WE GET TO Sam's apartment, bags of containers filled with food from Manny's burgers clad in hand.

I might've gone overboard with the burgers, chicken tenders, pasta, ribs, and dessert. I just want to be prepared for whatever she may be in the mood for.

The game is behind me by the time I park my car. It sucks we didn't make it to the championships, it sucks like hell, but that's the name of the game. One team wins and the other one loses. At least I can walk away from this season feeling a new level of pride. I'm proud of my team for the game we put on, I'm proud of coach for getting the approval on a bigger stadium, and I'm proud of myself for stepping up and out of my comfort zone to take the lead. It was late in my career and late in the season, but at least I did it.

Now that the season is behind me, I have more time to focus on the important people in my life.

I walk to the passenger side of my truck and kiss Summer on the head. She smiles up at me and uses her free hand to enclose it with mine.

We made a conscious decision not to let Sam know we were showing up until we got here. I figured if we were already outside of her building, she'd be less inclined to turn us away.

Even with that plan, I always knew there was a possibility she'd still turn us away and I've been preparing myself to accept that, so when she actually buzzes us in without protest, I'm pleasantly surprised.

Sam meets us in the lobby, fiery red hair pulled back in a low bun and arms wrapped around herself like she's been hit with a gush of chill wind.

She's visibly shaking, and god, she looks like she's lost at least ten pounds since I last saw her. Her clavicle bone protrudes more prominently and her once fitted Star Wars shirt looks baggy on her.

I give Summer a concerned look and she already seems to read my mind, nodding for me to go to Sam.

I transfer my bag of food into Summer's hand and engulf Sam into an embrace. She accepts it hungirly and drops her head onto my chest.

"Let's go upstairs, I don't want to talk about it here," she says, pulling away from me.

She hugs Summer and despite them barely knowing each other, they rock back and forth in a long embrace.

Summer and I support her on the way up, both grabbing each hand, afraid she might fall over and break into pieces.

When we get to her place, it's spotless this time. No scattered clothes, empty pizza boxes, or an overfilled sink full of dirty dishes.

A small Spiderman suitcase is placed by the coat hanger, and Jake is sprawled across the couch in deep sleep.

"Let's go to my room so we don't wake him yet," Sam says.

We drop the bags of food on her kitchen counter and follow her to her small room.

"What's going on? I thought they'd have already taken Jake away in the courthouse since you lost custody," I say.

Sam sucks in a breath, shaking her head in disbelief of the situation and I wish I hadn't been so blunt.

"I guess I didn't explain things too well over the phone." She sounds groggy and tearful. "The case isn't over, I technically haven't lost custody yet."

"Oh, so that's good right?" Summer cheers then drops her excitement when she sees Sam's face remain sullen.

"No, what's happening is even worse. John's lawyers filed an emergency petition for special relief, and crazily enough, it was actually granted."

"What exactly does that mean?" I'm irritated, not at Sam but at the situation and the fact that I feel like I've been shut out of so much of it. It wasn't like this before. Before, she'd share every little detail with me, she'd want me by her side the entire time for support.

I think back to when this sharp shift occurred, and I can't deny the fact that it was right around the time Summer came into my life. I refuse to believe there's a correlation, like Sam said, we must simply be growing up and entering different phases in our life.

"It's an emergency custody order," Sam says. "John has essentially raised a concern for Jake's welfare. His lawyers convinced the judge that I could be of immediate risk or harm to him and so for the time being, Jake will primarily be with John and his family. I'm only allowed supervised visitation."

I can't put my head around this. "How did this get granted? His baseless claims surely can't be enough for it to go through, wouldn't he need actual proof? What proof would he have?"

Sam turns away from me and sits on the edge of her bed, tightly clutching her pillow. "Jake fell from the monkey bars at the park two weeks ago. I accidentally fell asleep on the bench after my night shift, and while he was trying to get my attention he fell and split a gash in his forehead that needed stitches. Then last week, I ordered takeout that ended up containing peanut oil so Jake had an allergic reaction, of course, and I had to once again take him to the emergency room. That coupled with my rap sheet sealed the deal."

I'm doing everything in my power to keep my emotions at bay. The last thing she needs to deal with is me losing my cool, and the last thing I want to do is make her feel bad. I wished she told me all this, I wish she'd let me be there for her.

There's still something she's holding back, something she won't come out and reveal. I can feel it.

I have to push it aside. What matters is she's telling me now, what's most important is she's letting me be here for her at this moment.

"I'm sorry. How long do you have with Jake until..." I decide not to be so on the nose this time.

"John is coming to pick him up in an hour. An hour from now my Jake will be with a man who wanted nothing to do with him until a few months ago. A man who knows nothing about him and nothing about raising a child. After everything I've been through, after all the work I've done providing for him." Sam crumbles in an instant. Heavy sobs and loose tears escaping her with speed.

Summer and I both rush to her. We comfort her with our shoulders to cry on, and we comfort her with words of encouragement.

As Summer assures her she'll get through this, I watch her sympathetic face slightly wishing I'd come here alone.

Sam doesn't mind her presence, she even leans into her more than she leans into me, but something just feels off about her involvement. This feels like a moment that should be between the two people it's always been between, Sam and me.

The feeling leaves as soon as it comes. I'm clutching on to our old ways, that's all.

I think I know why. Before this semester, Sam and I had stability and routine. We were communicating, we were clean, and we were straight because of it. Now that things have changed with us, I'm having anxiety about us potentially spiraling out of control due to the riff in that routine. I'm a guy who takes comfort in order, without it, there's no telling what could come of its absence.

Something good did come out of a riff in my routine, and she sits here with me compassionately calming my best friend simply because she knows how important she is to me. I have to keep remembering that.

"This isn't the end," Summer says. " John clearly wants to hurt you. If you let this cause you to crumble then, you'll be letting him win. I can't even imagine how much all of this must hurt, but I think you should keep the end goal of retaining primary custody on the forefront. When he shows up, let him take Jake without a fight. Go to all your supervised visitations and make sure he and his entire family sees how much your son has missed you in your absence, and how well you nurture and look after him. There's no denying you've cleaned yourself up and there's no doubting you've been the sole provider of your happy and thriving son. It's not about your past, it's about your journey towards your future, and you've had a hell of an uphill journey. The judge will see that, and your nightmare will be over soon enough."

Sam sniffles into her shoulder and now I feel like I'm interrupting something. Summer couldn't have put it into better words. She doesn't just say it rigidly like I do, she carries the right emotion, the perfect empathetic delivery. That's never come naturally to me.

"I'll fight. I won't let this destroy me," Sam says, lifting her head off of Summer and sitting up straighter.

"Don't, because I'm not gonna let anything destroy you, Sam." I grab the tissue Summer hands me and wipe Sam's tears. "Not on my watch."

The door starts to widen open, and soon enough, Jake comes tumbling in.

"Mommy." He runs into her arms, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

"Jakey, it's your bedtime, you know?" Sam sniffles and tries to recompose herself after her voice cracks. She kisses his forehead then ruffles his hair.

Jake looks deeply into her face and it's clear to see he recognizes his mother is in distress. He shifts to me and taps my lap. "Carter, mommy is crying. Make her stop crying, please."

"You know what we can do to make her stop? We all have to open our hands wide and give her the biggest hug ever," I say.

He nods and grabs me and Summer's hand, making sure they're open wide enough. When he's satisfied, he leads us into a group hug that causes Sam to actually smile.

"I love you, don't be sad. Everything is okay," Jake says, which causes her to break into smiling tears.

"It'll be okay." Summer and I follow in his lead.

Sam wipes her eyes once again, and with Jake in her grasp, she actually succeeds in calming herself down.

"How about we spend the next forty minutes watching forty minutes of No Way Home?" Sam beams at Jake with newfound excitement.

"Yes, no bedtime!." Jake jumps up and down and runs out towards the living room.

"He already knows how to put the movie on. Can you guys keep him company while I get some things together?" Sam asks.

"Sure, of course." Summer squeezes my hand and smiles at Sam, exiting the room to leave us alone.

"That means you too, Reyes." Sam crosses her hands.

"I know." I remain in my unmoved position.

I guess I'm expecting this to be the time she confides something in me. Something she's been holding to herself for a while and possibly doesn't want to share in front of Summer. I wait and I wait and we watch each other, but nothing comes out.

I've never had to force her before and I can't start now. The only thing I can do is believe everything will be alright and give her the space she desperately wants away from me. So I bow out, and let her have that space. She follows me up to the door and promptly shuts and locks it when I step back.

Jake and Summer are sitting on the couch, eyes focused on the TV screen. I join them and watch Spiderman sling across Europe, trying to get with Zendaya. I note the time and watch the clock tick away all while Sam remains cooped up in her room.

"You think she's okay in there?" Summer whispers in my ear.

I hate that I have to tell her I don't know.

When Sam finally pops out, she lets us know John will be here any moment. Her eyes are bloodshot and she chooses to peer by the corner wall rather than sit with us. By this point Summer, Jake and I have already dug into some of the containers of food.

Jake hops off the couch and brings the piece of chocolate cake he's been devouring towards his mother. "Here, eat some," he says.

"No thank you. I'm not hungry, honey." She pushes it back towards him.

Sam's phone beeps with a notification and based on her look of sorrow, I can already tell what it's regarding.

"John's here." She sighs, weary eyes focused on Jake.

"Is he coming up here?" I ask.

"No, I don't want him here, I'm meeting him in the lobby," she says, turning her attention back to her son. "Jake, honey. Remember what I've been telling you today?"

Jake nods. "I have to go have a sleepover with daddy for a little while. I have to be a good boy and not cry too much when I miss you cause you will come and see me a lot, and after a little bit, we can be here together again, forever.." He repeats like a speech he's been forced to memorize.

"Yes, exactly." Sam wipes the chocolate off his mouth and grabs his hand.

"I like daddy, he plays with me and gives me ice cream. I wish you could come to his big house and sleepover too," Jake says.

Sam looks away from his gaze with guilt.

I didn't know Jake had spent this much time with his dad. I thought Sam wasn't allowing them any time together, which is the whole reason for this custody case in the first place.

"I'll be back soon." Sam lifts Jake into her arms and grabs his suitcase.

"You don't want me to come with you for support?" I stand up.

"No, I just want to get this over with." Sam shoots me down and reaches for the door. She looks down the hall and pauses midway through closing it. "John, I thought I told you I'd meet you in the lobby?"

"You were taking forever, Samantha. God knows what you could've been doing up here." John's voice is even with a hint of suspicion.

I go to the door and peek my head out to look. Summer takes my side and I shift a little so we can both catch what's going on.

This is for precaution only. John has always been trouble and I want to make sure if anything happens, I'll be able to defend Sam.

John is in a three piece suit and tie. This is the first time I've seen him since Sam was pregnant and I'll admit, he looks more mature. He's still only slightly taller than her, but his once shaggy blonde hair is now contained in a sleek cut. He sports a full blonde beard and a face that's no longer acne filled or plump with baby fat. He went from looking like a Swedish jockey to a Swedish businessman.

Throughout their encounter, nothing does end up happening, at least nothing to any extreme. Jake willingly allows John to take him into his arms, he even laughs the way he always laughs when John ruffles his hair.

"You are such a d-i-c-k, you know." Sam spells out the word.

John bounces Jake up and down, his smile at his son unwavering. "I'm only being a d-i-c-k because you won't stop being a b-i-t-c-h. We'll see you Tuesday."

"No." Sam stops him from turning around. "Can you let me say goodbye to my son?"

John grits his teeth then lowers Jake out of his arm. Sam picks him up again and showers him with kisses. The whole time John is laser-focused on her like he's just caught her committing a criminal act.

He sets Jake aside and leans into Sam, whispering something at her. I'm sure it's something he doesn't want Jake to hear and as a result, we don't hear it either. We only see Sam's reaction. She backs away from him and blows Jake a kiss.

"Bye-bye mommy, see you Tuesday. I'll be a good boy." He happily goes back into John's arm and disappears down towards the elevator with him, leaving Sam frozen in her position.

***

They get in the elevator, the doors shut and enough time passes that I'm sure they're already out of the building, yet Sam doesn't leave her spot.

I look at Carter. "If you don't bring her back in, I'm almost certain she'll spend the rest of the night in that hallway."

He goes out to her and it takes a lot of coaxing for her to move. It's like she's stuck in some trance and my heart absolutely breaks for her.

Carter has to physically turn her around and keep his hand on her shoulder to get her back in her apartment.

I'm understanding their relationship at another level now. When your life is so complicated you need someone who's gonna be there for you. I'm seeing the similarities between them, which in turn has allowed me to see the similarities between all three of us even though our struggles are so different.

We try to get her to eat, but only succeed in getting three forks full of pasta in her.

"Do you want to go to bed?" Carter asks her.

She takes a long time to think, then shakes her head saying. "I want to get out of here. This apartment is suffocating me."

"We can go back to campus." I suggest.

"I'm not even sad really, I'm just angry. Angry at everything in life. I need to get it out, let's go to the rage room, yeah?"

"What's a rage room?" I ask. It sounds like an EDM nightclub or something.

Carter speaks up. "It's this place you go to basically let you get your anger out by destroying things. Cars, tables, computers, glass, typically household items."

"It's probably closed for the day, but my friend is a manager, he's let me get in after hours before. Would you guys be up for it?"

"I wouldn't mind." I turn to Carter and shrug.

"It would be a nice shakeup from the screaming." He leans into me, face amused.

"Ew, is that some sort of sex thing?" Sam says. "I don't even want to know, I'll be right back then we can go." She goes to her room.

When she comes back she looks lighter, I can't explain it. A small smile tugs on her face and she lets her hair out of its bun, letting it flow across her shoulder in all its fiery glory.

We get in Carter's truck, and as he drives us downtown, I share some of our relationship updates with Sam.

Her head falls back with laughter watching the video of Carter in his beauty and the beast dress.

Carter holds my hand, squeezing it with a smile. He's not embarrassed, he's just glad to make Sam laugh for a change.

"Are you dating, Sam?" I ask, catching her face in the rearview mirror.

"Not really. I was seeing this girl in my class for a second, but we only hung out a few times. I don't have time for anything serious, that's why I live vicariously through you two."

"Oh, no don't tell Carter you don't have time. He'll just say it's stupid then try to make you a schedule." I warn.

"I know, he's done it dozens of times already. What the hell do I look like waking up at 5:30am every morning to work out?"

"That's exactly what I said!" I exclaim. "Finally someone I can confide in about his psychotic tendencies."

"Hey, a lot of people find my tendencies normal. I won't apologize for staying in prime shape." He swerves into the parking lot of a building that's sure enough called, rage room.

There's only one other car in the lot and the place looks so sketchy, that I hang onto Carter's arm as a safety measure.

The inside looks how I would imagine it to look based on its name and premise: dirty cement floors, dry walls covered in graffiti, and a junk car waiting to be destroyed.

After Sam introduces us to Jeremy, the manager of this place, Carter goes off into the other room with him to pay for our session.

"Thanks for earlier. You have really comfortable shoulders." Sam says.

"Oh, you really don't have to thank me. I hope I wasn't intruding or anything." I feel how I always feel when someone compliments me, uncomfortable.

"You weren't, I like you. I think you and Carter are great for each other. And I predicted this by the way, I put it out into the universe the night you met."

She gradually leans closer as she speaks and I catch a scent that almost smells familiar. She steps back from me, and it goes away before I can confirm it for sure.

"I've heard." I laugh, trying to act normal because I don't know enough to conjure any accusations. That's the last thing anyone needs tonight. "I know you're really busy, but I'm helping throw a surprise party for Carter's birthday next week. It'll be small and you know, safe. You think you could stop by?"

"I don't have my son to watch anymore, so I can make a quick stop," she says. "It's been ages since I've been to a party."

Deep seeded turmoil brews inside of me. I don't think a party is what she needs right now, maybe I shouldn't have invited her?

Either way it's too late, the invitation has already been extended. I don't know much about college parties, I have to trust in Ken's ability to keep things clean and hope for the best.

Carter and Jeremy come back, holding white jumpsuits, safety helmets, and protective goggles for us to wear. We change into them and each grab sledgehammers mentally preparing ourselves to hit this already unraveling vehicle.

It's not hard for any of us to dig into our issues and let the anger boil up. Jeremy leaves us to smoke outside, and Sam raises her sledgehammer to make the first hit. She goes for the windshield and cracks it with one move. I hit the side doors and Carter focuses on the trunk.

The hammer is heavy and your muscles become sore after a while, but every smash is thrilling nonetheless. It feels good to not be the one who puts everything together for once. To destroy with no care or thought.

We stay at it relentlessly for half an hour before I tap out. I catch my breath backing away, watching the mess we've made with a smile.

After a few minutes Carter quits as well and stands off to the side with me. We watch Sam go at it alone for a while. I can see her all her emotions clear as day; the heartbeat, the anguish, the sorrow, it all shows with each slamming of her sledgehammer.

When she finally stops, tears are running down her cheeks again. She removes her goggles and wipes them, breathing loudly. "Let's go home."

"You sure?" Carter asks, taking off his jumpsuit.

Sam helps unzip me, her face close to mine once more.

"I'm positive, I'll be fine," she says.

As the words reel off her tongue, the scent hits me again and I can a hundred percent place it. Don Julio. She has alcohol on her breath.