Finally alone in her apartment, Samantha grabbed a can of sparkling water out of her fridge and downed it as she headed for her bedroom. In a way, she was grateful for Steven's unplanned absence on the trip. Not that she wouldn't be relieved if he suddenly changed his mind and decided to join her, but she could really use some time alone to think. Her big gallery opening hadn't gone as as planned. Sure, plenty of people were there singing her praises, taking photographs, and telling her how much they admired her creativity, but not a single person wanted to actually purchase her art. She had a couple offers from passersby throughout the day, a couple low ball offers that would hardly cover the cost of materials it took to create them… But each piece took her more than a month to complete. More than a month of all the free time she could spare after her waitressing job at Donovan's. She needed more than that. More than a low ball offer and some flattery… She needed real money, a huge 'fuck you' in the form of a paycheck to everyone who doubted her and her work. Her Worth.

Even Steven. She'd known for some time that he'd grown impatient with her sculptures…. And granted, he'd been the ear to her frustrations for the past two year…. but a slab of concrete? The words pinched at her heart and made her feel ill.

She opened the door to her studio, letting the door crack open slightly before giving it a firm shove to swing open on its hinges. Her eyes landed on the clay spotted sheet that hung over the sculpture in the center of the room. The one she'd been working on for six months. Ever since her best friend of the last ten years called to say she was getting married. The news hit Samantha in a weird place. She wasn't sure why, because it wasn't like she wasn't happy for Renee, but she would be lying if she said the first emotion that rolled around in her stomach wasn't sadness.

Their engagement happened so fast. Renee had only moved to New York three months earlier, and now she was getting married. Which meant, as Samantha knew all too well, that she was never coming back to LA. Their friendship would dwindle, like it always did when people moved apart, and Samantha would loose the only girl who ever really understood her. The one person she could be herself with, who knew her battle with a wild heart, and all the things she dreamed of doing.

She had hung up the phone that day in shock. Almost with grief as she made it back to her studio. But she didn't pick up the pieces where she'd left off. No, she started something new.

The sculpture took on a life of it's own. Samantha's hands moved through the clay with a passion she hadn't felt in years, and it didn't stop for months. Every day she continued to work on it, adding, sculpting, and perfecting it… and working through all the emotions and disappointments that had been churning through her blood for the past year.

She spent more time on this creation than she ever had on any other sculpture before it. Slab of concrete. She pushed the hurtful words aside and flicked off the light. Renee's empty bedroom was just across the hall, and knowing it would never again be filled with her best friends laughter and stinky ballerina shoes filled her with a feeling she didn't quite have a name for. A mixture of sadness, jealousy, regret, and maybe fear.. She grabbed the suitcase out of the hall closet and dragged it in the direction of her bedroom to pack.

In her heart of hearts, she knew at the tender age of twenty-two, her childhood days were over. Her best friend was gone, would be married within the week, and her dreams of supporting herself through her art was fading by the second. She needed to come up with a plan for her future, a real plan, as her mother called it. Because making a living doing something you loved was a fool's quest. She never believed it before, but after last month she realized her sculptures were a fluttering dream, and when she came back from NY she would pack up her studio and begin working on a real career… something that would pay her bills, something grown up and respectable.

"It's time to grow up, Samantha Smiles." She squeezed her eyes shut to try and keep the moisture firmly in place. "It's now or never."

She unzipped her luggage, muttering under her breath that she should be happy, and threw open the top. She had a boyfriend who was hard working, driven, and who'd been dedicated to her since middle school. But there was a sort of loss that settled deep in her gut when the thought about this being the end for her. Steven was her first boyfriend. Her first love, her first date, her first everything. She knew all there was to know about him, and he knew most things there was to know about her. She loved all those things about their relationship. She loved being able to tell people they'd been together since high school. She loved knowing that he was stable, hard working , and dedicated. But there were times she hated all of that. Times when she longed for what Renee had. That sweep you off your feet, passionate love she'd seen in movies. The love she heard in her friend's voice every time she spoke about her finace.

A soft breeze blew in through the open windows, causing the sheer white curtains to flutter with the cool night's air. Samantha fished her cell phone out of her bag and dialed her best friend.

She dreaded the conversation ahead of her. Dreaded the fact that she knew she'd have to defend Steven's choices even though she wasn't sure she liked them herself, because that's how it always went. Because even though she loved both of them, they both didn't love each other. They tolerated each other for Samantha benefit, which most of the time was sufficient, but whenever the opportunity to criticize Steven arised, and thank goodness they didn't come often, Renee would take the bait and run with it.

"Sam!" Her best friend answered on the third ring. "We're at the bar, hang on a sec."

"Sure," Samantha nodded as she walked across the room to her dresser.

Muffled noises and scratches sounded from the other line, like the brush of fabric rubbing across a receiver as Renee moved to the back room. Samantha picked out a few pairs of jeans and added them to her suitcase as she waited for Renee to pick up the phone.

It was late, past ten PM Pacific time, which meant it was past one in the morning in New York, but Renee and her fiance worked on broadway, in the city that never sleeps. Even though Samantha lived in a time zone that was three hours earlier, she knew Renee would be up for hours yet, while Samantha was ready for sleep ten minutes ago.

"Hey!" Renee said into the phone out of breath. "Sorry, opening weekend, things are crazy here! How are you? How's the packing? I'm so excited to see your face!"

Samantha smiled at the enthusiasm in her friends voice and gently sat on the side of the bed. "It's good! I'm packing right now, but that's actually why I was calling, there's been a change of plans." She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath before continuing. "Before you go all crazy on me, it's nothing major! Steven got an internship with Connor and Associates, which is a dream come true for us, so I'll be coming alone. I wanted to tell you incase you had to adjust reservations or anything. He won't miss the wedding though, so don't worry!"

"What? You're driving ALONE?"

"I'll be fine, Renee. I'm a great driver, and you know I've never had an accident in my life."

"That's not what I'm worried about, I'm pissed for you. I can't believe Steven is being suck a dick!"

Samantha rolled her eyes, . "He's not a Dick, Ren. This internship is a big deal. He's been trying to get it for twelve months. If he passes this now he'll never get it again."

"There are other firms."

"He'll be at the wedding, that's the important part, right?"

"It's just…" Renee paused before continuing. "He always does this shit to you."

"No he doesn't."

"Yes. He does. Remember Prom?"

Samantha pinched at her brow and threw herself back on the mattress. She couldn't believe Renee was bringing this up again. "Prom was five years ago, and it wasn't like he did it on purpose."

"True. But he always puts his job ahead of you. He ditched you at your Senior prom to take photos for the school paper. It's just the same shit. Him putting his life above yours."

"See, I don't see it that way."

"And I thought he was going to propose?"

Samantha stared up at the ceiling. "That was your theory, not mine." She rose to her feet and walked toward the window. "Honestly, I'm glad I'm driving alone. I could use some time to think..."

Renee's voice gentled. "About what?"

Sam brushed aside the curtains and pulled the double paned window firmly shut. "I don't know. Life. Career choices."

There was a long pause before Renee spoke again. She knew better than anyone how disappointed Samantha had been with the gallery exhibit.

"I understand, but I don't think a drive across country is the time to do it. We're talking 3,000 miles, Sam, and my beautiful blond girlfriend who always seems to attract the creepiest of men when out alone. Remember Frankenstein?"

Samantha laughed at the reminder of her last stalker and his surprisingly flat head.

"Yeah... well, I'll keep the doors locked. And besides- my mind's made up. You know how stubborn I am." She walked over to her closet and began pulling more clothes from their hangers.

"Hey, why don't you drive with Tristan?"

"Ha!" She dropped the clothes in the suitcase without bother to fold them.

"I"m serious. He's leaving tomorrow just like you, and he could use the company."

"Nice try, but I am NOT driving with your brother."

"Why not?"

"Because I'd rather eat poop!" It was a gross analogy, but it was mostly the truth.. "I can think of a million other things I'd rather do than be held hostage for three days with Tristan. It's already bad enough you invited him to the wedding."

Renee laughed. "He's my BROTHER. Or course he's going to be there. And he's not that bad. He's had a rough couple years-I think he's finally grown up."

"Tristen Montgomery grown up? I'll believe that when I see it."

"Good. I'll have him pick you up Monday at ten."

"No no no, that's not what I-"

"Well I have to get back to the bar." Renee yelled into the receiver! "Leo needs me! I LOVE YOU!"

CLICK.

Samanta set her phone firmly on the dresser and shook her head. What a witch! Drive three thousand miles with Tristen? Yeah right.

She moved across the room and sat down at her desk. If Renee wouldn't listen to words, she'd be forced to send an email.

Dear Renee,

I'm sure you're expecting this message. I mean, why wouldn't you after dropping that bombshell of a bad idea in my lap! Tristan? Really?

And since when is he "NOt that bad?"

Samantha paused in her typing to drum her fingers on the mousepad. It was hard to believe that those words had come out of her best friends mouth. Renee and Samantha's relationship has blossomed over their mutual hatred for Tristen. In fact, Samantha was the only girl outside of Renee who didn't like him. No, correction, didn't LOVE him. He was THAT guy. The guy every girl wanted and every guy wanted to be. The student who made even grown women blush when he walked into a room, the one who was handed everything on a silver platter, simply by being him. The boy who worked hard for nothing, yet had everything. Tristan was everything she stood against, yet girls used to befriend Renee just to get to him… Everyone except Samantha.

It wasn't anything in particular about Tristen Montgomery that left a bad taste in Samantha's mouth, it as everything. The fact that math teacher's turned a blind eye so he could stay on the varsity football team. The fact that he said nothing, did nothing, was no more than a highschool jock, yet every girl at West Valley High bowed at his feet.

You're worried about my safety Renee, yet you think driving with Tristen would make things better? He had his license suspended Senior year for too many speeding tickets, he jumped off of your parents roof and into your neighbor's backyard pool on a dare! Remember that?

She closed her eyes as memories flooded her. Tristen was a risk taker, and never thought about the consequences of his own actions. He did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, without thinking about the future. And he was the only boy who held one of Samantha's first outside of Steven. She cringed. He was the only part of Samantha's life she couldn't share with her best friend... and that scared the shit out of her.

It was the summer before he left for college when it happened. Samantha had been invited back to the Montgomery's cabin for the weekend, and Renee had come down with a bout of pneumonia, which left their last trip before Junior year remarkably uneventful. Though Samantha didn't mind it all that much. She was just happy to be away. She'd been friends with Steven for a few years now, and it was no secret that he loved her. He confessed to as much in the middle of their seventh grade band glass with Mr. Jones. But it wasn't until recently that his efforts for more had become more persistent. Samantha loved Steven with all her heart, but she loved him as a friend. He was her best friend outside of Renee, and she was determined to keep in that way. Dating him would only mess things up. But how could she say "no" without doing just that? It was a catch twenty-two in the worst kind of way, and no matter which way she let him down, it would still be a rejection. A rejection she wasn't sure their friendship could handle.

The sun had barely set on their last night at the Cabin when Tristan came to sit beside her on the couch. This was odd, because normally he didn't pay her much attention. It was also odd because she knew a cabin full of sorority girls was just across the lake. They had sent their not so subtle invitation for him to come over and 'play' earlier that week. But she wouldn't have felt so uncomfortable if it wasn't for the fact that Mr. and Mrs Montgomery had left an hour earlier for a party at the lodge, and that Renee was passed out upstairs dead to the world. Because that left her and Tristan very much alone.

He grabbed the e reader out of her hands and set it on the table. "Come on, let's go swimming."

She shook her head, so wildly it was like shaking off a fly, and scooted back on the cushions. "It's dark out. I'm not going anywhere." She leaned forward to pick up her E-reader, but he snatched it up before she could get there.

"You haven't done anything all weekend."

"Yeah, well, Renee is sick, if you haven't noticed."

"Oh, I noticed. She's be moaning and groaning all weekend."

Samantha hit his arm. "You're mean."

He laughed. "Just because she's sick doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy yourself. This is our last night. Monday morning I leave for college and you get ready for another semester at West Valley. Come on, don't make me look like a looser splashing around in the lake alone."

She grinned at the imagery and shook her head. "You won't be alone for long. Those girls over there have been dying for your attention all weekend." She lifted her chin to the west end of the lake.

He leaned forward on his knees and laughed under his breath. But it wasn't a laugh of happiness of humor, it was something else.

"What? Are they not hot enough for you?"

"It's not that."

"Then what?"

"I wanted to spend my last night with you."

Her heart squeezed a little. With her? She wasn't sure why his admission affected her so much. She knew it wasn't true, it was just one of the charming things he always said to make girls fall in love with him, but the fact that he affected her so easily disgusted her a little bit.

Samantha forced herself to the edge of the couch and sat up straighter. She didn't think it was possible, but she felt even more uncomfortable than before. Why would Tristen want to spend his last night at the cabin with her? Why would he want to spend his last night before college with her ALONE? And why did the fact he suggested it cause an uncomfortable feeling to form in her stomach. A mixture of butterflies, adrenaline, and nausea.

She looked toward the cabin door, battling her wild heart and the parts of her that wanted to let it loose. The parts of her that wanted to be like Tristan and not care about tomorrow.

"Come on," He said, bumping her arm with his shoulder. "I promise to be a perfect gentleman."

She shook her head.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"I'm surprised the word 'gentleman' is even in your vocabulary."

His blue eyes sparkled. "Go upstairs and change, Sammie. I'll meet you out back in five minutes." He pushed himself off the couch, not waiting for a reply, and headed to his bedroom downstairs.

He'd assumed she would meet him, because a request like that was all it ever took from Tristen Montgomery. He had the body of a God, all six foot three of him, and his wild surfer boy hair was just the blond icing on top of the beautifully sculpted cake. She knew she should ignore him and continue reading her book, but her heart had never pounded so hard in her life. She was curious about what it would be like to spend an evening with Tristan Montgomery. Curious to see what all the others saw in him that she never did- until tonight.

She smoothed her hair behind her ear and headed upstairs. Renee was buried under a mound of blankets, and rolled on the mattress toward the door when Samantha entered the loft.

"Hey," Renee said in a hoarse whisper.

"Hey," Samantha replied, sitting softly on the side of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Renee Shrugged. "Eh, could be better. Sorry I ruined your weekend."

"You didn't ruin anything," She lifted her chin to the stairs leading to the main level. "I finally caught up on all the reading I've been wanting to do all summer."

Renee flashed her a sleepy grin and turned toward the darkened window. "What time is it? Is it already time for bed?"

She shook her head, "No…Tristen asked me to go swim at the lake, for some reason I'm actually considering it."

Renee turned back around to face her, analyzing her in a way that made Samantha fear she could see her heart. That she knew Tristen had affected her downstairs, and Samantha's stomach rolled with the thought of it.

"You should go," Renee finally stated.

Samantha looked down to her hands. "I don't know-"

"It will make me feel better. I feel bad you're stuck in here all weekend when you could have been home having fun."

"I haven't been stuck-"

"Go, Sammie. It's our last night. Look, I know it's Tristan, but maybe you'll meet someone. There are lots of guys here, I've seen them walking around all weekend trough the window, and you need to get out- if only for a little while."

Samantha looked down at her fingers, thinking it would be so much easier to turn Steven down if she was able to tell him she met someone. "Okay." She looked up at Renee again, then reached out to adjusted the blankets around her shoulders. "I'll go, but only for a little while."