The Long Game, Lucas Sinclair

girls day only! (for the most part)

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This wasn't the first sleepover Sam and Max have had since becoming friends; they've had numerous amounts of sleepovers at either of the girls' houses, especially since summer had started. What this essentially meant, was that Max was in no way, shape, or form surprised when Sam had to be woken up from her night terrors that occurred often. Max was used to this by now, as sad as that was.

"Sam. Sam," Max tried urging Sam awake with a sad look. "You're just dreaming, it's not real."

"Don't leave him!" Sam writhed on the bed, tears streaming down her face. "Bob! STOP! We have to help him!"

The lights in Max's room were going insane, and everything that was electrically wired flashed and clattered like mad. Not only was blood pouring from Sam's nose, but her arms were wrapped around herself subconsciously. Max saw that her fingernails were beginning to dig into her skin, and Max immediately began panicking.

"Sam, no!" she shouted, trying to pull Sam's hands away from her arms. "Sam, wake up!"

Sam whipped her body away from Max in her sleep, curling into herself and sobbing. "Stop! Bob! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Bob!"

"SAM!" Max grabbed Sam by the shoulders and had to physically pull her up.

She shot awake with a gasp, sobbing. Sam tried thrashing backwards, but Max was already throwing her arms around Sam and pulling her into a hug. "It's okay, I've got you," Max muttered, holding the back of her head with one hand and wrapping the other around Sam's shoulders. "It was a nightmare, Sam, it's okay."

Sam continued to cry, mind still hazy. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean — I didn't want—"

"Sam," Max held Sam tighter, rubbing a hand up and down her back. "Shh. You were dreaming. It's okay."

Sam gasped in breaths, pulling down the defenses she had unknowingly forced around her mind. She shook her head solemnly and returned Max's embrace, curling up into her best friend.

"Sorry. Sorry, Max, I didn't mean to..."

She didn't know how to finish it. I didn't mean to wake you up. I didn't mean to freak out. I didn't mean to be like this, anymore. They were all plausible options that sounded like something Sam would say, but right now, she couldn't manage to say anything.

"I think I'm getting blood on your shirt," Sam cried into Max's chest, feeling guilty.

Max huffed out nervously, still continuing to rub a hand up and down Sam's back. "I really don't care. I'm focused more on the fact your nose was bleeding at all."

"I don't know, it's been happening lately," Sam confessed. Max heard her sniffle, felt Sam wipe her nose, so Max placed her hands on Sam's shoulders again and gently pushed her away so that they could look at each other's faces. "I've been having the nightmares every night, now. I — I don't know how to make it stop."

Max frowned at Sam, placing her hands in her lap to think about what to do. She was never good at this kind of intimate stuff, but she couldn't avoid it when someone like Sam was her best friend. Sadly, she pointed out, "Sam, it's getting worse."