Fallout

Chapter 38

Written by: Karen

Once again the Salem High basketball team was swarmed on the court, but this time it wasn't in jubilant celebration for a sectional title win. That honor was bestowed on the other team and their fans were stoked over the win. Bragging rights over who was the best team would not go to the Warriors this year.

It was difficult to accept defeat when there had been so much riding on the game, but if EJ were being honest from half time onward he had been distracted over the fact that jag-off Hernandez had been sitting way too close to Samantha. The girl whose eyes he had immediately sought right after the buzzer went off signaling the game was over. The one person he wanted a tight hug from was also the one he wouldn't be able to accept in front of the crowd because it might show too much emotion.

Plus it didn't look like she was going to escape that jerk's attention easily, he was standing up like the rest of the fans were, but he wasn't moving to the aisle either. All EJ wanted was to exit the court, he was so fucking tired from playing almost the entire game, dejected over the loss and angry over the fact he couldn't receive comfort from the person he needed it from the most.

All Sami wanted to do was go to EJ, but there were a variety of things preventing her from making her way down to him. One in particular was standing directly to the right side of her preventing any kind of avenue of escape to leave the stands. While her heart was breaking for EJ since the team lost the game, Rafe was jabbering on to Stefano about something, but she wasn't paying much attention to what he was saying.

In hindsight, she should have listened more closely to the conversation around her because the scenario Rafe had cooked up with her honorary uncle Stefano was something she would come to regret. Then to top it off, all of the sudden without any previous warning something happened on the court that made her want to cry, scream and rally to the fates over the complete unfairness of it all.

Just what the fuck was exactly happening here?

So lost in the raging emotions that were all vying for top honors at the moment he never saw what or rather whom was approaching him from the side. Before he fully realized it, a person spun him away from his view of Samantha and launched into his arms giving him the hug that he so desperately wanted from his girlfriend instead.

Chloe and Arianna had made their way onto the court with singular purposes. Chloe was headed straight for Philip and pulled him into her embrace while Arianna surprised EJ by doing the same, but then she did something he had never expected her to do. She pulled on EJ's neck bringing his face downward in her direction and she planted a kiss upon his lips.

EJ was so startled and caught off guard by Arianna's bold move he hadn't ever anticipated that he opened his mouth to voice his objections and Arianna took that as acceptance of her gesture instead. She clung to him tighter and attempted to French kiss him right there on the basketball court in front of everyone.

Arianna Hernandez had her grimy hands all over EJ and just when Sami didn't think it would get any worse, it did. That bitch kissed EJ, she fucking kissed her boyfriend and Sami's blood began to boil and run cold all in the same instant.

She wanted to go rip that bitch away from EJ, but how could she explain that reaction to seeing her lock lips with EJ to anyone? No one knew about her and EJ and their developing relationship, which made it damn near impossible to show her true feelings at the moment.

Rafe was still talking and Uncle Steffie was saying something in reply and then Sami was brought into the conversation a little dazed because if she heard correctly there was something being bandied about that suspiciously sounded like a double date. Stefano's chuckle was what made Sami back away from the debacle taking place on the basketball court anyway.

Stefano was commenting on the one thing that was upsetting her in the extreme, "Well it looks like you might be able to cajole me into allowing Samantha to go out with you if her brother can go along with you both since it looks like your sister is finally making her intentions known."

Rafe hadn't paid attention to anything happening on the court, he'd been trying to convince Stefano to permit him to go out with Sami since she had told him earlier she couldn't date yet. When he turned his eyes to whatever Stefano was mentioning he instantly saw the reason why the older gentleman was in a jovial mood despite the fact his son's basketball team had lost the game.

Rafe had to hide his displeasure over seeing Arianna kissing EJ DiMera because he immediately realized he'd been given a golden opportunity to take Sami on a date. Stefano had agreed to Rafe's request if they double dated with EJ and Arianna.

Sami thought she must be having a bad dream, surely all this wasn't coming to be, it had to be playing out in another one of her nightmares, although this time instead of focusing on the terrible fire it was of her and EJ being pulled apart from one another. Then she realized it wasn't a dream because Stefano's voice was booming telling her she could go out with Rafe if her brother EJ and a date of his own could tag along with them.

She vaguely assumed Stefano meant the date of his own must be Arianna since from where she was standing it looked like the girl was trying to stake a claim on EJ. That presumptuous bitch was clinging to her boyfriend like he was a fucking lifeboat on the Titanic.

To Sami it suddenly felt like she was underwater unable to move away because Rafe was trying to take her hand in his and all the while she wanted to jerk it away and tell him to stop this nonsense. She also wished she were shouting for his trashy sister Arianna to get her fucking hands off of EJ.

Rafe spoke, "Isn't that great news Sami? Your uncle Stefano has agreed I could take you out on a date."

Sami honestly didn't know how to answer the question Rafe was asking her. What could she say with Stefano standing right beside her? She doubted no, I want to go out with EJ instead since he is my boyfriend, was not the correct answer to blurt out at this particular moment.

What a colossal fuck up!

EJ finally was able to push Arianna back away from him but when he turned his eyes back to find Samantha he was ready to fly in a full blown rage. That bastard was holding Samantha's hand in front of Stefano, hell in front of the entire school that had attended the game tonight.

Arianna was saying something, but he couldn't hear it, all he could focus on was the fact that mother fucker was holding Samantha's hand. No doubt about it he was going to go kick his ass, but then Philip was telling Chloe they had to go shower and then they would be back to talk to them when they were finished.

Philip pushed EJ in the direction of the locker room, "Damn DiMera it looks like Arianna finally decided to give you a wakeup call after all. I never thought she was going to get up the nerve to kiss you."

EJ tried once more to connect his eyes with Samantha, but he couldn't because she must have finally walked down the aisle of the bleachers and made it to the basketball court. "What did you say?"

Philip patted him on the back, "You know Arianna Hernandez, the girl who has been crushing on you for years. She finally made the move on you since you still hadn't taken it yourself."

EJ wanted to tell Philip the reason he hadn't ever made a move on Arianna was because she was his friend, but even more importantly he was in love with Samantha. Yet he couldn't confess that to Philip. Samantha had made him promise not to say a word to Philip since she feared he would say something to someone before they could tell Stefano how they truly felt about one another.

EJ was dumbfounded, he'd hadn't foreseen Arianna taking the initiative and kissing him. Hell, he thought she had understood he only wanted to be friends with her, friends like they had been for years. Had Philip and Chloe been in on it urging Arianna to highjack a kiss from him?

He was so fucking confused; this wasn't how he had wanted this night to go at all.

Kylie hadn't left Knox's hospital room ever since she had entered it this morning right as he was ordering everyone to get out of his room, but her. While it had been ages since she had felt he actually needed her and knowing when he was hurt he still wanted her around was about the only comfort she could derive from this entire fucked up situation.

He had slept for most of the day and when he was awake had been quiet, almost to the point of being sullen and that made her heart hurt for him. No matter what his age would be she would still think of him as her baby, the beautiful child she had been blessed with during her entire marriage with Jeff Preston. Frankly having Knox had been the only good thing she had gotten from the union, she didn't care about the money, while it helped not to worry about paying the bills, it also didn't keep her warm at night.

She had known Jeff began straying from their marriage vows early on, but she had been pragmatic. Her mother used to tell her a great woman learns to rise above it all, somehow though Kylie thought her mother had never had to deal with a constant philanderer for a husband either.

Yet she kept in all in, no one would know how she yearned to kill that selfish son of a bitch Jeff Preston because this time his fucking around behind her back had hurt the one person she loved more than anyone else in this world, her son. She wanted to cry, but crying had never helped her before and it sure wouldn't help her now.

No self pitying tears for her, she'd endure it all with the class and dignity that had been instilled in her from her youth. She'd ignored Jeff's little trysts and eventually he always came back to her. This time though she wasn't in a forgiving mood. She wanted retribution for all the times she had to hold her head up high, ignore the whispers of her well meaning friends who thought she had no idea about her husband even knowing all the while that some of them had even fucked him too.

This time though, things were going to be a little different. After speaking with Dr. Jonas early this morning, it appeared Jeff was going to have a slight problem getting it up, never mind keeping it up. She had tried to look as if she were upset while she listened to the doctor telling her what to expect considering the type of accident he had been in and that it might be months or even possibly years before Jeff fully recovered, if he ever did recover.

She smiled a cynical smile thinking at least sometimes God had a sense of humor because unless a miracle happened Jeff was going to have a permanent case of erectile dysfunction. As far as she was concerned, it was purely poetic justice.

She noticed Knox stirring, he was waking up once more and she hoped this time he would be in a better mood. She had been floored when he had ordered Lexie DiMera out of his hospital room this morning. The poor girl had looked completely devastated by his demand that he have no visitors beyond her, his mother, in his hospital room.

Should it have surprised her that Knox hadn't even asked the whereabouts of his father? Knox and his father weren't close; the man never attended any of the sports events Knox had been involved in since elementary school, which was really sad considering how Knox seemed to excel in whatever sport he attempted to play.

After a few years of hoping his father would show up for something, anything he participated in, Knox finally quit asking him. The day he had told Kylie all he needed was her to be at his games then she knew he had stopped caring about winning Jeff's approval. He might still yearn for his father to be proud of him, but he never mentioned a word about it to her again.

She arose from her chair to get stand by his bedside. "Are you finally waking up my sleepy-headed child?"

"Mom, I'm not a child," Knox pointed out to her.

"You'll always be my child," Kylie leaned over the bed to kiss his cheek.

Knox grinned, "Well that part is true. So when am I going to be able to go home? I want to sleep in my own bed. I hate being in the hospital."

"I talked to the doctor; he wants to keep you here at least one more night."

"Can't you convince him that you will take care of me?"

"Sorry, no can do. I don't think me batting my eyes and asking pretty please will sway Dr. Jonas to let you leave tonight."

"Mom, you know you still go it. All my friends think you are hot even if I tell them I would kill anyone of them if they ever thought you were a milf."

"Lennox Preston, I don't know whether to be offended or not by that statement you just made to me."

"I had to get my good looks from somewhere," Knox stated with a shrug of his right shoulder since he didn't want to move his left one because it might jar his broken wrist.

Kylie noticed him wince slightly even with him being careful of his injury. "Is the pain still bad?"

"Not like it was when I first woke up and then they gave me some kind of medicine that made me really out of it. I think I may have even said things to people I should have never said."

Kylie reached out to push his hair back off his forehead, "I'm sorry I wasn't here when the accident happened. I rushed here as soon as I was notified."

"At least one of my parent's gives a damn about me," Knox stated offhandedly.

"Your father loves you Knox."

Knox snorted his disbelief, "Mom I'm eighteen now, you don't have to protect my feelings. I realized a long time ago what a selfish son of a bitch my father was and as far as I'm concerned if he couldn't even be bothered to leave work to check on me then I'm done with him. I don't need him."

Kylie hated to hear Knox say aloud the things she knew were true about her husband's character. "Knox, watch your language please."

Knox rolled his eyes, "I'm just calling it like I see it. No need to sugarcoat things anymore."

"Well he would be here if he hadn't of been in a work related accident?"

Knox narrowed his eyes, "I thought he was out of town with you on business."

"No, he went to work on a job site and I went to coordinate the interior design on one of his previous jobs he had completed."

"Oh I must have misunderstood you before you left. I've been so doped up though you might have told me and I just don't remember. So is the old man all right?"

Kylie tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes, "He will be fine. It was a minor injury, but it put him behind and he needed to finish up his work on the project before the completion deadline expired."

"Well it doesn't matter then, when it comes to a job or his family, Jeff Preston is sure to pick the job every single time."

"Hey as long as we have each other's back, it's all right, isn't it?"

"Yeah Mom, you're the best. I love you."

"Thanks, now about that little temper tantrum you were throwing when I came into your hospital room this morning…"

"I just didn't want Lexie in here with me. I don't want to see anyone from school either. I don't want their pity over how I fucked up my wrist and couldn't play in the basketball game tonight. I don't even know if they won or lost. I don't care either way what happened."

"Try to keep the F word at a minimum please," Kylie requested which only brought on another eye roll from her son.

"Mom, it's a common word."

"It's a vulgar word Lennox."

"Yes Mother, I will refrain from saying the dreaded F word in your presence."

Kylie walked back to pull up the chair to sit closer to her son's bed. "Thank you, now I want to know the whole story. What exactly is going on with you and Miss Alexandra DiMera?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing and it's going to stay that way too."

"Oh Lennox, how many times have I told you that I can tell when you are lying to me?"

"I'm not telling you a lie Mom. Lexie doesn't mean anything to me."

Now it was Kylie's turn to roll her eyes at her son, "Tell me another one son. Come on it's me; fess up about what has happened between you and Lexie. I know you've always liked her. She might be the one for you."

"Trust me, she isn't," Knox turned his head away from his mother where she couldn't look in his eyes. He didn't want to think about Lexie, she couldn't be the one for him. Hadn't it been bad enough that she had gotten hurt just from spending time with him?

He needed to leave Lexie alone, she deserved so much better than him.