𝐍𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒| Sam LaRusso

XXV. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦?

Picasso barked at the knock on the door. Bryce sat up from where he laid on the couch, finding a shirt to pull on before walking to the door. When he opened it, a grin went across his face. "Didn't expect to see you so soon."

"I just wanted to talk to you." Sam shrugged a little as she walked in. "I thought you were staying with your Dad tonight?"

"I was but decided I'd rather be here." he shrugged, getting her a coke from the fridge as they sat down. "What's going on in your head?"

"You know how I couldn't let it go? What happened with our parents?" Sam rose her eyebrows as Picasso dropped his head into her lap. Bryce hummed and paused the tv. "Well, my Dad finally told me everything."

"Now you're worried because my Mom ended up hurting your Dad?" Bryce knew it was coming and figured he'd save her the ramble, nodding his head.

Sam seemed taken back. "Did you know?"

"Of course not. I'd have told you." he shook his head. "But, I also know my Mom. It wasn't hard to piece together things. He tell you what she did?"

"Left him for a commercial." she exclaimed in return. "Not even a full twenty-four hours and she took off."

"Sounds like her." Bryce leaned one arm against the couch. "That's what she always wanted, you know? To make it big, to be famous. Even sobered up for it for a while, then it all came crashing down and she fell right back into her old cycle. It doesn't shock me that she did what she did. But, for your Dad to scare you into thinking im the same way is stupid."

"He didn't scare me, I just got worried." Sam defended the matter with a shake of her head. "I mean, would you take off if your dreams were right around the corner like that? Do you have a dream like that? I mean, I feel like I don't even-"

"Sam, that house is my dream. Being out there near my grandparents, with you and Picasso. That's the dream, and i've got that now. Only reason i'd take off was if one of those three things didn't go to plan." he gave her a knowing raise of his eyebrows. "And, as long as you don't plan on dropping my ass after senior year, I think i'm pretty far from taking off."

Sam hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, i'm sure." he had to laugh at her questionable face, holding his arms out. "Come on."

Sam scooted closer, leaning back into his arms as Bryce rubbed the top of her hand. "What if we loose the house in a storm?"

"Samantha!" Bryce laughed and scolded her at once.

"I'm happy you tagged along." Demetri put his arm around Bryce as they all walked into the tattoo shop. "Remember when we were little and you'd put me and Eli on the back of the lawn mower? This is what it reminds me of."

Bryce tried not to laugh. "How is this anything like that?"

Demetri gave a point at the tattoo machine hummed. "The noise. Nostalgic."

"Nostalgic, huh?" Bryce hummed as he looked around. "What do you think I should do for Sam?"

"Well, I am against marking your body for the sake of a relationship. That's why I won't let Eli get my face on his forehead." he rose his eyebrows in return.

"You're getting something for Sam?" Eli looked over from where he was getting his lotus flowers.

"Yeah." Bryce tried not to eye Miguel on his other side, they'd never been on the best term but now it was worse after Bryce saw Sams anxiety and worry when he'd taken off to Mexico. "I stalked her Pinterest and she seems to like a bunch of cheesy romantic stuff. What's more romantic then getting a forever tat for her?"

"See, maybe we are related." Eli said sarcastically with a snort. "She got Picasso for the day?"

"And night." he hummed with a rub to his nose piercing. "I want it to be unique, not like an S or anything."

"You could make it meaningful." Demetri suggested. "Do you guys have something kinda secretive? She loves a good secret."

A grin spread across his face after a second, remember when he took her spray painting for the first time and taught her how to do the mars sign. She'd done it the night of the drive in and then used it to ask him to prom. "I think i've got it."

"Speaking of Sam..." it was beyond obvious Miguel was avoiding this. "She's really mad, right?"

"She's not mad, Miguel." Bryce exhaled, it wasn't hard to tell he was avoiding speaking to him either. "She's just upset. She was really worried about you, and the fact that you took off right before the huge match just really affected her."

"I was just...I thought I needed to go to Mexico." he exhaled and set his phone down.

"And I respect that, you've gotta do what you gotta do. But, a little heads up wouldn't have hurt. You're still her friends, she was counting on your support." he pointed out, nodding for Aurora to head his way while Rico worked on Eli. "You both could have handled it better."

"Damn!" Eli laughed at him. "Where'd this wise guy come from? Did we leave Bryce at Bath and Body where he's tossing people into A Thousand Wishes?"

The trio of boys laughed as Bryce hid a smile with a laugh. "I've just learned to channel my anger toward people who deserve it. You're moving higher and higher up on that list, you know?"

"I'm proud of you." Demetri patted Bryce on the back. "As my very first boy crush, I feel like my opinion really matters."

"Wait!" Miguel started to laugh as Eli slapped a hand over his face. "Bryce was your first boy crush?"

"Why do you seem so shocked?" Bryce asked him with a laugh and a stare of disbelief.

"I mean, i'm not." Miguel held his hands up in surrender. "I just figured you weren't his type."

"Oh, it was bad." Demetri confirmed with a nod of his head. "He was so mean, but I was swooned."

"Yeah, it was traumatizing." Eli shook his head in disbelief. "Literally traumatizing."

"So, what made you get over it?" Miguel had to know, very invested in the story.

"He slapped me with a piece of pizza and started being worse then just mean." Demetri shrugged. "Bad times."

"Horrible times." Bryce agreed. "That pizza slap was smooth though."

"It really was." Eli laughed as Demetri turned and gave him a look of disbelief.

•

kylie speaks

y'all miss our bad boy
era? bc i miss all the rule
breaking he's done and can't
wait to finally show it again
next chapter!! i was SO excited
to show bryce having some
friendships this season, he's
grown so much that i thought it
was time!