Not all panic attacks are triggered by something huge or terrifying; Some just happen seemingly out of nowhere. Some come on when one is just sitting calmly on the couch. This is what happens to Sam...He, Jake, Colby, Tavin, Corey, and Aaron are hanging out and playing video games when Sam starts panicking all of a sudden. Colby and Corey take notice of Sam's sudden change in demeanor, and when Sam suddenly leaves the room and rushes upstairs, Colby and Corey decide to investigate why.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Anxiety/Panic attacks, Swearing
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"Yo! Everyone in the tv room!! Tavin and I are about to kick some serious bootaaay on Rocket League!" Corey yelled. Aaron walked in from the kitchen and sat down on the couch. Sam and Colby rushed down from their separate rooms. "Hey, Tavin! This is the new GoPro I was telling you about. Took me forever to find it." Sam chuckled as he sat down next to Tavin and handed the latter a small camera. Tavin turned it over in his hands. "Oh cool! It films better than the old one?" Tavin asked. Sam nodded. "Yup! The image is crystal clear." Sam confirmed in a goofy voice. "Siiiick Bro!" Tavin copied Sam's weird voice, and the group laughed.

Jake ran in from the garage, yelling "I'm here! I'm here! I'm here! I'm here! I'm here! I'm here!!" until he plopped on the couch in between Colby and Aaron.

"Ow! Dude, your butt landed right on my wrist!" Colby exclaimed over-dramatically. "Oh who cares? You have another one." Jake waved Colby's comment off. "Yeah but that was my good wrist!" Colby said without thinking. Immediately, all the others turned to look at him, each one making a weird face. Colby, realising what the implications were, laughed. "Oh shit! I didn't mean that!" He said through his laughter. The others laughed as well, and they all echoed some form of "Uh-huh. Suuure you didn't. Alright."

"Shut up! Just play Rocket League! I was promised serious booty kicking!" Colby said, gesturing to the tv. "Alright!! We need complete silence on the course..." Corey said in a bad attempt at a British accent. Instantly, all five of the other guys started yelling and making farting noises. Corey stood up and dramatically threw the controller onto the couch. "I said silence!!" He yelled, and he stomped out of the room.

The others started calling him back and yelling fake apologies.

"Corey! Come back, Man!"

"We didn't mean it!"

"Come on, Corey! Tavin can't do this without you!"

"Baby come back!"

Eventually, Corey sulked back into the room.

"Corey! Don't be sad! We'll be silent!" Sam whined. "You pwomise?" Corey asked in a small baby voice. "Pwomise." Sam copied his voice. Corey looked up. "Then lets kick some booty!" He yelled, and sat back down. The other guys started yelling and cheering.

"We need chips!" Aaron exclaimed suddenly. "Why?" Jake asked. Aaron looked at Jake like he was crazy. "This is gonna be the most intense, epic battle of all time! We're gonna need snacks!" He said as if it were obvious. Jake nodded. "Oooh! You're totally right! To the kitchen!" He yelled, standing up in a superhero stance. He and Aaron walked into the kitchen.

As Tavin and Corey we're loading up the game, Sam felt a sudden tightness in his chest. Sam frowned to himself, and re-situated his position in the couch.

"You okay?" Colby asked, noticing Sam's expression change. Corey, having heard Colby's question, looked over at Sam. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" Sam asked, fake chuckling. "You just seemed uncomfortable." Colby commented. "Oh. No, I'm fine." Sam said, looking back at the tv. Corey and Colby made eye contact, and exchanged weird but concerned looks. Colby shrugged. "I'll watch him." He mouthed, and Corey nodded.

Aaron and Jake returned with four bags of chips and a bag of pretzels. They both tossed them at the other four on the couch, who exclaimed in surprise. "Snack attack!" Aaron and Jake yelled in unison. Everyone laughed. "Okay can we please play now? My mommy said I have to be home by dinner time!" Tavin said. "Ugh, Tavin! Such a buzzkill!" Jake said. Corey started up the game.
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Two rounds into Rocket League-Corey and Tavin had won the first round, and Corey volunteered to let Aaron take his next turn because he had to pee-Sam began to feel weird.

His insides went cold. Every time someone yelled, he jumped hard. His breathing slowly turned from normal to quick inhales and short exhales. Colby noticed Sam's irregular breathing and nudged him. Sam jumped at the touch, but tried to play it off like he was re-situating himself. "What's up?" He asked casually. "Are you sure you're okay? You're breathing kinda weird." Colby asked. Sam rolled his eyes. "I told you I'm fine. Stop asking." He said a bit harsher than he'd intended. Colby stared at him for a moment before looking back at the tv. Sam felt bad for snapping at Colby, but he was too anxious to say anything else. His throat was staring to close.

The whole group yelled when Aaron scored a goal. Sam jumped, and his mind tumbled.

I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't breathe. Why am I such a baby? What's wrong with me? The walls are closing in. Oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God...

Sam's breathing hitched. His vision blurred, and it really did look like the room was compressing in on him. Sam stood up quickly, making himself dizzy. He stumbled a bit. "Whoa, you good, Man?" He heard Colby ask. Sam tried to reply casually, but his lungs wouldn't cooperate. He ended up mumbling, "Yeah m'fine. Be right back."

Sam quickly left the room. As he made a beeline for the stairs, Corey walked out of the downstairs bathroom. He and Sam collided, spooking Sam so badly that he actually yelped. "Whoa. Sorry, Dude. Hey, are you okay?" Corey asked, casual at first, but then he noticed Sam's expression. He had gone really pale, and his cheeks were flushed. Sam just shook his head, absentmindedly saying "'Scuse me..." and rushing up the stairs.

He ran to his bedroom and shut the door behind him. Sam's hands immediately went up to his head as his breathing skyrocketed.

"What the hell...? I was just sitting there! Why now..." He panted to himself, pacing back and fourth.
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Corey walked back into the tv room, looking behind him as he walked. "Yo, what's wrong with Sam?" He asked, jutting his thumb out behind him. Colby was the only one who acknowledged Corey's question-he shrugged. "I don't know." He said. Corey sat down next to Colby. "What happened?" Colby asked. "I don't know. He was, like, almost running to the stairs. We bumped into each other when I came out of the bathroom, and he just kind of drunkenly said 'scuse me' and ran up the stairs and slammed the door to his bedroom. Did something happen? Did y'all piss him off?" Corey asked when he'd finished his explanation. Colby frowned, shaking his head. "No. We've just been sitting here watching the game." He said. Corey frowned as well. "Huh." He grunted. "Hey, did anyone else notice Sam's acting differently?" Corey asked. the rest of the guys. Aaron and Tavin shook their heads. "No, not really. He seemed kinda off when we started the second round, but nothing too out of the ordinary." Jake commented. Corey nodded. "Okay. Hey, I'm gonna go check on him. Make sure he's okay." Corey said, standing again. "Yeah, I'm gonna go too." Colby said, standing as well. "Okay. Hurry back! Colby, it's your turn to play next." Jake said, shoving a handful of chips into his mouth. "Uh, Jake. Take my turn." Colby said quickly as he and Corey left the room.

Colby and Corey walked up the stairs and down the hall to Sam's room. They could hear Sam pacing back and forth, and they glanced at each other. Corey knocked twice. "Yo Sam? You good, brother?" Corey called through the door.

"I'm fine...I'm fine, yes. Just...Go downstairs...And I'll...Be down there in a minute." Sam yelled back.

Instantly, Corey and Colby knew something was wrong. Sam's voice was shaky, and he was panting while talking. The two frowned and looked at each other. Colby shook his head.

Colby stepped forward and knocked on the door. "Hey, Sam? Are you good though, like for real?" He asked.

"S-stop! I'm fine!" Sam yelled. His voice sounded off. Corey looked to Colby. "Should we leave him be?" He whispered. Colby hesitated. "Something's wrong." He said.

"No, I know that. But like, should we let him handle it? Like on his own?" Corey replied quickly. Colby shook his head slowly. He leaned towards the door. "Sam are you okay?" He asked again.

They got no answer.

Colby put his ear to the door and listened, holding a finger up to his mouth to signal Corey to be quiet. Corey nodded, and listened with him. Almost immediately, Colby could hear fast laboured breathing. Colby's eyes widened. "Fuck, he's having a panic attack. Move." He said quickly, grabbing the door handle. "Sam, I'm coming in, okay? It's Colby." He said slowly and clearly. "No! Go aw...way!" Sam choked, but Colby didn't listen. He opened the door and stepped inside Sam's room.
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Sam rushed down the hall and into his room, closing the door loudly as he did so. He didn't intend on slamming his door, so when the door closed loudly, he jumped, and his heart pounded even harder. "Fuck...What the hell? I was just sitting there! Why now...?" Sam whispered to himself as he paced around his room. He tried sitting down in his chair, but he couldn't sit still. Sam immediately stood back up and paced again. After a few minutes, he tried to stop pacing and take a few deep breaths. He managed two before he choked, coughing. It felt like his throat was closing up. His chest hurt because it was so tight. His head pounded along with his heart beat, which made him feel dizzy.

Two loud knocks jolted Sam out of his racing thoughts.

"Yo Sam? You good, brother?" Corey's voice called from behind the door.

The knocks scared Sam so badly he jumped. His mind going a million miles an hour, he mumbled back, "I'm fine...I'm fine, yes. Just...Go downstairs...And I'll...Be down there in a minute." Sam prayed they would leave. Another sequence of knocks made Sam jump again, and tears inadvertently filled his eyes.

"Hey, Sam? Are you good though, like for real?" Colby's voice came from behind the door. Sam was getting agitated. "S-stop! I'm fine!" He tried to yell, but his voice betrayed him and shook. There was a moment of silence, and Sam swallowed painfully. He was really starting to hyperventilate now.

"Sam are you okay?" Colby's voice asked again. Sam couldn't respond, he was breathing too fast.

Another moment of silence, and then Sam heard, "Fuck! He's having a panic attack. Move. Sam, I'm coming in, okay? It's Colby." Sam's eyes widened. "No! Go aw...way!" Sam choked out.

Colby opened Sam's door.
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"Fuck, fuck, shit. Sam? Can you hear me okay? Breathe Buddy..." Colby walked further into Sam's room. Sam backed away from his friends, shaking his head. "Sam, it's okay. It's okay..." Corey tried.

A wave of dizziness washed over Sam, and he leaned on his bed. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...okay. Are you okay? Here, let's sit down, okay? Let's sit down?" Colby jerked forward, preparing to catch Sam should he fall. Sam shook his head. "Come on. Let's sit down, okay? Easy, take it easy." Colby soothed, helping Sam into the ground. Sam leaned against the wall, pinching his eyes shut. "I c...I can't..." He breathed. "I know. I know, just take it easy, okay? Corey, can you run and get him some water?" Colby asked. Corey nodded and took off.

"Sammy? Hey, hey, can you look at me? Sam. You're okay. You're at home. You're home, in your room. You're completely safe. It's okay." Colby said gently. Sam glanced up at Colby. "Hey. Hi. You're okay, alright? Can you try to breathe with me?" Colby smiled at him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Let's try that together, okay?" Colby asked gently. Sam nodded, and tried taking a deep breath himself.

Corey returned with a bottle of cold water, and he instantly handed it to Colby. Colby opened the water bottle and handed it out to Sam. Sam shook his head. "I f...feel sick." Sam breathed out. "Just a little bit. It'll help." Colby suggested. Sam took the water bottle and took a few sips. "Good. Good Sam, slowly." Colby encouraged. Sam took a few more sips and handed it back to Colby, who replaced the cap.
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Sam felt his heart beat beginning to slow down. He, Colby, and Corey had been sitting on the floor of his room for over half an hour now. Sam took one more sip of his water and handed it back to Colby. The bottle was over half empty now. "Are you feeling better?" Colby asked. Sam nodded. "Good." Colby said. Corey nodded as well. "Do you still feel dizzy? Or sick?" He asked. Sam nodded. "Which one?" Cory asked. Sam held up two fingers. "Both?" Corey asked, and Sam nodded. "Okay. What all have you eaten today?" Corey inquired. Sam shrugged. "Can you tell us?" Colby asked. Sam hesitated.

"A sandwich earlier. That's all." He mumbled.

The other two nodded. "You have to eat something." Corey said. Sam shook his head. "Yes, Sam. You have to eat something." Colby sided with Corey. Sam didn't respond.

A knock at Sam's door made them all jump. "Yeah?" Colby called. The door opened, and Jake peeked in. "Are you guys okay? You've been gone for a while now. Hey, Sam are you okay?" He asked. "Yeah, we're fine, Jake. Just go downstairs. We'll be down in a minute." Colby said, noticing Sam tense. "Sam are you crying?" Jake asked. "Jake, Dude, go downstairs. We'll be there in a sec." Corey repeated Colby's words. "What's going on? Is Sam okay?" Jake repeated his own question, stepping inside the room further. "Jake. Everyone's fine. We're just talking." Colby said, his tone becoming more firm. "Why is Sam crying?" Jake asked. Corey stood up slowly, so as not to scare Sam. "Jake, stop. Everything's fine. Go back downstairs." He said seriously. Jake stared at him. "You're scaring me..." He mumbled. "Jake I'm fine. We're just talking." Sam spoke up suddenly. All eyes flew to the blonde, which clearly made him uncomfortable. "If you're fine, why are you crying?" Jake asked hesitantly. Sam stared at the ground. "We were talking about something serious, okay? It's nothing. I'm fine. Just go downstairs." Sam lied.

"It's your turn to play." Jake said. "You or Tavin can take my turn." Sam said Jake nodded. "Okay. Sorry." He said quietly. "Don't be sorry. It's fine." Sam assured the younger boy. Jake nodded again, and left. Corey closed the door behind him. Sam covered his face with his hands. "You okay?" Colby asked.

"I just hate lying." Sam choked out. Corey say back down. "It's okay, Sam." He said. Sam rubbed his eyes. "You can explain things to him later if you want to. It's Jake. Don't freak out. He'll understand." Colby said. "Yeah. It's all good, Man." Corey added. Sam took a deep breath. "You good?" Colby asked. Sam nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine." He said quietly.

"So. What happened? Did something trigger it?" Colby asked after a few minutes of silence. Sam shook his head. "No. I don't think so. I mean, when everybody yelled and stuff like that it got worse. But, nothing triggered it, exactly. It just, happened." Sam explained, looking at his best friend. Colby nodded. "Has that ever happened before?" Corey asked. Colby nodded. "A few times. We'll just be sitting there, totally calm and he'll just start panicking." He said. Corey blinked. "That's weird. I always thought it had to be set off by something." He said. Sam shook his head. "No. Anxiety's weird. Sometimes that happens. But other times it just happens out of the blue with no warning." Sam explained. "Huh. That sucks." Corey moved from sitting on his knees to sitting cross legged. Sam and Colby both nodded. "Colby, has that ever happened to you?" Corey asked. The other brunette nodded. "Yeah. All the time when it was worse. Now my anxiety's gotten better though. It doesn't happen as much." Colby said.

"That's good." Corey said.

"Yeah, he's doing great." Sam chimed in.

"So are you. You're doing way better now." Colby said, tapping Sam's leg gently. Sam smiled. "Yeah." He agreed. "You're both doing way better than you were when I first met you, that's for sure!" Corey said. Both Sam and Colby nodded profusely. "Oh yeah, way better!" Sam said. "Completely." Colby echoed.

Again, the boys sat in silence for a little while, letting Sam calm down completely. After another ten minutes, Sam spoke up.

"You guys can go back downstairs. I'll be down in a minute."

Colby and Corey looked at him. "Are you sure?" Colby asked. "We can stay with you if you want." Corey added. "I'm sure. I'll be down in a little bit." Sam nodded. Colby and Corey looked at each other. "I promise, you guys, I'm okay." Sam added. Colby and Corey smiled. "Okay. If you need us call us, alright?" Corey said. Sam nodded. Corey and Colby both stood up and left Sam's room.
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Back downstairs, Colby and Corey sat back on the couch.

"There you guys are! What took you so long? Is Sam okay?" Aaron asked. He and Jake paused the game, and all three turned to look at Corey and Colby. "Yeah he's fine." Colby said.

"When Jake got back he said Sam was crying." Tavin pointed out. "He's really fine, guys." Corey said.

"What happened?" Aaron asked. Corey and Colby simultaneously shrugged. "He's just not feeling well." Colby said. Tavin, Jake, and Aaron exchanged suspicious glances.

Before one of them could ask another question, Sam walked in.

"Hey, guys." He said a bit quietly. "Hey! Are you okay?" Aaron asked. "What happened?" Tavin asked at the same time. Sam shook his head as he sat down next to Colby and Tavin. "Nothing. I'm fine." He said. "Sam." Aaron said. It was clear that nobody believed him. Sam sighed. "I just had a bit of an anxiety thing. But I'm fine." He admitted. Tavin, Jake, and Aaron instantly felt bad. "Oh shit are you okay?" Tavin asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I swear. Colby and Corey just came to check on me and they ended up staying and helping me through it. I'm fine now." Sam told them the truth.

"So, you're okay now?" Aaron asked. Sam nodded. "Are you sure?" Jake pressed. Sam chuckled. "Yes I'm sure. So, Jake said it was my turn...Who took my turn?" He asked. Tavin, Jake, and Aaron glanced at each other. "Guys. Seriously, I'm okay. Let's just keep playing, alright?" Sam repeated. They all looked at him, and understood that dwelling on it would make him feel worse. "Okay. Tavin took your turn, and I took Colby's. So you two are up next." Jake said. "Cool." Sam said. "Sweet." Colby said at the same time. Jake and Tavin un-paused the game, and they kept playing.

The rest of the day went on as normal. The boys played video games and ordered a pizza later on in the evening. Tavin went home around midnight, and the rest of the guys continued playing until they all faded and went to bed.

A/N: Helloooo. Sorry it took me so long to update!! School stared back up for me again sooooo I'm dying :-) Lol. But anyways! I hope you guys liked this part! As always, thank you for reading!! Have a great day/night/whatever time it is where you are! 😊✌🏻♥️