Zach: Well, I'm here now. So you kinda have to say it.

Alli: I don't wanna!

Zach: SAY IT!

Alli: -sighs- Fine...I don't own the Gallagher Girls series.

Zach: What else?

Alli: ...Or Zach...

Chapter Eight


Cammie's POV


Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

I woke up to the steady hum of the heart monitor. My internal clock told me that it was 9:16 AM. My finger brushed over the IV that was still in my forearm and I sighed. I ached all over.

Today was Saturday.

Blackthorne comes today.

I slowly tried to sit up, but my head hurt so much from being thrown against the wall by the half-man-half-bulldozer. I felt a hand against the gauze wrapped against my head. It slowly forced me to lay my head against the pillow. I didn't even bother to open my eyes.

"Mom?" I said weakly. "Are they here yet? What about Liz?" I asked.

No answer.

"Mr. Smith?" I groaned then rolled over on my side, away from him. "If it's you, then leave. I don't want to see you ever again and frankly it would be really nice if you would just go get hit by a bus."

No answer.

I rolled back over and opened my eyes.

"You know, Gallagher Girl- you really are a terrible guesser." The man said with a smirk.

Zach.

"And If I were that Smith fellow, I would probably want to get hit by a bus too rather than face your revenge."

Zach was in my infirmary room.

"After all." He began, "You've changed." Then he stood.

"See ya around, Gallagher Girl."

He walked towards the door and went to turn the doorknob.

"Zach, wait." I croaked out. My voice was hoarse. I guess it was from the drugs.

He stopped but didn't turn around.

I had no idea what I was supposed to say. I kind of had expected him just to leave. After all, he seemed pretty upset after the lake house fiasco back in the summer…

"I….. I missed you." Was the only thing that I could think to say.

"Good." He said sharply then opened the door and left.

I sat there in utter shock. He just... left.

The door opened again.

"So that's Zach, huh?"

Smith.

"Leave." I demanded.

"You know." He said while sitting down in the chair that was previously occupied by Zach, "It's not really polite to speak to your teachers like that."

I crossed my arms and turned away from him like I had when Zach was there. "It's also not polite to start dating someone's mother, completely disrespect her father, and then try and kill her during a CovOps test." I spit back at him. "I can't wait till Mr. Solomon gets back."

"You and I both, kid." He muttered.

"Then why don't you do us both a favor and just leave."

"I can't."

"And why not. There's the door. Go down the hallway, take a right, then go out the main gate."

"I'm not leaving your mom. She deserves to be happy."

I scoffed. "And what about me? Are you actually so naïve to think that I'm okay with this?"

"No." He said sternly. "But I am aware that you're pushing everyone away. Your mom. Your Aunt Abby. Your room mate, Liz. Even your… uh… Zach." He said then added. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Just then the nurse walked in and said, "Okay, Cams, I think you're alright to go." She turned off the IV and removed it from my forearm. I began to sit up slowly when Mr. Smith put his hand on my back and tried to help me up. "Don't. Touch. Me." I commanded. "This is all your fault!"

The nurse calmly avoided the conflict but stepped in between us (probably so I wouldn't kill him.) and said, "One more little test, just to make sure you're one hundred percent." She took a small flashlight from her pocket and turned it on. "Alright, now just follow the light with your eyes."

Right.

Left.

Down.

Up.

Right.

"Okay, you're good to go." She said cheerily. "Just make sure to take it easy until the bruise and cuts go away. No serious P&E for at least a week." She finished and tapped the bandage on my head.

I nodded and stood up, slipping on my flats. "Well I hate to cut this little meeting short." I said sarcastically to Mr. Smith. He rolled his eyes and walked to the door and opened it. "Fine by me. It was your mom's idea." He walked out and left the door open.

After going up to my room, changing clothes, and removing the bandage that revealed a hideous, bruised scar, I stepped out and went to the library.

Hm. Seventh graders…. Freshmen…. Tina and Kim…. Bex!

Grant?

"Cammie!" Bex shrieked as she barreled towards me. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah.. " I said timidly, waiting for her to pounce.

She did.

It hurt.

"Ow! Gosh, Bex! You forget how strong you are sometimes!"

"Well don't you dare scare me like that ever again!"

"Not my fault!"

I looked up and saw Brad Pitt's better looking twin's stunt double. (AKA: Grant Newman.)

He offered his hand so I gripped it and got up, then helped Bex up.

If I thought Bex was strong, boy was I wrong.

Grant enveloped me in a brotherly massive hug. "Cammie! Good to see you. In person. Not just sneaking glances at the notes Zach would drop!"

I choked out with what little oxygen my body still had, "Good to see you too. Can't breathe."

He loosened his grip and smiled sheepishly while standing beside Bex. "Sorry."

I pointed from Grant to Bex then back to Grant and Bex again. "So.. What's going on here?"

Bex glared.

Grant blushed.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Grant Newman blushed.

"Nothing." Bex said with her teeth gritted.

I raised my eyebrows and looked at Grant.

"Yeah… What she said.." He added.

I laughed lightly and said, "Whatever."

I turned to walk back to a bookshelf and Grant said, "Hey, you should really find Zach. He looked like he was looking for you."

"Oh. Maybe later." I added.


-3 hours later-


Liz was gone. Grant and Bex had lied. And on top of everything else? Zach was missing. Then again, Chameleons don't go missing. They don't disappear. They camouflage.

Earlier in the day, I had walked past my mom's office and over heard a phone conversation.


"I wish you were here."

….

"How the mission?"

….

"Cam hates him."

….

"When are you going to be back?"

….

"No, she's fine. I promise… Just a little unhappy with me at the moment."

….

"He said that he overheard her say to Zach she wished he would go get hit by a bus!"

….

"Yep. She's definitely related to her father, that's for sure."

….

"Joe, really. When are you coming back?"

….

"Look, if you don't get back soon I think she'll probably run away again!"

….

"You know I can't stop her, Joe. Neither can John."

….

"She trusts you like she trusted Matt."

….

"And Blackthorne is here too."

….

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but things were a little crazy….Besides. I can't keep up with her and Zach."

….

"He needs you too, Joe."

….

"Okay. Talk to you soon."

….

"And Joe? Please be safe. Please come back."


I walked back to my room and pulled out a shirt from a box hidden in my closet. It was an old, worn, navy blue, plaid, button- up, work shirt. I slipped it over me and then put on Zach's jacket. I walked through the hallways (unnoticed as usual) and slipped into my favorite secret passageway- the one behind Gilly's Sword. I pulled the small lever behind the stone in the corner and slipped through the door, closing it behind me.

Walking through the secret passageways, my thoughts went blank. For once, there was nothing on my mind. I sat against a cut out corner and leaned my head against the wall that jutted out.

I pulled the blue plaid shirt closer to me and smelled it.

Dad.

The mix of his cologne with a hint of the chocolate he always kept in the pocket for me. I closed my eyes and began to hum, remembering what he used to sing to me when I was about to go to sleep.

A Chameleon is a funny thing,

It doesn't have a beak or wings,

No fur nor feathers nor anything,

Just scales that hide-

I was cut off by a voice.

"Its true feelings."

I looked up, and through a small beam of sunlight that streaked in from a crack in a stone on the opposite wall, I could see Zach standing in front of me.

"The song…" He began. "That's how it ends, right?"

"Uh… yeah?" I said, still startled. (And amazed that he knew it.)

"How did you recognize it?" I asked.

He shrugged, leaning against the opposite wall, diagonal to me. "My dad used to sing it to me every night when he would tuck me in."

I nodded. "Mine too…"

"They were right, you know." He said while he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"About being chameleons?" I questioned, knowing we were of the same kind- pavement artists.

"No, about hiding everything." He stated.

"I think you've hidden more than I have." I muttered.

He raised his eyebrows and chuckled in disbelief. "When are you ever gonna get it?"

I crossed my arms. "Get what?"

He sighed. "Never mind."

I wasn't going to take that for an answer.

"Tell me."

"No."

"Zach."

"No! It's not important!" He snapped back.

"Obviously it is, Zach!"

"How could you be so reckless?" He shouted. "You scared all of us. Your mom. Solomon. Bex, Macey and Liz. Me. You don't get it, Cam!"

Cam.

Not Cammie.

Not Gallagher Girl.

He wasn't playing or flirting.

He was serious.

"Did you actually think you could run away for two months, chasing around my mom, trying to find your dad, and keep me away?" He yelled again. "And what was that business at the lake house! I wasn't following you, Cam! I was just trying to get away from Gallagher and Blackthorne for a few weeks!" He ran his hand over his hair in frustration. "You can't keep pushing people away like this!"

Pushing people away. Pushing people away. Pushing people away.

Smith.

He agreed with Smith.

I was angry.

"Don't you dare make this seem like it's my fault! You could have easily told me who your mom was! You could have told me that YOU KNEW my dad was dead! You could have told me—"

"But I didn't!" He cut in. "I didn't because I wanted to protect you."

By this time I was standing in front of his as we were practically screaming at each other. "Protect me from what?" I yelled. "I don't need prote-"

Then he kissed me.

It wasn't a lustful kiss. It wasn't hungry or ravenous. It was simply… innocent.

"I couldn't risk losing you too." He whispered. His hands were still on the back of my neck.

I leaned forward and let my forehead rest on his chest. "I'm sorry." I said softly.

He wrapped his arms around me and held me without saying a word.

We stood there for what seemed like infinity. I closed my eyes and listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

When I finally opened my eyes and looked up at him, I saw that his eyes were still closed.

He looked tired. Worn. Scarred.

He opened his eyes and looked at me.

I ran my thumb over a red cut that was barely hidden by his hair. I brushed it back and gently ran my thumb over it. "You should get that taken care of." I said softly.

He ran his hand over my bruised forehead and said, "You know something, Gallagher Girl? I could say the same about you." He chuckled softly. "Nice jacket, by the way."

I smiled softly. "Thanks. I found it laying around here. Someone must have dropped it.

"Well that wasn't very responsible of them. But maybe they had a good reason to leave it."

I smiled and stuck my hands in the pockets.

He chuckled and I looked at him inquisitively. Then I felt the soft, crinkled feel of evapopaper. I pulled it out and read it to myself then looked at him in shock.

He smiled nervously as I read it.

I looked up at him with a smile and said, "Really?"


Ahh! Cliff hanger! First off! Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! Now, I'm gonna use this A/N to clear up a few things:

-John Smith is not Solomon.

-John Smith is not Matthew Morgan.

-Solomon is on a mission

-Matthew Morgan is dead.

-John Smith is a few years older than Mrs. Morgan.

-Liz's character has evolved in my story, and I feel like through the entire GG series she has been under-appreciated, so if it were me, I probably would have gone off on Cammie too(:

SO! I hope you enjoyed this! Honestly it took me an eternity and a day to write! Next chapter will hopefully be up soon!

Love, Peace, and Chicken Grease!

-Alli(:

{PS- leave your thoughts on this chapter/ the story so far in a review!}