Sam's little street fight with Christine had not gone unnoticed, not in a time when taking a video was a basic feature on almost any cell phone.

The media flurry that followed was enough to make Sam want to dig himself a hole and never come out of there. At the time, he hadn't properly gauged the circumstances. He'd been so tired, so hurt, lashing out at Christine was only natural. But what she'd said in return...

Half of the press was focused on his performance issues. A quarter threw in wild theories that maybe his long term relationship was nothing but a rouse to hide a different orientation. The other quarter wondered whether Christine had been cheating and with who.

The effect, however, was the same. He couldn't step out of the house without someone discussing his sex life, or lack thereof. He just wanted to die.

And to top it all off, Jerry had disappeared and no one else wanted to talk about it. Not that he wanted to talk about it, there was nothing to say, but he needed the encouragement, someone to tell him all of this didn't matter. 

All he'd gotten was a very vague "Jerry's fine" from Jimmy, accompanied with a smirk, so Sam just dropped it and returned to pretending that everything was normal.

He wished he could do something to make all this go away, but he drew a blank. But stepping out into the world... He didn't dare. A part of him knew he should take this to Skye, but just the thought of her commenting on it made him want to punch a wall. Or her. Or her into a wall. Which was very nasty and unhealthy.

Even his mother was giving him funny looks now and he half expected her to ask if there was something he wanted to talk to her about. There was nothing to talk about. All of this was just a reflection of how much of an idiot he'd been. Would it have been worse if Christine had cheated on him even if they were already having sex? He was sure she would've still found a way to blame it on him.

As he lay in bed in his old bedroom, Sam wondered how long he could just stay in there and not move. Not face the world. Because he never wanted to.

His phone chimed and he checked it out of reflex. There was a text from and unknown number.

You're late for therapy.

Another thing to thank Herrison for, handing the psycho therapist his phone number. He groaned and swiped the notification away. There was no way he was going to her now just to spend half of the session with her scolding him for being late.

The phone chimed again and Sam's fist tightened. He half wanted to call Skye back and yell at her to unload. But when he picked up the phone, there was a text from Lisa.

We need to talk. Can you meet me in half an hour?

He blinked and read it again. He hadn't spoken to Lisa since the function at the school when she'd promised to get in touch and meet up with him and Harry. Of course that had gone to hell once Sam found out that Harry was doing his girlfriend behind his back.

Something clicked inside his exhausted mind. Lisa worked at The Herald. It was one of the few papers that chose to focus on Christine cheating rather than how it was his fault. Maybe she wanted to give him a heads up about what would follow. God knew he needed all the prior warnings he could get.

So he agreed and met Lisa at a small cafe on the ground floor of the office building which held the headquarters of The Herald. She was already settled in a small booth, a laptop opened on the table, notes scattered everywhere. She raised her eyes when he approached and pursed her lips.

"Hey," she said, nodding towards the seat opposite to hers.

"Hey," he said back, a little disconcerted by the less than friendly greeting. He quickly tried to determine if she had any reason to be mad at him, but it was more the other way around.

Lisa sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose with one hand, closing the laptop with the other. "What happened, Sam?"

"I think you already know that." He dropped in his seat, taking in the papers.

Her face finally showed a bit of sympathy. "She really did cheat, didn't she?" When he just nodded, she took a deep breath and continued, "It was with Harry, wasn't it?"

He didn't want to answer that, but there was no need. His face said it all. "You don't seem surprised."

"I'm unfortunately not."

"A little heads up would've been nice."

"Would you have believed me?"

"Yes, Lisa, I would have. Because it's you and I actually trust you."

She had the decency to wince. "You were just so taken with her. It felt unfair to butt in, to tell you everything. I was afraid you would think I was doing it to get her out of the way."

Sam squinted at her, a new wave of anger bubbling to the surface. That happened a lot lately and he was starting to think it was turning into a problem. But just thinking how things could've been if Lisa had just told him the truth... All of this could've been avoided. Or less of a shock at least.

She took in a deep breath. "The thing is, I warned her. I warned her that if she ever hurt you, I'll make sure you knew everything."

"Isn't it a little late for that?" His tone was cold, but she deserved it. She'd chosen to save face over her friend.

"I know you, Sam." A small smile broke through the sorrow on her face. "You're too curious not to want all the details."

Damn it, she was right. So he just leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, let's hear it."

"Christine and I were best friends before I moved schools and came to X Race. We stayed friends afterwards, even if we fell apart some. I think she felt I betrayed her by leaving school." She started gathering the papers on the desk absentmindedly. "After I met you and Harry and made friends, of course I would tell her all about you. I mean, we had so much fun."

Yes, they did. Their childhood had been amazing. The three of them would meet up after school and go on pretend adventures, have sleep overs at his place or Lisa's, invent the craziest games at break time. Even when they started the secondary cycle of X Race which was high school, they still hang out all the time, talked about mostly everything, geeked over books and movies.

"I never noticed how she got steadily more interested in my friends, especially you," Lisa continued. "Of course she knew what you looked like, I showed her photos all the time, they were on social media, even if you never bothered with it. Then, right before our junior year, she started hinting that I should introduce her to my friends. I..." She bit her lip. "I gathered she meant you, but I pretended to play dumb and when I finally gave in, I fixed her up with Harry."

This was so odd, hearing how Christine had been perusing him for months when he thought he was the one with the unhealthy crush on her. It defused the anger a little.

"To be honest, I was a little shocked she started going out with Harry instead of ripping my head off," Lisa said. "And I was honestly happy it worked out. It was the first time Harry appeared smitten with someone."

"Don't make excuses for him," Sam said between his teeth.

"Why shouldn't I?" There was a steel in Lisa's eyes that negated the apologetic behavior she'd had since starting her story. "You were obviously just as smitten and just as dumb about it."

"Maybe, but I would've never betrayed Harry like that."

She hesitated and it was very annoying. "Okay, I'll give you that one. You have a sense of honor Harry never had. Or doesn't value as much. Anyway, that was the end of that as far as I was concerned. Harry was with Christine who actually caught his interest for more than two dates and you were..."

"I was what? None the wiser that the girl I was crushing on was dating my best friend?" Because that was true. And even if Lisa had something more to say on the subject, he didn't want to hear it. "When did they brake up?"

"A few days before she came over and I introduced you. I'm sure you've noticed when since Harry's mood took a dive into a dumpster."

Lisa wasn't wrong. Sam had noticed at the end of their junior year how Harry's mood had suddenly plummeted and it seemed like all the fun had been pulled from the world. Sam had been so busy with Christine, the Agency and Snitch Gravel that he hadn't fully appreciated how his best friend had never bounced back. A twinge of guilt had his muscles tensing.

"I was so shocked when I found out you two were going out," Lisa whispered. "I miss one summer and everything goes to hell. I couldn't tell you when I came back. It would have felt like I was trying to destroy your relationship."

"Better wait until it destroys itself," Sam mumbled.

"Don't be a dick. It's not like you."

"There's no like me anymore, Lisa. That's what no one understands. They all expect me to go back to who I was before this. That person doesn't exist anymore." The familiar sting in his eyes was back and he knew he had to veer away from the subject or he'd start weeping. Again. "Why did you really want to see me?"

"Two reasons. One, to tell you to truth. To let you know that Christine has had her eyes on you and tried to get to you long before you got together. You were a target to her. I'm not sure why. Probably because, just like I thought, you didn't seem like the kind of guy to go for her and she liked the challenge. Maybe it was because you were rich, handsome and naive. Later, she stayed because you were famous and so was she by association."

"Gee, thanks. Good to know that she couldn't have possibly loved me."

Lisa bit her lip. "She didn't, Sam. Not the way that you deserved."

"Really now? And who could've loved me the way that I deserved? You?"

"Like you or not, don't be a dick."

They fell silent and he felt bad for what he'd said. It wasn't Lisa's fault that he was a blind idiot. Even if she'd known and hadn't told him all of this, it was his own damn job to look after himself, not expect others to do it. And as much as he'd tried to deny it over the years, he was sure he would've been much happier with Lisa. Maybe he still could if he'd force himself over the barrier that kept her a friend.

"Okay, sorry. Especially because I think you're right."

She frowned. "Right about what?"

"That I would've been much better off with you."

Lisa winced. "Sam, don't do this."

"I'm not doing anything." Yes, he was. He reached over the table and took her hand. It was a simple gesture, but she knew what it meant. She knew him better than anyone, except maybe Jerry.

She didn't pull back, just stared at their joined hands, worrying on her lower lips. He wondered what it would feel like to kiss her again. He'd liked it the last time, but so much time had passed and they were much more experienced now. At least he was.

What the hell is wrong with you? Are you going to start going around kissing all your female friends? Maybe he should. A full-force punch from Kyle might be just what he needed.

But this wasn't his decision. It was all about what Lisa wanted.

You've just come out of a horrible breakup. Throwing yourself in a relationship already? One month was nothing, especially when he'd done zero healing. Like absolute,  minus 459.67 degrees zero. Zero Kelvin. He was still such a geek.

"I hate you," she muttered. "I hate you so much. Hate that I want to hold you, hate that the teenage part of me wants to just throw myself in your arms, kiss you again. Because you're the one that got away. But that's just the thing." She pulled her hand back and looked him in the eyes. "You got away, Sam. And I've learned to live with it. I didn't spend the past three years crying over you and wishing we'd see each other again. I've moved on. I have someone, and we're happy."

He leaned back in his chair, his mind screaming at him that he was a presumptuous idiot. But what shocked him was that the screaming came with a feeling of peace and... happiness. He was genuinely happy for her.

"I'm glad to hear that, Liss. Because I'm not worth anyone pining for me."

"That's not the point, but anyway." She cleared her throat and grabbed her papers. "Second order of business. This press debacle."

He cringed. "Do we really have to talk about that? Can't I just thank your paper for not slamming me and be done with it?"

"You can thank me, because I wrote that article."

"Oh, thanks. It was a breath of fresh air not to be dissected like a lab rat."

"The thing is, I can make it stop."

Sam blinked, doing his best not to ask why she hadn't done that already. "Excuse me?"

"Not everything." She massaged her temples, looking exhausted for once. "The safety implications of your activities in the city are a serious issue handled by senior editors. But the cheap gossip is usually left to us interns. I know a lot of people from a lot of papers. Even if it sells, I can call in favors and make it stop. But, I'll need to give something in return."

This was shocking and potentially good news. He would happily go back to being a normal pariah and not one with sexual performance problems. The something in return though...

"What would you have to give in return?"

"Something to replace that news. Which means you'll have to give a statement I can publish."

He pulled back even if there was no more room. "I'm not doing that."

"I already know enough for a story, Sam, and I'll be putting it through for your own good. But I think it would be a lot more powerful if it came from you. You never give interviews. Do it this time and make it count."

"I have nothing to say." His voice was coming out strangled by panic. "I'm not in the right mind to give official statements. Can't you tell I'm a freaking mess?"

"Yes, I can," Lisa said, "and it's about time we fixed that, one tiny step at a time. You took care of step one, broke up with her. Step two, you didn't take her back when she came calling. Step three, ease the pressure on you by letting the world know Christine is full of shit."

"But she's not," Sam whispered. "I really never slept with her."

Lisa faltered, then did a double take. "What?"

"That's her reasoning. I didn't sleep with her, she went to Harry because he would."

"But..." Lisa shook her head. "I was so sure you guys were boinking in high school. I mean how else could she have ensnared you so easily?"

"Why is everyone so sure I just couldn't be in love with her? And not everyone was doing it in high school!" Hell, even Tom had waited until he was in college, though that was most likely because of Angie.

"Harry and Christine were. Before she hooked up with you of course."

Why did that feel like another punch in the gut? Probably because it made him realize exactly how stupid he'd been to believe the professor in the first place. No wonder Harry hadn't even thought that would be an issue.

"I'm such a moron," he mumbled and sunk his face in his hands.

"Why did you do it, though? Or more correctly, didn't do it."

"Her father told me she wanted to wait until marriage," he said into his hands.

"Oh, you poor dear."

Poor idiot was more like it. Sam wasn't sure what Lisa was getting out of this, but at that moment, he didn't care. It was becoming so obvious that everything was right in his face all along and he'd just looked past it and over the hills, to that perfect Christine high on her pedestal. There had never been such a person. Just a devious stalker wanting something from him that he still couldn't understand.

"What did she want from me?" he asked. "I'm nothing special. At least I wasn't when she met me, when she wanted me."

"I don't know," Lisa said with a shrug. "Your money, your social status, the fact that you were and still are incredibly good looking. I don't think she was after your smarts or your charm, though I'll admit that's what got to me."

"I don't have anymore to give you." 

He strangely felt the need to talk to Skye. Or just be distracted with her nasty attitude and forget about all this. Though their last interaction in which she'd showed him a bit of understanding gave him hope. He really needed to heal. As much as he lied to himself, he couldn't go on like this. Couldn't feel the same raw pain every time Christine and Harry came up, couldn't continue obsessing over how stupid he'd been, as if it mattered. 

Nothing mattered. Not anymore.

"I have enough to make it work, because I finally understand." Lisa leaned over the table and grasped his shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Sam. And I promise I'll do my best to stop the gossip mill. Every last bit of it."

"Thank you. I know it doesn't sound like it, but I really appreciate it. You've always been one to fix things."

She gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry I didn't prevent this. Good luck, with everything. And don't you for one minute doubt you'll find someone and be happy. Christine is not the only girl in the world. Neither am I."

Yes. Her. Angie. Christine. All the girls he'd kissed and couldn't be with for different reasons. He just had to learn to deal alone. Get healthy again and then let life take him to a time and place where he would meet someone and it would work out. Because he'd barely come out of his teens.

Unless Snitch Gravel or the Agency killed him, there was a whole lot of life left in front of him. Lisa was right. He'd just take it one small step at a time. And right now, the next step was to see the woman who made his skin crawl and be called a special snowflake again.

♠️♠️♠️

Ahoy! I am back with another chapter. Things are starting to look a tiny bit up. Lisa shows up again, shows that healthy people still exist in this universe and has the power to maybe lighten the load for Sam.

And as for him, he finally realized that he needs the therapy and it's about time to heal. So what do we get next? More Sam and Skye fun. And maybe a bit of action.

Don't forget to vote if you're enjoying the story and leave me your thoughts.