Never did I ever think I'd write another fanfiction story. I found inspiration and so I put fingers to keyboard!
I hope you give this story a chance, it is a love story however like all good love stories you will have to wait but I promise it will be worth it.
This is an alternative universe and will be told mainly from Zach and Cammie's POV.
I do not own the original Gallagher Girl's series.
Chapter 1: The Arrogant Ass
Cammie's POV
"Hurry up Cam, we haven't got all day you know." My younger brother Jonas grumbled, he is just turning it the perfect annoying teenager at 13. But I can't complain, my brother and I actually get on pretty well considering the whole sibling thing.
I grabbed a top and threw it on over my shorts, I didn't really care, we were only going for the annual Farewell barbecue at the Newman's and I really didn't want to go. I gave up on make-up, I'd put on a dab over a pimple I had but my summer tan was otherwise enough to forgo concealer, and my dark blonde hair simply refused to sit right after running before. Besides I had bigger issues on my mind, Grant had let slip while we were running that Zach would be there, fantastic…
Zach is Grant's other best friend, we're in the same crowd but he and I really don't mix. I don't understand why everyone else likes him, he's so arrogant and just loves to wind me up. However, for Grant's sake we attempt to be civil, it just doesn't always work.
I clattered downstairs in flip flops, jumping the last 5 and presented myself at the door, my parents smiled and Jonas rolled his eyes while pointedly 'checking' his imaginary watch.
"Let's go Camster, I can't wait!" My Dad grinned like a maniac, he and Mr Newman had been friends since college and they were slightly crazy together. They'd both joined the army together after their first year of college because they'd had enough of it. From their they had been SEALs and had 6 tours together before at the age of 30, when Grant and I were both 6, they retired and became army generals, training new troops and coordinating missions together.
"Are you ready now?" My mum added grinning fondly.
"No, not really. Sorry, I just really don't want to go, it'll be the same as every other year, Zach and I will fight and he'll piss me off, you guys will get drunk and then everything will be awkward tomorrow morning." But my Dad was pulling off the puppy dogs so I sighed and marched out the door whilst the idiot skipped out behind me cheering.
My Mum laughed and pushed him away from the driver's seat, he could drive a tank but not a Sedan, and he quickly yelled shotgun. I fought off a grin as my brother and I clambered into the back.
The barbecue is held by the Newman's once a year on the 31st of August, the day before us kids go back to school. We're at the Gallagher Academy, it's a fancy boarding school in Virginia which specialises in sports and it's a lot different to LA let me tell you! It's a huge complex mainly due to all the sports arenas but it's a great place to be. Somehow the modern facilities fit with the grand old mansions that we live and have lessons in.
Grant, Zach and I are all going into our junior year, my brother Jonas and Zach's sister Liz are 13 and going into 8th grade and finally Grant's sister Jasmin, who I love, is just below us going into sophomore year. We all live within a few blocks of each other in LA because our dads are all friends. My mum used to be the head teacher so we all ended up going there.
As we pulled into the drive dad jumped out while the car was still moving to join Grant and Zach's Dads at the barbecue. Mum followed slightly more carefully in heels. I turned to Jonas, "I'm going to the loo, then I'm going to find Jaz, you want to chat with us?"
His nose wrinkled up and said, "No offence sis, I love you and Jaz and all but I don't want to listen to your girl talk. I'm going to go find Dan and George or maybe have an intelligent conversation with Liz."
I rolled my eyes and smacked the back of his head as he headed into the garden. I then disappeared into the house, after quickly waving to everyone, to use the bathroom.
As I walked out into the living room I was greeted by, "What's up Chameleon? You're looking darling as always tonight."
Chameleon is the 'clever' name Zach came up with for me in 8th grade when he decided I was so unattractive that no boys would ever pay any attention to me. I guess that's another reason why we don't get on so well, while he has had girls hanging off of him since freshman year and admitted to sleeping with 4 different girls last year, I've never had a boyfriend. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind not having a boyfriend, I just wished he wouldn't use girls and I wish the girls at my school weren't so ridiculous.
"What do you want Zach?" I turned to face him to find him grinning like a Cheshire cat, this has got to be bad.
"What's with the hostility CamCam," Zach pouted acting wounded. "I mean I know you fancy me but-"
"Me! Fancy you. God if you just knew how pathetic you sound right now." I interrupted angry, I could feel my blood pumping just dying for a chance to scream at him.
"Are you done pretending love?" He continued, ignoring me. "So, I just wanted to ask, how you're going to take to me being sports captain this year?" He taunted, wiggling his eyebrows. He constantly had this unnerving way of saying the one thing that could irritate me the most.
"Urgh, you arrogant ass. You don't know that Zach, they announce it during the first week, besides it could be me, Grant, Bex, anyone." I seethed while he barely paid attention to me. Sports captain at our school is kind of a big deal, it goes out to a junior (as the seniors are busy with exams) and they have to coordinate all the fixtures and training, not to mention selecting the players for every team in the school.
He slowly came closer and smirked at me, "Please, it's not going to be you or Bex, there's been a male sports captain at Gallagher for the past 8 years, and before that they went 14 years without a female captain. But don't worry, I'll make sure all your beloved girly sports get a bit of time to practice."
My eyes narrowed in irritation and I felt my face flushing red. "For God's sake Zach, they aren't girly sports! There are plenty of male gymnasts and are you telling me that no boys do athletics and running? You can be so unbelievably clueless and arrogant, it's as if you don't have a filter and your whole brain is totally sexist."
I lashed out at him, I don't know how I can be mellow one minute then he turns up and I'm white hot. He knows he does it, and he enjoys it. Well then he gets pissed, but you know, give and take.
"Wow, I'm not sexist, calm down sweetie. I'm just pointing out a trend." He said grinning, amused at my anger. "All I wanted to say was that if you wanted to make sure I did pay attention to gymnastics then maybe you could offer me a special service this-"
"Firstly, don't call me 'sweetie' you prick. Second I swear to God if you try to close down a sport that has such HUGE attendance across our school I will make sure something happens to you in your sleep. And thirdly, stop thinking about me coming into your room at night, there will be no 'special services' sexual or otherwise!"
I shoved him having finished screaming but this made little to no impact against his rock solid, muscular chest.
"Let me get one thing straight," I spoke harshly and carefully, painfully aware of how close we were now standing. "You are not my friend, we may be friends with the same people, but we are not friends, and with the way you have continuously acted towards over the last 5 years of us knowing one another that is not going to change any time soon."
I watched as his eyes turned stony, now he was angry and I knew why. Sure he looked to piss me off at any given opportunity, but Grant was always begging him to stop it. He is really sick of us fighting so I know despite everything Zach wants us to at least be friends. I guess it's because I do too; for Grant we both do.
I turned swiftly before he could speak and walked out of the room trying to calm down my angry red face before I headed out to the back yard.
I joined Jasmine outside by the barbecue. Grant was talking animatedly to his cousin Daniel and Daniel's friend George over at the table where they scoffed down chips and dip. The men were asking the women who looked the most handsome at the barbecue so I could tell the drinks had kicked in, especially when Zach's mum started giggling in a ridiculously high pitched tone.
"Oh God, what's he done now?" Jaz asked me, I guess it would have been impossible to hide it from her. The Newman's are my God parents so I've grown up with Grant and Jaz was practically my siblings, without them actually being my siblings. This has serious advantages as we therefore don't bicker so much.
"He's just being his usual asshole-ish self." I grumbled as I leant against the tree next to her. She giggled at my made up word, but I knew she was slightly exasperated. She got on well with Zach, however she did always (rightly) take my side when we fought. And also Grant was her brother, she knew he was frustrated with how much we continually fought.
"Oh you two," Jaz laughed in her sing-song voice. "Come on. Tell Aunty Jaz what the problem is."
I sighed and basically repeated that he was a total douche bag who seemed to think the world revolved around him, and that if his head got any bigger it might just go into freaking orbit.
"It's a shame, he just knows how to push your buttons and so he does because you're so hot headed. It's worse when it's just you two. When we get back to school you'll have Bex and Macey to diffuse a bit of the tension, it's too bad they don't live round here too." Jaz sighed, in some ways she missed them more than me because it was her who had to put up with our ranting after the fights for the whole summer.
"Besides," she continued, smiling a small smile like she always did before saying something to cheer me up. "When we get back to school we can blow his mind with our incredible gymnastics!" We both laughed loudly at this, while I love gymnastics and I am good at it, (not national or anything though!) Jaz has always been more of a team sports person. I doing running, athletics, gymnastics, but she loves volley ball, soccer and softball.
Eventually we wondered over to the boys and helped ourselves to chips and dip too as it looked like the food wasn't going to make its way to the table for a while considering what our parents were doing. I slowly relaxed, Grant had grabbed a few beers, Jaz and I shared one and I forgot about Zach.
Just a small incentive, my chapter title's are all short one-liners from the chapter which I feel sum-up what happens in that chapter therefore all reviewers will receive a PM with the next chapter title!
Thank you, Love Em xx