"Everyone look!" Sam exclaimed with a snarky smirk on his face, and a finger pointed towards me. "If it isn't Sawyer, my best friend!" He slowly switched the finger to one that had far different connotations.

Millie sighed from beside me and lifted a finger of her own in return, while I stuck my tongue out at him. All Sam wanted was to get a rise out of me, and a laugh out of everyone else.

It was lunchtime and we were stood outside in the courtyard. The sun was shining happily, but my mood quickly plummeted once I saw him. It fell even further once he went out his way to talk to me.

"Why the hostility?" He continued to entice us.

I didn't respond, instead grabbing hold of my friend and heading back inside. I wasn't really in the mood for his bullshit today. Or any day, for that matter, but I usually just put up with it. I would be lying if I said that I didn't often return the sentiment as well. So much for spending time beneath the warm sun.

"You're so crabby today." Millie pouted.

I rolled my eyes at her. "I wouldn't be so crabby if you hadn't woken me up eighteen different times last night."

"It's not my fault we fell asleep on the couch, and I didn't intentionally steal the blanket." She retorted matter-of-factly.

"Even when you were conscious you stole the blanket. I got no sleep last night." I frowned.

"You sound like a whiny girl on her period."

I shut my mouth. I was not going to waste my time on this. Not to mention the fact that it was a topic that I could not speak on, so I was quickly backed into a corner.

The rest of the school day went by excruciatingly slow. It didn't help that I was so tired. When Millie finally drove me home and we bid our goodbyes, I was about ready to collapse.

I opened the front door and caught sight of my father sat lazily on the couch watching football. He didn't look away from the television when he automatically called over to me. "Did you join football today?"

I sighed and shook my head, despite the fact that he couldn't see it. I loved my father and all, but he always had this idea in his head that I needed to be a football player. I knew that he thought I was pathetic for being unmanly in his eyes, but he just didn't understand. Even if I was on the team, I would be benched one-hundred percent of the time due to how unfit I was. If you added the fact that Sam was the team captain, it was simply never ever going to happen.

Not that I really wanted it to. Football was Dad's thing, and I could respect that. However, it was not mine, and it never would be.

I entered the kitchen and practically threw my bag onto the counter. Mom tsked at me. "You don't need to be so dramatic."

"I very much do." I replied as I sifted through the fridge's contents.

Mom slapped my hand away from the door. "I'm making dinner, no eating!"

"I know, but I'm hungry." I told her with a pout.

She only ignored me and went back to preparing some vegetables as sides. Where Dad was traditionally masculine, Mom was as traditionally feminine as they came. She enjoyed wearing dresses and subtle makeup, along with doing her hair in elaborate ways. Everyday she worked at a local bakery, only to come home and cook for the family. When she wasn't doing either, she was cleaning. She was definitely the stereotype of a housewife, but that was what she enjoyed doing.

I never understood how she could enjoy any of those things, but she was happy so I didn't complain. And she often brought home freshly baked goods, which was a major plus.

Tuesday's were both of their off days. Meaning that it was my least favorite day of the week.

•O•O•

Wednesday came and went; Thursday followed closely behind. Both days weren't anything special. The only thing about either of them that stood out, was the lack of teasing I experienced in school. In fact, it wasn't just the lack of teasing, but the way in which Sam had shown up. There was a deep purple bruise along the right side of his jaw. The next day, there were scabs decorating his knuckles.

There had been times where Sam came to school with bruises or scrapes, but it was the first time in which no one knew why. Usually, it was from him and his friends messing around, a fight at a party, or even an accident whilst riding a motorcycle. That last one happened once, and it was very funny.

However, never once had he subdued our rivalry because of it.

When Friday rolled around, I expected for things to be back to normal. They weren't.

This time, Sam wasn't there at all. Millie and I joked a bit about the whole thing throughout the day, but I was still confused. I wasn't necessarily concerned about him, I was simply curious. Of course, he's allowed to not go to school — I was not his mom or anything. If it wasn't for those bruises, I wouldn't have wanted to know so badly.

I never realized just how often we spent trying to egg each other on until there was none of that left at all. Even some of his friends were gone.

Lunch ended banter free. Millie and I made it to our fifth period class, and in the first few minutes after the bell rang, low and behold, Sam came barging in. The teacher scolded him, but he didn't say anything, his gaze instead focused on the ground. He didn't look as put together as he normally did.

I had never been more confused.

•O•O•

"You complain about me!" Millie grumbled from behind me.

I turned and looked at her with askance. "You're the one who wanted another movie night. I didn't even want this."

"I'm bored though! It's your turn to pick the movie!" She said whilst throwing a tantrum.

"I have no desire to watch something, and you won't like anything I pick anyway." I pointed out, knowing her way too well. She was indecisive when it was her turn to pick something, and against everything when it was mine.

Suddenly, she sat up, seemingly forgetting her tantrum entirely. I furrowed my brow at the sudden change in mood. "I'm hungry." Was all she said.

"Okay... so go get some food?" I said slowly.

"No, no." Millie wagged her finger. "If you don't want to watch something and you won't let me pick the movie, then let's do something else." The part about me not letting her pick something was a blatant lie, but I let it slide.

"Like what?" I asked, standing up from where I was sat on her basement floor.

"Let's go to the diner." Millie smiled sweetly. I swore that her mood swings were getting the better of her.

"It's nine at night." I rationalized, even though it really wasn't that late. I just liked arguing.

But Millie didn't seem to care, already climbing up the stairs. I sighed and looked down at the mess of movies we had made. Millie had one of the largest movie collections I had ever seen, but she only ever watched the same ones on repeat. She reminded me a bit of a little kid in that regard.

I exited the basement and went out of the front door to where her parents' car was. Thankfully, they never seemed to care about us using it. They didn't behave much like proper parents, usually allowing Millie to do whatever she wished.

I climbed into the passenger seat and Millie pulled out of the driveway. On the way, we listened to a few songs on the radio, not making much conversation. We didn't need to since we had known each other for so long.

There it was. Jack of Clubs, only the greatest small town diner to have ever existed. Or that may just be the sentiment talking. The massive neon-teal sign reflected against the windshield in faint memories of old, better days.

We climbed out and took note of the near-empty parking lot before going inside. Every time we went, we always sat in the same window booth. Not for any real reason other than the fact that it was always empty when we went.

I ordered a burger with a side of fries, Millie deciding upon ordering the same. During the time it took for our food to be placed before us, Millie and I had laughed to the point of our cheeks hurting. One of my favorite things about her was how easy it was to laugh with her. She could be a little bit moody, but so could I. It was something that we bonded over, and it made it easier to relate to one another.

In the middle of one of my sentences, Millie held up a hand and pointed at something through the window. I turned and peered through it.

Four cars were hastily pulling into the near-empty parking lot, quite a few people jumping out of them the instant that they began to slow to a stop. The first person out of one of the cars, was none other than Sam. I hadn't even noticed that was his car until I saw his face.

His blonde hair was messy, and it didn't look like he did that on purpose this time. The combination of streetlights and the neon sign caused for an eerie glow to be cast upon his suntanned skin. Something about the vibe I was receiving caused for a shiver to run down my spine. There was something weird going on.

After Sam was out of one of the cars, Dennis, Caden, and Brian following closely behind — all of which were Sam's closest friends. By now, I completely forgot what I was talking about, or even the fact that Mille was there too. All of my attention was transfixed on this encounter.

Then, a tall man got out of one of the other cars, and even though I couldn't see too much of him based off of the lighting and distance, I could tell that he was extremely muscular. His sharp features were shadowed by the darkness. Something about the way he was carrying himself set me off. A few more guys got out of the final car, all of which were clearly with him.

Sam's mouth moved as I guessed he was yelling something over to them. The man seemed to have yelled something back based off of their expressions. I sat and watched intently as they continued whatever their conversation was for what felt like forever, but was probably only a few seconds.

Then the man got a lot closer to Sam, and for a moment, I thought that he might even hit him. My heart skipped a beat as my eyes widened. But then he didn't. Instead, he grabbed hold of the front of Sam's shirt and pulled him towards his face menacingly. I watched as he hissed something through gritted teeth.

Now, Sam was a strong guy. At first glance he seemed mediocre at best, but I had seen him in fights before. That guy could easily kill a man if he really wanted to. Whatever he lacked in the muscle department, he made up for with his height. He was at least four inches taller than I was. Yet, something about the way he was reacting to this mystery man told me that this wasn't about some stupid fight. There was something much deeper behind this.

What the hell did he get himself into?

After a second where it felt like everyone watching was holding their breath, wondering if the man was going to do more than just hold onto his shirt, he let go of Sam roughly and stalked off back over to his car. Sam staggered back a few steps as to keep from falling.

The other unrecognizable guys followed suit. After climbing into the cars, and one particularly creepy van, they drove off.

My eyes immediately darted back towards where Sam had been left. Now I could see him gazing at his friends, who all seemed to be taking things in their own way.

Dennis appeared very concerned, but wasn't saying anything. Caden was yelling at Sam about whatever just happened, with a look of utter panic on his face. Brian remained emotionless and quiet just as he usually was. At this point, I couldn't believe what I had witnessed. In fact, I didn't even know what it was that I had witnessed! All I knew was that it was serious.

After a few more moments of watching Caden yell at Sam, Brian stepped forward and said something to Caden. Even though he looked reluctant, he said one last thing, but in a more calm manner, and followed Brian back to the car that they had climbed out of.

Dennis stuck behind for a little bit, just talking to Sam about something. Never before had I seen him seem so serious. Dennis was usually reckless and carefree no matter what was happening. He was known for his ability to party, but not a trace of that part of him seemed to be left in that moment. Eventually, he got into the same car that the other guys had, and they drove all off, leaving Sam standing there.

I couldn't stop myself from staring at him. The lighting added a lonesome feel to the boy in the darkness and distance. I didn't know if it was because he wasn't distracted anymore, but he must have finally felt my gaze on him, since he turned and glanced in my direction.

I froze, not really knowing if I should look away, hold his gaze, or just glare at him like I usually did. Looking away felt pointless, since he already knew that I had been watching him, and glaring felt inappropriate based off of the little bit of information I knew. So, I opted for holding his gaze.

But it was only for a moment, because he soon began walking towards the door of the diner anyway. I felt my heart jump. What was he going to say to me? What did I even see? I had never been scared of Sam before, but he looked damn serious right then. What if he was involved with some seriously bad people? Would he hurt me?

When I went to look towards the door, I had to look over Millie. I forgot that she was even there. "What the hell was tha..."

I trailed off at the sight of him. I could see him before, but only from a distance and under shitty lighting — and even then, it was only his profile. Now that he was closer, I could see what happened to his right eye.

There was a deep grotesque bruise that appeared as if it aged like the trashiest wine ever created. It was outlined in gruesome reds and filled in with all shades of purple, blue, yellow, and even black. I shuddered at the pain he must have felt when receiving it. Hell, the pain he probably still felt.

"Um, Millie..." I whispered in an attempt to warn her that he was headed our way.

"What the fuck is going on?" She hissed back, clearly every bit as put off as I was.

I couldn't respond though, since Sam was fast approaching. Not that it really mattered, because I didn't even have a clue as to what was going on either. Her guess was as good as mine, and mine was not even remotely accurate.

Once Sam stood directly in front of the both of us, the purple swirls beneath his eye became even more apparent and bold. I forced my gaze away from it and looked at his left eye instead. I couldn't stop thinking about how much it must have hurt.

"How long were you guys watching?" He asked without hesitation. I glanced at Millie, who did the same to me. The question of what we should answer with was floating like a fog in the air. Sam sighed and allowed his posture to sag slightly. "I take it you saw the whole thing?"

"Yeah." Millie mumbled.

But Sam wasn't looking at her, he was looking at me. His right eye looked unfocused, and his canine tooth dug a hole deep enough within his lip for a speck of blood to bloom in its place. I didn't like the intensity of his eyes. "Sawyer, you aren't going to..?"

I furrowed my brow as his voice began to trail off. But then I realized that he wasn't looking at me anymore, instead focused intently on something outside of the window. Quickly, I whipped my head around to see what it was. I gulped at the sight of one of the cars returning.

"Fuck." He said under his breath, before going back towards the door.

I looked at Millie. She shook her head at me, knowing exactly what my expression meant. I could tell that this was bigger than Sam, and I knew that it would be bigger than me too. But he couldn't just go out there alone. If they already gave him such a gnarly black eye, then they could do a hell of a lot more. I ignored her, standing up from my seat. Millie called to me a few times, but I didn't listen to her and simply made my way out of there.

As I pulled it open, I heard a deep, gravely voice. "Do you think that this is funny?"

I saw Sam stood in front of the tall man again. An expression of anger capturing both of their faces, but Sam's was more careful with his. I could tell that it was calculated.

"No, of course I don't." Sam looked wary. I didn't know the meaning behind the conversation, but I could tell that he was unsure and confused.

"I'm cutting the time in half." The man growled and stepped closer to Sam.

"What the hell? Why?" Sam held up his hands in an attempt to calm him down.

But the man didn't seem to like it that much, coming to the conclusion that it wasn't the right answer. How could I tell, one might ask? By the way that his fist met Sam's jaw in a flurry of rage. I jumped at the sudden action, feeling the urge to turn and run away.

Yet, I didn't. I couldn't. Whatever I was witnessing was messed up on a level that I probably wouldn't ever truly understand, and I couldn't let that happen without at least trying to help. Especially not after the deafening sound of the blow that he landed to Sam's face. So instead of being a pansy, I went towards them.

Just before Sam took another fist to the face, I grabbed hold of his shoulders and pulled him out of range. We stumbled slightly before the man seemed to fully comprehend what happened.

Sam appeared as though he had a few choice words for me, his eyes reflecting a mixture of anger, regret, and something else that I couldn't quite place. But he was abruptly cut off by the man before he could get to actually saying any of them. "Who the hell is this?"

The blonde haired boy dropped the look on his face and stood with a shoulder in front of me. "No one."

It felt weird to be protected by someone that I had always hated. I came out there to help him though, so then I just felt stupid for already failing miserably.

Wait... had Sam always been that much taller than me?

But the man didn't appreciate that answer, slowly beginning to fume. "What does he know? You weren't supposed to tell anyone!"

"I didn't tell him anything." Sam continued in a shockingly calm manner. I, on the other hand, was trying hard to suppress the severity of the situation and act like it didn't bother me either. Thankfully, it seemed to be working. On the outside, anyway.

"How the hell would I know that!" And without a moment of hesitation, he stormed towards us and reached around Sam. The instant that his hand gripped my shirt, I knew that I was fucked.

He grabbed hold of me and lifted me towards his face, which seemed like a signature move from the guy since that was the second time he did that within the brief amount of time that I knew of his existence. I held a blank expression to the best of my ability as I felt my feet nearly lift off of the concrete.

"I don't know what you know, but I'm not letting it slide." He growled through his teeth yellowed teeth. It was starting to get increasingly difficult to breathe. "So from now on, we're going to be fucking watching you."

At the same time, I felt hands on the back of my shirt, attempting to pull me from his grip. That was when I was released. I nearly fell back into Sam, but I thankfully caught myself in time. As soon as my feet were firmly back on the ground, I mentally scolded myself for being so compulsive.

The man looked Sam up and down one last time before entering his car just like he had not too long ago.

Then it was just me and Sam in the parking lot.

•O•O•