She's The Wild West

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"Pass the popcorn."

"Here."

"These are the chips."

"West shhhhhh, they're about to kiss!"

It was Tuesday and Samantha and I were having another movie night. It had been three weeks since the last one so it felt like we were long overdue. The movie night was happening in Sammy's dorm for once. Dougie had sent me a text earlier that day saying he 'needed the room for a while' so it would be for the best if I made myself scarce. It all ended up working out because Sam's roommates were both out for the night.

"These aren't even good chips Sammy. You always get the weird vegetable medley ones." I complained, taking a bite even thought I knew I hated the taste.

The movie we were watching, Love Like A Dove From Above, was really, really bad. There weren't any boom mics in the shots but I would've preferred if there were so I at least had something to laugh at. The leading lady had just confessed her love to the love interest, a trucker who drove doves across the country for a living, when I decided that a snack would help make things more bearable. I would've gone on my phone, but it was in my pocket since Sammy made me put it away in the hopes I'd pay attention.

"Shhhhhh!"

We were on the floor, with our backs propped against the back of Samantha's bed, a laptop on a chair in front of us and an array of snacks around our laps. Sam didn't like having food in her bed, hence the floor. At some point she'd taken the popcorn bowl and set it to her other side instead of the spot between us, leaving it out of my reach.

"I'll get it myself." I told her, amused by her intense focus.

I started reaching across her lap, leaning with one hand on the floor between us and one hand stretching toward the bowl.

"Yeah okay, just be qui- wait, West!"

Suddenly the leaning hand slipped on something wet and I fell. I caught myself well enough to keep from smacking my head against the floor but my chest fell directly into whatever had spilled. Once I sat up and looked down, I realized it was orange soda. My orange soda.

Oh, that's why she moved the bowl.

"West, that's why I moved the bowl. I noticed you spilled a little earlier and I didn't want to get it on the popcorn bowl. I was going to clean it up but then the scene changed and I didn't want to miss it and- oh! Pause it, pause it!"

I pressed pause on the laptop and turned to face Sam head on.

"Really? This happened because of a trucker with doves?" I gestured to the giant stain on my t-shirt and raised a brow.

"Sorry?" she giggled, clearly not sorry.

"It's okay, I'm not mad." I chuckled, "Although I am kind of mad at her for choosing him when she should've chosen the florist."

I pulled the shirt away from my skin and was happy to find that it hadn't really soaked through too bad. I knew Sammy probably had one of my hoodies, or at least one of the big college merch shirts they were always handing out, so I peeled my shirt off and stood up to find a replacement.

"The florist? Why would she ever-" Samantha gasped and I glanced down at the laptop, thinking she'd started playing it again.

The screen was black. When I looked at Samantha she was staring at me, brows knitted together in confusion or shock or something else I couldn't place.

"What? What's wrong?"

"West you um- your- your chest is-"

"Sammy," I complained with a laugh, "didn't you just see me without a shirt on, like, two or three weeks ago? It shouldn't be a big-"