25 Sam's Devious Plan

Justin stayed in bed for two days completely bored because he wasn't supposed to move and after getting angry at Emily over Blogr chat he felt too awkward to message her again. He completed about fifty levels of a word matching game on his phone before he got stuck but there wasn't much else he could do.

Sam texted him when she wasn't in the middle of drama camp activities but for the most part Justin was stuck alone with his thoughts, drifting in and out of consciousness. Not pleasant.

It was a relief when he could sit up again because he could try to avoid thinking about Emily's boyfriend when he worked.

Computers were a lot less complicated than people. He still wasn't sure why Emily had bothered to check up on him and make him food when he got hurt.

It was far outside the realm of their usual relationship. Did she feel sorry for him because of how horribly he embarrassed himself in front of everyone?

She had claimed to care about him the day she insisted on driving them to school but making him pancakes was the first thing she did that actually proved that. He wasn't sure which was more painful: her caring but only as a friend or not noticing him at all.

Justin was used to not being seen. He had been looking out for Emily secretly since they were in high school. Having her actively in his life…all she seemed to do these days was confuse his already wounded heart.

When the day of the double date rolled around he picked a very glamorous looking Sam up from her dormitory.

"Why do you look like you're going to the Academy Awards?"

"Because the prettier I look the more jealous Emily will be!" she insisted.

Her eyeliner had sharp wings and she was wearing the sort of frilly light pink mini dress one would wear to the prom.

"We're just going to lunch…isn't it a bit much?"

Sam shook her head. "It's not like we're going to get fast food."

She had picked the place, a nice but not exorbitantly expensive seafood restaurant in downtown L.A. Her logic was that by not going somewhere cheap on purpose, it would show that Justin was financially self-sufficient because girls didn't like guys who were cheap. Justin knew he wouldn't win an argument against her so he wisely decided to drop it.

When they arrived at the restaurant Emily and Brandon were waiting for them. Neither of them were dressed as fancy as Sam.

They were both in jeans though Brandon had on a green button up shirt and Emily wore a filmy purple blouse. Justin was actually the most casual in a white tee shirt with a cartoon robot on it, a blue plaid over shirt, and cargo shorts.

"You guys clearly didn't coordinate outfits," Emily pointed out with a half-smile.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Don't mind Mr. Casual here. He barely even dressed up for his own high school graduation. You look cute! I like your shirt."

"Thanks! Shall we?"

The quartet walked into the restaurant and were seated quickly because Justin had made a reservation ahead of time. Perusing the menu, Sam shot her cousin a devious smile.

He was confused until he looked at the menu and realized that a lot of things on there were expensive. Suppressing a groan, he was pretty sure he figured out her plan.

"I want the shrimp sampler," Sam announced after looking over the appetizer options. " Or maybe the fish sticks? And a strawberry lemonade! I hardly ever get to have that."

"Anything for Her Majesty," Justin deadpanned.

He knew this was mostly part of her plan to get Emily interested in him but also partly because she had been taking advantage of him this entire trip and wasn't going to stop now.

Emily glanced at her date, who said nothing. "Would you be willing to share a few shrimp?"

Sam shot her a sweet smile. "Of course!" She then discreetly whispered, "See, you're a better date already! He won't get her an appetizer."

"Shh! They might hear you," he said under his breath. She simply smiled and returned to looking over the menu.

When the server came over to take their drink and appetizer orders Sam got her lemonade and everyone else got water. Once he left Sam decided to steer the conversation.

"So, I want to know more about you two! Emily, what are you studying? Where do you work? How did you and Brandon meet?"

Emily smiled. "I'm studying film and television with the hope of being a screenwriter someday but right now I'm a cashier at a gas station because the hours work around my class schedule. Brandon and I met doing a presentation on Shakespeare in lit class."

Sam clapped her hands happily. "I love Shakespeare! I hope to go into theater costume design. I've been sewing since I was fourteen. I even made Justin a jacket for Christmas last year."

"Wow, that's impressive. I can't even sew on a button," Emily commented.

"She is pretty good," Justin admitted.

Sam had made everyone clothes that Christmas. His mom had been particularly excited about her semiformal dress that she could wear to the New Year's Eve party she was going to with his dad.

"High praise coming from you," Sam said dryly. He simply rolled his eyes before she directed her next question to Brandon. "What are you studying?"

"Business with an emphasis in entrepreneurship."

A crafty smile made its way onto Sam's face. "You should talk to Justin. He's already had his own business since—"

What was she doing?! Panicked, Justin cut her off. "It's nothing serious. I'm a programmer and do freelance work through a website I set up. Not a big deal at all."

Emily looked at him in surprise. "I knew you were a freelancer but not that you had your own website."

He waved it off like it was nothing. "Making websites is one of the first thing programmers learn to do."

"How much do you make doing that?" Brandon asked, an obvious edge in his voice.

"Enough to buy me lobster," Sam interjected cheerfully.

She shot her cousin a wink as if they were coconspirators and she hadn't nearly given him a heart attack by telling his crush one of his biggest secrets. Lobster was the most expensive item on the menu. She was telling them that he was well-off for a college student without revealing his true wealth.

As strategies go, Justin was almost impressed. Almost. He hadn't completely forgiven her yet.