Us | A Stardew Valley FanFiction

Chapter 7 - Summer 15

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Emily, Haley, Seb, Abigail, and I sprung out from behind the couch, causing Sam to almost topple over and earning an eye roll from Alex.

"I told you something weird was going on," Sam mused.

"Yeah, but your prediction was way off," Alex muttered.

"What did you think was going to happen?" Haley asked him, glancing over at me.

"I'm not telling you."

"He thought that this was a trap, and that some murderer was going to be here." Alex cut in.

'Summer 15. 8:00 PM. 2 Willow Lane. Be there." Sam read after pulling out a crumpled piece of white paper from his pocket. I chuckled at the sight of my own handwriting. "You don't think this seems suspicious?"

"That's my address, Sam!" Haley shrieked, snatching the paper from his hand. "Why would you get murdered in the house next door to yours? At that point, I would've just broken into your place myself."

"Alright, children," Emily laughed, grabbing the paper from Haley. "I'm glad we all agree that no murders will be happening tonight. Happy birthday you two, now let's have a fun time!"

The group cheered as Alex and Sam clinked two shot glasses. "Bottoms up," Sam said with a wink.

The summer was already halfway over, the farm occupying a majority of my time. Haley and Alex had practically moved in, just as Sam had—all three of them slowly learning to appreciate life as a farmer.

Thanks to having three roommates in a house the size of a shed, the floor of my cabin was consistently littered with air mattresses, blankets, pillows, and various pieces of trash—something that made simply existing substantially more difficult.

When I brought up the fact that I had to tiptoe around my own house, Sam suggested they all just sleep in my bed, with me. Needless to say, I did not complain again after that.

With Sam and Alex's birthdays being merely days apart, Haley and I knew that we had to do something. While we were able to arrange hosting the party at her and Emily's house, there wasn't much alone time between her and I to plan. Eventually, we resorted to calling Evelyn and Jodi, giving them the mysterious invites, and having them request that Alex and Sam return home for a few days. Haley and I tried to act surprised when they received the phone calls, but we are farmers, not actors.

As Alex and Sam downed the liquor, Emily cranked the music up and the lights down, running to the kitchen to continue serving drinks. It was like being a bartender was in her blood.

I quietly slipped away from the living room to join her.

"Need any help?" I proposed from the doorway.

"I'm okay," she said gleefully. "What's up? You should be having fun!"

"I've just had a hard day," I admitted. I didn't think it was that obvious.

"Why's that, love?" Emily said, her tone shifting as she set the tray on the counter.

I gulped. Alex was still the only person who knew about Josh.

"To make a long story short, I moved here because I got cheated on and fired by my ex-boyfriend, and today would've been our seven year anniversary."

The color drained from Emily's face as she stared at me in terror. "Oh my God," she said. "I am so sorry, Sadie." Her eyes glazed over as she pulled me in for a hug.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, resting my head on her shoulder. "If I'm not crying about it, you aren't allowed to either."

"Do the others know about him?" she questioned, pulling away with a sniffle.