Back at the Dumping Ground (Rick Barber) |Book 2|

•Chapter 20: Sparks

•Chapter 20: Sparks

Rick's POV

It's been a few weeks since we have gone back to school and Sam's settled back in fine. I found out they put her in Olivia's class for half a day before they moved her. I do wonder why though. Olivia just said she moved because she was unliked by Mrs Cook. Bit strange in my opinion.

Anyway, it's a Saturday around 10am and I wake up to my door opening so I turn over to see Harry by my door. I sit up and switch on the lamp as having my curtains closed makes the room pitch black.
"What's up?".
"I was wondering if you wanna go to the park today with everyone?".
"Everyone?" I asked, kinda hoping Gina's staying behind so I don't have to go.
"Well Gina's staying..." he began and in my brain I cheered but he continued with "...and Sam".
Staying at home with Sam. That might not be too bad but we haven't seen eye to eye much recently.
"I don't think so Harry. I don't really feel like it" I say smiling at him. I nods his head and walks back out my room.

I sit for a few minutes before getting up and getting ready for the day...meaning putting on a clean shirt and opening the curtains. I squint at the brightness and head towards the door. I trip on a wire on the way but I continue walking out the door after checking nothing broke or fell.

As I walk through the kitchen door I see Mike talking to Gina.
"We'll be gone for a few hours at the most so I'll pick up food for dinner".
"Get pizza" a voice called as they walked through the backdoor. I look up and see Sam. Mike laughs and nods at us before attempting to round up everyone.
"I'll be in the office if you need me" Gina says before heading that way. I nod before a silence fills the room. Me and Sam awkwardly stand in the room before Sam asks "so what are you up to today?".
I shrug, "I don't know really. What about you?".
"Painting in my room for an art project.....do you...wanna help?" She asks uncertainty. I think about it before saying "Yeah...can I?". She nods her head and heads out the kitchen. I follow her and head up to her room in the attic.

I walk in and I see most of her room now decorated. I smile and then see a canvas leaning on the wall. I see her getting all her paints and pencils out.
"Sooooo, what do you need help with?" I ask while rocking on my feet.
"I need help picking an image for the painting. Could look up realistic animals as that is what I need to paint".
"Sure. Any kind of preference?". She shook her head at my question so I began googling random animals.

I looked up loads of different animals, monkeys to dolphins. I showed a few to Sam and others we just laughed at as they weren't the best. After a while she picked a picture of a lion roaring which she got up on her phone too. For the next hour I sat on my phone looking at badly drawn animals while she painted, which included flicking paint at me and me flicking it back. At some point me and Sam were sat on her bed laughing really loudly at a picture of a badly drawn penguin.
"It looks like a blob"
"A blob with feet"
We continued to laugh and I turned my head to Sam and she had her hands over her face in hysterics. She looked really pretty as the light from the window hit her. I continued to look at her until she realised I wasn't laughing anymore. She turned and looked at me and I couldn't stop looking in her big eyes. Her eyes flicked down my face and so did mine to her. I leant in and my lips hovered over hers for a second. Then, 'BING'.

We jumped apart and I reached for the culprit of the noise. My phone. I looked at it and it was lit up with a message from Olivia-"Do you want to do something today?".

I let out a heavy breath and looked over to Sam to see her looking the other way on her phone too.
"I'll be right back" I said to her and got up and went downstairs. I didn't look for her reaction. I dialed Olivia's number and after a few rings she picked up.
"Hi" she began in a really perky voice.
"Hello"
"So do you wanna do something today"
"Errr...I'm kinda busy today"
"With what?"
I can't tell her that I'm helping Sam, "er...homework and stuff".
"Well I'll help you. I'll pop by later"
"No need to-"
"See ya then babe" she said cutting me off and hanging up. I sigh to myself and look up to find myself in the living room. I guess I kept walking while on the phone.

I turn around and head back through to go back to Sam when the fire alarm starts ringing. I rush out the room to find Gina doing the same.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"I don't know but go outside and call the fire brigade while I call Mike". I nod calling 999 and running out the door. Within a few minutes the fire brigade is on the their way. Gina comes out and says, "Mikes on the way back with everyone else". I nod my head as sirens are heard. Suddenly I remember, "SAM". I rush back in the house despite Gina telling to get back. I run through the house I find smoke coming down the stairs, throughout the landing but it was pouring out my room and from the attic. I try to open the attic door but wouldn't open.
"SAM? You still up there"
No response.
"SAM"
I try to break down the door but as I hit my shoulder on the door pain shoots up my arm. As I cringe at the pain I hear feet so I turn around to to firemen coming up the stairs.
"You need to get out"
"Sam's still up there" I stay pointing to the door. They go to the door and start beating it down. It comes down with a crash and I run past them into Sam's room. I find her passed out in a smoke and fire filled room. I run straight towards her and picked her up despite the pain in my arm and ran back through the house dodging the growing flames and increasing smoke.

As I exit through the front door to find the whole of the dumping ground back being held back by policemen.
"There they are"
"SAM"
"RICK"
I head that way and place Sam on the grass near them.
"Are you ok Rick?" Mike says behind with a hand on my back. I hold up a hand and start coughing up all the smoke I took in. I continued to cough still couldn't breathe. The world started to spin before the world went black.