After rain comes the clear sky (Kaoearth)

26. Friend in trouble 2

By the time Fluke got to their hideout, the other three had already tended to Sammy's wounds. There weren't many but there were a few that were deep.

"That bitch almost pulled my hair out of my scalp." Sammy scowled.

"As if you were any better," Fluke said sarcastically as he walked into the room.

The four people in the room turn to look at Fluke and went silent. They knew that Fluke was somewhat pissed about the incident earlier that evening. There was a high chance that he might blow up if they say something wrong.

They didn't call him boss for nothing. All of them were scared of Fluke.

Fluke observed Sammy who was avoiding meeting his gaze. Seeing that she was alright, he let out a sigh of relief. He looked at the time. "It is already late, Pineare. You should head home. Prem will take you home."

Pineare lived about three blocks away from them and it was not safe for teenage girls to walk back at that hour of time.

"No need." Pineare stuttered when Fluke glanced at her. "I mean, Prem doesn't have to drop me. My phi is nearby, he is coming to pick me up."

Fluke nodded in acknowledgement.

"Then... I will get going." Pineare gathered her things in a hurry and waved goodbye at everyone and walked out.

Fluke glanced at Prem and he got the signal. He immediately followed Pineare to wait with her outside till her brother got there to fetch her.

The room was silent again. The two people sitting on the couch didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

"Earth" Fluke's call almost made Earth jump up. "Get the makeup remover and get her cleaned. She looks hideous."

"Right." Earth smiled awkwardly and ran off to get the makeup remover.

There were only two people left in the room. Sammy hung her head low but she could feel Fluke synchronizing her. She didn't move.

Fluke walked to the nearby cupboard and took out a t-shirt and shorts before going to Sammy. "Go change into this. There is no way I am going to let you walk out in that." He pointed at the torn once-beautiful dress Sammy was wearing.

Sammy wordlessly took the clothes from Fluke. Earth returned and handed her the makeup remover and face wash. She went to the attached washroom to change.

Having changed her clothes and taken off her makeup, she felt more comfortable. As she walked out of the washroom, she could see her three friends sitting around the coffee table. She knew that they were going to question her.

She sat on the couch opposite Fluke, in between Prem and Earth. Earth handed her a drink.

No one spoke. No questions were raised and no answers were demanded, which was about ten times scarier than being questioned. In the current situation, no one would be allowed to make any noise or leave until the problem is solved, which can be quite nerve-wracking for them.

Sammy took a big sip of the drink, calming her nerves. "I am sorry, Fluke." She said softly.

Fluke didn't say anything and kept staring at her expressionlessly.

"I shouldn't have been so impulsive. I shouldn't have kissed you. I am really sorry." She was sweating bullets as she spoke.

"It is alright. At least it is better than you going around and kissing a random stranger." Fluke said opening a packet of chips. He took a few chips out of it and passed the rest to Prem.

Sammy looked up in surprise. She was kind of taken aback by Fluke's reaction.

"I have known you since we were kids, Sam. I know you wouldn't do something like that if you weren't at the wit's end. I know you are not that impulsive." Fluke smiled lightly at Sammy. "I am sure that they did something that made you react like that."

"What is it chubs? Are those girls bullying you?" Prem asked passing the packet of chips to her.

"Sammy, no matter what it is, you can tell us. We will always back you up." Earth gently squeezed her hand. He knew she needed it.

Sammy looked at her friends with teary eyes.

"Chubs? Are you crying? What the hell happened?" Prem got on his knees next to Sammy, holding her by her shoulders.

Sammy started crying. The three boys looked at each other in bewilderment. She rarely cried. But when she did it was always due to a major problem.

Both Earth and Fluke abandoned their seats and moved the coffee table that was placed between them away and got on their knees in front of Sammy like Prem.

"Sammy..." Fluke called gently. Sammy hugged him and started crying loudly. He gently rubbed her back consoling her. He looked at his other two friends asking them if they had any idea of what was going on with his eyes.

They shook their heads. They were as clueless as Fluke.

After a while, Sammy finally calmed down and the boys got back to their seat.

"It all started a month ago after I met P' Kla when I went shopping with Pine." Sammy started narrating.

"P' Kla? Who is that?" Earth asked with furrowed brows. He didn't remember anyone with that name in their school.

"He is the guy I had a crush on for a while," Sammy muttered.

"Why am I hearing about this the first time?" Fluke asked emotionlessly. He hated it when his friends hid something like this from him.

"It was just a crush and I thought it would pass by." Sammy bit her lips. "Until... he started showing interest in me."

Prem wanted to say something but Fluke covered his mouth.

"He started trying to talk to me, showing up in places I went. With time I started feeling that he was genuinely interested in me. So... I thought it wouldn't do harm if I give him a chance..."

Seeing the other three silent, she hurriedly explained.

"No boy has ever shown any interest in me guys. Most of them call me a tomboy and stay away. It was the first time someone seemed interested in me. I wanted to give it a go."

Her fists curled up into a ball.

"We exchange numbers and we started chatting regularly. We even went on a date. As it was my first time going on a date, I was a little too excited. Then he didn't say anything and invited me to the party. It was under his insistence that I wore a dress. I even got my legs waxed for it."

The three boys noticed the smooth legs that used to be slightly hair. But didn't say anything.

"But when I got there, I heard him talking and laughing with his friends who were reading our chats. He was telling them how much of a fool I made myself seem to be on our first date. He even raised a wager that he would kiss me today."

"Were you mad that he made fun of you or was it because his friends were reading your messages?" Earth asked.