The Runaway: A Stardew Valley Story

Game Night

"We should hang out at your place more often," Sam says as he pulls another slice of everything pizza from the box. It's his fifth slice of the night if I've been counting right.

"Yeah, you actually have windows," Sebastian snorts.

Abigail holds out a cup of spiked apple juice. Though, I'm not sure where she got the rum if what Sam said about everyone being under twenty-one is true. "To no nosy parents," she says.

Sam and Sebastian both widen their eyes in Abigail's direction at this. In return, she frowns. It takes her several moments to realize the mistake. My parents are dead, or that's what they all think. Even Sebastian who knows the truth probably hasn't thought much about this statement being a lie. I duck my head to avoid their unnecessary pity.

"Shit, my bad," Abigail whispers, and the guilt in her voice puts me to shame.

"Please, don't worry about it," I try to reassure her.

To break the awkward silence that follows, Sam reminds Sebastian that it's his turn to roll the dice and move his plastic peg around the board. While Sebastian may be the pool champion, and Abigail is obviously the egg-finding queen, Sam seems to be the boss of Monkey Money Management. He wins two rounds later with thousands of dollars more in his pretend bank than any of the rest of us. I don't come in last, though -- that honor belongs to Abigail -- so maybe next round, I tell myself.

"That was fun," I try to sound genuine. "Maybe next time, we can invite some of the others from around town to join?"

"Oh?" Sam asks with a hint of teasing. "Like Elliot?"

I flush at the tone he uses with the name. "Well, yeah, Elliot and Leah, but also Penny or Maru. Maybe even Haley and A-Al..."

"Alex?" Abigail asks with a grimace.

Actually, all three of my companions make faces of distress. I frown wondering what could cause such tension. Pelican is a small town; it makes sense to be friendly to everyone. I just assumed some were closer than others.

Abigail explains, "Look, befriend whoever you want, okay? You're new, so you don't have all the baggage that living in a small town brings... But at some point or another, we've all tried the whole friend thing.

"I used to play at Haley's house every day after school. Our dolls were even best friends in our minds, but then puberty hit me first. I got boobs and a killer ass, and she started getting jealous. When Alex kissed me freshman year, she totally snapped."

"Maru's my kid sister," Sebastian says with a red face from Abigail's comment about the kiss. "She's chill, but her head is either stuck in a textbook or up her dad's ass all the time. She won't say yes even if you ask."

When the room falls silent, Abigail and Sebastian give Sam a pitying look, but he ignores them completely. Sam is too busy organizing the Monkey Money into little piles based on color. Whatever they know about Sam, he doesn't want to talk about, and that's okay with me. I get the picture. Relationships in town are more complicated than I first thought.

"Penny broke Sam's heart a few weeks ago," Abigail blurts out of the blue.

"What the?" Sebastian shouts at the same time Sam roars in fury.

"Abigail!"

Abigail looks unashamed in her actions as she sips spiked apple juice. "It hurts less if you rip off the bandaid."

"Sam," I start not knowing how to finish, but the flicker of pain in Sam's expression tells me I have to do something, "I'm so sorry."

My pathetic attempt at comfort bounces off without piercing the root of the hurt, and Sam shakes his head dismissively. "It's whatever. All in the past now."

I've told enough lies by now to know that is far from the truth. Sam fixes his gaze on the floor. It doesn't move much even as the conversation shifts and the board game is packed back into the tattered box Sam carried it in. I reach out for his sleeve just as he's walking out the door. I'm not sure what makes me do it, but it feels like my chest might explode if I don't.

"Night, Juni," Sam whispers without turning to me. "See you later."

I don't even have the heart to tell him how badly I hate nicknames like that, so I just stand there like an idiot while the sound of Abigail's tipsy singing grows distant.

"He'll be okay." The words come from behind me, and I turn to see Sebastian — the last to go —lacing up black sneakers. He stands up a moment later shoving keys and a phone into his pockets. "Honestly, I think it's harder for him to lose the life he dreamed of having with Penny than actually losing Penny. They were never anything official, just very close."

"Oh." I frown.

The distinction in my mind doesn't quite make sense. Wouldn't you have to lose someone in order to also lose the life you dreamt with them? Either way, I almost feel... hurt that Sam obviously still feels something for this girl he can no longer have. It's the same irrational hurt I felt when I saw Leah and Elliot, and I have no idea where it's coming from.

When Sebastian changes the subject, I am more than grateful. Well, for a moment at least.

"Your parents aren't really dead, are they?"

I shake my head with heat in my cheeks. "Just dead to me."

Sebastian stops short on his route to the door. His hand is lifted halfway to twist the handle, but he pulls it back slightly. Then, it stops midair again. Sebastian steals himself with a breath.

"What did they do to you, Junox?" The words come out in a rush like it took a tremendous amount of effort just to prepare, but once they started, they couldn't be stopped. He's been wanting to ask for a while now, I realize.

"Were they just assholes with high expectations," he continues, "or was there something else? I meant when I said that you don't have to talk about it... but talking about stuff, it helps you know? My therapist is probably the only reason I've survived this far."

The way Sebastian says the last sentence forms a knot in my stomach. The whole topic of my parents makes me sick to begin with, but Sebastian has proven himself trustworthy. Not to mention that he's right. Hiding the truth hurts worse than the scars I carry from my time in the city. I'm going to implode if I don't do something.

"They are assholes with high expectations," I answer finally, "but there was more. There was much more."