Chapter One

"You're freaking out about nothing," EJ said as he and Sami took a seat at their usual lunch table.

"Have you been listening to anything I've been saying?" Sami asked throwing up her hands for effect.

"Yes I heard you but Samantha, if you stress out about the project you'll have a harder time finishing it,"

Sami sighed.

"I really hate it when you're right,"

"I usually am right aren't I?" EJ asked playfully as a satisfied smirk played on his lips.

As a response Sami just gave EJ a stubborn stare refusing to clarify or deny anything.

"Well…" EJ let his sentence trail.

Sami just shook her head as she started to laugh.

"But seriously, if you need help on the project I can help you on it,"

Sami nodded.

"What about your project? If you help me you might not have time to work on it,"

EJ waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it, I can multi-task,"

Sami rolled her eyes.

"Okay now that we've established the fact you are very good at multi-tasking where do you want to work on the project?"

"We could go to my place to work on it," EJ offered without thinking.

Sami hesitated, her family hadn't particularly like the fact she was friends with EJ at first but after she made it clear she was going to be friends with him despite what they thought they had been forced to accept it. EJ's family on the other hand hadn't been so easily persuaded, even after six years they still hadn't accepted the friendship and made it known that they disapproved every time Sami came to the mansion.

EJ automatically picked up on Sami's hesitance and spoke up.

"This is about my family not approving of our friendship and speaking of it every time they see us together, isn't it?"

"Well…Yeah," Sami admitted.

EJ sighed.

"Look, Samantha, if anybody in that house says or does anything to hurt you they'll have to deal with me,"

Sami smiled, even in the seventh grade when most boys acted like complete jerks EJ had been the total opposite---with her at least. He had always been the one person she could confide in without judgment and he always tried to protect her, when he couldn't he did his best to comfort her.

"Fine, do you want to do it right after school?"

"That works for me," EJ agreed.

Before anything else could be said the bell that signaled that lunch was over rang. Both EJ and Sami walked back to fifth period.

Later that evening EJ and Sami walked into the DiMera mansion and started up the stairs to EJ's room only to be stopped by Tony, EJ's older brother.

"Well Samantha, isn't a nice surprise to have you here again," Tony greeted her in a condescending tone.

"Tony," Sami replied coldly.

Tony started to respond only to be cut off by EJ.

"Tony don't even say it,"

"Say what?" Tony asked innocently.

"You know very well what,"

He and Tony had almost the same conversation every time he was at the mansion with Sami, Tony would be condescending and then he would insult Sami which led to him and Tony fighting, then their father would end up getting involved and EJ really wasn't in the mood for tonight.

EJ looked in Sami's direction and told her to go up to his room and he'd be up in a few minutes. Sami hesitated, giving Tony an icy glare before heading up the stairs. EJ glanced up at the stairs making sure Sami was out of hearing distance.

"Look, I get that this family hates the fact I'm friends with Samantha since she's a Brady but since I don't plan on stopping my friendship with her anytime soon you guys just need to suck it up and deal with it,"

"You know father isn't very happy about your relationship with Samantha, if you stay friends with her it will take fathers opinion of you down quite a bit," Tony pointed out a satisfied smirk on his face.

"You know when it comes to my friendship with Samantha I don't care what father thinks---not that you would understand that," EJ said harshly before going up the stairs.

When EJ got up to his room he opened the door to find Sami with her book bag open and her work laid out on the bed. When Sami realized EJ had entered the room she looked up from the paper she was staring so intently at.

"I'm assuming your conversation with Tony didn't go well?"

EJ sighed.

"No it didn't, but don't worry about it,"

Sami looked at EJ for a minute.

"Fine can we start on the project then?"

EJ nodded.

After that they worked in silence.

After working for awhile both EJ and Sami were interrupted by the sound of Sami's cell phone. She glanced down at the caller ID to see that it was Lucas. She sighed in annoyance and turned off her phone.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Sami replied.

EJ gave Sami an unconvinced look.

"That was Lucas, wasn't it?"

Sami sighed.

"Yeah we broke up---again,"

"What for now?" EJ asked trying to hide his exasperation.

"He's just been kind of secretive lately and I called him on it then he got mad,"

EJ opened his mouth getting ready to speak but didn't get a chance to say anything because Sami cut him off.

"Don't say it,"

"Don't say what? That you deserve better than him because he tries to change you into something you're not?"

Sami narrowed her eyes.

"Lucas doesn't try to change me; he makes me be a better person,"

"That's what I'm talking about Samantha, you and I both know you're capable of being a good girl but you're also capable of being a bad girl. You shouldn't have to give up one or the other to please someone else,"

Sami sighed in frustration.

"Can we please just get off this topic please?"

"Fine," EJ agreed with reluctance.

For the life of him EJ never could understand what Sami saw in Lucas, in their four years of high school Lucas had managed to break Sami's heart more than once and every time EJ wanted to strangle him for hurting her in the first place. But he also knew how stubborn Sami was and she'd have to figure out that Lucas wasn't good for her on her own he couldn't help her with that---no matter how much he wanted to.