For The Love Of A Bad Boy

XXIX

-Anthony's Point Of View-

My tattoo of Sam's name kept staring at me. I wasn't proud to admit that I missed him, but no matter how badly I thought of him, I always ended up loving him twice as much.

Sam was obviously over me, and his new boyfriend looked like he was making Sam happier than I ever did. I didn't blame Sam for moving on. He couldn't be single the rest of his life because of me. I didn't want him to be lonely, but I hoped he would come back to me.

I sulked. Hard.

"Anthony," My sister Anya said as she entered my room announced, "want to come to the store with me?"

"If you don't knock, I can't acknowledge you."

She knocked sarcastically, "Anthony, would you like to come to the store with me?"

"No."

"I won't buy you cigarettes,"

"Anya, that's not fair."

"Then just go with me. It'll take a few minutes."

"Fine," I groaned, "and the only reason I'm going is because I'm almost out of cigarettes."

I rolled off the bed.

"Anthony, I know you're bummed about your breakup, but Ma doesn't like you smoking."

"I have nothing better to do. Besides, Ma lets me smoke as long as I don't do it around her."

"Then I'm worrying for nothing. Let's go."

She dragged me out of my room and down the stairs in her usual perkiness.

"What are you doing back so early? Did Harvard kick you out?"

She laughed, flipping her chestnut hair over her shoulder, "No. There's isn't much to do since exams are over, so they let us go."

"I'm amazed you were even accepted. You look like a prison inmate."

Anya and I both had an obsession for tattoos. Hers were mostly hidden by her clothes and she didn't have any piercings. She had a strange phobia about the whole process, but she was perfectly capable of embedding ink in her skin for all of eternity.

She was weird like that, but I loved her anyway.

I could only sulk about Sam in the car and when we made it to the store, my only concern was leaving so I could go back home and smoke a half a pack.

The store was pretty much empty except for a guy reading magazines in the front.

"I'm leaving you to fend for yourself if he robs the place." Anya grinned, noticing my glance.

"Cigarettes." I shoved her toward the register.

While she was up there, I wandered the isles.

The bell above the entrance jingled, and I ignored it.

Until I heard a familiar laugh.

It was unmistakably Sam. I peeked around the corner as Sam and Mike went down the isle right next to mine.
They were holding hands.

My heart twisted in my chest painfully.

Sam was silently drinking pop from a straw, letting Mike drag him around.

"What are you staring at?" Anya asked, suddenly appearing next to me.

I nodded my head at Sam.

"I won't watch you do this to yourself. Let's go."

"No."

"How can you move on if you keep getting hung up on him?"