Short Story just because

I grew up with and lived vivaciously through Sam. He let me tag along to everything and stood up for me to all of his friends. As he hugged me at his graduation though, there was only one thing I could think about- I knew something about Sam that no one else did.
Sam would joke with me always that I would forever be alone. Little did he know that he would be as well. Sam met Laine in the first semester of his Junior yearor high school. Personally Laine wasn't my favorite person. She had light brown hair that she kept long enough that you were sure she had intentions of weaving a noose for you out of it. But Sam was smitten. He adored Laine enough that one day as I was leaving his house quietly after playing video games and doing homework he pulled me aside. "Mill, you can't come over tomorrow."  That was all he said. He shrugged and closed the door. I walked home alone calmly. I was sure that this was just a phase, sure that he would say sorry, sure that you couldn't lose a best friend that fast. But Sam didnt talk to me for months. I would like to think that Sam realized that this left me utterly alone. Sam would sometimes leave me notes in my locker with little quotes, but when he would smile towards me at school Laine would step between us. He would mouth 'Millie, I'll see you later' before Laine would glare at him and then turn to me. "Mildred, please go darken a different doorway. Your presence suffocates me." I waited for him to stand up to her like he had to everyone else before. Sam never did.
It wasn't until that year with Laine was over before Sam spoke to me again. During spring break he knocked on my door and invited me over. I followed him cautiously back to his familiar living room in his familiar house that contained a not so familiar boy now. Apparently Laine had decided that I wasn't a threat. After all, she was a much classier and much more like Sam than I was. To his credit, Sam was very good at pretending nothing had happened. He would even talk about Laine all the time. As I always did before I would listen and nod. I'm not sure Sam knew that he was my world and that I never talked about my life because I virtually didn't have one, but I think he realized it when he lost his world- and mine as well.Sam and Laine lasted a little more than a year. Sam didn't extrapolate on why he broke up with Laine, but I could tell it was like an acid devouring his insides. He didn't talk very much at all anymore. I had thought he had finally realized he was dating a contemptible egomaniac, but I was mistaken. Sam would look at me blankly sometimes as if I was someone else. It was hard to be silent at those times when all of my body was telling me to hug him. After some time Sam started talking to me again. Alarmingly, he started talking about Laine. He only muttered about how she was good and friendly and perfect. I wished he would come to his senses and realize that he had left her for a reason. During one of his muttering rants Sam grew quiet. He turned to me with wide eyes and whispered "I never loved Laine..." He abruptly left the room then and I heard him go to his room and close the door. I picked up my back pack and walked home. I was pretty sure Sam had gone crazy.
After that day we didn't play video games any more. I would read a book while Sam stared at my face and talked. In these weeks I realized more and more why Sam had left Laine. I realized that every smile he had with Laine and every day he had abandoned me had been a lie. Sam had somehow never loved this girl. Never mind the fact that she was cold and impossible to love anyway. Sam had tried to love for more than a year and failed. I watched him begin to fear that he couldn't love at all. But I knew it for sure: Sam would never be in love.
After Sam regained his composure he found other girls to date. These girls he made sure would tolerate our friendship. These girls were confused by Sam letting a younger girl follow him like a puppy. They didn't know Sam like I did. They didn't know that he would never love them. One by one these girls faded from the picture and it was just me and Sam again. Another year passed and Sam graduated. That summer Sam looked at me and told me he loved me. I wish I could have believed him, because it broke his heart that I was the only one he couldn't pretend with. But I couldn't let Sam pretend to love the only girl that ever loved him without any hope of receiving love in return.