EXPERIENCED

Chapter 9

I took a deep breathe and knocked on the door. I swayed back and forth waiting for the door to open, I wasn't too sure what to expect, probably not much. I heard shushing and laughter before some one called out something I think was being directed towards me.

"Who's there?" someone asked blustered from inside the room followed by a few seconds of silence.

"It's just me, you're..um- new room companion?" I scratched my head trying to think of something effective to say but I couldn't think of anything else. "I was told to come here." I put my ear against the door trying to listen to what might be happening inside. 

"It's a new kid" one person said, "he sounds familiar."

I was starting to get a little annoyed so I knocked again.

"Let's let him in." I recognized that voice perfectly, it was Sam. I stepped back startled when the door knob started being turned. 

"Well hello there." It was  Sam. We stood there face to face, him glaring at me. I didn't say anything, I didn't make eye contact with him. Did he really hate me that much because of what happened earlier?

"Hey, Sam." I played with my hair and put my hands in my pockets. 

He flipped his long wavy hair back "I'm surprised to see you here." he smiled profoundly. He suddenly didn't seem like the Sam I had met earlier. 

I stepped into the room, there were 4 other guys in there. They didn't seem all that interested with me, so I wonder why Sam did, besides hating me for calling him an idiot.

I saw a spare bed in the corner and I supposed it was mine. I dropped my bag on it and sat down feeling it and it wasn't the comfiest. "What's your name?" a guy on the left side of me said to me.

"I'm Simo-" I stood up and walked towards him.

"Simon Silvers." Sam blurted it out as he bent over taking out a small case with a blood red satin blanket over it. He then came and stood in front of me putting his hand inside the cage but not revealing what was inside. "Silvers, a little birdie told me you had a fear off...well..."  he pulled his hand out holding a small brown rabbit. The other 4 guys laughed, I tried to hold it back but I couldn't. Simon had leporiphobia. He was deadly afraid of rabbits. 

Once, on his 8th birthday he tried picking up our neighbor's small black rabbit and it bit a chunk of his skin off. Since then he doesn't dare to get near one. Another time on Easter day, he was out in the park and claimed to have seen a "giant" furry object starring at him from the bushes. But it turns out it was just some kid dressed up as the Easter bunny, coincidentally, that same day he fractured his wrist falling from the top of a slide. 

Since I was supposed to be afraid of those cute little creature, which to be honest I loved, I screamed and ran off into the bathroom. I heard more laughter followed by a door being shut. I figure they left, so I came out. Sam had left the bunny rabbit on my bed, in the cage obviously. He was really cute, I wanted to take him out but then I didn't. I didn't want to risk being caught, I was about to get up but something pulled me down again. I really did want to hold him, so I said screw it and I opened up the cage. I took out the tiny ball of fur, he had a little pink collar. I found it funny because it was a rabbit and it was obviously unnecessary. The collar had a name engraved into it Stella, I guessed it was its, her, name. I held it in my hands, she was really small and had soft brown fur, I held it up to my face and felt it's little bunny head rub against my cheek. This might sound insane but I instantly fell in love. I had never been crazy about animals and having pets, maybe because I never encouraged myself to be around them, also because I witnessed my first get squashed by a car. Simon loves dogs, he had 4, not at the same tome though. I didn't ever play with them, or touched them or interacted with them. They would come to me but I'd ignore them. 

Since I had fallen in love with Stella I didn't want to leave her even though she wasn't even mine, even worse, she was Sam's. I was going to have to find a way to still be able to be around her, tell Sam I lied about being afraid? No. I was going to have to think hard.