Chapter Fifteen: "Keeping Up With The Cahills."

I'VE BEEN TO ONE of Sam's modeling shoots before.

He had done a lot especially during the summer. He had done shoots for sweaters, swimwear, athletic department- a lot for the athletics considering he was an athlete. But interviews? Even a small interview was a whole different story.

People were fussing over him more so than usual and I watched Elizabeth Cahill run over some of the questions with him, leaning on the desk as he turned around in the chair with a bored look on his face.

Liz noticed and rolled her blue-grey eyes at him. "Samuel, are you even listening?"

He turned around in the chair once more. "I am mum. I really am. I just want to go get this over and done with to be honest."

"This is live. Be a little grateful honey," She told him. "This gets you great exposure."

Sam nodded in understanding. "I get that but I get enough exposure and you know that. I'm partially doing this for dad too remember that."

Liz shot him a dry look and he stood up hugging his mother. "I am grateful. I don't know how I can ever repay you for everything you have done for me since I was born."

"You can repay me with love and by being calm out there." She said before staring at his hair. Then she looked at me. "Have you gotten used to this new hairstyle?"

I shook my head almost laughing. "Nope."

Sam rolled his eyes before someone tapped him on the shoulder to let him know that it was time for him to go on. "Can we please move on from the hair cut? You both have been telling me to cut it for months."

"We didn't actually think you would go through with it." Liz and I shared a look and Sam rolled his eyes again.

"Don't give me attitude Samuel."

"I'm not giving you attitude mum." He huffed, bending down to kiss her cheek before raising his eyebrows for half a second at me and winking as he walked towards the stairs.

I sat down in the chair like he did, spinning around in it as I settled to look at the TV where Sam would be. Liz leaned against the desk with crossed arms as the segment before ended, flicking her jet black hair over her shoulder. "You still don't want to be a model Macy?"

She's been asking me this question once every two weeks whenever we talked. I'm not even lying.

"For the 100th time Liz I'm absolutely positive that I don't want to be a model." I laughed, spinning around in my chair.

"You would be perfect for my spring collection." She told me.

"Thank you for the offer but I'd rather be behind the camera than in front of it."

"And you'd rather run with a soccer ball rather than walk down the runway." She huffed, giving me a smile.

"Exactly." I was glad that she understood me.

She laughed under her breath, shaking her head. "Just like your mother."

A small smile came to my lips at that comment when I noticed Sam was already on, shaking the interviewers hand before taking the opposite seat across from him.

The interviewer, a man named Ian asked him so questions Sam already expected, throwing jokes here and there like a natural to keep everything light yet serious, answering questions based on soccer majorly. Ian asked him about soccer in his younger life, how he went into it when he was older, HDF and his future in the soccer career. The personal questions came in a little bit later.

"So Sam," Ian started. "Besides football and HDF, how's life in general?"

"Life's good. My brother's getting married on Saturday and we're flying to Canada to make it."

"We?" Sam nodded and Ian leaned in wanting to know more. "I assume you mean yourself and a girl."

Sam elbow was propped up on the armrest of his chair, his thumb going along his bottom lip as he smiled. "Yeah."

"I'm guessing she's very important."

Sam chuckled, looking down before nodding. "Yeah, she's my world."

I could feel Liz' eyes on me as my face was probably red, my cheeks burning as I fought the smile that tried to make its way to my face by biting my lip.

Ian waited for Sam to tell more detail and Sam flickered around the room for a second. "She and I met in high school and came to Manchester together to attend HDF."

"Is she a football player as well?"

Sam nodded. "She's great and she's shares the passion with me."

"You love her huh?"

Sam nodded. "I really do."

By now I was hiding my face from Liz who was looking at me like Jasmine would probably look at me, like a teenage girl teasing her best friend about a crush. Liz was one of my favorite people in the world and I was elated to have a good relationship with my boyfriend's mother. Even though she wanted to constantly buy me clothes and ask me to be a model.

After that the topic moved onto Sam's family and I- while many people who were probably watching this live couldn't tell- could see Sam tense a little bit.

"You said your brother- Ivan is getting married in this Saturday?" Sam nodded. "He's going to be taking over your father's company soon right?"

"Yeah," Sam confirmed. "I think Ivan's prepared to take over a big company. He's been training for it and has seen the works for a long time."

"You think highly of your brother."

"I think highly of all my brothers. Yeah sometimes we don't get along and we get into fights but what family is...ideal?"

"Even being in a family with Vincent Cahill and Elizabeth Cahill?"

Sam slowly tilted his head side to side. "No family is perfect no matter the amount of money you have. Not even ours. But for now I think it's safe to say- even though we're miles apart- that my family is okay. That we're content."

There was a pause and although this interview was for sports purposes, Sam being a member of the Cahill family knew the question that was going to be thrown at him. I could tell that by Ian's face he was going to ask a question that could make Sam reveal himself through it all but I didn't know Sam knew Ian would ask that question too.

He gave the interviewer a small smile. "I already know what you're going to ask."

"You do?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, my sister right?" Ian didn't say anything and Sam continued. "I'm aware that not even my father nor my mother have spoken about this on live television and I'm going through with it. It's okay, ask any questions. I mean this is an interview right?"

He laughed quietly at the end and it put some light to the heavy conversation as Ian nodded, leaning back in his chair. "How have you been after all these years?"

Sam tilted his head to the said exhaling loudly. "I went through a phase. A reckless one. I became...a prodigal son of the big Cahill family after Bethany had passed. It was hard but our family had learned to cope with the loss but it was harder for me."

"Was she an additional influence in you playing football?"

Sam laughed. "She was. Probably one of the biggest. She would come to my games when I was younger. She would help me practice with the some of my brothers. She always told me that I should make it to the professional football world. I'm not only doing it for myself but I'm doing it for her too because I knew she would want me to follow my dream."

Although that part of the conversation was short, I let out a breath of air as the interview started to come to an end. I looked over at Liz and she looked equally relived that Sam was calm during the whole interview.

It wasn't like we expected him to go into a rage or anything. We just didn't want him to react to when the questions became more personal.

Liz had left the room to take a call when Sam was walking down the stairs. I was about to take a sip from the water bottle in my hand before he snatched it from me gulping down the entire drink. I stared up at him as he handed me back an empty bottle.

Sam wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before looking down at me confused. "What?"

I shook the water bottle in my hand staring at him with narrow eyes and he sighed quickly unbuttoning his shirt. "I'll get you another drink."

I gave him a satisfied smile, turning around in my chair as he reached over to the line of clothes hanging from a rack, grabbing a blue shirt and quickly putting it on. He fetched a sweater from the rack as well, throwing it on and fixing it on himself.

He sat down in the chair beside me, turning around in it as well. "How'd you think I did?"

"You have to ask me on how you think you did?"

"Yeah..." He trailed off looking confused.

"Sorry, I just thought you would come in here and be like 'I did great'."

"I did do great." Sam said cockily.

"There's my boyfriend." I said with tight smile before giving him a serious one. "No, I'm not kidding you actually did do great. I'm proud of you and how you answered the questions."

"Thanks Hazel." He genuinely said, running his fingers through his hair a couple of times when his mother entered the room again.

She sighed. "Tell me again why you two aren't making it to the pre wedding dinner on Thursday?"

"Tell me again why Ivan decided to have his rehearsal dinner two days before his actual wedding...and on a weekday?"

He had a point.

"It was last minute," Liz told us. "Everyone's been focusing on the wedding itself and they're still building the platform and everything so the rehearsal dinner kind of slipped from everyone's mind."

Sam sighed, pulling the hood up from the sweater and pulling the strings. "Hazel and I both have a test on Thursday that's why we can't make it. But we're going to be there by Friday night right after our classes so we head for the airport mum. Are you going there now?"

Liz shrugged on her designer jacket. "I have to stop by my office but then I'm heading back."

"Are you leaving the jet or taking it?" He asked.

"You guys can take the jet for Friday, I'm flying regular today."

"I don't think first class is considered regular for most people mum." Sam said.

"I'll see you both on Friday," Liz said, ignoring his comment. "Car is outside in the front and the driver will take you both back."

Sam hugged his mother and she hugged me also as we said our goodbyes.

"So Phillip called me last night right?" He said as we were towards the exit of our building, putting our jackets on.

"He did?" If there was something I loved seeing it was definitely Phillip and Sam talking. Their conversations were something else. They had secret codes for everything and Sam could tell if something was happening with his little brother inside and out. He talked to him every single week.

"Yeah and Caleb flew back right?"

"He did?" I asked, putting my hair in a ponytail.

Sam nodded throwing an almond in his mouth that he got from a bowl back in th other room, "He keeps bothering Phillip with another weird question of his every time the kid comes home from school."

"What's the question?"

"It's so dumb and yet it's starting problems in my family."

"What is the question?" I repeated.

"Caleb got into an argument with Greg over this last night and then they burst into Phillip's room asking an eight year old kid and making a huge deal over-"

"What is the question?" I asked him for the third time getting annoyed.

Sam ate another almond and shot me a sheepish smile. "Oh yeah. He was asking whether you pour your milk first into the bowl or your cereal first."

"Milk." I stated.

Sam gave me a look. "Are you mad?"

"Are you mad?" I mocked him in his attractive accent. "I'm not mad or mental. You pour the milk first."

"No you don't that's so weird. You pour the cereal first."

"You're weird."

"This is coming from the girl who likes relish."

"You're the one who likes mustard, you freak."

"You're in love with this so called freak."

"I know." I shot him a smile.

Sam sighed, throwing an arm around me as we walked out of the building to where the black car was waiting for us. Within the next second, I couldn't even tell but a couple of people with flashing camera surrounded us and I could hear Sam curse under his breath. His grip on me tightened as question after question came at him and he pulled the hood from the sweater under my jacket over my head to hide my face.

One of the cameramen beside me shouted over the chaos, my ears ringing. "Has your family taken the offer on the reality show?"

"Is this your girlfriend?" Another person shouted.

"Any words on your friendship with Kendall Jenner?"

Sam didn't answer any of the questions as we reached the car. He opened the door and quickly made me enter, him following after me as he closed the door. He tapped the backseat of the driver exhaling softly and the car moved.

Sam looked at me. "Are you alright?"

I nodded. "You?"

He shrugged. "That's nothing compared to what my mother has to go through sometimes."

"Reality show?"

"Yeah they want the Cahill's to become the next big reality show family."

"Keeping up With The Cahills." I joked.

He shot me a dry look, taking the last of the almonds he had saved from the paparazzi attack and put them in his mouth. "No."

"I'd watch that show." I laughed.

"You and Caleb both." He said sarcastically.

"One last question?"

"Yeah?"

"Kendall Jenner?"

"We met in LA during the summer when I went for the shoot in July remember?"

"I remember the shoot I just don't remember Kendall Jenner."

"We're not even friends. We had one conversation and it was about my mum." Sam said. I nodded, not really focusing on that when Sam shot me a look. "You're still thinking of the reality show thing aren't you?"

I burst out laughing imagining their theme song. I could imagine Sam specifically turning around dramatically with their names at the bottom of the screen and ended up laughing even harder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Don't leave me." Maddy whined, wrapping her arms around me. This proved our height difference immensely and I gently pried her arms off me, rolling my eyes.

"It's only for the weekend. I'm going to be back Monday morning you weirdo."

"Who's going to play cards with me over the weekend?" Maddy whined, wrapping her arms around me again.

"Ask Anmol." I gestured to the girl laying on my bed and looking at my phone.

"No." Anmol muttered, turning around on her back.

"What about George?" I told her.

"He's at a competition in Liverpool this weekend." Maddy pouted.

"Okay so you have no one to hang out with."

Maddy let go of me and rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like you guys are my only friends."

Anmol and I both looked at her with identical looks on our faces. "I have more friends." She exclaimed.

"No you don't." We both said at the same time, joking.

The door opened and Sam walked in, Maddy smiled at him. "My other friend who thinks I have more friends than the ones in this room."

Sam raised an eyebrow, taking the shades off his face. I wanted to question him on why he was wearing them when it was cold outside but didn't bother. "Are you counting on George as well?"

"Yes."

"Then I don't think you have more friends than the ones in this room." Sam deadpanned.

"You're a dick." She muttered.

"And yet we're friends?" Sam questioned, walking over to my luggage.

Maddy hugged me again, latching onto me like a child on the first day of kindergarten. "Don't go!" She whined again.

"Maddy." I laughed, hugging her back.

"Sam's rolling his eyes at us isn't he?' she said into my shirt.

I looked up at him and I caught him doing the action as he took a hold of my luggage. "Yeah."

Maddy let go of me and tackled my boyfriend, hugging him like she did to me. "I'm going to miss you too Sam."

Sam grimaced. "The feeling isn't mutual Mads." I knew that was a lie. Sam and Maddy were friends no matter if he didn't acknowledge it or not, it was obvious.

"C'mon I know you're going to miss me especially when I keep reminding you of your fuckboy hair."

Sam groaned, looking irritated even though I know he wasn't. "Mads, this is why I'm not going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too." She replied, letting go and patting his shoulder before lying down on my bed beside Anmol.

Sam shot me a dry look. "Your friends are weird." Anmol looked at him over my phone looking offended and Sam gave her the same look. "Weren't you the same girl that was belting out Kanye West lyrics yesterday?"

"Weren't you the same guy that was belting out Drake lyrics yesterday?" I told him, crossing my arms.

Anmol scoffed, laughing before going back to my phone. "She got you there."

"We listened to you rant about how Take Care is his best album for like a half an hour." Maddy added, laughing.

"Even though you're in a relationship you're Man Crush Monday is forever Drake." I muttered and Maddy and Anmol both laughed out loud.

"What?"

"What do you mean what?" I asked him, walking over to peck his cheek. "You're wearing the OVO sweater right now you idiot."

Sam looked down at his black sweater with the logo in front of it and didn't say anything but take my luggage and rolling it towards my door.

"Bye Sam!" Maddy and Anmol said at the same time.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He scowled.

"Rude." Maddy said.

"I never said I was a nice person." He said, leaving the room.

"Don't you have a volleyball tournament tomorrow?" I asked Maddy, remembering.

Her eyes widened and she quickly got off my bed almost stumbling. "Shit, I forgot."

"Aren't you also supposed to be at a meeting in like ten minutes?" Anmol asked, handing me my phone and the charger.

Maddy's eyes widened even more and we watched as she quickly changed into her volleyball clothes and dragged on sweats over them. She quickly hugged me. "Call me when you land. Bye Macy."

"Bye Maddy." I laughed, hugging her back before she sprinted out of our room.

Anmol sighed, shrugging on her own jacket and holding up Maddy's phone. "I better go give this to her. Bye Mace, see you on Monday."

I hugged her back as she chased after Maddy. I closed the door behind me when my phone started ringing. I answered the call, walking down the stairs of the dorm building. "Hey Charming."

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked by the time I was out of the building and watched Sam put my luggage in the trunk of the long black car and I spotted Peter inside it when I opened the door, sprawled out along one seat, sleeping.

"Yeah what is it?"

"Do you pour your cereal first or your milk?"

I knew this question would be the question of the weekend but I honestly couldn't wait to go back home.