~Samuel's Point of View~

Song: "Waiting for Love" by Avicii

******

I woke up with a raging headache. My eyesight was blurry for a moment and I groaned at the pounding in my right temple. When my vision cleared enough, I turned to find Callie gone.

I sat up, wincing and holding my head as the headache came on even worse.

"Samuel? What are you doing sitting up?" Her voice came into my hearing range, but I couldn't see her clearly.

Hands rested on my shoulders and I was guided back down to where my head now lay on something soft. I moved my hands from my eyes and saw my head was in her lap.

I felt my cheeks begin to go hot and I croaked, "Please tell me you did not sleep there last night."

She rolled her eyes. "No. I slept in the arm chair. You had your head on my sweatshirt." True to her words, I saw it now lay across the back of the couch. 

I rubbed at my eyes, wincing.

"Let me check it out, ok?" She said gently and I moved my hands and her fingers gently undid the strap that held the makeshift pad to my head and pulled it away and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"It looks better than it did last night."

"Yeah, but I feel worse." I muttered.

"The second day with a concussion is always the worst." She replied. "You'll have a scar, unfortunately." She added with a pout.

"Yippee." I muttered sarcastically.

"At least you'll look more intimidating." She said with a wink.

I felt my heart beat a little faster and I said, "Sure. You don't seem to think I'm intimidating at all."

She went quiet, then said, "I've run into quite a few intimidating men before. You aren't one of them." The way she said it made my chest feel too tight. She had been hurt before. I could see it in her eyes. Concern flooded through me, but I pushed it down.

"You haven't seen my intimidating part." I say seriously.

"I saw you last night." She said seriously. "When you faced that creature. It looked scared of you almost."

"Yeah, until it tossed a rock at my head." I say blandly.

"Still. Just accept the compliment." She carefully wrapped my head back up and said, "You should see the nurse. Get you some medicine and ice, then you should rest for the rest of the weekend or it'll get worse."

I stared at her with eyebrows furrowed and just said, "I'm still trying to figure out why you're still here, or why you came to me in the first place. I'm not a good person."

She shrugged and said, "I think I can be the judge of what I think of you myself. I don't need other people to tell me what you are. Because I don't see a monster."

I scoffed. "A valiant effort. But I am slightly incapacitated at the moment with a lovely concussion so I'm tame right now."

"Hm. How about you answer a few questions, then? Then I'll decide if I should walk away or not."

I swallowed hard, heart racing, and merely said, "Ok."

"Why have you been watching me?"

"You're the heir to Tolkien. And you interest me." I replied.

"Why are you protecting me?"

"Because my father is a terrible person and I don't want you anywhere near him." I say seriously.

She seemed a bit startled by that answer. "Why?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to meet the Dark Lord? Because if you go to him, he'll kill you. But it'll be slow and painful."

"And you don't want that?" She asked curiously.

I scoffed. "I don't think anyone wants that, doctor."

"Are you just going to call me 'doctor' now?"

"Maybe. Is there a problem?" I asked with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes at me and said, "You're impossible. Drink this water."

"Yes, doctor." I said with a wink and took the water bottle and downed the rest. "Now what?"

"I'm taking you to the nurse."

I scowled. "No."

"Dude. You have a concussion."

"I don't want to go there." I say adamantly. "I can't go there. They won't help me, anyways."

"They have to. It's the law and-"

"I don't think you get it." I say and sit up, wincing a bit, and without looking at her I said, "You can think whatever you want, but the truth is, I'm not a good person. I've been watching you because my father told me to. He wants to tear you apart piece by piece to figure out how you tick. So you should just stay as far away from me as you can. Go back to your little Fellowship. They're your friends. I am not."

She looked at me, her jaw clenched and eyes a little wide. She stood and picked up her purse and took her water bottle back and handed me a slip of paper. "Text me when you're better." Was all she said and turned and disappeared up the stairs.

******

That Monday, I saw Callie at class, but she didn't even look in my direction. She was holding Brandon Birch's hand and smiling. Leland and Gabby walked with them and the four of them sat down at the front of the auditorium again.

I felt my heart ache as I watched Brandon slide an arm across her shoulders and she leaned into him. 

Haven was next to me, rambling as always. My friend sometimes didn't know when to shut up. I guess he was my only friend now. At least Seran was nowhere to be seen.

I lifted a hand to my temple and rubbed at it tenderly, my fingers grazing the scab there.

"Man that is some head wound. How'd that happen?" Have asked and I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"I was playing baseball and got hit in the head." I replied.

"Baseball? Didn't know you played." Haven said and propped his legs up on the chair in front of him, not seeming to believe me. No one sat near us.

I drummed my fingers on my desk and said, "There's a lot you don't know, apparently." A pounding headache began to form just behind my forehead and I closed my eyes, holding my head.

"Have you been to the nurse yet? You look like shit. Have you slept? When did this happen?" Haven asked, and leaned forward to try and see my face.

"No. I haven't." I gritted out. "And they've never helped me, so why would now be any different?"

"Well, I mean, they've helped me."

"That's because your dad is Saruman and he's closer to interfere and can actually send people to mess with them." I said with an edge of irritation.

"Yeah, but he's claimed you as his, too, so I can just call him and tell him the school won't treat you because of your dad. I think that's total bullshit. You're a brother to me, Sam, and honestly, it gets me pissed that these people don't seem to understand that just because we were born outside of Middle Earth that we aren't worth anything." He crosses his arms over his chest and scowled at the girls who sat in the row to our left and they shrank back.

I looked down at Callie. Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun with a pencil stuck through it and was leaning forward over her desk to scold Leland for something, but he was merely grinning at her, Gabby laughing between them. When she leaned back, Brandon placed a kiss on her head and she laid hers on his shoulder again.

I clenched my jaw and looked away from them, feeling my heart twist. I chased her away. I deserved this. Why was I jealous, anyways?

"I don't know, Haven. You can do what you want. Tell your dad if you really think he'll change anything. He only took me in because he was obligated to, seeing as he's still in service to my dad. Admittedly, he is getting a lot more out of this new home than the rest of us."

Haven shrugged. "That's because he took the Uruks here with him and and made them look like friggin human motorcyclists. They still smell like shit." He picked at his nails and twisted a silver ring around his right index finger.

"I guess so." I said softly and pulled my laptop out and put it on my desk and opened it, effectively blocking Brandon and Callie from sight.

I clenched my jaw as the seat next to mine was taken by Seran. My luck never lasted this long anyways. She rested her hand over mine and I pushed it away.

"What did I tell you about touching me?" I snarled.

"Hey. I'm just trying to be nice, Sammy, I- oh my gosh! What happened to your head? Who did this to you?" She shrieked.

A few students turned to look at us, eyes locked onto the black and purple bruise on the right side of my face.

"I was playing baseball. Got hit with a ball." I said, voice dangerously quiet, my fists clenching and hands beginning to feel warm.

"You? Playing baseball? I've never seen you outside the library!" A kid sneered from the side.

"Hey, why don't you shut your mouth before I rip out your tongue, yeah?" Haven snarled and the kid shrank back.

Seran's hands moved to the sides of my face and turned my head to look at her and she brushed my hair from to the side, then kissed my forehead. I felt disgusted.

I recoiled from her hands and looked back at my laptop screen as voices began to surround me. Talking about my new head wound, whether I played baseball or not, and Haven was ignored as he tried to defend me.

It went on until a voice from the front rose above the others and said, "Why don't all of you shut the hell up, hm? Leave him alone. So what? He's got a bruise. Get over yourselves. And you call him the villain at this school. This is total bullshit. You all suck."

I looked up from over my laptop and locked eyes with Callie. She didn't look away from me for a long time, and when she turned back to the front, the room went silent.

"Damn." Haven breathed. "That girl seriously has some nerve."

"Indeed she does." I replied softly.