Previously Strangers (TFIL/Sam and Colby)

Chapter Five

I was still laying on the couch when I woke up to the smell of pancakes. I pulled Elton's blanket tighter around me then stood up and made my way into the kitchen where I found Corey and Colby making a stack of crispy, burnt pancakes. I reminded them that pancakes weren't meant to be black, but they continued to burn them anyway and told me that if you can taste the burntness, there isn't enough syrup on them.
I rolled my eyes at them and plopped down on the bar stool, eyeing Corey as he flipped yet another burnt one. I felt a little awkward and wondered if Sam had said anything to them. I looked down at my hands as I felt Colby's eyes burning holes into my skin.
"What happened between you and Sam?" He asked tentatively.
I internally groaned, wishing he had never opened his mouth. "Nothing. He was just being super nosy." I shrugged.
"He said you were crying, though. Is everything alright?" Corey asked, pouring the last bit of batter into the pan.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little stressed out because of, you know, almost dying." I chuckled, plastering a smile onto my face.
"Yes, that is a reason to stress." Colby smiled.
"But you should probably focus on the fact that you're still alive, and not stress that you almost died." Corey pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." I shrugged, smiling at them.
"And as for Sam," Colby added, "he's a really good guy. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. Also, we're all very nosy so if I were you, I'd get used to it." He smiled, patting me on the shoulder as Corey slid me a plate of pancakes.
"You think I'm going to eat those little discs of charcoal?" I asked, looking at them nervously.
"Humor me," Corey asked as he slid me a bottle of maple syrup.
I rolled my eyes, cracking off a small piece of the pancake, then dipping it in syrup. I quickly shoved it into my mouth and swallowed, giving Corey a thumbs up.
"Wow, those are actually really good," I said hopping off the stool to get a glass of water.
"Really?" He asked.
"Nope," I laughed, popping the p, "but you said to humor you, so here we are."
Corey parted his lips to say something but was interrupted by a sleepy looking Aaron, slumbering into the kitchen.
"Ooh, pancakes." He said, eyes lighting up as he grabbed one of the black ceramic plates and doused the cakes in syrup.
"See, Aaron likes them!" Corey pointed out.
"That's good for Aaron," I mumbled, taking a sip of water.
Colby laughed, "Dude she's more sarcastic than you are." He said, nudging Corey.
"No, she's just being mean." He frowned, playfully.
I shook my head, cutting up some oranges I took from the fridge. The other boys were enjoying their pancakes when Sam came walking down the stairs wearing PJ pants and a long-sleeve t-shirt.
"Sam, Sam!" Corey shouted, shoving a plate of pancakes at him. "Try my pancakes!"
Sam took a step back, "uh no thanks, man. Not hungry." He said, standing a few feet away from me, leaning on the counter. I glanced over at him through the corner of my eye as I cut the last orange.
I felt him come closer to me until he was whispering distance away. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, thinking about what Colby told me before. I could tell he was watching my every move.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, sincerely. "It wasn't my place and I promise to respect your privacy from now on." His hot breath tingled the back of my neck.
I wanted to hate him, I really did, but his entire being made it impossible to hate even a strand of hair on his perfect head. I continued to cut the orange, but paused after a moment and gave him a smile as if to say it's okay. He smiled back at me and I just laughed to myself. I pushed all of the slices onto a plate and set them in the middle of the counter, offering them to the boys. I could still feel Sam's eyes on me, which made me grin slightly.
"What are you smiling at?" Aaron asked, making a face.
"Oh, uh, just thinking" I replied, biting into another slice of orange.
"Girls are weird." He sighed, laughing a little.
I rolled my eyes.
Elton came in the front doors sweating profusely. He walked past me, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. "How are you feeling?" He asked, slightly out of breath.
"A lot better." I smiled, holding up my orange peel, "solid food." I pointed out, excitedly.
"What about the tube?" He asked.
"I guess we should get it taken out...I don't think I should be eating with it in."I said.
"I'll take you to the clinic today," he began, "Oh, shit, just kidding. I have a meeting." He groaned.
"I'll take her." Sam volunteered. "She can ride in the best car of the house." He smirked.
"Thanks, Sam, but I'm pretty sure you don't want to watch me basically snot up a plastic tube." I pointed out.
"I'll wait outside, you just need a ride, right?."
I shrugged, nodding. Elton agreed, then went to take a shower. I finished my orange and followed him upstairs. I threw on a sweatshirt and jean shorts, throwing my wet hair up into a bun after taking a shower. Taking a glance in my full mirror, I shrugged at my hobo-ish appearance then knocked on Sam's door.
He pulled it open, revealing himself in a pair of joggers and the same long sleeve he had from before. He slid his feet in a pair of beat up gym shoes, then grabbed his keys. "Lets gooo!" He shouted jumping down the stairs.
I followed him to where his car was parked and we headed off toward the clinic, Sam blaring some rap music I had never heard.
"Do you mind if I change it?" I asked after a few minutes.
"No, go right ahead." He said, staring at the traffic light.
I found my Spotify profile and picked my favorite 'chill' playlist. After the first song, I could tell Sam wasn't into it. I awkwardly hit the power button on the radio and the music shut off, leaving us in silence.
"So," Sam mumbled after a few minutes, "are you glad to be here?" He asked, awkwardly.
"I mean, yeah. So far its been nice." I shrugged.
"What was it like back home?" He asked.
I gave him a look, "you're being nosy again..." I stated.
"Not nosy, just wondering."
I sighed, "Fine. When I was six, my mom left to go do drugs, Elton moved away when I was eight, my dad married a woman who is young enough to be my sister and is only after his money, I had to switch to online school and therefore lost all my friends and now my Dad has moved to the opposite side of the world, answering a booty call from Europe." I stated plainly, "So, It's gone pretty good so far." I noted, sarcastically.
Sam just kinda sat there awkwardly, nodding his head. "It sounds really good." He said, smiling at me.
A smile slowly crept up onto my face, just thinking about Sam's response. "Thanks," I mumbled. "For not pitying me."
"Oh, yeah. No problem." He smiled, pulling into the parking lot. "Do you want me to come in with you?" He asked craning his neck to look at the building's doors.
"Umm, I mean, only if you want to," I said, secretly hoping he would come in. I'd had a feeding tube taken out before, but it hurt like hell. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest and I wondered if Sam could hear.
"Yeah, I'll come." He smiled, putting a hand on my arm. I think he could tell I was nervous.
"Okay." I smiled and stepped out of the car.
We stepped out of the car walked up onto the sidewalk. I felt Sam's hand rest onto my lower back as he guided me into the clinic. He made me go sit down as he checked me in.
When I was called back, Sam helped me up and squeezed my hand tightly before leading me into the hallway, following the nurse. The nurse led us into a room with completely white walls and a small hospital bed in the corner. There was a table next to the bed that had all the supplies for the removal of the tube.
I took a deep breath trying to calm myself down. Sam set his hand on my back again, offering a sense of comfort.
"Are you nervous?" He asked. I wondered why he asked because he knew the answer. I just nodded slightly with a shrug of my shoulders.
"It'll be okay, you'll be okay." He said.
The nurse came in and I made Sam look away even though I was squeezing his hand as hard as I could so as to take away the uncomfortable removal. The procedure took less than ten minutes, then we got out of there as quickly as we could.
"So, was it as bad as you thought?" He asked, pulling onto the street.
"I mean, it wasn't pleasant," I said, scrunching up my nose. Sam just chuckled and looked at me.

Once we were home, Sam and I made our way to the back where the rest of the boys were swimming in the pool. I sat on the edge of the pool, dipping my feet in.

"Hey, guys! Kate, Go change and come swim with us!" Corey yelled as Sam pulled off his shirt and stepped into the pool in his basketball shorts.

"No, that's okay, I'll just watch." I smiled, knowing I couldn't wear a bathing suit without showcasing my scar, which was basically saying "hey ask me how I got these!"

"No! C'mon!" Corey and Colby yelled in unison, "have fun with us!"

"Fine, fine!" I yelled, walking inside, then up the stairs and into my room.

I changed into my suit, then walked towards my makeup bin. I slathered a layer of foundation across the many scars that spanned my body, memories of the thousands of port changes flooded my head. I hoped everything was covered well enough and made my way back to the pool.

As I turned the corner of the pool deck, I was startled as a pair of hands grabbed my waist and lifted me into the air, and effortlessly tossed me into the water. I hit the surface with a 'splat' and sunk to the bottom. My mind raced as I tried to figure out what had happened. As I emerged from the water, I used my fingers to pry my hair from my face, and my eyes met my attacker's.

"Corey!" I screeched, watching him double over in laughter.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea."

"Still, you were the one who did it," I muttered.

Twenty minutes later, I was sitting on the edge of the pool, trying to catch my breath after an intense game of pool tag. When I felt someone's eyes glued to my body. As I nervously turned my head, I found Colby staring intently at the pinkish red scar on my chest. His eyes met mine and he cocked his head in confusion.

I shook my head as if to say 'don't ask,' and looked away pensively.

"Woah, what happened?" Corey asked after noticing what Colby was staring at.

My cheeks ran hot and my stomach flittered within itself. I felt a hand gently touch my thigh, and I was surprised to find that It was Sam. He looked up at me with sympathy, obviously wondering what I was going to tell them.

I looked down at the rippling water, then to Elton, who looked just as confused as the Corey and Colby