Sometimes, everyday things can be extremely challenging for people with anxiety.....

Sam, Colby, Jake, and Corey make a grocery store trip for the new Trap House. (Before Sam broke his back so he doesn't have a brace, but during the virus pandemic so they're all wearing masks!) When the boys arrive at the grocery store, they're all surprised at how crowded it is. When Sam gets momentarily separated from the guys, he really loses it.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Anxiety/Panic attacks, swearing, claustrophobia.
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"Jake, stop filming TikToks while he's driving." Sam said from the backseat. Colby was driving, Corey was sitting in the back with Sam, and Jake was sitting shotgun holding his phone out in front of Colby.

"You're no fun." Jake said. Sam rolled his eyes. Colby pulled into the shopping center.

"Whoa, it is packed!" Colby said, looking around. The others looked out the window.

"Damn, so much for staying at home." Corey said, looking around.

"What the crap? Why at where so many people here?" Sam asked.

"Keep in mind, some cars could be employees." Jake brought up.

"True, but still." Sam said.

"There's nowhere to park." Colby said, turning down a different isle. They drove in circles following people for a few minutes before they finally found an empty space.

"Jesus, finally! Everyone have their masks?" Colby asked. Corey, Jake, and Sam all echoed a "yes" in response. "Alright. Masks on. Sam, you good?" Colby asked when he saw that Sam had his mask on. Sam gave him a thumbs up.

"Alright. Into the chaos we go." Corey said. The boys got out of the car. Colby locked it and they huddled together and walked towards the store entrance.

Once inside, they saw how actually crowded it was. They also saw that a pretty large percentage of people were not wearing masks. Knowing that this made Sam paranoid, Colby nudged the blond's shoulder. "You good?" Colby asked. Sam only nodded.

"Y'all got your lists out? I wanna be in and out of here fast." Corey said. The boys all reached into their pockets. They all had separate grocery lists, but they didn't like separating, so they shopped together. They had quite a good system, starting at one end of the store and working their way over. Now, they started in the produce section.

They all referred to their lists and got what fruits and vegetables they needed, and pushed forward. Very quickly, Sam began feeling uneasy. Looking around at all the people crowding around them made him uncomfortable normally. With everything going on in the world, it tripled that uncomfortable feeling. He did his best to stay right next to Colby. Colby noticed this, and looked at Sam.

"You wanna hold onto the cart?" He asked. Sam didn't answer immediately. He looked around, and then finally shook his head. "Want me to go slower?" Colby asked. Again, Sam gave a quick shake of the head. Colby didn't press him. Jake yelled something loudly, and Sam jumped. Colby bumped Jake with the cart.

"Ow! Colby!" Jake said. Colby inconspicuously gestured to Sam, who had turned away and was looking at a wall of cereals. Jake met Colby's eyes and nodded. "Sorry." He said. "Is he okay?" He asked quietly. Colby shook his head. He walked closer to Jake.

"No, but...Let's just go fast. He doesn't wanna be in here longer than we have to be, and neither do any of us." Colby said. Jake nodded, and looked back at his list.

As they left the produce and cereal isles, they neared the noodles section. They came to the front of the isle and paused when they saw a bunch of people milling about in the isle.

"Anyone need anything from here?" Colby asked.

"I do." Corey said. Sam raised his hand, indicating that he did as well. Colby noticed that he had gone quiet very fast, which wasn't normally a good sign.

"Okay. Sam, can I see your list? Corey, yours too. I'll go get stuff." Colby said. Corey and Sam handed off their lists to Colby, and Colby squeezed his way through the isle.

"Sam, how are you doing?" Corey asked.

"Fine." Sam said quickly.

"Yeah?" Jake asked.

"I'm fine." Sam repeated a bit more harshly. Corey and Jake took the hint and backed off. Colby returned quickly and put the noodles and things on the cart.

"Okay. Moving on." He said, handing Corey back his list and leading the group to the next isle. Colby held onto Sam's list. Sam didn't even seem to notice that Colby hadn't given his back.

As they moved to the next few isles, Sam grew more and more uneasy. There were people everywhere, and his mask was a bit too tight. He tried to focus on Colby, who was explaining everywhere they were going. He hung onto the details Colby gave. He knew Colby was doing this on purpose, and he made a mental note to thank him later. The further they dove into the store, however, the more difficult his words were to understand.

By the time the boys were halfway through the store, Sam's breathing had gone shallow. He found himself struggling to swallow. There were people everywhere, shimmying past one another seemingly without care. Sam struggled to maintain a certain distance with people, but the further the boys went into the store, the harder it became. People crowded around shelves and loitered in front of items they needed. A few times, Colby had to ask people to back away or move. He was getting agitated too, and Sam panicking wasn't helping him. Sam felt guilty, watching his friends do everything for him.

Someone bumped his shoulder harshly. "S-Sorry." Sam muttered, looking around. He turned to see the person, a gentleman who must have been in his late 40's.

"Watch where you're going." The guy said angrily.

"I'm sorry." Sam tried to say, but the guy huffed off. When Sam turned back to continue walking with his friends, he found them nowhere to be seen. Sam's eyes widened as he spun around.

"Guys?" He said quietly. Suddenly, his mask was very tight. His shirt was very tight. His throat was very tight and getting tighter by the second.

"Colby?" Sam said. His voice was too quiet for even the people walking right next to him to hear. Sam fumbled for his pocket, but found it empty. He remembered that he had left his phone at home.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, f...Colby?" Sam turned in place, looking desperately for one of the guys. People were starting to stare at him now. Sam felt their eyes burning a hole through him. His heart raced faster. He tried to swallow, but couldn't. Of course, this made him more freaked out.

Sam had no idea what to do. He didn't know this store very well, they had only been to it twice. He felt around for his shopping list, remembering that he and Colby had a few of the same items on theirs. He was quickly reminded that Colby had taken his list a few minutes ago. How had he already forgotten?

Sam tried again to swallow. Still, he couldn't. His throat was closing up. It was getting harder and harder to take in breaths, and the mask wasn't helping. He wanted to rip it off.

Part of him said to stay put. That the others would retrace their steps and find him. Another part of him told him to run and find them himself because the quicker he found them, the quicker they could leave. Sam decided on the latter, and forced his shaking legs to move. He wobbled at first. A store employee asked if he was alright. Sam just muttered out gibberish. The clerk asked again, and Sam shut his eyes tightly. The voices and noises of the store amplified by one hundred.

"Sir? Are you alright?" The clerk asked a third time. Sam forced himself to nod.

"S...Sorry." Sam said between short breaths. He quickly moved away from the guy, looking down every isle he passed. The problem was that the isles were packed. He couldn't make out individual people towards the middle of the isles. He tried hard to remember what the hell he had on his list in common with Colby. Pizza rolls? Peanut butter? No...Juice? He cursed his scattered brain.

Sam reached the end of the store without seeing anyone. A horrible thought made his stomach twist eve tighter.

They're going to leave without me. They already left without me. I'm alone here.

Sam knew that his friends would never do that to him, but the thought still scared him. He tried to turn around, but his feet wouldn't move. He scanned the area wildly. As he looked, his vision blurred and spun. He reached out and his hand found a stand. He steadied himself. Sam pinched his eyes shut, nausea now setting in. His breathing had gone impossibly short and fast.

"Colby!" He tried yelling. His voice cracked. Nobody even looked at him, which told Sam that his voice wasn't loud enough. When he looked up again, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Everything blurred, either by his dizziness or by tears, he couldn't tell anymore. He could feel that his body was crying because of how his rapid breaths had changed. Now he was gasping for air. He scratched at his mask's straps hard.

As he looked around, someone snuck up behind him and touched his shoulder. Sam jumped hard, trying to move away. The person grabbed his wrist. Sam looked hard at the person restraining him, and slowly, a few recognizable features fell into place. He heard a familiar voice say, "Shit, it's bad. Corey, take him out to the car. Now. Sam? Can you hear me okay?"

Sam shook his head.

"It's Colby. I'm here. I'm right here. Squeeze my hand, Sammy." The familiar voice spoke again. Sam felt the person's hand placement move from his wrist to his hand. Sam squeezed. He finally registered that this was Colby.

"Good Sam. Good. I'm gonna squeeze back, okay?" Colby said. Sam gave a small nod. He didn't feel Colby's grip change.

"Did you feel that?" Colby asked. Sam shook his head. "Okay. It's okay. Corey is gonna take you to the car, okay? We're gonna get you out of here. He should have water in the car. Have him sit up front so he can feel the A/C. We won't be long." Colby turned from Sam to Corey. He felt Colby let go of his hand, and Corey take his shoulder.

"Sam you're okay, okay? Come on. Let's get you to the car." Corey said slowly.

Corey led Sam out of the store and into the hectic parking lot. He held onto Sam's shoulder tightly, controlling where the blond was walking. Sam was still reeling. He scratched at his mask again.

"Hey, hey. Don't do that. We're almost there." Corey said, gently grabbing his wrist and moving it off of his face.

Corey picked up the pace a bit. They reached the car and Corey placed Sam next to the passenger door. He quickly unlocked it and helped Sam inside.

"You can take the mask off now." Corey said. Sam ripped the mask off, hurting his ears a bit in the process. He gasped for air, choking. Somehow, his breathing sped up even more. Sam closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the headrest. His hands gripped the sides of his seat so tightly his knuckles had whitened.

"Fuck...I h...hate this..." He choked out, sniffling.

"I know. It's okay. We're away from all the people. It's alright. I'm gonna come around and turn the car on, okay?" Corey said. Sam nodded. His hearing had improved slightly. The most predominant thing he heard was still his heart pounding out of his chest.  "Do you want me to close your door?" Corey asked. Sam nodded. "Okay. Hang on." Corey tried to close the door quietly, but the sound still made Sam jump.

Sam's eyes were still closed, so when he felt the car shake and heard another door close loudly, he jumped hard.

"Sorry! I'm sorry!" Corey said. "I'm gonna start the car, okay? We're not going anywhere." Corey told him. Sam nodded.

Corey started the car and turned the A/C on.

"Can you feel the air?" He asked. Sam nodded. Corey saw that he was both sweating and shaking. "Are you more cold or hot?" He asked. Sam shook his head, coughing.

"Okay, okay. Can you drink some water?" Corey asked, grabbing the bottle in the cup holder. Sam took it. He struggled to open it but eventually got the top off.

"Take slow sips, okay? Slowly." Corey said. Sam nodded again. He took a few small sips. Instantly, he felt the slightest bit better. He drank more.

"Slowly, Sam." Corey reminded him. Sam stopped, gasping again for oxygen.

"Good. You're gonna be okay. We know what this is. We know it goes away. You're okay, Sam." Corey spoke gently. Sam continued nodding.

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After around fifteen minutes, Corey, who was shifted sideways in the drivers' seat facing Sam, saw Jake and Colby approaching the car. He started to move, but saw Colby hold up a hand. He stayed put.

"They're back, okay? Colby and Jake are back. They're gonna open the trunk and put everything in the car. Then we're gonna get you home, okay?" Corey warned.

"Okay." Sam breathed. His hyperventilation had slowed a bit. He still felt incredibly nauseous and hyper-sensitive to noise and touch. He was still struggling to breathe properly. Sam heard the trunk of the car open. He heard the sound of rustling plastic bags being placed in the back of the car. Sam focused on Corey's voice telling him to breathe. He consciously tried taking deeper breaths. When he couldn't right away, he panicked more.

Suddenly, Corey's voice changed to Colby's.

"Hey. You're okay. Breathe, Sammy. It's alright." Colby said. Sam opened his eyes and looked at him.

"Hi. You're okay. Can you take another deep breath with me?" Colby asked. Sam nodded, and followed as Colby demonstrated.

As he and Colby breathed, Sam blinked. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He whispered between breaths.

"Shh. Don't talk. Just focus on your breathing. In...Hold...And out. You're doing really good Sam." Colby said. Sam nodded again.

After another twenty minutes, Sam was calm enough to drink the rest of his water and speak a little.

"Thanks for the water, Corey." Sam said, holding up the now empty bottle.

"Of course, Man. How are you feeling?" Corey asked.

Sam nodded. "Better." He said, swallowing.

"Are you hot? Cold?" Colby asked.

"I'm a little warm. But I'm okay." Sam told him. Colby adjusted the air conditioning.

"Are you okay for us to drive home?" Jake asked from the backseat. Sam hesitated with this one.

"If you're not we can stay here for a while. It's okay. None of us are in any rush to get home." Colby said quickly.

"I'm still kinda nauseous." Sam admitted.

"That's fine. Do you want another water?" Colby asked.

"Do we have one?" Sam looked around.

"Yeah. Jake?" Colby said. Jake passed Colby up a cold bottle of water.

"We got you two more just in case." Jake said.

"Thank you. And I'm paying you back for whatever you got of my list." Sam said, unscrewing the cap and taking a sip.

"Don't worry about that right now." Colby said. Sam took a deep breath. He was still shaking slightly. Colby noticed this.

"What all have you eaten today?" Colby asked him. Sam shrugged.

"Sam." Corey said.

"I had a granola bar before we left." Sam said, quickly taking another drink so he wouldn't have to speak.

"Sam it's 3:30!" Colby said. Sam shrugged again. "Alright, we're getting you food on the way home."

"No Colby I'm fine. We just got a whole bunch of groceries." Sam argued.

"Nope. It's been decided. The decision's unanimous. Right?" Colby turned to look at the backseat. Jake and Corey both nodded profusely.

"Yeah, we're getting you food." Jake said.

"Guys. No. I'll make something when we get home, I promise." Sam turned around as well.

"What will you make?" Colby challenged.

Sam sighed. "I'll make a sandwich or something. Okay?" He said. The others made eye contact, and Colby backed down.

"Alright." He said.

"Thank you." Sam said as he took another sip of his water.

"Yeah. Feeling better?" Colby asked. Sam nodded. "Would you be alright if we drove home? Or not yet?" Colby asked carefully.

Sam swallowed. He replaced the cap on the bottle of water. "I'll be okay. Let's get out of here." He said. Colby frowned, noticing that he was breathing hard after drinking.

"I'm okay, Colby. I'm still...A little weird. But I'll be fine. I wanna go home." Sam noticed Colby's suspicion.

"You're sure?" He asked. Sam nodded. "Okay. Buckle up. Corey, Jake, you guys buckled?" Colby asked.

"Yup." Corey said.

"Yep." Jake echoed.

"Alright. Let's go." Colby put the car in Reverse when he saw Sam buckle his seatbelt. He buckled his own and started to reverse out of the parking spot.
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The drive home was silent. Sam focused on keeping his breathing slow and even as Colby drove carefully.

They arrived home quickly. The boys were quick to carry everything inside and put it away. Once they were done, Sam retreated upstairs to his bedroom. He changed into looser clothes and sat down in his bed, scrolling through Twitter. Within five minutes, there was a knock on his door.

"Yo." Sam said. The door opened and Colby walked in.

"Hey. Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sam responded, putting his phone down.

"You sure?" Colby asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. Why?" Sam asked.

"Because you said you'd make food when we got home. And you just, like, disappeared." Colby crossed his arms.

Sam smiled. "Give me a break. We just got here." He said, chuckling.

"When have I ever given you a break?" Colby asked, smiling as well.

"Point taken." Sam got up from his bed.

"Are you feeling okay?" Colby asked. "Cause if you still feel sick you don't have to eat right now."

"Nah, I don't feel sick anymore." Sam said.

"Good." Colby opened the door and the boys walked downstairs together.

Sam made himself a sandwich and Colby made himself pizza rolls. The two sat down at the table and ate their food together, talking about video ideas and random stuff, as per usual for them. Jake wandered downstairs and sat on the kitchen counter, joining in on their conversation. They all mentioned wanting to go swimming later on at night, so Jake left to make sure the heater was working. When he was gone, Colby leaned in closer to Sam.

"How are you feeling?" He asked quietly.

"Why are you whispering?" Sam laughed. Colby leaned back, chuckling.

"I'm fine, Colb. Better now that I've eaten. Thank you." Sam assured him.

"That's good. I'm glad." Colby picked up his plate and threw away his trash.

"Yep." Sam said. He finished the rest of his sandwich and joined Colby in the living room. They played video games until dark, and then they changed into swimsuits. Jake joined them downstairs, along with Corey, whom Jake had recruited earlier. The all ran outside and jumped in the pool. The boys messed around in the pool until they were exhausted and all went inside to go to bed.

As Sam settled down, he sat at his desk on his computer to watch videos. Just before he was about to turn his computer off and get into bed, someone knocked on his door. Sam got up and walked over and opened it.

"Hey Jake. What's up?" He asked.

"Hey. I just wanted to see how you're doing." Jake said.

"I'm doing fine." Sam said, walking over and sitting on his bed. Jake followed him in and leaned against the wall.

"You're okay?" He asked.

"Yeah I'm good. Are you?" Sam asked as he looked up at Jake and noticed his expression. He looked nervous.

"Yeah I'm fine! I'm fine. I just um...Wanted to ask you something. And you don't have to answer if you don't want to." Jake said.

"Okaaay. Shoot." Sam said. Jake hesitated. "Jake you know you can talk to me." Sam said.

"I know. Me too. Um. Earlier at the store...Did...me messing around cause your panic attack?" Jake asked.

"No!! No, no, not at all, Jake." Sam said quickly.

"You're sure? It's okay if it did." Jake said.

"No Jake it wasn't you. The store was packed and hardly anybody was wearing a mask. I was off already today too cause I hadn't eaten. It wasn't you, I promise." Sam explained. Jake nodded.  

"Okay. I'm glad you're feeling better." Jake said.

"Yeah. I'm okay." Sam said seriously. Jake nodded, understanding.

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning?" Jake said.

"Yep. Night Brother." Sam said.

"Night Brother." Jake responded with a smile. He left, closing Sam's bedroom door behind him.

Sam climbed into his bed and turned off his light. He was asleep in an hour.

A/N: I AM ALIVE!!!! I'm soooo so sorry I haven't done anything on here in so long. Some stuff has happened and my living situation changed raged suddenly, and I also started school. I do plan on continuing this book as well as my Suite Life on Deck fanfic!!! So Yee! I hope you guys liked this part!!! As always, thank you so much for reading! And I hope you have a great rest of your day, whatever time it is where you are! Stay safe y'all!! 😊✌🏻♥️