Chez, come on!" Jake yelled from the door as we got into the car.
"You know, I never thought you'd be this cool. I always figured you'd be all depressed, you know?" Lucy ased as we played scrabble.
I blinked at her. "Huh?"
"Well, Sam said you lost your family," Emma murmured.
"But you're so bubbly and cute," Lucy grinned.
I smiled at them weakly, getting up.
"Hey Cher," Sam said, smirking as I approached him.
I sat down on his lap, folding my arms over my chest and he raised an eyebrow at me expectantly.
"You told them," I said accusingly.
He tangled his fingers through the hair on either side of my head and pulled my face towards his, softly kissing me.
"Sam."
"What?" He mumbled.
"Stop it."
He sighed and pulled his lips from mine, but kept my face right in front of his. He pressed his forehead against mine and looked at me almost pleadingly.
"I didn't think you'd ever really meet them. I swear I didn't tell them everything, just who you were and stuff," he promised.
"I know you didn't tell them everything; you don't even know half of it," I mumbled, feeling tears sting at my eyes as I thought about Conner.
"Hey, com'ere," he whispered, pulling me tighter to him. I rested my head on his shoulder, trying to hold back the tears. I was fed up of crying all the time; I just wanted to be happy again.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled into his shirt.
He rubbed my back soothingly. "Don't be so silly. You've been through Hell, you're allowed to cry."
"But you don't know about Conner," I sniffed.
He stiffened slightly. "Who's Conner?"
"I can't tell you. Your friends will hear."
He frowned and stood up with me still in his arms. "Your spare room's still spare, right?" He asked Becci.
She nodded stiffly and he carried me up the stairs.
"Put me down," I protested, weakly, might I add.
"Okay." He dumped me onto a large, soft bed in the middle of the room we'd just entered. I scrambled backwards so I was sat agaisnt the headboard with him sat, cross-legged in front of me. He took my hands in his. "Talk to me," he said.
"When I was in Boarding schol, I had this friend called Conner and I was in love with him," he satrted.
Sam frowned, his forehead scrunching up cutely. he looked liek a kid who had just had his candy taken away from him. "Were you going out?"
"No, I never told me. Nick had been telling me for ages to tell him, and I finally got up the courage to tell him, only I didn't have time before he..." I trailed off, taking a deep breath.
"He what?" Sam asked curiously.
I dropped my gaze. "He died. He had cancer, but he didn't tell us."
Sam's Point of View
Cherry looked so vulnerable, so hurt as she said that it broke my heart. I reached over the space between us and pulled her into my arms.
"You okay?" I asked warily.
"I'm fine," she mumbled.
I lifted her slightly so she was sat in my lap, and she wrapped her arms around my neck and smiled at me.
I smirked back at her. "You want me to distract you?" I offered.
Cherry bit her lip, but nodded her head. I pushed her down so she was lying on the bed underneath me with her hands pinned above her head. She giggled as I pressed my lips agaisnt hers roughly. I ran my tongue over her bottom lip and she opened her mouth eagerly, which made me chuckle unde rmy breath as I slid my tongue into her hot mouth. I could still taste the strawberries she'd eaten with Becci earlier and she sighed under my kiss happily. She moved her hands slowly up my chest, removing my t-shirt as she did. Her fingertips traced every inch of my torso, making me shiver at the shocks which errupted wherever she touched me.
The door flew open and a very irritated looking Mr Bramley, Becci's Dad, stood there. "Sammy, get off your new plaything," he muttered.
"She's not my plaything!" I protested, but slid off of Cherry anyway.
"Suuure she's not,"he teased.
"This is Cherry and I adore her, so shut up," I muttered.
He ruffled my hair. "You adore her? That's cute, kid."
"You're so annoying."
"Sam?" Cherry asked, still sat on the bed.
"Yeah sweetie?"
"Who's that?"
"Becci's Dad. He's not around much; he's a talent scout," I explained, motioning for her to come over.
"Oh. Nice to meet you," she said, standing incredibly close to me. I slipped an arm around her shoulder and she buried her head into my chest.
"Umm, is she okay?" Mr Bramley aksed.
"I don't think so," I mumbled.
"Is she gonna cry? God I hate it when girls cry, it makes me feel so helpless!" He cried, flinging a hand over his eyes dramatically.
Cherry watched him, giggling like a child as he slowly moved one finger aside to check she wasn't crying.
"You know what I think you need?"
"What?"
"Mary's hot chocolate, a pint of Ben and Jerry's and one of the Twilight movies," I told her confidently.
She smiled sadly. "Yeah, that sounds nice."
"Is that the Cherry? The one who's parents passed away?" Mr Bramley whispered as I walked past.
I nodded silently, not wanting Cher to hear.
He clapped my shoulder. "Be careful with her, son. Look after her."