Samantha's POV

This wasn't happening. I can't let myself get into this situation again. I have to find my way out. There has to be a stop to everything. I promised myself that I would be assertive… they I would be a different person… but all I am is a failure at everything to let myself end up in this situation.

I stare back and the blank reflection looking at me. At the girl that I once knew but now seems so distant… so different… a stranger to everything I know. Everything was moving on so good. I was finally making peace with the past… I was finally forgetting… and he had to ruin everything again… he or my unlucky stars… but I don't believe into these trivial stuff. I'm more a concrete fact person.

I splashed clear cold water onto my face hoping that It will jog me back to reality… back to what I was feeling. But I only wanted to block my inhibitors… to stop the pain… physically and emotionally. I was angry at him for being so heartless, and at myself for letting myself getting into this situation again. I had to stop… but I let him overcome me and win… but this is it… Nobody will do whatever he wants with me. It's over now.

I got out of the bathroom and there he was still fixing himself. I went forward and slapped him hard, and as he faced me again I went back to slap him back, only this time he held my arm from my wrist and squeezed tight. I whimpered in pain and smiled sarcastically.

'You feisty little girl…' He started. '…and you think you can actually hurt me?' He asked again as I fought to retrieve my arm.

'I quit… I resign… Call it what you want…' I replied sternly as I rubbed my wrist. 'I'm done taking shit from you.' I continued as he went back to his desk.

'You resign you say huh?' He continued as he logged on his computer. '…and what do you think you can achieve by that?' He asked again.

'I don't need the money… I can find other jobs… but this will be the last time you see of me…' I replied as I made my way to the door.

'Not so fast Samantha…' He stopped me. 'You think I will be letting you go that easy huh?'

'I don't need you to let me go. I'm my own person Jared.' I replied back sternly. 'You compromised me once… I'm not letting you do it again.'

'If I recall correctly your best friend compromised me…' He replied again as he moved forward. 'If I recall correctly…her name was… Jennifer? Yeah… you were always together…' He continued.

'Leave Jennifer out of this…' I said between gritted teeth.

'…and she works here… What better place could I find?'

'I said leave…'

'I heard you the first time Samantha…' He replied back as he came forward and faced me, only a pace or two between us. 'I'll make you a deal… you'll be here for my service, and I will leave Jennifer alone…'

'…and if I resign?'

'Then you'll see…' He threatened.

'Are you threatening me Jared?'

'No… I don't call this a threat… I call it a one to one compromise…'

'So you're making me choose….'

'I don't want an answer now. If tomorrow by 7pm you won't be here… then you'll know what awaits for Jennifer. If you'll be here… Well… you know the latter…'

'…and what makes you think that I won't report you?'

'Oh please! You haven't even told your parent's that you were pregnant… you didn't even testify against me. You don't have the guts to report me…. And if you do, you know what awaits you. You know exactly that I will find you… and when I will… you know the consequences.' He said again. 'You are just a pathetic little girl only there as a vessel. You are nothing… just a number…'

'Stop it…'

'Why? Am I hitting a nerve Samantha? You know you are a failure… you've always known it… why do you think your parent's sent you to boarding school… huh? You think because they loved you? If they did they would have let you stay with them. But the school was their escape. They got rid of you… and then your grandparent's took you in. What a lovely story isn't it?'

'You son of a bitch…'

'You're right there… and she is…' He laughed sarcastically. '…at least I have a mother that loves me… what about yours Samantha? She left you… they all did…'

'Fuck you Jared…'

'I think I just did that to you Samantha… in the real sense of the word…' He replied as I opened the door. 'Tomorrow Sam… It's your decision…' He warned before I ran out.

I quickly went downstairs and made my way straight to the locker room. I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I sat down and took deep breaths and tried to get my thoughts straight. He was right… I didn't have the guts to report him… and I couldn't put this all on Jennifer. She had no business in this situation… but I didn't want to be this girl forever. Would he truly make Jennifer pay for my decision? He had the guts to do it to me… and who knows to how many other girls did he do it to?

'Sam!' I heard a voice from behind me.

'Jenny?' I smiled weakly as I stood up.

'I've been looking for you! Are you ok?' She asked concerned. 'No…I can't do it to her…' I thought to myself.

'Yeah… Yeah… I'm fine…' I smiled.

'Sam… why don't you go home? I'll take your shift! You need to get your head straight… and this worrying isn't good for you…'

'No… no… I'll be fine…'

'Well… you can be home… It's too late anyways now…' She smiled as she came forward to my locker and took out my stuff. 'I kind of called your brother and asked him to come for you because you were feeling sick… so please feign sickness now…'

'Jennifer! You didn't have to do that!'

'I had…' She replied as she placed the bag in my arms. 'You're the sister I never had… and I'm sure you would do the same for me…' She smiled. 'Go home, take a hot steaming bath with those Indian things and oils, clear your head, and study for that politics test… you need it more than this job…' She smiled again as she hugged me.

'Thank you Jennifer.'

'Don't mention it Sam…' She smiled again as she looked at me. 'Are you ok? You know… with the Fredricks business?'

'Yeah… yeah… I'm fine…' I replied.

'Are you sure?'

'I'm fine Jen…' I replied as Theodore came running in.

'Sammy! Of God! You look pale!' He started fussing and feeling my forehead. 'Your head hurt? You dizzy? Nauseated?'

'Theodore! Relax! I'm think I'm coming down with the flue…'

'Do you that to all your patients, doc?' Jennifer teased.

'Not to all… only to my sister…' He replied nonchalantly. 'Sammy what are you feeling…'

'Just a stomach ache… I'll be fine… Jennifer just panicked.'

'Jennifer I owe you one… My bull headed sister tends to think with her ass at times…' He replied as he took my bag.

'I'll hold you to that Theodore… and you're right…'

'Come on let's go Sam…'

'Do mum and dad know?' I asked as I followed him.

'I told them you fell and hurt your leg, so when we enter home limp a little… ok?'

'Yes sir…' I replied back as I waved to Jennifer.

Theodore's POV

She wasn't looking so hot, she looked sick to me… all what she needed today. I kept stealing a look at her here and there. Her head was resting to the glass window, her legs tight together and one nervously shaking up and down. Her thumb and fore finger rubbing against each other and her arms crossed. There is something on her mind and I knew it.

'Sam?' I tried grabbing her attention as I made a U-turn. 'Sam?' I called again as I squeezed her knee, but she flinched and I looked suspiciously at her.

'What?' She asked.

'I called you twice…'

'Sorry… didn't hear you…'

'What's bugging you?' I decided to hit the nail.

'Nothing…'

'Sam…' I warned.

'Really… nothing…' She replied again. I decided to head on it in a different way but she seemed to find her tongue. 'How come Taylor doesn't follow you?'

'I kind of made a deal with dad… I'm 23 now… I kind of don't need a body guard to protect me… and since you're with me, mum and dad decided that Taylor isn't needed. They want to give us the normality of life as possible…'

'Thanks…' She smiled weakly. 'I would have gone crazy with someone on my neck.'

'Tell me about it!' I chuckled. 'You know when mum and dad sent me to London, I was quite the rebellious kind…'

'You? The rebellious? I had to see that!'

'I have the scar in my head to prove it…' I chuckled. ' I once decided that I could fly. My mates and I were watching Harry Potter, and you know the Leviating spell?' I asked while she nodded. 'Well, we fell for it… and I burst my head open… What was I thinking?'

'You weren't thinking… that's what!' She laughed. 'What did dad do?'

'He went ballistic! He came to London with mum few hours later, he bossed the doctors around and he placed Sawyer as my own security detail. God… How I hated that!'

'Do you know why they sent us to boarding school?' She asked as she let her head drop. I didn't want to lie to her… but I wasn't going to tell her all of this myself.

'Well… parts of why…' I decided to play it safe. 'They wanted to keep us hidden from the world… We were young. It was easy for a kidnapping to happen… They didn't want it to happen… They wanted to keep us safe… both of us…' I emphasized.

'So it wasn't because they don't love us?' She asked in doubt.

'Wow! Where is this coming from?' I pulled over and killed off the engine.

'Nowhere… It's just…'

'Let me get this clear Samantha… our parent's love us so much that they chose to be away from us to keep us safe. Yes dad can be bastard… and cold… but that's only because he love us… Am I clear?'

'Yes Theodore…' she replied as she let her head drop.

'Hey… no need to feel ashamed… you're only 16… you are entitled to feel these emotional lapses. The important thing is to not let them get to you…' I replied.

'Ok…' She smiled as I pulled her bag and fished for a packet of tissues to hand them to her. 'Wait don't!' She tried to stop me until I brought out the unexpected. I looked at the Malboro packet in my hands with the lighter. 'What the fuck?'

'Theodore... let me explain...'

'Yeah... you better start! You're smoking now? What the fuck Samantha? Do you know that these will kill you? Do you know how dangerous it is to smoke?'

'Oh please, don't act all Saint like... don't tell me you've never smoked!'

'No I never did! I don't need some nicotine and tobacco... So please... come on... explain! What the fuck are you doing to smoke? Is that why you work?'

'What? No!'

'Samantha! I have to tell dad...'

'No please! No don't! Dad will kill me... I promise I'll stop... you can check everywhere... I promise I'll stop... but please don't tell mum or dad! Please!' She begged.

'Samantha! You know I can't... If I allow this to go on, you will see that I'm easy on you... Then you will try something worse... I cannot let you do it and I cannot let this go on. These will kill you Samantha!'

'Maybe I want to die...'

'What was that?' I asked in disbelief at what I just heard.

'Nothing...'

'Samantha... do you want to die?' I asked confused.

'Haven't you ever felt that many things happen and you can't seem to figure out everything?' she asked.

'Well...' I dropped my guard. 'Sometimes...'

'...and what do you do?'

'Honestly? I talk to you... You always manage to turn everything comical... and then we try to find some solution together.'

'...but what about the other things? The ones that we don't discuss...'

'I... try to get my head around them... or else go to mum or dad...' I replied. 'Why Sam? Is there...'

'What if... you had to choose between your friend and yourself?'

'What do you mean?'

'Well... let's say you were going to be robbed and Paul was with you... The robber gives you two choices... either you go and Paul takes the load or Paul goes and you face him... What would you do?'

'Well... Paul... was always there for me... I wouldn't do anything to hurt him...'

'So you'll choose to face it yourself?'

'I think I would...' He replied. 'Why?'

'Just something I wanted to ask...' She replied. 'Theodore... I'll promise I'll stop smoking... but please...'

'No Samantha... I have to tell them... I can't hide this from them... Don't put me in a more difficult place...'

'You know they will kill me and ground me for life...'

'If that will keep you alive and with no lung cancer then yes... I'll even support them. But I'm not going to watch my sister kill herself slowly... Now you can hate me all you want, but that is my decision...'

'So much for having my back...'

'I have your back... This is my way of having your back Sam...' I replied as I pulled back onto the road. '...and remember... limp when we get home...'

We entered home as we agreed on, but it was time to head to the hard parts. There was no way I was going to let this go on.

'Sammy honey! What happened?' Mum went all over her as Gail brought some ice.

'I'm fine mum... I twisted my ankle... It's no big deal...'

'Whatever has to do with you is a big deal...' Dad replied as he helped her to the couch.

'Theodore... you look thoughtful... is everything ok?' Mum asked concerned.

'Well... actually no...' I replied as I kept looking at Samantha.

'Theodore... please no...' Samantha tried again.

'What is it Teddy?' Dad asked as he moved forward while I fished for the cigarettes and lighter from my back pocket.

'I found these in Sam's bag...' I handed them to him while his face started turning to a shade of burgundy while he turned to face her.

'Are these yours Sam?' He asked while she remained quiet. 'Samantha Grace, answer me now.'

'Thanks Theodore...'

'Leave your brother out of this... Are you smoking? Yes or no?'

'Yes...' she replied. '...but I promise I'll stop...'

'Hell yes you will!' He ordered. 'Let me catch you with a pack and you're grounded for life. Am I clear?'

'Yes...'

'Christian... take it easy...'

'Easy my ass Anastasia...' He replied.

'Honey... why are you smoking?' Mum asked her gently.

'I don't know... I just tried it... and like it...'

'Well you won't anymore... you're grounded Samantha... you have one month helping Gail with chores...' He ordered. 'Now off to bed...'

'Theodore dear, help your sister...'

'No... i can do it on my own...' She replied in spite. I knew I hit a nerve like this... but I had to do it. I just hope she'll forgive me. But if I had to do this again, I would just to keep her safe. She can hate me all she wants.

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