[stylist] {Spam?} Short Story, "Sammie"

[debby]

Hey Vejas, a very interesting story. Believe it or not, I have known people a little like Sammie. You end up feeling like you're the crazy one, and euentuY for my own sanity I had to get those people out of my life. Thanks for an entertaining story.    Debby

On Sep 23, 2016 2:03 PM, Vejas Vasiliauskas via stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Hi All, 
> I have created another short story, as I'm hoping to get back 
> into the swing of things with writing, and would appreciate your 
> feedback.  Although I have not experienced this situation myself, 
> I actually did know someone similar to Sammie, though with much 
> lass drama, and the family situation I created her is totally a 
> creation of mine. 
> Enjoy! 
> Vejas 
> Sammie 
> by Vejas Vasiliauskas 
> Chapter 1 
> Moving In 
> I consider myself fairly mentally stable.  I've grown up in a 
> loving, albeit unique household, have never touched drink or 
> drugs and, although you may not exactly call me a social 
> butterfly, I make friends easily. 
> I am currently a sophomore at Collins College in Colorado 
> Springs, Colorado, an amazing college with wonderful staff.  I 
> get along with my suitemates Lara, Anna and Dana wonderfully, and 
> couldn't ask for anything better, even if Anna can't get herself 
> together and loses something every few minutes. 
> But I wanted to tell you about my first roommate experience, last 
> year, as a college freshman.  Most people have either amazing or 
> nasty roommates, but I honestly don't know along which lines mine 
> fell. 
> I haven't introduced myself yet.  My name is Tanya Green, and 
> when this story took place last year I was only 17.  It really 
> sucks to be 17, when your friends can sign themselves up for the 
> gym.  Most parents would be thrilled that their child was going 
> to go to the gym, but mine felt that excersize was too much work 
> and a waste of time.  Which could explain why my whole family 
> except me are fat... 
> Anyway, I digress.  When I moved in, I wasn't all too nervous.  I 
> had already gone to the summer orientation and knew what to 
> expect.  I chose not to have my parents attend, because I wanted 
> to do this on my own, and they respected that. 
> All of that first Friday was devoted to moving in.  Two hours 
> after I had gotten settled, and my roommate still hadn't showed 
> up.  According to my plaque her name was Samantha Saltonstall. 
> I thought of just how wonderful a life I would have without a 
> rommate.  I could eat everything inside the dorm, and blast music 
> as loudly as I wanted to. 
> But then she did come, and she was a sight.  Dishdevilled, hair 
> all over the place, red, puffy eyes. 
> "Pull yourself together, Sammie!" the man with her snapped.  "You 
> don't want everyone to know that you only got up at 2 PM when 
> forced and that you have been crying, do you?" 
> He was talking loud enough for the whole hall to hear. 
> "No," Sammie said in a very weak voice. 
> "I've got better things to do," Mr.  Saltsmann said, dumping 
> Sammie's suitcase at her feet.  "You should have called a cab or 
> something.  I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart." 
> And then he was gone. 
> And Sammie was crying. 
> "I'm so sorry," I said to her sympathetically.  "Your dad doesn't 
> seem like the nicest person." 
> "Oh, usually he is," the girl sobbed.  "It's because of 
> McKenzie." 
> "McKenzie?" 
> "His girlfriend.  She plays around with him a lot.  Acts nice, 
> randomly dumps him, then gets back with him again.  He will do 
> anything, anything at all to please McKenzie.  Last night they 
> were just having fun riding around, and then she just randomly 
> screamed for him to get out, so he had to walk 5 miles.  You'll 
> see though, in a couple of days, she'll take him back.  Have you 
> thought of dinner?" 
> "No, I haven't," I sighed, thinking that I should have grabbed it 
> while waiting for this girl. 
> "Domino's Pizza delivers right to the dorm.  We can get whatever 
> you want.  Most people think my combination is weird, but I love 
> pepperoni jalapeno." 
> "Omigod!" I shrieked.  "I love it too!" 
> Sammie seemed to have a lot of money.  What really amazed me was, 
> she insisted on paying for the whole thing.  I should  have 
> offerred to pay for part of it, but I wanted to save my meal plan 
> and the idea just seemed too tempting. 
> Chapter 2 
> The First Signs 
> Saturday and Sunday of that week were devoted to Welcome Weekend, 
> to get parents and students acquainted with the school.  My 
> parents didn't need to be there; they had already come to the 
> parent orientation.  I figured Mr.  Saltsmann's choice of whether 
> he would be in the mood to come depended on which mood McKenzie 
> was in. 
> When I got back to the dorm after hanging out with some of the 
> students, with the excitement of the new year looming forward, I 
> found Sammie on her bed, sobbing her heart out. 
> "What's the matter?" I asked.  I wasn't usually particularly an 
> emotional person, but I do care. 
> "Everyone was looking at me funny," she stuttered between her 
> sobs.  "They all hate me!" 
> I could have slapped her at this point, but I didn't. 
> "It's going to be OK," I said.  "You might just be imagining it." 
> "Shut up!" she hissed. 
> She wouldn't talk to me at all the rest of the night.  Like, 
> literally, not a single word.  However, she had absolutely no 
> problem talking to her friend Eliza on Skype. 
> I thought the treatment would continue the next morning, but it 
> didn't.  Sammie was all smiles. 
> "Let's go for sandwiches at dinner," she gushed.  "I'll even pay 
> for it!" 
> I was game.  However, I worried that Sammie might decide not to 
> talk to me for whatever the ond reason.  I even asked her about 
> it later that day, when eyone seemed in a good mood. 
> "Oh, that's just how I get," she explained matter-of-factly.  "I 
> suffered from mental abuse since the age of 3, and due to this I 
> have depression." 
> Hmm, it sounded a bit too scripted... 
> She continued.  "You should be relieved that that's how I react.  
> McKenzie screams the whole entire house down." 
> "But you were able to talk to Eliza just fine?" 
> "Yes," she said a little haughtily.  "Because Eliza understands 
> my moods and doesn't give me a hard time about them." 
> I decided not to continue the conversation any further. 
> I thought she would be depressed again after the day's events, 
> but she was as happy as ever. 
> "A boy looked at me! I think he loves me.  His name is Otto!" And 
> with that, we got our sandwiches. 
> Monday, after our first day of classes, Sammie seemed excited 
> about all of them.  I didn't think I could possibly dampen the 
> mood, but I did. 
> "Did you see Lover Boy?" I asked in a joking voice. 
> And she burst into tears. 
> "I was just kidding with you," I told her a little defensively.  
> "That's what friends do." 
> The silent treatment lasted 2 days. 
> Chapter 3 
> Continuation 
> As the weeks progressed, Sammie and my relationship did as well.  
> Sometimes she had extremely horrible days, but other times she 
> was as excited as ever. 
> I learned more about her traumatic life.  Her mother had been 
> only 17 when she was born and, after the birth, simply dumped her 
> on the doorstep of a neighbor-Mr.  Saltsmann-and left for Egypt.  
> At the time, Mr.  Saltsmann was married to a woman she called 
> Mom.  They adopted her and seemed to be the happiest family in 
> the world, until Sammie was 3, when Mrs.  Saltsmann left her 
> husband unexpectedly for another man.  This man wasn't all 
> horrible; he wanted Sammie to join him and her mother so that 
> they could live a happy life.  But Mr.  Saltsmann would not have 
> it, explaining that the only way Mrs.  Saltsmann could see Sammie 
> was if she left this man and came back.  But she never did and, a 
> month after the separation, Mr.  Saltsmann met McKenzie Golick.  
> He was on the rebound, except this was more than a rebound.  As 
> McKenzie continued to play with her father's emotions, she 
> watched from the sidelines.  Sometimes when McKenzie would dump 
> him, Mr.  Saltsmann would find other girls for a while, but 
> eventually always come back to McKenzie.  At one point there was 
> a woman named Marlene who was very friendly, and Sammie was 
> hoping for a happy family again-until McKenzie texted her father 
> to say that they should get back together again. 
> I felt a little better about Sammie after I learned her story.  
> Obviously if I had come from a dysfunctional family such as this 
> one, I would not have been happy.  And for most of these first 
> few months, I never, ever had to use my meal plan. 
> Chapter 4 
> The Last Straw 
> "Why do you take advantage of me?" 
> That was Sammie's first question when we got up on the Sunday of 
> the sixth week of school.  "You never, ever offer to pay me back.  
> Why?" 
> I was shocked.  All this time she said it didn't matter.  But 
> it's not like she was angry, more that she was mournful, because 
> she soon began to sob again. 
> I wanted this sudden money issue resolved'.  But soon she took 
> the conversation into another direction, a much more 
> uncomfortable direction. 
> "I think I'll just kill myself," she said. 
> I wasn't in the best mood.  I was sick of Sammie's moods.  I 
> didn't want to deal with it.  I just wanted to move on with my 
> life.  Dana, one of my current roommates, had offered for me to 
> come back home for half the day to spend with her parents and 
> sisters, and that's what I did. 
> I received a text when Dana's mother was driving us back to the 
> dorm.  It was from Sammie, and it said "Don't worry, when we get 
> back you will never, ever have to see me again!" 
> I was horrified and wracked with guilt.  Dana and her mother both 
> asked me what was wrong, though I just couldn't tell either of 
> them. 
> When I got back into the dorm, it was quiet as ever.  But on 
> Sammie's bed there was a note. 
> Dear Tanya, 
> I haven't actually killed myself, nor do I plan to.  It is just 
> something I said on the heat of the moment, since for some reason 
> you can't stand my silent treatment.  I decided to go to a 
> baseball game with some friends. 
> Please don't be mad, I was just messing with you as friends do.  
> Or at least that's what you said friends do when you were teasing 
> me about Otto. 
> Also, can you please pay me back for the sandwiches? It's because 
> of McKenzie. 
> Thanks, 
> Sammie 
> Chapter 5 
> Onwards 
> I requested a roommate change that night, after I paid back 
> Sammie the money.  Obviously in coming from a background such as 
> Sammie's, I could not expect her to be mentally stable.  Hell, I 
> couldn't imagine what it would be like to have 2 women abandon 
> you, 1 inconsistent; to have a man as a father who put everything 
> into his relationship and another man who, despite being a cheat, 
> might have loved her and helped her lead a normal life.  I could 
> even say she was making it up, although I had seen how Mr.  
> Saltsmann could be.  My new roommmate was Lara, one of my current 
> suitemates, who is amazing.  Of  all my suitemates, she is the 
> only one who knows the full extent of my story. 
> Sammie tried it on me a couple of times.  Texting me to 
> apologize, then to say that her life would be more depressing 
> without me, and then that we could have sandwiches again and she 
> would pay for them regardless of how McKenzie felt.  At times I 
> was guilty for not ever replying, but now I am happy I haven't, 
> because Sammie is still alive and well.  She may not have had the 
> best childhood, but it's now her responsibility to sort herself 
> out. 
> That is my story.  Take from it what you want.  I hope putting it 
> out in the open like this will serve as some kind of help to you.
>
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