Disclaimer: I don't own the Clique.
"Hey, what's up with you and Claire?" Derrick Harrington asked his best friend, Cam Fisher, as they played an intense game of one-on-one soccer in Derrick's lush, green backyard. Whoever scored first in the miniscule, portable goal won, and Cam had already pummeled Derrick in three games. Forever a goalie, Derrick was better at blocking shots than making them.
"Huh?" Cam answered, bewildered, as Derrick stole the ball and scored.
"GOOOOOAAALLLLLLLLL! The D-Man wins!"
"For once," Cam muttered, "and you cheated."
"I did not cheat; I used a world-famous soccer technique called distraction," Derrick replied smugly, his dirty-blonde hair soaking with sweat. Cam pushed him, laughing at his friend. Derrick pushed back, causing them both to topple over onto the ground.
"But seriously, what is up with you two? She acts like she doesn't like you anymore or something."
"I have no idea," Cam answered, shaking his head. Derrick opened his mouth to speak, and Cam cut him off. "And I DO NOT want you interfering with my relationship, thank you very much."
"But I had a good idea!" Derrick protested, pulling blades of grass from the lawn. Cam rolled his one blue and one green eye; when did Derrick ever have a good idea? All of his plans always backfired, and Cam couldn't let that happen with Claire.
"Pleeeeaaaase?" Derrick pleaded, his hands clasped. He made a puppy dog pout, and Cam sighed in defeat. "Okay, what is your brilliant idea?"
"Buy her something," he replied, spoken truly like Massie Block's boyfriend.
-o-
Cam Fisher walked into the department store, standing out in his worn leather jacket and grass stained t-shirt. His older brother, Harris, followed, winking at various girls as they passed. Cam playfully slapped his older brother. "We're trying to fix my love life, not start one for you."
"Okay, fine. What do you want to buy Claire anyways?" Harris replied, and then added, "And you are NOT borrowing any of my money."
"Um… a bracelet, I guess?" Cam held his wallet up, bulging with cash. "I don't need your charity anyways." He stuck his tongue out at Harris, maneuvering toward shimmering glass counters. A sign hung over them, reading "Jewelry" in loopy cursive.
"May I help you?" A lady in a drab navy skirt and jacket ensemble materialized in front of the two Fisher brothers, preventing them from walking any farther. She stared at them, her beady eyes revealing her displeasure.
"I'm looking for a bracelet for my girlfriend," Cam answered, side-stepping the woman and striding over to look at the various styles. Harris followed suit, accidentally ramming his brother into a revolving case, filled to the brim with expensive charms and rings. The sales person gasped, flames practically shooting out of her ears.
"I don't think you'll find what you're looking for here," Her icy voice responded, and she nodded toward the exit. "Have a great day," she added, clearly not caring if they had a great day or not.
"Snobby store," Harris remarked as they opened the doors to his Mustang. The two brothers cracked up, laughing so hard they couldn't breathe.
-o-
Late that night, Cam sat at his wooden desk, hard at work. A chocolaty brown leather strap lay in front of him, the same color as his prized jacket. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration, he selected three square beads from his mother's craft box: an 'I', a heart, and a 'U'. Cam slowly strung them onto the strip, tying knots at either end to keep them in place.
Admiring his handiwork, Cam grinned. Securing the bracelet in a plastic baggie, he decided he would surprise Claire with it tomorrow at the Briarwood Wave Pool Ceremony. She would love her homemade bracelet a lot more than anything he could buy at a snooty store. She would love the fact that it came from him, and it took time and effort to make it. Cam's smile broadened, unaware that the same time tomorrow, the bracelet would be at the bottom of the pool, hidden by the swirling water.