Chapter 20: Pink Lemonade

"I'm not entirely sure what causes it, if anything causes it," Lydia began to explain as Sammy turned the movie off and the two of them had crawled into Lydia's bed. "But it started after...after I was hospitalized. I was...taking a shower when...I'm not exactly sure. That's when I lost time-"

"And when you ran off naked into the woods in that fugue state," Sammy reminded her. Lydia nodded.

"After they found me, I started to lose time, see things, but it's been really scary. Like doing things that I don't remember doing. How could I not remember breaking my mirror?" Lydia asked, showing Sammy her hands again. They were covered in cuts.

"I'm really sorry this is happening. Is there anything else you can tell me?" she asked, holding Lydia's hand as they faced each other under the covers.

"I...I feel like there's something I should know, but I don't. I'll say things and do things, but not know why I said or did them," Lydia added.

"When this stuff happens, I want you to tell me. Call me, text me, find me, I don't care what time of day, what I'm doing, or where I am. I just wanna make sure you're okay, okay?" Sammy affirmed. Lydia smiled.

"Since when were you the strong one?" the redhead asked.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm not the strong one. But you're my best friend, and if you need me to be strong for you, I will," Sammy assured her.

"I love you, Sammy," Lydia mused in a tired, quiet voice.

"I love you too, Lydia. Goodnight," she said back. She got up, turning the bedside lamp off and closing her eyes to the dark.

"You sure you don't want me to stay?" Sammy asked as Lydia's car pulled up to Sammy's house. The two of them were still in their pajamas.

"No, I think it's more important that you go to work and see this cute new boy later," Lydia smiled. She seemed much better this morning after Sammy had spent some time with her.

"Okay, well I'll have my phone on if you need me. Promise you'll call if something happens," Sammy reminded her. Lydia nodded.

"Yes, I will, now go get ready because you know Teresa is gonna be here in like half an hour," Lydia pressed.

"Alright, alright, sheesh. I'm going," Sammy laughed. When she got out of the car, Lydia shifted out of park and got going. Sammy made her way into the house.

Sammy took a shower, wove her hair into two french braids, and put on her Rosie's t-shirt, and since it was getting warmer, she put on her black uniform shorts with nude tights to make sure that her legs looked nice for the customers. It was weird how she could wear these outfits for work, but going to school like that was what scared her. She pulled on her black vans, and made sure her makeup was clean and neat enough for work before she heard the familiar double honk come from outside.

Sammy sprinted down to the front door and make her way out with just her name tag, her apron, and her phone. It seemed she didn't need much else since her dad was going to be picking her up from work. Especially since Stiles's jeep had been impounded for evidence.

"Hey, girl! You look chipper this morning!" Teresa greeted, handing Sammy a cup of coffee from the local shop.

"Thank you for the coffee," Sammy mused, smelling the fresh brew in her hands. "Anyways, I' hanging out with a new friend today, after work."

"Oooh, tell me all about this friend," Teresa requested excitedly as she started driving to the diner.

"Well, it's the boy from that one night. Aiden?" Sammy told her, and Teresa about slammed on the brakes.

"No way!"

"Yes way."

"Oh my god! He's a dreamboat!"

"Calm down, Terry. We're just hanging out as friends."

At the diner, Sammy and Teresa were singing along to the jukebox and working along. The breakfast rush was going by rather quickly, and it was just one of those days when everything seemed to run smoothly, which was rare when you work in the service industry. The two of them danced between tables and worked together to get all the side tasks done in between. By the time their relievers had arrived, it had felt like time had barely gone by, but Sammy had a fresh stack of cash tips that she shoved into her bra and merrily skipped to her dads car with a bag of fresh fries, a double stack burger for him, and a diet coke. She knew he was supposed to be eating healthier, but her dad got enough crap from Stiles about it.

"You seem happy today," her dad greeted her.

"Why is everyone suddenly commenting on that? Now drive, I need to change before I hang out with Aiden," she stated as she handed her dad some fries from his lunch bag she'd prepared for him.

He laughed. "I don't know, you just have this air about you today," he commented.

"Maybe it's the fact that things at school are quieting down, getting back to normal," Sammy decided. Her father nodded.

"That, or you know, the fact that you have a new friend," he teased. She rolled her eyes at her dad.

"Whatever. Just get me home so I can get changed and you can take this heart attack food to work without Stiles to get on your case," she negotiated.

"Alright, alright, I'm going," her father relinquished.

She'd kept her hair in her two french braids, but changed into a pair of mom jeans with rips at the knees, with a fitted, red coca-cola t-shirt tucked in. She rolled the ends of her pants up and pulled on her white converse. Though, now, they were looking dirtier. But she didn't really care much, as she could wash them with oxy clean and be fine. Sammy put her phone and wallet into her purse, and slung the long strap across her body before sitting down in the recliner in the living room and draping her legs across it.

Before long, there was a knock at the door. Sammy bolted out of the chair, ran up to the door excitedly, but stopped herself. She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and opened the door. Aiden was standing there, smiling, just a few feet away from the door.

"Hi," she greeted him.

"Hi, Sammy," he greeted in return. He offered her his hand. "I hope it's okay that I ride a motorcycle…?" He asked, gesturing to the black bike parked outside her house. She froze for a moment, but nodded.

"Yeah, but do you have an extra helmet?"

"Of course! I never leave home without an extra one. Especially when I know I'm gonna have someone else with me," Aiden explained. Sammy nodded and took his hand. He lead her down to the bike and climbed on, waiting a moment for her to climb on with him.

For a moment, she froze, seeing a familiar black Camaro coming down the street. It then stopped outside her neighbor's house, but she could see Derek watching her.

"You ready?" Aiden asked as she made eye contact with Derek.

"Yeah, sorry," she told him as he handed her the helmet. She pulled it on quickly and pulled the visor down, and proceeding to strap it under her chin.

"Remember," he said loudly so she could still hear him in the helmet, "you gotta hold on tight to me, and keep your feet up on the back pegs," he instructed her. She nodded and instinctively wrapped her arms tight around Aiden's waist, knowing that Derek was watching. She picked her feet up off the ground and waited for Aiden to rev the engine of the bike and take off. As the bike went down the street, and Sammy could feel the excitement rising in her chest, she could feel her phone vibrating a ridiculous amount in her purse.

But she ignored it. Knowing well that it was Derek who was calling.

Werewolves, Hunters, and Kanima's or not, she was going to enjoy her day.

When the bike finally came to a stop, they'd arrived at a carnival a couple towns over. St. Joseph's Fundraiser Carnival, or so the sign read. Aiden helped her get the helmet off her head, and for a moment, his dark brown eyes made her want to melt, but she stopped herself and took a deep breath.

"How did you know this was here?" Sammy questioned, raising an eyebrow as he held her hand, helping her climb off the bike. She was a bit short, and her feet didn't touch the ground on it, but he helped her off anyway.

"Well, I didn't know about anything to do around town, so I looked online to see what was going on in the area. I know it was a bit of a drive but-"

"It's awesome," she said in awe, watching the little rollercoaster run and the zero-gravity ride spin around. There was even a Ferris wheel.

"Really? It's okay?" Aiden asked nervously. It seemed like he was nervous to impress her or something.

"Yeah, I love these. I go to the one in Beacon every summer," she grinned.

"Then let's do this," Aiden said excitedly, taking her by the hand and running. She had trouble running with him, but she did her best. She started giggling and smiling wider than she should have as they ran together up to the ticket kiosk. Aiden bought a ridiculous amount of tickets and then immediately took her to the first ride they could get on.

There was first the tilt-a-whirl, then the roller coaster and the pirate ship. They raced down the burlap slide, and Aiden ended up beating her, but the second time she won, and the third time they linked arms and went down together. They went on the swings, the mechanical tower rising up and swinging them outward. Sammy smiled and felt the air rush about her, looking back at Aiden from where she sat and seeing his content grin. The second time they rode the swings, Aiden picked out a tandem seat, the two of them riding together.

They drove the bumper cars all the way up until the sky began to burn orange with the light of the sunset.

"Come on, I think it's about time we got something to eat," Aiden decided.

"I wholeheartedly agree," Sammy said, touching her stomach briefly. She'd had hunger pains for the last twenty minutes, but she's a girl, and girls aren't supposed to eat apparently. Though, that rule usually only applied for dates and dating people. This wasn't a date. This was two friends hanging out for the first time.

"So, what are you feeling? Barbecue? Pizza? Hot Dogs? Pasta? Chili?"

"Corn dogs," Sammy answered.

"Corn dogs?"

"I love all of this food, it's all fantastic and I would love any day of the week. But you can't beat corn dogs," she explained.

"Corn dogs it is," Aiden laughed, amused by her.

"And lemonade," she added.

"And lemonade," he confirmed. "Wait, go pick a table so we have a spot, and I will come back with corn dogs and lemonade," Aiden told her.

"Fine by me," she responded, walking off to find a table.

Beneath the tent was an array of picnic tables, and Sammy found an empty one that remained moderately clean. She sat down where she could see Aiden up at the food stand, ordering for them. As she waited, she checked her phone. It had been vibrating all day, and sure enough, it was an array of missed calls and text messages from Derek. But she ignored him. There was a text from her dad, asking how her night was going.

She texted back that Aiden had taken her to the St. Joseph's Fundraiser Carnival, and that she'd be home later that night.

Her phone screen suddenly changed. Derek was calling her. She looked up and saw Aiden waiting for their food, so she answered, but kept her eyes on him.

"This better be important," she snapped into the phone. Not even a hello.

"Who is he?" Derek asked. To be honest, that pissed her off.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"He could be dangerous!"

"Kinda like you are?"

"That's not what I meant," he said, getting quiet.

"Listen, he's harmless. We're friends. Just trust me to take care of myself and have fun for the first time in a while," she told him firmly as Aiden started to walk back.

"Sam-" she hung up the phone on him and put it back into her purse.

"Pink lemonade?" She inquired, looking at the pink cup, while there was regular lemonade in a yellow cup.

"Oh, that's for me," he answered. She laughed.

"Pink?"

"As in strawberry. Don't judge me," he defended sarcastically. "For you," he said, pulling a basket of three corn-dogs in front of her with ketchup and mustard packets. She grabbed her lemonade from him and took a sip before beginning to dress her corn-dogs with ketchup and mustard.

When they finished eating, they started playing games.

It was strange watching him play. He was way too good, beating games left and right, but he didn't take a single prize. He just wanted to win. But then at the balloon darts, he popped all the red balloons, and finally picked a prize. He wanted to win something for her. He handed her a large, stuffed wolf, and she held it tightly. After that, he lead her over to the Ferris Wheel. They handed the worker a couple tickets to stay on a little longer than one or two rides, and off they went with Aiden on the end, Sammy in the middle, and the stuffed wolf on the other end.

As they went around and around, they were kind of quiet...until Aiden turned to her.

"I'm having a lot of fun hanging out with you," Aiden said finally.

"I'm having a lot of fun too," she said back.

"I wonder what we're gonna have to do next. I kind of set the bar a little too high for myself," he remarked. A small smile tugged at her lips as she looked out at the moon.

"No, you don't need to top yourself. Just make sure you keep coming to pick me up for adventures. No matter how small," she mused.

"Alright. I can do that," he grinned. "Don't worry, I won't always bring the bike. I just got excited that it was warm today," he explained.

"That's alright. You know, I'd never ridden on a motorcycle before."

"You mean I popped your motorcycle cherry?" He asked, all surprised.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," she smiled.

"Alright, but still, won't always be the bike. Especially if the weather's bad," he assured her. Sammy nodded along.

The Ferris wheel then stopped. It was time for them to get off, and the carnival was shutting down soon, so he lead her back to the motorcycle. Once again, he helped her on, handed her the helmet, and they rode with the stuffed animal tied down to the back of the bike with a bungee cable.

She held on tight, and away they went.