His Dying Wish

Prologue/ Preview:

Sam Tallsworth was a trouble-maker. He was always pulling small pranks, but never ones that would hurt anyone or were illegal. He did things like move Mr. Spencer's markers when he wasn't looking so he'd think he was going crazy. He'd go all out on April Fool's Day-- replacing his sister's toothpaste with shaving cream, prank calling me at least twice before noon... No one went un-pranked.

He was sweet. He would give out compliments like a failing business hands out fliers to try and draw people in. But Sam never did it for attention. He did it because he believed that withholding a compliment from someone was as bad as insulting them. He was a compliment-giving machine, just randomly spitting them out. If anyone said anything mean-- to anyone, not just his friends-- he'd tell them off. He'd only gotten into a physical fight once or twice. Usually he just yells at them. He was extremely protective of his friends.

He was funny. He could make anyone laugh, no matter what. If you needed a pick-me-up, he was the one to call. He was just naturally funny. He could make a joke out of any awkward situation, situations that turned into funny memories I'll never forget.

He was a dare-devil. He would always tell stories about how he rode the biggest roller-coaster in the state of Oregon, and that he would hop fences to get to his house faster instead of going around and walking through our neighborhood. And there I was, sixteen-years-old, never even ridden a kiddy roller-coaster, and had never been out after curfew without my parents. People called me boring, but Sam stood up for me and told them that I was wise.

He was a flirt. Oh, God, he was. He was a wink-giving, smile-flashing, sweet-talking ladies' man. I'll admit that it even worked on me. Though he hardly ever flirted with me, and if he did he was joking. Every girl at Hill High School had a crush on him. He was always surrounded by hordes of girls. Most days he loved it, but others they just couldn't take the hint that he needed space.

He was brave. He wasn't scared of anything. He signed up for the talent show every year, and he was a really good singer. I could never do that, though he'd asked every year for me to do it with him. He was a thrill seeker as a result of his bravery and daring attitude. Halloween was his favorite holiday, and not just because you get candy. He loved seeing how scary people's houses were decked out, and he loved going through the Haunted Corn Maze that was a tradition in our town. I was one of the only teenagers that had never been in it. I was a scaredy cat. I'd never seen a horror movie. I'd seen the commercials, and that was enough to give me nightmares. I didn't understand how anyone could enjoy something so terrible and scary.

He was smart. He got all A's and B's like me. But he was cool, so people called me a nerd and totally ignored the fact that Sam had the same grades as me. He was especially good at math and art, as I was, and he got A++ in both classes. And he wasn't just school smart. He could tell when something was up. He was empathetic and could sense sadness from a mile away.

He was athletic. He was on the football team freshman year, but he dropped it to be in soccer and track sophomore year like me. Different soccer teams, of course. He was probably one of the best on his team. We'd always play basketball and soccer in his backyard as kids, and we were pretty evenly matched. We went on runs with each other every morning except Sundays. Not that we were religious, but you need a break, and Sunday seemed like a good day.

He was picky. About everything. When it came to food, he almost always refused to eat junk food. He didn't like it, not that he was obsessed with his weight. He was like me in that sense. He was even pickier about his room. It always had to be the perfect amount of clean and messy. His bed was always made, but the floor was always covered in dirty clothes and his garbage bin was always overflowing. He just liked his bed to be tidy.