13: Trying to Break Up

When Samantha finally, against her personal wishes, reached campus and then her dorm, she was highly irritated. Bill had flat out told her Chris was likely to end things with her Friday because that's just how things were. Bill hadn't been mean about it, but he had listed a lot of valid points about why it would never work. Irritation spiked when she let herself into her room to find John and Maria in her goddamn bed. "WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT MY BED?!"

"WHY ARE YOU BACK?!"

"Shit… shit, sorry, fuck…"

And all the fucking flowers… oh my God. Sam turned and walked right the Hell back out, deciding she'd go hang out in the downstairs common area for the dorm house. She was going to have to start considering her own room, that was the third damn time.

So, she had returned to campus from being on the road with her Rockstar. Paul inwardly mused, smiling at the irritation lining Samantha's face and walked up to her, clearing his throat. "Hey sweetheart." He had another bouquet of roses, handing them to her and kissed her lips softly while placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked bemused. "I missed you. What are you doing down here?" He'd just gotten in and hadn't expected to see her until Friday, but lucky him, she was here. Maybe Samantha was seeing the error of her ways about being with a loser rocker after all. "What time is your performance on Friday?"

"Five, down on the beach." Sam stared up at him, frowning. Before he left, he had called the competition a shitty waste of time, and now he was here, to see her perform? What the actual fuck? "What's going on?" She demanded, a bit suspiciously, because this was not normal Paul behavior. "Is my mother here?" Since he had gone running to Marsha not once, but twice in the past week. "Paul, we really, really need to talk."

Because whether she was with someone else or not, this wasn't working. It had taken Chris to really kind of push it home for her but there it was. She and Paul hadn't been working for a long time now. It wasn't fair to him, or herself, or their stupid families, to be dragging this out.

"Can we sit down?" She asked, gently guiding him over to the old, comfy couch in the corner, glad that most people went home because it meant they had the common room to themselves. Dropping down, she gently placed the bouquet on the stand beside her before turning to stare at him, watching as he sat down as well. Except, he was sitting really, really close to her, staring down at her intently and Samantha blinked. He was actually paying attention to her, for the first time in over a year. He was mentally there with her, focused on her, and it was… disconcerting, actually. She was used to being ignored.

"What's on your mind, beautiful?" Paul took her hands, holding them in his. She was speechless because he was actually paying attention to her. If he wanted to keep her, he had to play the part and prove with actions, not words. He knew she was going to try to break up with him, but that wasn't happening, not if he had anything to say about it. If he had to sit through a boring talent show and watch her make an ass out of herself in said show, so be it. He'd do it, anything to keep his diamond.

"I'm not mad at you, if that's what you're worried about. I understand you didn't wanna be around your Mom." Not really, he loved her mother, but Paul had to play the game with Samantha. "I love you, Sam, and I just want to support whatever you want to do."

Oh he would, the asshole. Samantha cleared her throat, trying to pull her hands away from him but he wasn't letting go, his grip gentle but firm. "Paul…" He was such a dill, pulling this shit now. "Look, I think we need to-"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, don't move out!"

Now wasn't the time. Sam rolled her eyes. "Maria, you-"

Maria eyeballed the pair, frowning but didn't say a word. She had thought Sam was breaking up with Paul, not… this. "Um… so… roomies, still? I'm washing your stuff, and it'll NEVER happen again."

"Okay, good, I'm glad but-"

"Have you given your music to the stage manager yet? You have to do it today."

"Fuck…"

Paul fought an eye roll and smiled, reaching out to caress her face with the back of his hand to regain her attention. "After you win the show, I'll take you out anywhere you want or we can do whatever you want. It's your call, hmm?" Maybe giving her a little more leeway in their relationship instead of it being so scheduled would help him out with her too. "So, what were you saying to me? Whatever is on your mind, you can tell me, Samantha. I'm ALWAYS here for you."

"Always here for you, always, why is he making this so goddamn hard?!" Samantha screeched Friday afternoon, down at the beach with Maria. Maria hadn't made it into the finals, it was just a small handful of them, and she was avoiding her sort of boyfriend. Every time she tried to break up with him, they were interrupted, or he kissed her, or her phone rang and now… now she trying to get her head in the game. She wasn't letting Chris dress her tonight,

Hell, she hadn't seen or heard from him since he had sent her packing though he had said he would see her after the show. She was planning on breaking from the dress thing and professional make-up and hair crap. Black leather pants and a black belly baring tank top with black low heeled boots Maria had gotten her as a 'sorry' present. Her ebony hair hung down to her elbows and she had gone with her usual tinted lip gloss and a hint of black eyeliner. Nothing overly fancy, nothing 'country', just basic because it was about the music, not her attire.

"I'm sorry sweetie," Maria sighed, shaking her head. "Maybe you should just write him a 'Dear John' letter or something."

"Yeah, except it'd still manage to get lost in transit."

Bill nudged Chris from his seat behind the judge's panel, gesturing his head at the boyfriend who was front and center, looking bored. So much for that, huh?

"Wait, is this…?" John was also out in the crowd, grinning when Maria joined him. "She listens to Shinedown?"

"Everyone has a guilty pleasure. Hey Paulie boy, you should pay attention!"

Technically, this was out of her comfort zone because sometimes, Brent Smith sang fast. Like, you could understand him, but it was still fast. But she had been practicing, sort of, as much as she could, and she knew the song by heart so that helped. The first part of the song, not so bad, and then came the bridge and the chorus, where it was make it or break it. Maria had encouraged her to use the 'growl' thing she did, what the hell ever.

For my sake please

Stop slowing me down, stop holding me up

Quit making a scene, enough's enough

Let's be honest, your promise, was never meant to last

So I'm taking you on, I'm calling you out

There's nothing left, for us here now

Let's be honest, I promise, I'm never lookin' back for my sake

For my sake

Paul knew she was singing that to him, but he pointedly looked away from the stage and eyeballed the rocker, who couldn't take his eyes from Samantha. She was TAKEN and Irvine could learn that the easy way or the hard way. Snorting, he moved his eyes back to HIS woman and clapped when the song ended, trying to be as enthusiastic as possible.

Maria had to go. That was his next goal is getting rid of the loud mouth bad influence on his girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancée. He just had to find the right time and place to propose, though Marsha had asked him to wait it out until the summer when school was completely out of session.

Chris was standing, applauding and whistling, along with the rest of the crowd, though he had to wonder if Samantha had broken things off with her boyfriend or not.

Samantha waited backstage throughout the rest of the event, not overly surprised when at the end, there was a little break while the judges debated. When they were all called back out, she was a bit surprised to find her palms sweating, wishing this was over, and her eyes found Chris', smiling slightly. First place was money, which she had, and meeting a celebrity, which she had already done. She didn't care about winning though she would admit to being pleasantly surprised at second place.

As soon as prizes were passed out, and the winner was being pulled for a TV spot thing, she slipped backstage, taking deep breaths. "Never… again…" Hell no, that was a royal pain in the butt.

Paul was waiting for her backstage, alongside Maria and hugged her tightly, kissing her to the point where her toes curled. He hadn't kissed her like that in a very long time. Again, playing the part, the game, was what he had to do. "You did wonderful, beautiful. I'm so damn proud of you." Not really. This was all a hoax, a sham, and now that she didn't win first place, maybe she'd get her head out of the clouds and start focusing on schooling and her upcoming career. Eventually, she would be a stay at home mother and wife, knocked up with his kid while he brought home the bacon. However, Paul knew better than to tell her any of that or any of his plans.

"IWANTTOBREAKUP!" It came out a loud rush and Samantha both cringed and felt relief coursing through her. Not the best time, not the best place, but she had been trying since yesterday and it hadn't been happening.

"God, I was wondering if you were ever going to do it."

"Maria, go away. Paul, I'm sorry but I don't -this-, I don't love you anymore, I don't think I have in a while."

"And the sex is boring, tell him about that." Maria wasn't going anywhere, she had been waiting awhile to see this.

"Maria!" She wasn't trying to hurt him anymore then she had too, Jesus Christ! "It's not boring, it's-"

"Stale. One two beat, missionary only and who the FUCK doesn't go down on their woman?" Maria shrieked as John dragged her off.

Samantha was mortified and they now had a few onlookers. "That is not how I imagined this would go down… I'm so, so, so sorry Paul."

Paul couldn't believe the AUDACITY of that little cunt, his eyes growing wide and wider, staring at his now ex-girlfriend like she'd grown three heads. It was the rock star. Maria and the rock star had corrupted her against him! Poisoned her mind and heart! Paul couldn't say a word, seeing the desperation in Samantha's eyes and knew he couldn't make a scene, clearing his throat very gruffly.

Her words of 'I don't love you anymore' echoed in his ears, which made his heart hurt more than he ever thought possible. Instead of arguing with her, he simply backed away and left the backstage area, heading back to his dorm to make a phone call. Marsha had to know about this immediately. Well, maybe not immediately. He had to try to salvage a few things of his own first, like his pride.

Without Maria there to annoy her and keep her thoughts focused, Sam drifted away from the crowds and scene, the party starting as camera crews wrapped up. She ambled down the beach, away from all that, and wiped tears off her cheeks. She hadn't wanted to hurt Paul, she had known him since they were kids.

Hell, they had been high school sweethearts, and at one time, she had loved him and couldn't see a future without him. That had changed over the last year but that didn't mean she still didn't care about him. It wasn't like that had changed. Just HOW she cared. "Fuckin' boots." She dropped down on a driftwood log, ignoring the old fire pit beside it and tugged off the boots, groaning. She'd give him time to calm down and try to smooth things over.