Second Chances

A week had passed since Brian and Sam went out together and played mini golf. After that night, the two refused to speak to each other. Even after some help from the others, they still were not talking.

And this hurt Sam. A lot more than it should have.

In her mind, she wasn’t supposed to feel like this towards any of the guys. They were just her friends. Never once did the thought of her actually having feelings for one of them cross her mind. Sure, it may have in high school, but that was because everyone in high school has feelings for their best friends.

But some where a long the lines of her coming out to Huntington, Sam had gotten those feelings back. She knew damn well that this time, they weren’t just some silly little crush. They were for real.

The only question that was on her mind now was: Was she ready for something like this?

Laying out on the middle of her bed, stretched out from corner to corner, Sam stared up at the ceiling listening to Jimmy argue with himself downstairs. He and the guys had gone back in to the studio to record their next album and Jimmy had taken a risk and decided to write for Avenged Sevenfold this time around. Usually he only wrote for Pinkly Smooth, his and Brian’s side project, but he was taking a chance this time.

Sam sighed heavily and drowned out Jimmy’s outbursts from the floor beneath her.

She closed her eyes. “Daddy, I need help,” She said ever so quietly. The air moved bizarrely in her room, but she was accustomed to weird things happening like that. Ever since he had passed, all she had to do was ask for help and something would happen.

When she opened her eyes again a white envelope sat on top of her dresser. She remembered that Katie had given it to her earlier and obviously her father wanted her to read it.

Hesitantly, she got up from the bed and grabbed the envelope off the dresser, carefully tearing it open and pulling out the contents from inside.

Dear Sam,

I love you. I think you should know that.

I do what I do for you so that you can live a life full of happiness. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to go away for such a long time, but when I leave for the flight, all I can think about is you and how your life is going to turn out. I really do hope you find a guy like Shaant and get married to him. I would love to see both of my girls get married.

You’re my baby girl Sam. Madison was a pain in the ass to take care of, but you, you were a breeze. I just want you to be happy, that’s all. I know I may not be there all the time because in the combat world, things are bound to go wrong, but I’ll always be there, no matter what. I promise you this.

One day, you’re going to read this and there’s going to be a guy on your mind. How do I know this? Because you’ve always come to me with your guy problems. Your mother was great with the other stuff, but I know that you always wanted my opinion of guy before hers.

So, what’s he like? Does he make your heart race and your breath stop? Does he take care of you when you’re feeling sad and try to cheer you up? Does he want to just be with you even though he has a hangover from the night before? Does he say he loves you and you can see it that he means it? Does he have those tattoos like you’ve been dying to get ever since you were eleven?

Tell me all about him sweetie. I want to know it all.

If he’s anything like you want him to be, I know he’ll treat you right. Even if I can’t be there to see it, I’ll be able to feel it. I know when something makes you happy Sam. You get this look in your eyes like your heart is going to explode and you’ll burst in to tears at any second.

Do what your heart wants Samantha.
I love you.

- Dad

Her vision became blurry as she finished the letter. It was almost as if he had written it after her had passed, but the handwriting suggested it was written before Madison’s wedding.

Even though it may have been a while since it was written, clearly it still had meaning. Everything that her father has said to her through pen and paper had a meaning. It was how they stayed in touch when he went on tours to defend his country.

After wiping away a few remaining tears, Sam’s eyes scanned the page again, stopping on the paragraph that asked what he was like. Some how, it seemed like he was asking about Brian. He did always know that she had a little crush on Brian and even tried to intimidate him in to taking her out once. However, that did no go over so well.

The closing line was what got to her though. Do what your heart wants Samantha.

“Hey,” Jimmy smiled, poking his head in to her room. She clutched the letter to her chest and tried to calm her heavy breathing that had been caused by him scaring her.

“Jesus Christ Jimmy, you scared me!”

“Sorry,” He apologized, opening the door for himself and stepping in to her room. “I was gonna head down to the studio with Matt. You wanna come?”

“Sure, just let me change.”

Jimmy nodded and walked out of her room to give her some more privacy. She took the letter and folded it neatly, slipping it back in to the envelope and putting it in to the top drawer of her dresser next to all her hair accessories. She quickly changed her clothes and went downstairs to tell Jimmy she was ready. Together they headed off to the studio in his silver Range Rover.

“What’s with you and Brian?” Jimmy asked, trying to make a light conversation while Dream Theater played in the background.

She turned her head to look at him with a confused face. “Huh?”

“You. And. Brian.” He repeated, annunciating his words a bit more.

“Oh,” She answered sheepishly. “Nothing.”

“You two haven’t spoken in a week. What’s going on?”

Sam sighed. She knew Jimmy wasn’t going to let this down for a while. “There’s obviously something between us, I can feel it. But I don’t know if either one of us are ready for it.”

Jimmy nodded his head for her to continue on. “And then there’s Chelsea.”

“Chelsea?” He raised his brow and looked at her, stopping at a red light.

Sam nodded and took a breath before explaining. “When she broke up with Brian, she had been talking to this guy from high school.” Jimmy looked at her with wide eyes. “But before you start drawing conclusions, she didn’t do anything with him while they were together! Anyway, she asked me if I could keep him sort of ‘occupied’ until she figured out what she wanted.”

“So in other words, you’re her bitch.”

“What?”

“You’re doing what she wants until she decides she wants Brian back.”

“No, no no! It’s not like that at all!”

“Then what is it Sam?” He asked, eyeing her up just before the light turned green.

She turned her head to look out the window. “I don’t know,” She mumbled quietly.

He didn’t say anything more and just let her be. That was one thing she could always count on from Jimmy. He knew when to stop and when to keep pushing.

He pulled in to a parking spot next to what Sam was assuming was Matt’s truck and locked all the doors to the car. She looked over at Jimmy with fire in her eyes.

“Let me the fuck out Jimmy.”

He sighed. He knew it was no use trying to fight her when she was like this. He learned his lesson a long time ago when he tested her many moods. “Just at least smile when we get in there?”

She gave him her best fake smile she could put on.

“I know that’s not real, but it’ll do.”

He unlocked the doors and she jumped out, completely unaware of the hell that was about to be unleashed.