DISCLAIMER:

Hey guys! Before I start, THIS STORY IS NOT MINE AND EVERYTHING FROM THE WRITING TO THE PLOT BELONGS TO - BAILEY AND THE BAD BOY (SCANDALOUS SERIES)AND THE CHARACTERS BELONG TO THE AMAZING ALLY CARTER. I have tweaked things to make this a Zammie story and added/cut different things to add to the plotline. Some chapters and characters will be added from my own initiative. I read this story a couple of days ago and loved it and immediately wanted to turn it into a Zammie story. This is going to be a constant, regular story whilst i'm currently typing up chapters for my two original stories: NEW BEGINNINGS and ELIGIBLE BACHELOR as i feel i definitely haven't updated enough. But, it's finally summer so look out for the next few chapters of them as i now have 7 weeks to write. HOPE YOU LIKE THIS AS MUCH AS I DID. ALL CREDIT GOES TO THOSE TWO AUTHORS. If anyone has a problem or question i'd be happy to answer XX

CHAPTER ONE:

Every single pair of eyes in the hall were fixed on me. My chest constricted, and I couldn't breathe, no matter how much I gasped for air. This wasn't happening. It had to be some kind of sick joke. And it wasn't funny. Maybe this wasn't actually happening. Maybe he was hit in the head too hard at football practice.

"It's not working, C." Josh shrugged helplessly.

"What do you mean?" This was insane. We'd had two incredible years together. What had changed? "I don't understand." I sniffed back my tears, trying to swallow the lump that appeared in my throat. I wouldn't cry. Not whilst everyone was watching.

"I need to be on my own for a while," he said, hitching his backpack up higher and glancing around at onlookers.

"On your own? But…" I couldn't help it. A sob escaped my lips as I felt my world start to crumble around me.

"Look, I really need to focus on my studies and football is more important to me right now. We're starting senior year next year. You know how much a sports scholarship to college means to me. You know how it is, Cammie."

No, I really didn't. We were two weeks away from the end of the year. Then it would be Christmas, and after that, we were meant to be going on a month-long trip up the coast as a relaxing break before starting senior year. There was nothing to prepare for just yet. At least not for the next two months. "What about Christmas and our holiday? How could you do this to me? Josh…please. I don't understand. I thought things were perfect."

"It's simple, Cammie. I just..." Josh sighed, running a hand through his perfect light brown hair. "I don't love you anymore, C."

And that was it. He walked off, leaving me there in complete shock. I didn't even get a chance to say anything else. Not that I could have formed a coherent sentence.

After two bliss years, it was over. Just like that. My head hurt. My heart hurt. My stomach rolled. I was going to throw up. I lunged for the bathrooms across the hall and slumped down into an empty cubicle. My tears fell freely, unstoppable. He had completely shattered my heart with just those four words. Growing up, I had never been one to believe in those cliché lines like "everything happens for a reason" or "what goes around comes around" that my mother lived by. Fate, destiny, true love- I thought they were all rubbish. Was it planned that my dad would never come home from his music tour? Was it 'meant to be' that he left his wife and child alone to endure insufferable amounts of pain? I couldn't grasp any of those ideas, until I met Josh Abrams.

He was every girl's dream guy: the boy next door. Sweet, charming, handsome. He was friendly, funny, smart, and popular. He was gorgeous to say the least. He had hypnotic blue eyes that could pull you in and strong arms that provided safety and comfort every time they were wrapped around you. But he wasn't conceited or vain. He didn't act like he was better than anyone else. Everyone loved him, and so did I. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that he would ever be attracted to someone like me. I was a plain Jane. Not ugly but not stunning either. It turns out I was wrong.

The creak of the bathroom door, followed by the click of heels and the unmistakable scuff of trainers on the tiled floor, alerted me to Dee Dee and Bex's arrival.

"Cammie, come on. Get up." Dee Dee reached out and helped me to my feet. I shook my head and made my body limp. I didn't want to get up. In fact I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry until all my tears ran dry. "We saw what happened. Come on."

"Everyone saw what happened out there," Bex added. Trust Bex to give it to me straight.

"Bex! Not helping," Dee Dee snapped as she tugged on my hands again. "Let's clean you up. You're a mess."

We had been best friends since we were nine years old. When I first moved to town, she was the first person to talk to me on the playground. The fact that we were complete opposites didn't matter to us. She came from a wealthy family with a big house and a country club membership. I didn't have any of that. After my dad died, all my mum and I had left of him was our cosy home in the West of Roseville. No fancy car or exclusive memberships. But we were happy. My mother is much like other mothers in that she is very high maintenance, but her relaxed and understanding persona meant she didn't believe in routine or rules. She was happy to just teach. My mother was the one who fell in love with this town, with its quiet streets and friendly atmosphere. The population was hardly over eight thousand.

I let the girls pull me to my feet and over to the counter. Bex wet some paper towel to dab on my eyes, and Dee Dee began to rummage through her bag for any makeup that would make me a little more presentable. Dee Dee had everything I always wanted. And it wasn't the money; I couldn't care less about that. She was the perfect southern princess. She had stability through her parents with rules that kept her safe. She had friends. Things I had never had before. I grew up known as the half-orphan whose dad was a druggie band member. My mother always told me that you learn from your mistakes. Because I was always so wrapped up in my own thoughts, no one ever took the time to get to know or befriend me. I was always the ugly duckling of the group. The weird girl that didn't fit in anywhere. When Dee Dee declared us best friends that day on the playground, I was ecstatic. Gradually, I found myself morphing into her and being accepted by her group of friends. By Bex. By Josh.

Josh. He was the most popular boy in that group as well as the entire school. He was good-looking and charming, so it didn't take long for him to sweep me off my feet. Things were awkward and shy at first. I'd never really had many friends before, only Dee Dee. Then, once we all graduated to high school, Bex became my friend as well. I'd certainly never had a boyfriend, but Josh made me feel comfortable. He took me on dates to the movies and to the carnival. He met my mum and swept her off her feet too. She thought the world of him. And now it was over. All so he could 'practice' for his upcoming sport opportunities.

The tears started cascading down my cheeks again before I had the chance to stop them. "How could he suddenly stop loving me? What changed overnight?" I cried to the girls.

"I don't know. I can't answer that, "Dee Dee murmured, while Bex just shook her head.

"Everything was fine last night. Well, it seemed like it. He came over for dinner and a movie like he does every Sunday. He and my mum spoke for ages. Everything was normal. I don't get it." I sniffed, trying to contain my tears.

The girls sat with me in the bathroom through homeroom and first period, not caring that they were missing school. They were the best friends I could have asked for. I eventually stopped crying, but the telltale signs of red and puffy eyes still gave me away. The downside to being Josh's girlfriend- well now ex-girlfriend- and Dee Dee's best friend was the attention I attracted. All morning, everywhere I went, people were talking and whispering behind my back. Half of the students didn't even bother to hide the fact they were gossiping about me.

I couldn't handle it any longer. I skipped the last period before lunch and ran to my car. I was grateful to my mother for letting me drive myself to school that morning. Usually, she would drive me.

I was trying to pull myself together when a knock on my window startled me enough to stop crying. A second knock grabbed me out my thoughts. I looked out the window into the bright green eyes of Zach Goode. What? Why was he at my car knocking on my window? I stared at him, my mouth hanging open. Zach Goode didn't speak to me. Ever. Zach Goode didn't talk to anyone unless it was to tell them to piss off. He motioned for me to wind my window down, but I didn't. I could barely function. Zach Goode, the school's most desirable bad boy, was standing at my car. My breath caught in my throat. What did he want? He rolled his eyes, yanked my door open, and crouched down so he was at my eye level.

"I saw what that jerk did in there this morning. You okay?" he asked. His jaw was tense, and his eyes were burning with something resembling anger. My eyebrows shot so far up, I was sure they were touching my hairline. He was asking if I was okay. Why? He shouldn't have cared about my personal drama. "Cammie?" He reached out and wiped a tear from my cheek that I hadn't realized was still falling. I still couldn't move. All I could think was: Zach Goode just touched me. Zach Goode. Oh my god.

"Look, Josh is a douche. You don't need him. You're way better than that. You need to show him that. Nothing will hurt him more than knowing he hasn't broken you. I can help you." He winked at me, but I just blinked back, confused. It couldn't be real. Zach Goode didn't just talk to girls. They threw themselves at him. But there he was. Talking to me. I was definitely not throwing myself at him. In fact, I was still gawping at him like a fish. He laughed and, oh, it was a heavenly sound. I swear I heard a harp playing a tune and saw the light brighten when he smiled.

"So, anyway, have a think about it. We've got all summer to work on it." All summer to work on what? He ran a hand through his slightly curly, dark brown hair before asking. "Have you got a phone?"

A phone? Of course I have a phone. What sort of question is that? He rolled his eyes again when I didn't respond. He reached across me into my car, his shirtless sleeves pulling up slightly to reveal scattered tattoos on his arm, and grabbed my phone from where it was placed on the dashboard. I watched as he called a number and handed it back to me with a smirk.

"Now you have my number. Call me if you want to get payback. I know I do." He stood up and closed my car door without another word and strutted towards school, leaving me paralysed and staring after him. I started my car and headed home, shocked at Zach's offer and unsure what to make of it. It was strange that he'd approached me in the first place but even stranger he wanted revenge. For what? I couldn't understand. But I knew one thing: I wasn't a vindictive person. Josh broke up with me for unknown reasons, but I wasn't about to stoop to his level so I could get a little payback.

I sought comfort and support from my wonderful friends and avoided everyone else for the next couple of days. Dee Dee was amazing. She became my personal supplier of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and an endless amount of cheesy rom-coms, which we watched, curled up in bed together. We ended up watching The Notebook on repeat…

The few times I bumped into Josh in town he looked the other way and pretended not to see me. Maybe it was because I was a blubbering mess with my knotted hair and puffy eyes. But funnily enough, he seemed unscathed, as if our break up had no effect on him. At all. He laughed and joked with his mates as if nothing had happened, still managing to look gorgeous with his tan skin and golden-brown hair. He was happy without me, and that just made me miss him more. I called Dee Dee to tell her I wasn't going on the road trip with them anymore. I couldn't face Josh. Another month with him would send me nuts. Dee Dee begged and pleaded before calling in reinforcements in the form of Bex.

"Don't let him ruin your fun," they argued.

"The girls are right, kiddo. You were all excited for this trip. Don't let Josh ruin it for you." My mother even sided with them. So, after much arguing and sulking, I agreed, therefore commencing the start of this treacherous road trip.