A Tutor for Samuel Pt. 02

"Wow! He has some nerve, huh? Unless you took the money, in which case you're buying dinner."

"Ha! I didn't, but you're right. He did have a lot of nerve. I sort of feel sorry for his family. It was clear to me that Linda's dad is very manipulative. I'm betting that's where her older sister got it from."

"This older sister..."

"Gina."

"Right, Gina. Didn't you say she was tall, dark-haired, and pretty? Kind of like a fair-skinned Kim Kardashian?"

"Something like that. Why?"

"Because I think she's coming up behind you right now."

Sam turned in his seat and winced when he realized Derek was right. Gina Siler was coming up the sidewalk, drawing more than a few stares from passersby. Her outfit was the most likely reason since she was wearing a crop top that barely contained her large breasts and jeans that looked painted on.

"I think someone is trying too hard," commented Derek under his breath.

Sam had to agree though Gina didn't look embarrassed by her overt display of feminine assets. He had to admit, for a woman pushing forty, she could have easily passed for being ten years younger.

"Hey, Sam! I thought that was you," said the tall brunette stopping near the table.

"Gina. What a surprise. This is my roommate, Derek."

"A pleasure," he said, but Gina barely acknowledged him with a nod.

"What brings you to campus?"

"Well...Truthfully, I was looking for you. I was on my way to your dorm when I saw you sitting here."

"How did you know where to find me?" asked Sam, confused.

"Oh...yeah...See, my family donates a lot of money to the college, so it just took a few phone calls to find out where you lived."

Sam didn't know what to say to that, and a tense silence followed this pronouncement.

"I can see that you two need to talk. I'll see you back at the dorm, Sam."

The older student got a pleading look from Sam but left with a grin.

"Asshole..." muttered Sam.

Gina didn't seem to hear as she joined Sam at the table. Sitting so close, her perfume almost choked off his air.

"What can I do for you?" he asked politely.

"I heard what happened between you and Dad," she said sympathetically, "I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to let him run you off. I mean, it's obvious how good you are for Linda, and I wouldn't want him to ruin that for her."

"Watching out for your sister?"

"I don't seem like the type from what Linda has told you, do I? Maybe I'm trying to turn over a new leaf? You know, make up for my sordid past."

"Are you?"

Gina managed to look embarrassed, turning her eyes away from Sam to watch other students passing them.

"I won't lie. Linda and I have had our differences, and maybe, just maybe, I could have been nicer to her about certain things."

"Things like stealing her boyfriends?"

Gina's eyes flashed, and she gave a mirthless chuckle.

"A lot of that was just what I told you before, fickle teenage shenanigans. The only serious relationship I messed with was the one between her and Greg."

"I think Linda would disagree, and besides, even if you thought it was all in good fun, clearly Linda didn't. Why didn't you stop?"

Gina looked down at the table, licked her shiny red lips in thought.

"Jealousy. Linda had good-looks and brains. All I had was the looks. The only advantage I had over her was maybe I was a bit prettier, a bit more desirable to your average male, so perhaps I played on that a little more than I should have. Hey! I was young and selfish! Who wasn't at that age?"

Sam would have been willing to bet Linda hadn't been.

"Let's not dwell on the past. We should be talking about the future. I'm glad you brought Linda home, we've missed her these past nine years."

"Your dad doesn't seem quite so thrilled."

"He's just protective of his girls. You know how dads can be about their daughters, but I can tell just by looking at you that you're one of the good ones. Frankly, I'm a little jealous."

Sam felt a tickle on his thigh and looked down to see Gina's hand on it. He looked back up at her raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry...old habits. I have trouble not flirting with a good-looking guy."

"I should probably get back to studying," murmured Sam, standing from the table.

"Wait! Don't run off so soon. I was hoping we could get to know each other better."

"This isn't a good time, Gina."

"How about we do lunch tomorrow? My treat."

"Is Linda invited?"

"Bring whomever you like," she replied, but he caught no small hint of disappointment in her voice, "even that Eric guy."

"Derek."

"Sure, him."

Gina stood up with him, and before he could move away, threw her arms around his neck in a hug. He stumbled, trying to hold her, and she took advantage of their nearness to plant a swift, soft kiss on his cheek.

"See you soon," she whispered in his ear.

Sam watched her walk away, shaking his head.

"Turn over a new leaf...my ass."

He found Derek sitting at his desk a short time later in their dorm room and tossed a pillow in his direction.

"Thanks for leaving me alone out there!"

Derek laughed, smacking the fluffy projectile out of the air, "Sorry, Dude. I couldn't resist. What happened after I left? She looked like she wanted to have you for lunch."

Sam flopped onto his bed, tossing his books aside.

"Gina tried to feed me some song and dance about her just wanting the best for Linda and making sure I wasn't going to get scared off by her dad, but I doubt her motives are that pure. I think she just likes the forbidden fruit if you get my meaning."

"The girl who only likes candy when it belongs to someone else? I know the type. So what are you going to do about it? Tell Linda?"

"Linda will probably figure it out on her own, eventually. I'm kind of hoping that if I keep dissuading her, she will lose interest and move on to easier fishing somewhere else. It would be nice if we could all co-exist together. Gina is a shark, but she's still my girlfriend's sister."

"I don't envy you your new family dynamic."

"I guess you have to take the good with the bad in any relationship, but I grant you I had no idea the amount of crazy that was running rampant through this crew."

Sam had no idea how much he was about to find out that was true.

That night, he met Linda for dinner at her apartment. He had decided not to mention Gina's trip to campus that day, and he and Linda were focused on enjoying their meal and talking about her new job at a private teaching academy.

"I forgot how pampered some of the kids of the idle rich are in this town. I gave out the most basic homework assignment today, and you would have thought I had asked them to write the whole thing in their blood."

"Didn't you used to be one of those kids?"

"I admit I probably enjoyed the privilege of my parent's wealth on more than one occasion, but I like to think I tried to keep some perspective."

"I can't even imagine you playing the role of the spoiled rich kid."

"It was a role Gina found easier to play than I did."

Sam made a face at the mention of Linda's sister. One she didn't miss.

"I warned you my sister was going to be a lot to stomach," she said sympathetically, "Given my dad's behavior, I guess I should say that about most of my family."

"Your mom seems nice, and Trevor seems like he can be a good guy when he wants to be. He dotes on you."

"Trevor's a doll most of the time, but he has a lot of issues."

"You mean with the drugs and alcohol?"

Linda nodded, "He says he has cleaned up for good this time, but I wonder how long before my dad pushes him too far, and he turns back to his old habits for comfort."

"Is his being gay that difficult for your dad to accept?"

"I know in this day and age you would think it would be a lot easier to be out in the open about it, but this town is still very conservative, and my family is one of the community's founders. We're seen as the standard-bearers for old-world values, and that doesn't include what some folks around here see as deviant sex practices."

"Wow...I guess I am far from home."

"Times are starting to change as the old wealthy families get taken over by a younger generation, but for now, it's hard to find acceptance."

Linda had barely stopped speaking when her cellphone rang. She went to answer it while Sam carried their dirty plates to the kitchen.

"Gina! Calm Down! I can't understand you when you're yelling. What! Well, how bad is he hurt? Huh? Then call an ambulance! You can't! Why? Oh! For God's sake...Just stay where you are. We're coming to you."

"What was that all about?" asked Sam with concern.

Linda was grabbing for her purse, tossing her phone inside as she turned.

"Trevor and Gina were out, and he's gotten into some kind of trouble. I'm not sure what. It was hard to make heads or tails out of what Gina was babbling about on the phone. I did get an address and a name."

"Let's go," advised Sam.

The address turned out to be a bar on the outskirts of town. It was packed for a weeknight with a parking lot bulging with cars. The sounds of loud music came blaring from inside every time the door was opened.

Linda called Gina back as soon as they arrived, and she directed them to where she was parked.

They found her expensive B.M.W. convertible in a parking spot on the far edge of the lot. Gina was pacing back and forth, clearly agitated as they pulled up.

"What's going on? Where's Trevor?"

"He's in the backseat! We separated for a little while because he met someone he was interested in, and then the next thing I know, he's texting me that he was in the parking lot and..."

"What was he doing in a bar in the first place? He's not supposed to be drinking!" snapped Linda.

"He wasn't," said Gina defensively, "Trevor and Dad got into it, and he just wanted to get out of the house. He begged me to take him with me. I told him where I was going, and he promised to stick to soda or water if I let him tag along. I didn't see the harm."

"Jesus, Gina..." said Linda with exasperation.

When she opened the car door, their eyes all fell on Trevor, who had seen better days. He looked totally disheveled, hair messed up, clothes dirty as if he had rolled across the parking lot. His face was lightly bruised on one side, and he was holding his ribs.

"Trevor! What the hell happened to you?" asked Linda while kneeling.

"I proved once again that I have delightful taste in men. This rather strapping looking blond-haired gentleman enticed me into a potential liaison off the premises. I have to admit that I was so taken in by his physique and piercing blue eyes that I was a willing slave to my hormones. Sadly, it was all a ruse to allow him and some of his former prep-school buddies to play whack the gay piñata. At least they stayed mostly away from my face. OUCH!"

Linda had tried to move his hand to get a look at his ribs, but Trevor jumped when she touched him.

"We should get you to a hospital. You could have some broken ribs..." observed Sam from over Linda's shoulder.

"I can't. Dad would find out in a heartbeat, and the word would go out all over town. It was the same reason I wouldn't let Gina call the cops. I have enough on my plate without giving Dad even more reasons to hate me."

"Certainly, the doctors could be trusted to keep patient confidentiality?"

"Oh, Sam! If only that were true. You're talking about a hospital that has two wings named after my family. I doubt anyone there would be able to keep their mouths shut if James Siler's son came into the emergency room after getting destroyed by some ruffians."

"He's right. We can't take him to the hospital," said Gina matter-of-factly.

"We can't very well leave him in your back seat. He could be seriously hurt," pointed out Linda angrily.

The two sisters looked as if they were about to tear into each other when Sam stepped between them.

"Let's take him back to your apartment for now. I know someone who might be able to help," he said in as calm a tone as he could manage.

Gina turned on her heel with a grunt of disgust in Linda's direction and got into the driver's side of the car while Sam carefully shut the door after checking that Trevor was buckled in.

"Who do you know that can help?" asked Linda as they slipped back into her car.

"I have a friend who has seen worse than this, I imagine."

It took Sam three tries to get Derek to answer his cell. He had been in the middle of a hard-fought battle royale on his Playstation and not happy about being interrupted. As soon as Sam explained the importance of the situation though, Derek agreed to meet him at Linda's apartment.

"I need to pick up a few things on the way. Give me thirty minutes," advised Derek.

The trio had managed to gingerly get Trevor out of the car and onto Linda's spare bed by the time a knock came at the door.

"I can't thank you enough for coming," said Sam upon opening the door.

Derek nodded as he entered, "If he's hurt that badly, he should still be going to the emergency room."

"Good luck convincing him of that."

Trevor was lying on the bed, keeping up a steady commentary on the inadequacies of Linda's department store mattress. His eyes lit up when Derek walked in the room, and he tried to straighten up but winced and groaned in the process.

"Don't move around too much!" said Derek with concern.

"Whatever you say, Doctor," replied Trevor in a tight, pain-filled voice.

Derek set to work checking Trevor over while the others looked on. After satisfying himself that the other man didn't have any broken ribs, he helped Trevor sit up so that he could get his shirt off him.

"Undressing me? You haven't even bought me dinner yet," said Trevor jokingly.

Derek laughed while handing Trevor's shirt to Linda.

"You're lucky you're in such good shape. The extra muscle mass probably helped protect your ribs."

"Are you saying it's obvious I work out?"

"He can't be hurt that bad if he has the presence of mind to flirt," whispered Sam to Linda.

"Trevor flirting is a reflex action. At least your roommate is taking it in stride."

"Yeah. One thing I learned about Derek early on, in addition to his time as a soldier, is that he is equal opportunity in that regard."

"Oh?"

"He more or less swings from both sides of the plate. Don't worry. He told me long ago that I'm not his type, plus I'm spoken for already," teased Sam.

"Yes, you are," said Linda with a smile, squeezing her boyfriend's arm.

"Can we get some more light in here?" asked Derek while laying out some helpful stuff he had picked up at the pharmacy along the way.

"I have a flashlight in the kitchen," said Linda.

After retrieving the flashlight, Derek chased the others out while he cleaned Trevor's wounds and bandaged his ribs. He exited the room an hour later, stretching as he joined the other three in the apartment's small living room.

"As I said, your bother is a lucky guy. It's mostly just a lot of bruising. He's going to be sore as hell in the morning and for the next few days, but he'll live. I would still prefer that he see a real doctor, there could be deeper injuries I'm missing, but otherwise, he should be okay."

"We can't let Dad see him until his face heals up," said Gina from where she lounged in a chair across from the couch.

Linda looked around and shrugged, "I suppose he could stay with me for the time being."

"It would probably be a good idea for someone to stay with him for tonight and tomorrow. Just in case I'm wrong and he gets worse."

"I have to give an exam at the academy tomorrow. I can't miss work," said Linda.

Derek and Sam had a similar problem leaving all eyes on Gina.

"Hey! I have yoga in the morning and a Pilates class in the...You know what, I can watch him, no problem," said Gina, course-correcting her words when she saw the incredulous looks being directed back at her.

Sam walked Derek out while the two sisters discussed handing off Trevor in the morning.

"I appreciate you coming, Derek. You were a life-saver."

"Ah! Man...I do love being a hero. Don't worry about it. I'll come by after class tomorrow and see how he's doing. You know, for all the rich-boy bluster, he is kind of hot in a narcissistic way."

"I think you just summed up Trevor Siler in one sentence."

Derek chuckled at that as he walked away to his car.

By the time he returned, things had settled down inside. Gina was getting ready to leave, and Linda was helping Trevor to bed, careful not to touch his sore ribs.

"Been a long time since you tucked me into a bed," teased Trevor.

"Get some sleep...if you need anything?"

"I'll be fine. Derek gave me some Tylenol P.M. I'll sleep, that crap always knocks me right out."

"I'm glad you weren't hurt too bad."

"So am I. I'm thankful you and Sam were there. He's a good guy, by the way, Sam, I mean. Derek's no slouch either but not for the same reason..."

Linda smiled, "Yeah, Sam is as good as they come."

"You're in love with him, aren't you?"

She blushed slightly, a bit of pink coloring on her fair cheeks.

"Yes," she admitted timidly.

"You don't sound sure."

"It isn't that I don't love him. I just...feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop sometimes. I haven't had much luck in my life when it comes to relationships."

"A lot of that wasn't your doing."

Linda looked at the door, imagining Gina on the other side.

"I know."

"Do you?"

She looked back, frowning, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I always wondered if you ran away after Greg because you were angry with Gina, or scared that you lost him because you weren't good enough to keep him."

"I was tired. Tired of finishing second to my sister. I wanted space to lead my life without her interfering in it."

"Yet you moved to the other side of the country and became practically a shut-in? It doesn't sound like you were leading much of a life to me."

"What do you know about it? Do you have any idea what it's like to be betrayed over and over by someone whose love is supposed to be unconditional?" shot back Linda, her voice going up in volume.

"Actually, I kind of do," replied Trevor with a sad smile.

"Oh...right. I'm sorry, Trevor. I guess Greg and Gina is still a trigger for me. You're right, though. I didn't run away just to put distance between Gina and I. When I hit the opposite coast, I sank into a depression, blamed myself for what happened. I guess I quit for a long while and decided never to deal with that kind of betrayal again by walling myself off from the possibility."

"How did that work out for you?"

"I was miserable," she answered in a hushed tone, "I didn't admit it to myself, but I was miserable the whole time. Sam saved me. He came along and made me see what a fool I had been for so long."

"So, you see? There's nothing to be afraid of, Linda. If I were you, I would celebrate what you have with Sam. There are no guarantees in life, but the two of you have a good thing. Don't mess it up by thinking you don't deserve it."

Trevor let out a yawn, and Linda came closer, pulling up the blanket.

"You need to sleep. We can talk in the morning."

"I like my eggs scrambled with bacon and my coffee with two sugars."

"Oh, I can see that living with you is going to be a hoot!"

"I can't help it. I'm high maintenance but very decorative."

Linda snapped off the light with a shake of her head and slowly closed the bedroom door behind her.

She found Gina had gone, and Sam was sitting alone on her couch, flipping through T.V. stations.

Linda joined him, curling up against his side as he slipped an arm around her drinking in the fresh wildflower smell of her hair.

"Did you get the boy down?"

"Very funny, but, yes, Trevor is sleeping."

Sam acknowledged her with a sigh, settling at last on an old Rock Hudson movie on cable.