Fallout
~ Chapter Eleven ~ Written by Grey
Sami stared unblinking as EJ's head lolled off from her and back against the plush leather and felt a funny hitch in her chest, she smothered a perverse urge to smack him and wake him up. Or hook her arm around him and pull him back down. Then as Marco hit a bump, she fought a converse urge to jump into the front seat and yell at him to slow down and be more careful. What the hell is wrong with me? Shaking her head at her ridiculousness, she tipped her chin to take the opportunity to study him while he slept and think back on the past couple of hours.
She'd never really been one to attend basketball games back home, consequently, she hadn't really known much of what was going on during the game. She'd surprised herself by wanting to know though. While she'd been nervous for Chad's well-being during his game. She'd been pissed for EJ's during his. Those Gator bastards had been playing dirty, at least by her estimation. EJ had taken several free shots, throws, or something like that, while everyone else had to watch him shoot. Her body had been tight as a bowstring every single time he'd stepped to that magical line. Stefano and Marco had seemed completely unfazed, they'd tried explaining the game to her, shouting out encouragement to the team as needed.
At one point, EJ had been gotten knocked flat on his ass and Stefano and Marco had both been on their feet, adding their boisterous shouts to the crowd around her. She'd wanted to join in, but didn't really know how. Embarrassment had warred with urge to pummel the hell out of the number twenty three that had taken the cheap shot at him.
A soft rumble echoed in his chest as he snored softly and she felt the tingle in her chest grow. She bit her lip, trying to hide the smile that was growing larger by the second. He kind of reminded her of a puppy. She was sure that he wouldn't appreciate the comparison, but the way he'd fallen asleep at a second's notice after playing hard. They way he was all arms and legs.
You should take a picture, it would last longer. The harpy little voice in the back of her head harassed and she blinked, darting her eyes around the minimal mood lighting inside the back compartment of the limo. Sliding her phone out and after making sure that it was silent, snapped a picture of the sleeping beauty.
Guilt swamped her, tamping out the overwhelming surge of embarrassment that had been almost choking her. She should delete it. She knew she should delete it. But of course, the limo stopped moving and she panicked, closing the camera app.
A few moments later, the rear door opened and Marco leaned his head in. He smirked, seeing EJ still dead to the world. "Guess I should have driven around a bit more."
"He was out after about five minutes I think." Sami whispered.
"Too big for me to carry inside anymore, he's gonna have to wake up." Marco grinned, as if letting Sami in on a secret.
"Hmmm." EJ woke with a start, wiping his hand over his mouth as he sat up. "Shit. I'm sorry." He shifted in the seat, once more thankful for minimal lighting, because he had managed to wake up with a man sized problem in a typical teenaged reaction to being in such close proximity to a girl that he was fighting some crazy conflicted feelings for.
Marco frowned, "you ok kid? Didn't get your bell rung during the game, did you?"
"Nah, I'm good. Just tired." EJ shook him off, extending his arm to Sami to show her out of the limo first. If he was being honest, good manners were ingrained. If he were being entirely truthful, he wanted the opportunity to check out the fit of those dark fitted jeans over the curve of her ass as she was bent climbing out of the limo. He immediately regretted his decision as more blood pounded into his groin.
She waited for him to join her on the sidewalk in front of the door leading into the foyer of the mansion. He managed to straighten with a groan.
"I'm going to go park the limo, you two ok?" Marco asked as he crossed behind the trunk, making his way back to the driver's side door.
"Yes, thank you." They both answered. As he pulled away, EJ again, gestured for her to precede him, hoping he could deflect the penetrating fire of her blue eyes. Not to mention, use the cold January air to his advantage. Fuck!
"What?" He asked as they got to the front door. Please stop looking at me.
"You sure you're ok?" she asked softly as he held it open for her.
"Of course, I'm fine, why?"
"You wouldn't lie to me, right?" Their eyes connected again as Harold met them in the foyer. Sami felt a distinct shift in the air between them, but he didn't answer before they were interrupted.
"Mister EJ, Miss Samantha, welcome home. I've got pizza in the dining room."
"No offense, but I'm gassed." EJ groaned, swinging his eyes from hers, she felt his withdrawal as a physical pain and struggled not to retaliate as she'd seen Kristen do several times in the day she'd been here. Wow, has it really only been a day?
"Of course." Harold smiled, clapping an indulgent hand on his arm as EJ went to walk around him. "Congratulations on your win tonight, young sir."
"Thank you Harold." EJ paused, accepting the praise and dropping his chin in due deference.
"I'll bring you up some dinner."
"That's not necessary." EJ shook his head, feeling very uneasy all of a sudden.
"Nonsense, you will eat." Harold insisted, turning on his heel and leaving the two of them alone in the large drafty foyer.
"Good night." Brusque, EJ chewed the inside of his cheek, feeling like ten times the asshole, as he slung their bags over his shoulder and began to take the stairs two at a time, bolting as though the hounds of hell were hot on his heels.
"Good night." What the hell was that about? She wondered as she watched him cut and run - from her.
~*~*~
Sami looked in the mirror, turning to one side. His shirt hung to her knees and her elbow and it smelled - like heaven. Grabbing the emblem of the warrior in the center, she drew it to her nose and inhaled. I can't even pinpoint what exactly the smell is… it's just him. Like clean laundry and the middle of the woods and the beach at the same time. Bliss. That's what it is.
"What are you doing?" the voice of her best friend echoed from the speakerphone on the counter.
"What?" Sami snapped, dropping the shirt and looking around, anxious that someone had spotted her being - a normal fifteen year old girl.
"You, where'd you go just now?"
"I was getting dressed." She stretched, pulling a face at herself in the mirror.
"Lies."
Sami snorted, snatching the phone from the counter, hitting a button on the screen then pinching it between her shoulder and her ear, smiling when a waft of EJ's scent reached her nose again. "I went to a basketball game tonight. Two actually. For my new brothers."
"Mmmm. Hot sweaty basketball players. Running up and down the court. Slamming their rock hard bodies into each other. Throwing balls around. Sounds heavenly." She sighed into the receiver. "And don't think I didn't notice the fact that you evaded my question. I'm onto you bitch."
Sami chuckled. "Gah, you're brutal."
"I know. That's why you love me so much."
"I do. Nikki, I so do." Sami swallowed over the lump that suddenly lodged itself in her throat.
"Don't do it."
"Do what?"
"Cry. Don't do it. I'm not there with rocky road ice cream and emergency concealer for the zits that will inevitably show up afterward."
Sami sniffled harder, pressing her lips together to try and staunch the sob that threatened.
"Sami…" she drew the syllables out. "Come on, I was teasing."
"I know. I just miss you, Nicole."
"So invite me out. You've got like a mega mansion now, right? Your uncle wont care, will he? We could be like ninjas, skulking around all double oh seven. In fact, you don't even have to ask him. Let's see how long it takes him before he realizes I'm there!"
The bark of laughter surprised her as she tucked her legs up under her butt, her eyes blurring around the edges as the tears gathered in the corners. "What about school?"
"What about it? You really think Daddy duJour of the second, and Mommy Dearest Faye will care that I'm not here? A-choo." Nicole fake sneezed. "Pardon me, but I'm allergic to bullshit."
Sami giggled again and snuggled down into her covers. In her minds eye she could see Nicole slumped in her favorite position in her old bedroom. One leg kicked over the arm of the recliner she'd begged her dad to let her move into her room when they'd gotten new living room furniture. One long leg swinging back and forth as they chattered back and forth about anything and everything, or nothing at all.
"Maybe for spring break you could come out?" Sami offered, a tiny quiver prickling low in her stomach. The realization hitting her hard. This was home now. Spring break was still three months away. Her entire life was here now. California. Her friends. Her everything was there and she wasn't going back. Everything except her house was there. That was gone. Decimated to a pile of rubble and ash. Poof. Gone.
"Maybe? P-shaw, bitch, I've already made plane reservations and packed my suitcase." Nicole declared. Sami grinned, she could count on Nicole. "So got a boyfriend yet?"
"Uh no." Sami shook her head, although, she knew that she was alone in her room.
"Are you kidding, you've had 24 hours, what are you waiting for? Are the boys in Salem blind as well as stupid? That's it. I'm staging an intervention. Brandon!" Sami held the phone away from her ear, as Nicole screamed for her brother. "We've gotta go rescue Sami from the brainless."
"Shhh." Sami giggled again. "You're crazy. You know that, right?"
"I do. And no worries. Brandon isn't here. I'm in the bathroom." Nicole laughed.
"TMI!" Sami cried, flipping over onto her stomach and laughing into her pillow.
"No such thing, girlfriend. No. Such. Thing. Remember when I told you how I lost my virginity?"
"Gah," Sami groaned. "Please no, you scarred me for life."
Nicole cackled into the phone. "I know, I'm sorry. I sometimes wonder if that's why you're still a virgin. It's not is it? I was exaggerating. It's not that bad, I promise. I didn't lose a liter of blood. It didn't really look like a crime scene in his bed. It wasn't my fault that he was hung like a horse. Just a word to the wise. Your first time out of the gate don't fuck a guy that is packing a summer sausage in his gym shorts, stick with a hot dog, got it?"
"Ack!" Sami squealed, burying her face deeper. "Stop! For the love of God! Shut up!" As she burrowed, she didn't hear the light tapping on her door, or the second set of harder knocks. It wasn't until the third much harder raps against the wood that she removed her face from her plush cocoon and completely out of breath called out a breathless, "come in!"
"Oooh, who's coming into your room in the dead of night?" Nicole chattered into her ear.
Harold stood at the door waiting for her to bid him inside. "Is this a good time?"
"Sure." Sami sat up in her bed, "Nikki, hang on a sec, ok?" She covered the mouthpiece with one hand, "Harold is everything ok?"
"Harold? Ew, that sounds like a horrible name for a brother. We need to give him a really cool code name. Like… Jesus, I got nothing. Harold? Fuck, I thought your uncle was a cool guy, that's a really lame name for a kid. He must be either super hot or get the shit kicked out of him daily."
"Nicole!" Sami hissed into the phone, as Harold carried a tray into her room, her face flaming with contact embarrassment. "Shut up!"
Harold's eyes flicked to hers as he set the silver tray, complete with a silver domed plate on the bottom of her bed. As if he could hear the other end of the phone call. The guilt swirled in her stomach like sludge. "Of course, Miss Samantha."
"Miss Samantha?" Nicole drawled in her ear, before she exploded into laughter. "Oh Lawdy me! Lady fancy pants of the manor! I am so coming for spring break!"
Sami swore she saw the corner of Harold's mouth twitch before he turned to walk out into the hallway.
"Thank you Harold!" She called to his back. "Nicole, you're impossible!" she grumbled, throwing herself backward onto her pillows. But then as she waited to hear her bedroom door close, she watched Harold stoop to grab something and then he strode right back in.
She jack-knifed right back up, before getting the chance to say anything else.
"Just bringing more linens." He explained, depositing an extra stack of blankets and pillow at the end of her bed before pausing at the end of her bed. "Do you need anything?"
"I don't… I have more than enough pillows and blankets?" She gestured to the monstrous pile behind her, shaking her head in confusion.
"You can never have too many pillows." Nicole chirped in her ear.
Again Sami would have sworn she saw a gleam in Harold's eye, but he just shrugged and said, "it gets cold in here at night. I just wanted to be sure you were comfortable."
"Thank you," she smiled, her stomach rumbling as the aroma of the pizza reached her nose.
"Eat up, before it gets cold." He grinned, pulling the door closed behind him.
"Nikki, I'm gonna go. I'm starving."
"Wait!" Nicole screeched, "who is Harold? Which brother and is he hot?"
"The butler," Sami exclaimed, her taste buds practically jumping off her tongue in protest of the wait, as she snatched the tray closer to her and lifted the lid off the plate. At her first sight of Chicago pizza, she moaned aloud.
"A butler?! Fuck a visit. I'm moving in!"