Jack of Clubs (BxB)

25: With Masks of Emptiness

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Sam was assuring me, fingers kneading my hair and eyes gentle as they gazed down at me. For once I was the one laying in his lap, feet propped up on the arm of the couch, and cheeks softly flushed by the heat of the moment.

"Or it will go horrifically wrong." I mustered up a sarcastic smile, masking the genuine fear tugging at my thoughts with an uncaring demeanor. If only it was true. Things would have been a lot easier if our day could end with Sam's hand in my hair and my head in his lap. Instead we had to go meet up with a group of crazed psychos with a particular love for ruining the lives of teenagers. Maybe we were soulmates, since we both managed to get thrown into the most bizarre and unlucky scenario.

How romantic.

"Or it won't." Sam said again, tone a bit more firm. "Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens, remember?"

"And then there's something about not vowing to do something stupid if you don't know just how awful the consequences are going to be." I pointed out, grabbing the hand he had tangled in my hair and intertwining our fingers.

"I think we both know how awful the consequences can be." He replied quietly.

I sighed, hating that we were both right in our own ways. On one hand, I was right for suggesting that we really didn't know how bad things could get. As terrifying as it was to admit, there were worse fates than being suffocated almost to the point of passing out. There were things worse than knuckles staining Sam's sun-kissed skin.

On the other hand, Sam was right as well. We already survived some of their torture methods. Would they take it further? It was hard to say, even if the pessimistic part of me insisted that it was only plausible that they would. If they relied on shock value, then the shocking acts they did always had to be increasing in stakes in order to stay shocking. And that was a terrible reality. One that I didn't think Sam would want to hear.

"You know what consequences I don't mind?" Sam changed the subject, squeezing my hand and leaning over a bit so that we were closer.

"I couldn't possibly guess." I brushed off those previous thoughts, taking the moment for what it was. A smile twisted my lips.

"I guess I'll have to show you then."

He cupped my cheek, and I propped myself up on my elbows so that the distance between us would be far less annoying to cross. Right as his lips grazed my own, the moment was ruined.

"Sam!" An extremely peppy voice echoed into the home.

Both of us desperately shot away from each other, and I nearly fell off of the couch in my frantic attempt. Without so much as a breath to spare, I managed to get out of his lap and several feet away right as the first person walked in. There wasn't even time to get my phone out or lay back casually. Nor time to fix my hair, though that probably didn't matter much since my hair was always a mess. Even Sam seemed awkwardly sat and unprepared for the sudden presence of his friends.

Caden, of course, was the first one to enter the living room. He was practically skipping with every step, always too energetic and happy for his own good. To my relief, he seemed utterly oblivious to our moment that he just stomped on and destroyed.

"Hello!" He greeted the both of us, Brian and Dennis trailing in behind him. My heart was still in my throat, and I was more stuck on the fact that they all seemed to manifest out of nowhere. How did they even get into the house? Sam always locked the door, and I was so certain that today was no different. The notion left me uneasy.

"Hey." Sam nodded to him, finally seeming to relax a bit. He was lucky that it was Caden who came into the room first, because he would never have noticed tension even if it hit him in the face.