Mason Maloney

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about this!" Bella exclaimed, falling back on my bed with her laptop on her legs.

"Well, you have to," Ross said from across the room, where he was spinning around on my desk chair.

I didn't say anything because I couldn't help but agree with Bella. The three of us were sitting in my room, researching colleges to apply to as we waited for Pete to arrive. Bella was very obviously stressed out about the process, and so was I.

"I don't even know what I want to do with my life," I muttered as I looked through the website of a local community college.

Bella groaned aloud at that while Ross nodded in agreement.

"Do you know where Nathan is going?" Ross asked me curiously.

I shrugged. "Any D1 school that will give him a scholarship and a starting position."

"Why don't you just go wherever he goes?" Ross wondered.

I had thought about that before, but decided it probably wouldn't be the best for me to follow wherever Nathan went. The two of us obviously wanted to do different things with our lives, so I didn't think going where he went would do me any good.

"I have an idea," Bella said suddenly, sitting up on the bed abruptly beside me. "We should all go to the same school."

I rolled my eyes. Any time the topic of college was brought up, Bella suggested that the four of us go to the same place. We were all on board until this proved to be problematic since Bella wanted to leave the state for school while Ross and Pete didn't and I was still unsure. I wouldn't mind going somewhere warmer, but I wasn't sure how I would handle being far away from home.

Now that I was with Sam, I also had him to think about. It was uncertain whether the two of us would last that long, but if we did, we faced the problem of having to do long distance. I didn't even know where he wanted to go.

"I can't afford to be going to school out of state," Ross said to her, his face holding a bored expression.

"Some out of state colleges are cheaper than the in-state tuition in Massachusetts," Bella pointed out, pointing a finger at Ross with a triumphant expression on her face as she poked a hole in his argument.

"But then we have to fly home for holidays and stuff," he argued further.

"We can drive!" Bella exclaimed. "We all pitch in for gas and take turns driving, it's not rocket science."

Ross groaned. "I don't know, Bell."

Before anything else was said, Pete barged into my room and plopped down on my bed beside Bella. He looked over at her laptop before grimacing and shutting it softly.

"I do not want to think about college right now," Pete said, shaking his head at us.

"None of us do, that's the problem," I said, shutting my own laptop and getting up from my bed to set it down on my desk.

"Maybe we should go to New York," Bella said, ignoring what Pete had said.

I gave her a strange look. "It's just as cold there as it is there. I thought the point was to go somewhere warm."

Bella rolled her eyes. "The point is to live somewhere else for a change."

Pete shook his head. "I'm not living in New York."

"Why not?" Bella asked almost angrily, turning to face Pete.

"Everyone goes to New York," Pete said. "Or LA, so I'm not going there either."

I couldn't argue with him about that.

Bella gave him a dirty look, but didn't push him any further as she opened her laptop back up and started typing away.

"Anyway," Pete started, leaning back against my headboard. "What are we doing after the game tonight? We can go to my place, but my parents will be there."

"Aren't your parents going away this weekend, Mase?" Bella asked, not looking up from her laptop.

I tried my best to hold back a groan. My parents were going away this weekend, and Nathan wouldn't be here either. Since I was planning on having the house to myself, Sam was going to be over tonight.

"Yeah, I do remember them saying that," Ross said in agreement with Bella.

"Awesome, I'd rather be here anyway," Pete replied.

I guess I didn't have a say in this.

"Um..." I trailed, causing three pairs of eyes to zero in on me.

"What?" Bella asked with a confused expression.

"I kind of have plans tonight," I admitted slowly and timidly.

"With who?" Pete asked. "We're your only friends."

I rolled my eyes at that, even though it was kind of true. My three friends looked at me expectantly, waiting anxiously for my response.

"Well..." I started, trying to form a lie. "Since Nathan is going to be out tonight, Sam is going to come over so I can help him with his baking."

I was met with silence and three incredulous stares. I tried to keep my eyes off of them, looking up toward the ceiling.

"You're hanging out with Sam Knight?" Bella suddenly screeched.

I shushed her, placing my hand over her mouth. "Quiet down!"

Bella pulled my hand away from her. "You're hanging out with him after what he did to me?" she whispered.

I looked to Pete for help, but he was staring at Bella as if she was crazy.

"He didn't do anything to you, Bell," I said quietly.

Bella scoffed and stood up abruptly, gathering her things. "I know you have to work with him, but hanging out with him? That's not cool, Mase! Did you even think about how I would feel?"

She left the room before I even had the chance to say anything. Pete, Ross, and I stared at the door where she left, shocked expressions on our faces.

"She's so fucking dramatic," Pete said, shaking his head in annoyance.

"Okay, so I'm not the only one that thought that was absolutely nuts?" Ross asked, looking at each of us.

"Nope, she's definitely being crazy," I confirmed with a sigh.

"She doesn't even like him anymore," Pete added.

"She just has to make everything about her," I told him to which he nodded in agreement.

"Whatever," Pete said. "I'm still coming over here after the game and I'm going to eat whatever you make."

The both of us looked to Ross to hear his answer.

"Count me in," Ross said, to which Pete let out an excited cheer.

Part of me was happy that my friends were going to hang out with Sam and me so they could see what he was really like. The other part of me was disappointed that the two of us wouldn't be getting any alone time.

Bella's reaction bothered me to no end. I wish I could say that I couldn't believe how selfish she was being, but I could. It was just what she was like. I didn't even want to think about what she was going to do when she found out that Sam and I were dating.

I wasn't sure I would make it out of that alive.

***

"You're literally so embarrassing," I said to Pete, shaking my head at him as he sat in the basket of the shopping cart that Ross was pushing.

The football game had just ended, so I made Ross drive me to the store so I could pick up some things to bake with. I had sent Sam a text earlier to explain the situation and he had just messaged me back.

Are your friends going to hate me?

I snorted lightly before responding.

No more than yours hate me

That's fair

"Mase, hurry up and pick out your shit," Pete yelled, causing me to look up at him from my phone.

I shook my head at him out of annoyance and started down the aisle, picking up the ingredients I needed and tossing them in the carriage, hitting Pete in the process.

"What are you guys making?" Ross asked, looking down at his phone.

"Cake," I said blandly, throwing a bottle of vanilla extract into the cart and hitting Pete in the back.

Pete rubbed where the bottle hit him. "I can't wait to eat that shit."

We only spent a few more minutes in the store. I was in a hurry to get back considering Sam would be on his way soon. Once I payed for all of the ingredients, the three of us hopped into Ross's car and made our way back to my house.

"So, are you, like, actually friends with Sam?" Pete asked as he pulled a pudding cup out of my fridge while I placed my groceries on the kitchen counter.

"Kind of," I replied vaguely. It wasn't technically a lie.

While Pete leaned against the fridge eating pudding, Ross sat at the kitchen table, texting on his phone.

"Are you texting Liza?" I asked teasingly, a smirk covering my face.

Ross shot his head up and gave me a dirty look, locking his phone. Pete's eyes turned wide and his mouth hung open in shock.

"You have a thing with Liza?" Pete asked incredulously.

"I hate you," Ross said, looking at me with a deadpanned look, before answering my question, "And no, I'm not."

"He's lying," I said, nudging Pete with my elbow.

Ross rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance, looking back down at his phone. Pete still had a shocked expression on his face as he stared at our friend. Before anyone could say anything else, there was a knock on the front door, signaling Sam had arrived. I scurried to the door and greeted him.

"Hey," Sam said with a wide smile to which I returned.

"Hey," I replied, pulling him by the arm into my house. "How was your game?" I asked as we walked to the kitchen.

"It was good," he answered quietly, looking around as if he was looking for Ross and Pete. "We won."

Pete stared at Sam and I when we walked into the kitchen while Ross paid us no mind, still preoccupied with his phone. Sam greeted Pete with a silent nod to which he returned, shoving his last spoonful of pudding in his mouth. We stood in awkward silence for a few moments before I cleared my throat.

"We're going to get started," I said to Ross and Pete, hoping they would leave the room.

Pete placed his pudding cup on the counter before walking over to Ross and smacking him on the shoulder, signaling for him to get up.

"We're gonna watch TV," Pete said before leaving the kitchen, Ross following behind him as he texted on his phone.

"So," Sam said after a moment of silence. "Those are your friends."

I nodded. "Yep."

"And Bella's not here?" he asked.

I scoffed. "No, she freaked out when I said I was hanging out with you."

Sam gave me a confused look, tilting his head to the side.

"Acting like I'm fuckin' betraying her or something," I mumbled, walking over to the counter where the ingredients were located.

"You seem tense," Sam noted, leaning against the counter next to where I stood.

I sighed, leaning forward to rest my head on his shoulder. "She just drives me insane."

Sam turned his head to look back and make sure no one was looking on before wrapping his arms around me. I leaned into his touch and let out a content sigh before tilting my head up to give him a kiss on his jaw, his stubble feeling uncomfortable on my touch. I pulled away from him and took his chin in my hand, examining his facial hair.

"I need you to do me a favor," I said, examining his face.

"Hm?" he hummed.

"Get rid of this," I said, running my thumb over his chin.

Sam chuckled, his smile wide as he looked down at me.

"What? You don't find it sexy?" he asked, feigning offense.

I rolled my eyes playfully, shoving his shoulder lightly.

"I'd love it if you just shaved it," I said with a smirk, leaning back against the counter.

Sam let out an exaggerated sigh. "I guess I can do that for you."

I continued smirking, pressing my lips to his before pulling away and grabbing a bowl from the cabinet.

"Let's get started on this cake," I said, handing him the bowl and walking over to the oven to preheat it.

He held it out as if he didn't know what to do with it, raising his eyebrows at me.

"You're going to make the flour mixture in that," I told him, gesturing toward the flour.

"And how do I do that?" he asked, setting the bowl down on the table.

"Mix three cups of flour, one tablespoon of baking powder, and half a teaspoon of salt," I instructed, moving aside so he could grab the ingredients he needed that I had placed on the counter.

While Sam worked on the flour mixture, I started on the batter. I put the ingredients I needed in my electric mixer and set it on low before turning to Sam to see if he was done. I added eggs one at a time to my mixture and then stirred in vanilla extract before motioning for Sam to come over with his bowl.

"Put in a little bit at a time and gently hand mix it," I told him, shutting off the electric mixer and pulling the bowl off. Sam followed my instructions while I got the pans out and greased them.

"Add some buttermilk," I said, gesturing to where I left it on the counter.

After Sam was done with the batter, I poured it into two different pans and placed them in the oven. I turned to face him, putting my hands on my hips.

"Should we just wait in here until it's done?" I asked, not wanting to go sit with my friends.

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "We should probably go see Ross and Pete before they catch us doing something they shouldn't see."

"Who said we were going to do anything they shouldn't see?" I asked sarcastically, smirking up at him as he stepped closer to me.

"I know you can't resist me," he teased with an arrogant expression.

He was right.

"It's easier than you think," I lied, placing my hand on his chest and pushing him away lightly.

Sam laughed quietly as he followed closely behind me, the two of us making our way to the living room. Pete was lying across the couch while Ross was sitting in the recliner, still having his eyes glued to his phone. Neither of them looked up when Sam and me entered the living room and sat down together on the two-seat couch.

"Where's the cake?" Pete asked, staring at the TV.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him while Sam chuckled softly, throwing his arm over the back of the couch behind me.

When I got a good look at Pete, I saw that he was holding a glass bottle in his hand. He absentmindedly took a swig from the bottle, wincing slightly as the liquid went down his throat.

"Did you steal that from my room?" I asked in an accusatory tone.

Pete looked from the bottle to me and nodded before turning back to the TV.

"Want some?" Pete asked, holding out the bottle for me to take. I rolled my eyes, but leaned over to grab the bottle anyway and took a long sip.

I raised my eyebrows and offered the bottle to Sam, to which he just shook his head, before handing the bottle back to Pete.

"I'm so glad Bella's not here," Pete voiced aloud. "I love her but she's too much sometimes."

"You can say that again," Ross mumbled, placing his phone under his leg.

"She really doesn't like you," Pete said with a laugh, pointing at Sam.

"I heard," Sam replied, looking over at me.

Pete laughed again, waving him off. "She's crazy, don't take it personal."

"Trust me, I don't," Sam said with a laugh of his own.

"So," Pete started, sitting up on the couch and facing Sam. "Who came up with the flag prank?"

I shot Pete a dirty look for bringing up the stupid rivalry. However, instead of being uncomfortable like I thought he would be, Sam just let out another laugh and smiled widely.

"Wish I could take credit for it," Sam said. "But it was Jake."

I scoffed. "Of course it was."

"Jake Johnson?" Ross asked, moving to sit on the couch with Pete.

"Yeah," Sam answered. "You know him?"

"I know of him," Ross replied.

"He's an ass," I told Ross.

Sam nodded in agreement. "He can be."

"You know his friends?" Pete asked me, looking confused.

"They come into the bakery all the time," I said, stretching the truth a bit. The bakery is where I first met them, but that wasn't necessarily the reason I knew Jake was an ass.

"We should start doing that," Pete said, turning to Ross. Ross smirked and nodded happily.

"No, you shouldn't," I said, shaking my head.

The last thing I needed was Sam's and my own friends hanging around the bakery all the time. Not only would that cause conflict between them, but I wouldn't get the alone time I craved with Sam when we had down time at work and were able to hide away in the kitchen.

"I'm going to go get the cakes out of the oven," I said, standing up from the couch and leaving Sam alone with my friends.

Once I got the cakes out, I set them on top of the stove to let them cool. When I got back to the living room, Sam had moved from the two-seat couch to sit with Ross and Pete on the larger couch. Pete and Sam were laughing and looking at something on Pete's phone while Ross was looking at his own.

I smiled at the two of them as I sat down in my previous seat. I was hoping they would get along so that when the time comes to tell them about our relationship, we would at least have someone on our side.

I couldn't help but let relief wash over me as I watched Sam and Pete interact. At least one of my friends didn't hate him.

**

Thanks for reading!!

What did you think about Sam hanging out with Mason's friends?

Also, I know you guys are wanting some drama and I promise it's coming, so just bear with me!

Let me know what you think!