'So, this is Capeside,' her mother bursted just a second before parking the car, the excitement in her voice noticeable. She stepped out of the car to get a better view of her (and her daughter's) new house, hands on her hips as a sign of triumph. She gazed with wonder at the creek and woods, which now where part of their own backyard. 'This place is wonderful'

It was beautiful indeed, but Pat Abbot was still chewing that whole idea over. Moving that far away from the place they had almost lived all their lives at was no easy task; not to mention the awful reason why they had to move to the other side of the continent.

Pat's family originally was from Capeside, MA. Most of them had moved to other countries decades ago, including her father and mother. Pat and their parents spent almost six years travelling around the world, and then decided to stay in the country they fell in love with, Argentina.

Pat Abbot had been living there over than fifteen years and, at the age of 28, had lost hope in finding the love of her life. But then, she met Charlie while queuing at a local supermarket. They fell in love in a blink of an eye and got married a month after. Soon, she bore him with Cameron, their only daughter.

And this is when it gets rough. Father, mother and daughter had spent some sixteen wonderful years together when everything went downhill. Charlie got diagnosed with terminal cancer, and lost his battle 4 months after. The whole family, Argentinean and not Argentinean, was devastated.

But Cameron, well… she was never the same girl again. The death of her father had hit her like a rock. At first, she didn't eat, nor sleep; she cried all day. Then, she started having troubles at school, with friends and even her own mother. And, cherry on top, she failed at passing her 10th year subjects; she had to redo the year.

Pat didn't know what to do. She had lost the love of her life, and it was becoming apparent that, if she didn't do something quickly, she would lose her daughter too. So, on a whim, she decided to move back to the place she always held in her memory, but never knew entirely.

She hoped new air would do them some good.

'I guess it is...' Cam murmured, as she copied her mother's moves.

Cameron glanced around, trying to find something that would catch her attention, something interesting to do. Even though their new house was a few feets away from a beautiful creek, there was nothing to do. Absolutely nothing. That place seemed as boring as she had imagined.

She had never wanted to move to Capeside. There, she wouldn't be able to remember her dad as well as she would have back in Argentina. All the memories were in their old house.

According to her mother, that was what hurt her so much. Seeing everyday where her dad used to sit, sleep, read; where they had fun. That was what was killing her.

Hell, she knew her mother was right, but still. She missed him so much.

'Cam, could you please get your head out of the clouds? I could use some help,' Pat asked her daughter. Not having the reaction she wanted, she snapped. 'Maybe you haven't noticed, but we have been travelling for 14 hours straight, across the continent, and I would really appreciate if you help me unpack so we can finally rest,'

That popped Cam's though bubble. Damn, she might as well crack a whip to make her daughter help her. Huffing, the teenager took a box from the trunk and walked in the house.

At least, this house was much better than the one they had in Argentina. It was humongous; two master bedrooms, a guest one, an attic and two bathrooms. That was a lot for a family that used to live in a tiny apartment.

Also, from what the girl was able to see, there was just one house near theirs. That was another big change for the Abbot family, who was used to be surrounded by people in their old building. And horrible ones, indeed.

It seemed like the family next door might had been a big one. Their porch was packed with things and they had two big cars. But, thankfully, no one could be seen in those ungodly hours of the morning. Cam was not known for being particularly kind towards others... At least not after her father's death.

Cam walked around the house, leaving their belongings all over the place. She didn't know exactly where everything was supposed to go, so she conceded that task to her mother.

Last box in her hands, she walked upstairs to her new bedroom without paying much attention to her surroundings. As she entered the room, Cam sighed in surprise, almost letting the box fall.

That place was a dream come true; she had never expected to have a room so big and beautiful. All the walls were painted in ocean blue (her favorite color) except for one, which was bright white. She had a delicate wooden desk, and the biggest library and wardrobe she could ever imagine. And, in the middle of the room, stood a brand new bed, king sized,with turquoise covers and pillows.

Could it get any better?

Turning to the house's front, Cameron gasped. Yes, it could.

There, facing the creek, was a huge window with a little space to sit next to.

All senses numb but one, she lie the box next to her and sat down, eyes twinkling in amaze.

God, isn't this view heart-melting Cam sighed. The calm waters of the creek, the woods, the midday sun. Astonished, she hardly realized someone had walked out of the house next door. It wasn't until he dropped something that she looked down in his direction.

'Goddamit!' she heard the boy cursing. He had spilt something all over his t-shirt, and quickly took it off, throwing it on the grass.

Cameron blushed a little bit. She couldn't take her eyes off of this guy; barechested boys weren't a common theme in her life. He was tall, had dark hair and looked rather fit. She could see him frowning even from that distance, grabbing a cloth and rubbing it frantically against his chest.

He was wearing jean shorts, and you could see his black boxer peeking out.

'Cameron? Where are you?' called her mother before entering the room.

Cam quickly turned around before her mother could realize what she was up to.

'I see you are already enjoying your room' Pat continued. 'Do you like it?'

Pat was hoping she did; she had made a great effort to have it ready before their arrival. She knew how much it meant for Cameron to have a big room, since she barely had one in their old house. So, Pat contacted the real estate agency some months before moving and agreed to get some things done in the house.

'Mom, I love it. It's amazing!' Cameron chirped as she jumped into her mother's arms. Pat's heart got warmer when she saw her daughter's reaction; it had been a long time since she had seen her so happy.

'I'm glad, sweetheart,' Pat sighed in relief as she kissed Cam softly on her hair. 'I'm gonna finish doing some stuff and I'll have lunch ready at 1, ok?' she continued while walking out of the room.

' K, mom. I'm just gonna wander around a little bit, get to know this place," the girl shouted across the hall, picking some stuff from the box and placing them randomly in her desk.

Get to know this place, sure... Cam thought to herself, making her way out of the house. Actually, what she wanted was to get a better view of his hot neighbour.

She stopped just before opening the front door. What was she doing? Cameron actually was a very shy, naive girl. Naive in a way of not realising when a guy thought she was cute or wanted to date her.. not that it had happened that many times.

Did she had any good reason to go out, besides checking out the guy next door?

Not really.

Cameron stood there, wondering. Maybe she could use the nice weather as an excuse to meet him; it would be nice to suntan a little bit before lunch. Sunscreen and sunglasses on, tank top rolled up below her bra and blanket on hand, and she was good to go. But when she headed out, there was no sight of the cute guy.

Disappointed, Cameron sighed as she walked to the deck. The heat of the sun and the warm summer breeze felt exquisite on her skin. Feet dipped in the water, she gazed at the creek, wondering if she would ever get tired of that view. She hadn't forgotten about the reason why she didn't want to be in Capeside; but she had to admit that it was quite a beautiful place to live at.

The girl had been lying in the sun for maybe half an hour when she heard footsteps coming in her direction.

'Hello there. New in town?' he asked as she sat up and took her glasses off. Warmly smiling, he sat down next to her. He still hadn't put his t-shirt on, and Cam could see his muscles flexing under his skin. It was really hot under the sun, so little drops of sweat were running down his neck and on his chest.

'Oh, yeah, we have just got here,' she answered quickly, realizing she had taken too long to talk back. The way he was smiling at her made her insides tingle. He definetely was younger than her, but he must have been half a feet taller.

'Really? Well, nice to meet you,' he shook her hand, making her laugh a little 'and welcome to Capeside, the city that never sleeps!' he sarcastically continued, winking at her.

'You don't say' she chuckled 'And your name is...? It's weird that we shook hands and I still don't know who you are. I'm Cameron Abbot, by the way,'

'Cameron, I'm Pacey. Pacey Witter,' he laughed as he vigorously shook her hand again, making her whole arm wiggle. 'So, what brings you to sweet Cape?'

Cameron hesitated. Should she tell him? She didn't even know the guy. But it would be weird lying to him; at some point he would find out the real reason why she was there.

'Well...' she started 'my father died last year and... Hell, I've been a mess since then. I've screwed things up badly. Being at my old house was tearing me appart,'

Pacey didn't say a word. He had a worried look on his face.

'Since my mom was born here and we have a lot of relatives around, she decided we should move here… go back to our roots, you know,' Cam finished hesitatingly, feeling the sudden tension.

Why isn't he answering? Did I scare him? Great, Cameron. You always ruin everything, she reproached to herself.

'God… Sorry, I don't know what to say,' Pacey finally answered. 'I'm really sorry to hear that, Cam. I hope everything gets better,'

He smiled at her sincerely. Thank God he answered; the silence was killing her.

But Cameron didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her. She didn't like it in the slightest. Nothing could be done or say to bring her father alive, so she might as well get over it. He was better up there that down in Earth.

'It's fine, you don't have to feel sorry for me,' she said, feeling a lump growing in her throat. Quickly, she tried to change subjects 'By the way, do you happen to go to Capeside High? I'd be relieved if I know someone tomorrow when I get there,'

'I do indeed,' he answered with sparkling eyes 'You are looking at a brand new high school student,' he continued, his chest swelled with pride.

Cam wasn't paying much attention to what Pacey was saying. She had just noticed his eyes were blue, deep blue. The sun shone directly on them, and you could see every dot and stripe that decorated his irises perfectly.

'Then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school. I'm a sophomore too,' Cam timidly smiled, hoping he wouldn't realize how many times she had stared at him.

'That's great! I…' Pacey started, but they were interrupted by the roaring noise of a truck approaching his house and, just a second afterwards, Cam's mother calling her in for lunch. Cameron's heart broke a little bit; she didn't want to stop chatting with the guy. It was the first time in a year that she had been able to maintain a nice conversation with someone that wasn't her mother.

'That's my sis, gotta go. If I don't help her, she will kick my ass,' he shouted as he ran towards his house, waving at her and laughing. 'I'm sorry, I'll see you tomorrow!'

What a character the girl thought as she stood up and bitterly sauntered home.