I'm innocent.

A cyclist knocked into him with their handlebars, causing him to trip on to the grass and almost crashing themselves as they struggled to steady the bike- somehow still managing to curse at him. “Fuck…” He muttered, hand on his side where the handlebars had hit him. The pain could wait though, he had to confirm what he had seen. Sam’s eyes lifted to the girl that was gradually moving closer and he slowly tried to sit up. Was it really her? Did she really wake up? “Elle?”

Felicity paused, feeling a bit hopeful when she got a reply from the other side. “Y-yes…. Sam.” Sam, okay. She remembered Sam. “Y-yeah..” What was it again? She struggled to try and steady her breaths, feeling completely panicked at being stuck. “Th-things I can see.. hear… and feel.”

“Good. You’re doing great. Taste and smell too, yeah?” Sam cleared the barricade at the door as quickly as he could and eventually got the door opened. “Hey, buddy. How you doing?” He tried his best to lighten the mood, holding out a hand to her, smiling softly.

“I wouldn’t say miserable,” she teased a bit as she stood next to him, “More…uncomfortable. I take it parties aren’t really your scene.”

~

Sam laughed a little, “No, but I don’t think anywhere is really my scene.” Hesitantly, he indicated that she could sit with him. “What about you? Surely you’re not at this party alone?”

“I’d hope so, otherwise you’d be pretty boring.’ Jess teased, letting out a small smile.  “You’re welcome.”  She looked over at him before reaching for her drink and taking a sip. “We did. I’m Jessica Marshall, but you might remember my…” She paused, clearing her throat. “My step brother, Andrew Bates.” Andrew had always been more popular than her.

~

Sam smiled, attempting to hide it behind his bottle as he took another drink. This was nice... being around someone who was happy to forget about the last eleven years. It almost felt normal; not that he knew what that looked like anymore. “Sam Hendry.” Though she probably knew that. “Name sounds familiar, but I only really remember the people I was actually friends with.” He shrugged and added, “And the people from the newspapers.”

“That was your first mistake.” Jess teased, giving him a small smile.  “You should know that whenever you are with me, it’s always about me.” She looked at him when he thanked her for sitting with him and she gave him a genuine smile.  “You don’t have to thank me for that.”

~

“Won’t be my last, I’m sure.” Sam’s brows raised for a moment, almost tempted to roll his eyes, but he refrained. After Annie and her squad, he didn’t really care for people’s arrogance, but he was also not going to assume anything about someone that could potentially be a friend. “Good to know.” He laughed, “Well, thanks for the drink then. Did we go to school together?” Would she be insulted by him not recognising her?

“Yeah?” She bit her lip, twisting her hair anxiously around her finger. She always felt so alone in it. “Yeah, um… that seems like a good idea.” Felicity said, thinking that her therapist would probably suggest something similar. “I don’t think it’s ever going to go away.” She sighed, not sure if she was talking to him or just herself.

Felicity nodded as she looked back up at him, focusing on breathing evenly. She hated that she was like this but she’d never known anything different and just being out in the world was overwhelming… she’d never known it and she couldn’t make sense of life. “All the time.” She told him with a sigh.

“You do make a good point on that.” She told him before hearing his question. “ Yes, she was my daughter.” Leah said as she was looking at her headstone. She had been feeling guilty about not being there to save her. 

“I’m sorry...” So many people had died in this town, but the fact that she was younger than he was felt wrong. Too many Baberton parents had buried their kids. “This town is so messed up.” He was mostly talking to himself.

Jess rolled her eyes.  She understood why he was having a pity party but she wasn’t in the mood for it.  “It’s because I get judged for sitting here and having a drink by myself more than I would for having a drink with a convicted criminal.” She admitted.

“Oh.” He made a face, but genuinely laughed. “And here I thought this was going to be about me.” Sam looked around the room, quite confused that she would ever find herself so alone that she would settle for sitting with him, but he wasn’t going to complain. “Well, thank you anyway. Glad I don’t have to drink alone now too.”

She nodded, looking at him in a little bit of surprise. She was used to feeling ridiculous when this happened but he made her feel better about it. “Felicity.” She replied, smiling a little, not even noticing his brief pause really.

Sasha looked up at him in slight surprise since she hadn’t been expecting anything else from him, especially not a mention of Annie fucking Pierce. Still, she shrugged. Then nodded. “Yeah. I did.”

A slight smile tugged at one corner of his lips. “Good.” Sam stepped back inside, closing the door as he did. “See you around, Sasha.”

Peyton shrugged. She didn’t really notice. She moved to sit at the kitchen table like he said, glancing round every so often because she was mostly embarrassed at being here in the first place. “Thanks.. by the way.”

Sam returned with stuff to clean and support her hand and shrugged one shoulder. “No problem.” He poured some antiseptic on to a cotton pad and gently cleaned her knuckles. “I’ve punched enough walls to know it sucks trying to bandage your hand yourself.” 

“Coffee you got it.” Paisley smiled over at him for a moment. Getting him a refill on his coffee. “What are you reading? If you don’t mind me asking.”

She nodded her head and went back to looking at her daughter’s headstone, “ Sorry. I just didn’t think anyone would be here right now. I didn’t mean to sound so, bitchy.” Leah told him before letting out a sigh, “ I guess I should have expected someone visiting here anyways, but I was in my own world.” 

“Ah, it’s whatever.” Sam brushed it off, his eyes following hers to the headstone. Bella Winters. Sam had read about her murder in the newspaper archives when he was catching up on what happened in town. She was only a couple of years younger than him. “It’s fine. Honestly. Worse things have happened in this town.” He looked back to her. He was struggling to remember a lot of people but he had vague memories. “You’re Bella’s mum, right?”