Sammie's Choice: Part 2

I woke up monday morning with a splitting headache. Groaning, I ran out of my icy room and into the bathroom to find something to relieve it. I took two headache relief tablets and growled loudly. This was by far the worst I had ever felt, I was seriously tempted to ask my parents for a day off, but days off weren't going to get me a good education. I walked back into my room and ripped open the curtains, the sun had barely come up and the land beyond my garden was drowned in shadow. I opened my wardrobe and pulled out my navy blue uniform. Whilst getting dressed my head was spinning, I took deep breaths and tried not to focus on the throbbing pain in the side of my head.

There was a light knock on the door. "Sammie? Can I come in?" I heard my dad ask outside the door. "Yep!" I called putting my plain white polo on. My father opened the door in his suit, skillfully doing up his tie. "Your mum is making pancakes, do you want any? Also how are you feeling, any more bad dreams?" he questioned leaning against the wall next to my bedroom light. "Uhh...Yes please, and no i'm perfectly fine" I Iied, trying to keep my voice even. I didn't want him to know how ill I was feeling, he would only worry more than needed. Once my dad had left the room I descided to head out on to my balcony. Pulling open the door, I looked all around. I noticed the sun had come up, but was hidden by thick grey clouds. Today would not be a bright day. I walked outside, my bare feet getting damp from the rain the night before. I searched for something else mysteriously placed outside my bedroom window but found nothing. My mum called me for breakfast, and I hurried back inside and continued preparing for high school...

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I sat on the steps leading to the second floor of the Science block on my own eating my jam sandwitches. The clouds had finally broken and the pouring rain hammered fiercely on the windows. But today was like every other day at school for me. I would normally sit here at break and at lunch on my own because no one was ever here, apart from a member of staff who was never bothered by my presence. Infact the teachers of the science department would often look out for me and give me a friendly nod or say hello because I had been spending my lunchtimes there since I was boy. On days where it rained most of the other kids would stay in the canteen, go down to the gym or spend their time sitting down the maths coridoor because that's where everyone seemed to go when the weather was crap. I was glad no one really came down here because it was nice to eat lunch by myself and maybe get a few more pages of my book read. I noticed it was quiet, almost too quiet.

No one was in the department, but I could normally hear the noise of others in the distance, or the ticking of the clocks in each classroom. It had never been in complete and utter silence like it was now. The air felt eery, it was as if time had stopped dead but I was still moving. I opened my chocolate bar and started eating again when I heard the sound of a door creeking open. As exspected a door a little way down the coridoor was slowing opening. I glared at it, like i'd never seen a door opening in my life, I was waiting, praying that a teacher was going to push the door and casually walk out but that never happened. I felt eyes on me though, like something had come out of the room and was staring at me. I could somehow sense it getting closer except I couldn't see it. I took a deep breath ready to scream incase something attacked me when a tall, slim guy walked quickly round the corner. The feeling I had before had almost gone. Whatever it was wasn't advancing towards me anymore. But that feeling was replaced by shyness and complete embarrassment.

The boy confidently strutting towards me down the long coridoor was a guy named Seth Brown. I was suprised to see him and about the fact someone even came down here when there weren't lessons on. I looked down into my lap but out the corner of my eye I was watching him. Seth was one of the extremely popular boys. He had a great body (this I knew from sports lessons), it wasn't too bulky or muscled. He just had a six pac and nice tonned arms, which meant unlike many of his male friend's he didn't work out. I guess the sport lessons and odd football matches he showed up to did his body enough justice. He had chocolate eyes and light brown hair, a pointy nose and straight, white teeth. I knew that he was pretty well of, not super rich but his parents were wealthy enough to afford all the good things in life. I kept my eyes glued down. 'Nobodys' like me didn't even dare look at Seth.

He was the kind of boy that you NEVER spoke to unless he spoke to you first, and if he didn't? Well tough luck, you obviously weren't worthy of his time. Another thing that amazed me about Seth was at fourteen he came out as gay. Not first telling his closest friends or favourite teachers, not coming out as bisexual first to check that everyone was cool with it like I had heard some people do. He just annouced it in one of his classes one day and that was that. No one seemed to care at all, and even if they did everyone was still up his arse. I had heard a lot of gossip about the gay night clubs he went to every weekend, (able to get in as he looked much older than sixteen) and the guys he made out and even sometimes slept with. Still, all the other popular kids, both guys and girls remained suck ups to him. Even his seemingly homophobic friends who would often make crude jokes about gay people seemed to support him. I found the whole ordeal extremely fake. I often wondered if someone who didn't have the looks, the money and the body would have such luck coming out. I was pretty convinced the answer was no.

Nevertheless he was the boy I wanted to be but never could. His footsteps stopped and I realised he was standing right infront of me. Still sat on the stairs, staring hard at my knees I probally looked like a complete freak.
"Hey?" I heard his deep rough voice say loudly above me.
"Oh...Hi..." I squeeked looking up at him, my cheeks flushing almost as red as my hair.
"What are you doing down here on your own Sammie?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Just eating lunch...How comes your down here? And how do you know my name?" I stuttered. I felt so stupid. What was I thinking? No one questioned Seth Brown ever.
"Needed to find somewhere to smoke without a fucking teacher catching me. Their patrolling the place, I wasn't even allowed outside!" he laughed and sat down next to me.
"Oh right..." I said, almost in a nervous wisper.
"And why wouldn't I know your name? I know everyone's name" he said looking straight into my eyes. I smiled back, shocked that he even knew of my existance. I don't even think we'd ever made eye contact or if his head had even turned in my direction before. But i'm glad he knew my name and was able to identify me as an individual in the school.

"So why are you on your own?" he asked again.
"I have no friends to sit with" I blurted out. Good one Sammie, I thought.
"Oh...Well we can be friend's" he said, giving me one of his dazzling smiles.
"You already have friends...And I doubt they'd approve of me" I whispered, but my heart was beating quickly. Did Seth Brown just say that he wanted to be friends with me?
"I don't have friends. Not real ones anyway. I have friend's who see what's on the outside, but not the real me. You could be my real friend Sammie."
"Yes but were so different and we don't really know eacho-"
"We can be friends Sammie" he said firmly.
"Okay..." I said quietly. I just agreed with him, it wasn't as if I had much choice. Of course I wanted to be friends with Seth, everyone did. I just wasn't sure it would work, we seemed on two totally different pages.
"So cool!" he said brightly and threw his arms round me into a tight hug, "Were going to be great friends Sammie, I can tell!"

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Seth and I had started our friendship on monday and it was now saturday evening. We had learned a lot about eachother and I enjoyed the time we spent together. I first thought he'd keep our friendship private and that he'd be embarrassed of hanging round with a loner like me. But he wasn't. He would sit with me in plain sight of everyone else and I would even sit with his 'friends' at lunch. They would be nice and chatty with me when Seth was around but if they saw me on my own they would glare at me or completely ignore me. Like I said before, the whole ordeal was extremely fake. In the past six days I learned that Seth was a very good singer and a very talented artist. I had been over to his house on thursday and was blown away by all the paintings displayed around the house. I was even more shocked when I read his name at the bottom. I discovered his beautiful singing voice when we were cooking dinner together in his kitchen and he absent-mindedly started singing. It was sad he didn't use his talents, they could get him extremely far... And now I was sitting on my bed waiting for him to come over. I had bought salt popcorn (Seth's favourite) and a few films that we could perhaps watch.

My parents would be out for most of the night so we could have the house to ourselves for a while. Five minutes later there was a loud knock on the door. I ran downstairs and opened it exspecting Seth to be on the other side but there was no one there. I took a few steps outside, it was already pretty dark. "Hello?" I called and looked around my front garden but no one was in sight. I sighed and shut the door and turned to make my way back upstairs when there was another loud knock on the front door. Three, quick knocks like before. I marched back over to the door and slowly pulled it open. Once again no one was outside. Seeing this I went back inside and slammed the door shut. I knew it was probally a bunch of kids fooling around but I would of heard them run off I thought. I didn't go upstairs, instead waited right behind the door.

Three quick knocks came again and I flung the door open hard and fast. I ran out into my front garden and checked behind the wall and peered down my road. Still there was no one in sight. I walked back into my house, mad as hell. Why were a bunch of kids targeting my house? Normally when they played this game they'd never knock on the same house twice. I stood with my back against the door until more loud knocking came. I yanked open the door ready to scream at whoever was outside when I came face to face with Seth and his dazzling smile. I actually jumped when I saw him standing there even though he was the person I was exspecting in the first place.

"Hey! What's up you look really stressed out?" He giggled strolling past me into the house and kicking off his shoes.
"No i'm fine...Hey didn't you see any kids running away from this street on your way up here?" I asked.
"No, why?" he said over his shoulder as he began exploring my house.
"Nothing..." I said quietly as a lump formed at the back of my throat. I hoped Seth liked my house as much as I liked his. Our homes were pretty much the same size, I think he had one more bedroom than I had but then again he had a step-brother and sister, so unlike my place, the house was used by many more people.

"Hey can I get a drink?" he asked already walking over to my fridge, he bent over to the bottom shelf. His jeans and boxer shorts were both a little low so I saw the crack of his arse. There was a soft looking tuft of dark brown hair at the top but apart from that it looked silky smooth. I blushed when I realised I was checking out another boys butt and focused my eyes on the back of his head. "Can I have a can of Sprite?" he said. However he was already taking one out the fridge which meant my response wasn't really valued to him.
"Sure, get me one out too" I said and sat down on a kitchen stool. Seth chucked a freezing cold can of Sprite in my direction, luckily I caught it and saved myself from looking like a complete idiot.

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It was now coming up to midnight. We were watching repeat episodes of X-factor and laughing at all the rubbish people who thought they were talented. Even though we'd just mooched around, talking and watching films I still could not remember the last time I had ever had so much fun with another person. We still had the house to ourselves, normally when my parents went out on a saturday night they did not come back till after 2am so all was well and good. There was a strange rattling noise and I soon realised it was Seth's teeth chattering. He was on the floor next to my bed and the blanket I had given him was no where as thick as my duvet. I listened to him shiver in the darkness and I felt guilty.

"Seth? Do you wanna come up here?" I said quietly, scared he'd think I was seriously weird.
"Sure, your fucking room is unaturally cold mate. Even at this time of year!" he said back and like a rocket he was in bed next to me. We wrapped the blanket around eachother and snuggled close. I grabbed the remote and switched off the TV. His warm firm leg touched my own and it was then I realised we were only in underwear and vests. I lay extremely still but it didn't seem the phase Seth in the slightest. I soon remembered that he'd slept with guys before. I finally relaxed and cuddled into his body. He was so warm and his skin was coated with soft hairs that I did not seem to have. Our faces were inches away from eachother and I could feel his breath on my cheek. It smelt of ciggarette smoke and mint, which I found suprisingly nice and comforting.

"It's so nice having a friend..." I whispered softly. I felt his body shake as he giggled silently. Suddenly I felt his small lips brush against my own. I jumped at the feel of the very soft but shocking kiss. I moved my head away from his and I heard him laugh quietly.
"Why can't I kiss you?" he questioned, however luckily there wasn't a hint of anger in his voice.

"Because were not in a relationship!" I stuttered, still frightened that Seth Brown had kissed me. It was something that a lot of girls and guys at my high school dreamed of, including me. But now that it had happened it scared me and I realised it wasn't what I wanted.
"When was your last relationship?" he said. My eyes had adjusted to the dark and I was able to see the outline of his body. He had moved slightly away from me and had propped his head up with his arm. He was looking at me and I was pleased he understood that I just wanted to be friends.

"Never" I said shamefully, once again I heard him laugh.
"So...No kissing, ever?" he asked.
"None" I mumbled, shaking my head, even though I doubt he could see it.
"Sex is out of the question i'm guessing?!" he laughed and nudged me.
"I'm no where near ready to have sex yet..."
"Your eighteen? Legal age? Of course your ready!"

"No I mean emotionally ready. I haven't met the right person yet either."
"The right person?" Seth scoffed, as if he'd never heard the term before.
"Yes, someone I love and trust. Someone who loves and trusts me."
"You don't need them to have sex Sam? I didn't meet the...umm, 'right person' when I lost my virginity" he muttered.
"One day you'll meet someone you wished you saved it for..." I said under my breath more than to him but he still heard it. There was an awkward silence. I could of kicked myself! I probally just fucked up the one friendship I had ever had! But then suprisingly I heard Seth say "Maybe..." very quietly, quieter than we'd been talking before.
"Goodnight Sammie!" he said and kissed me on the nose. I smiled through the darkness, "Night Seth!"

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I was woken three hours later by my mother's screaming. "SAMMIE! GET DOWN HERE NOW!" I heard my father boom up the stairs. I scrambled out of bed and threw some tracksuit bottoms on. Seth, obviously woken up by all the screaming, practically fell out of bed and fallowed suit, yanking up his jeans he fallowed me quickly to the door. I ran downstairs and into the living room. I couldn't believe what saw. The front room was completetly trashed. Everything but the television and sofas were completely wrecked. Picture frames had all been smashed, however the photos inside were ripped to shreads too. The curtains had been torn off the rails, the lamps all around the room were shattered and their shades looked as if they had been burnt. A few Dvds had been removed from their cases, snapped in half and flung across the room. There was also a large, round burn mark in the middle of the rug my aunt bought back from Turkey, the same shape and size of a car tyre. I looked over at both of my parents, my dad was standing there looking at me, my mother was sitting on the couch with her face in her hands.

"Holy shit!" Seth said loudly as he walked in behind me.
"Did you two do this?" my dad said sternly.
"Dad no! Why would I do anything like this?!" I cried. I felt tears welling up over the destroyed family room, but I refused to cry infront of Seth.
"Surely you must of heard someone destroying the place like this?" my mum groaned, removing her hands from her face.
"No we've been asleep for quite a while..."

"I woke up an hour after we fell asleep and I heard some noises but...it wasn't the kind of noise where someone would of broken in and destroyed your home..." I heard Seth say from behind me.
"What kind of noises?" My dad said a little calmer than before.
"Like...Talking? Light banging, footsteps...More than two voices. I just thought maybe you'd bought some friends back for an after party drink or something" he replied, smiling to try and ease the tension.
"Hunny go get the phone and call the police" My dad said over his shoulder to my mum.

"I'm sorry...I honestly thought it was you guys so I just went back to sleep..." Seth said with some regret in his voice.
"It's okay, you don't live here, so I wouldn't of exspected you to know any better" my dad said back to him, trying to smile.

"I'm really sorry about this Seth..." I mumbled. We were sitting in the kitchen with our mugs of hot chocolate while police investigated the whole house.

"Don't worry about it, shit happens" he shrugged, smiling at me. We sat there for a few more minutes deep in thought when my parents came into the living room with about four or five police officers. "You may all want to sit down" a police woman said as she took off her hat. We all made ourselves comfortable and braced ourselves for the oncoming news. She looked each of us straight in the eyes, then began, "We've checked for smashed windows, open doors, chances that someone could of attempted to force a window out of it's frame, but we haven't found a thing. All fingers prints on door handles belong to the members of this family as do all the finger prints on the broken items. There's no sign anyones come in or left. And you said nothing seems to have been taken" she said glancing at my parents. We all looked at eachother in shock.

"Wha- How can someone of broken into the house without leaving any traces it doesn't make sense!" I yelled in disbelief.
"We know of vandalists, who break into a home or a school, they don't take anything they just destroy things because they get some sort of thrill out of it. That's why people smash windows and spray paint. Because it gives them a high. What we have here are vandalists. They may of simply entered and left the house with special equipment so that their finger prints and DNA wouldn't be detected. I don't know who would go that far buying special technology and planning it all out just to destroy a few pictures and lamps but I guess some people get a rush out of being criminals. That's the one and only explanation for what's happened here" a male policeman chimed in. It all then trailed off into complicated home security discussion.

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It was around 9pm on sunday night. I was extremely tired as obviously I didn't get any sleep the night before. My phone buzzed and I pressed the middle button. It was a message from Seth: Hey, is everything ok? I had a great time last night even though all that bullshit happened to ya, real sorry about it all mate. Hopefully when things are all cleared up we can hang out again, say next weekend? See you tomorrow!xxxx. I smiled as I replied to his text. I loved the way he was extremely bright and confident despite the troubles of last night. He had been very supportive and understood completely as to why I was freaked out about it all. I was also pleased that the bad event had not put him off me.

I changed into my pajamas and padded bare foot towards the bathroom which was opposite my parents room. I walked in and started brushing my teeth. Once I was done I ran the hot tap and grabbed a flannel. I soaked the flannel then started ringing it out. I applied it to my face and washed all over. I opened my eyes and looked into the mirror. There were two people in the mirror, a young man and woman...they were hanging, by ropes around their necks from the shower rail, faces white, eyes bulging open, dead. I leapt out of my skin and spun round but there was nothing behind me. I turned round to look back in the mirror, nothing was there. I sighed and switched off the tap. I took a few deep breaths and flicked off the light. I walked back into the hall way where I heard my mother sobbing and my dad's quiet, comforting whispers.

"Why has this happened?" she cried.
"Listen, the police explained everything that has happened. They said it most likely wouldn't happened again. Besides, were getting a whole new security system installed on the house. Everything is going to be alright" my father mumbled.
"There's something else too...Something I didn't mention when the police were here..." my mum said slowly. There was nothing said for a while until my mum started talking again, "That photo of Sammie we took the first day we moved into this house was gone...It was the only thing missing..." I bit my lip and pressed my ear closer against the door.

"Are you sure it wasn't torn up? Under the sofa, put back in the wrong place?"
"It's my favourite picture of him Nick. I'd recognize it if it was torn up into a million pieces. I've spent all day looking for it. And I spent the night before trying to find it too. No other photos are gone though, their just broken like everything else."
"I think it's probally just lost..." my father said in his most convincing voice.
"For God sake listen to me! It was gone, I loved that picture to death! It's my favourite one of him when he was a kid. The frame was still there, it was the only frame that wasn't broken, it was as if someone just took the picture out then left it!"
"And why didn't you say anything to the police?"

"Because Sammie was there!" I heard her hiss quietly.
"So?"
"So how would you feel if someone 'broke in', left no traces, no finger prints on anything even though it was obvious they touched things. And the only thing they took was a photograph of you? I'm not putting our little boy through that!" she sobbed. I gasped and backed away from the door. More frightened then i'd ever been, I ran quickly back to my room and slammed the door shut behind me...