Page 94 of Shattered

Sam had only had one real boyfriend in her life. His name was Jackson. It was during sophomore year of high school and they’d been young, but they had also been good together. Really good. He was the first boy who had managed to get her to forget about Christian, even if only for a few moments at a time.

Sam had spent the better part of that year with him, avoiding her past and distracting him with other means whenever he brought it up. She had usually been successful. Until one night around Christmas when Sam and Jackson had snuck one too many beers out of his father’s garage fridge. He’d wanted to get a gift for her parents for Christmas, the parents she’d never let him meet, and had been badgering her about what they would like.

She had ended up spilling it all out for him then. Her entire past.

The good foster homes.

The bad foster homes.

The people that were supposed to have taken care of her.

The abuse.

The days when she’d slept through class so she would be rested enough to remain awake at night to fight off a drunk foster dad.

Everything.

She’d let it all out.

At first, he’d been understanding and said it didn’t matter. Then, he’d started acting funny if Sam tried to pay for something or if she bought him a gift. He had fully stopped accepting the things she gave him. Then, he’d told his friends. The ones who had never liked her. The ones who always said she was stealing him away. The ones who, after finding out, convinced him she was only with him for the free dates, food, movie tickets, and rides. That she was using him as a way to experience the things she hadn’t gotten to before. It became hell. Their relationship had turned into Sam walking on eggshells and never knowing when the floor would cave in. They hadn’t even lasted three weeks after she told him. Thankfully, a month later she’d been transferred to another foster home and thus a different highschool, never to see him again.

“But what if he does?”

“He’s not Jackson. I promise. You were practically a kid when that happened, and you and Callum are definitelynotkids now. Besides, if he did, I would personally kill him.”

“That’s why I love you,” Sam said as she grabbed the dress and shoes and headed for the bathroom.

After finishing her hair and makeup, she threw on the outfit and stared at herself in the mirror. From the front, she definitely looked the picture of perfect southern innocence. It had a straight neckline that barely hinted at her collar bones with wide base shoulder straps. It was fitted in the bodice, but flared just slightly from her waist to where it ended at her upper thigh. It was beyond short and she would definitely not be able to bend over.

Or maybe she would.

The back was not nearly as innocent and sweet. It was completely backless, the front wrapping around to the back just above the curve of her bottom. It was a perfect fit.

“See, I told you. You look amazing in that,” Kristin said as she stood in the doorway, congratulating herself with a wide, devilish grin.

“It does fit really well and it’s super light and comfy. At least I won’t be a sweating mess.”

“Come on. It’s already noon. At this point, we will barely get any shopping in after we take them lunch.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “We still have Saturday to shop, you know?”

“You have no idea what it’s like shopping in Charleston. We need at least a week to hit every store I want,” Kristin yelled as she made her way out of the room and back downstairs.

Sam grabbed her bag and followed her out. She stopped at the landing of the stairwell when she noticed a bookshelf filled with photographs that she hadn’t paid attention to prior. There were a few from when Callum and his siblings were younger. There were a few with them on the beach and one of them on a skiing trip. The biggest difference from the Callum in these photos compared to the Callum she now knew was his expression. He had a big smile plastered on his face in all of them.

“You coming? I’ve got the truck running,” Kristin yelled from downstairs.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Sam replied.

What happened to that happy little boy with the infectious smile?

Chapter 41 - Sam

The ride over to the festival was uneventful until they tried to find somewhere to park and Kristin had loudly cursed out each of the full lots they passed. Sam buried her face in her hands as she laughed at the expressions of the people on the street who’d heard the outbursts.

The abundance of one-way streets had Sam completely turned around and she knew she wouldn’t be able to get out of the city if her life depended on it. After far too many right turns and a parking garage that cost more than Sam could fathom, they began to stroll quickly by the market on their way to grab lunch.

She was so transfixed by the sights and sounds that she couldn’t keep up with a thing that came out of Kristin’s mouth. The smells alone could keep her occupied for hours. Every turn down another street brought in a barrage of fragrances, a combination of jasmine, fresh cut lawns, salt water, and fresh cooking. The cobblestone streets took her back to a time long before she’d been born. There were horse drawn carriages and people dressed as if they lived in another century.

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