| May 12 | Saturday Morning |
~ Sam's POV ~
"I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now." Megan hurried from one room to another, desperately trying to get to her graduation on time. "Where are my keys?"
She looked stunning, as usual. Her black dress hugged her curves in all the right places. It was difficult containing myself and not bringing her right back to the bedroom. But we had plenty of time to celebrate her graduation later, if you know what I mean.
"Okay, keys, phone, cap, gown..." She looked at me. "I'm leaving."
I gave her a quick kiss. "I'll see you soon. I just have to pick up Blair and Tony."
"My mom and dad are going to meet you there," she informed. "I love you."
I smiled. "I love you too."
Then she was out the door.
Today was graduation day. The day both of us had been looking forward to for so long.
I primped myself in the mirror one last time, straightening my own dress and ruffling my hair in the process. After, we would grab lunch and then head over to Jinx to celebrate.
I picked up Blair and Tony then made my way to where the ceremony would be held. The day was beautiful, and I was sure nothing was going to ruin it. I would make sure of it.
"God, I'm so jealous," Blair said. "I can't wait to graduate."
"Adulting sucks," Tony included.
"I second," I added.
"I'm not saying it won't suck." Blair sighed. "It'll just be a change of pace."
We pulled up into the parking lot and hurried to the building. I hoped Megan's mom and dad would be there waiting. I wanted to get a good seat.
Luckily, they were both already there when we showed, which made everything go a lot smoother than anticipated. We filed inside and found our seats.
"This is really nice," Beth said.
"It is," I agreed.
Blair sat on my left, and Beth to my right. Megan's dad was on the other side of Megan's mom. I wondered if it was weird for them to be in the same place ever since the divorce, but they seemed not to mind.
The ceremony music started at the students began to file in. I felt my eyes searching for Megan, eagerly awaiting to see her. Then, when she finally appeared, I felt my heart throb in my chest. She looked so good.
Her eyes found mine and she flashed me a smile. I couldn't help but feel my face heat up.
Once the process started, I found it hard to pay attention. We would have to sit through a lot of speeches, so I decided to make use of the time.
I leaned into Blair. "Shawn and Casey called me the other day."
"Oh yeah?"
"They have a job offer for me."
The information must've shocked Blair, because she didn't respond right away. I looked over and saw an expression I couldn't read. Was she upset?
"What kind of job?" she finally asked.
"A venue manager," I informed.
"As in, like, a music venue?"
"Yup."
"Would the pay be better?"
"Yeah." I recalled the few detailed Shawn and Casey had told me. "It would be a lot better, actually."
"Where's this venue at?" Blair wondered. "St. Louis has a lot of cool ones..."
I felt my heart ache. Blair thought the job offer was still somewhere in Missouri. Suddenly, I wasn't sure how to put this, but I needed to tell her.
"It's in Tampa."
I didn't even have to look at Blair to know that she was shocked. There was a feeling in the pit of my stomach that this had possibly hurt my best friend, but she wouldn't tell me. Not right now.
"Holy shit," she whispered. "That's... a far drive."
"Nothing's final," I finished. "Megan and I are still discussing it, but I needed to tell you."
Blair just faced forward. "Well damn."
I didn't expect her to be happy, but I at least expected her to be supportive. Prior to telling her, I got neither. Something in my heart deflated. I turned my attention back to the ceremony.
"And now..." The Dean continued. "Our Masters students."
My eyes were on the stage, but my mind was elsewhere. Now, I wasn't so sure about the job and moving so far away from where I grew up. It would be so hard. Would it even be worth it?
"Megan Jeanne Adams," the announcer said.
I clapped hard. The smile on Megan's face made all the pain and struggle we had gone through over the past two years beyond worth it. She looked so proud.
She accepted her degree and smiled for a picture. Then, her eyes traveled to the back, searching for me for only a second. But instead, her gaze fell on something, or someone, behind me. Her smile fell. I turned to look.
Nikki sat in the back row, unaware of my glare. I felt my fists clench in my lap.
Why the hell was she here? I got that she was a teacher, but this wasn't even her school! According to what Megan told me, she was affiliated with the school of Business.
"Nikki is here," I whispered to Blair.
"What?"
"Nikki. Is. Here."
"Where?"
"Behind us."
Blair turned. "Jesus, she's psycho."
"You're telling me?"
"Why the hell is she here?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. But I've had it with her continuously showing up and trying to bring Megan down."
"Look," Blair started. "I'm not a fighter, but I'm ready to throw hands if you are."
"I say we catch her on her way back to her car," I included.
"Tell her she came to the wrong part of town."
"Or the wrong part of... graduation?"
Blair giggled. "Think Nikki is a good fighter?"
"Hell no."
"I imagine if Nikki were a dog, she'd be a chihuahua."
"Are you telling me Nikki isn't a dog?"
At this point we were drawing attention to ourselves with our stifled laughter. This ceremony was a dud anyway, and I had already seen my girlfriend cross the stage. I was more than ready to leave and get out of the same vicinity as Nikki.
Then, as our laughter subsided because of constants "shh's", Blair looked at me.
"You can't move," was all she said. "You just... can't."
I felt my heart pull enough to bring tears to my eyes. The decision to move wasn't even a decision. It was merely a thought that had just recently been placed in my head. I hadn't even looked into the job yet!
But the sadness in Blair's eyes was enough to hurt me.
When the ceremony ended, everyone began to file out. I searched for Nikki, but she must've left early. I couldn't help but wonder why the hell she had been here in the first place.
"We're gonna head to the restaurant to grab a table," I claimed to Megan's parents. "Megan texted me telling me she's gotta do some things here before she can leave."
"Okay," Beth agreed. "We will meet you there soon."
Then we left.
* * *
"God, I'm so glad to finally be finished!" Megan shouted, raising her glass into the air.
I smirked to myself, knowing she was probably a little drunk since we had been here for about two hours. It was me, her, Blair and Tony, and a few of her peers I hadn't met until now. That, along with my coworkers, made for a great environment.
"No more eight-AM's," someone said.
"No more asshole professors."
"No more grading undergrad tests."
"No more fighting to find a parking spot!"
Megan and her friends burst into laughter. I was so happy to see her finally letting loose, but she had yet to mention seeing Nikki at the ceremony. And it was making me uneasy.
I tuned out of their conversation and listened to the band that was playing. Their set was pretty good, just too mellow for my mood. I found it was bringing me down.
Not only did I feel annoyed about Nikki, but I still felt upset over Blair's reaction to me telling her about the job offer. She hadn't even seemed remotely happy. Her reaction to the news had really hit me hard...
Suddenly, I felt an arm wrap around my waist, abruptly pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Hey," Megan said. "You're awfully quiet."
"Sorry," I apologized. "Just a lot on my mind."
The band fell into a slow song, which encouraged Megan to pull me from my chair.
"Come dance with me."
I obliged and followed her to the dance floor. Her arms wrapped around my neck as I pulled her closer to me. Just being in her arms made the chill in my heart disappear, even if it was only for a minute.
"I told Blair." I paused. "About the job."
"Yeah?"
"She wasn't happy," I revealed. "Not even a little."
Megan frowned. "She's in shock. I mean, this would require you to move away from her. It's gonna take time for her to fully process."
"But it's not even final."
"No," Megan agreed. "But there's a big possibility."
I looked at her. Megan was right. I had been envisioning moving ever since we had first talked about it. I had gotten used to the idea of moving away from everything familiar, but this job offer made everything more real.
Blair probably saw in my face that I was ready to make that jump, and it hurt her.
"She might be hurt if we do decide to move..." Megan swayed against me. "But she'll be proud of you. She's your best friend."
Megan was always able to make sense of the things that never did in my head. She was the voice of reason. I was grateful I never had to be without her.
"Nikki found me after the ceremony," Megan revealed. "I know you saw her sitting behind you."
I rolled my eyes. "What did she have to say to you this time?"
"Well..." Megan sighed. "She congratulated me, and then she asked me if I was still going to pursue a doctorate at Mizzou. I told her no."
"And then...?" I wondered.
"She got upset. Asked me if you were discouraging it." Megan huffed in annoyance. "She really doesn't believe I decided that on my own."
"Well, you had been very adamant about it up until recently," I included.
"I just don't get why she keeps showing up."
I fell silent with thought. At first, I believed I didn't know either, but the more I analyzed it, the clearer everything became. Nikki might be jealous, but there were other things fueling her desire to stay in the back of Megan's mind.
The song ended, but we held each other for only a second longer.
"I love you," I whispered. "And I'm so proud of what you've accomplished so far."
A wide smile spread on her lips.
"And I'll support you if you ever decide to go back..." I paused. "And I'll support you if you don't."
"Thank you," she said. "And I love you, too."
I looked down at her empty drink. "Would you like another one?"
She batted her eye lashes. "Please?"
I smirked. "Of course."
I made my way to the bar, eager to get back to my girlfriend. There was something about today that just made me need her presence, but I was trying not to be too much. After all, today was her day.
I ordered two more drinks from Sara and waited patiently. Jinx wasn't that busy since it was still early, but more people were showing up by the minute. It was only a matter of time before it was lively.
"You hang out at the place you work at a whole lot..." A voice slurred next to me.
I turned, only to see Nikki palming her drink at the bar. Of course, she was here.
"And you're a fucking stalker," I replied. "We all have our faults, I guess."
She rolled her eyes. "At least I don't sleep with my professors."
It was said louder than I was comfortable with. Not many people were around us, but that didn't matter to me. I knew she was trying to get a reaction, and I was trying not to, but God she just pissed me off so much.
My drinks had been placed in front of me, but I had no intention of leaving anytime soon. I leaned on the bar and faced the devil blonde.
"Do you have any other insults? Or are you gonna recycle the same one until you look more stupid than you already do?"
My reply hit a nerve, but Nikki was resilient.
"I'll repeat it until someone of importance hears it."
I rolled my eyes. "You're a piece of shit."
"Well at least I earned all of my grades fair and square."
I felt my blood boiling in my veins. It was getting harder and harder not to knock her off that bar stool. So, instead of getting angry, I pulled up a stool next to her and sat a little too close for comfort. She shifted uneasily.
"You won't do shit," I whispered to Nikki. "You're all talk, and no bite."
"Fuck you-"
"You're the wimpiest bitch I've ever met."
The look on Nikki's face let me know I had finally gotten her attention. Her mouth was in a tight line, and I took this as my opportunity.
"You can threaten me, and try to ruin my life, but you'll never do anything to hurt Megan." I leaned forward. "You wanna know why I think that?"
Her face was turning red. "Why?"
"Because you still love her," I claimed.
I had said it on a whim, but after saying it aloud, it all seemed to make sense. The look on Nikki's face only solidified it.
"I don't love Megan."
"Yes, you do," I repeated. "But you fucked it up. You left her, when she was at her most vulnerable, and you realized it after it was too late."
"You don't know anything."
"I know that you love her because you keep coming back, hoping that she sees something different in you, but it won't happen, because you're not different Nikki." I laughed. "You're still the same selfish, manipulative bitch you were years ago, and you lost. To me. And it kills you."
And for the first time since ever meeting Nikki, I saw pain in her eyes. Tears rimmed her water line, but she was trying so hard not to cry.
"She chose you," Nikki said. "That night after New Years, she had chosen you before she even knew she had..."
The fact that Nikki was no longer trying to hurt me with her words made me realize I had won. She was really drunk, too.
"But learning that you were her student at the time..." She paused. "That you were a fucking teenager... I just..."
That's when she scrambled for money. She was trying to leave, but I wasn't done. I still had a few things I needed to say to her before she left.
"You can hate me. You can loathe me for the rest of your fucking life," I spat. "But you'll never be able to hurt me without jeopardizing Megan's happiness, so you won't."
She just looked at me. And I mean really looked at me. I didn't break eye contact despite how uncomfortable I felt. There was something she wanted to say, and I hoped she said it.
Her eyes fell. "She was the best thing that ever happened to me."
"I believe the same thing," I replied. "But the difference between you and I is... I show her."
Then, her composure cracked. A single tear ran down her face, but I couldn't find any sense of pity. She had done this to herself, and I was fed up with being manipulated by her. She needed to get help, and maybe after this confrontation, she would.
She turned and left without another word. I took a deep breath and noticed my heart was racing inside my chest. Had I really done that?
I grabbed my drinks and returned to my girlfriend, who still seemed oblivious to anything I had just done. Maybe it was best she didn't know.
"Hey babe," she greeted. "I missed you."
"I was only gone for a few minutes."
"A few minutes too long."
I smirked. "Well, I'm here now."
My arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into me. She leaned her head on my shoulder. The Nikki problem seemed to be fixed, but I couldn't find the will to tell Megan. At least, not yet. Maybe in a few weeks, or months, when it was a distant thought rather than a constant worry.
So, instead, I enjoyed the feeling of freedom and pulled Megan closer.
***A/N***
Just two more chapters till season 2 is complete! What do you think will happen now Sam finally confronted Nikki? Let me know in the comments!
Vote if you love Segan!
Much love,
Lauryn