I don't get a chance to try to sneak into their basement until Friday night. Mr and Mrs Mars are taking Jax to an appointment of his and Sam is going out. As much as I tried to pry to find out where she's going, how long she'll be gone, she refused to tell me.

"You don't even want to tell me in case you get kidnapped?"

She rolls her eyes as she slides into her heels. She wears a long midnight blue dress that hangs a little low in the chest area. Her hair is held up in a bun and pearl earrings dangle from her ears. "I won't get kidnapped."

I try to keep my eyes on her face. "Are you sure? You're the daughter of billionaires."

She nods. "I'm sure."

I sigh. "Fine. Don't tell me anything then."

She shakes her head, and her bun shakes a lot. "I'm not even going to be gone long enough to get kidnapped."

"You can be kidnapped within seconds."

"Whatever, Emma. I'm just going to a friends party."

Now I let my eyes slide up and down her. I try to make it look like I'm judging her but I think we both know that isn't true. "Dressed like that?"

She attempts a chuckle. "Rich people, am I right?"

I nod, suddenly feeling very underdressed.

"Anyways, Mother and Father should be back in an hour with Jax. He'll keep you busy when they get back."

"Right."

She opens the front door. "Don't get too lonely without me."

"I won't." A smirk finds it's way back onto my face.

Her eyes twinkle. "I'm sure you won't." Then she's gone, the door closing behind her.

One. Two. Three.

When the door doesn't open, I spin around and head for the door that heads to the basement. So I assume. Sam never actually showed me the door that led to the basement, just told me it's off-limits and blah blah blah, but I'm pretty sure it's not that hard to figure out since it's the only door she didn't show me.

I pass the Mars office and down to the end of the hall. It's a little darker and colder down here. A shiver runs down my spine making me hug my arms around myself.

The door looks normal and like any other door in their house. But there's something creepier about it that I can't place my finger on. Before I can even reach out to open it a blue light flashes before my feet. My eyes widen as the light starts to move up my body. I follow the beam of it up to a scanner that sits above the door.

Shit.

How did I miss that? As the light hits the top of my head it turns red. "Access denied." Sounds throughout the hall.

That can't be good. How do I get in if it won't let me? And what if it lets the Mars' know I was down here and tried to get in? I turn away from the door. Maybe there's some way I can spin this. I was wandering around, came across the door and before I could walk away it started to scan me. But... why would they have security outside their basement?

I look over my shoulder and gnaw on my lip. They're hiding something down there. I just know it. But what could they possibly be hiding?

***

"Emma!" Jax yells down the hall the moment the door is open. I don't even have time to put my pen down and stand up before he's rushing into the kitchen and hopping into my arms.

"Woah buddy!" I stumble backwards, trying to maintain the motion he had. "You gotta give me a second before jumping at me."

He pulls back so he can look at my face. "Sowwy."

"It's okay."

"Were you okay here, by yourself?" Mrs Mars asks as she comes into the kitchen, Mr Mars following behind her.

I nod. "Yep. Just sat here and did some homework."

She looks at Mr Mars. "Is that so?"

I nod.

"You didn't go near the basement at all?" Mr Mars asks.

I shake my head. "No. Why would I when it's off limits?"

They share a look that I pretend to not notice as I adjust Jax on my hip.

"We're just checking," Mrs Mars explains. "Is Samantha home?"

I shake my head. "She's still at her party."

"Party?" Mr Mars asks.

I nod.

"She said she was going to a friend's house for a study session."

Oh. My mouth forms an o. "Is that so? Maybe I got it-"

"You did not get it mixed up," Mr Mars grits out.

"I'll call her now," Mrs Mars says as she pulls up her screen.

Shit. Sam is going to hate me.

Wait. Why does that matter to me?

"Lets go play!" Jax whines, pushing away from me.

I let him down. "Sure. What do you want to play?" I ask him, as I try to keep my calm. But why do I care if I ruin Sam's night? And why would I care if she hates me for it? It's not like we're friends.

"Dolls!" He grabs my hand and starts dragging me out of the kitchen.

"Alright!"

***

After helping put Jax to bed I stand in my own bathroom and pin my hair up before starting my nightly routine.

Two doors swooshes open before Sam is standing behind me in the mirror. Her eyes sit in glares that shoot lasers out of them, her face red and blotchy. Has she been crying?

"How could you?"

I dot my acne cream on with my finger. "How could I what?"

"You told them I was at a party!" That's when I notice the front of her dress is wet. It's a darker blue than the rest of it.

"I didn't know it was a secret." I spin around and face her, preparing myself for the full force of her anger. She drops her shoulders, and I realize she doesn't have any energy left. "What happened?" I ask. I may be spying on her but I don't want to make her my enemy.

"It doesn't matter." She sniffs.

I grab her hand, and when she doesn't pull away I lead her to my bed and make her sit. Then I get the box of tissues from my nightstand and hand them to her. She takes one and dabs at her eyes. After a moment she starts talking. "There's this girl."

My mouth forms an o but I don't interrupt her as I sit beside her.

"And I... I told her how I felt about her. Because things had been going great all week and I really thought she liked me, but then..."

"She didn't?" I ask softly, leaning forward and placing a hand on her knee.

She stares at it before nodding. "She went and laughed and splashed her drink on me." She chuckles. "So now I smell like spiked fruit punch."

"I was wondering what that smell was."

A smile flickers on her face.

"How about I get you a change of clothes and then we get you cleaned up and we can do something. The two of us?"

The corner of her lip turns up. "That'd be nice."

I grin as I help her stand up and lead her to her own bedroom. The moment the door swooshes open and lets us in I feel like I've been teleported to a different room. Where the rest of the house is cold and neat and put together, Sams is the opposite. Her clothes are thrown all over the room, she has make-up scattered on her dresser and her desk is buried under papers. The only thing slightly neat about the room is her made bed.

"How about you hop in the shower and I'll find you some pajamas, okay?"

She nods and lets go of my hand, heading for the door in the corner of her room. Once she's disappeared into it I place my hands on my hips. Where do I even start? I'm assuming that the clothes on the floor are dirty, so I make my way to her dresser.

A blush creeps onto my face as I open the first drawer to her underwear. I slam it shut. Why is this affecting me so much? I avoid opening the one next to it since that's most likely her bras and socks. I mean, doesn't every girl put their underwear and bras beside each other if they don't fit in the same drawer? The next one I open holds her tops and shirts. So the one under that might hold her pants. I chew my lip as I turn to the bottom right drawer and open it, hitting the jackpot. I dig through, trying to find some pajamas that don't set my face on fire and finally settle on some striped shorts and a tank top for her.

"Sam?" I ask as I knock on her door, her pajamas in my arms. "Where do you want them?"

"Come in and drop them on the counter please."

My breath hitches, but I open the door and keep my eyes on the ground. I don't know what kind of shower she has, whether it's a glass one or a curtain one and as much as a tiny part of my brain wants me to look, I won't. I can't. So I slide the pjs on the counter and close the door all without looking at the mirror or the shower.

Her muffled voice reaches me but I don't hear the words as I start tidying her room. I need something to keep my mind busy.

By the time she steps out of the bathroom, now in her pjs, her blonde hair a darker color and dripping just slightly, her room is all tidied up. Her gaze slips around the room before settling on me laying on her bed.

"I'm sorry," I say before she can speak. "I need something to do."

"Oh." She looks around again. "That's alright. Um... thank you." She comes and sits on the bed, her back straight.

"How you doing?" I ask, though I don't think I need her to tell me. Just by the downturn of her lips, and the dazed and far away look in her eyes tells me everything I need to know.

She shrugs. "I feel better now that I'm showered. Not so sticky."

I grin. "I bet. How's your dress?"

Her frown manages to go down deeper. "I think it's ruined."

I sit up a little and rest on my elbow. She turns to look at me. "Let me take a look at it. I'll see if I can fix it."

"Are you sure?"

I nod. "My mom does a lot of sewing and patching up clothes. My dad, he uh, ruins his clothes a lot." I look down at her comforter and bite my lip to keep from slipping up. I can't tell her why he ruins so many of his clothes.

She grins and her gaze softens. I almost want to reach up and... No. Nope. Nope nope nope.

"Thank you," she says, her voice air light.

"Yeah, of course," I say around the big lump in my throat.

She sighs and flops down beside me so that I'm now looking over her. "What should we do?"

I shrug as best as I can. "We can talk, or watch a movie, or just lie here. It's up to you."

She bites her lip. "I think a movie would be best."

"What movie do you want to watch then?"

A wickedish grin pops onto her face. "You'll see." She jumps up and off the bed before grabbing my hand and lifting me off the bed.

"Should I be scared?" I ask as she drags me down to the living room.

All I get as an answer is her wicked smile.