Breaking the Routine Page 5

  “You two had lunch together,” Tabby asked in a hushed tone sitting on the edge of Sam’s desk. Sam sighed as she sat down nodding. She tried to ignore Tabby’s smug smile and the look that seem to state “go get him girl”.

  “Now I recognize you…Wallflower,” David said with a half smile still following Sam. Tabby gave him a playful slap on the arm.

  “Well about time, geez you really know how to damage a girl’s self-esteem!” Tabby told him with mock scorn.

  “Sorry, it’s just I prefer brunettes to blondes. It’s Mark who goes for the blondes,” he told her as justification and Tabby giggled a giggle fit for a school girl.

  “Yes I remember clearly just how much he likes blondes. Well if that’s the only reason you didn’t remember me then I guess I can forgive you,” Tabby told him with a smile.

  “Thank God, I was really worried there for a moment,” he replied with an exaggerated expression of relief. Sam frowned watching the two, just what she needed her best friend and him becoming buddies.

  “Though if you got a thing for brunettes I just happened to know a really nice one,” Tabby began. Sam glared at her with her best, “shut up or I will kill you” glare.

  David’s smile just got bigger as he crossed his arms. “Really, do you now,” he asked sounding to interested for Sam’s good.

  Tabby smile grew and she nodded. “Yes, but she is a really shy and can be very stubborn,” she told him and Sam wanted to scream while she pulled at her hair. Why Tabby was going along with that man’s games, Sam wondered. After everything the two had been through together, this was how Tabby was going to repay her! She could feel her face flame red again but this time not only from embarrassment.

  “She definitely sounds nice but I’d have to know more about her,” David replied with a mischievous tone and Tabby got that look in her eye that Sam knew meant there was no way to stop this train wreck.

  “Then it just happens to be your lucky day. I know everything about her,” Tabby confessed David’s face lit up. Sam huffed; feeling betrayed by her friend and wishing the earth would come and swallow her up right there.

  “God, if you hear me and care anything about me, strike me dead now!” Sam begged silently and then her father suddenly called her in his office. “Well I guess that will have to do, Thanks Big Guy,” she added mutely.

  “Yes sir, right away,” she called out to her father standing up and glaring at her friend. “Be quiet!” Sam snapped at her and walked off to gather the papers her father needed only to hear them pick up the conversation where they left it.

  She was grinding her teeth in anger as she entered her father’s office. “Here you are sir,” she said as eyed David and Tabby talking and not liking it one bit.

  “I see Tabitha sure moved in on the kill quick,” her father said with clear distaste.

  “She isn’t flirting with him, she’s-” Sam started but realized there was no way she could honestly tell her father what Tabby was talking to David about. “Just getting to know him more, he is the new guy after all,” she added.

  “Well at least she had the dignity to know his name before she sleeps with him,” her father stated bitterly and Sam felt as if someone had just kicked her in the stomach realizing that was exactly what she didn’t do. Sam sighed and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Her father really disliked Tabby because she didn’t care what anyone thought of her, she made friends with everyone from the rich to the poor, cops to thugs, and since she had no problem with a playful flirt here and there he considered her a slut. Sam would admit Tabby wasn’t a saint by any means but she was definitely not a slut.

  Sam started rubbing the bridge of her nose as she could feel a really bad headache starting. “I understand you still have that childhood needed to believe in everyone but she is what she is. I really wish for you find yourself better friends,” he started with a tone one would use on a child. Here we go again, she thought and really wasn’t sure if she could handle this today.

  “She is no good and is going to cause you a lot of trouble one day” Well…Sam thought bitterly. Actually her father was right about that one; she had caused Sam a lot of trouble lately.

  “Look dad can you please lecture me about the company I keep another day I’m really not having a good day,” she pleaded with him but her plea went ignored.

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me in to allowing you to go to New York with her,” he went on.

  Sam snapped her head up and felt her anger boil. “Allow me? Dad I am twenty-six, I don’t exactly need your permission to take a trip with whoever I wish,” she raged and he gave her a look of irritation and doubt obviously not taking her seriously….yet again

  “As long as you are a part of this family, you will need my permission! I will not have you make a fool of me Samantha with this stupid silliness you seem to always be getting yourself into,” he barked. Sam felt something snap within her and suddenly years of anger carefully caged away started to escape. Her pulse raced as she started to see red, and adrenaline flooded her body as she stood up shaking.

  “You know what dad, screw you! I am tired of living on what you expect of me. I’ve always done everything you asked of me and much more than you could ever have asked. When other teenage girls snuck out to see their bad boy boyfriends I was at home studying so I could get good grades so maybe once you would be proud of me, which I might add you never were! I never rebelled or anything like what every other girl did and yet everything I do stupid silliness,” she shouted at him. His jaw dropped in stupefaction by her outburst.

  “I may have a tendency to make a mess of things, I may be social awkward, and I may not be the daughter you’d hope to have but I am the one you have and I don’t think I deserve to have you throw in my face how inept I am at life every time I screw things up,” She snapped and without waiting for him to recover Sam stalked out of his office. It was just too much; all of this crap dumped on her today was just too much!

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going,” he called after her, but she refused to say another word. She stomped over to her desk giving both David and Tabby hateful glares letting them know that this was clearly all their fault as she snapped her pursed up from the desk. If they could have just left her alone but no they just couldn’t let her live stupid little life in peace!

  “Samantha I demand you get yourself back into this office right now,” her father demanded from his office door but her only answer was when lifted her hand over her head and flipped him off where everyone could see. She stomped out of the building and into the parking lot. She didn’t care about the fact that everyone was staring at her with their mouths and eyes wide open. She got into her car slamming the door as hard as she could and racing out of the parking still yelling at her father in her silently till she got home.

  It wasn’t until she submerged into the hot bubbly bath water of the large bath tub in her home that she finally felt her racing heart slow. Her hands started to shake as she felt the adrenalin slowly leaving her system. Never in her life had she talked to anyone like that, especially not her father. Sam imagined several times of saying all those things to him but could never get up the courage.

  It felt good to finally say the words but stronger was her fear. What was happening to her, she had never lost control before, and she could always manage her anger. She began to cry softly wanting to desperately go back to her normal life where things were much more comfortable, where she knew what to expect, and knew what would happen next. Her feelings were all unfamiliar and strange. Her body was out of control and its reactions to everything had gone crazy. Is this what normal people lived like, how could they want this, how can they happy, she asked herself.

  Finally Sam pulled herself out of the now cold water, slipping on her robe. She felt so exhausted and weak. She dragged herself to her bed and buried herself under the blankets not bothering to dry herself or put anything on other than the robe she wore. She began to cry again thinking
over and over how all of this could have happened to her till she finally fell asleep.

  The next morning she woke up feeling better despite the fact she had a horrible headache. She took some aspirin to ease her head and slowly ate a cereal bar for breakfast. Sam looked at her cell phone; there were several missed calls, messages, and voice mails. She couldn’t help but laugh; she hardly ever got any of those things and thought several times of getting rid of her cell phone for that very reason.

  Now that she made a royal bitchy ass of herself did they want to talk to her? “Oh my God, what a mess this all has become,” she groaned but a smile was on her lips. Sam finished her cereal bar and stood up with determination. “No more feeling sorry for yourself,” she demanded.

  She dialed the number of the company. “Peters’ Accounting, how may I help you,” the cheery voice of Mrs. Simpson answered and Sam’s small smile grew. Mrs. Simpson’s cheerfulness was always contagious.

  “Hey Mrs. Simpson this is Sam,” she started.

  “Oh dearie, are you okay? Where have you been, everyone has tried to reach you,” the older woman fussed. Sam shook her head containing the laughter that tried to escape her. God was this really what people did to get noticed in life?

  “I am fine actually, could you please pass me to my father if he hasn’t fired me already,” Sam explained and the other woman chuckled and put her on hold.

  “Samantha, I hope you have called to apologize because if you haven’t then I don’t want to hear whatever it is you have to say,” he said harshly that made Sam cringe. Did he always have to be so stern, she wondered gloomy.

  “Yes, I wanted to apologize, it was wrong and unprofessional for me to act like that.”

  “Yes it was…”he interrupted her but Sam interrupted him in return.

  “But…can you let up insulting my friend please,” Sam pleaded but she could hear him scoff loudly.

  “Sorry, Sam but you should get better friends,” he put in and Sam could feel her temper threaten to boil over again.

  “I don’t want better friends,” she snapped back tired of him talking to her like a little girl. Sam took a deep calming breath. “Look dad, I am obviously not coming in today, I am calling in a sick day okay,” she finished hanging up before he could answer her.

  She let out an angry growl as grabbed her IPod, stuffed the ear buds in her ears angrily turning the music up loud and began her daily chores. What the hell did it matter to him what type of friends she had! Damn she was twenty-six not six!

  That afternoon she prepared lunch, simple spaghetti, feeling angry with herself. Sam swore she must be possessed or something. She wasn’t this volatile creature she had become over the simple course of twenty four hours. How could she change herself back to the person she was? It can’t be that hard considering how easy she slipped into this nasty change, she thought as drained the cooked pasta.

  A knock on her door broke her from her lamenting and she wasn’t at all surprised to see it was Tabby. “Hey Tabby come on in!” She told her stepping aside so her friend could come in but instead of walking inside the house Tabby stopped at the door and gave her a long hard look as if she was trying to dissect Sam with her eyes. “What,” Sam asked feeling suddenly self-conscious.

  “Nothing just waiting to see if your head will start to spin and you vomit pea soup,” Tabby replied with a nasty smirk. Sam narrowed her eyes and frowned at her friend.

  “Oh, ha, ha, my God Tabby you’re hilarious!” Sam said flatly and Tabby smiled a big bright smile.

  “I know!” She stated cheekily as she walked into the house. “Though I must thank you Sam! Yesterday was the best day at work ever! God I have been so wanting to someone finally stand up to that damn stiff ass for years! Of all people it was you who did it making it all the sweeter,” Tabby said excitedly as she walked directly the kitchen.

  “It’s not funny Tabby, my father is going to hold that over me till I am like sixty,” Sam retorted setting a plate of spaghetti in front of her friend.

  “Nah, he blamed the whole damn thing on me; it was me he was threatening to fire!” Tabby told her as she inhaled the smell of the pasta. Sam ground her teeth feeling the anger build up in her again threatening to take over.

  “Of course it was your fault! Poor little Sam can’t have her own thoughts and feelings that could possibly go against her honorable father! Oh no, someone must have planted them there,” she snarled and sat down with her plate angrily. “And you know good and well he won’t fire you, he isn’t that stupid! The only reason his company is doing so well is because of you,” She finished hotly then began to eat.

  “Whoa, maybe I should call the priest or maybe you really are turning into a wildcat,” Tabby joked but Sam froze. She let her fork drop down to her plate as she no longer had any desire to eat; in fact her stomach became a twisted mass of knots. She covered her face with her hands feeling so foolish.

  “God Tabby, what is happening to me? I am never like this, ever since yesterday I seem to have lost control over aspect of my life,” she groaned but Tabby grinned and patted her on the back.

  “I know you don’t believe me but that is honestly a good thing,” she said before stuffing her mouth full of spaghetti while Sam made a sound between a scoff and a snort as she rolled her eyes. “Seriously,” Tabby insisted when she had swallowed her food. “You finally stood up for yourself yesterday and didn’t let your dad walk all over you like he always does,” she explained. An impish glint twinkled in her eyes then she winked at Sam. “I told you having David around would be good for you,” Tabby teased her and she crunched up her face with disgust.

  “That man is what started all of this! God since he showed up my body has got a mind of its own and my emotions have gone hay wire,” Sam despaired. Tabby laughed so hard she started to choke. After she calmed down she wiggled her eyebrows at Sam.

  “You really have fallen for him huh,” Tabby teased and Sam shook her head at her friend horrified.

  “I haven’t fallen for him! He is the most irritating person I have ever met! I swear I think he is enjoying making my life all screwed up,” Sam said irritated.

  “Well that’s what love will do to you,” Tabby continued to tease and Sam stared at her friend in disbelief, Tabby seriously did not just say the “L” word?

  “That is not even close to funny Tabby! I am not in love with him, how can you even think that,” she spat feeling offended. “This isn’t love Tabby, I been in love before don’t you remember Jeff! That was nothing like this crazy mess.” Sam added pointedly.

  Tabby rolled her eyes, and shook her head. Jeff had been her high school sweetheart and last boyfriend. They had been together for nearly five years. When he got accepted in a college in L.A. he broke up with her stating that long distance relationships never work and he had bluntly told her that he didn’t want her to come with him to L.A. either.

  “That wasn’t love, especially real true love! I have more passion and romance in my little finger than he did in his whole body,” Tabby replied with disgust all over her face.

  Sam opened her mouth to argue with her friend but instead she felt a smile cross her face. “Will we ever agree on men,” she asked and the blonde smiled shaking her head as she laughed.

  “Not in this life time, Sammy!” Tabby glanced at her wrist watch and got up, “Time for me to head back because some of us actually have work to do.” Sam smiled and followed her friend to the porch. “You should really give David a chance Sam. I think he really likes you,” Tabby told her with a sly smile causing Sam to make her odd sounding snort sound again.

  “Right keep telling yourself that, maybe one day you will believe it. The only thing that man likes about me is making my life a living hell,” Sam retorted with a small frown.

  “I am serious Sam,” Tabby told her looking much too serious for Sam’s liking. “I think you really left an impression on him in New York,” Tabby told her. She felt a smile threaten to creep upon her lips and she bit th
e insides of her cheeks to keep her frown on her face but nothing could be done to stop her heart from racing. Sam tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach at the thought of him actually being interested in her.

  Stop being so stupid Sam, she scolded herself. She didn’t have what it takes to keep a man interested in her, especially one like David Andrews. She wasn’t sure what had gotten Tabby into thinking he did have an interest in her. It didn’t matter though because Sam knew the truth of things. Despite what everyone thought, Sam knew herself damn well.

  “You are thinking way too much for your own good, woman! Try not to over think things…or be so stubborn! I will call you later,” Tabby advised when Sam was quiet for a while. Tabby gave her a quick hug before walking to her car and Sam went back into the house. She gathered up the dishes washing them silently not being able to get what Tabby had said out of her head.

  The next day Sam walked into the office with her chin held up high and determination. Mrs. Simpson smiled at her sweetly but there was something in her expression that Sam couldn’t quite figure out what it was. With a mental shrug she told the older woman good morning and walked into the main lobby where her desk was. Her determination dimmed when she could clearly hear the hush whispers of the other employees as she walked past them.

  Sam clenched her teeth together tightly. Great, just great! Now I am the town’s latest piece of gossip, she grumped silently as she sat down at her desk. She turned on her computer, feeling irritated that everyone was still whispering about her. Calm down Sam, she told herself. They are just stupid boring people with no lives, they will get bored once they see you’re not going to freak out again, she continued to explain to herself.

  There was one good thing about all of this, she realized. Now that she had made an idiot of herself she was sure David would now leave her alone or even get within ten feet of her. Almost laughing, Sam gathered the papers on her out box and walked over to her father’s office. Her heart jumped up to her throat when she saw David enter the lobby and she quickly rushed to her father’s office. Cursing herself as she closed the door upset to see how just having him around her made her so flustered.