Gangs and Roses

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Sam and I sat in his bedroom on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Our comic drawings spread-out across the floor, our pens and pencils in small bundles from where we had used them and tossed them to the side. I hadn't done any drawing in a while and it seemed like the perfect time to do it. Will was at the supermarket, Luke was doing homework in his room and Seb was no-where to be seen. 

"Maybe we should combine your plant-devil with my Queen Via to create our villain," I offered, pointing at both the picture. Sam turned round from doing some sketches on a notepad and thought for a moment. His head cocked to the side, his eyebrows went up, as if he was liking the idea.  

"We could have the ears from Queen Via and the feet. Also the power of stopping time, too," he interjected, smiling.  

"Yeah!" I agreed eagerly. "That's a good idea!"  

Flipping over the notepad so it was on a fresh page, he wrote the name Dr. Devil Via - a man. I cracked up. This was going to be so awesome! I felt like a little kid, coming up with ideas. It made everything ten times better that I was doing it with Sam. I couldn't wait until we came up with our story idea!  

"That is so awesome!" I cried happily, lying down beside Sam so I could see the face he had just drawn properly. I grinned, making the two ears a little more pointy, black tufts of hair coming up from the top of his forehead. Sam laughed, shading in the neck and drawing out the shoulders.  

"This is going to be so cool," he commented, a long silence later.  

"I know. It's made me forget about everything," I said, a little sadly, "Even if it's just a little while."  

Sam turned to his side so he was facing me. He propped his head up with his hand, his pencil between his third and fourth finger. "Nothing's going to happen to you," he said seriously. "We'll look after you."  

I looked away, sighing. "I know...that's the thing. I'm worried. What if something does happen to you guys while trying to protect me? It'll be all my fault."  

I thought that maybe Sam would comfort me, insisting that everything was going to be fine. "You're such a girl," was all he said, rubbing out a small portion of the shoulders.  

My mouth gaped open. I reached up onto the bed, grabbing his pillow and whacking him on the back of the head. "Maybe because I am one!" I cried, even though I was partially laughing already.  

Surprised, Sam hit me back, right in the face. "Ha! And girls need to toughen up!"  

"But that's what guys do," I whined, sitting up so I was no cross-legged beside him. I held the pillow in my arms and rocked from side to side, hugging it tight. "You're supposed to squeeze us tight and say that everything will be okay." I sighed dreamily, somehow wishing I could have that with a guy.  

Sam snorted, shaking his head at what I was doing. "You look stupid. And you need to fall in love for that."  

"Have you ever fallen in love?" I couldn't help but ask.  

Sam seemed hesitant to reply. He thought for a long moment, before saying, "Yes."  

"Oooohh! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"  

Sam sighed. "It was a girl I met a couple of years ago. I wasn't looking where I was going in the supermarket and knocked her trolley straight over. I invited her for coffee in the Starbucks next door. We dated for a year." He wasn't looking at me, he was staring at the carpet as if it would make the hurt any better.  

"What happened to her?"  

Sam got up, stuffing all his pencils into a black pencil-case from his desk. "Don't worry about it," he brushed away, beginning to pick up his comics from the floor.