Ever Since You Walked Into My Life

I counted out the few extra bills I had scrounged up over the past few weeks with my extended hours. Karen had done what she could and was able to get my hours back, plus a few extra. I was more than thankful and slightly excited, because I had been debating on getting cable for the first time in years. I felt a sly grin work it's way onto my lips as I counted out the deposit for the cable and phone.

The cable man would be here any minute. I shoved the deposit into my front pocket and made my way to the living room, where Sammi sat up watching on of her favourite, classic Disney movies; The Lion King. I leaned up against the frame of the door and knocked lightly. She turned, gave me a large smile and asked, "Why are you so happy, Rascal?"

"Oh, no reason."I laughed lightly.

"What is it?!"She sat up on her knees, not even bothering to pause her favourite movie.

"What do you think about getting some cable in here? Maybe a phone to call Sandra whenever we want?"Sammi let out an excited yelp and I chuckled.

Sammi nearly fell over getting off the couch to meet me at the door. She wrapped her thin arms tightly around my hips and said, "That's so cool! Thanks, Rascal!"

"Thank Karen."I ran my fingers through her hair and said, "The cable man should be here any minute."

She pulled away and looked up into my eyes before asking, "We can do that? You have enough money?"

"Yes I can and yes I do."I placed my hand on top of her head and chewed roughly on my bottom lip.

I had the rent paid for this month, as well as the utilities. I felt like I was accomplishing something I couldn't have done anywhere else. Norman was sure to talk to me almost every day, whether it be at practice, school or his house. He had been a blessing in disguise, to sat the least. He helped me get on my feet and proved that having a friend wasn't necessarily the worst thing I could do.

Having friends wasn't being selfish; it was smart. I pulled away from Sammi and with a playful smile, said, "You know, I was thinking of eating something, but I don't know what I could possibly have."

"We have cookies."She said.

"No."I pressed a finger to my chin, pretending, with a grin, to think.

"Ice cream?"She asked.

"No."I said.

"Oreos?"She added.

"Sammi, those are cookies."I laughed.

"Oh yeah."She giggled softly.

"How about,"I stopped and watched as she tensed up where she stood."pizza?!"

Her mouth fell open and she was once again wrapped around my hips. Sammi jumped up and down with her childish excitement and shouted, "Can we get pepperoni?!"

"That sounds pretty good, actually."I laughed."Go finish your movie. I'm gonna call the pizza man."

Sammi had crawled onto her spot on the couch, where she continued watching her movie. As I walked past the front door, the doorbell rang, sending me to jump where I stood. I chuckled almost silently before tearing open my front door, only to be greeted by a man in uniform. I welcomed him in and asked him politely to fix the cable in the living room. He was rather quick, being that I was only accepting one box and I handed over the deposit.

Sammi and I sat in the living room for a few moments as we tried to figure out the remote, but after pressing every button it had, we found the regular tv. I handed the remote to Sammi and said, "Nothing bad. I'll be right back."

"Okay."She snatched the remote from my hands before flicking through each channel.

I made my way to the kitchen, where I picked up the phone to call the local pizza parlor. Ordering one pie for the two of us was easy, as the bill would only be about ten dollars without the tip. I hung up the phone and smiled, knowing I no longer needed to use a pay phone in order to reach someone. I went to walk back to the living room, when that familiar cardboard box caught my eye once again.

It's flaps were still folded open, revealing it's insides like an open book. I walked over carefully, afraid that if I moved too fast it would close forever. I gently picked the flaps aside and felt my breath get caught in my throat. Our family picture no longer lied on top of everything; it was missing. I turned to the kitchen chair, hoping that it was still within the many pockets of my new leather jacket.

When it proved falty, I felt a quiet whimper escape my lips. If I had lost this photo than I would forever feel guilty. It was one small thing that I always wanted to keep, no matter where we went. I turned on my heel and was sure to rush into the living room. I started to tear open any draw and cabinet in the room. Sammi gasped suddenly, but I figured it was something playing on tv.

I couldn't be bothered as she tried to catch my attention. She jumped up onto her knees and shouted, "Rascal! Look at the tv!"

"Not right now, Sam!"I pulled away from the desk in the corner with a huff.

"No, Rascal, really! Look at it! Look who it is!"I turned, ready to snap at Sammi for being so consistent, until I actually caught the moving picture on the screen.

In thick, bold letters read The Walking Dead, which had just come back from a commercial. When it began playing, I was stunned to find a specific someone on the screen. I felt my mouth gape open as I saw those familiar blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. Norman waltzed onto the screen, his features angry and cold. He had roughly torn a few arrows from a dead deer and began to complain in a thick, country accent.

I hadn't even heard Sammi remove herself from the couch to get the door, which had been ringing continuously for a few seconds. I ran a hand through my hair, whispering, "No way."

There could be no way I had become good friends with a movie star. A celebrity. I would think that Norman would have explained his occupation with me before when we had first met. He didn't seem as arrogant as I thought celebrities would be. He lived in a decent home. Not a mansion with maids or butlers. I jumped at the quiet voice of, "Oh, shit."

I turning, finding Norman and Sammi at the doorway of the living room. I turned back to the tv, where Norman was now in a choke hold, and shook my head. I had having a horrible time believing what I was seeing. With a nervous chuckle, I turned back to him and said, "We gotta talk."

Norman ran a hand along his forearm nervously and said, "Yeah, I thought so."