Hey to those of my readers who are following me on twitter, I apologize. I promised an update by Friday and didn't make it happen. So I apologize.
Chapter.11
"Might not know it now, but baby Ima STAR!" Sam and Austin woke from their sleep due to Sadi's rigntone.
"Babe, can you pass it? It's Sadi."
Sam got no reply. Instead she felt Austin move, then she heard her phone snap open, "Go Away." And her phone snap shut.
"Why'd you do that Aj?" Sam said then kicked him in the shin.
"Hey, now that's no fair."
"Whatever Aimes give me the phone."
"No, let's go back to sleep."
"No." Sam rolled over and straddled Austin. "Now give me the phone Aj."
Austin growled and handed her the phone.
"Thank you grumpy." She said as she dialed Madison's number back.
"Hey." She began her conversation. Yet she was engrossed in Austin's eyes. There it was again, guilt, shame. What happened? "Really? Yeah see you soon." With that she snapped her phone close and hopped up and ran to the shower.
"Samarie, where are you going?" Austin asked.
"Nowhere Aj, Sadi said she and Tobz would be over in less than 30 so I'm going to get ready." Sam yelled out to Austin.
Austin sat up and said stiffly "Why did you not ask if they could come over before you agreed."
The bathroom door opened and Sam poked her head out thoroughly confused at Austin's attitude. It was weird. Usually Toby and Sadi showed up unannounced, so why was he tripping?
"I'm sorry Austin, I never had to before."
Austin knew Sam was telling the truth. But he also knew that as soon as Madison and Toby arrived they would bring trouble.
Sam stood chewing on her lip, waiting for his response. What was going on with him? Finally, she shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry." She said again then disappeared behind the door.
Austin hopped up and threw on his football sweats and a thermal. Then he started pacing.
He hadn't meant to. He got caught up trying to protect his image, and let go in that moment. Same would have a hard time forgiving him. He knew what he was doing when he did it.
"So why on God's green earth did you do it, Austin?" He asked himself aloud.
"Do what?" Sam asked emerging from the bathroom.
"Samarie, stop worrying it's nothing."
"Okay." Sam said. Then she headed for the door. "Well I'm gonna go get breakfast and speak to your mom." Then she left.
Austin stared after her. This wasn't good.
Toby appeared in the doorway. The same frown that he wore last night when he dropped him off was still in place.
"Don't start." Austin said turning to go brush his teeth.
"Where is my best friend, brother?"Madison asked when Austin came back out.
"She went to get breakfast from the big house, she should be back" Sam walked through the door. "Now."
Sam smiled.
"Good morning to my favorite couple."
"Hey sis." Toby said still frowning.
"What's wrong big brudder?"
Toby looked at Austin then to Sam and said "Nothing."
Sam seeing the exchange raised an eyebrow "Oh…kay." Sam turned and gave her best friend a hug. "Alright, who's hungry?"There was a tense awkward silence. Austin and Toby were staring holes into each other. "Woahhkay, testosterone, let's calm down. What is going on with the two of you?"
"Nothing." Austin said.
"Tell her, Austin." Toby said at the same time.
"There's nothing to tell, Toby." Austin said, sighing. He didn't want to argue with his best friend.
"If you don't, I will."
"That's not your place."
"If you don't, then it is my place. It's better for her to find out through you or one of us, before she finds out the hard way and someone use it against the both of you."
"No one will. Everybody knows I love her, what happened, happened. It was a one time thing. Let. It. Go. Toby."
"Um, hello." Sam said. "She is in the room."
They continued though as if she hadn't spoken.
"You need to tell her A, Man up."
"No. There's no need to."
"What are they talking about Sadi? Will you tell me?" Sam asked Madison quietly.
Before Madison could inhale Austin cut his eyes at Sam and said "No."
"Ok so I am visible and you can hear me." Sam said, and then she walked over to him. "Baby, what aren't you telling me?" she pleaded.
"Samarie, it's nothing."
Sam stared in his eyes. If it was truly nothing why was he so troubled? Why was guilt just beneath the surface? Why were he and Toby bickering?
And cue in another tense awkward silence.
Toby's frown, if possible, seemed to deepen, his eyes narrowed at Austin, and his nostrils flared. Seeing this, Madison walked over to him and spoke in hush tones with him, calming him down.
Sam continued to stare into his eyes, silently asking him, begging him to tell her, whatever it was, just tell her. When Austin dropped his gaze, Sam sighed disappointedly. So now they were keeping secrets?
"Alright, well I've got to check my email for a Princeton update, then Saturday morning cartoons right?" She smiled in attempt to defuse the tension.
"Yes mam." Madison said smiling.
"As long as we don't have to watch my little pony this time around." Toby said causing everyone to crack up.
"Oh hush baby." Madison said.
"I recall you being into the cartoon big brother." Sam said while powering up the laptop.
"That's because he was." Austin said smiling. Thank God the pressure was off. Now he could enjoy his Saturday with the people closes to him.
"I recall you being into it also Aj. So don't be a wise guy." She winked at him over the laptop.
He winked back.
The computer loaded and Sam went directly to the internet.
"SonicX is out the question, Sam gets too involved."
"That is not true. I just get real…" Sam trailed off.
She happened to glance down at the screen in the middle of her sentence. And what she saw broke her heart. The home pages main story was: The Golden Couple Back Together at Last. And there was a huge picture of her Austin and Shelby in the middle of an intense lip lock.
Noticing her silence and her mood change every looked at her worriedly.
Choked by heart ache, despair, and tears Sam stood quickly and slid her flip flops on she grabbed her set of keys and her bag.
Everyone watched confused and hoping it wasn't what they feared.
"Sam," Madison said carefully.
"I need some air. . ."She cut her eyes at Austin, then changed her mind. "I've got to get out of here." Then she made a run for it, letting the tears escape.
The three left in the room sat staring at the laptop that wasn't facing them. Too scared to see what ran their love one out of the house, they just sat in silence and stared.
Finally, Madison built up the courage to see. She stood and walked over to the laptop and saw the story and the picture. "Oh, no." She said softly, tears coming to her eyes for her best friend. Then she simply turned the laptop so both the boys could see.
"Damn, A." Toby said.
"No." Austin simply said as he stared at the picture. "No." He choked out. Heart ache, despair, and tears choking him, making it hard to breathe, see, and think. "NO!"