《The Legend》 The Odd Couple September 18, 2015 12:46 P.M. Erik took a drink from his soda and set it in the cup holder. He then drove the car away from Wendy¡¯s and out onto the road. ¡°Can you please put a lid on that?¡± Sara asked. ¡°I¡¯m tired of you spilling crap in the car.¡± ¡°Why the hell do you care?¡± Erik asked, taking a bite of his burger. ¡°This is my car.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s pretty much my car, too. And I want my car to look nice.¡± ¡°Screw you.¡± ¡°Screw you.¡± Sara punched Erik in the arm, causing him to swerve the car a bit. Erik quickly fiddled with the steering wheel and got the car back in place. ¡°Hey, you almost made me hit that guy!¡± Erik shouted. ¡°Serves him right for being in the way,¡± Sara replied. ¡°Yeah, but you could¡¯ve wrecked my car!¡± ¡°Our car.¡± ¡°Shut the hell up before I throw my soda on you.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Sara grabbed the gun off the floorboard stuck it right by Erik¡¯s head. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Erik shouted, swerving the car some more. ¡°What the freaking hell are you doing?!¡± ¡°You throw soda on me and you¡¯ll freaking regret it,¡± Sara said bitterly. ¡°Put that down before someone sees it!¡± ¡°Put a lid on the drink.¡± Erik grunted and grabbed the lid from underneath his feet. He stuck it on his cup. ¡°There!¡± Erik shouted. ¡°Are you happy?!¡± Sara smiled and set the gun back on the floorboard. ¡°I love you, honeybun.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky I didn¡¯t shove you out of the car,¡± Erik growled. Sara leaned over and kissed Erik on the cheek. She then lay her head on his shoulder. ¡°And you¡¯re lucky that you didn¡¯t try,¡± Sara said. She reached into her Wendy¡¯s bag and grabbed a few fries. Before long, Erik was driving through the exit to Los Angeles. He and Sara both smiled. *** September 18, 2015 1:31 P.M. ¡°Well here we are,¡± Erik said, parking the car. ¡°Now we just wait.¡± Sara closed her eyes. ¡°Wake me when he gets here.¡± Erik put his arm around Sara¡¯s shoulder and looked through the front window. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. His chest was thumping quite hard. ¡°Hey,¡± Erik said to Sara. ¡°Did you make the final update?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did it this morning,¡± Sara replied without opening her eyes. ¡°Awesome.¡± Erik reached into his Wendy¡¯s bag and grabbed his half-eaten burger. He took a brief look at it. The last Wendy¡¯s burger I¡¯ll ever eat, he thought. The last fast-food burger I¡¯ll ever eat period. What a shame. Erik stared at the burger some more and then smiled. But it¡¯s all worth it, he thought. Erik took a small bite of the burger and put it back in the bag. He then continued to stare out the window. ¡°Can you change it to something else?¡± Sara asked. ¡°Bob Dylan freaking sucks.¡± ¡°Should I put some Sexy Sam on?¡± ¡°Hell yeah.¡± Erik grinned and flipped through his music list on his phone. He tapped on ¡°Out Of The Bloom¡± and set the phone down. He sat back as the song began to play in the car. This is gonna¡¯ be great, Erik thought. Before The Success April 16, 1975 4:19 P.M. Sam walked into his house and over to the living room. Like always, Mr. Kruger and Gerald were both lying on the couch in their underwear and watching television. Mr. Kruger was munching on a very large bag of potato chips while Gerald was gulping down a giant bottle of Dr. Pepper. Abby skipped into the living room behind Sam holding a paper in her hand. Kevin walked over to his room and slammed the door behind him. ¡°Hey Dad,¡± Sam said upon entering the room. ¡°Hey Son,¡± Mr. Kruger said, scooping another handful of chips into his mouth. ¡°Did you make a friend today?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­no.¡± ¡°Well keep trying.¡± Sam shrugged and walked over to the dining room table. ¡°Daddy!¡± Abby shouted, holding the paper in front of her and hopping up and down. ¡°I got a hundred on my spelling test today!¡± ¡°Great,¡± Mr. Kruger replied, not even looking at Abby. ¡°You can put it on the refrigerator again.¡± Abby smiled and skipped over to the kitchen. ¡°Sam, Abby,¡± Sheila said, turning the light on in the kitchen. ¡°Do y¡¯all want something to eat or drink?¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± Sam said, pulling his homework out of his backpack. ¡°Can I have orange juice?¡± Abby asked. ¡°Of course, Sweetheart,¡± Sheila replied, grabbing a glass out of the cabinet. ¡°Did Kevin have another bad day?¡± Mr. Kruger asked Sheila. ¡°I think so. He won¡¯t talk about it, though. Hopefully he comes out of his room before dinner. He can¡¯t miss out on this amazing new roast beef recipe.¡± After a few minutes, Mindy walked into the living room. She was wearing a pink tank top and a very short black skirt. She was still putting on a large amount of make-up on as she walked into the room. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m going out with Aaron tonight,¡± Mindy said, grabbing a few chips out of Mr. Kruger¡¯s bag and then walking out of the living room. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better not miss school tomorrow,¡± Mr. Kruger said. ¡°Or I will call the police this time.¡± ¡°Sure, whatever,¡± Mindy said, crunching on the potato chips. ¡°Tell Aaron I love him!¡± Gerald called. ¡°Go to Hell!¡± Mindy replied. She then left the house and slammed the door. ¡°Hey Sam,¡± Mr. Kruger called. ¡°I saw a flyer for flag football tryouts at A&P earlier. You wanna¡¯ join?¡± Sam, who was trying to focus on his science homework, clutched his pencil in frustration. He could hardly wait to get a desk for his room. ¡°No thanks, Dad,¡± Sam called back. ¡°C¡¯mon, Son,¡± Mr. Kruger replied. ¡°Don¡¯t you wanna¡¯ find some way to make friends? You can¡¯t meet people if you just sit in your room or at the piano all day. You need to start trying out different things if you wanna¡¯ get anywhere in life. Even if you don¡¯t like it. It¡¯s called making sacrifices.¡± ¡°But he sucks at sports,¡± Gerald said. ¡°Well, he¡¯s gotta¡¯ start somewhere,¡± Mr. Kruger said. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m fine,¡± Sam said, erasing a mistake he had made. ¡°I don¡¯t need to do flag football.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Mr. Kruger replied. ¡°If you wanna¡¯ do nothing and become a loser like your brother, then go ahead.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re talking about Kevin,¡± Gerald said. ¡°Think again, pal.¡± ¡°You suck.¡± ¡°Oh shut up and give me some of that Dr. Pepper.¡± Sam shook his head and tried to put all of his attention on his homework. He was hoping to finish it as soon as possible. He could hardly wait to escape to his room and get some more reading done. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was getting very good. ¡°Seriously Sam,¡± Mr. Kruger went on. ¡°You really need to sign up for kickball, tennis, or soccer or something. Find something active to do. You can¡¯t get anywhere in life if you just sit at the house all day.¡± Without even thinking, Sam replied: ¡°I do stuff.¡± ¡°Sure. But you need to do more than that. Something that involves a little more activity. Something that actually involves people. Have you seen what the kids at your school like to do? Great place to start.¡± ¡°Hey Paul,¡± Sheila said from the kitchen. ¡°You remember Diane? The one coworker that you met the other day?¡± ¡°You mean the one with funky looking hair and wouldn¡¯t shut up?¡± Mr. Kruger replied. ¡°Yeah, I remember her. What about her?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been telling her that Sam loves playing the piano and she said she¡¯s willing to lend us her electric piano just for him. She said that she doesn¡¯t need it anymore. I think Sam would love that.¡± Upon hearing this news, Sam nearly jumped out of his chair in excitement. ¡°Really?¡± he asked with widened eyes. ¡°You bet,¡± Sheila replied. ¡°I think I remember you telling me that you¡¯ve always been wanting to try out the electric piano.¡± ¡°Yeah, I did! Oh boy, oh boy oh boy!¡± ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any reason to put another piano in this house,¡± Mr. Kruger said, munching on some more chips. ¡°The other one¡¯s already taking up a lot of space. But I guess I can¡¯t turn down a gift.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Sam shouted. ¡°When do we get it?¡± ¡°Hopefully by this weekend. I¡¯ll need to get ahold of Diane though.¡± Sam was full of so much excitement that he nearly passed out. ¡°Can I use the new piano?¡± Abby asked after slurping some of her orange juice. ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask Sam,¡± Sheila said. ¡°It¡¯s his piano.¡± My piano, Sam thought, clenching his pencil in excitement. My very own electric piano. ¡°Sheila, can you get me some more Dr. Pepper?¡± Gerald asked. ¡°Dad drank the last of the bottle.¡± ¡°Sheila, can you come rub my feet?¡± Mr. Kruger asked. Sam suddenly had a very hard time focusing on his homework. ¡°Electric piano¡± was now the only thing that was on his mind. He could already imagine himself playing the piano for the very first time. Just a few more days, Sam thought as he tried his hardest to return to his homework. Just a few more days. After Sheila grabbed another bottle of Dr. Pepper for Gerald, she walked over to Sam. She smiled and put her arm around Sam¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey Sam,¡± Sheila whispered, leaning down to Sam¡¯s ear. ¡°Yeah?¡± Sam asked. ¡°A few days ago, Diane also told me about a private singing class right here in town. And she gave me their number.¡± Sam¡¯s pencil nearly flew out of his hand. ¡°What?!¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯ve already talked to the instructor,¡± Sheila whispered, rubbing Sam¡¯s hair. ¡°You¡¯ll be starting at the end of May.¡± At that moment, the electric piano finally left his mind. Sam was now so excited that he could hardly sit still in his chair. A large smile took up his face. ¡°Thank you, Sheila,¡± Sam whispered. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Sam,¡± Sheila replied, kissing Sam on the forehead. ¡°I love you.¡± Sam wrapped his arms around Sheila and hugged her for a moment. He was feeling so excited and grateful that he could hardly let go. Or, at least he didn¡¯t want to let go. ¡°Sheila, are you gonna¡¯ rub my feet?¡± Mr. Kruger asked quite loudly from the living room. ¡°Agghh!¡± Sheila shouted. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m coming!¡± She let go of Sam and marched to the living room. ¡°You¡¯re such a baby!¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Mr. Kruger replied, closing his eyes. Sam could hardly believe all that had transpired in the past few minutes. Although he was still very excited about the electric piano, he could hardly keep the image of it in focus in his mind. All he could imagine was his upcoming singing class. He was now finally going to learn about singing in a class setting. It felt way too good to be true. Just another month, Sam thought, looking down at his still unfinished science homework. Just another month. *** August 18, 1975Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. 8:37 P.M. ¡°You did another wonderful job tonight, Sam,¡± Mrs. Weatherspoon said. ¡°Your voice just keeps on growing stronger and stronger. I¡¯m very proud of you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Weatherspoon,¡± Sam said with a smile. His throat was feeling a little sore. Mrs. Weatherspoon looked over at Sheila. ¡°Mrs. Kruger, I can¡¯t be anymore grateful for introducing me to your son. Though I don¡¯t really like to compare him to other students, he may be one of the most talented young men that I¡¯ve ever instructed. And I¡¯ve been doing this for nearly forty years. It¡¯s been such a pleasure having him these past few months. He has extraordinary talent and I see spectacular things in his future.¡± Sam blushed. ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Weatherspoon.¡± Sheila smile and put her arms around Sam¡¯s shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure being part of your class.¡± Mrs. Weatherspoon nodded. ¡°I look forward to seeing you again next week, Sam.¡± With that, Sam and Sheila said their goodbyes and left the room. As they reached the activity center lobby, Sheila wrapped her arms around Sam and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you, Sam,¡± she said. She leaned over and kissed Sam on his forehead. ¡°She¡¯s right. You¡¯re going to do amazing things when you grow up. I can¡¯t wait to see them.¡± Sam put his arms around Sheila. ¡°I love you, Sheila. Thanks for signing me up for the class.¡± After they hugged for a moment, Sheila patted Sam on the back and said: ¡°You want to get some pizza?¡± Sam¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s go right now!¡± ¡°Oh boy!¡± As they exited the activity center, Sam asked Sheila: ¡°Are Dad and everyone else gonna¡¯ come too?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Sheila replied. ¡°This is our special date. Just me, you, and two extra-large pepperonis. Or whatever you prefer. We¡¯ll get whatever you want.¡± Sam looked up at Sheila with pure joy on his face. He then let go of Sheila¡¯s hand and positioned himself in a running stance. ¡°Race you to the car!¡± he shouted. Before Sheila could even react, Sam took off running. ¡°Hey, no fair!¡± Sheila shouted, laughing and running behind him. ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡± Sam eventually made it to the car with Sheila running up behind him a few seconds later. Sam looked at Sheila and grinned. ¡°Beat ¡®cha,¡± he said, chuckling. Sheila smiled and patted Sam¡¯s back. ¡°You¡¯re such a little scamp.¡± Sam and Sheila both hopped into the car. Before Sheila turned the key, Sam leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Sheila ruffled his hair and turned on the car. Sam lay back on his seat, feeling completely relaxed. He was looking forward to filling his mouth with pepperoni, sausage, and plenty of cheese. *** October 14, 1975 11:21 A.M. Sam sat down and pulled Prince Caspian out of his backpack. An entire month of saving up and now he finally had it. He was finally going to read it. Oh boy, oh boy, Sam thought as he opened up the book. Unfortunately, his excitement was very short-lived. He hadn¡¯t even read a sentence before hearing the words: ¡°Hey Jeremy, check this out¡± off in the distance. Before he could even react to the voice, a large object struck him on the side of the head. Sam collapsed to the ground and blacked out for about four seconds. After finally regaining his sight, he looked over and saw a basketball rolling off in the distance. He suddenly heard the sound of laughter. ¡°You need better hands than that, Kruger,¡± a voice said, chuckling at the same time. Sam looked up to see Jeremy, Andrew, Eric, and Bruce. They were all looking down at him and smiling. Sam groaned. ¡°You were reading again, Kruger?¡± Andrew asked. ¡°Have you completely forgotten what recess is, or what?¡± Sam pulled himself off the ground and then clutched the side of his face. His right cheek was still burning. ¡°I know what recess is,¡± Sam said, grabbing his book off the ground. ¡°Then why were you reading?¡± Jeremy asked. ¡°Because I wanted to.¡± ¡°Do you ever do anything else? Is this all you do at home? Sounds like a pretty boring life.¡± ¡°I do other things.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Sam took a deep breath. ¡°None of your freaking business.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, tell us!¡± Jeremy shouted. ¡°No!¡± Sam grabbed his backpack and tried to walk off, but Jeremy grabbed him by the back of his shirt. ¡°Where you going?¡± Jeremy asked. ¡°Let go of me!¡± Sam said, trying to pull his shirt out of Jeremy¡¯s grasp. ¡°What were you reading? Let¡¯s see.¡± Jeremy reached for Sam¡¯s book, but Sam moved it away from him. Unfortunately, Eric had moved to the other side of Sam and yanked it out of his hands. ¡°Got it!¡± Eric shouted. ¡°Hey, give that back!¡± Sam shouted, finally pulling away from Jeremy. ¡°I paid for that with my own money!¡± ¡°What¡¯s this, Prince Cas-pee-an?¡± ¡°Give it back!¡± Sam tried to grab the book away from Eric. ¡°Let me see it, Eric!¡± Andrew shouted. Eric laughed and tossed the book over to Andrew. Sam immediately darted towards Andrew. ¡°What the heck is this?¡± Andrew said, opening the book. ¡°Who would waste their money on this crap?¡± ¡°GIVE IT BACK!!¡± Sam screamed. Sam tried to grab the book from Andrew, but Andrew tossed the book over to Jeremy. However, Sam managed to block the throw with his arm, causing the book to fall to the ground. Sam raced over to the book and snatched it up. He then quickly stuffed the book back into his backpack. Right as he was about to zip up the bag, Andrew darted up behind him and grabbed him by the back of his underwear. ¡°AHHH!!¡± Sam shrieked. Sam dropped his backpack to the ground, spilling all of its contents. Andrew then let go of Sam and raced over to all of his belongings. The rest of the boys did the same. ¡°Jeez Kruger, do you have an entire library in here?¡± Andrew said, picking up two of Sam¡¯s books. ¡°Wow, he actually keeps all of his old homeworks!¡± Bruce said, looking through one of Sam¡¯s binders. ¡°Get your freaking hands off my stuff!¡± Sam shouted, stuffing his underwear back in his pants. He rushed over to his belongings and quickly tried to shove everything back in his bag. Unfortunately, Jeremy grabbed another one of Sam¡¯s binders off the ground. The one binder that he really did not want the guys to find. ¡°Singing class?¡± Jeremy said as he looked at the front of the binder. ¡°What?¡± Sam groaned. ¡°You¡¯re in a singing class?¡± Andrew said, grinning. ¡°No¡­no, I¡¯m not,¡± Sam stumbled. ¡°That binder¡­it¡¯s not mine¡­¡± ¡°Dude, he sings!¡± Jeremy shouted. ¡°SAM KRUGER SINGS!!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t, really¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s cool, Kruger,¡± Andrew said. ¡°What else do you do, ballet?¡± All four of the boys busted out laughing. Sam turned beet red. ¡°Hey, now we know what he likes to do other than read!¡± Bruce shouted. ¡°Who needs sports?¡± Andrew said. ¡°Real men sing!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Jeremy said. He then began flexing his muscles and doing a weird grunting noise. ¡°Errrrgghh!! I¡¯m a man! I like to sing! Errrrggghhh!!¡± The boys all busted out laughing again. Tears began to form in Sam¡¯s eyes. ¡°Sing for us, Kruger!¡± Andrew shouted. ¡°Yeah, sing!¡± Bruce shouted. ¡°Yeah, we wanna¡¯ hear your beautiful voice!¡± Jeremy shouted. Sam gathered up the rest of his belongings and stormed away. The boys still had his binder for his singing class, but he didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t want it. ¡°Where you going?!¡± Sam heard Jeremy shout. ¡°You¡¯re next concert?!¡± ¡°Can we go?!¡± he heard one of the other boys shout. ¡°Can we go to your ballet recital too?!¡± another boy shouted. Sam raced inside the school and into the nearest bathroom. He then ran into a stall and shut the door. Sam sat on the toilet and placed his hands on his face. Tears began to pour from his eyes. What¡¯s wrong with a guy loving to sing? Sam thought, wiping his eyes off with toilet paper. Why do all guys have to love sports? Why can¡¯t I be different? What¡¯s wrong with being different? Unfortunately, Sam could only cry in the bathroom for another three minutes, as the bell soon rang. Just as Sam expected, Jeremy, Andrew, Eric, and Bruce continued to taunt him for the rest of the day. They began showing several other boys Sam¡¯s binder, which now contained a poorly made stick figure drawing of Sam dancing in a tutu. By the end of day, most of the fourth grade boys knew that Sam was taking a singing class. Sam had a feeling that school was going to be much more rough from that day forth. After the final bell rang, Sam quickly raced to the pickup area. Sheila, like always, was already waiting for him. ¡°Hey Sam,¡± Sheila said as Sam jumped into the car. ¡°How was your day?¡± Sam did not respond, he instead ducked underneath the window so that nobody could see him. ¡°Sam, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Sam heard Shelia ask. Sam again did not respond. He refused to pick up his head until he was certain that Sheila had driven away from the school. ¡°Sam?¡± Sam heard the backseat doors open and then close. ¡°Sheila, I ran out of glue,¡± Sam heard Abby say. ¡°Can you get me some more?¡± ¡°Sure honey,¡± Sheila replied. Sam could feel the car driving forward. ¡°Sam, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Miss Baker showed us a picture of her new puppy!¡± Abby said. ¡°It¡¯s so cute!¡± ¡°Sam?¡± Sheila asked. After Sam was certain that they were out of the parking lot, he lifted his head up. He took a deep breath and wiped off his eyes. ¡°Sheila, I don¡¯t wanna¡¯ be in the singing class anymore,¡± Sam said. A very surprised look appeared on Sheila¡¯s face. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna¡¯ be in the singing class anymore.¡± ¡°But you love the singing class.¡± ¡°Well¡­not anymore.¡± Sam lay his head on the window. He continued to wipe tears from his eyes. ¡°What happened, Sam? Why are you crying?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just don¡¯t wanna¡¯ be in the singing class.¡± ¡°Sam, please tell me what happened.¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m fine.¡± Sheila sighed and looked forward. ¡°Don¡¯t you love singing, Sam?¡± she asked. Sam paused for a long moment before he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Sheila didn¡¯t ask Sam any more questions on the rest of the way home. Sam had originally planned to practice singing Alan Stanford¡¯s ¡°Baby, I¡¯m Coming Home¡± right after school. He started wondering what he should do for the rest of the day. Well, I still have Prince Caspian, he thought. ¡°How was school, Kevin?¡± Sheila asked. ¡°Did you have a better day today?¡± Kevin did not reply. ¡°Sheila, I drew a picture of you and Daddy,¡± Abby said. Sam could hear her digging through her backpack. ¡°I think I drew Daddy better this time. I made him too skinny last time.¡± *** November 11, 1982 12:31 P.M. Sam scooped the last of his mashed potatoes into his mouth and then dropped his fork onto his tray. He wiped off his mouth and then stared at the empty tray for a few seconds. Can¡¯t you stand up and do a dance or something? Sam thought as he stared at the tray. And make the day less boring? After a few seconds, Sam sighed and picked up the tray. After dumping it out in the trashcan, he looked over at the cafeteria clock. There was still a good twenty-five minutes before his next class. I guess that gives me some time to catch up on The Silver Key, he thought. As Sam walked over to the cafeteria door, he noticed a group of people sitting at a nearby table. They were all talking and laughing quite loudly with each other. Although he had a feeling he was making a very big mistake, he couldn¡¯t help but turn and walk over to the table. It took about twenty seconds for anyone at the table to notice that Sam was standing right there. After a few more seconds, everybody was staring at him. The majority of them had frowns on their faces and had expressions that said: ¡°Why are you bugging us, loser?¡± ¡°Umm¡­hi,¡± Sam said, grinning slightly. ¡°Hi,¡± a boy with very long black hair said. ¡°Do you need something?¡± ¡°My name is Sam. Sam Kruger. What¡¯s y¡¯all¡¯s?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Adolf,¡± an overweight boy with glasses and a goatee said. ¡°Adolf Hitler.¡± ¡°Marilyn,¡± a blonde girl with a heavy amount of make-up said. ¡°Marilyn Monroe.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Get The,¡± a boy with spiky hair said. ¡°Get The Hell Outta¡¯ Here.¡± Everybody at the table busted out laughing. Sam stared at the floor. He felt his cheeks turn red. ¡°So, we were in the middle of a conversation here,¡± the long-haired boy said. ¡°So could you¡­you know¡­¡± The boy motioned with his hand to tell Sam to go away. Sam was about to turn around and walk off in sadness, but he kept his feet planted in the ground. He refused to give up that easily. ¡°Wh¡­what were you guys talking about?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Is that any of your business?¡± the long-haired boy replied. ¡°We were talking about your mom,¡± the spiky-haired boy said. The group began laughing as if that was the funniest and most original joke ever. Sam¡¯s face nearly dropped to the floor. ¡°I¡­I like talking to people,¡± he stammered. ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m a pretty nice guy. What do you guys like talking about?¡± The spiky-haired boy did a fake-cough into his hand and said ¡°dork¡± really fast, causing people to chuckle once again. Sam began to feel a sinking feeling in his stomach. ¡°Nothing you would know about,¡± the long-haired boy said. ¡°So could you please do us a favor and get lost?¡± ¡°We¡¯d really appreciate it,¡± a girl with brown hair said. ¡°I¡­I know a lot of stuff,¡± Sam said. ¡°Sure you do,¡± the spiky-haired boy said. ¡°Do you know how to give back scratches?¡± the goateed boy asked. ¡°You can stay if you do that.¡± ¡°You better keep your hands off my back,¡± the blonde girl said. ¡°Unless you want your nose broken.¡± ¡°Or he can go buy us donuts,¡± the goateed boy said. ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t touch them.¡± ¡°Or he can beat it,¡± the long-haired boy said. ¡°Before I beat him.¡± ¡°Yeah, I like that idea,¡± the brown-haired girl said. Sam stared at the ground and turned around. ¡°Never mind,¡± he said, walking away. ¡°Sorry I bothered y¡¯all.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Sam heard the long-haired boy say. As Sam walked further away from the group, they began to continue their talking and laughing as if Sam was never there. Sam sadly exited the cafeteria and over to the school. He then entered the building and sat down at a nearby bench. Thankfully, not many people were walking around the halls. That way he didn¡¯t have to watch other students spend time happily with their friends and feel sorry for himself. He still had several minutes to read in peace. Unfortunately, Sam could hardly focus even after he opened up The Silver Key. The faces of all the people at the table were stuck on his mind. Their insults would not leave his head. I hate this stupid freaking planet, Sam thought. I wish I could get off it. I wish there was somewhere else I could go. Somewhere where I can actually be happy. Sam hoped The Silver Key would be enough to get his mind off of everything. But that sinking feeling would not leave his stomach. The Legend June 25, 2012 8:51 A.M. ¡°What color do you want?¡± Sam asked as he looked through the girls¡¯ bow drawer. ¡°Pink!¡± Madelyn shouted. ¡°Alright then.¡± Sam smiled and grabbed a pink bow out of the drawer. He then placed it in Madelyn¡¯s hair. ¡°Do I look like a princess?¡± Madelyn asked. ¡°Of course you do, Sweetheart,¡± Sam replied with a smile. ¡°You always do.¡± A beautiful smile spread out across Madelyn¡¯s face. Sam kissed her on the cheek. Sam stood up to his full height and sighed in relaxation. Victoria and Madelyn both began to happily run around the room and twirl their matching white dresses. Sam felt a warm feeling inside his chest as he watched them. Sam took a look at the Hello Kitty clock on the girls¡¯ wall. It was nearing nine. He had spent over an hour getting the girls bathed and dressed for the photo shoot. As tiring as the hour had been, it had all been worth it. The girls were as fresh and clean as they could possibly get and their beautiful curly brown hair was perfectly brushed. Victoria and Madelyn were beyond ready to give some adorable smiles for the camera. At that moment, Sam heard the doorbell rang. He grunted. ¡°Ricci!¡± Sam called. ¡°Can you get that?!¡± ¡°Already on it!¡± Ricci called from downstairs. Sam began looking at himself in the mirror to make sure that he was ready. He had put on one of his best suits and had straightened his hair as well as he possibly could. Even then, he wasn¡¯t one hundred percent sure if he felt ready. Like any other photo session or video recording, Sam was having a very hard time deciding if he looked perfect enough. As Sam began eyeing his mustache in the mirror very closely, he heard the sound of footsteps. He turned to see Ricci walking into the room. ¡°Alan Stanford is here,¡± Ricci said. ¡°He says he¡¯d like to see you.¡± Sam sighed. ¡°Can you tell him I¡¯m busy right now?¡± ¡°On it!¡± Ricci quickly left the room. Sam turned back to the mirror. ¡°A little trim wouldn¡¯t hurt,¡± he said to himself. As Sam pulled his trimmers from his pocket, Victoria and Madelyn both started singing ¡°Ring Around The Rosie.¡± Sam couldn¡¯t help but watch for a moment as the girls sang the song while spinning together and then fell to the ground laughing like little hyenas. Sam chuckled and turned back to the mirror. My little angels, he thought as he began trimming his mustache. At that moment, Ricci walked into the room once again. Sam turned around. ¡°So he¡¯s wondering if you¡¯ve got at least five minutes on you,¡± Ricci said. ¡°I guess it¡¯s really important?¡± Sam groaned. Why now, Alan? he thought irritably. Why right now? ¡°I can tell him to scram if you want,¡± Ricci said. ¡°I mean, what¡¯s the most important thing he could possibly say? If there¡¯s an emergency, why would he go to you? If someone died, why would he be the one to tell you? You get what I¡¯m saying? You want me to tell him to beat it?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ricci,¡± Sam said, sticking the trimmers back in his pocket. ¡°I got it.¡± As Sam began to leave Victoria and Madelyn¡¯s room, they both ran up to him and clutched the bottom of his suit coat. ¡°Daddy, can we have ice cream?¡± Victoria asked. ¡°Yeah, I want ice cream!¡± Madelyn shouted. ¡°Not right now, girls,¡± Sam said. ¡°Wait until we¡¯re finished taking pictures.¡± ¡°Please Daddy!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you getting ice cream all over your pretty dresses." Ignoring Victoria and Madelyn¡¯s whining, Sam left the room and walked down to the front entryway. As he walked down the stairs, he looked around to make sure everything was as neat as possible. Sam walked up to the front door to see Alan waiting for him. He had a large grin on his face. ¡°Sam!¡± Alan said when Sam walked up to him. ¡°How ya¡¯ doing¡¯ man?¡± ¡°Doing great, Alan,¡± Sam said. ¡°I¡¯m actually pretty busy right now. Can you come back late-¡± ¡°Nice job last Friday! You did a spectacular job! I wish I had gotten the chance to see you, but I couldn¡¯t even find you after the show. I guess you took off early?¡± ¡°Yeah, I really wasn¡¯t in the mood for dealing with fans that night. And honestly, I¡¯m not sure if I will be for a while. Now if you don¡¯t mind, I really need to-¡± ¡°You on your way to a wedding or something? Why you looking so sharp this morning?¡± ¡°A photo shoot for People. They¡¯re gonna¡¯ be here in about thirty minutes, so I really need to finish getting ready. So Alan, can you please-¡± At that moment, Sam felt something clutching him. He looked down to see Victoria and Madelyn wrapped around his legs and looking up at him with little faces that said: ¡°Can we please have ice cream? Can we please have ice cream?¡± Alan chuckled. ¡°I guess somebody¡¯s a little clingy right now.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Sam said. ¡°Alan, I seriously need to finish getting ready. Can you please come back later?¡± ¡°What are you so worried about? You look great! Smile proud for that front cover!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want another news report going on about how awful my hair was. I need to look as best as I possibly can.¡± ¡°Your hair looks fine. Just relax! Don¡¯t let some stupid tabloids stress you out. I¡¯ll never understand what¡¯s up with those annoying pests. Damn busybodies. I¡¯d like to see their faces printed on a magazine and see just how good looking their hair is!¡± ¡°Alan, can I please, please, please finish getting ready. I¡¯m on a serious time limit right now. I¡¯m not kidding. Please.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll leave you alone. But first I just wanted to give you a little something.¡± Alan handed Sam a small book. Sam took a look at it. It was titled A Night In Los Angeles. ¡°It¡¯s Carmen¡¯s newest book,¡± Alan said. ¡°This is her special copy for you.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Sam said, looking at the back cover of the book. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Look on the inside of the front cover.¡± Sam flipped open the front cover and noticed something written in Carmen¡¯s handwriting. It said: ¡°You did amazing on Friday, Sam! Great job! I love your new album! Life In Mystery is one of my favorite songs of all time!¡± Sam smiled and closed the book. ¡°Tell Carmen I said thanks.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Alan said. ¡°Good luck at the photo shoot, Sam. If anybody has anything to say about how you look, I¡¯ll be sure to give them some of my two cents.¡± ¡°You do that.¡± Sam could already see the headline now. ¡°Alan Stanford Gives His Two Cents To Sam Kruger¡¯s Haters. Kruger Reportedly Forced Him To Do That.¡± ¡°One more thing,¡± Alan said. ¡°The girls look really gorgeous. Nice job.¡± ¡°Thanks Alan,¡± Sam replied. Alan nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later, Sam.¡± ¡°See you later.¡± After that, Alan was finally gone. Sam turned around to walk back upstairs, but had a difficult time doing so due to Victoria and Madelyn still clinging to his legs. ¡°Girls, I already told you that you can¡¯t have any ice cream right now,¡± Sam said as he drug his legs along the floor. ¡°Wait until after we¡¯re done taking pictures.¡± ¡°Can we have a cookie?¡± Victoria asked. ¡°Yeah, I want a cookie!¡± Madelyn shouted. Sam sighed. ¡°Okay, sure. You can each have one cookie. But just one.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Victoria and Madelyn shouted. Thankfully, one cookie was enough to keep the girls satisfied for the moment and they returned to running and twirling around the mansion. Sam smiled and walked back upstairs. As he passed by his desk at the top of the stairs, he set down Carmen¡¯s book on top of it. He could hardly wait to see what Carmen had come up with this time. As Sam set the book down, he suddenly noticed a stack of papers lying on the desk. Although he didn¡¯t think anybody from People were planning on taking pictures of his house, he refused to take any chances. Especially not after ¡°TMZ¡± began to flash in his mind. Can¡¯t leave those there, he thought. Sam grabbed the papers off the desk, but just as he was about to walk upstairs, he noticed an old People magazine that had Robbie Larson¡¯s face on the front cover. The words: ¡°His Two-Year Cancer Battle¡± were printed at the top. A giant lump suddenly formed in Sam¡¯s throat. He really hoped he could keep a smile on his face for the photo shoot. The Team March 11, 1984 7:22 P.M. Sam sipped his coffee and looked out the window. It was raining quite hard. Sam sighed. Of all the days for me not to wear a jacket, he thought. Just wonderful. Thankfully, his parents didn¡¯t really care how late he stayed out, so he could wait as long as possible for the rain to stop. Unfortunately, he had just spent the last of his money, so he couldn¡¯t buy anymore coffee. Better make this cup last as long as possible, he thought. At that moment, a man walked up to him. The man was tall, had long, shaggy brown hair, and wore a Bob Marley t-shirt. ¡°Hey, do you have about fifty cents that I can borrow?¡± the man asked Sam. ¡°I need to make a phone call.¡± ¡°Sorry man,¡± Sam said. ¡°I just used up the last of my money.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Thanks though.¡± As the man turned to walk away, Sam noticed a guitar case strapped around his shoulder. Without even thinking, Sam asked: ¡°You play guitar?¡± The man turned back around. ¡°I sure do,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°What gave that away?¡± ¡°I can read minds,¡± Sam said, grinning as well. The man chuckled. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Sam shrugged. "Just curious." ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been playing the guitar ever since I was five. I used to consider it a hobby, but it¡¯s much more than that now. It¡¯s my passion.¡± ¡°Since you were five? Wow, that¡¯s pretty cool.¡± ¡°Yeah, you can thank my grandpa. He¡¯s the one who pretty much introduced me to guitars in the first place.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You bet.¡± The man took a seat in Sam¡¯s booth. ¡°When I was a kid, my grandpa would always play songs on his guitar. I still remember how me and my brothers would sit on the couch while my grandpa sang songs for us. Boy do I miss those days.¡± ¡°I tried playing the guitar when I was like ten or eleven, but I could never get the hang of it. I¡¯ve always preferred piano and keyboard.¡± ¡°You play piano and keyboard? Neat.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been playing piano since I was three and keyboard since I was eight. It¡¯s pretty awesome.¡± The man nodded. ¡°That¡¯s really sweet. I¡¯m Robbie by the way. Robbie Larson.¡± ¡°Sam Kruger.¡± ¡°Pleased to meet you, Sam.¡± Sam and Robbie shook hands. ¡°Were you reading?¡± Robbie asked, pointing at Sam¡¯s book pile. ¡°Yeah,¡± Sam replied. ¡°I¡¯ve actually been here all day just reading and drinking coffee. But I¡¯ve finished all of the books and now it¡¯s raining. I don¡¯t really feel like walking in the rain. So I¡¯m pretty much stuck here.¡± ¡°What books are those?¡± ¡°They¡¯re a couple of H.P. Lovecraft books. The Call Of Cthulhu, The Whisperer In Darkness, and The Cats Of Ulthar. I¡¯ve actually read all of these books like ten times, but I just felt like reading them again today. Never gets old.¡± ¡°H.P. who?¡± ¡°H.P. Lovecraft. He¡¯s a horror author. Or, he was a horror author. He¡¯s been dead for like fifty years. Anyway, I¡¯ve been reading his stuff since I was like twelve. It¡¯s amazing. Like really amazing. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re into horror, but I highly recommend his stuff.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually not much of a book guy. Sorry.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s okay. Just saying. Anyway, yeah, huge H.P. Lovecraft fan. I have nearly all of his books. I think the only one I don¡¯t have is At the Mountains of Madness. I¡¯m having a hard time finding that one for some reason. I got a copy from the library a few years ago but I can¡¯t find a copy at any store. There has to be one out there somewhere.¡± ¡°What other things do you like to read?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m also a fan of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. I¡¯ve been reading their stuff ever since I was a kid. I also like Robert Louis Stevenson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe. I¡¯m not a huge fan of Stephen King, but I do like some of his novels. But yeah, Lovecraft is definitely my favorite.¡± ¡°Interesting. So I guess you¡¯re kind of a book worm?¡± Sam chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I guess you can say that. Well, I don¡¯t crawl through apples, but the book part is accurate.¡± Robbie snickered. ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡± ¡°Ugh, sorry about that. My jokes are pretty bad. I really need to stop trying to be funny.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can¡¯t do much better. I tried telling jokes on a date once and my girlfriend just stared at me awkwardly the entire time. I felt like an idiot.¡± Sam snickered. ¡°So are you still in high school or are you graduated?¡± Robbie asked. ¡°I¡¯m about to graduate,¡± Sam said. ¡°Just two more months.¡± ¡°Oh really? Same here. Man, I can¡¯t wait to finally be done.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still in high school? Wow, I thought you were like in your early twenties.¡± Robbie chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I get that a lot. I guess I have really strong genes or something.¡± Sam laughed. ¡°So what do you plan on doing after high school?¡± ¡°Not entirely sure. Maybe I¡¯ll major in music or something. For now, I think I¡¯m just gonna¡¯ focus on my band.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in a band?!¡± ¡°Yep, been in one for two years.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s awesome!¡± ¡°It sure is. My friends and I put it together for a talent show during our sophomore year. We ended up getting third place because the judges don¡¯t know good music. Anyway, the band was only supposed to be for the talent show, but we just said ¡®what the hell?¡¯ and kept on going afterwards. I play the guitar, Jason plays the bass, and Alex is on the drums. It¡¯s pretty sweet.¡± ¡°Wow, what¡¯s y¡¯all¡¯s name?¡± ¡°We¡¯re The White Knights. Awesome name, huh? Alex came up with it. He keeps wanting to change it, but I don''t really see why. I think it''s a pretty sweet name." ¡°Who¡¯s the lead singer?¡± ¡°You¡¯re looking at him.¡± ¡°Oh, you sing too?!¡± ¡°Yup, didn¡¯t mention it. But I do. Ever since I was four. Once again, thank my grandpa.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome! I¡­I wasn¡¯t gonna mention it before, but I also sing.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been singing ever since I was three. I never really tell people, but I love to sing. I really, really do.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell people? That¡¯s not something to be ashamed of.¡± ¡°Well, because¡­I¡­uh¡­personal reasons.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Let me tell you though, there¡¯s nothing wrong with you loving to sing. It¡¯s actually quite amazing. I don¡¯t often meet a lot of people who are into music this much. Especially not guys still in high school.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know what you mean.¡± ¡°What kind of music do you like?¡± ¡°Mostly rock. I listen to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and a bunch of other stuff. But my absolute favorite is Alan Stanford. I freaking love Alan Stanford.¡± ¡°Same here! Alan Stanford is amazing. Red Ocean and I¡¯m Home are two of my favorite songs of all time.¡± ¡°Yeah! My favorite is I''m Just A Man. I listen to that song like three times a day. It''s freaking sweet." "I know, right? Man, I really wish I could get some tickets to see an Alan Stanford concert. I heard he''s awesome on stage." "Yeah, same here." "So...what are you planning on doing after you graduate?" Sam frowned and sighed. "I really, really, don''t know. There''s nothing I''m really interested in." "What are you talking about?" Robbie asked. "You play the piano and keyboard. And you sing. Why don¡¯t you go for something music related?" "Well...I could. But...my parents want me to get an actual job. Or at least my dad does." "An actual job? What on earth is that?" "My dad always says that I''m not gonna¡¯ get anywhere just playing music. He says it''s fine for a hobby, but not an actual job." "What? Seriously? How does your dad know where you''re gonna¡¯ get in the future? Is he a psychic or something? For all he knows, you could become one the most famous singers or pianists of all time! Who is he to say what an ¡®actual job¡¯ is?" Sam shrugged. "Sorry, got off on a tangent there," Robbie said. "I just can''t stand it when parents tell their children ''you aren''t getting anywhere in life with blah blah blah.'' It drives me crazy." "Yeah, I know what you mean." "You want my advice? It''s your life. Not your dad''s. Do what you want, not what he wants. It''s that simple." I wish, Sam thought. "I really wish I could keep talking to you, man," Robbie said. "But I actually need to find a way to get ahold of my girlfriend right now. I promised I would give her a call by seven. But I used up all my money on new strings. She''s so gonna¡¯ bite my head off by the time I get ahold of her. Looks like I''m gonna¡¯ have to start learning how to play without a head." Sam chuckled. "Well, I''ll be seeing you around, man," Robbie said, getting up. Sam sighed and drank some more coffee. When¡¯s the next time someone will talk to me? he thought. Maybe eighteen more years. Robbie walked about a foot away from the table, but then suddenly turned around and walked back. Sam looked up in surprise. "Hey, do you wanna¡¯ come to our practice this Friday?" Robbie asked. "What?" Sam asked. "We practice at Jason''s house every Friday night. You wanna¡¯ come watch us? Just to check us out?" "Umm...really? You''re actually inviting me?" Robbie nodded. "You bet." "Wow! I mean...yeah! Of course I''ll go! I''ve...I''ve never been invited anywhere before." "Well, you are now." "Awesome! I''m definitely checking it out!" Robbie smiled. "Jason''s address is 214 Andrews St. We start practicing at six. I''ll write all that down for you."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Robbie then wrote the address down on a napkin and handed it to Sam. Sam stared at the napkin until the address was permanently etched in his brain. A mixture of happiness, surprise, and disbelief began to engulf his body. "Oh man, I can''t wait!" Sam shouted. "Neither can I," Robbie said. "I''ll see you later, man." "Later!" After that, Robbie was gone. Sam began to slurp his coffee so hard that it was all gone within half a minute. Even as he noticed the rain pouring down much harder than usual, a large smile remained on his face. *** March 16, 1984 5:38 P.M. ¡°I think this is the place,¡± Sam said as the car pulled up to a blue house. ¡°Well, it¡¯s either the place or not the place,¡± Mr. Kruger said, wiping his nose. ¡°There¡¯s only one 214 Andrews St.¡± Sam shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡± He opened up the passenger door. ¡°Call me when you¡¯re ready to go,¡± Mr. Kruger said as Sam stepped out of the car. ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t stay too late. I¡¯ve had a long day and I¡¯m tired as hell. I may end up falling asleep earlier than usual. If I¡¯m asleep by the time you call, tough luck. You¡¯re on your own at that point.¡± ¡°Bye Dad.¡± Sam walked over to the front door of the house and knocked on it. He couldn¡¯t help but shake a little as he did so. After a few seconds, a man with short brunette hair answered the door. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and black basketball shorts. ¡°Hello,¡± the man said. ¡°Are you Sam?¡± ¡°Umm¡­yeah,¡± Sam replied. He began to twiddle his fingers a little bit. ¡°Awesome! Come right in.¡± Sam couldn¡¯t help but stare at everything as he walked into the house. It looked like an average home, with a living room, kitchen, and dining area, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel amazed and excited. He still could hardly believe that all of this was happening. ¡°Sorry for the mess,¡± the man said as he and Sam walked through the living room. ¡°My sister likes to leave her clothes all over the house for some reason. I really don¡¯t know why.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing I¡¯m not already used to,¡± Sam replied, still staring at everything. ¡°You should check out my house. It¡¯s like a hundred times worse than this.¡± ¡°Jeez, I can¡¯t even imagine.¡± Sam snickered and continued to look around. ¡°Oh, I never introduced myself,¡± the man said, holding out his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Jason.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Jason,¡± Sam replied, shaking Jason¡¯s hand. ¡°You have a really nice place, by the way.¡± ¡°Thanks. Though I already know you¡¯re just trying to be nice. Anyone with eyes can see that his place is a trash heap.¡± ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s awesome.¡± Jason shook his head. ¡°Robbie told me you¡¯re a really nice guy. Looks like he wasn¡¯t lying.¡± Sam shrugged. At that moment, Sam heard a door open from a nearby hallway. A very skinny woman with long black hair and a gray tank top walked into the living room. She was holding a string of keys. ¡°Jason, I¡¯m heading over to KFC,¡± the woman said. ¡°You want anything?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m good,¡± Jason replied. ¡°We¡¯ve already ordered a few pizzas.¡± ¡°Oh, okay them.¡± The woman suddenly noticed Sam. She looked at him and smiled. ¡°Hi,¡± she said. ¡°Are you another one of Jason¡¯s friends? Or did he just invite you to watch him and the guys play?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­both?¡± Sam replied. ¡°Oh, really? Well, you¡¯re gonna¡¯ be quite amazed. These guys can really play.¡± ¡°You need to higher your standards a bit, Julie,¡± Jason replied. He then held his hand up and placed his index finger and thumb really close together. ¡°Just a little bit.¡± Julie rolled her eyes. ¡°You boys have fun,¡± she said, walking over to the front door. ¡°See ya¡¯, Julie,¡± Jason said. Julie then left the house. ¡°Who was that?¡± Sam asked. ¡°My dad¡¯s girlfriend,¡± Jason replied. ¡°She always acts like our band is one of the greatest bands in the world. I¡¯m really, really not seeing it. I still think we need quite a lot of work.¡± ¡°What if you are one of the greatest bands in the world and you just don¡¯t know it?¡± ¡°If we were really that great, we would¡¯ve won that freaking talent show. But we didn¡¯t¡­ergghh¡­sorry I still get mad when I think about that. Anyway, the garage is this way.¡± Sam followed Jason over to a door in the back of the kitchen. Before opening the door, Jason kicked away a white bra that was laying on the floor. ¡°Who the hell leaves their bras on the kitchen floor?¡± Jason asked in a very irritated tone of voice. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°I once found one of my brother¡¯s undershirts in the refrigerator,¡± Sam replied. ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°Umm¡­okay.¡± Sam and Jason walked through the door and into the garage. Robbie and another man were talking to each other and laughing as Sam and Jason walked in. The other man had blond hair and was wearing a white muscle shirt and a black backwards baseball cap. ¡°Sam!¡± Robbie said as Sam and Jason walked in. He walked over to Sam and put his arm around Sam¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How are you, man?¡± ¡°Great,¡± Sam replied, twiddling his fingers some more. ¡°Awesome! You¡¯re here a lot earlier than I expected. We¡¯re all just getting warmed up right now.¡± ¡°Cool.¡± ¡°Hey man,¡± the blond man said, holding out his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Alex.¡± ¡°Umm¡­hi,¡± Sam replied. ¡°I¡¯m Sam.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Sam. Sam I Am.¡± Sam grinned slightly. ¡°Yeah, I heard that a lot when I was a kid.¡± Alex grinned back. ¡°Well, now you¡¯re hearing it again.¡± Robbie patted Sam¡¯s back. ¡°Sam, it¡¯s really great that you came by. You¡¯re actually the very first person to ever come watch us practice. Like actually show up. We¡¯ve invited people a hundred times and nobody ever bothers to come. Yet they always say yes.¡± Robbie rolled his eyes. ¡°I really don¡¯t get why people have to lie.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Sam said. ¡°Sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°And I had a feeling you would be the first person to actually show up. You seemed pretty eager to come watch us.¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s just¡­well, I¡¯ve never been invited anywhere before¡­to hang out, I mean. I¡­there just¡­there was no way I way that I was gonna¡¯ pass this up. No way in hell.¡± Robbie smiled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t pass it up. Because I¡¯m feeling pretty good right now. You¡¯re in for quite a practice tonight.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see it,¡± Sam replied with a smile. ¡°When are those pizzas getting here?¡± Alex asked in a slightly agitated tone of voice. ¡°I¡¯m freaking starving.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be here in like five minutes,¡± Robbie said, picking up his guitar. ¡°Relax.¡± ¡°I wish I could. I haven¡¯t eaten anything since breakfast.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t eat lunch?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t gonna¡¯ eat those disgusting soy burgers. I almost threw up the last time I ate that garbage.¡± ¡°Okay, I kind of agree with you on that. Those burgers are pretty gross.¡± ¡°Whatever happened to the good food? Was the budget cut or something? Lately the food tastes like Bigfoot crapped on the ground and they scraped it up and served it to people. Seriously, I want the old burgers back.¡± ¡°Do y¡¯all all go to the same high school?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Robbie replied. ¡°We all go to Madison High. Where do you go?¡± ¡°I go to Brackenridge.¡± ¡°Brackenridge? That¡¯s interesting. How is it over there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­eh¡­how¡¯s Madison High?¡± ¡°Sucks,¡± Alex said, taking a drink from a can of 7 Up. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Robbie said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s just high school. You go, you learn, you leave. It¡¯s not supposed to be all that exciting.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± Sam replied. ¡°Brackenridge isn¡¯t all that exciting either.¡± ¡°Your life after high school is where the excitement comes in.¡± ¡°Yeah, in college,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s where the real action is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not gonna¡¯ ask what you mean by that,¡± Robbie replied. ¡°Have y¡¯all known each other for a long time?¡± Sam asked. ¡°I guess so,¡± Robbie replied. ¡°Alex and I have been friends since third grade. We¡¯ve had plenty of friends come and go, but Jason¡¯s the only one that¡¯s stuck around.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± Sam asked. ¡°That¡¯s cool.¡± ¡°Jason came around in eighth grade,¡± Robbie continued. ¡°Mainly because he¡¯s the only other guy we¡¯ve met that plays an instrument. Or even cares about music in general. I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s the reason why so many people stop hanging around with us. They¡¯re just not into music as much as us.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not one of those guys,¡± Sam said. ¡°Yep. And maybe that means we¡¯ll have a fourth member of the team pretty soon.¡± Sam¡¯s heart nearly jumped out of his chest. ¡°Y¡­yeah¡­maybe.¡± At that moment, Sam heard the doorbell ring from inside the house. ¡°Finally!¡± Alex shouted. ¡°Got it,¡± Jason said, grabbing a wallet off a nearby box. Sam was full of so much excitement that he hardly felt like eating. He took a few bites of one piece of pizza and did not finish it (Alex happily took it for himself). After everyone was finished eating, Robbie stood up and grabbed his guitar. ¡°Alright guys,¡± he said. ¡°Y¡¯all ready for some practice?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­can we wait like five minutes?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Or ten minutes. I need to catch my breath.¡± ¡°Alex, how many pieces did you eat?¡± Alex covered his mouth and burped. ¡°Six or seven. Maybe eight. I lost count.¡± ¡°Maybe eight?!¡± Jason shouted. ¡°That¡¯s a whole pizza!¡± ¡°Alex, why the hell do you keep on doing this?¡± Robbie asked in an irritated tone of voice. ¡°Okay, new rule. No stuffing yourself before practice. I really think we need to start waiting until after we practice before ordering anything.¡± ¡°That sounds like a pretty good idea,¡± Sam said. ¡°Thanks Sam. Already on top of things. See, you¡¯re already becoming one of us. Keep it up.¡± Sam felt his chest warm up. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll probably just have to practice without the drums for a little bit,¡± Robbie said. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna¡¯ wait around just because Alex is on another food hangover. Let¡¯s go, Jason.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m coming!¡± Alex shouted, waddling over to his drums. ¡°Damn!¡± ¡°Try not to suck,¡± Jason said, taking one last sip of his water bottle. ¡°I¡¯m not making any promises,¡± Alex replied, covering another burp. ¡°Alright then,¡± Robbie said, turning on his amplifier. ¡°Time to get this show on the road.¡± ¡°What song are we practicing first?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Let¡¯s start with Madison Avenue.¡± ¡°I still hate that name,¡± Alex said. ¡°Be sure to give it your all, guys,¡± Robbie said. ¡°We¡¯ve finally got ourselves an audience. Make sure he has a good time.¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s already having a good time,¡± Jason said. You¡¯ve got that right, Sam thought, smiling. ¡°Well, make sure he has the best time ever,¡± Robbie said. That shouldn¡¯t be so difficult, Sam thought. Robbie took a deep breath and strummed his guitar. ¡°Alright Sam. Once again, it¡¯s great to see you here. You ready to hear some music?¡± ¡°Oh hell yeah,¡± Sam replied. ¡°Great!¡± Robbie said with a giant grin. ¡°Then let¡¯s get this show on the road! Here¡¯s Madison Avenue!¡± As the song started up, Sam nearly jumped back in shock. The song started out with a guitar solo, which on it¡¯s own left Sam completely stunned. As the full weight of the guitars, bass, and drums (despite being full of pizza, Alex was giving quite a stellar performance) hit his ears, Sam¡¯s jaw practically fell to the ground. Robbie¡¯s singing voice flowed so well with the music that Sam found himself humming all the words. For a brief moment, Sam completely forgot he was in someone¡¯s garage. He suddenly imagined that he was in an actual concert hall sitting in the front row and cheering loudly with the millions of other fans. Julie had been right. These guys could really play. As the song finished, Sam paused for quite a few seconds before clapping. He was still full of shock. ¡°Umm¡­wow¡­,¡± Sam stammered as he clapped. ¡°What¡¯d you think, Sam?¡± Robbie asked. ¡°Be as honest as possible,¡± Jason said. ¡°No buttering things up. Don¡¯t waste all the butter.¡± Alex shot a puzzled look at Jason. ¡°Well¡­¡± Sam said. ¡°I¡­I loved it. I¡­I¡­I really, really loved it. You¡­guys are awesome. Beyond awesome. I just¡­you guys did amazing. That¡¯s all I can really say.¡± Jason snickered. ¡°Sam, did I ever tell you that you¡¯re a really, really nice guy? C¡¯mon, where¡¯s the real review?¡± ¡°Really Jason?¡± Robbie asked irritably. ¡°Really? Our very first audience member praises us and that¡¯s how you respond? Seriously?¡± ¡°Sorry, I was just asking for his actual thoughts.¡± ¡°Those are my actual thoughts,¡± Sam replied. ¡°I wasn¡¯t exaggerating. You guys literally sounded like an actual band. Not a cheap garage band that you see in all the movies, but an actual band. The ones you would go see at a concert. Y¡¯all are freaking amazing.¡± Robbie smiled and nodded. ¡°Thank you, Sam. That means a lot.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s just your opinion, Sam,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re all entitled to our own opinions. I just happen to have an entirely different one.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s my opinion,¡± Alex said. ¡°Get a better song title.¡± ¡°Madison Avenue is a great name!¡± Robbie replied. ¡°Why do you hate it so much?¡± ¡°Because it obviously reminds me of Madison High. Seriously, why would you name a song after our freaking high school? I¡¯m trying to escape from there!¡± ¡°So, what other songs do y¡¯all have?¡± Sam immediately asked, hoping to end the argument. ¡°Well,¡± Robbie said, taking a breath. ¡°Here¡¯s a song that we came up with about a month ago. You¡¯ll probably like this one even better. It¡¯s called Sea Biscuit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting a little tired of doing that one,¡± Jason said. ¡°Same here,¡± Alex said. ¡°Can we try out Robots again?¡± ¡°Guys, Sam has never heard Sea Biscuit,¡± Robbie said. ¡°Let¡¯s do it for him.¡± Jason and Alex both sighed. ¡°Okay,¡± they both said. Robbie smiled and strummed his guitar. ¡°You¡¯re gonna¡¯ love this one, Sam. If you thought Madison Avenue was amazing, you haven¡¯t heard nothing yet.¡± Sam felt a great rush of excitement. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it!¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Robbie said, strumming on his guitar some more. ¡°Here it goes. This is Sea Biscuit.¡± Not unlike what Sam expected, Sea Biscuit was yet another spectacular song. Sam wasn¡¯t sure if he loved it more than Madison Avenue. They were both equally great songs. Once again, Sam hummed the words as Robbie sang. At this point, Sam legitimately felt like he was attending his first ever concert. After the song finished, Sam cheered and clapped much harder than before. ¡°Yeah!!¡± he shouted. ¡°Wahoo!!¡± ¡°I need some water,¡± Jason said, grabbing his water bottle. ¡°What¡¯d you think of that one, Sam?¡± Robbie asked. ¡°You like it better than Madison Avenue?¡± ¡°I think they were both great songs,¡± Sam said. ¡°I like them both equally. Once again, you guys are freaking awesome. Can I¡­I can come back again next week, right?¡± ¡°I never said you couldn¡¯t, did I?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­no?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll see you here next week.¡± Sam was filled with so much excitement that he nearly fell off his chair. ¡°Thank you, Robbie,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, man,¡± Robbie said, strumming his guitar some more. ¡°Practice isn¡¯t over yet, though. We still have a lot more work to do.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait to hear it.¡± ¡°Can we do Robots now?¡± Alex asked. The next couple of hours consisted of nothing but more brilliant music. Sam continued to cheer for the band as they played each song and continued to be amazed. Sam was trying his absolute hardest to come up with a way to give advice with each song, but came out with a blank mind each time. It was almost impossible not to be impressed by how well The White Knights could play. Sam continued to imagine himself in a concert hall as he listened to them. After Sam finished applauding to a song titled Lovely, he suddenly noticed the clock on the garage wall. It was already past eight. He remembered what his father had told him earlier. ¡°Can we take another break?¡± Jason asked, waving his hands around. ¡°My hands are on fire.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m starting to lose my voice,¡± Robbie said, coughing slightly. ¡°We¡¯ll take another ten minute break. After that, we can do one or two more songs and then call it a night.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Alex said, drinking some 7 Up. ¡°Hey guys,¡± Sam said, standing up. ¡°I wish I could stay longer. But I actually need to get going. Like really soon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only eight,¡± Robbie said, looking at the clock. ¡°Why the rush?¡± ¡°Well¡­my dad told me to not to stay too late. Or else he would fall asleep by the time I call him. He said he wouldn¡¯t come get me if he¡¯s already asleep. And my stepmom is out of town until next week. There¡¯s no one else who can give me a ride. So¡­yeah, I need to get going.¡± ¡°That sucks,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is your dad related to Garfield by any chance? Because he sounds really lazy.¡± ¡°Why would his dad be related to a fat orange cat from newspaper comics?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Hey, let me tell my jokes.¡± Robbie walked over to Sam and put his arm on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ride home,¡± Robbie said. ¡°What?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your dad. I¡¯ll give you a ride home in my truck. Also, if you want, I can give you a ride each week. I can pick you up and bring you back home each practice. Just give me your address.¡± Sam looked at Robbie for a brief moment. He then smiled and nodded. ¡°Yeah!¡± he shouted. ¡°Thanks Robbie! That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s awesome! Thank you, man.¡± ¡°Anytime,¡± Robbie replied. Sam sat back down on the chair, completely full of thought. He could hardly believe all that had transpired in the last couple of hours. ¡°So,¡± Alex said, taking a seat in another chair. ¡°What songs are we gonna¡¯ finish off with?¡± ¡°I kind of wanna¡¯ do Harmony,¡± Jason replied. ¡°I really need to get better at my bass solo.¡± ¡°I have a better idea,¡± Robbie said, walking over to the nearby piano (which hadn¡¯t been used at any point in the night). He then looked over at Sam and smiled. ¡°I know the perfect way to end the night off. Sam, I remember you telling me back at the diner that you played the piano. And that you sang.¡± ¡°Umm¡­yeah,¡± Sam replied. ¡°Well,¡± Robbie said, patting the piano. ¡°Why don¡¯t we hear some of it?¡± Sam turned white. ¡°Wh¡­what?¡± ¡°Play some music for us,¡± Robbie said, patting the piano again. ¡°Right here.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Jason said, taking a large drink of water. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it!¡± ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± Sam stammered. ¡°C¡¯mon Sam!¡± Robbie shouted. ¡°I wanna¡¯ hear what you sound like!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Alex shouted. ¡°Show us what you got!¡± Sam thought for a brief moment. He began to think once more of all that had happened that day. Were these really the type of guys who would say anything hurtful to him? What¡¯s the worse that these guys could say to him? Is there really any reason for me to say no? Sam thought. Shaking, Sam stood up. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll play.¡± Robbie, Jason, and Alex all began to cheer loudly as Sam reached into his backpack and pulled out a few pages of his sheet music. He then slowly walked over to the piano. Why are you so nervous? Sam thought to himself. These guys aren¡¯t gonna¡¯ make fun of you. No matter how badly you screw up. Just relax. ¡°You got this, Sam!¡± Jason shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sam I Am!¡± Alex shouted. ¡°Alright guys!¡± Robbie shouted, holding out his arm. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it for Sam Kruger!¡± As Sam took a seat at the piano, he felt a smile form on his face. He lay his fingers down on the keys and started playing. The Visitor June 25, 2012 10:22 A.M. "Smile girls!" the photographer shouted. Victoria and Madelyn gave their best cheese smiles as the photographer flashed the camera for the seventh or eighth time. Sam¡¯s face was getting really tired of forming phony smiles. ¡°How many more of these are we gonna¡¯ do?¡± Sam asked irritably as the photographer looked at the photo. ¡°As many as it takes, Sam,¡± the photographer said. ¡°Don¡¯t you want your best smile on the front cover?¡± People are gonna¡¯ find a way to criticize even if I give my best smile ever, Sam thought. ¡°Alright girls!¡± the photographer shouted. ¡°Now a silly one!¡± Victoria and Madelyn both made the goofiest faces they could possibly make. Because the girls loved pictures so much, they clearly were having a great time. Sam, on the other hand, was so tired of taking pictures that his ¡°goofy smile¡± felt extremely forced. Then again, all of his other pictures felt extremely forced. Sam could practically see how all the internet comments would turn out. Victoria and Madelyn began to hop on Sam¡¯s lap. Sam couldn¡¯t help but form a mild grin. ¡°Daddy! Daddy!¡± Victoria excitingly shouted as she hopped. ¡°Did I do good? Did I do good?¡± ¡°Did I do good?!¡± Madelyn shouted. ¡°Girls, you¡¯re doing wonderful,¡± Sam said. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of y¡¯all.¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy,¡± Victoria said. ¡°Can we have ice cream after we finish the pictures?¡± Madelyn asked. Sam rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, y¡¯all can have as much ice cream as you want. But after we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°YAY!!¡± the girls both cried out, bouncing on Sam¡¯s lap crazily. Maybe we should have salad tonight, Sam thought. ¡°Okay girls,¡± the photographer said. ¡°Now give Daddy a kiss!¡± Sam leaned down a bit so that Victoria and Madelyn could both kiss him on his cheeks. For the first time since the photo shoot began, Sam actually formed a genuine smile. ¡°Okay, great!¡± the photographer shouted after flashing the camera about four times. ¡°Just a few more!¡± You said ¡°a few¡± like fifty times already, Sam thought as his smile faded. At that moment, the doorbell rang. Sam flinched. ¡°Gah!! Interruptions!¡± the photographer shouted, irritably. ¡°Every single time!¡± ¡°Ricci!¡± Sam called. ¡°On it!¡± Ricci called back. ¡°Let¡¯s stay on task!¡± the photographer shouted. ¡°Back into positions everybody!¡± Yeah, let¡¯s get this stupid thing over with already, Sam thought. ¡°Ice cream!¡± Victoria and Madelyn both excitingly shouted while bouncing on Sam. ¡°Ice cream!¡± After about two more pictures were taken, Ricci suddenly walked into the room. ¡°Hey Sam!¡± Ricci said. ¡°Some blonde chick wants to see you. You want me to tell her you¡¯re doing some very important business?¡± ¡°Blonde chick?¡± Sam replied. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Some blonde chick with glasses. Kind of looks like an older Michelle Williams. Sort of. Is she some friend of yours?¡± Sam suddenly felt quite stiff. ¡°You want me to tell her that Sam Kruger has a busy life and has no time to catch up on useless old garbage?¡± ¡°Please do so,¡± the photographer said in an aggravated tone of voice. ¡°I only have so much time here! Come on everybody, let¡¯s stay on task!¡± ¡°Be right back,¡± Sam said to the photographer, carefully lifting Victoria and Madelyn off his lap and onto the floor. He quickly walked out of the room and headed downstairs. He could hear the photographer¡¯s grumbling all the way from the bottom of the stairs. Sure enough, as Sam walked up to the door, he was met with a very familiar and unexpected face. ¡°Hi Sam.¡± Sam was full of so much surprise and shock that it took him nearly a minute to respond. Even then, he was almost completely lost for words.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°He¡­He¡­Heather?¡± ¡°It sure has been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Heather hardly looked any different than the last time that Sam had seen her. Her wavy blonde hair looked exactly the same, she had the same exact black purse, and she looked as if she hadn¡¯t aged at all in nearly five years. Heather¡¯s only noticeable difference was that her glasses were now red instead of black. ¡°How¡­how long¡­how long have you been back in town?¡± Sam asked. ¡°I actually just arrived a few hours ago,¡± Heather replied. ¡°Man, what an awful flight. A whole bunch of college kids were sitting right behind me. The things those kids talk about, I swear¡­¡± ¡°Did¡­did you come down to visit?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m actually back for good. At least for now. There¡¯s really nothing left for me in New York.¡± ¡°What about the academy?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t work out. Long story. Let¡¯s just say other priorities got in the way.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you still wanna¡¯ be an artist?¡± ¡°I¡¯d still like to. Maybe another opportunity will open up for me someday. For now, though, I¡¯m staying here in L.A. I need to figure out what I¡¯m gonna¡¯ do in order to pay the bills. These next couple of days are gonna¡¯ be a pain in the butt.¡± ¡°Hmmm. Well¡­well I hope everything turns out okay.¡± ¡°But I¡¯d thought I just quickly stop by and say hi. Just to see how you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Heather looked around the house for a moment. Sam closed the door and walked over to her. He couldn¡¯t help but tremble a little. ¡°How did you get my gate code, by the way?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Oh, Alan gave it to me,¡± Heather replied. ¡°We both figured you wouldn¡¯t consider me an intruder.¡± ¡°Oh. How did you get ahold of Alan?¡± ¡°Well, he still lives in the same place. And he has the exact same phone number. He was pretty happy to talk to me again.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°I love your new house.¡± Sam snickered. ¡°Not really a new house. I¡¯ve been living here for about eight years.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s new to me.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°It really is a nice house. Though, you could decorate the walls a little bit better than that.¡± ¡°What, you don¡¯t you think my H.P. Lovecraft posters are cool?¡± ¡°Of course they are. But you could also go for something a little more colorful and family-friendly. Maybe you can add a little ¡®pink, pink, and more pink¡¯ to the walls.¡± Heather winked at Sam. Sam rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure my daughters would love that. Oh, speaking of which.¡± Victoria and Madelyn both skipped down the stairs and then began to spin and twirl around the room. Heather¡¯s face completely lit up. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re so beautiful!¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Sam said, chuckling. Victoria and Madelyn danced around the room for a little longer and then raced over to Sam and wrapped their arms around him. Sam grinned and patted the girls¡¯ backs. ¡°Hi girls,¡± Heather said, waving. Victoria and Madelyn turned around and stared at Heather for a moment. A very awkward expression suddenly formed on their faces. It seemed to be a mixture of shyness and fear. ¡°This is Heather, girls,¡± Sam said, stroking Victoria and Madelyn¡¯s hair. ¡°She¡¯s Daddy¡¯s old friend. Say hi.¡± ¡°Hi,¡± Victoria and Madelyn said very quietly. They both clutched Sam¡¯s arms tightly. ¡°Hi girls,¡± Heather said. ¡°I love your dresses.¡± ¡°Say thank you, girls,¡± Sam said. ¡°Thank you,¡± the girls said very quietly. Sam chuckled. ¡°They¡¯re very shy around people they don¡¯t know. Or, at least adults they don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I can see,¡± Heather said, giggling. ¡°They¡¯re four and a half now, right?¡± ¡°Yep, four and a half. Can¡¯t believe they¡¯ve already been in my life for that long.¡± ¡°I know, right? I still have that picture of you holding them when they were really tiny!¡± ¡°Those old People photos? Yep, I remember those. I didn¡¯t even wanna¡¯ do that photo shoot, but People just wouldn¡¯t stop bugging me. Ughh¡­¡± ¡°Well, the picture is still really adorable.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess so. And speaking of People, I¡¯m actually doing another photo shoot with them right now. Heh, what a coincidence. That¡¯s actually why we¡¯re all dressed up right now. Have to look our finest.¡± Wish I actually felt my finest, Sam thought, trying his hardest not to lose his smile. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful!¡± Heather said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the pictures!¡± Sam merely shrugged. At that moment, Ricci walked down the stairs. Sam and Heather both looked towards him. ¡°Didn¡¯t want to be up there with Mr. Hothead,¡± Ricci said to Sam. ¡°He¡¯s whining like someone killed his father or something. Can¡¯t stand that guy. Hope he crashes his car on the way back and dies.¡± ¡°Classy, Ricci,¡± Sam replied. ¡°And what was your name again?¡± Ricci asked Heather. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m god-awful with names.¡± ¡°Heather Greenfield,¡± Heather replied. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Riccardo Poletti. Or Ricci for short. I¡¯ve been working for the one and only Sam Kruger for almost eleven years. And there¡¯s no better job out there. And there never will be.¡± ¡°Thanks for that lovely introduction, Ricci,¡± Sam said. ¡°Go get yourself some raspberry tea.¡± ¡°Oh sweet!¡± Ricci shouted. ¡°Be right back!¡± Ricci then ran off to the kitchen. ¡°He¡¯s really interesting to have around,¡± Sam said, stroking Victoria and Madelyn¡¯s hair. The girls continued to stand close to Sam with nervous expressions on their faces. ¡°I can tell,¡± Heather replied. ¡°What happened to Malcolm?¡± ¡°Retired. Last time I heard, he was living in San Francisco. I still kind of miss him. But oh well. Ricci does a pretty good job.¡± Heather nodded. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± There was a very long pause. Sam¡¯s heart began to beat rapidly. ¡°How are you¡­are you¡­is everything¡­¡± Heather stammered. ¡°What?¡± Sam asked. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering if¡­you¡­¡± Suddenly there was a sound of footsteps coming from upstairs. Sam and Heather both turned around. ¡°Are we gonna¡¯ finish this or what?¡± the photographer asked, bitterly. ¡°Can you give me just a few minutes?¡± Sam asked. ¡°My friend just came over. I haven¡¯t seen her in over-¡± ¡°We¡¯re on a very short time limit, Sam! Let¡¯s finish this already!¡± Sam groaned out loud. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, sir,¡± Heather said to the photographer. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and leave right now.¡± ¡°No wait, Heather!¡± Sam shouted. ¡°You don¡¯t have to-¡± ¡°If you have that photo shoot right now, I don¡¯t wanna¡¯ be getting in the way. We can meet up when you¡¯re done. How about we get lunch in a little bit?¡± ¡°Umm¡­yeah. Yeah, we can get lunch. Where do you wanna¡¯ go?¡± ¡°Where do you wanna¡¯ go?¡± ¡°You pick.¡± Heather chuckled. ¡°I pick that you pick something.¡± Sam grinned. ¡°Alright. How about Olive Garden? You still love Olive Garden right?¡± ¡°I sure do. How can I stop loving Olive Garden?¡± ¡°Great!¡± ¡°Come on, Sam!¡± the photographer shouted. ¡°We¡¯re losing daylight!¡± Chill the hell out, Sam thought. Seriously. ¡°Give me a call as soon as you¡¯re done,¡± Heather said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a tiny piece of paper. ¡°I got a new phone a while back, so here¡¯s my new number.¡± ¡°Thanks Heather,¡± Sam replied, taking the paper. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll call you as soon as possible.¡± ¡°See you in a little bit, Sam.¡± Heather then waved goodbye to Sam, Victoria, and Madelyn and walked out the front door. Sam was about to hold the girls¡¯ hands and walk upstairs, but they suddenly held their arms up towards him. ¡°Carry us!¡± Victoria and Madelyn both begged. ¡°Carry us!¡± Sam smiled and lifted both the girls up. He couldn¡¯t help but constantly look back at the door as he walked up the stairs. Didn¡¯t see that coming, Sam thought.