"Cammie, please make your presence known. He probably don't even know you exist."
"No, Bex. I want to be myself."
"I don't think introducing yourself changes you as a person," Liz stated not once looking up from her biology.
"I'm not that out going of a person. I'm quiet, shy even. I don't like my presence known I blend in," Cammie retorted.
"We need a plan then," Macey sighed as she paced around Liz's room. The girls were at Liz's house supposed to be having a study session of the upcoming test when somehow the conversation turned toward Cammie and Zach Goode.
'Ah, the main variable in this talk,' Cammie thought as she tried to concentrate on her biology like Liz. But her thoughts kept reverting back to Zach; in her mind the most attractive boy in the school. Even Macey agreed he was cute. He had light brown hair from the sun and gorgeous hazel eyes. He had very tan skin because he was Italian. Cammie smiled inwardly. Zach was very fluent with Italian but he had his moments where he'd slip and talk Italian. Most girls deemed it 'sexy as hell' and Cammmie couldn't say she wasn't one of them.
"What can we do to get him to notice you?" Macey muttered looking about Liz's room as if it held the answer. "It's November what the heck do we-" Macey didn't even bother finishing the sentence as she met her friends gaze.
"THE FESTIVAL!" both Macey and Bex shouted as Liz shot them a look to be quiet.
"And what about the festival? It's not like he's going to ask me to be his date guys," Cammie rebuked.
"We'll dress you up and make you eye candy," Bex grinned as she thought of ways to pretty Cammie up.
"I'm not going to become some barbie," Cammie glared back. She sighed, however, at the fact Zach may never see her. The downside of Zach being so attractive was that she was not the only one who thought so. There were beautiful girls such as Erin Dillard who could easily go on a date with him if they tried, but let the boy initiate the first move. By the end of all the girls running over each other for him, she was sure Zach Goode would try to avoid the female population.
"Oh come on. How about a touch of masc-"
"No, Macey. I'm a big girl. I can dress myself," Cammie huffed annoyed at her friends.
"Fine. So our plan takes place at the festival. Then what?" Macey rhetorically asked.
"First off, how do we get him there?" Cammie questioned.
"Just leave it to me. I'll make sure he's there," Macey dismissed that factor. She would drag Zach Goode to the Roseville Carnival if she had too.
"I'm sure he'll go; it's a townwide celebration with fireworkds and rides. It's July fourth take two. He'll probably go," Bex thoughtfully articulated.
"May I make a suggestion," Liz queried finally looking up. She couldn't concentrate on her studies with Macey and Bex constantly talking.
"Yes, oh wise one," Macey sarcastically replied with an eye roll.
"Why don't we let whatever happen, happen."
That seemed to be the best idea Cammie had heard all night.
~*~C~*~
"You could've at least worn jeans," Macey chastised as Cammie walked with her friends into the festival. Cammie sighed looking down at her yoga pants and sweatshirt from her fourth grade volleyball tournament. Her hair was in a ponytail held back by a thick headband; her face held no trace of makeup.
"Well I think you look fine. You look like Cammie," Liz whispered into Cammie's ear encouragingly. Cammie smiled appreciatively at Liz; she wanted to dress like herself. And when she was as nervous as she was she needed to wear relaxing clothing which ended up being what she had on.
"I got us some sparklers!" Bex called as she returned with multiple boxes. The group of friends smiled at each other as they walked away from the festival to the park which was semi included. Teenagers meandered while the girls walked with purpose to an overlooked area. Green surrounded the entrance making it hard to see. Part of the lake crept up on the ground but still allowed for room to move about on the other side of the shrubs. The girls giggled and talked as they lit their sprinklers dancing around. The lake water reflected the light and seemed to brighten the area slightly.
Cammie smiled as she watched her friends run around with sparks.
"Guys, where are the other boxes?" Liz asked as she shifted through each box; each came up empty.
"DID WE REALLY GO THROUGH SIXTEEN BOXES?" Bex demanded as she let her sparkler drop into the lake. She bought plenty! Or so she thought.
"No big deal guys, I can go get us more," Macey responded already heading back to the festival.
"I want to pay too!" Liz pipped up as she trailed off after Macey. She always felt guilty for not tipping something in. Bex and Cammie waited in their spot watching the backs of the two girls when Bex suddenly started off.
"Sorry, Cam! I'll be right back! They're headed in the wrong direction!" Bex shouted as she ran off to get those stupid girls. The fireworks were always near the entrance, not near the rides.
Cammie watched as she was abandoned in their spot. If someone left someone could come in and use it, leaving them to go find another place. This was most convenient in case of something happening. She sighed as she started picking up the scattered sparkler boxes. Bex said she bought sixteen did she not? She looked around after finding fifteen quite simply and found the box near a bush. She picked up the box but to her surprise there were two left in it still. She smiled as she lit one and dangled it above the water. She became mesmerized at the water as the lights showed the ripples of water in turn making the light look differently. She wish someone would come and watch with her or keep her company. She glanced over her shoulder to see no sign of her friends. The sparkler went out and she dipped it in the lake water before putting it back into their garbage sparkler box. She took the last sparkler and repeated her actions before, a small smile reaching her face.
~*~C~*~
Zach Goode sighed as he walked into the festival. He wanted to hang out by his friends, not have his friends feign surprise when a group of girls came up to them. 'I was set up, maledizione.' Instead he went with it giving forced smiles as girls coyly smiled at him.
"Let's go have fun, Zach. We can go on some rides and maybe into the hall of mirrors," a girl told him tugging on his arm. He offered a small smile as he allowed her to tug him away. The whole group started moving toward the fair as he looked for any way to escape. This wasn't exactly what he had planned when he asked his buds to go to the fair with him. 'I should have known better.'
"Come on, Zach. Let's go make some memories," his friend Mike smiled as he pushed him towards the rides with more force. Zach wasn't sure whether Mike was on his side still or going just for the girls.
"Wait, let's go take a walk," a girl giggled as the other girls agreed. Their path changed from lighted up carnival to dark park. 'No, no way.' He glanced around to see anything that could possibly stop him from traveling deeper into the park. He didn't want to know what could happen. Finally he saw a little light in the bushes.
"You guys go on without me," he stopped as he untangled his way from the girls much to their protest.
"Why Zach? What's going on?" another one of his friends demanded. 'Yep, definetely made me come for the girls.'
"I saw something and I wanted to check it out real quickly. You guys go on, I'll catch up," he replied as he backtracked to the lighted area. It was covered so much with bushes he almost blew past it. He checked over his shoulder to make sure everyone had went on without him. He went back to the light and almost worried that it was a fire. He pushed some branches aside to see a girl standing over the lake with a sparkler hovering the lake.
A person that maybe wouldn't fawn all over him.
"Are you alone?" Startled she dropped her sparkler into the lake diminishing all light that brought brightness to the area. "Wait, dove sei?" He heard a noise to see a figure running down the shoreline towards the beach. "Aspetta!" he called as he started running after her. Something about her made him want to know her. Maybe it was the fact that she was running away from him. Finally as he caught up with her she pulled up her hood, almost as if she didn't want him to see her. He caught her arm and she stopped but kept her back to him.
"Why won't you show me your face?" he curiously asked slightly disappointed. Maybe this girl hated him. Had he done something rude? He couldn't recall ever not being kind.
"Because," she softly replied. Her voice soothed him, as his nerves and adrenaline calmed down. He didn't understand it but he felt pulled to her by the softness in her voice. He closed his eyes for a second as he dropped his hand from her elbow. Maybe she didn't want to be touched? "I have to go," she rushed out as she started back towards the carnival from the sand. He tried to grab her again but she was already running.
"Dannazione!" He knew this place would be crowded with people once it came closer to ten, the time the fireworks would go off. Sighing he decided to return to the carnival.
If anything he would find his Cinderella there.
~*~C~*~
"YOU WHAT!"
"I ran away from him! I was shocked," Cammie brokenly explained as she found her friends. She truly was shocked when she heard Zach's voice. She never expected him to approach her.
"And then what," Macey demanded.
"He chased me," she replied barely above a whisper. Liz squealed as Bex got a goofy grin on her face, but Macey knew what was coming.
"So then you outran him or what," she pried. She wanted the whole story, maybe he wouldn't think she was the weirdest girl in the world and still might like her.
"He gently grabbed me and I put my hood up. We barely spoke. He asked why I had my hood up and all I could respond was because. Then I ran and I heard him say something in Italian."
"He used the Italian on you?"
"Used it? More like it probably slipped out," Cammie responded. She was mad at herself. Why did she run away? He wanted to talk with her, yet she just couldn't. She froze. Then she remembered she had to find her friends and used that as an excuse.
"I need a hug."
"Grant gives great hugs!" Bex chimed in. Liz giggled as the same thought went through everyone's head; she likes him.
"Let's go on some rides and just forget about this," Macey sighed and the girls went to the rides. Slowly the Zach fiasco disappeared as the girls went on all sorts of rides.
"I want to go to midway!" Bex announced as they got off a ride. Cammie rolled her eyes. Bex most likely wanted to go because she wanted to find Grant and have her win her something.
"You guys go, I have to use the bathroom." Before her friends could protest Cammie had disappeared and was making her way to the bathroom. She quickly went to the bathroom and returned to the place where she last saw her friends. Meandering, she traveled throughout midway, buying random things and playing games. She was walking around with cotton candy when her name was called out, bringing her out of her trance. She glanced over her shoulder to see Bex waving her arms trying to get Cammie's attention. She smiled as she retreated back.
"I was looking for you guys," she smiled as she stuffed cotton candy in her mouth.
"Obviously not hard enough," Grant chuckled as he wrapped Cammie into a bear hug. He was just a big teddy bear to Cammie and he twirled her in his arms. "Haven't heard from you in a while!" he smiled as he leaned against the ledge of one of the games.
"I've been around," Cammie rolled her eyes. She didn't talk to Grant much; he was always all over Bex.
"Well let's hit the rides together then we can hit the midway one last time, just so you girls don't have to carry my prizes," Grant grinned cockily.
"Oh yah, Grant. If you mean carrying one beanie baby," Macey sarcastically responded.
"Naaaaaaah. I'll get you five for that," he grinned as he ushered the girls and some boys towards the rides.
"I'll be surprised if he gets two," Zach mumbled. Wait, Zach? Cammie's face remained stoic as she internally freaked out. What was he doing here? Shouldn't he be hanging out with people in his grade?
"We were just on the rides," Liz started to protest but Grant had none of it. After the rides, 'as promised' he won Macey five beanie babies, which she in turn gave to Bex knowing she appreciated it more.
Cammie stayed quiet, a little uncomfortable with the situation. She didn't make it awkward, just didn't chime in or become engrossed in any conversation. She started listening once she heard the Italian spew from Zach's mouth.
"Sono arrabbiato con i miei amici! I was expecting to be able to have a fun time with the guys but they completely set me up. There were girls before I could even buy tickets for the rides!" Grant nodded emphatically.
"I already got my girl," Grant grinned as he pulled Bex to him.
"What Grant?" Bex snapped being pulled away from a conversation with Macey. Cammie was happy she didn't hear Grant's comment. She would've mauled his mouth and that was not something she wanted to see.
"Oh nothing. Go back to your chit chat," Grant dismissed giving her a huge grin. Cammie quietly chuckled as Bex had to blink a few times to regain focus.
"At least I have my baseball friends," Zach softly said as he smiled appreciatively at the younger boys. They smiled back with pride.
"Oh Cammie!" she looked to Bex curiously wondering what she wanted. "I have those sparklers we never got to." Cammie froze as she heard Zach stop talking a second then continuing on. 'He knows.'
"Well we should do them sometime then," Cammie replied not wanting to talk any more but felt the need to respond all the same.
"We can head down to the beach and do them there. We have to get good seats for the fireworks anyways," Grant chimed into the girl's side of the conversation. Grant knew Zach thought he covered his stutter well but Grant heard it. Cammie must've been the girl to run away from Zach which would make sense; she was a shy girl.
Zach on the other hand was confused. His stomach churned and he felt all up in a knot. He had heard her voice and when he saw her and her clothes looked similar to his Cinderella. She seemed so nice and forgiving; she would not have been mad at him. But why else would she run away?
"Be careful there's all sorts of roots here," Grant spoke up as they cut across grass to get to the beach instead of take the main walk way. Subconsciously Zach slid back to make sure that Cammie didn't slip. As he thought of it her foot caught and Cammie let out a little noise as she stumbled. Immediately Zach grabbed her arm to steady her and she blushed as she finally righted herself and walked normally.
"Attenzione il mio cuore," he whispered as he let go of her arm. He didn't know why he said it, it just slipped out. He smiled though knowing that it was her. The way her small arm felt in his hand was the same and he grinned knowing that she was the girl who ran away. He just had to open her up and figure out why. "So how's the school year?" he casually asked as he fell instep with her.
"It's hard," Cammie replied. Zach laughed and Cammie melted inside.
"It only gets worse." And with that came the famous Smirk. She felt her cheeks burn up a little and she turned away to cover it up. Zach's smirk was well known and she was falling for it. "How do you like the carnival?"
"It's alright. I remember enjoying it more when I was younger though."
"Growing up sort of lessens the imagination," Zach agreed. They reached the beach and Bex pulled out five boxes of sparklers.
"I'm not buying anymore."
"What happened to Macey and Liz buying them?" Cammie curiously asked. They were the ones who left in the first place.
"I forgot my wallet," Macey groaned.
"Dropped my money," Liz shyly told as she looked down at the ground.
"Forget it," Cammie said as she suddenly felt tired. Liz laughed as her and Bex got into a sparkler fight, using their sparklers as swords. Macey smiled as she drew with the smoke from her sparkler. Intrigued by the early time when she hung the sparkler over the water, Cammie went back over and held the sparkler over the water watching the pretty reflections, forgetting about the world for moments.
"Sei tu, sei la ragazza di prima."
"Huh?" Cammie came out of her bubble and as she turned around she was encased in a hug. Her mini-firework dropped from her hands as she froze.
"Calma, angelo mio, sono solo io. Come vi sentite bene le mie braccia," he whispered against her hair. He wanted her to hug him back. He liked her, he didn't know why.
"I'm so lost," Cammie whispered into his shirt with two different meanings - one, she didn't understand what he just said; two, her emotions went off the chart and she couldn't tell up from down.
"You were the girl with the sparkler," he told her as he pulled her down to the sand so they could sit. "Why'd you run away?" Cammie looked back with a blank expression. "You were that girl right? The one I had to chase?" Zach started becoming uncomfortable as Cammie looked so confused. 'Maybe it wasn't her, maybe it was wishful thinking.'
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she whispered before she got up and walked away.
~*~C~*~
"Did you hear? Zach Goode is taken. Not literally. Some girl took his heart away and he only wants her." Cammie heard girls grouch to each other as their idol no longer was up for grabs. Girls still were all over him but he turned them down.
"It's Monday, Cam. That happened Friday. Spare the boy won't you?" Liz whispered into Cammie's ear as she met her at her locker. Liz was sure that the girl was Cammie, but Cammie played it off as if it weren't her. Wasn't she the one who wanted his attention in the first place?
"I know, Liz. But it's not the way I want him to like me," Cammie sighed. As much as she would love to walk up to Zach Goode and tell him that it actually was her she wouldn't, couldn't. She wanted Zach to like her for who she was, not because she was some chase.
"Cammie, you know he would like you for who you are," Liz softly told her as they walked to class. They both had the same first period class while Macey and Bex were on the opposite side of the school. Cammie didn't want to see them. She didn't want to face their wrath.
They shushed as more girls complained about Zach being taken. They wouldn't want to be overheard. Cammie sighed. Her being revealed as the girl who ran away would have to be some other day.
Her and Liz walked into class and she noticed something on her desk. As she neared it Liz laughed. "Looks like someone discovered your love of peanut M&M's," she laughed as she took a seat next to her. Cammie smiled back wondering who did it. She picked the bag up and was about to put it in her bag when she froze.
Liz immediately saw Cammie go rigid and looked over quickly. On the desk on tape read the word 'WILL'. "Cammie... do you know-"
"No, Lizzie. I don't know," Cammie replied already knowing she would ask if she knew what was going on or who it was from. She was killing two birds with one stone. Without much though she took the tape off her desk and put it on her strap of her backpack.
"You're keeping it?" Liz asked incredulously.
"Maybe whoever put it there will see it and talk to me," Cammie replied. Or so she hoped that was what happened.
Class passed quickly and she went to her next class. She froze in the doorway when she saw another thing on her desk. Cautiously she pulled up the candy and saw another piece of tape. Cammie quickly looked around the room; the teacher was there.
"Mrs. Dearing, do you know if anyone put this on my desk?" she asked puzzled.
"I have direct orders not to tell you," Mrs. Dearing winked back then focused on her book. Cammie stood more puzzled then ever. She took the tape that read 'YOU' and put it below the other piece on her bag. Another uneventful class and she hurried to her third class with Macey, hoping to talk about it with her and also see whoever was leaving these pieces of tape.
She rushed in the room and again saw the candy bag on her desk. 'Whoever this is is going to make me fat.' She picked the M&M bag up and stuffed it in her bag and looked at the piece of tape. 'GO'. She put it on her bag and waited for Macey. As if the universe hated her Macey came in at the last second and there was no room for talking, although she sent Cammie a curious glance as to what was on the strap of her backpack. After class Cammie approached Macey and told her of the candy bags and pieces of tape being left behind.
Macey deemed it cute.
Cammie hesitantly made her way to her fourth period. Again the M&M bag was there and another word was waiting. 'ON'. Suddenly Cammie had a sick feeling in her stomach and she was distracted all class. She couldn't wait for this class to be over so she could relax at lunch. She rushed to lunch as soon as class was over only to find her friends nowhere. Dejected she went to the nurses to sleep through lunch and hopefully not think about the candy bags, but it plagued her. Finally lunch was over and she went to fifth period. 'A'. Feeling seriously sick as she trudged to sixth period the word was out. 'DATE'. By then almost the whole school had heard of the mysterious candy bags and cooed at her as she passed by in the halls. Feeling uncomfortable as ever she walked into seventh hour dreading the note. It was the last one of the day and she would find out her secret admirer soon enough.
She pulled up the candy and put it in her bag as her routine went. But as she looked at the tape her heart stopped.
'AMORE?'
She put the tape on her backpack strap and her eyes widened as she read the message together. 'Will you go on a date amore?' There was only one person. After class she normally walked back to her locker, walking with groups of people she didn't actually know but she didn't want to be spotted alone. So far no one had asked or seen her and she wanted to keep it that way. But as she saw her locker she stopped dead in her tracks. Already there was a scene and on her locker there was a piece of candy taped to it. But the shocking part that that wasn't the only thing on her locker. All over her locker were the words 'will you go on a date amore' just like her backpack and there was one more word.
Zach.
And Zach stood next to her locker staring straight at her. She stared back like a dear standing in headlights.
Suddenly the focus was on Cammie and she didn't appreciate it one bit. Finally Zach shifted his eyes and in turn gave everyone else surrounding a look that they should turn away. Of course Zach would've liked to ask Cammie just them two but he wasn't taking any chances.
Still Cammie couldn't handle it; she knew once she was at her locker everyone would stare again. So she turned the other way and started walking away; she needed to think. As soon as she heard the hall hush she quickly ran to blend in with various groups of walking people.
~*~C~*~
Cammie walked back to her locker, the hallway deserted and no one would would stay this late anyways. As she turned the corner and a few steps for the third time that day she froze.
Zach Goode was still there, at her locker.
Admittedly he was sitting and was staring off into space but he was still there. Cautiously she approached her locker taking silent steps. She got to her locker and stared at the M&M bag, debating whether to take it off or not. At last she decided to take it off and at the sound of riping tape Zach came back to reality. His head whipped to Cammie's locker to see that she had in fact returned. He looked up to see her read the last note.
"Zach."
Zach stood up still watching Cammie, looking for any reaction at all. The fact that she put all the tape on her bag thrilled him but made him even more nervous. By the end of the school day the whole school knew that someone was asking her out.
"I know it was you, at the festival. I don't know why you denied it... Will you just give me a try?" he asked almost begging. He stood for a long time, he was starting to just want an answer. "Cammie, just per favore don't, run away."
"Why me?" she quietly asked. She was genuinely confused.
"Because you're the only one that knowledgeable, pretty, and won't talk to me. And as much as it annoys me it makes me want to know you because you aren't like every other girl in this school."
"Okay," she replied still looking at her locker. It was a mess but she had to admit if she were to be asked out this was a cute way to do it. Gaining courage she looked up at his face.
Damn smirk.
Zach had her in his finger, she knew he knew it. As soon as she said that one word the rest was up to where Zach wanted to go. He wanted this to last. He grabbed her hand and walked her out to her car. Giving her a hug and watching her drive off he knew he made a good decision. Grinning that he got her number, he sent her his first text.
'È fantastico, non vedo l'ora.'
~*~C~*~
TRANSLATIONS
maledizione - damn
dove sei - where are you
aspetta - wait
dannazione - dammit
Sono arrabbiato con i miei amici! - I'm mad at my friends
attenzione il mio cuore - be careful my heart
sei tu, sei la ragazza di prima - it's you, you were the girl from earlier
calma, angelo mio, sono solo io. come vi sentite bene le mie braccia - calm, my angel, it's just me. how good you feel in my arms
per favore - please
È fantastico, non vedo l'ora - that's great. i can't wait.