Sam sat quietly on the park bench, her notebook and sketch pad lying idle beside her. She just wasn’t feeling creative. Her mother and Terri had finally convinced her to go outside for some fresh air and she’d complied, if only to get out from under their watchful eyes. She knew that they were only concerned about her but their constant overprotectiveness was wearing thin on her nerves. Nothing they did or said helped to make her feel better or reunite her with Brooke. And that was all she really wanted.

She had started by trying to write something, anything to get her mind off the situation. But all she’d ended up writing were letters to Brooke and that only made her miss the blonde more. So she tried to sketch her surroundings at the park but quickly lost interest. She did, however, manage to finish two sketches of Brooke. So she gave that up too. So now she sat with her earphones on trying not to cry.

Her ribs were still tender, her split lip was still purple and stung, and the hairline fracture they’d discovered in her cheekbone sometimes throbbed. But none of it meant anything to her. She didn’t even bother to hate Mike for beating her. She did, however, despise him for trying to hurt her mother and Brooke. That was inexcusable in her opinion. She would have never believed that Mike would go so far but experience had sadly taught her otherwise. It made Sam wonder, in the back of her mind, if Mike had ever abused Brooke growing up. The mere thought made her blood boil But she hoped Brooke would have trusted her enough after all this time to have told her if he had.

She was broken from her thoughts by a gentle tug on her earphones. She followed the familiar hand on her shoulder to its owners face and saw Brooke smiling sweetly at her.

"You look so beautiful sitting there," Brooke whispered. "But so sad." Sam stared at her as tears sprung to her eyes.

"I miss you so much," Sam sobbed leaping up into Brooke’s open and waiting arms. Brooke wrapped her arms tightly around Sam and tried to calm her.