Disclaimer: I Do Not Own The Clique Or Twilight.
I tried to calm my rampaging nerves as I lowered myself beside Cam. I couldn't even figure out why I was feeling this way. I didn't even know him!
"Okay class," Mr. Harris stated, folding his hands behind his back, " I know you're all dying to find out what your project will be. Or should I say projects." He grinned like a super villian when he said his last word.
A chorus of groans errupted through the air. I heard someone yell "We've been tricked!" and noticed that Dempsey was in this class.
"Now, now, class!" Mr. Harris assured us, "Let me explain...you and your partner will chose a book. Any book. Then, each day, I will give you an asignment that you will have to complete that is relevant to the book you pick...this means," he paused, looking at Dempsey, "that you'll have to read. Any questions?"
There was complete silence until someone decided to make a cricket noise. Probably Dempsey.
"Okay, then," Mr. Harris said, heading over to his desk, "Get to it." He finished before he plopped into the small gray seat he had at his desk.
"Poor chair." Cam muttered from beside me. I had to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing.
Then, Cam turned his body to face me. I could feel myself melting under his gaze. "So what book do you want to do?" he asked me casually, half-smiling at me. Truthfully his friendly-ness shocked me. Didn't Massie say that he really didn't talk to anyone? And didn't Kristen say he liked being alone? If he liked being alone, wouldn't he be mad at me for being his "forced" partner? Whatever, I didn't have time to argue with myself, I had to answer his question.
"Uh, It really doesn't matter to me." I said shrugging. I looked around nervously, biting my lower lip. Cam must have noticed.
"Are you running from the law or something?" he chuckled, noting my jumpy-ness.
His voice made me blush. Wait. How can someones voice make you blush? What was I? Insane?
"Um, yeah, that's why I moved here." then, I jokingly looked around supiciously and added, "your not one of them are you?" I whispered.
He just laughed. It rang through my ears and made me shudder. Great. Now his laugh was making me shiver. What's next? His sneezing making me hypervenalate?
Mr. Harris must have heard Cam's laugh and glared at us from across the room. "Get to work," he ordered.
I rolled my ice blue eyes and glanced and Cam. "Why don't you chose?"
"Okay," he replied, shrugging, "how about...Antigone?" He suggested.
I looked at him skeptially. "Antigone? Really?"
He sighed. "Uh, how about..." he thought for a second "....the Odessey."
I stared at him in shock. Why would he want to do some of the oldest and hardest books?
"What?" he asked me as I stared.
"Why don't we do an average book?" I suggested casually, hoping I wasn't hurting his feelings.
Now he looked skeptical. "And what do you suggest we do?" he asked me, a cocky smirk playing on his face.
"Well," I started, "how about we do something like...Where the Red Fern Grows?"
He thought about it for a second, then nodded, smiling. "I like it. It's a good book without being over complicated. Nice."
I blushed again. "Thanks." Man! I really wish this whole crush-on-a-guy-I-barely-knew thing would just go away!
We sat in silence for awhile after that, until Cam asked me a question.
"So," he asked me sitting his elbow in his lap and his chin in his hand, "why did you move here?"
I bit my lower lip. With most people, I hated telling them. Massie had already asked me this morning, and I had a terrible time telling her. But, with him, I just wanted to tell him. He seemed really easy to talk to.
I sighed. "My parents got in a car accident, and they had no other family besides my Grandpa, who lives near town." I felt the pain rising up in my throat choaking me a little. I breathed in a big gulp of air so I wouldn't cry.
"Oh." he whispered. Then he looked at me and sighed. "I'm sorry I brought it up."
I shook my head. "Nah, It's alright...It happened and there's nothing I can do to change that...I just got to move on." I whispered back, my voice cracking a little.
He nodded as the bell rang.
Wow. This class went by fast. I stood up and whiped the dirt off my butt, grabbed my bookbag, and started for the door. But, before I could make it, Cam grabbed my arm.
The first thing I noticed about his touch, was that It was cold. I was so suprised by the temperature of his hands that I imediatly pulled away.
"Oh, sorry," he appologized looking down at his feet.
I bit my lip. "No, it wasn't you, it was just that...well...your hands are seriously freezing. Do you need a jacket or something?" I asked, my forehead crinkled in confusion.
He smiled like someone with a secret. "Nah, I'm good...I just wanted to give you your pencil back, you dropped it."
"Uh, Oh, thanks, Cam" I said grabbing my pencil from him.
"No problem," he replied, smiling at me, "so, uh, I'll see you tommarow, okay?"
"Okay," I managed to squeak out.
My heart was pounding and my palms were sweaty. What was going on with me? Why did I feel so happy for him to want me to come to school tommarow? Or, was he just saying that because it's what everyone said when they say goodbye to a friend or classmate? Why did I suddenly feel like wanting to come back to this itty-bitty school? What was wrong with me?
These were the questions running through my mind as I played lacross in gym and as I rode back home on the crowded, smelly bus. Wonderful. Now he was killing my sanity. Heck, he had already whiped out my concentration skills.
I shook the confusion from my mind as I raced up the stairs to my grandpa's house. I opened the door and was blasted with a warm burst of air. Ahhhh, the heat was on. Which, this thought, brought up and new question. Why was Cam so cold? I mean, not in a emotional sense, but a in a purely physical way. And what were with his eyes? I've never heard of golden eyes before. Exspecially since I noticed in gym that Dylan Harrington, Cam's adopted sister,also had the same mesmerising eyes. How can you be adopted and have the same rare eye-color? Did they all have the same golden eyes? Was that why Mr. and Mrs. Harrington had adopted them? Because of the rarity of their eyes?
"Claire?" I heard grandpa call, "Claireee?"
"Coming!" I called back, following his voice into the kitchen.
As I entered the kitchen, The first thing I noticed was the strange way the temperature increased, compared to the rest of the house. The second odd thing was the handsome boy sitting in my grandpa's kitchen.
His dark skin highlighted the dirty white shirt he donned and His black hair was poking out in some places, as if he had either just woken up, or gotten in a tuffle with someone. But, all in all, he was pretty cute. Way better looking than Dempsey, but still, he couldn't light a match to Cam.
"Hello Claire," My grandpa greeted me, a smile on his face.
What was this geeser up too? I automatically thought. This couldn't be good.
"Hi." I simply said back. I had no time for small talk.
"I'd like you to meet Josh Hotz," Grandpa smirked at me, gesturing to the boy across the table, "He's the son of my dear friend and business partner, Willie Hotz."
Josh glanced at me and grinned, showing off his beautiful smile. I nodded in return.
"Well, Mr. Lyons, Its not really a buisness, Its just the town general store." Josh countered, smirking at my grandpa.
I giggled at Josh's remark. Finally, my grandpa was the one getting burned.
Grandpa just half-smiled at Josh in a villianous way. Josh just laughed.
The feeling pf being ignored was a pain in the butt, exspecially since my grandpa had called me in here, so I turned to go walk up stairs to put my stuff away, when my grandpa called me back.
"Yes?" I asked, my tone filled with annoyance.
"Just wondering how your day went," Grandpa replied, sipping his hot chocolate. Josh looked my way and did the same. Oh, so now I was the center of attention.
"It was okay," I sighed, shifting my bag from one shoulder to the other.
Grandpa grunted. "Make any friends?" He asked me, setting the cup down on the oak table.
"Yeah," I sighed, wishing they'd give me a cup of cocoa.
"Who?" was all he asked this time. I restrained from rolling my eyes.
"Uh, Massie Block, Kristen Gregory...Cam Harrington..." I replied, blushing a little as I said Cam's name. Well, at least I thought we could be friends at least. "...and a few others."
"Oh that's nice. Good to see you fitting in." Grandpa nodded. I just stood there akwardly for a few moments.
Josh then looked up at the clock on the wall. "Shoot, I gotta get home," He hurried, as he stuck his cup in the sink. He said goodbye to me and grandpa, but, when he passed me, he quietly added, "Can I see outside for a sec?"
"Uh, I guess," I whispered, a little confused, Then I looked up at my grandpa.
"Uh, can I go to my room now?" I asked him nervously.
Grandpa shrugged. "I don't care."
So, I pretended to go up to my room, but ended up following a cute, toned boy outside on the back lawn. I layed my bookbag on the grass and folded my arms across my chest. "So, what is it?" I asked him, a little impatient.
"Well, you see..." he started off, running nis hands through his hair nervously,"...I know I barely know you and all, but..."
Holy crap. I really hoped this kid wasn't going to ask me out.
"...I just need to warn you." he finished.
My eyebrow shot up in confusion. "Warn me? About what?"
He looked down at his beat up Nikes. "Uh, well...I need to warn you about.... the Harrington's..." he sighed, looking like he wasn't really supposed to be telling me this.
Why would he warn me about the Harrington's? Yes, maybe Winker Boy, but the Harrington's?
"...I heard you mention Cam's name and it bugged me," he continued, sighing, "now, I may not know you...but I do know the Harringtons." he said, pulling out his phone and looking at the time. "they're bad people Claire...that's all I can really tell you. Just, please, head the warning okay?" He finished.
He backed out of my yard quickly,before I could respond, throwing his phone in his pants pocket, "see you later!" he called, once he was out of sight.
I stood there for a minute in pure shock. What did he mean they were "bad people"? I shook my head, feeling sleepy all of a sudden.
"Wow. That was random." I said aloud as I slung my bookbag over my shoulder and headed back inside, into my room, and onto my bed, so I could think about todays crazy events.
As I lay there, It was no suprise that the first face that came into my mind was a gorgeous boy with honey colored eyes.
And then I fell asleep, my dreams concentrating around him completely.
And I didn't mind one bit.
Okay, so, obviously Claire's starting to have some feelings for him. And seeming that he's so nice to her, he obviously doesn't HATE her or anything like that. Oh, just to mention this, Josh is already a werewolf. That's why it was it was hotter in the kitchen than anywhere else in the house. Did anybody catch that before I just mentioned it? Anyway, I know it's a little boring, but it's sort of a filler. I don't want them to instantly fall for each other. Well, at least not realize it anyway:). Please Read and Review! Tell me what you think so far, 'kay?
-Paix et Adore :p
