WARNING. SOME TRIGGERING CONCEPTS. SCROLL TO DESCRIPTION FOR MORE INFO.

Before I knew it, she was bounding towards me in a triumphant manner, “Did you just throw your fricking keys at me?! Oh, you’re definitely going to get it!!!” Her hand gravitated upward and started swinging towards my face. I quickly ducked, and smacked her hand down in the process, before the punch could make an impact.

She withdrew with a pained expression showing through her deep brown eyes which looked even more radiant blended with her tanned skin from the hot summer sun. Suddenly, I noticed her tight pink lips growing into a smirk.

Wait . . . a smirk? Instantly, pain started emanating off me as I grabbed my stomach in agony. “Goddammit, Sam. What was that for?”

She looked at me with heated eyes as she climbed over me and into my jeep, “Grab the goddamn keys you dropped on my head and start the car dumbo.” And with that, she slammed the door shut waiting for me to enter so we could drive away from her putrid house and into the bright sunny day.

“Ugh,” I said as I bent over and picked up the keys. “You suck!” I screamed at her before I ran to the driver's side and tugged on the handle . . . which didn’t budge. Sammy had reached all the way over the armrest and clicked the lock button just before I attempted to open the door.

 “Last I checked,” I was screaming at the top of my lungs for her to hear me through the dust-covered, glass window, “You didn’t have your driver's license because you flunked the freaking exam that was easy as hell. So if you want to go ANYWHERE I would suggest opening the damn door! Or you can suffer in there . . . alone.” I was using the information I had gathered from previous talks about phobias and fails to get what I wanted, and it worked. I heard a familiar click as the car door was unlocked and she had receded to sit back in her former position riding shotgun.

“That was low. Even for you!” She playfully hit my arm as a sat down, closing the door behind me and inserting the key in the keyhole to start the engine.

Before I pulled out of her driveway, I shifted towards her, making impeccable eye contact as I spoke in a hushed voice, as if there were other people surrounding us.

“Sammy-”

“Don’t . . . Don’t call me that.”

We both knew what that meant, but I persisted anyway, knowing that if I didn’t hear it now, I’d probably never hear it or bring it up again.

“Sam . . . What happened to your leg…?”

She quickly broke eye contact and looked down at her thigh. There was a large streak of blue and black colored skin, adorned with a scab right in the center. It looked new like it had just happened the night before.

“It’s . . . n-nothing,” she tried, but she stammered plain and simple.

“It's not nothing. We both know that. I’m your best friend, I think I have the right to know what th-”

“Shush . . .” She put a finger to my lips and gestured towards the second-floor window. Two figures stood with great posture and seemingly looked right out at my car. One man and one female. I could feel their icy cold glares through the curtains. “Drive,” She whispered without moving her lips.

I obeyed and quickly shifted the gear to reverse. I drove away, trying to get her to safety. Anywhere away from them.