Saving Death

Chapter 12

When we saw Mr Jenson enter the hall completely unaffected, I wondered what else had been said between him, Blake and Sam. He seemed oddly calm as he walked onto the stage to introduce the new band. I couldn't come up with any connection between him, Blake and Sam. It just seemed like such an odd mix of people, and I was beginning to realise Sam's secrets might not just be his own.

"So? Enjoy the music?" Zac asked, bringing me back to the present. As I turned to Zac, I could have sworn Mr Jenson's blue gaze briefly locked with mine. My heart hammered in my chest. Did he know that Louisa and I had just been eavesdropping on his conversation? Was he still looking at me? I didn't have the nerve to turn back to check. Instead, I immersed myself in conversation, trying hard to ignore the tremble in my hands.

"Yeah, it was great. Everybody really loved it," I said, watching as my words made him grin, whilst half aware of a figure leaving the stand and disappearing backstage.

"Lou?"

"It was brilliant," she said. "I reckon you'll pull tonight." She grinned, making him laugh.

"Ava," came a cool, hard voice. My heart leapt into the mouth. Turning away from Zac and Louisa, I came face to face with Sam. His gaze sliced right through me and I was entranced. Before I could say anything, his eyes flicked over to the stage and I didn't need to follow his gaze to know who he was looking for. The tension in his shoulders told me he didn't want to be seen with me—or couldn't be seen with me.

"I need to borrow your...friend," said Sam, his gaze on Zac, ignoring Louisa completely.

Zac frowned as he looked back at Sam. "Sure," he answered uncertainly.

Sam led me through the crowds and away from the concert. My pulse was thumping in my ears as Sam marched through the main entrance, which was now deserted, and into the open air. I shivered, and I could see he was edgy, his shoulders hunched and his eyes darting around our surroundings.

"What the hell are you doing, Ava?" He spoke with such raw anger and I was taken aback by his tone. He'd never spoken to me like that before. "You're worth more than this—than him," he said, baring his teeth.

"What?" I said, incredulously. Had he really pulled me out here just to yell at me? "This has nothing to do—"

"No, don't you dare say it has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with me," he argued, his black eyes flaring, even in the darkness; but I wasn't focusing on that. All I felt was frustration and anger. What was his damn problem?

"God! You are so confusing, Sam!" I couldn't keep up with this constant status changing. Did he want to know me or not? And what the hell was he mixed up in? Shaking my head in frustration, I pivoted on my heel to go back inside. Enough was enough, one of us had to break this vicious cycle. One of us had to end this friendship that was so quickly becoming volatile. I wasn't going to put up with this—

"Do you like him?"

I froze. Sam's voice was so quiet and confused that it knocked the wind out of me. How could he change his mood so quickly? An uneasy minute passed, before either of us spoke. I didn't turn around.

"Ava, I don't have time for this... do you like him?" Sam's voice was soft, yet this time I caught the tension in it as he awaited my answer.

I turned back towards him, unsure of which version of Sam I would be met with, but I no longer saw anger. He stood alone on the empty expanse of the carpark, anxiety stretched taught in him as he searched my face for an answer.

"Does it matter?" I said quietly. He said nothing, letting his eyes drop to the floor. I knew I wasn't going to get an explanation for his behaviour. Whatever he was going through, whatever he felt for me, he still couldn't tell me anything, so what was the point? I sighed in defeat.