In Between by S. E. Gutierrez (freda ebook reader txt) 📕

Sam

Pain, everywhere. Run faster Sam. Run! I knew I was going to fall before I slipped. I felt the impact of the slick street. I felt the sky pour down it's oversized tears. I felt his knife before he cut my throat.

"Have a nice nap, Little Samie." He laughed.

I closed my eyes. I knew today was going to be the end of me. My life slipping through my fingers. I've only seen this guy one other time, at my father's poker table. My father lost a few thousand dollars, and this man was going to make me pay the price of my father's ridiculous addiction.

My fahter had never approved of me. I was a bit of a, well, nerd I guess. I wanted to make it out of this crappy little hole my father had pulled us into. I wanted to go to college, be successful, and most of all, I wanted to draw. I had a hand for portraits and watercolors. I wanted to be a young Picasso. I had dreams. But now, in a matter of seconds, that would all be gone. Thanks Dad.

I saw the glint of the knife in the freezing rain. It's pressure in my neck increased, and a small trickle of blood seeped through the cut.

"Night, Little Samie." The man said.

The knife cut, only not all the way, leaving me gasping for breath. I saw a brilliant light, and the man was gone. I wasn't bleeding anymmore. I looked down. I wasn't bleeding because I wasn't alive. A scream built up in my throut.


Dannyella

School. Five more minutes of it. Work, five hours of that. Home. I shivered. Home wasn't where i wanted to go. I wanted to go to my hidden little area in the park and work on my music. I wanted to feel the steel of my guitar strings and the vibrations of my vocal chords. I sighed. I finished scribbling my notes then packed up. Two more minutes.

I felt an arm slide around my waist. Mark.

"Hey, sweetness. How's a little date, just you and me, sound?" he asked, trying to seem charming. Five years of this crap and i knew to say no.

"Get. Your. Arm. Off. Me. I swear if you so much as look at me wrong, you don't even want to know what i can do wihtout even glancing at you. Let's see, I can call this harrasment and possibly get you suspended or expelled. I can call it bullying and deffinetely get you into some serious counseling, or I can just go to my counselor and get your butt sued. Pick." I wanted to drop-kick his butt so bad.

His tightened his arm, then let go. "I'll get you someday, Kitty."

Oh,heck no. His grubby little hands were going no where near me. The stupid idiot.

The bell rang. I walk out of the classroom. I sighed. It was raining, hard. I lived in Greer, Arizona. I pulled my coat tighter around me. I started my long trudge to the little cafe I was a wiatress at. I rounded up on the creepy alleyway. I heard someone fall. A moment later, this blinding light burst out of the alley. Frozen, I stood there for a second.

I ran.


Sam

When I walked out of the alley, I saw a girl, she looked stupified, then, she busrt out running like a freaking deer.

"Wait!" I yelled after her.

She couldn't hear me. A moment later, she glanced over her shoulder. I recognized her face from school. Dannyella Lightfoot. Good name for her. She was fast, and pretty. Just about every guy in school who didn't know her loner reputation was trying to go out with her.

I started thinking about what I remebered about her. As soon as I did, I kind of flashed next to her. Okay, I officially have freaky ghost powers. Peachy.

I followed her on her way to where ever it was she was going. As she walked, she tied a dingy old apron around her her waist, and swept her long ebony hair into a pony tail. Dannyella sighed.

"Just breathe. It's not like the Adopteds are going to notice you're ten minutes late. They dont notice when you're fifteen early." she mummured to herself.

"Who are the Adoteds?" I unintentionally asked aloud.

She froze. "Wh-who's there?"

I thought for a second. Well, might as well talk to her now that I can.

"Don't worry, it's just me. I'm Sam." I said.

She whipped around. "Where are you? What are you doing to me?"

"Can't you see me?" I asked, waving my hand in front of her face.

"Who are you?" she yelled.

I wanted her to see me. I wanted her to calm down, and, for some odd, odd reason, she did. See me that is, as for calm, not so sure.

Dannyella screamed. "What the crap!? How'd you do that? And do I, do I know you?"

"Umm, maybe? I'm Sam." I reached out to shake her hand. It slipped through hers.

Her face paled. She looked up at me. "You're a ghost." She murmured, now suddenly calm. "For a second there, I thought. . ." She trailed off.

"Thought what?" i asked.

"Nothing. If you don't mind me asking, how did you, ya know, die?"

I laughed bitterly. "You could ask my father that. If he had stopped gambling like he was supposed to, maybe I'd be alive right now. No, I would

be alive right now."

Sirens rang down the road. "What's that?" Dannyella asked.

"Those are probably the police looking for my dead body. I think I just got murdered." I replied.

A second later, she was on the ground, out cold.


Dannyella

I woke up in a pile of leaves, and that Sam ghost, person, thing was gone. Sam, that name was so familiar, and that face. It hit me, his pale hair and silver eyes had once been black strands and green irises. That was Sam Fairchild. That was the boy I spent hours a day trying to write about, describe the way he moved, talked, and seemed to flow. Now, he was gone.

I heard the rap-tap of heels. Crap.

"Dannyella! Why in the world are you not at the cafe. You're parent's didn't leave you in our care just so you could slack off, and sleep in the street!" My "mother" screeched.

A flash of white caught my eye. Was Sam still here?

"Dannyella May Lightfoot, are you listening?" she asked.

"No sorry, I must've slipped. I think I got knocked out." I said as I tried to stand up.

I felt dizzy and light-headed, and the fading light of day hurt my eyes. I groaned. I, no matter how crappy I felt, am still going to have to work today. I felt my legs buckle. Unlike the cold pavement I was expecting, I felt warm arms wrap around me.

"I can take her home." a familiar voice rumbled. Ky, my best freind. Well, only friend. I moaned my agreement.

"Fine." was all my "mother" said. Her heels tapped away.

"Thanks, Ky. I owe you one." I said.

I heard the sirens wail again.

"Hear what happened? Some kid that went to our school, Sam Soemthing, got murdered down in that aleyway a few streets over." Ky said, shaking his head full of golden curls.

"I heard. How'd you get over here?" I responded.

"Heard about the murder and wanted to make sure you were okay. Saw you passed out and freaked." he explained.

Ky was one of those kids that everyone knew. He was on the football team, he played guitar, sang, he's cute, and for some reason unknown even to me, I was one of the only people he acctually liked and hung out with. I didn't realize it, but I was still wrapped snugly in his arms.

"I think I can walk Mr. Heroic." I teased.

He shook his head. "Nope, Mr. Heroic isn't through with Ms. Damsel In Distress." He swooped his arm behind my knees and carried me.

I giggled, and I heard his deep, rumbling laughter. He quited. "Dannyella, if I ask you something, will you give me an honest answer?"

"Of course! What is it?" I replied.

He set me down and cleared his throat, something he only did when he was nervous. "Well, we've known each other since second grade, and, well, I've always kinda, liked you, and I just wanted to ask," he cleared his throat again. "Will you go out with me?"

I saw the white thing again, this time, it came out from behind the trees. It was Sam. Suddenly I felt like I'd be betraying someone if I said yes.

"Kyle," I said, using his real name. "I just, don't know. I mean, I guess I don't feel the same. You know I love you like a brother, I'm really sorry."

Hurt flashed in his eyes as he nodded. "It's fine. I better, ya know, go."

He didn't even say one of his goofy little goodbyes. I felt horrible. I mean, honestly, I just broke my best friend's

heart. What kind of person does that. I sat down on the leaf covered path. The trees on either side of the road loomed tall and seemingly unreachable.

I felt someone behind me.

"Bad day?" Sam asked.

I squeeked. "Sam Don't do that, you scared the crap out of me."

He laughed. "I scared you?"

"Yah, well, I've been having a bit of a creepy day." I replied.

Sam's joking mood dissapeared and I realized my mistake.

"Oh, Sam, I'm so sorry, I didn't-" I tried to appologize, but he cut me off.

"It's fine." he replied.

"No it isn't I mean, I'm really sorry, I'm just so used to, ya know, seeing you everyday." i said.

"How do you see me. I mean, we don't even have any classes together." he asked, suspicion rich in his voice.

I blushed, my cheeks hot.

"I-um-well-you see- I kind of try to write songs aout you. A lot. Like, a lot." I confessed.

He looked shocked. "You- the most naturally beatiful and musically talented person in the shcool that doubles as the sort-of loner- try to write about me?"

"You think I'm beautiful?" I asked.

It was his turn to blush. The scarlet of his cheeks made his hair look like snow, and his eyes sparkled. It was a nice blush.

He realized I was staring, analyzing his face. I felt my face turn into a tomato. He laughed, the sound inspired me. Lyrics ran through my head. he moves like/he sounds like/ the wind rustlin through the trees. I finered the chords that would match the flow of the lyrics. Sam laughed again.

"What?" I asked.

"You, you're doing that thing with your fingeres again. I've tried to draw you like that, but, it's kind of hard to get the look on your face right."

We both blushed. "You know, if I were in my right mind, I could scream 'stalker' and runaway. But considering I write about you, that would make absolutely