Samantha Casandra Storm

Left. Right. Left. Right. Kick. Punch. Breathe.

She wiped the sweat off of her face with a towel, looking around the room. It was filled with others fighting with each other or practicing. An all purpose gym, they said.

Her breathe came in short pants as she cooled down.

"Samantha!" A voice called. She turned to see her instructor, Randy, heading towards her. He was a big guy, but it was all muscle. He had to be at least 40, but he was in better shape than even her, at 16 years old.

"Good work today," He said, giving her a pat on the back. "But you still need to work on your stance. Watch," he said, positioning himself. He let out two quick punches, left right, then two more, left right, and then one good kick to the punching bag that sent it flying. Samantha blinked and then nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind," She said, her chest moving up and down heavily as she breathed.

"That's my girl," He said, laughing his deep, booming laugh. She managed a smile; it was a real one, for once. This was the only place that she felt she really could smile. It gave her a way to let off some steam, which she seemed to have a lot of these days.

"See you later, Randy!" She shouted over her shoulder as she stepped out into the warm evening air. She'd been coming here every day straight after school for about two months now. No one at home knew about it; not her parents, nor any of her many siblings.

She slipped her T-shirt back on, throwing her backpack over her shoulder as she went. She was covered in sweat, but there was no other evidence of her time spent at the gym.

Soon, her home came into view. It was two stories, and pretty big. She stepped inside.

"Hey, Sammy's home!" A voice from the kitchen called. She smiled and peeked her head into the kitchen. Her older brother Will looked up fromt he frying pan where he was making dinner. Meet William Storm: 17 years old music lover extraordinare. He lived and breathed music, weather it was writing hiw own songs, playing his guitar, or just blasting his music obnoxiously loud. You name it, he probably did it.

"What's for dinner? Smells good," Samantha said, stepping into the kitchen.

"Breakfast night!" William said. Samantah smiled. She heard loud, obnoxious laughter from somewhere upstairs. Probably Carolyn or Lizzie. She gave her brother another smile before heading upstairs. She walked past Carolyn's room, and the laughter grew louder. She rolled her eyes. Carolyn was her boy crazy, shopping loving, loud 18 year old sister. She was almost always on the phone gossipping about the latest make ups and break ups. She continued down the hall, and passed Lizzie's room. She was like a younger version of Caorlyn; boy crazy, shopping loving, 17 year old girl. She understood that life was about more than shoes, however, which was more than she could say for Carolyn.

She passed her older borther's rooms, Zack and Chase, and could hear them rough housing in there. They were 18 years old, and weren't twins, though they might as well have been. t hey were both on the football team, were both obsessed with girls, and sometimes even finished each other's sentences, which was both annoying and creepy. Lastly, she passed her older sister Amanda's room. She was the quiet, artsy type. You'd hardly ever find her without a pad of drawing paper and a pencil. She didn't talk much, always having a thoughtful expression on her face. Finally, Samantha reached the end of the hall, and opened the door on her right.

Her room was....messy, to say the least. She called the piles on the ground "organized clutter". Her white walls were covered in different posters, so that they hardly even showed anymore. Posters of different bands, movies, pictures, and actresses/actors covered them. She dug around in her drawers and pulled out a pair of jeans and a light brown tank top. She opened her door and ran across the hall and into the bathroom.

She wrinkled her nose as the smell of axe, perfume, sweat, and the sight of dirty wrinkled boxers met her. She pushed a path through the mess and turned on the water. She set her clothes down on the toliet seat before undressing and stepping in.

As the water washed over her body and loosened all the knots in her muscles, she closed her eyes and tried to relax. Her mind began to wander, and she struggled to focus on what she was doing and nothing more, yet that night kept running through her mind. That night two months ago that had changed her life forever. The reason she was so angry all the time at school, the reason she started hanging around the wrong people, the reason that her old friends left her, the reason that she went to the gym every day to release some of that anger, the reason that she hated herself and everything else in life.

Soon she stepped out of the shower. She got dressed and combed her hair in the mirror, after spending ten minutes searching for her brush in all the mess of makup, hairspray, and deoderant that littered the counter. Seven siblings sharing one bathroom was....interesting,t o say the least.

SHe had just retreated to her room for homework when the front door downstairs opened, and the greetings began. Mom was home.

She stood up and opened the door just as Will went to knock.

"Dinner," He said. Samantah smiled and nodded.

"Two seconds," She said, but he was already halfway down the hall, knocking on doors as he went. The siblings took turns cooking dinner on weeknights, seeing as their parents didn't get home until later.

She made sure her door was locked behind her before heading downstairs behind all the others.

Their dad walked in just as Samantha descended the last step. HE laughed and joked with Chase and Zack, all traces of work gone already, though he was still in his suit. She walked into the kitchen, offering her mom a small smile.

"How was work?" She asked, as she helped her take down plates and cups and forks. She had to keep up the charade that everything was okay which, to them, it was.

"Good. How was school?" Her mom asked, giving her a genuine smile that almost made Samantha want to tell her right there. She doubted she'd be smiling then. But she didn't.

"Good," She lied instead, with yet another false smile. SHe was good at this by now; she had to be.

"That's good," Her mom said, carrying the plates out, followed closely by Samantha with the cups and forks. They set the table to eat while Zack and Chase went on about the latest football scores, Carolyn and Lizzie went on about a shoe sale this weekend, and Amanda just smiled and nodded along. William helped pass out food; eggs, bacon, sausage, and muffins, and then they began to eat.

Samantha was like a puppet; she smiled at all the right times, laughed when appropriate, and nodded occasionally, answering any questions directed at her and remaining silent the rest of the time. No one seemed to notice.

She stood up when she was finished, and helped clean up the plates before retreating back to her room. He was there.

Meet Drew Landing: He was the 'bad boy' of school, and an all around jerk. No one messed with him, though he messed with everyone. Samantha had started hanging around him about two months ago, after that night . No one at home knew, not even her siblings who all went to school with her. They were all in a higher grade than her, and she didn't see them much except in the hallways. This was the reason that they didn't know about the changes in her personality, either.

Drew grinned up at her from her bed, and she rolled her eyes, shutting and locking the door behind her. She herself didn't know why she dated him. It wasn't that she liked him. Not at all. In fact, she almost hated him. Maybe it was because it took her mind off of it , and because she didn't even know herself anymore. He had come along with her new attitude, and she didn't know how to get rid of him now.

He snuck in her room almost every night, to 'talk'. He always seemed to just want to kiss, and more, but she refused to let it go any farther than that.

He sat up, and motioined her over. She sat down next to him on the bed, and he pulled her into his lap and began trailing kisses down her neck. She didn't stop him.

"How was your night?" He mumbled, lips still pressed against her skin. She knew he didn't care, but answered him anyways.

"Fine," She mumbled, and he smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her tight against his chest. She leaned her head back against him, sighing and closing her eyes.

"Aren't you going to ask me how my day was?" He asked, teasing her lightly and keepin gher held close. Samantha looked up at him, forcing a smile. He didn't seem to notice it was fake; he never did.

"How was your day?" She finally asked.

"Great," He whispered, and leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back, and his lips curled into a smile against hers as she slowly pulled her even closer to him, his arms trailing down her back. She didn't stop him; however, when she felt them creep up her shirt, she pulled back and stood up.

"No," She said. "I've told you countless times, Drew," She said. "No."

He sighed dramatically, and layed back on her bed, his dark brown hair flopping over his eyes.

"Fine, fine," He said, and leaned up on his elbwos, giving her a mischievious grin. "See you later, Sammy," He said, and was gone out her window a few moments later. She walked over to her window and watched him climb down the tree outside her window and disappear down the street. She then closed her window and lay back on her bed, closing her eyes. Note to self: next time, lock the window.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Samantha awoke the next morning to her own personal alarm clock.

"Zack, get out of the bathroom! I have to do my hair!!" Carolyn's voice yelled.

"Hey, I was here first!" Lizzie protested.

"Move it or lose it!" Chase yelled, pushing them both aside, earning squeals of protest. Samantha grumbled to herself before rolling out of bed.

They could have used the other bathroom, but their parents, especially their mom, used it to get ready for almost the entire morning.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her tired amber eyes, her messy brown hair, the tired expression on her face that said she had given up long ago.

She pulled on a pair of jeans and a dark red tank top, pulling on her black fingerless fishnet gloves that wnet up to her elbows as well. She combed her hair and pulled it up into a loose panytail before slipping on her boots and opening her door that led into the hallway. She passed by the large mob hoarding around the bhatroom, and then by Amanda's room. She seemed to be the only other one not fighting for the bathroom.

She walked donw the stairs and into the kitchen, making herself a bowl of cocoa puffs. She sat down at the table and began to eat slowly when Amanda came down.

"Morning," Samantha said, still staring down at her cereal even as she spoke.

"Morning," Amanda said, taking the bread out of the fridge and placing two slicers in the toaster.

"Sleep well?" Samantha asked.

"Yeah, and you?" Amanda asked.

"Fine," She lied. Amanda had to be her favorite sibling now; she did'nt mind the silence, and didn't feel the constant need to break it, like everyone else in this household seemed to.

Samantha had been a while lot more talkative before that night . She laughed a lot more, didn't take everything so seriously, and didn't worry so much. But what hurt her the most, was that nobody noticed .

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the hustle and bustle of the morning. Zack and Chase pushed and shoved, Carolyn and Lizzie laughed, Amanda and William talked about some new album that Samantha had never heard of before. Then they were out the door, after Samantha gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek on the way out. They all started down the sidewalk, went heir separate ways once at school, and the day began.
~~~~~~~
Samantha saw Chase once in the hall, flirting with some girl. He didn't notice her, which was good, with Drew's arm around her waist.

Kids gave her fleeting glances as she passed by them, and she scowled at them. Then three familiar faces met hers, and her world seemed to play in slow motion all around her. Her three best friends, at least they had been. Ever since that night , she had pulled away from them and everyone else, but them especially. She knew that if they knew the truth, then they would never have wanted to stay her friend anyways.

Drew pulled her closer to him as they passed them; Kaitlyn paused in the middle of a story, her laughter reaching Samantha's ears. Their eyes met for a moemtn, and Samantha saw nothing left there for her. It had all left long ago.

Kaitlyn turned back to Roxanne and Misty, and they all walked on as if nothing had happened, still laughing and talking. The world sped up again around her as Drew pulled her into the next classroom, his arm not once leaving her waist.
~~~~
To everyone at home, Kaitlyn, Roxanne, and Misty were still great friends of Samantha's. Kaitlyn had been her best friend since the first grade, Roxanne and Misty since third. But now, it was almost as if they had never even known each other at all.

She took a fry off of her tray and ate it slowly, all while listening to Drew go onto his few idiot friends about something stupid, like hot girls or something like that, as if she weren't even sitting there at all.

She listened to them rate girls, all while he kept his arm around her waist. She felt sick. She felt more like a piece of property than a girlfriend.

Her eyes looked up, and she saw them at a table. Kaitlyn, Roxanne, and Misty. They all laughed and joked together, and she almost saw herself back with them, sitting at the now empty chair and laughing with them.

She closed her eyes, and images of that night flashed through her mind. It was her fault in the first place that that had happened; she had convinced them to go, saying it was harmless and that nothing could go wrong, but it had. She---

"Samantha?"A voice brought her out of her memories and thoughts, and she realized that lunch was over. She loked at the sourc eof the voice, Drew.

"Let's go, babe," he said, and dragged her along without another word.
~~~~~~
"See you tonight?" Drew asked. IT was the end of the day, and Samantha was at her locker, getting ready to go home. She hesitated at his question for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"That's my girl," He said, and before she could argue with his choise of words, he had knelt down and pressed his lips forcefully against hers. The lockers had almost emptyed out completely when he finally pulled back.

"Bye," he said simply, before leaving. Samantha sighed, gathered her books up and slowly made her way out. A freshman girl got in her way, and Samaantha roughly pushed her aside, causing her to fall down.

"Move," She mumbled simply and gruffly, and made her way slowly off of school grounds and towards the gym.
~~~~~
Left. Right. Punch. Kick. Breathe.

And so the routine began again, all becasuse of that night .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few weeks later, at dinner, Samantha's mom suddenly spoke.

"How are Kaitlyn and the others doing?" She asked.

"Yeah, they haven't been over in a while," Chase said.

"And they're cute, too," Zack added, earning a kick from her under the table.

"They're fine, just busy, is all," Samantha said quickly. "Anyone want somre more corn?"
~~~~~~
Samantha retreated to her room aftrer dinner, saying she was "tired". In truth, she just needed some time to think. But, as usual, Drew made that impossible.

He was there again, waiting for her. She had forgotten to lock the window again. Darn.

"Why the long face?" he asked, as she closed and locked the door behind her. Drew knew nothing of that night , nor what had occurred there and the guilt that hautned her each and every day as a result of it. He had never even questioned her sudden change from the lovable, normal, happy 16 year old girl to the angry, depressed, confused, and vi olent one that she as today. It made her question the size of his brain. He never even asked about her old friends, or her old life . But then again, what had she been expecting from someone like him, who cared for nothing and no one but himself? What a jerk. She didn't know why she stuck around him; maybe because he was the only sense of normalcy she had left in her life that kept her from falling over the edge every day.

"Nothing, just tired," She said, settling down on the bed next to him. He pulled her onto his lap again, and kissed her. She drowned her sorrows in hsi false sense of "love".
~~~~~~~
Kids were scared of her at school now. She was mean. She was "bad." She was dating Drew. She was a jerk, who would beat you up if you messed with her, which she had once or twice, then threatened them into not telling anyone about it. Kids hated her.

She heard their whispers, and itw as a wonder that none of her siblings had found anything out by now, especially Carolyn and Lizzie, two fo the biggest gossips in the entire school. She figured that they stuck mostly to gossip of their owng rade ors omething like that, but she was still surprised that no one had asked any of them straight out about her and dRew or her sudden change in personality, or who she had beaten up. They were scared to, and they should be. Drew had rubbed off on her.

It was only a mtter of time, however, she supposed, but she hoped that day never came. Her life was barely hanging on by a thread, and if that thread broke, her entire world would be plunged into chaos, and she didn't know if she could take that.
~~~~~~~
"You okay? Somethign seems to be eating at you," Randy said, about a week later at the gym, watching as Samantha attacked the punching bag in front of her, blinded by pure rage and anger.

"Fine," She breathed heavily. "Just....frustrated."

Randy placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to him, breathing heavily and covered in sweat.

"You can't let your anger get the better of you. If this were a real fight," he said. "You would have lost by now."

Samantha frowned, and he continued.

"Rage blinds you. You have to learn to let it go, and focus only on what you're doing," He said. She slowly nodded, and he smiled at her.

"Good. Now, I want you to remember that, and spar with someone," He said. Samantha opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head.

"No, you're going to do this," he said. "I want to see how much you've improved since last time." And with that, he gestured out one of the other students, a boy around her age. He went over the rules, and then left them to fight.

He came at her, and Samantha grabbed his arm, flipping him onto his back easily and holding him down. He grunted with effort, and managed to get the upper hand, now on top of her. She kicked up, and stood up, eyes blinded with anger. She was thinking of that night again, and that only fueled her rage. Soon, she had him pinned down on the ground, and she kept him by his throat, squeezing tightly.

'Come on, guys!' Samantha said, grinning from ear to ear. 'It'll be fun.'

'I don't know....' Roxanne said slowly. Samantha sighed. 'I'll meet you there if you decide to come, okay?' she said, and was gone.

Squealing brakes. Cries of pain. Tears.

She was brought back only by Randy pulled her off of the boy in front of her.

"What's the matter with you?!" He yelled. "You almost killed him!!"

Killed. She looked at the boy in front of her, laying on the ground, and her eyes widened slightly. He was gasping for air.

"You're banend for two weeks. Get control of yourself, Samantha. I don't know what's going on with you, but take it somewhere else," Randy said, and pushed her roughly towards the door. "Now get out of here."

She grabbed her bags and left.
~~~~~~~~
Samantha arrived home that night, sore and sweaty. She showered before anyone saw her, the only evidence of her time at the gym a small bruise forming on her left arm.

That night, after dinner, she came into her room, and Drew was there. Strange. SHe could have sworn she locked the window this time.

"I heard you almost killed a guy today," He said suddenly. Samantha frowned, locking the door behind her.

"News spreads fast," she mumbled, walking over to her dresser and looking at her reflection silently, her hair pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes.

"So it's true?" he asked. She turned to face him, glaring.

"Yes, it was. But it was an accident. Are you going to scold me, Drew?" She demanded, glaring at him.

"No. I'm impressed," Drew said, and patted the bed next to him. She frowned and sat down, sighing.

"Drew, I---" she started, but he cut her off with a kiss. She was having a crappy day, and she kissed him back forcefully. He pulled her closer, his arms trailing down her back again. She didn't stop him. Soon, he lay her back on the bed, still kissing her. She had never let it get this far before. But still, she didn't stop him. Only when he began trailing kisses down her neck again did she sit up suddenly.

"No, Drew," She said. "No. I told you, I'm not doing that."

He glared at her instead of pouting this time. "Geez, Samantha," He said. "I've been dating you for 4 months now. When are you going to let me?" She glared daggers at him.

"I've told you, no!!" She shouted. He glared at her and walked to the window.

"Forget this. I'm not wasting my time with you anymore, Samantha," he said. "Goodbye." And then he was gone.

Samantha's eyes widened, and she pulled her arms around herself, as if to hold herself together. No. This couldn't be happening. She could feel the world spinning, and she placed her head in between her knees, trying to calm her turning stomach. The thread had broken. She had fallen.
~~~~~~~~~

Samantha awoke the next morning after only 2 hours of restless sleep. She had never felt as alone as she did now. Drew had left her.

She clutched herself tightly again, trying to hold back a wave of sobs coming over her again. She wouldn’t cry, not for him. She didn’t need him; she never did. But she knew they were lies the moment they passed through her mind.

She stood up, and walked over to her dresser, pulling out the first outfit she grabbed. It didn’t matter what it was. She ended up wearing a pair of jeans and a long sleeved gray shirt. She pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail, grabbed her jacket, and walked downstairs.

The usual fight for the bathroom was going on, but she ignored it, walking straight to the kitchen instead. She took a bowl and spoon out, filling it with cheerios and sitting down at the table. Her mind was blank as she ate slowly. The only sounds that registered in her mind was the squealing of her sisters upstairs and the laughter from Chase and Zack.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the hustle and bustle of the morning. She finished eating and walked outside long before they did.

She sat down on the front porch steps as she waited, eyes closed, hair blowing around her face from the gentle breeze of the morning. She shivered lightly; it was cold. And no wonder; it was almost December.

She opened her eyes as everyone else stepped out, and they began their walk to school.
~!!~
The whole day, she heard them. The laughter of those around her. ‘The ice queen has melted,’ she heard them say. Even now, as she walked to English.

She passed by a row of lockers, and several people stopped and looked at her, whispering things to each other as she passed. She kept her head held high, scowling at anyone who stared too long. Then, she saw Drew.

He was walking with his friends, laughing. He saw her, too, and just laughed harder. Her cheeks flushed red and she pushed past him. The laugher grew louder, burning her cheeks and ringing in her ears. Someone tripped her, but instead of yelling or beating them up like usual, she stood back up and ran.

Their laughter followed her as she locked herself in the bathroom stall, and cried.
~!!~
That night at dinner, Samantha was doing her usual charade. Pretending that she was listening, that everything was okay.

“The football game is tomorrow. You’re all going, right?” Chase asked. “We’re gonna dominate!” Zack added . Everyone nodded, except Samantha, who was drifting away.

“Samantha?” Her mom asked. She stopped picking at her peas and looked up. “Yeah?” She asked. “You’re going, right?” she asked. “Where?” Samantha asked. All eyes were on her now, as she racked her brain for what they had been talking about.

“Oh, the game, “She finally said, smiling. “Yeah, I’m going.”

The talk resumed, but she wasn’t hungry.
~!!~
She walked into her room that nig ht, half expecting to see Drew on her bed. He wasn’t there, and she was still banned from the gym. She had nothing to take her anger out on. She shut the door, and screamed into her pillow.
~!!~
It was the next night at the football game that she approached Drew.

She was sitting alone. Amanda and William were a few seats down and in front of her, with some friends. Chase and Zack were in the game, doing their best. And Carolyn and Lizzie were off at the food stand, flirting with some boys.

Samantha was sitting at the very top, her hair hanging loose around her face, blown around by the wind. She shivered lightly, and Drew looked at her. Her eyes met his, and but he walked away. Before she knew what she was doing, she was running after him. Amanda and Will didn’t even seem to notice.

“Drew!” She called, once she was down at the bottom. He ignored her, and kept walking. “Drew!” She shouted again. They were under the bleachers now.

“What?” He asked finally, turning to look at her.

“I’m sorry,” Samantha blurted out suddenly. But she wasn’t; she had nothing to apologize for, but she knew that she needed him. She needed him to retain the only sense of normalcy that her life had. She needed him to keep herself from falling off the edge, and telling everyone about that night. She needed him to keep herself from going insane.

Drew’s lips curled up into a smile. She had to resist the urge to hit him.

“Really,” he said. She took a deep breathe, and nodded.

“Yes, really,” She said. “Drew, I’m sorry. Please give me another chance.”

In the next second he had her pulled close to him. “You know what I want,” He whispered in her ear. She closed her eyes tightly and nodded.

“Yes,” She mumbled.

“And you’re not going to fight me on this anymore?” He asked. She shook her head.

“Come on, let’s get out of here, then,” He said. Her eyes widened.

“N—now?” She asked. He looked at her. “Is that a problem? I thought you were sorry,” He said.

“No, it’s not. I just have to tell them I’m leaving. I’ll make up an excuse,” She said. She then turned and ran to the bleachers, straight to Amanda and Will.

“Hey,” She said. “I’m sick. I need to go home.”

Amanda stood up, worry on her face. “You do look pale,” she said. She nodded. “Come on, we’ll go with,” She said, and Will stood up.

“No, I don’t wanna ruin your night,” Samantha said. “I’ll walk home alone.” Amanda frowned. “You sure?” She asked. Samantha nodded. “I’ll see you there. Lemme know how the game turns out,” She said, and turned and made her way down the bleachers again.

She couldn’t find Drew, so she started back home, figuring he would be there. She couldn’t’ believe she was about to do this. But she had to; she couldn’t afford to lose him. She couldn’t fall off the edge. She needed him, to keep herself from going insane, to keep her whole world from being plunged into the darkness.
~!!~
Drew was waiting for her back at home. She didn’t know how he got there so fast, but he had. She locked her door behind her, and he was on her, kissing her, before she even had time to take her jacket off.

His kisses were different this time. She wanted to push him off, but she knew she couldn’t afford to lose him. She couldn’t fall off the edge. Her world was already falling apart.

She didn’t protest as he lowered her onto the bed this time. She couldn’t.
~!!~
Samantha awoke the next morning, alone. Drew was gone. She sat up in bed, tears in her eyes. Images of the night before flashed through her mind. She felt tears slipping down her cheeks. How could she have been so stupid?

‘You need him, that’s why,’ a voice in her head said. ‘There’s no going back now.’

She shook her head, holding her head in her hands. This couldn’t be happening.

She stood up, wiping the tears away. She took a shower and quickly got dressed, trying to shake off what she had done. But she couldn’t.
~!!~
Drew acted like nothing had happened. He acted like he had never broken up with her, and that nothing had changed. But to her, everything was different.

It was lunchtime now. He had her pulled close to his body, and she kept thinking of the night before. She shook it off, and looked around the cafeteria.

Her friends had their own table again, and were looking at her. She looked away. She felt ashamed.

She fell silent for the rest of lunch, and the rest of the day, just trying to keep her mind clear and not think. That was the only way.
~!!~
The next 2 weeks went by normally. Well, as normally as they could. Drew came by almost every night, but she refused to make the same mistake again. She had gotten him to stay with her, and he had. She wouldn't fall off the edge, not now.

She was allowed back at the gym now, and was working harder than ever, getting out all her anger. She still could not stop thinking about that night, however.

School was......normal. She was the ice queen again, the one no one messed with. She was 'mean'. She even beat a few kids up. But none of them knew the truth. Her brothers and sisters still knew nothing. They thought everything was okay, nothing had changed. They only asked about her friends at times, and even then she could come up with some sort of an excuse. She had kept up the charade. But her world was slowly falling apart, from the inside out.
~!!~
It was a Monday. December 17. Christmas was just around the corner, and they were off for break. Samantha had gone through life the way she had been, going to the gym every day. It was closed now, opening again on January 3. She was at home in her room, thinking. She was laying back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Laughter. She, Kaitlyn, Roxanne, and Misty were all laughing as they walked around the party. Music blasted from speakers all around them, kids danced, talked, laughed, drank, and kissed. Samantha had a cup of beer in her hand, as did her friends. But she was drinking a lot more than them.

"Hey, maybe we should go home," Kaitlyn said. Samantha laughed.

"Come on, we're just getting started!" She said, though her words were slurred slightly. She kept walking, and they followed. More laughter.

Samantha sat up suddenly, gasping, eyes wide, when she heard a knock on her window. She ran over to it, and saw that it was Drew. She tried to calm her pounding heart as she opened the window and took a step back to let him in. He was grinning at her.

"Hey, baby," He said. Samantha had to resist the urge to push him out the window.

"Hey," She mumbled instead. He smiled and closed the window behind him.

"How are you?" She asked him. He grinned.

"Good, good," He said, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She inwardly rolled her eyes; he couldn't talk to her for two seconds without touching her.

"I don't think---" Samantha started, but he cut her off with a kiss. She pulled back, turning her head away. He didn't seem to take the hint, for he continued to kiss her neck. She tried to push him away, but he wouldn't. He kissed her again, and she found herself kissing him back. She had to. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her as close as he could. He slowly lowered her back onto the bed, keeping his lips on hers. She didn't seem to realize what was going on until he was trailing kisses down her neck again. She pushed him away.

"Not now," She said, a lie. Not ever. He frowned. "What's got you so uptight?" He asked.

She glared at him, sitting up. "Nothing," She mumbled.

"You said you wouldn't fight me on this anymore," Drew said, glaring slightly at her. Samantha shook her head.

"I can't," She said. "I can't do that again." Her voice was quieter now. Drew looked angry. Furious, even. Suddenly, his face changed.

"Fine," He said. "But don't bother calling me again, Samantha," He added over his shoulder. He was gone a few moments later.

Samantha stared at the wall. She was alone again, but he had left her worse than before. Bruised, battered, and broken. She punched the wall, letting out a cry of frustration. She wouldn't let this bring her down. She wouldn’t be his pet anymore. Not again.

She looked up, her hair falling over her eyes. She had a determined glint in them. She wouldn't let him do this to her. Not anymore. Never again.
~!!~
That night, she excused herself from dinner and went up to her room, saying that she was tired. But she didn't go to sleep. She pulled on a black hoodie, jeans, and snuck out her window.

She climbed down the side, and landed on her feet on the ground, grunting with effort. She then turned and started down the street.

She had spent the day reading up on how to pick locks and hotwire cars. She was informed now, though she felt she would only need one of the skills. She was going to Drew's house, Chase’s baseball hat in her hand.

She knew that this was a line she was crossing. But she had already done the inevitable; what more did she have to lose?

She looked up as she came to his house. The lights were off, but a TV blared inside somewhere. He wouldn’t hear her. Perfect.

She walked straight to his car, an old one. It was his pride and joy.

‘This is for treating me like a piece of crap,’ she thought, taking a bobby pin out of her hair and picking the lock with ease. She closed the door, taking out her pocketknife. She walked around the length of it, scratching deep lines in it as she did so. She then took the baseball bat, and smashed the windows. It was loud, but his TV was louder. That, and he lived in not the best part of town. The noises were hardly out of place.

She took her knife and slit the tires, before picking up the baseball bat again. She gritted her teeth together tightly, and brought it above her head. She brought it down hard on top of the front bumper, then the back bumper, then the side doors, each blow harder than the last. She heard dogs barking, and knew she was heard. She gave one more hit before getting in the driver’s seat. She was under the dashboard, and soon it fired to life. She would be found soon, she knew. She had to hurry. She put it in drive and stepped out. Then she pushed it with a grunt of effort, and it went rolling down the driveway and into the street, where it smashed with a huge ‘crash’ into the neighbor’s garage, breaking through it. Lights turned on in both houses, and she ran, but not before smashing the top of the car one more time with the bat, leaving a nice sized dent.
~!!~
Samantha awoke the next morning, and the events of the day before came rushing back to her like a flood. She felt a small smirk turning up the sides of her lips. There would be no way he would know it was her; she had the baseball bat back in her brother’s room, after having wiped all the chips of paint off of it from Drew’s car the night before.

She sat up in bed, and looked at the clock. It was almost noon; she had slept late, no doubt a result of being out past 2 am messing up Drew’s car.

She walked downstairs, rubbing her tired eyes.

“Hey, Sammy, good morning,” Her mother said.

“Yo,” Zack said, with a simple wave of his hand. The greetings went on like this, as she made herself a bowl of cheerios. Suddenly, Amanda spoke up.

“That kid from school, Drew, his car was totally ruined last night,” She said quietly, looking up from her book. “It was on the local news and everything.”

Carolyn and Lizzie frowned.

“Good, he had it comin’,” William shouted from the den, where he was with his guitar.

“Yeah, but I wonder who did it,” Carolyn said. Samantha stared down at her cheerios intently, as if looking for something there.

“What do you think, Sammy?” Chase asked suddenly.

“Huh?” Samantha asked, finally looking up. “Um, I dunno,” She shrugged. “Anyone coulda done it. No one likes him,” She mumbled simply, and went back to her cereal. She coud tell their eyes were lingering on her, but she ignored it.

"I'm going to go get dressed," She said, pushing back her chair.

Her brothers and sisters looked up in surprise, but nodded.

Samantha pushed her way into her room, closing the door behind her and sinking down to the ground. She felt a shiver run down her spine. She had crossed the line, the line that she had been trying so hard to keep in her view. She had done something that could not be erased.

But hadn’t she already done that? She had made the biggest mistake of her life with Drew already, and just thinking about what she had done sent shivers down her spine. He wasn’t worth any of the pain he had caused her, and she knew that. She had never even liked him! But she couldn’t stop thinking of him. She felt herself slipping off the edge everyday. Ever since that night, her deeds just kept piling up. She felt like nothing could fix what she had done, because nothing could. She didn’t know what to do anymore.

She would fake her way through it. What else could she do?
~!!~
It was her first day back at school after Christmas break. The hallways were streaming with gossip, and she caught that a lot of it was about Drew.

‘Someone totally wrecked his car,’ someone was saying.

‘No way! I wonder who would have done that,’ someone else said. In spit of herself, she found a smirk making its way to her lips.

‘He was such a jerk. It could’ve been anyone,’ someone else said.

She pushed their words out of her mind and walked to her first hour class.

As she sank down in her seat, she felt eyes on the back of her head. She tried to ignore it as the teacher droned on and on, but soon it became too much. She turned slightly, and saw Drew, sitting and staring at her. His eyes were narrow and accusing, and she quickly spun back around, her heart hammering against her chest. He knew. He had to know; why else would he be looking at her like that?

Suddenly she looked down, shaking her head. What did it matter if he did? What was he doing to do about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

What she didn’t know was that he would.
~!!~
It had to have been a week later, just as the glamour of Christmas was wearing off that Drew met Samantha.

She was walking down the sidewalk, her jacket pulled tightly around her shoulders. It was cold out, and around 12 am. She went for walks late at night often, when she couldn’t sleep. The fresh air helped clear her mind.

She saw a figure up ahead, and didn’t realize who it was until she was close enough. He smiled at her.

“Hello, Sammy,” He said. She frowned; what was he doing out here? It was pitch black where she now stood, and she had to struggle to see his face clearly.

She ignored him and tried to push past, but he grabbed her arm. His grip was surprisingly strong; his nails dug into her flesh, and she tried not to flinch, not that he could have seen it in this lighting anyways.

He pushed her into the alley, and she glared at him.

“what do you want, Drew?” Samantha asked. His grip on her arm tightened in response.

“I know it was you,” He said. She suddenly wished she hadn’t come out here alone.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She said simply. He scowled at her. She kept her face impassive.

“Don’t’ play dumb with me, Samantha,” He shouted. She heard a dog bark somewhere in the distance, but everything around her was still and dark. “I know it was you,” He repeated.

“And so what if it was?” She asked. “What are you going to do about it?” She demanded. HE said nothing. “That’s what I thought,” she hissed. “You’re a coward, Drew,” She said. “You’ve always been one. I can---“ she was cut off as a loud slap echoed in the alley. It took her a few moments to realize that he had hit her. She stumbled back as he released his grip on her arm, holding her cheek. She was furious.

“Don’t you dare touch me ever again!!” She yelled. She was afraid she might have woken someone up, but no lights turned on. She wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

“or what?” Drew demanded. He took a step forward. She raised an arm as if to defend herself, but he took it in his grasp. He was so close now that she could feel his breathe on her skin.

“You don’t fool me, Sammy,” he whispered into her ear. She struggled to free herself and kicked out, but he just held her tighter. “I see right through you.”

These words made her stop struggling. The smirk on his face made her hate him even more.

“Get away from me,” She said quietly, her voice low and dangerous.

“You don’t scare me, Sammy,” He said.

“I said,” she repeated slowly. “Get away from me.” He didn’t. She closed her eyes, as if she had given up. When she opened them, they were murderous. Drew blinked in surprise, but it was too late. She twisted his arm off of her, kicking him hard in the ankles. She turned to run, but something grabbed her ankle and she fell down. Pain exploded up her arm, and her head hit the pavement hard. Sparks of colors exploded behind her eyes. Everything hurt. Something grabbed her wrists, pinning her down to the ground. She forced her eyes open, looking up at a very angry Drew.

“You little---“ he began, but didn’t get far. She kicked up again and he fell off of her, moaning in pain. She stumbled to her feet, her arm burning with pain. She took a few steps before falling to her knees.

Drew stood up and grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her roughly to her feet. She was still struggling to get her bearings when he pushed her against the cold alley wall, her head colliding with the bricks with a sickening crack. She moaned, and tasted something in her mouth; blood.

“You listen to me, and you listen good,” Drew growled. “Look at me.” She couldn’t; everything was fading in and out of focus, and—

“I said, look at me!” A stinging slap, so hard that her head snapped to eh side, brought everything into focus. The dark alleyway, how deep into it they were, how if someone were to walk by, which was unlikely in itself, they wouldn’t be able to see her or drew. The toppled over trashcans, the smell of garbage mixing with the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol…

“You’re drunk,” Samantha said, with the sudden realization that the smell was coming from him. He said nothing, just smiled strangely at her. Her stomach did a flip. She was frightened, actually frightened, though she struggled not to let it slip through her armor that she had worked so hard to build up over the past months.

“You’re drunk, Drew,” she repeated. “Get off of me.”

“And what if I don’t want to?” He asked, his mouth suddenly very close to hers. The smell of beer was almost suffocating now. She had to wonder just how much he’d been drinking.

“Drew, stop,” She said, a few ounces of fear slipping through her façade. She hoped he hadn’t noticed, but the smile on his face said he had. “Let me go. Please.”

“You’re so beautiful,” He mumbled, brushing the back of his hand against her cheekbone. She shivered and slapped it away with the hand that he didn’t have pinned down painfully at her side.

“Drew---“ She began, but his lips cut her off. She tired to turn her face away, to break free, but he had her pinned so tightly now, and with his own body this time, that she could barely breath, much less find the room or strength to move. His lips were rough, his kisses painful. She could taste the beer. She was aware of everything now. The blood running down her arm, the cold seeping through her clothes, the blinding pain in her head. Yet she couldn’t move. Even if he hadn’t been holding her in place, she couldn’t have moved.

He pulled back, and she turned her face away. He didn’t even seem to hear her telling him to stop, to go away, to get off of her. He began trailing kisses down her neck, and she finally found her strength, at least some of it. She placed a hand on his chest to push him back, but he took it differently. His mouth found its way back to hers.

She wanted to scream. She knew where this was going, where it would no doubt go if she didn’t stop him. She tried to pull free of his grasp, but he just held her tighter, kissed her harder. The smell and taste of beer and cigarettes were overwhelming now. When had he started smoking?

She felt his hands on her bare back now. No. She closed her eyes tightly, falling limp. He didn’t seem to notice and continued. He was kissing her neck again now.

“No,” She said quietly. He didn’t seem to hear her. “ I said no!!” She yelled suddenly, pushing him back. He looked at her.

“Don’t you ever do that again!! “She screamed. A light turned on upstairs. A door opened. Voices. She looked up, and when she looked back at Drew, he was gone . She heard footsteps on the stairs and turned and ran.
~!!~
Samantha climbed back in her window at 2am. She locked herself in the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.

Blood ran down her cheek from a gash on the back of her head from hitting the alley wall, and her forehead from tripping. The blood ran into her mouth, explaining why she’d taste it. Her elbow and downwards was all bloody, cut badly and bleeding a lot from landing on it when she had tripped.

Her head throbbed, and she rummaged around in the drawers, pulling out a bottle of Advil. She took 2, along with some sleeping pills. She cleaned up the blood as best as she could, banding her wound. The pills kicked in then, and she stumbled into bed.
~!!~
Samantha’s first thoughts as she woke up were ‘what happened?’

Everything hurt. Her head throbbed, her arm felt like she’d taken a cheese grater to it, and when she yawned a sharp pain exploded in her cheek.

She stumbled over to her mirror, and as she looked at herself the event so the night before came flooding back to her like a crashing wave. The large purpled bruise on her cheek from where Drew had hit her twice, the dried blood on the end of her hair and cheeks, the large cut on her forehead. Everything.