“Oh Sammy! Come out come out wherever you are!” His slurring voice taunted me, teased me. I sat in the tub curled up in a ball, trembling, crying silently.
My insides burned with rage and fear. Kevin would find me eventually, and I didn’t know if I was strong enough to fight him off again. My body was bruised and I had open gashes on my arms and legs. My knuckles were cracked open and my eyes were blurry with tears.
I had to get out of his house. I had to leave. I couldn’t handle another beating, and I didn’t even want to think about what would happen if he finally managed to hold me down.
How may time had passed since he’d arrived, drunk to his very core? Minutes? Seconds? Hours? It felt like an eternity of hell to me.
I ached in so many places, and the fear was a sharp knife in my heart, cold and piercing. I was never much of a prayer, but I prayed now to a God I didn’t know existed. I prayed for justice, and I prayed for strength. I was no one’s punching bag.
My right hand felt broken, probably because of Kevin swinging me down the stairs brutally.
All I wanted to do was call Sophie, or call the police, but I couldn’t. I was trapped in a tub in a bathroom with no escape and no way of saving myself.
Just then, I heard the bathroom door open. “Oh Darling! I know you’re in here. It’s time to give me my prize!” The shower curtains were suddenly ripped off its hinges, making my stomach shrink and were replaced by the towering shape of Kevin. He smiled down at my terrified face. “Sam, Sam, Sam. When will you learn? In this game, only I can win.”
Just as he reached out to grab me, I screamed from the pits of my stomach, making my lungs and throat burn. I screamed in terror and in anger. I screamed in horror and in frustration. I felt hands grab my shoulders and shake me, roughly.
I tried freeing myself. I flailed uncontrollably and shrieked. “Sam! Sam! Snap out of it!” That wasn’t Kevin’s voice. It was a voice I was quite fond of. But if it wasn’t Kevin…………….

Mike shook me awake. I gasped hoarsely and opened my eyes wide. He was looking down at me, his eyes filled with worry and terror.
“Sam! It was a nightmare. It’s okay now.” He cradled me into his arms, and I let him. My mind was still wild from the images of my dream. No, my memory.
I felt my skin sticky with sweat. My hair was plastered to my neck and forehead, but Mike didn’t seem to mind. He ran his fingers through it and stroked the skin on my arms. I clung to him tightly, willing the nightmare to go away.
The door of my bedroom flung open, startling me. I yelped in terror. Kevin, was my first thought. But no, it was Sophie. Her eyes looked wild, and she came closer to the bed, where Mike and I lay curled together. She knelt down beside me and took my hand.
“Sam, sweetie what happened?” she laced her fingers with mine, her eyebrows pulled together in an expression of deep worry.
I opened my mouth, but no voice came out. I tried again, but I couldn’t. Words were an unknown concept to my mind, apparently, because I couldn’t speak.
My nightmares had stopped three years ago. They were what made me fear going to sleep, haunting me every single night without mercy, replaying the scenes of that dreadful day over and over again. And they were back.
Mike answered on my behalf. “She was having nightmares. She kept screaming and trembling………I—I couldn’t get her to wake up.” His voice sounded strained and scared.
“Oh no” Sophie moaned. “These had stopped three years ago! No no no, this can’t happen again.” She stroked my cheek delicately. “Sweetie, it’s over okay? Mike and I are here, we won’t let anything happen to you.”
I swallowed bile, and nodded. My wild heartbeats had stepped down to a slower pace, not quite normal yet, but better than before. I felt tired—no—exhausted. I was aware my eyes were puffy, and they stung.
“Get some rest Sam, I’m not going anywhere.” Mike kissed my head, and I did what he said. I closed my eyes, reassured, that he was here with me, and let the darkness engulf my consciousness.


~~~MIKE’S POV~~~
Sam had instantly fallen asleep the second I told her I wasn’t going to leave. I sighed in relief. She had scared the hell out of me for a moment there. One moment I was dreaming about being a wizard in Hogwarts and the other I was startled awake by this horrible, guttural scream.
My heart felt heavy with worry. Sam, I could see, was broken. I hadn’t seen this before, because she had buried that part of her deep down to her core, and I had brought it back.
Why did I have to act like such a jerk that night at Jaime’s? That was what had caused this whole thing to happen. I’d brought back Sam’s memories of a terrible incident, the one that had broken her.
After Sam opened up to me about Kevin, everything made sense. She thought I would leave her because I wouldn’t be able to handle this sad, tormented girl. She thought I would stare at her with only horror after she confessed her dark thoughts as to Kevin’s fate. She thought I would fear her after she explained how she’s stabbed someone.
I know this would be hard, but I had to fix her. I couldn’t imagine cutting her out of my life, especially not after this. What she thought would drive us away had only brought us closer. At least, that’s how I felt. I now held a piece of information so personal of hers that made me somehow officially a part of her.
As she sobbed into my neck, after confessing, I’d reassured her that I wouldn’t leave her. I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t. I didn’t want to. Eventually, she had grown tired of crying and had fallen asleep in my arms. I’d placed her gently under the covers, and considered leaving a note. My mind wandered with the thought, but I’d eventually decided against it. How could I leave her when she was like this? How could I leave her when she’d confessed these things to me?
So I’d tucked myself in beside her, and fallen asleep.
Now, Sophie stared at Sam’s sleeping face silently, stroking her hand with her thumb. “I’m guessing she told you.” She said, not taking her eyes off of her friend.
I nodded. “She did.”
Her eyes flashed up to my face, regarding my expression, determining my opinion about it. “Sam’s never told anyone besides me and the police.”
I nodded once again. “I understand that that’s a big deal.” I met her gaze evenly, without flinching.
She narrowed her eyes. “You better not forget that Mike. It took me a year and a half to get her to be herself again after it happened. I don’t want to go down that road again.”
“Sophie, I’m not going to leave her, if that’s what you’re trying to say.” I hugged Sam close and kissed her forehead.
Her expression relaxed. “Thank you Mike.”
Why would she thank me? “Why?”
“For making her happier than I’ve seen her since it all happened.” Sophie placed Sam’s hand back on the bed and stood up. “You’re a good guy Mike.”
I half-smiled at her. “You’re good yourself Sophie. Not anyone would do this for a friend.”
She smiled back, and shook her head. “She’s not my friend Mike, not anymore. She’s my sister.”
I nodded at her, understanding. Technically, Jaime and Tony weren’t blood related to me, but I cared about them as if they were.
Sophie crossed her arms over her chest, a frown on her face. “Can I ask you a question?”
I blinked. “Sure.”
“Are you okay with her relationship………….terms?” I realized, she was kind of nervous. Awkward was a better word.
I chuckled silently. “You mean, the no sex thing? Yeah, I’m cool with it.”
Her eyes brightened. “That’s good Mike. That’s really great.” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and sighed. “Sam is such a wonderful, bright and funny person when she’s fine. For the first couple of months after the…….incident, I rarely saw glimpses of that girl. She has trouble coping with trusting someone, and I can see you’re one of the few to make it to her golden list.” She looked at me. “Try not to screw that up Mike. It’d kill me to lose that amazing girl again.”
I nodded sternly. “I won’t. I understand she’s in a delicate state, and I’m sorry I’m the cause of the memories resurfacing, but I’ll fix it. I swear.”
Sophie gave me a sad smile. “I know you’re sorry Mike, but you didn’t know. It’s not your fault. There’s only one person who’s guilty in this, and he’s in prison, so don’t sweat it.” She really was a pretty girl. Her eyes were bright blue, hair thin and bright, where Sam had dark eyes and gorgeous long black hair. They were complete opposites physically, but they loved each other. I could see it.
“She’s a strong girl.” She motioned over at Sam with her chin. “She’ll get through this. The memories will come back for a couple of days maybe. I don’t think she’s even thought about that day for around three years, so she’s reliving the psychological hit.” Sophie closed her eyes and sighed. “I thought she’d moved on, but apparently she still held this vulnerable side of her tucked in the depths of herself.”
I swallowed thickly. My poor, poor girl. “We’ll help her get through this Sophs. She’ll be fine.”
Sophie nodded at me. “I know she will.” And with that, she left the room.
Just a couple of months ago I was a guy who could only think about my next hit of weed, or when I could get my next beer. Now, I was a guy who held a broken girl in his arms. A girl that was so special to him that he never wanted to let go.
This guy was foreign to me. He was a side of me that had never presented itself in my life, but I welcomed him. I wanted to be Sam’s support, and I wanted to help her through this.
I wanted to fix my poor, broken girl. Piece by piece.

Notes

I hope you like thissssssss! It was hard for me to write considering.........stuff.

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