Flawed (s.m.)

015.

  Sammy's eyes gleamed in that mischievous way of his, and in that moment, I knew that his cold stare had the ability to send chills up my spine from ten feet away. His lips were still firmly molded into a playful smirk, and I knew that I wasn't going to like whatever was to come next. His tongue briefly darted out to bring moisture to his dry lips as his gaze focused on my hand that was interlocked with Shawn's. Part of me - the sane part - told me that I should march away, but curiosity got the best of me. I could practically feel it coursing through my veins. I couldn't help but wonder what Sam had the courage to say even after I smacked him in front of three dozen people. My eyebrow raised at him as some sort of nonverbal dare for him to speak, even though I quite frankly felt like my ass was about to be handed to me. That didn't happen often, considering usually I was the one doing the ass-handing. As if he could sense my anxiety, Sam's chuckle yanked me from my train of thought.

  "Why?" he asked, and much to my surprise, he stopped with that one simple word.

  "Why what, Sam?" I snapped, wanting nothing more than for him to clear things up so I could get both he and his ego out of my damn way.

  "Really, Audrey? I thought you could do better than this." My eyes trailed up towards Shawn as a reaction to him squeezing my hand. As his eyes narrowed, it dawned on me that Sammy was referring to him, causing me to scoff. On a scale of one to ten, my eye roll was at about a nineteen.

  "Oh, you mean I could do you instead?" My free hand was practically glued to my hip. He began to reply with one of his douchebag retorts, but I beat him to it, cutting him off. "Thanks for looking out for me and all Sammy, but you know.. been there, done that." I paused, pressing my shoulder against Shawn who was trying his hardest not to laugh. In all honesty, I wouldn't mind if he laughed. The look on Sam's face was priceless.

  "Do you kn--" he started, but I interjected again.

  "After all, no one likes a washed up whore," I sneered, using his own insult against him. By just looking at him, anyone would guess that he had just been slapped. I let out a breathy laughed as I advanced one step towards him.

  "C'mon, Sam. You should know that," I finished my argument, shoving past him as I pulled Shawn behind me, are fingers still tightly fitted together.

  "Okay, Audrey," Sam called after me. I didn't even bother to turn around, feeling fully confident that I won this battle. I am through with him belittling me, I thought, and that stuck in my head for a single instance before I heard what came from his mouth next. "If that's really how you want to spend your last few months.." This caused me to pause in my tracks. In my peripheral vision, I could see Shawn's distorted facial expression. I knew I had to make a move, and I knew I had to make it fast. I turned around to face him as he stood with his chest proudly puffed out and that stupid grin taking over his face.

  "Wh-what do you mean?" I asked, trying my absolute best not to sound nervous. I truly gave my best effort, too, but with no avail. Shawn's grip on my hand began to loosen and I knew he was questioning my honesty. Sam tossed his head back so a brief fit of laughter could rumble its way from his gut.

  "You know what I mean, silly," he responded. He was acting as if this was all in good fun, but he knew what he was doing to me. I had to admit that I preferred being his sleepover buddy over being his new verbal punching bag. His laughter came to a halt, his eyes widening with false regret. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that some of us didn't know." He shot a glance at Shawn before shrugging his shoulders. "Oops." His perfectly white teeth flashed at us before he turned on his heel and strutted down the hallway, undoubtedly ensnaring dozens of new victims with his utter confidence. If only those girls knew the true nature of Sam Wilkinson, I thought to myself. Then, my stomach churned as it occurred to me that they probably did, but he could get away with anything just because he was Sammy. Angry tears threatened to slip past my eyelashes as I forced myself to look up at Shawn.