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smolmakerel · 6 months

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Sam turned over on the couch, burying her face into the throw pillow beneath her head. She could faintly hear Danny speaking to her from the kitchen as he stumbled and hissed.

"Don't hurt yourself," Tara called out.

Danny didn't answer.

Sam was pissed, but any energy she had to put into being pissed off evaporated. Her exhaustion weighed on her shoulders like thousands of bricks.

Sam shook her head and sat up. Her arm cast shot out to catch herself when she wobbled and threatened to fall off the couch.

Tara watched her struggle with sad eyes. "Sam, you're not getting better."

"I don't need to get better," Sam whispered to her sister. "I have to take care of you. Don't you understand that?"

"By killing yourself in the process?" Tara stood up in anger. Her hands grasped at the air in frustration, face twisting. "You can't help me, Sam. Help yourself for once. Please."

Sam looked away with the clenching of her jaw showing her frustration.

"Help me help you. I love you! Te amo mucho, Sam, but you stopped going to therapy -"

"They never help," Sam weakly said.

"- and you're wallowing in guilt. It was an accident and there's nothing you can do about it now," Tara said. Her eyes closed, shoulders relaxed, and she sighed. "You promised me you'd keep going."

"B-But I can't - I'll stop -!"

"Sam?"

Sam frantically stood up and ushered for Tara to return to her room. Danny watched the movement with sadness and didn't react to the slamming of Tara's door. He never reacted, not anymore. It was like Tara wasn't one of his priorities like she used to be.

He walked over and sat down on the couch, placing a fresh plate of eggs and toast on the coffee table.

"Sam... you should sit down," Danny told her and she hesitantly sat, hugging the throw pillow to her chest. "I know things haven't been the same since what happened, but you know I'm always here for you."

Sam huffed. "You don't have to be. You could leave, get out while you still can."

"And leave you all alone? Sometimes I think you want me to leave." Danny smiled without humor. When he noticed the blankness of Sam's face, he furrowed his eyebrows. "Have you been going to therapy?"

Shame lit a torch to Sam's face. Leave it to Tara to accidentally tell Danny about Sam's terrible adventures in therapy. And here she thought the two would never speak again.

She studied his face and saw nothing but concern for her. Her eyes drifted up to his hairline where the cut on his forehead was just beginning to heal. The stitches would dissolve soon. Her eyes drifted to the left where she was blinded.

Sam quickly snapped her vision back front and shuddered a sigh. Her thigh was gently grabbed for her own reassurance.

"No use for therapy," Sam spat. "I don't need licensed professionals telling me how I fucked up."

"Sam -"

"Can you just - Please leave."

"Sam, please, this isn't what -"

"Thanks for breakfast," Sam droned on, losing the spark of energy she once had, "but I want to be alone."

Danny nodded. He stood and left a thoughtful kiss to the top of Sam's head before leaving. The front door closed, and Sam slumped.

She stared down at the cast on her arm, tracing the words and the drawings of multiple cartoonish penises.

"You had to push him away, didn't you?"

Sam put her face in her hand. "You know I had to. He -"

"- was being too nice, but he's pushy sometimes about your health. I know, Sam, I know better than you think I do."

Sam twitched.

"Sam, come on! I know better than you think I do! Just once without a Ghostface threat, please!"

"Fine fine! Let me -"

"Sam!"

"Don't tell me that. Don't you dare tell me that!" Sam yelled at Tara. The guilt immediately hit her in the chest, but Tara didn't appear fazed at all. She didn't react anymore. Both her and Danny have been acting weird.

"Go to therapy. You promised me that you'd keep going."

"That was before -"

"I know," Tara interrupted her again, voice soft. "I know."

Sam nodded and looked down. "I'll go. For you." Her stiff words did little to change Tara's facial expression. "I still have Wren's number, so I don't have to search for another therapist."

Tara nodded. "Good."

"And please change your clothes, you've been in that same outfit for days now," Sam teased her.

Tara only quirked her lip and began to go back to her room. Panic sparked in Sam's chest.

"Wait!" Tara stopped. She didn't turn around. "Can - Give me a hug first?"

Tara glanced back at Sam and smiled. Her eyes showed nothing. "Good night, Sam."

Sam breathed shakily as she plopped down so she was laying on the couch. She wiped at her wet eyes. It seemed like she wasn't ready to quit crying yet.

■■■■■

"Sam! Long time no see! Come in, come in!"

Sam shuffled into her therapist's office. She wished she could've taken Tara with her for support, but Tara never wanted to leave the apartment anymore.

"Sorry I haven't been by in a couple weeks," Sam apologized with a smile. It was crooked and awkward, but Wren wasn't disturbed by it. "Life, you know?"

Wren nodded. "I understand. Would you like to sit by the window today?"

Sam looked nervously at the window. The bright sun was shining through, but all Sam could see was -

"Sam, come on, open your eyes!"

She flinched.

Wren didn't comment when Sam took them to the seating away from the window. Usually Sam enjoyed the fresh rays of light warming her up, but now all it brought was dread.

"So," Wren started with a smile, "how's life been treating you?"

Sam shrugged. "I mean, it's been hard. I hit my head, broke my arm. You would've thought I was invincible with how many Ghostfaces I've dealt with."

"Five now, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Sam shifted in her seat. "Tara shouldn't have had to deal with either of them. I'll make sure she won't have to even hear about the next one."

"What makes you so sure there'll be a next Ghostface?" Wren asked to which Sam snorted.

"They always come back. I'm kind of used to it already."

Wren scribbled something down on his notepad while Sam drummed on her fingers on her leg. Words burned in her throat. This was for Tara. She had to do this for -

"I was in an accident a few weeks ago."

Wren looked up, surprise coloring his face. It was one of the first times Sam brought something up that didn't have anything to do with Woodsboro, Ghostface, or Tara.

"I um, I was driving us back to the apartment and we just. You know how accidents work."

"And did everyone get out okay?"

"Yeah. We're all fine." Sam picked at her cast.

We're all fine.

■■■■■

"Sam - Sam, stop, you're drunk."

Sam shook her head at Danny's words. She pushed him back to lay on his mattress and climbed on top of him.

"'M not drunk, jus' a lil tipsy," Sam slurred.

Danny sighed. "Sam -"

"Danny..." She grabbed his hand and dragged it to the hem of her shirt. His breath hitched at the way she easily guided his hand up to her bra. "You make me feel so good, I jus' wanna be happy."

"Sam, I want you too." He pulled his hand away and sat up, dragging Sam further onto his lap. "I want you so much, but you're drunk and I won't do that to you."

Sam's face twisted in anger. Her flushed cheeks became hotter from the embarrassing dismissal of her failed seduction attempt.

"But Wren told me - he told me to find a way to be happy! Sex makes me happy!" Sam's bottom lip wobbled. Her emotions switched from anger to immense sadness. "Do you not love me anymore, is that why you won't fuck me?"

Danny pressed a chaste kiss to her neck and hugged her. "I do love you, princess."

"Then why won't you make me happy..?"

"This isn't something sex can fix. You're hurting and looking for a way to fix it, but, Sam," Danny said, pulling back to stare into Sam's glossy eyes, "I promise this isn't the way to do it."

Sam began to cry. Loud and trembling sobs fell from her as Danny swept her up and wiped her tears away as best he could. She was apologizing, begging to be forgiven. She wasn't a monster, she wouldn't force Danny to have sex with her. Danny shushed her, he forgave her. He was the good one between the two of them. Sam didn't know why Danny was still there when all she did was destroy everything she loved.

"Te amo mucho... I'm sorry... I love you..."

"I love you, too. I forgive you, it's okay."

Sam wasn't talking to Danny.

■■■■■

Sam anxiously stared at Tara's closed door. It wasn't opening, Tara wasn't going to come out for game night. She even invited Kirby so the two of them could team up and pick on Gale who she also invited.

"Okay... Okay! 4 words!"

Sam drew her attention to Chad and Mindy who were continuing the game with the others. Mindy was holding up 4 fingers and shaking her head at Chad's words. She waved her hand and enunciated the 4.

Chad snapped his fingers. "Oh! Oh, I know!"

Mindy groaned.

"4 words!"

Gale gave Chad a look of disappointment. "Kids these days are unbelievably stupid."

Mindy nodded to Chad's dismay.

Danny noticed Sam's attention being drawn back to Tara's door. He leaned over and squeezed her knee. "You gonna join us?" Danny whispered in her ear.

"In a minute," she muttered. "Tara hasn't even come out to say hi."

"... Maybe she's tired. We should let her rest."

He was right - Sam knew he was right - but it was her protective instincts kicking into overdrive. Maybe she should just go check on her.

As she stood up, Mindy groaned. "Seriously, we only got one in a minute?!"

"It's not my fault you suck at the game, Minds."

"Chad, I swear I'll kick you from being my partner!"

"And replace me with who? Kirby?"

"Sorry, you two," Kirby said, relaxing into her arm chair with a smirk, "I'm already taken."

"You can have her." Gale eyed Kirby up and down with distaste. Kirby looked offended.

"Sam, maybe we should go next," Danny suggested as he stood up next to Sam. Sam worriedly eyed the door again, but Danny grabbed her uninjured hand and gave her a mischievous grin. "We can take the win easily. What do you say?"

Sam licked her lips. "I don't know how Tara would feel if we played without her."

Danny's grin shrunk to a soft lift of the corner of his mouth. "I won't tell her if you don't."

Sam's eyes slid to the door. She could sense Danny's concern for her, but all she could think about was how alone Tara must be. She could knock on the door and invite her, then she could linger in the room if Tara said no. Tara always laughed whenever Sam dramatically flopped next to her to cheer her up for game night.

But maybe she wanted to be alone. For now.

■■■■■

"Where have you been?!" Sam screamed at Tara when she finally appeared from her room for the first time in a week. She couldn't be guilty for screaming because she cared. "You haven't called, you haven't texted! What if you needed me and I wasn't there?!"

Tara watched Sam pace in front of her. She was still in that same outfit despite Sam asking her to change. Her eyes were still blank, and they made Sam slightly uncomfortable with how closely they followed her.

"You know I don't need you anymore," Tara claimed. "And you know it, too. Why do you keep doing this to yourself, Sam?"

Sam squeezed her eyes shut.

"I don't need you. You need me."

"Stop it. Tara, please -"

"It wasn't your fault. I know what you've been telling your therapist and even Danny - about what happened being because of what you did - but you need to stop. It's time."

Sam squeezed her hands into fists. Her fingers bunched awkwardly on her cast.

"I-I can't - stop -"

"You need to move on. You can't help me anymore."

"Tara..!"

"You want proof? I know where it is. You told nobody else where it was - nobody - but I want you to look under your bed."

Fear rose in Sam's chest. She knew what was under there. She tried to deny it.

"I-I can't! Tara, please, don't do this! Let me have this a little longer, please!"

Nothing.

"Tara?"

Nothing.

"T-Tara..?"

Nothing.

■■■■■

Sam and Danny stared down at the box in silence. Sam's throat was thick, and her eyes were dead.

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" Danny asked hesitantly.

Sam nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak.

Nodding to himself, Danny slowly reached into the box and pulled out the carefully tended to urn. He unwrapped it and gave it to Sam.

Sam stared at the urn in her hands. It was light. Sam knew it would be.

"I'm still not ready to say goodbye yet," Sam choked out.

Danny squatted down by the couch. He searched for the right words to say. "It doesn't have to be goodbye. It can be... see you later."

Sam passed her thumb over her favorite picture of Tara. It was one she took with her when she ran off after her 18th birthday. Tara was 10 in this picture and wearing Sam's old clothes. She was smiling, big and wide, and posing for the flash of the camera. She remembered this birthday as clear as day.

Tara had begged Sam to take her somewhere fun for her birthday - a happy birthday for once. Despite her angst, Sam couldn't say no. They had ice cream and went to the zoo. Tara bragged about how she wanted to go to a bigger zoo when she was older and work with the animals. She had a soft spot for snakes for whatever reason. Sam laughed it off and took her home so Sam could get high and spend the rest of Tara's birthday in bed.

She was ashamed that she did that for the last few birthdays Tara had.

"She was so young." Sam's throat was burning with held back emotion. The urn shook in her hands. "She didn't deserve that. I should've been more careful."

Danny shushed her. "Wasn't your fault, remember? That guy was drunk."

Sam growled as she remembered stumbling from the car. Danny had received the least injuries, only a small concussion and some bruising. He went to Tara first before immediately going to Sam to pull her away from the upside-down car.

Sam had a broken arm and a concussion. She was still healing in a cast, and her headache sometimes comes back in her grief. She had to lay down on the dirty New York street in shock as many different responders got the her.

Tara...

Sam never actually saw what happened to Tara, but Danny said it was bad. She didn't suffer, that's what the doctors told her.

Sam stood. She walked around the coffee table and to the TV stand. She placed down the urn and turned it, deeming it the perfect spot.

Danny came up behind her and hugged her. All Sam could think of was Tara doing that with her.

But Tara was gone now.

Sam broke down and allowed herself to be put back together by Danny. Some of the pieces were missing, some she'd never get back, but she could find a way to fill the space.

That's what Tara would want.

#sam carpenter #tara carpenter #danny brackett #mindy meeks martin #chad meeks martin #gale weathers #kirby reed #scream #scream 2022 #scream vi #my writing #this was meant to be a full story but i got burned out writing it #take these small draft snippets instead #listen to your heart break #this low key made me cry wow

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