A letter from Sam

Chapter one~the letter

Hello. I am not writing an amazing life story, or a hopeless romantic novel or a book about the fourth world war or whatever. No, I'm writing from part of my brain and heart its a memory.
Sophomore year of high school my best friend left the school, dropped out, claimed life is better going off the grid without an education and instead sleeping around with any girl he could find. Sam you're an arse but i love you. First day i walked into my first class, geography with Mr Clamberland i had him last year for history, worst class of my life. I waited for everyone else to come bustling in, once everyone had arrived the seat next to me was bare. I soon realised that my only friend had been Sam and i hardly knew anyone else in this tiny school. My bubble had disappeared because of my loneliness. I probably should've been taking notes but I was too busy looking around for someone, anyone, i knew. While i was looking around someone sat next to me. A girl, Rose May Smith, as beautiful as you are, Rose, you crushed my heart into a million pieces and for that I will never forgive you. But i did not know that at the time so i continued to stare at you and your wavy pink hair that came down to your hips, you're freckles littering your nose and your piercing blue eyes that no one had anymore. I stared at you that whole lesson, apparently not discreetly since you waited for me at the end of class to clean up my books. You stood at the door smiling and talking to Mr Clamberland about Brazil. When i finally walked up to you, you said goodbye to Mr Clamberland and walked beside me. "So Henry, where are we eating?" I turned to you and laughed "How do you know my name?" You reached forward, grabbed my exercise book and pointed at my name scribbled in the corner. "Do you wanna just eat at the canteen? Or where did you and Sam used to eat?"i stopped in the middle of the hall and so did she, making everyone around us squish up against the lockers to get past. "You knew Sam?" I asked how did you know sam and i didn't know you at this point i didn't even know your name? "Sam and I go way back, now how about we sit right here," you sat down. In the middle of the hallway, and laughed. I was immediately hooked. I joined you on our dirty school floor. "My name is Rose May Smith in case you were wondering... your new best friend," i pulled my peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of my bag and began eating. "Don't you have someone else you should be hanging out with instead of me?" I asked you but you didn't answer just watched people walk past and flip us off for being in the way. Soon the hallway was empty except for one boy walking toward us. "There you are!" Rose cried "Don't tell me you got your first detention of the semester!" as he came clearer into view i saw the letter jacket, black hair and broad figure. Chase Lewis. The biggest player in our school and i don't just mean sport. "Ah i see you found him okay," Chase gestured towards me as he sat down to join us. "In my geography class would you believe, i came in late because i was busy with...you know who, coincidently the only seat was next to him," Rose leaned forward and kissed Chase on the cheek. Then Chase hit me hard on the shoulder. Yes i was scrawny, but i did go to the gym my body just wasn't built like Chase's. "So have you told him our mission?" Chase put his arm around Rose. "No i was waiting for you," Rose punched him in the cheek, Chase turned to me and smiled "Sam knew us both very well at first separately. He told us he was dropping out of school and knew that when he did you wouldn't have any real friends he asked Rose and i to hang out over summer and then when school came back be friends with you, he said you knew something we all needed to know," I blinked twice in two seconds. Embarrassment came over me. Did sam really think I wasn't capable of making my own friends? I stood up and grabbed my bag. "I am sorry to say but i am perfectly fine making my own friends," i started walking to the canteen to find my new friends. "Henry!" I turned to see Rose looking desperately at me halfway into standing but Chase pulling her down. "Please," her voice caught at this word as though she had never said it before. "D...Di...Did...Did," she burst into tears and Chase wrapped his arms around her. "Did Sam kill himself?" Chase said stroking Roses hair. I froze. This thought had never come to mind.
The first two weeks of summer Sam posted something everyday either a selfie with a driver or a photo of a naked woman laying in bed next to him. Then on the third week there were less posts they also weren't as exciting, just a picture of a beer bottle or a image of the toilet in his hotel room. On the fourth week he stopped posting, his account was deleted on the fifth week and he stopped calling to update me on his travels. I didn't think much of it. He was young and seeing the world he was probably working, for once in his life, for money. On the eighth week he called me in the middle of the night loud music was playing in the background and a girl was laughing next to him. "Henry buddy," he said "tonight is the last night i am going to be able to speak to you, I'll miss you mate, see you when its over," he then hung up. I stayed up the rest of the night thinking how I could've dropped out of school as well and partied instead of starting school the next week.
I walked back to Chase and Rose. "I honestly don't know, but there is a possibility," Rose let out a wail into Chases chest and Chase swore under his breath. "It was a letter he had sent to Rose and I the night he went over to your house and announced the end of his education. I called rose right away, we talked until early the next morning when we decided to go to Sam's house but when we got there police were out the front and Mr and Mrs Dylan were freaking out about his whereabouts," Chase kissed Rose on the head and let go of her as the bell rang for the next class. I didn't go though. I ran out of school as though there was a snake chasing me. I caught the bus to Sam's house. Both his parents were at work. I climbed through his window that was still unlocked from the night he ran away. His room was just as i remembered. Blue with white stripes. He was embarrassed by it so he turned his cupboard into a 'man cave' I opened the man cave door and was surprised to see that nothing had changed. The tv was still there with the PlayStation but no Xbox because he sold it a month before he left. I continued to look around his room but there wasn't anything that showed his suicide. Rose and Chase must've been messing with me. I was sue Sam was currently in Brazil drinking a cocktail on the beach with a hot girl laying next to him playing with his hair.
When I arrived home my phone had five messages two from Chase and three from rose all stating that they had already looked in Sam's room. Mum got home late and came into my room. "Have you had dinner darling?" She asked i nodded although I hadn't. "Well goodnight then also you got a letter," she came in and placed the letter in my lap. Once she had shut my door i looked at the handwriting on the envelope it was Sam's. I flipped it over to open it and saw he had written in the top right corner very small Henry dear don't open until you think I am dead for otherwise you wont believe it is true.