[A/N: Sorry it took me some time to update. I was busy and don't have much time to write, but here it is . . . Chapter 14 for you. Just so you know, this chapter is really hard to write. Being inside Percy's head is overwhelming. I knew firsthand what it feels like to deal with the guilt and confusion. I experienced what Percy's going through and I know what it feels like to question every move you make, knowing that no matter what you do, you're hurting someone. I guess I'm saying this because I don't want you to judge Percy too easily, or Sam, or Annabeth, for that matter.
CimFan : I'm glad you liked it. And remember to take care.
Shaft of Light : I apologize, but it's my way of keeping your interest. I'm kind of evil that way, just like Rick. :D
Dansosen : Sam's character was inspired by a friend of mine. The same one involved with what I mentioned on top.
readwritereview: I'll assure you again: I'm not Rick Riordan, but thank you for the encouragements! :D
Thank you all for the reviews. I need them so keep them coming. Thanks. :D
This chapter is a bit shorter than the others but I'm still hoping you'll like it.
WARNING: There's an, um, intimate scene here so brace yourselves. :D]
WISE GIRL'S SEAWEED BRAIN
Chapter 14: ROOTS BEFORE BRANCHES
PERCY
Samantha's lips were soft and warm.
Her hand was on the side of my face, trapping me. My hands were limp on her waist as her lips move and tried to part mine. My head was fuzzy and I couldn't think straight. The kiss deepened and Samantha pushed me with her body until I was sitting on the floor with her on top of me. When her tongue traced the outline of my lips, however, I snapped back into reality and I pushed her off of me.
Samantha looked up at me, hurt.
"Oh, gods," I cursed myself silently. How could I let that happen? I have a girlfriend, for Hades' sake! What I did was practically cheating. Not only I was hurting Annabeth but I was also hurting my friend by egging her on. "Sam . . . I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to just – I'm sorry."
Samantha nodded, her eyes still wet with tears. "No. It's not you. I'm sorry, Perce. I didn't mean to kiss you. I'm so, so sorry, please don't abandon me."
I sat in front of her and held her hand. "I'm not going anywhere, Sam. I will always be here for you, no matter what happens."
Samantha gripped my hand tightly. "Thank you, Perce," she murmured, pulling me back to her again. I didn't do anything this time. I just let her cling to me. My chest was heavy and thoughts were running like crazy in my mind.
I felt Samantha pulling away and I sat back on the floor. My friend's eyes were still red but she had stopped crying. I wanted to say so many things to her but my tongue got tied and I couldn't form words.
"I've lived for so long with this fear that when you find out, you're going to leave me," she said in a quiet voice. Samantha brought her knees close to her chest and continued, "It wouldn't have been my choice to confess right in front of the whole school but I didn't have a choice, Perce. Amber threatened to tell you if – "
"Wait, Amber forced you to tell?" I asked, flabbergasted.
Samantha nodded. "She read my diary during the party and told me that if I don't confess to you, she will."
I was mad. I couldn't believe Amber would do something like that. I stood up and was on my way to confront her when Samantha stopped me. "Perce, don't," she said. I looked at her. Even after what Amber put her through she didn't want me to do anything for her. "It's not going to change anything. You know and you didn't run away; that's what matters to me."
I nodded, but I'd made up my mind; I would talk to Amber the first chance I got.
Samantha reached out and twisted her fingers in my hair and looked me in the eye. I don't know why she made me nervous. The was she stared at me, the way she held my face between her hands, the way she smiled whenever our eyes met it was . . . oh, Styx. Those were making me feel things I thought I'd only feel for Annabeth.
"Can I apologize one last time?" she asked.
I looked up to her. "For what?"
"For this," she said as she pulled my neck down and kissed me again. I couldn't compare the way she kissed with Annabeth's . . . they're kind of the same. If I closed my eyes, I could totally picture it was Annabeth's lips pressed tightly to mine.
Annabeth.
At the thought of her name, my hands moved on their own and pushed her away from me. "Please, Sam, don't," I whispered.
Samantha nodded. "I know, Perce. And I'm so sorry."
"I told you not to apologize," I said.
"You can't expect me to stop," she insisted. "You put your trust in me and I fell for you. I violated that trust."
"You didn't," I said. "Sam, it wasn't you fault."
"I know," said Sam. "But I can see what I'm putting you through, Perce. I can see that you're guilty and probably hurt because of what's happening and I'm telling you – don't. None of this is your fault."
"I still hurt you," I said.
"Unintentionally," she said. Then she smiled. "Go back to Annabeth, Perce. She'd be wondering where you are."
"But Sam – "
"Perce, I need some time alone, okay? Please. I don't want Annabeth to have the wrong idea. She's my friend and I don't want to hurt her." Samantha kissed me on the cheek and said, "I'll be fine, Perce. You don't have to worry about me. Now go back to your girl."
Samantha turned on her heels and walked away. I wanted to follow her but stopped myself. She's right. Annabeth would be wondering where I was. I went back to the gym. The program was still going on. Students were still making dedications for their special someone. Amber caught my eyes when I was on my way to our table. She smiled and waved. I glared at her.
I would've talked to her but Annabeth saw me and met me halfway. Without saying anything, she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me close to her. I hugged her back and buried my face in her hair.
"I'm sorry," I said. I knew what I really wanted to say: I'm sorry I let her kiss me. I'm sorry I left you. I'm sorry that I'm a horrible person but I couldn't say them, knowing none of them would be enough.
"Shh," she whispered. "I understand why you went after her. She's your friend. I can't expect you to just ignore what happened."
"Did you know?" I asked.
Ananbeth nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"It's not for me to tell, Seaweed Brain," said Annabeth. "Samantha confessed to me that day when we had dinner at her house. She was afraid you'd resent her if you find out. I tried telling her you won't care but she was so scared she'll destroy your friendship and chose to stay silent. I have no right to tell that to you. It should be her decision. I wanted to, Seaweed Brain, but I couldn't. She's still my friend even after what happened."
"Why do I have to be so stupid?" I asked in exasperation.
Annabeth looked up to me. She looked sad and I wondered, for a moment, whether she knew about my kiss with Samantha. She couldn't have. "Percy, don't torment yourself. It's not your fault this happened." I shook my head but she grabbed my face and force d me to make eye contact with her. When I did, she said, "You said I'm not allowed to do that to myself and right now, I'm forbidding you from hurting yourself because of this. I'm sure Samantha will say the same thing."
"I'm sorry," I said. "This isn't the way this night is supposed to go."
A small smile formed on Annabeth's lips. "We can still save it. Come on," she said, tugging on my hand.
She pulled me back to our table. I thought she was going to make me sit again but she just grabbed her flowers and her purse. My friends looked at me. "You okay, man?" asked Pete.
"No," I admitted. "But I will be."
I waved goodbye to them as Annabeth led me back to my car. When we were in, she said, "Drop me to my apartment and drive back to yours. I need some time to prepare and I know you need some time alone."
"Prepare for what?" I asked.
Annabeth smiled. "You'll see."
We drove in silence. Annabeth was holding my hand. I wanted to talk to her about what happened but the guilty weighing me down was too much.
She kissed me before getting out of the car. For a second, she frowned and wiped her lips. I frowned, wondering why. I was about to ask her when she smiled, said, "I'll see you later, Seaweed Brain," and got out.
I drove back to our apartment. Good thing Mom and Paul weren't home yet. Less two people I needed to explain how insensitive I was. I went straight to my room and lied down on my bed.
Samantha's words rang in my ears. The memory of her lips against mine made my lips tingle. The thought of having her body close to mine made me burn up like I was having a fever. I never viewed Samantha more than a friend, but after her confession today, a gateway of whole new possibilities opened and rushed into my head.
I wasn't anywhere good in handling things like this to begin with and experiencing the confusion, the indecision . . . it was all too much. I knew, deep inside that I shouldn't be feeling this way. Annabeth's my girlfriend. There wasn't supposed to be any trouble in making my choices, or any hint of confusion but it they were there, even when I didn't know why.
I tossed and turned for who knows how long. I wasn't even aware of falling asleep. I was roused by my phone ringing. I snatched it up and saw Samantha's number on the screen. I had called and texted her numerous times before I fell asleep but she didn't reply.
"Sam," I said in relief. "Where have you been?"
"Is this Percy Jackson?" asked a man's voice.
I frowned. I didn't recognize the voice. "Yes. Who is this? And where's Sam?"
"She's drunk," the man said. "I couldn't find any identification card on her, or anything that includes her address. Fortunately, your number keeps on showing up so I decided to call you. Will you pick her up?"
Samantha's drunk? She hates any alcoholic beverages, given her Mom's addiction. "Yes, where should I go?" I asked. The dude gave me the address and hang up.
I went out and quickly jumped in my car. The bar where Samantha was wasn't that far from my apartment. It wouldn't take long for me to be there. Meanwhile, I texted Annabeth and informed her that I had to pick Sam up first before I head to her apartment.
A buff dude was waiting for me at the door with a very drunk Samantha leaning against him. I showed him my student driver's license to confirm by identity and took Samantha from him. "How did she even get inside?" I asked. "She's underage."
"The stupid guard let her in after she bribed him money," the guy told me. "Whatever you and your girlfriend fought about, I suggest you talk about it. She looked really hurt."
I wanted to tell him that Samantha wasn't my girlfriend but he was already walking back to the bar.
I scooped Samantha in my arms and loaded her on the passenger's seat of my car. I went back inside and drove off.
While driving, I couldn't stop looking at Samantha. Her hair was a mess; there were stains on her uniform and she smelled strongly of alcohol. I felt sad. What have I done to you, Sam? I thought to myself.
A few blocks away from her house, Samantha stirred and looked at me with unfocused eyes. It took her some time to recognize me. When she did, she smiled widely. "Perce," she said. "Perce. Perce. Perce." Yep, she was definitely drunk. "I knew you'd come for me, my hero." A lump formed in my throat. I didn't think I was deserving to be called that way when all I had done was hurt her. "Percy. Percy. Perr-cy."
I stopped the car in front of their house. "Look, Sam – "
I didn't get the chance to finish because Samantha threw herself at me and sat on my lap, facing me. She grabbed my face and kissed me forcefully. I didn't get the chance to react quickly. I was too stunned to move.
The way Samantha kissed me was very different with what she did earlier. This time there was hunger, and desperation. On lose term, what she was doing was French kissing, with tongue and all.
Annabeth and I hadn't done something like that.
Her tongue forced my lips to part and when I did, she attacked my mouth with intensity. I shuddered when I felt her inside my mouth. Her hands were busy, as well. She lifted my shirt and was running her palms on my chest and stomach. The feeling of her soft skin against mine was like having a thousand feathers caress me at the same time.
Samantha nibbled on my lower lip, hard enough to draw blood. She then sucked on it and I thought I would pass out. Her lips then moved down to kiss the back of my ear, my neck and my collar bone. She bit the right one softly and I moaned in response.
Her hands . . . oh, gods, her hands were almost to my navel. When Samantha tried to push her hands beneath the waistband of my jeans, I pushed her aside and she landed on the floor of my car with a loud thud.
Stupid, Percy Jackson!
Oh, gods. I nearly lost control. I don't know what I would've done if I did.
Samantha was moaning below me. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths before helping her up. She tried to kiss me again but I pulled away. I helped her out of the car. As soon as she was hit by the cold night air, she doubled over and starting puking.
The smell made their way to my nose and I bit my lower lip, only to find it sore.
"Maria!" I yelled, rubbing Samantha's back.
Maria appeared, frowning. When she saw what was happening, her face morphed into a worried one. "What happened?" she asked.
"She got drunk," I told her.
"Samantha doesn't drink," she said. "What happened?"
"I happened," I said simply. I lifted Samantha and went into her house, Maria following us closely.
"I'm guessing she told you?" she asked as we climbed the stairs.
I nodded.
Maria opened the door of Samantha's room and I let myself inside. After settling her on her bed and removing her shoes, I turned to Maria. "She needs to change clothes."
Maria nodded and rummaged on Samantha's closet. Meanwhile, I brushed the hair out of her face and whispered an apology. It was because of me why she got drunk. I don't think I could feel more awful than the way I was feeling right then.
I went out and stood by her door when Maria came back with her clothes. I heard Samantha throwing up again. Good thing she had a bathroom of her own. A few minutes later, Maria opened the door and told me, "She's asking for you."
I nodded and went inside.
Even dressed up in her pajamas, Samantha looked like an absolute mess. Her hair was tangled and her eyes were red. When she saw me, she smiled like I was the best thing in the world. That made me feel a whole lot guiltier.
"Perce," she said.
"Hey."
"I'm sorry."
"I told you; you have nothing to apologize for."
"If you're not mad at me, can you stay with me for a while?" she asked.
"Of course," I said. That was the least I could do.
Samantha lifted herself off the bed and motioned for me to get behind her. After a moment's hesitation, I did what she requested me. Samantha settled herself against my chest and took my arms to wrap them around her.
"Perce?" she called.
"Yeah, Sam?"
"I love you," she said softly. "So much." A tear traveled slowly down her cheek and I wiped it away. It occurred to me that I hadn't threaded the depths of Samantha's feelings. I barely even scratched the surface. Somehow, someone like Samantha – a girl who had been through so much hardship in life – had chosen someone like me to fall for. I wasn't sure if I was even worthy of such love.
She kissed the back of my hands and snuggled closer to me.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
I had made a promise to always protect Samantha and never do anything to hurt her when all along, I was behind her tears. I had broken that promise. I was such a failure.
Those things ran into my mind for hours. Samantha's warmth next to me and the smell of her hair made me groggy. My eyes drooped and eventually closed. That's how I fell asleep, hugging my friend.
[What's your favorite chapter so far? And what chapter are you looking forward to, based on the titles I posted in Chapter 6? Tell me through reviews! :D
Next - Chapter 15: DON'T LET ME STOP YOU]
