Mixtapes & Polaroids | Sam x Deena

24

"Come on, admit it. That wasn't so bad." Sam says with a big smile, holding the half empty bucket of popcorn in her arms as they flood out with the crowd.

It was about two weeks since they had skipped class and Deena unwillingly took on the weight of the secret that clouded her chest. Sometimes when she looks at Sam, she can still feel her heart drop. Deena found ways, strange, almost unorthodox ways to justify the choice she made, the choice she couldn't go back on.

She tells herself she's protecting Sam, that Sam didn't need to be so broken down, especially not when things have been going so, so good. Sam had been happier since that day, and they haven't had an incident with Paul or Anna in so long it was beginning to feel like a distant memory. Everyone was okay, Simon was buzzing at getting employee of the month again, Kate once again came out on top at the exams and their paper was finally accepted by Mrs. Burnhill.

It was almost surreal, how peaceful things had become. Even for Deena, her home life hadn't been so stable since her mother was alive. Her dad was around more, he was actually helping out. He'd take her and Josh to school on some days, and would be there with dinner and a smile when Deena would arrive home. Everything was so good, and Deena didn't want to shatter that.

So she doesn't say anything, even when she couldn't look at Sam for so long because she remembers what she chose. She doesn't say anything, even when Sam talks brings up her mom in conversations and Deena has to make up some excuse to change the topic. She doesn't say anything, even when she craved to, even when her insides screamed for her to, she doesn't say a word for Sam. Because she wants Sam to be okay, and she knew if she told the truth it would set back all of the hard work and the progress Sam had made.

So she lets it eat her up instead, because she'd rather break than watch Sam shatter all over again.

"It was cheesy. And not the good kind." Deena argues lightly, biting back a smile. They had just seen Sleepless in Seattle, a movie Sam practically had to drag her to against her will. Sam had been pestering her all week to go see it, and Deena says no every time.

But it never lasts, because it's Sam. Deena can never say no to Sam.

"It was sweet! It was the perfect example of destiny." Sam nudges as they head to the escalator, the blonde making sure to hop on backwards just so she could take the chance to look up at Deena, who was still very clearly in denial.

"Destiny? You actually believe in that?" Deena raises a brow, and Sam shrugs.

"Kind of. Sometimes. I think some things are just meant to be, y'know? Like how there are some people who are just destined to find each other every time, in every life. It's a nice thought, don't you think?" Sam looks back at her fondly, arms around the bucket as Deena takes a moment to admire the childlike glimmer in Sam's eyes. Sometimes, she looks so free, like she could fly forever and Deena would be so content just watching.

Sam was just the kind of girl you could never get tired of.

"It's nice, I just don't believe in it." Deena replies as they get to the bottom, and Sam waves her off with a playful scoff.

"Of course you don't. You never believe in nice things." She teases, but her words did hold some truth.

"It's just... unrealistic to me. Things happen because we make choices that bring us there, it's more like a chain reaction than something dumb like destiny. It's unnecessarily romanticized." Deena makes her argument, wading through the mall with Sam by her side.

It was a few hours into the afternoon, another day they spent skipping class to just go out. It was the only time Sam could be out with her in peace, knowing most of the people who'd recognize them would be in school and not in malls or roaming the town. They had promised to pick up Simon and Kate, who had also been complaining about their growing abundance of disappearances, with Simon, being the drama queen that he is, practically stomping around saying he was being left out of all the fun.