Fish Tale

Chapter Ten: Sleeping Sickness

Someone come and, someone come and save my life
Maybe I'll sleep when I am dead
But now it's like the night is taking sides
With all the worries that occupy the back of my mind
Could it be this misery will suffice?

-City and Colour

(Sleeping Sickness)

"Do you think we should call the police?" Jace asked a while later when they decided it was time for a lunch break.

"I think we should leave that to Grant and Cammie," Zach said, squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

"Yeah," Will echoed.

"I guess," Jace agreed, oblivious to his friends' strange behavior.

"Do you think we should check on her?" Zach asked after a moment. Jace shrugged while Will stared at him, his face still holding the guilt that hadn't left him since it appeared early that morning.

"I'll be right back," he said when neither of them gave him a solid answer.

Zach was quick about going into the house and lunging up the stairs to Cammie's room.

"Cammie," he called softly before tapping lightly on the door.

A barely audible grunt came from inside the room. Zach gently pushed the door open noticing the lock had been smashed through, his hands shaking. He was nervous, his blood thick with guilt.

"Cammie?" he said again before moving closer to her bunched up figure on the bed.

"Mmh," she mumbled as he came into her hazy view.

Cammie's eyes were open in slits her lifeless eyes staring at the wall opposite her bed.

"Hey," Zach said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What are you doing here?" she mumbled, her words jumbling together.

"Are you okay?" he asked, carefully scooting closer.

"Fine," she mumbled, turning her body away from him.

"I think we need to talk."

"No," she answered, her voice hoarse and high.

"Cammie—"

"Just forget it," she ordered quietly. "Forget all of it. The kiss, the flirting, the feelings, forget it all happened."

"So where do we go from here?" he asked, trying to get her to look at him again.

"Well since you clearly won't leave me alone," she began as she lolled her head back towards him. "Friends?" she suggested.

Zach swallowed, desperately trying to ignore the pulsing guilt running through his veins.

"Yeah. I'd like that."

"Ok," she mumbled, turning back over.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine."

Zach nodded, unconvinced. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

Cammie didn't indicate that she heard him.

He sighed to himself once more before lifting himself of the bed. He quietly left the room, taking care to close the broken door behind him.

While Zach went up to go visit Cammie, Will wondered back around to the front yard, glancing quickly at the house.

The red spray paint was still bright and easy legible, the toilet paper still hung in the trees; there was nothing they could do about that. Will had sprayed the whipped cream out of the yard and it had flown down into the gutter, leaving a messy watery white trail on the pavement. Zach had managed to clean up all the glass and dump it in a trash can. Jace had cleaned the car, only the non-washable red spray paint left behind.

Will sighed, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair, shaking it out of his eyes. He needed to get something to remove the spray paint off the house and car.

He wasn't really sure what to do about that.

Maybe he'd just leave that to the professionals.

He heard a loud engine stall down the road and when he turned to look he saw a familiar looking SUV park on the curb of Morgan's property.

He scowled when he saw who emerged from the car.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice hard and cold towards the three people approaching him.

"Look, Will," Josh started as they walked up the driveway.

"You can't be here."

"We wanted to apologize."

"The less you say the better it will before everyone."

"I told you," Megan hissed at Josh, looking extremely unhappy.

"Wait," Josh's friend, Tony, said. "You're just going to forget about this?" he asked.

"Yes. It's just as much my fault as it yours. I don't want to get in trouble for it either," Will hissed.

"How's Cammie?" Josh asked, earning a evil glare from Megan.

"That's none of your business."

"I didn't do anything—"

"Doesn't stop you from feeling guilty," Will said. "Does it?"

"We were drunk," Tony protested, speaking for the first time. "It wasn't our fault."

"Say what you want," Will said. "Just forget it happened. I'm not a snitch, I won't tell anyone."

"Like anyone would believe you," Megan snorted.

Will glared at her, making her back off a bit. "Where are the other two dumb and dumbers of you're stupid group?"

"Alison and Katherine are not dumb and dumber," Megan hissed.

"They're at school," Tony answered.

"You're right, it's the other way round, and you're dumbest."

"You're an ass," Megan snapped.

"I'm not the one who trashed someone else's house. Am I?"

Megan ground her teeth together. "No you aren't. You're just the dumbass that told us to."

Will gave her a dark look and she smiled at him tauntingly.

"Doesn't stop you from feeling guilty does it?" She asked, spinning his own words on him.

"Just leave slut."

If looks could kill, Will could quite possibly be dead.

"I am not a slut," she snapped.

Will looked at Josh, daring him to agree with her.

Josh cleared his throat and looked away, as did Tony.

"Josh!" Megan shrieked. He shrugged and she stormed back off to the car.

"You both could do so much better," Will said to Josh. "And the thing is; you have. Dude breaking up with Cammie was possibly the worse mistake of your life, now you're stuck with that bitch," he said, nodding his head towards the car.

Josh growled at him.

"Will!" Zach yelled from the top of the driveway, making his way to the middle

"What the hell is he doing here?" Josh mumbled under his breath.

"What are you doing here?" Zach asked rudely as he looked at Josh and Tony, then to their car parked on the street with a fuming Megan inside.

"To apologize."

Zach glared at them. "To us? Or to Cammie?"

"To Cammie," Josh snapped. "Why would we apologize to you?"

"Because we're the ones cleaning it up."

"You put the idea in our heads," Josh snarled. "It's your fault."

"You didn't actually have to do it you morons," Zach quipped, growling in anger. "We didn't."

"Guys," Will said, taking a step between them. "Chill out. What's done is done. Josh and Tony take your bitch and get out of here, and don't come back. We won't say anything if you won't."

"Fine," Josh grumbled, already retreating down the driveway. Tony scowled once at them before following as well.

And just as their car was leaving, another pulled up, revealing Bex and Macey.

"Oh shit," Macey muttered as she looked up the house, taking in the damage. Bex's expression matched Macey's as they glanced at Will, then back to the car that was currently speeding away.

"What were they doing here?" Bex asked, glancing over her shoulder at the direction they came.

"They wondered where Cammie was," Will said, and even saying it he knew they wouldn't believe him.

"Oh okay," Macey said sarcastically. "The bitch who hates Cammie, Cammie's ass of an ex-boyfriend, and his friend the dumb jock came to see where Cammie was . . . because they care? Nuh uh, I don't think so, try again."

"They heard about what happened," Zach try to convince them. "They wanted to see if it was true."

"Zachary, I am the queen of gossip at Harbor, even I didn't know this happened. Wrong. Come on let's hear it. Next excuse?"

"Nothing gets by you, Mace," Will joked.

When she was about to retort, Will's phone and he pulled it out, grateful for whoever had decided to call him.

He scowled when he saw the name pop on his screen. As much as he didn't want to talk to her, he'd rather deal with her then Macey.

"I got to take this," he mumbled, walking away from the trio.

"I'm gonna go talk to Jace," Zach said hurriedly, trying to get away from the quick as possible.

"Zach—" Bex started but he was already running up the driveway to the back of the house.

"Boys," Macey muttered; annoyed.

"C'mon," Bex said, "let's go see Cam."

"Fine."

"What do you want?" Will spoke into the receiver of his phone, trying to keep the rising anger out of his tone.

"Why are you so mad?" the carefree voice on the other end replied. "I thought you'd be happy to hear from me."

"Well I'm not. I told you not to call. I don't do relationships, I told you that before we slept together."

He could almost see Viney rolling her eyes. "You really know how to make a girl feel special," she drawled sarcastically. "I just wanted a little more fun. No strings attached."

This time Will rolled his eyes. "Whenever a chick says that it means there are string attached."

"Well I'm not just a chick."

"That's the problem right there; you are. Viney you don't mean anything to me."

He didn't want to upset her but he needed to stop talking to this girl, he was infecting her like a kind of venom he could only hope to be rid of.

To his extreme surprise; she laughed.

"Will," she said, and he could practically see her shaking her head in a sort of sarcastic way. "If you thought that was true you would have agreed."

Will didn't like the sound of that. He barely knew this girl and she already knew how he worked.

"I just don't want to see you anymore."

"I don't believe you," she said in a husky voice. "No strings attached," she whispered.

"No," Will said, struggling to continue holding himself back from her. "I don't want to sleep with you."

"Who said anything about sleeping?" she asked mischievously.

"Viney. No."

"Fine," she said. "Just remember last time you said no, you came back to me."

"That isn't going to happen this time," he established.

"Alright," she said, not sounding the least bit like she believed him. "Call me when you cave." And with that she hung up leaving Will more flustered then he'd ever been in entire life. Girls hadn't made him nervous since he was twelve, but something about this curly blonde vixen put him on edge. And he really didn't like it.

Cammie was getting annoyed with her interruptions, first Zach then Jace stopped in to make sure she hadn't suddenly overdosed and now someone else.
She didn't feel well. Couldn't people respect that?

Groaning she moaned, "come in."

Cammie wasn't happy to see her two best friends. She knew they'd want to talk. And she jut didn't have the energy.

"Hey Cams," Bex said, taking a seat on the foot of her bed.

"I want to sleep," Cammie mumbled.

"We just wanted to make sure you were ok," Macey said.

"I'm fine."

"Are you? Really?"

"Yes."

"Cammie. . ."

"I'll be okay. I'm just tired. I want to sleep."

"Alright," Bex relented, getting up. Macey stayed put.

"No way," Macey said. "I still need to hear about you and the new kid."

"Macey," Bex reigned and the same time Cammie groaned, "Macey."

"I want to know."

"There's nothing going on between us."

"You two totally have sexual tension, you should probably work on fixing that, if you know what I mean," Macey said, dropping her a wink.

"Macey I'm not going to sleep with Zach."

Macey laughed. "Who said anything about sex? I meant maybe you should go to a doctor. Oh who am I kidding— I totally meant you should have sex with him."

"Macey."

"I'm only kidding," she defended. "But seriously. Tell me what's been going on."

"Nothing."

"It doesn't sound like nothing. I heard you cancelled the date. Why? I thought you liked him."

"I never said that," Cammie denied.

"You didn't have to; I can see it in your eyes. You're madly in love with the boy."

"I am not."

"Ok, maybe not in love, but in lust."

"Uh, no."

"Uh, yes."

"Macey I don't want anything to do with Zach," she said, trying make her voice firm.

"Why not?" Macey persisted.

"He's an ass."

"He's actually a pretty sweet guy, he acts like an ass because that's what's in. And I know you don't actually think he's a real ass so I call bullshit."

"Bullshit,"agreed.

"He kissed me."

"Excuse me?" Macey asked. "Did I hear he kissed you? Honey you really must be sick, when a boy kisses you that's a good sign."

"I kissed him."

"Thank god. You didn't stand there like an idiot did you?"

"Of course not. He kissed me and then I kissed him and then I kind of ran away," Cammie admitted, looking sheepishly to the floor.

"You didn't!"

"Yeah."

"You got scared," Bex guessed.

"I mean I wanted to kiss him. I liked it. . . There's a just a voice inside my head telling me that I shouldn't put myself out there again."

Macey didn't look as if she believed her, softly she said, "a voice in your head or a voice in your heart?"

Cammie looked down, remembering the ache she'd gotten just below her chest and into her stomach. She wasn't ready to have another relationship yet, she didn't want to feel things only to have torn away from her.

"My heart," she admitted.

"That's what I thought."

"Cammie. Zach's a good guy. He wouldn't hurt you."

"How do you know? None of us really know him, he's only been here for a couple days and look how much trouble it's caused. Plus he's kinda sketchy."

Bex and Macey glanced wearily at each other.

"All I'm saying is not every guy is scum like Josh. Cammie you've got to try otherwise you'll miss out."

"I don't want to," she said stubbornly.

"Tough titty, you are going to put yourself back out there," Macey declare.

"Mace," Bex warned.

"No, Bex. She's never going to get anywhere if she keep sulking. So what if someone egged your house and wrote bitch on your car. Are you really going to let it change you? Just because some jackass is bitter doesn't mean you've got to let it get to you."

"Macey," Bex said when she noticed Cammie's lip quiver.

"She's right. I shouldn't let this get to me."

"Cam," Macey said. "You need to get back to school."

Cammie looked, at her slightly perplexed, she ever thought she'd hear something like that coming out of Macey Mchenry's mouth.

"Are you serious?"

"Cammie, swim team tryouts," Bex reminded her.

"Shit," Cammie cursed. "I forgot."

"You're serious?"

"Yeah, I mean. I've kind of had other stuff going on," Cammie defended.

"I know," Macey said. "You're just usually much more. . . organized."

"Well excuse my memory lapse," Cammie mumbled, throwing her covers back.

"Fine, but honey that hair has got to go," Macey said, pushing Bex to Cammie's massive bathroom. "Go help her," she said to Bex. "I'll go pick out cute outfit." Cammie laughed, and it felt good. Leave it Macey to make her feel better and stupid about having a breakdown.

She'd blame it on shock, she really hadn't been expecting this at all. She hadn't realized people hated her so much. . .

"Cam," Bex said from the bathroom. Cammie's head snapped up to her friend's waiting gaze. "Lehgo."

"Sure," Cammie muttered, going into the bathroom with Bex and her instruments of torture to be used on her hair.

"Blair!" Jace called, seeing her head bobbing through the crowd. "Blair!" he called again when she didn't hear him.

This time she turned, directly locking eyes with him.

Slowly, she made her way towards him, careful to keep her eyes guarded.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice indifferent.

"I'll do it," Jace said. "I'll tell them."

Blair looked as if she didn't believe him. "When?"

"Bex knows," he blurted, because he was unsure of what to say.

Blair raised an eyebrow. "And what did she say?"

"She was cool with it. . ."

"So why wouldn't the others be?"

"Cammie—"

"Cammie," Blair spat. She kenw the girl was genuinely kind but sometime little miss perfect caused so many problems in Blair's life. "You still like her."

"No," Jace denied. "I was going to say Cammie hurt me, without even trying. She didn't even give me a chance. If I tell them about you and you end up leaving me I am never going to hear the end of it. How I let girls slip through my hands."

Blair laughed humorlessly. "You are such a pansy."

Jace scowled. "I am not."

"You're afraid of what your friends think! Jace if you really cared about me, they wouldn't matter at all!"

"I do care about you," Jace protested. But if he was being honest he wasn't sure if he did, genuinely anyway.

"Obviously not enough," she snapped before walking off.

Again.

"Dammit!" Jace yelled, slamming his fist into a nearby wall.

He pulled his aching hand back and cradled it to his chest. "Fuck that hurt."

Cammie got to school fifteen minutes just before the last bell. She sighed in relief, booking it to the aquatics center.

"Cammie?" she heard her brother ask as he came out of his class early.

"Hey," she mumbled, slightly embarrassed to see him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Swim team tryouts."

"But. . ."

"I'm fine Grant. I overreacted."

"Not likely," Grant snorted. "Cammie someone outright vandalized our house."

She shrugged it off. "They were drunk, probably anyway."

"That doesn't excuse—"

"Grant, I'm begging you, I just want to forget about it; so should you."

"How can I forget about it if we still have to live in that graffiti hole?"

"Will, Jace and Zach cleaned most of it up."

"What?" Grant asked, surprised. "When?"

"All day. I mean they couldn't get the toilet paper out but. . . they did a good job and I'm really grateful."

"I guess it wasn't Will," Grant muttered to himself, knowing Will would never clean up a mess he'd made.

"What made you think it was?" Cammie asked, raising an eyebrow. Despite wanting to forget the whole thing had ever happened, she still wanted to know who'd done it.

Grant shrugged. "Just a hunch."

Cammie smiled lightly. "Well it wasn't so you don't have to go rip his balls up. But you're sweet for caring. But you know Will wouldn't do something like that, he's practically family."

"Whatever," Grant gave her a fleeting hug, knowing she was right. "I won't keep you. See you at home?"

Cammie nodded.

He looked at her uncertainly.

"What?" he looked away. "Grant I'm not going to drown myself in the pool."

Grant's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't thinking that."

"Then what?"

"Be careful."

"Of?"

Grant's mouth twisted awkwardly. "Nevermind, see you later."

Cammie rolled her eyes. "Jeez. My brother's a freak."

Cammie sat above the water watching the sharks and whales swim aimlessly around in the water. She admired that about fish. They never really had a limit; they could go wherever they wanted without being too suffocated. Of course they were in a tank but the tank was spacious enough for even the largest fish on the planet. Most people thought animals in aquariums were mistreated and in some cases that may be true but at Gallagher it wasn't. Cammie took care of her share and she knew her colleagues did the same. She sighed, wishing she could jump in and join the swimming fish.

She sat, crossed legged on the makeshift floor in only jean shorts and a cotton purple and white striped tank top. The air was slightly cool but she liked it, it made her feel closer to the water, despite the fact she was running her hand over the surface of the water, again wishing she'd gotten her wet suit and gear.

"I figured you'd be here," a deep newly familiar voice said from behind her. She didn't have to turn her head to know who it was. She was still undecided about her feelings towards him and was planning to play it safe.

"And why's that?" she said, deliberately keeping her tone light.

"You weren't at home or the swimming pool, this is the only other place I could see you being."

"Must've been an adventure looking for me," Cammie said, not looking at him. She felt him sit next to her, the smell of his aftershave and cologne instantly filling her senses.

"Not really. I don't know if anyone's told you but Roseville is kind of boring."

Cammie smiled, still watching the water. "I love it."

"I know. For you, it's home. And the thing that's starting to freak me out is it's beginning to feel like home to me too."

"You've not even been here a week," she stated.

"I know. But compared to other places I've been, this is a tremendous upgrade."

"And his mysterious past returns," Cammie said, swirling the deep blue water with her fingers. "Ever going to elaborate?"

"Ever going to forgive me?" he asked, bluntly avoiding her question. She laughed, a sound that peeled of the walls of the closed of room.

"For?"

"Being an ass. I'm sorry."

"You really don't need to apologize," Cammie said. "You never actually have been an ass, you just sound like one."

Zach laughed. "That's not true. But thanks anyway, I just feel as though I should apologize."

"It's fine," she said. "Really."

"How'd your swim team tryouts go?" he asked, knowing it was something she was excited about. She beamed.

"Great," she answered. "We have a good team this year. I think we'll do really well."

"Cool," Zach said and Cammie didn't have anything to add.

There was an unsettling kind of quiet that feel upon them. "Are you okay?" he asked delicately.

She sighed and nodded, finally turning her head toward him, meeting his eyes. She wished she hadn't. His usually bright mischievous green eyes were full of concern and sympathy, and something she couldn't quite identify.

"I'm really fine," she muttered, looking away. "I don't need your pity."

"I don't pity you," he argued.

"Yes you do, you feel bad for me."

"Cammie, I saw you this morning. You weren't in good shape."

"No," she agreed. "I wasn't. But I'm fine now. Can we just go back to before?"

"Before what?"

"Before things got weird between us."

Zach laughed, and he was sitting to close she could almost feel the vibrations. "You got it legs."

She smiled subconsciously at her nickname. "We're friends?" she asked, glancing at him, relieved to see his green eyes had turn light and playful again. She knew this morning they had agreed to be friends but she just wanted to be sure.

"Were we ever really just friends?" Zach asked, his trademark smirk falling onto his lips. Cammie thought about it before shaking her head. "Friends with benefits?" he joked.

Cammie chuckled before it fell flat and she said, "is that what you want?"

Zach looked surprised. "I was joking."

"I know but is it?" she asked, Cammie liked Zach, she knew she did, but she was nowhere near ready enough to put herself out there again. Maybe this would be a good compromise for them.

Zach shook his head and laughed softly. When he looked up and their eyes met they were all serious, "no. That isn't what I want. I want it all Cammie. All of you. All of it," he said, surprising both himself and Cammie. But he knew what he said was true if her wanted to be with her he wanted it all, not just benefits. Somewhere along the way Cammie had evolved from a challenge to a real person. And she happened to be a person he enjoyed spending time with, a person he liked. She was kind when she didn't need to be, and he brought something out in himself that just made him happy and want to be around her.

"So that's it?" she asked, several minutes of thinking it through later. "All or nothing?"

"I wouldn't say nothing. I'm willing to settle for just friends; for now at least," he smirked again his playful side had returned once again. "Just no benefits."

Cammie fought the urge to pout; she had really enjoyed kissing him. Why couldn't he be like any other regular teenage boy who only wanted sex? She'd thought he was, but his words clearly stated otherwise. But she enjoyed his company too, and maybe when she trusted him not to hurt her there could be something more. "Friends then."

Zach smiled and nodded, holding out his hand for them to shake on it.

She took it, loving the feeling of his large warm had holding her own. They shook and both reluctantly pulled back.

Then Zach stood up and Cammie looked at him quizzically. He smiled, then said, "I'll leave you to your work, wouldn't want to cut back on your pay."

"Yeah," Cammie said, suddenly slight breathless, from what she had no idea. "Thanks, bye Zach."

"Bye legs," he said, making her smile again.

When she'd thought he left his voice called back to her. "Oh and legs?"

She twisted her head towards him.

His eyes were dark and serious in way that gave her an eerie feeling in her stomach.

"Yes?"

"Just remember, I can't stick around forever," he said, and then he was gone, leaving Cammie to ponder over his words.

Normally she would have taken it as a clue to get over her insecurities and go out with him, but the look in his eyes and feeling in her stomach told her he'd meant something else by it. Something she had not the slightest clue about.

This story is literally*says in Chris Traeger Voice* all over the place. I'm trying ya'll but I really don't know why anyone liked it the first time around.
Anyway if you do: review!

(That rhymed)