The Pros and Cons of Being in a Trusting Relationship:
Pro: Zach and I trust each other through and through
Con: Dillion still thinks he can manipulate me any way he wants to
Pro: Zach believes in me and it makes me believe in myself even more
Con: What if I make the wrong decision?
Pro: The situation hasn't blown up yet
Con: I'm worried that the situation will blow up soon
Cammie shouldn't have gone to school on Monday.
From the moment that she woke up, she should've realized that things would end badly.
For one she couldn't find her clothes. She found that most of her clothes were in the hamper downstairs, and she didn't even remember putting them there.
Her mom woke up late and didn't have time to prepare them breakfast and the minute that she stepped out of the door it started to rain. She should have realized instantly that something bad was going to happen, that she should just stay home and keep away from trouble, but she wasn't that smart.
She looked at every bad omen and ignored it, hardly bothering to consider the repercussions.
There were loads of signs, even after she got to school. There were moments where Cammie even considered going home early.
Something in the air just didn't feel right.
But even so she stayed, she sat next to Dillion, somewhat amused by his antics and didn't even realize that aside from the rain outside a storm was brewing, and it wasn't going to remain unheard.
"So, find anything new on your boyfriend?" Dillion teased. Cammie lightly elbowed him.
"Now shut up. I'm not playing your games anymore," she responded softly. He tilted his head toward her.
"Ah come on sweetheart, weren't you enjoying playing spy for me?" He asked.
"I trust Zach," Cammie responded firmly. "Playing spy or not, trust is the most important thing don't you think?"
Dillion scoffed.
"Oh dear, you've gone soft and I haven't even gotten the chance to sweep you off your feet yet," he muttered. Cammie rolled her eyes and began to put her things in her bag. The door to the classroom opened but she didn't pay any attention to it. The class was almost over.
"You never had the chance to sweep me off my feet," she stated.
"Oh, but I thought that when you found out what Zach had done you would be head over heels for me, who exposed his lies," he replied sarcastically.
"I mean as cute as you are," she said in monotone. "I'd have to say that's not entirely how it works. Besides, you could have made up the article."
The bell rang, and Cammie started to get up as kids filed out of the classroom, but then she noticed something essential.
Zach standing in the center of the classroom, staring at Dillion with an unreadable expression on his face. Dillion noticed and got up, taking a quick look at his bare wrist as if to check the time.
"Oh, how interesting," he stated. "We are ahead of schedule. Zach wasn't supposed to find out I was here until I'd gotten you to kiss me and question your relationship with him."
"I keep telling you we aren't in a television show," Cammie poked back. "I am a committed girl."
Zach just stared at them, making Cammie's eyebrows furrow. She stood up and walked towards him, but he flinched back.
"What are you doing with him?" He asked. His voice was low, a little scary. Cammie let her hands fall to her side. "Why didn't you tell me he was here? How did I not hear about this?!"
"Zach, calm down," Cammie said softly.
"How can I be calm when Dillion Jones is standing right there?" He demanded. Dillion was by Cammie's side in an instant. She sent him a sharp glare, but he was smiling. He was enjoying this.
That's when it hit Cammie.
"Holy hell, this is your end game," she blurted turning to stare at Dillion. He smiled innocently at her.
"Zachary, your girlfriend is quite the little detective. I like her."
He reached for Cammie and she jerked herself out of his touch.
"No, I'm not going to be a pawn in your game," she snapped at him. She looked at Zach. "I don't care about your past Zach. I care about you. Before you get mad why don't you find out the whole story."
Zach was shaking, so angry that his body was very clearly betraying him. Cammie took a step towards him.
"Would I lie to you?" She asked. His fists clenched.
"Probably," he sneered.
Cammie wrinkled her nose and placed a hand on her hip.
"Zach," she said sternly. He exhaled.
"Fine, no," he relented. Cammie took another step towards him.
"Do you trust me?" She continued. His body relaxed a little, and he looked over at Cammie with a borderline exhausted expression on his face.
"Yes," he said only a moment later. Cammie closed the distance between them and took his fist into her hand. She put her other hand over his and closed it between her two palms.
"Then promise you aren't mad?" She asked softly. His fingers spread out in her palm and he met her eyes. Finally, he looked relaxed again.
"I'm really glad I met you," he said softly. She smiled at him.
"Oh, I know you are. How about we meet up after school today and talk. I'll explain everything, you'll explain everything, and we will just talk it out," she suggested. He didn't seem very happy about the suggestion. He glanced over his shoulder at Dillion who was just standing there, smiling that stupid smile of his.
"I don't want to leave you here with Dillion," he grumbled. "You don't have many classes with him, do you?"
Cammie bit her lip.
"Just go, I'll deal with Dillion," she insisted. "Just trust me, I know what I'm doing."
Zach dropped her hand and eyed Dillion again. Then he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her out of his view.
"Look, okay fine, but- just promise me you'll be careful," he whispered. "I know he probably doesn't look it or act it but he's cunning, he's manipulative, and he's relentless. If he thinks he can overpower you he will, and he won't hesitate to do so."
Cammie nodded slowly. She believed it. She barely knew him, but she didn't doubt for a second that he was untrustworthy.
He stared into her eyes for a long moment, took a deep breath and then pulled her close to him, pressing his lips to hers.
When he pulled away, he had a small smile on his lips.
"Be safe," he whispered.
"See you after school Zach," she responded, a small teasing tone to her voice. He backed out of the classroom, giving Dillion one last suspicious glance as he left.
Once he was gone, Dillion swiped his hand across his forehead, as if wiping sweat from his head.
"I didn't think he'd ever leave us be. Great job dodging that bullet, I thought he'd be furious when he found out about our illicit relationship," he teased. Cammie put her hands on her hips.
"Dillion, what's going on? I want to hear it from your mouth and I want to hear it now. I've never seen Zach angry once-"
"Maybe you just don't know him very well."
"-And if you can make him so mad on sight then there is no way that you bring anything good to the table. So why, why did you transfer from Blackthorne?" She demanded, undaunted by Dillion's cocky attitude.
He smiled to himself and slid his hands in his front pockets.
"Look, Cammie, I like you a lot I really do, but I'm not at liberty to expose the reason why I'm really here," he stated. He closed the distance between them and stared thoughtlessly at her lips. For a second Cammie was worried he would kiss her, so she took a step back.
That made Dillion chuckle.
"Let's just say that Zach thought he could run away from a situation that he couldn't escape from and the people I work for are looking to teach him a lesson- but don't worry buttercup, they'll leave you and your pretty face out of it."
He placed the pad of his index finger under Cammie's chin and lifted her gaze to his. She frowned at him.
"If it involves Zach then I'm in the situation no matter what you say," she said firmly. "I will get to the bottom of what's happening right now, and I will stop it from snowballing into something that nobody can control."
Dillion laughed her stubbornness and grabbed her chin more firmly within his grasp. He looked down at her a bit oddly.
"You think you can stop what's happening? You're wrong. You're barely 17," he asserted. Cammie chuckled.
"If you think that can stop me-" She grabbed his wrist and twisted him down to the ground. "Then you're not nearly as smart as Zach told me you would be."
She released him and sighed, wiping her hands on her pants.
"I'll see you in our next class together," she called over her shoulder as she picked up her backpack.
He groaned and didn't bother saying a word.
After school, and a quick chat with the girls Cammie met Zach.
He was jittery and nervous, and in a weird way so was she despite the fact that there wasn't really much for her to be nervous about. Maybe it was just that she had gotten so used to Zach being completely easygoing that seeming him be anything but was scary.
She sat down on the sidewalk, neatly crossing her legs beneath her body. Cammie smiled as Zach followed suit.
"So, tell me the story," she said. "I found the article and I've heard what Dillion has to say. What's your side?"
Zach sighed and took a deep breath.
"Okay, well. It started back at Blackthorne, but I guess you know about that…"
Zach was going about his day just like he normally did. He hated Blackthorne with a passion, he had never wanted to leave all his friends and he had most certainly not wanted to have to come to some stuffy prep school.
Most of the boys here were nice enough, but Dillion Jones was probably his only friend here.
Sure, Grant and Jonas called him often but talking to them just made Zach miss Roseville, his family, and his old schoolmates who all got to go to Roseville Public High School.
Besides, there weren't any girls here. Zach missed having friends that were girls, he missed seeing his crush with her brown hair and her ever-changing eye color.
He loosened his tie from around his neck- his leash more like- and made his way to his next class. His path was interrupted by a small body colliding into his side. He grunted and stumbled slightly which just made his friend laugh.
"Dude, you are weak. How do you expect to protect yourself from the school administration like this?" He teased. Zach rolled his eyes.
"Like you're any better at it than I am," he grunted.
"I'm a black belt, and you're a no-belt. Seriously, when are you going to take me up on those lessons?" He asked seriously. Zach wrinkled his nose.
"If we get caught-"
"Who cares if we get caught? The boys at this school are ruthless. If you are going to survive the next four years than you have to stick with me and my rules."
Zach grumbled but nodded his head.
"Fine, you win."
The boys fell silent as they passed a group of their classmates, a short nod in their direction meant their respect for the others. It also meant they were less likely to make anyone mad.
One of the problems with this school was undeniably the rich people here. If you did one thing to make them angry, they would rain upon you a hell that would never end.
Lucky for Zach, Dillion was his roommate and had taken him under his wing as soon as he found out his upbringings.
Being here on a scholarship was practically social suicide.
"So, when do we start?" He asked softly.
Dillion smiled.
"Tonight. We head to the roof, and I begin to mold you into a man," he responded confidently. Zach groaned and made a mental note to claim to Grant about Dillion a little bit more the next time he had a chance to call him.
Author's Note:
So, I accidentally strayed from my outline with this chapter and I'm going to have to tweak that a bit because I went in a totally different direction with this Dillion thing than I originally planned, but I've got a lot of inspiration for this story so it's pretty easy to craft :). I think I'm coming down with a cold, so I'll probably have more time to write if I decide to skip class or something later this week to rest, so we'll see how it goes! Again, thank you for all the kind reviews! I check my email every day, so it warms my heart to see how you all react to my story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Have a great one!