Chapter 10

Fire in the heart sends smoke into the head

I strolled through the front doors. The hallways were crowded with people shoving and pushing their way through. I ambled my way down the hall, keeping my eye on the blue lockers looking for my number. 1216, 1217, 1218, ah 1219, I pulled on the locker door yet it held fast, I tugged on it again, and again, and again. It seemed desperate to remain shut.

"Here let me help you." said a voice behind me, I turned. It was a pretty girl about 5'6 long brown hair, grey eyes and a sympathetic look on her face. "You must be new."

"That noticeable?" I asked.

"No, but it's a small town you get to know everyone, anyone new stands out."

"Great." I muttered.

"Here." she said reaching for the locker door. "You have to lift up and pull open." As she opened the door a mirror fell out and on to the floor, breaking into three pieces.

"Is that my bad luck or yours?" I asked.

"I'll take it. You look like you're in for a long day." she said with understanding. "My names Rachel."

"Cammie." I said shaking her hand.

"Cammie," she muttered looking at me. "Have I met you before?" she asked.

"No." I denied

"Really are you sure? You look familiar."

"I think you be confusing me with someone else." I said nervously.

"Right, right I guess I must be. Well good luck on your first day and if you need someone to sit by at lunch my table is free." She turned and started to walk away, but not before giving me one last fleeting look.

I guess I wouldn't be able to hide in this school after all. It would only be so long before Rachel would figure out I was the girl on the video with the Senator's daughter when she got attacked. Therefore only so long before they figured out I had gone to Gallagher and then I'd be getting the Gallagher glare everywhere I went. But I could enjoy the freedom for at least awhile. I stuffed my extra books into my locker and started off towards math. The teacher Mr. Barker, luckily, didn't live up to his name; he gave me the latest homework and pointed to a desk. Unlike in all the TV shows I've seen I was spared the horror of having to get up in front of the class and tell them about myself, all the time my face turning a dark shade of red. A look around the room told me that the only people I knew were DeeDee. I settled into my seat. The teacher droned on about Geometry and I let my mind wonder to that subject forbidden subject.

I would see Josh soon enough. I wondered if he was dating and if so who? DeeDee? I hadn't had a chance to ask and it's not really a topic you can easily work in. I wondered if he missed me. I missed him. Maybe I shouldn't because I was in love with Zach. Yet Josh was that thing I would never have, a normal life. And it was this that drew me to him. He would always be the boy who saw me, the girl who no one ever sees. Zach was wonderful; Zach at least on some level could understand what I was going through, Josh never would. I let out a sigh this was silly I shouldn't even be thinking it, I was in love with Zach and though he hadn't said it I was pretty sure he loved me back, end of story, except unlike in the fairy tales there is always another chapter. The rest of the class past in a boring blur and before I knew it I on my way to science.

I walked into science and I saw him. Zach that is. He was sitting in one of the desks and standing over him was a blonde haired girl who didn't seem to know what personally space was. She was giggling like a hyena and flipping her hair so much I bet she killed some brain cells.

"Hey Zach." I called he gave me a grateful look.

While Blondie in turn gave me the equivalent of a death glare, and then slithered off to stalk another prey. I went up to the teacher and she handed me the notes. I relaxed in the desk beside Zach, an hour passed.

I was finally starting to relax in the rather uncomfortable plastic desk listening to a surprisingly interesting discussion on chemical reactions when the door opened, it was Josh.

My first thought was that I barely recognized him. When Macey and I had seen him last year at the football game, Macey had said he looked hotter but it was nothing compared to him up close. He had filled out over the summer to the point where I don't think I would be able to flip him again. He had grown a good few inches. Whereas last time we had been the same height, now he was four inches past my 5'5.

"Hey Mrs. Bones sorry I'm late." he said walking up to her and giving her a pass, his back was turned so he couldn't see me. My heart started racing, I could hear my pulse in my ears, and my stomach felt like it was going over a hundred in the backseat of a sports car. He turned back around to go to his seat and froze. His eyes locked with mine and I was lost in their green depths. Disbelief was etched into his every feature. I might as well have been a ghost, a ghost from Christmas past.

"Cammie?" he whispered still standing in the middle of the room.

"You know our new students?" asked Mrs. Bones.

At those words Josh's eyes turned from mine to Zach's. The first glance caused his face to darken and his eyes to narrow. I didn't need to turn around to know Zach was the mirror image.

"Yes I know them." Josh said forebodingly taking his seat. I shrank further into my desk, desperately wishing I could dig a hole to China.

"Ok class," said the teacher obvious to the nuclear war about to erupt in her science class. "I know you want to get out of your seats. So come up and get this paper then you can go back and do the lab."

I was up and out of my seat before anyone else had moved. I grabbed the paper and practically ran to one of the lab tables in the back.

"Cammie!" called my teacher. "Why don't you partner with Sarah." A short sweet looking girl gave me a smile and started back towards my table.

"And Josh since you know Zach here why don't you partner with him." she said. I think swear the world stopped spinning in that moment.

"It would be my pleasure." Josh said an evil glint in his eyes accompanied by a wicked smile from Zach. This wasn't going to end well. Sarah and I quickly set up the lab meanwhile I kept an eye on Zach and Josh. Time passed without incident but I couldn't stay that way for long. Josh and Zach had started to boil the third solution as per instructions but it seemed they had reached an impasse on the temperature.

"It can go hotter." said Zach rather loudly causing everyone's head to turn his way.

"No it can't." Josh replied.

"Yes," barked Zach turning the gas back up. "it can."

"No! It can't!" shouted Josh this time pushing Zach out of the way in order to get to the knob.

"Boys!" yelled the teacher. But they were deaf to her cries, each trying to shove the other out of the way and get to the gas gauge. "Stop this!" she screamed.

During the back and forth play the class had simple stared in shock, no one moved, I didn't even breathe. Now the fight had lost the verbal spin and now Zach picked Josh up by the shirt collar and threw him back a good five feet, he landed with a solid thud.

"Zach!" I cried running over to him and began pulling him back to protect Josh. I didn't need to bother. Josh had recovered from his fall and was running towards Zach. He swung out with his left fist which Zach easily blocked, but what I didn't expect was him too swing back around and land a punch with his right hand. Zach stumbled back a few feet clearly stunned. At the same time this was happening the third solution, which had been boiling at a fairly high temperature immediately burst into flames. The girl behind me started screaming while everyone else stared as if they couldn't believe this was happening. The flames got bigger as they caught the paper towels next to it on fire. I could feel the heat radiating off in waves. Then like a knight in shining armor, little Sarah picked up the fire-extinguisher, ran over and put out the fire till it was nothing but ash.
"Zach! Josh! Principles office right now!" barked Mrs. Bones causing the veins on her forehead to stand out. Just to give added effect to her words the sprinklers decided then to go off. Blondie started screaming about her hair and ran out of the room; the rest of the class was quick to follow.

Half an hour later I was seated in the front lawn with the rest of the high school class as we waited for the firemen to give the all clear. At first DeeDee had peppered me with questions yet I was too far lost in thought to answer. This wasn't like Zach no matter how much he hated Josh he had always kept his temper in check. It was part of the job you always had to have complete control over your emotions. I didn't understand. Was Zach changing? Maybe it was just from being kidnapped, maybe he just needed time. Because it hadn't been Zach in science class and I was a little scared to find out just who it was.

The fireman gave the go ahead and the rest of my classes passed to quickly to remember, I had tried to ignore the whispers around me about what happened and why. About whom the new kid really was. I didn't need to hear them to know what they would guess. I didn't see Zach or Josh again. However I didn't know if that was due to them not being in my class or them still being in the office. Finally the 3 o'clock bell rang and a stampede of students left the building. I took my time wondering the empty building slowly making my way to the front office.

I turned the corner and a livid Josh burst out the office door.

"Josh!" I called faking surprise.

"Cammie." He murmured the dark expression on his face softening.

"Hey Josh."

"You could have called Cam." He said referring to my brush with death, or at least the one he knew about.

"I didn't know what to say." I defended.

"How about I wasn't killed in a kidnapping attempt." He cried. I opened my mouth and closed it, I had no reply. "Because you could have been, you could have been killed so easily." He said walking over and gripping my shoulders. "No calls, emails, nothing!" His eyes turned frantic as he searched my face for something.

"Josh we broke up it has been a year." His eyes dropped at the words.

"I deserved a phone call. I deserved to know my ex-girlfriend was alright, and not have to see replays of her nearly getting killed on international television." he said quietly eyes not looking at me. I didn't say anything and as he finished I suddenly realized how close we were standing and I took a step back.

"Josh we didn't end on good terms."

"I know." He whispered.

"Are you ok?" he asked his face turning back to the kind, big-hearted Josh I knew.

"Yeah I'll be fine."

"If you need someone to talk to I'll be there." he said hesitantly.

"Thanks Josh." I said walking past him to leave school.

"And Cammie," he called, I turned. "It's good to see you again."

I smiled and walked out the door feeling, not happy but something close to it. A feeling that I immediately lost when I walked out the door and saw Zach leaning against the wall, waiting.