A/N Hey guys! Hope you're enjoying this story so far! I will answer your reviews/questions from each chapter at the beginning, so review and you'll be "featured'! Don't forget to follow this story and fave it too to get notified whenever I update.
Lol I'll stop I feel like I'm those overly perky sales attendants trying to make you leave reviews. You don't have to. It's just nice if you do, it lets me know what to improve on and what you liked. Getting off track again...
Ineedaname: Thanks! Yes it will be a Zammie story, but we need some Josh in the beginning, just like in the books :)
Embers and Spies: I'm glad you like it so far, please keep reading it!
Gallagher girl 58: Thank you, and I will try to update frequently after my spring break ends and I will have to go back to school again... ugh. And as I mentioned above ^^^, yes this will end as a Zammie story.
zachgoodet: Yay! Leave me a review down below and tell me how I did with this chapter :D
Chapter 2
Cammie
"Cammie!" I saw a flash of jet black hair as a female figure crushed me in their arms. A whiff of rose perfume hit my nose. Yes, definitely Macey. Macey McHenry. I don't need to do much explaining about her. You should already know her. Being the Senator's daughter and drop dead gorgeous, she was plastered on countless magazines and tabloids. Shiny black hair, big blue eyes, long legs, a thin waist... Anyone would feel ugly next to Macey. The only reason she came to Gallagher High last year was because her parents thought she needed the real 'high school experience'.
I squeezed back. She let go and grinned at me. "I missed you so much! I haven't seen you all summer!" I smiled. Macey was always a fiercely loyal friend.
"Missed you too, Mace! Did Liz arrive yet?" I asked. She was the final missing puzzle piece to our little family. A sweet, innocent blond with a tinge of a Southern accent. But watch your back, because she was crazy intelligent and sometimes *cough* illegally hacked through firewalls in her spare time.
Soon, Bex came barreling over with Liz at her side from the front steps of Gallagher High. Everyone was hanging out in their little cliques by each others' lockers. "Hey girls!" Macey called out and waved a perfectly manicured hand. Bex slung an arm around Macey and I's shoulders.
"Guess what?" Bex proclaimed, a silly smile on her face. Liz turned beet red. I raised my eyebrows.
"Liz did something embarrassing?" I guessed. Bex smiled wider.
"Jonas just asked her out!" Bex declared. Liz tucked a piece of honey blond hair behind her ear and gave a small laugh, cheeks still burning. I grinned and gave her a hug.
"Wow, beat us to a boyfriend, did you, Liz? No, I'm just kidding, I'm so happy for you! Where are you guys going?" Macey replied, a small smile on her face.
"Just, um, to the movies I think?" Liz replied.
"You know what that means..." Macey said, egging us on.
"Girls date night prep!" We sang in unison. Suddenly, the warning bell rang and all the students groaned. Quickly, we compared our class schedules and I was glad I had at least one of the girls in each of my classes except homeroom and Career and Culture.
"See all of you ladies at lunch!" Macey called out behind her shoulder and headed to her homeroom with Bex. With that, we parted ways.
"As you may or may not know, your regular Career and Culture, Ms. Mills, has taken the rest of the year off to take care of her soon-to-be-born son." An attractive, middle-aged man walked around the front of my Career and Culture class. It was my last class, and I was surprised when I walked into the room and was greeted with an unfamiliar face. He had dark hair and striking eyes, a sharp jaw and an obviously sculpted upper torso visible through his plain grey t-shirt. He was, to put it lightly, very hot. A few girls in the class giggled. He stared each of them down with his hazel eyes, silencing them. I suppressed a smile and straightened when he scanned through the class and locked eyes with me.
"Miss Morgan, what is the number one most important thing in a classroom?" I flinched, surprised at the sudden question and at how he didn't even have to glance again at the attendance sheet to remember my name.
"Er, um, respect?" I gave a vague, goody-two-shoes answer. He nodded and continued his scan across the room.
"Exactly. And that is what I will have in this classroom, and nothing less. You will respect me when I speak, and in turn, you will earn my respect." No one moved a muscle. In my mind, I whistled. No teacher at Gallagher High (except maybe my mom, the principal) had ever silenced my class completely.
"My name is Mr. Solomon and I will be your teacher for the year." He said. Mr. Solomon. A serious name for a seemingly serious man. He clapped his hands once.
"Now, what do you think will be very, if not most, important in your careers? One of the deciding factor for a promotion?" Mr. Solomon asked, pacing around the room. Hesitantly, hands were raised. My stupid twin brother (Grant as you all know) had a stupid grin on his face and I knew he was going to give a snarky answer.
"Yes, Mr. Morgan?"
"If you're a dumbass or a smartass?" Grant replied, eyes wide in fake innocence. Some people snickered. Mr. Solomon didn't bat an eye.
"Incorrect. Miss Bauer?" He continued on as if Grant didn't say anything stupid. Grant's eyes widened, along with most people's in the room, including mine. That language and answer would have gotten him kicked out or at least reprimanded in any other class.
After several round of incorrect answers, Mr. Solomon told everyone to lower their hands.
"The answer, is teamwork. Leadership. Cooperation. How well you work with others, not just your friends, but the people you might not particularly like too. Which is why I'm going to ask you to write, in silence, everyone in this class' names. I want you to order them on a chart of some sort, from the people you are most comfortable and close with to the people you are the least close with. When you are done, fold them up and stack them on my desk. This should take no more than fifteen minutes."
Dutifully, we all completed our lists. Unfortunately, because none of my best friends were in this class, it took me a while. Me and Eva were decent friends. I also hang out with Anna Fetterman from time to time. I put most of the girls first, then Grant and Jonas. After that, most of the people that I don't talk to that much in class. Then Zach. Finally, the people I genuinely disliked slightly, like some of the Barbie girls and the jerk jocks.
When everyone was done, Mr. Solomon scanned over all of our papers quickly.
"Now, you are going to be paired up with someone with whom you will be doing a project together." A collective round of groans arose from the class. Mr. Solomon stared at everyone until they shut up.
"You will have to write a biography of sorts on one another. It doesn't have to be long, a minimum of one page. What I want to see is that you got to know this person and pushed past your previous thoughts on them and talked to one another. Write a list of ten, meaningful questions you will ask your partner to start you off. I don't want any 'What is your favourite colour?' and anything related. I will check your questions when you finish, then you are free to set up a meeting during lunch or outside of school to do your research."
Everyone started writing. Near the end of class, everyone had finished.
"Eva and James. Anna and Grant." Mr. Solomon started rattling off names. When he saw the looks of protest on our faces, he paused. "Remember, you have to be able to work with everyone, regardless of what you think about them." Then he continued.
"Cammie and Zach." I froze. Zach turned around and looked at me. Mr. Solomon kept talking, but his words were drowned out by my internal vortex of confusion and complaint.
Zach? Out of everyone? I would have taken any dumb cheerleader over him. I had to do a biography on him, for gods sake!
"Earth to Cammie? Class just ended." A hand snapped in front of my face and I blinked dumbly. It was Zach, no doubt. Be professional, Cammie. This is just a school project.
"Can you meet up at my place our yours today after school? I want to get started on this project," I told him, gathering up my supplies. And be done with it earlier, I added in my head.
"How about yours? I can head over immediately after school," Zach said. I nodded and left the classroom as fast as possible, pausing on my way out the doorway.
"You do know where I live, right?" I asked quietly and looked up at him. His green eyes softened and a small smirk lit up his face.
"Of course I remember, Cammie."
