"I'm sorry," Nick said to Sara as he removed his hand from hers. She had been holding onto him tightly, afraid to let him go. "I can't accept your feelings."

Sara felt her lip tremble. She had everything at the moment. The popularity, the friends, the winning status…but she didn't have what she wanted the most right now. Nick.

"This is about Sam, isn't it?"

Nick turned away from her. "You're a great girl, Sara. You're kind and determined and you're very beautiful. But what we have between us is just what friends have. Nothing more. I loved working with you during the campaign, but Sam needs me right now. And I can't turn my back on her after so many other people have already."

Sara tried to hold back her tears, smiling. "You love her a lot, don't you?"

His eyes smiled back through his glasses. "More than anything."

Sara nodded and tried to say something back, but felt her words choke up in her throat. She gave a simple smile and tried to turn away as best as she could without showing Nick her true feelings.

"Goodbye, Sara."

"Bye, Nick."

When she saw him depart from the pool, she let out an animalistic cry and jumped into the water, hoping that her tears would blend in with the rest of the chlorine.

x

"Sam."

"Oh." She looked up and down at Nick, her eyebrows furrowing. "It's you."

"Can we talk?" he asked, holding out his hand for her to take. Then, knowing that she wouldn't take it anyway even if she knew Sara had been holding it, he put it back in his pocket.

"About what? I thought we were over."

"That's just it, Sam." He stroked her cheek. "I don't want us to be over."

He saw Sam fumble for a second before catching her words. "You made it perfectly clear that you wanted to be with Sara. Not me. Not Sam, the one that's been used and thrown away by so many boys."

"Sam." Nick took her into his arms. "Please, don't be like this."

He felt her melt into his arms and then the quiet sniffle on his shoulder. He had never seen or heard anything about the great Samantha Hill ever crying or shedding a tear over anything. Even when Nick talked to Colt about her, Colt had said that Sam was the strongest girl he'd met and always fought things before giving into them. It was obvious that Colt still cared deeply about Sam, Nick saw.

"Shh," he said. "It's okay." He pulled away to wipe her tears. "Don't cry."

"I hate you," she mumbled. "So much."

"I know." He pulled her back to him and stroked her hair. "You're stunning."

"Stunningly soaked in tears, you mean?" she half-joked as she turned away from him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. He smiled and interlaced his fingers with hers.

"I love you," he said quietly as he looked into her dark eyes. "I love you, Sam. No one else. There's nothing else I love more than you right now." Nick leaned in for a kiss and expected Sam to push him away. When he felt her soft lips on his, he was surprised, although she didn't kiss back.

"Do you really mean that?" she murmured through his lips.

"I do," he said back. Before he knew it, her arms were around his neck and she pressed her body to him.

x

"Hey." Cameron was leaning at the edge of the pool, wearing a leather jacket over his bare chest. He had on his swimming shorts and saw Sara, trying to hold her breath underwater for as long as she could.

Finally, needing oxygen, she popped up, let out a loud sob, and went back under again before Cameron could talk to her.

"Sara—" he began, trying to grab a hold of her wrist before she disappeared under the waves. She was too quick for him, and he knew something was wrong. Sara knew perfectly well how to swim, and she was damn good at it. But right now, she looked like a little child who was flailing her arms in order to stay alive.

Taking off his coat and tossing it near the side of the pool, Cameron jumped into the cold water and held Sara close to him. "Sara, what's wrong?" he asked as she tried to pry herself away from him, screaming.

"No, Cameron, leave me alone!"

He saw the tears streaking in with the pool water on her face and cupped her cheek softly. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Cameron looked at Sara's trembling lip before she threw her arms around him. "Nick went back to Sam!" she cried as she sobbed in Cameron's hard torso. He patted her back softly and murmured in her ear.

"Shh, Sara. It's okay." He held her tight to him as he rested his chin on the top of her head. "I won't ever leave you."

Sara stopped, pushing herself away from him. "What are you saying, Cameron?"

"I like you, Sara. I like you a lot."

"But Nick—"

"Forget about Nick," Cameron said, swimming towards her. "I just want it to be us."

Sara said nothing for a second. Then, she added quietly, "You can't actually expect me to fall into your arms right now, can you?"

He chuckled. "I'm hoping you can."

She splashed him with water, her face contorted with anger. Then, once she saw him smile, her lips twirled up. She felt herself smile, too.

"You're unbelievable."

"I know."

x

"Sam," Sara said as she caught up to her in the hallway. "Can I talk to you?"

Sam looked at Sara as if she were out of her mind. Sam growled, but said, "Alright. But make it quick."

Sara pulled Sam into a corner to talk privately and said, "I just want to talk to you about Nick. But it's not what you think it is. I just want to tell you that…you two make a good couple, and I don't want to interfere with what you have. So yeah."

Sam looked at Sara for a second to see if she was playing some kind of trick. But after seeing how genuine Sara looked, Sam sighed.

"Thanks. That means a lot, you know. You coming to tell me."

"You're welcome." Sara nodded, and looked to see Nick waiting for Sam behind her, resting on the lockers.

"You should go," Sara noted. "Someone's waiting for you."

Sam turned to see Nick, who greeted her with a small kiss. "Hi, Sam."

"Nick," she said. "Uh. Bye, Sara."

"Bye." She nodded to Nick, then walked back to the opposite end of the hallway, where she saw Cameron waiting for her.

"Hey," he said.

"Oh. It's you," she said.

He smirked. "They look happy together," he noted, watching as Nick put his arm around Sam's waist and brought her close to him. Sam playfully pushed him away as he tried to get closer to her.

Sara felt a sting in her chest, but did her best to ignore it. She felt Cameron's hand on her shoulder.

"I hope that we can be as happy as that one day," he said.

"Maybe," she replied, watching as Sam and Nick walked away from them, acting as if they were the happiest couple alive.

Colt/Sam is my favorite couple, but Nick/Sam is my second favorite Sam couple. Sara/Cameron all the way! I'm totally against Nick/Sara, bleh.