It was bright out. The sun shone down on the vast meadows and fields in the early afternoon, the long grass and flowers swaying in the gentle breeze that swept through the Nebraska farmland. Cammie Ann Morgan sat beneath the shade of an apple tree, her hair splayed out on her shoulders as she rested her back against the trunk of the tree.

It was the middle of summer, and where else would she be than at her Grandparents house? Like always.

Cammie slowly blinked open her warm brown eyes and scanned the fields, knowing she wouldn't be able to stay out long without someone missing her.

And yet…she didn't really care. Right then, in that serene moment, she was free to think and let her thoughts unravel, travel to wherever they pleased. This wasn't something she often did. Hardly ever did Cammie actually let herself think and reflect back, because then her emotions would come swimming to the surface, and she would have no where to hide.

But out in the fields, Cammie was alone. She was alone with her thoughts. So, she sunk deep into her mind.

It was inevitable, and predictable in most cases, that she would first think of him. No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts always somehow ended up back on him. He was ever present in her mind, and she couldn't escape him. She would busy herself with chores during the day just so she wouldn't let him creep up in her mind. She couldn't be distracted.

But now, she was peaceful. She could think of him if she wanted.

Zach.

It was the first time since she had arrived in Nebraska that Cammie had allowed herself to think his name

Zachary Goode.

Her eyes closed as she drifted far away. She imagined his dark brown hair and emerald green eyes. His muscles and his constant smirk that made her go insane whenever he unleashed it upon her.

It was inevitable, Cammie knew, that he would always be on her mind. Ever since DC, the boy with the smirk had plagued her thoughts and refused to leave. She felt a short pang beat against her heart and her eyes snapped open. She missed him. She wanted to see him, even if it was just a glimpse.

Cammie pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees, staring blankly at the horizon.

After what had happened with Josh, Cammie had promised herself to never get emotionally attached to another boy ever again. She didn't want to be put through so much hearbreak. Somehow, though, Zach Goode had stomped his way into her heart, and now he was there to stay.

He was mysterious. He always had her guessing, and there were times when she didn't know if she could trust him. One minute, it would seem as if he returned her feelings, and then the next, he would infuriate her to no end. Irritate her. Make her want to slap that arrogant smirk right off of his face.

But did she ever really do it? Well…she had tried. Had she been successful? Not even once.

Cammie felt her heart hammer against her chest, felt the slight tug at the strings. Her heart was being played. It was being toyed with once more.

As much as she wanted to blame Zach for everything, she couldn't. Some things, yes, they were totally his fault. But was it his fault that she had, inevitably, fallen in love with him?

Cammie swallowed and immediately stopped her train of thought.

She closed her eyes again and relaxed against the tree, hoping the images of a certain emerald eyed boy would fade when truly, deep down in her heart, Cammie knew that they wouldn't.

Her instincts, her spy instincts, came alive as she heard a rustle behind her. Immediately she was on her feet and had turned around, the breeze whipping her hair away from her face.

Shock overtook her features as she stared at the figure before her, their hands in the pockets of their jeans as they rested casually against a wooden fence.

"Hello, Gallagher Girl. You might want to close your mouth, you could catch flies."

Out of everyone who would stop to pay her a visit, it would inevitably be him.

"Zach…"