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☽☽☽
"SAM, HEY, HOW YOU FEELING?" Alexander strutted into the room, arms full of gifts; it was a teddy bear, a basket of goodies and a balloon that read 'be joyful'. Alexander thought it might be hilarious because there was no way in hell Sam would be able to be joyful after the night she had last night. Alexander's eyes flickered over to Peter who was calmly sitting in the chair next to Sam.
Sam paused her movie. "I'm fine." she shrugged innocently. She was pale, her arms were shaky, she had dark eyebags, and it looked like her hair was falling out. She looked like a zombie in some aspects.
"Well, I got you these," he handed the teddy bear to her. He placed the bag of goodies and the balloon on her nightstand. "They can make you feel better." he smiled.
Peter stood up from where he sat. "Thank you for coming, man," he gave Alexander a hug. "She really needed you here." he whispered.
"Glad I could help." Alexander whispered, clapping his friends back as he pulled away. "I got you small snacks in that bag, I know how gross the food can be here."
Sam smiled. "Thank you, Alex. This means a lot," she laughed. "But the jello here does slap. You can't deny that whatsoever."
"Eh, I don't know about that one. My mom can make some killer jello, especially around Halloween," Alexander remarked, his eyes squinted. "Gotta try it sometime."
Peter snorted.
"What?" Alexander snapped in his direction.
"No use in arguing with a female who's in pain, bud."
"I'm not arguing," Alexander defended himself. He looked at Sam. "Was I arguing with you?"
"Totally," Sam decided to play along. "And that kind of hurt my feelings."
Alexander was bewildered. He couldn't believe that saying his mother's homemade jello was better than store bought jello was arguing with someone. It really was just an opinionated matter. It wasn't anything serious, or well so he thought it wasn't.
Peter and Sam broke out into laughter, they were happy to see they were actually able to get him that good and make him believe that. Alexander already wanted to beat them for messing with him like they just did.
"Did you see his face?" Peter howled with excitement. Sam couldn't speak, she was laughing too hard. Peter frowned. "That was fucking hilarious, dude. Smile."
Alexander scoffed. "That was not funny at all."
"It was." Sam smiled.
"No, not really."
"Yes, yes really."
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever makes you happy, Samantha."
Sam gasped, her eyes wide. "Don't you dare call me that, Alexander. I don't like my full name, you know that." she reminded him.
"It is what it is."
"Oh, shut up!"
Peter felt a twinge of jealousy towards the two friends. He crossed his arms. "Okay, okay, enough you two," he turned to Alexander. "Come with me to see when they're gonna let Sam out."
"Okay." Alexander sighed. Peter started walking away. "Have fun being alone for the time being!"
Sam held the teddy bear to her chest. "I will! I'm going to eat all the jello without you!" she called out.
"I don't mind." Alexander closed the curtains.
That moment would be the last moment of happiness they'd have for the entire night.
_____
ALEXANDER AND PETER returned to Sam's room. It was relieving to hear she'd be leaving the hospital soon. Peter was ecstatic to hear for he would be going home to his bed here soon, or even to Sam's bed.
Peter stepped into the enclosed portion of the room before Alexander did. "Good news — they're going to release you out of this shithole tomorrow." he grumbled.
Alexander froze when he saw Sam's ex girlfriend, Deena. He clenched his jaw. The freak must've followed him from his house all the way to the hospital. They were really some creeps after all. He didn't know why he ever associated himself with a Shadysider aka Simon. They were all pervy, murdering weirdos.
"Perfect timing, assholes!" Deena was enraged. "Where's your masks?"
The two past lovers were now arguing about the skull masked man Deena saw outside her house earlier, along with the one Kate and Simon saw in a living room. They were standing in front of each other. Alexander was sitting in the chair next to Sam's bed while Peter stood in front of the curtains.
"Peter and Alexander have been with me for most of the night!" Sam argued, throwing her hands at Deena's face.
"Stop covering for them!" Deena argued right back. "They are bad dudes, Sam!"
Alexander let out a dry laugh. He ran his hands over his face. If Deena decided to bring this to Nick, he'd be done for in his career and his scholarship, Alexander could already tell. They were false claims, but how would Nick find excuses to what they saw? Alexander could already feel his parents anger, and the town's anger, too.
"You are getting out of control — you put me in a hospital, and now you are yelling at me-"
Deena cut Sam off. "Okay, no, that was an accident," she defended her actions. Alexander and Peter looked at each other. "Look, I-I-I got a nose bleed!"
Sam scoffed. "A nose bleed?! Stop making excuses, Deena. You are total chaos and you have always been," Sam pointed at herself. "So don't blame me when you wake up in ten years just like your dad! Old, drunk and going nowhere!"
Burn. Go Sam, Alexander thought.
Deena zoned out on Sam. She used something personal against her and that wasn't fine. That was bullshit. "Okay, first, go to hell. Second, yeah, congratulations on getting out of Shadyside, Sam. All you had to do was suck it up, literally, and swallow some Sunnyvale-"
Sam laughed, shaking her head back and forth. "You know what? I never want to see you again!"
"Great," Deena sadistically grinned. "Have a nice goddamn life!"
There was suddenly a noise coming from Peter. Alexander, and the other two, looked over to see a knife sticking out of his chest, blood spewing from his mouth as he choked on his blood and saliva.
Alexander froze, his eyes growing wide as he processed what just happened. Peter was killed, his closest friend he's known since preschool, and his partner in crime.
