A/N:

Thank you guys so much for the kind reviews! I apologize for taking so long to update. Camp NaNoWriMo, school, and everything else is consuming my time. I promise that once testing is over and things start to get easier, I'll update almost everyday. Thanks guys!

Chapter Nine: Nothing Like Us

"There's nothing like us,
there's nothing like you and me."

[Tuesday Morning]

We entered Degrassi. His arm was around me, and his hand held my left hand, our fingers intertwined. I felt happy. He was holding me close, and I could feel the warmth of his Ice Hounds letterman. I looked over at some people as we walked down the hall. Nobody stared. This was normal, acceptable. I smiled as we stopped at my locker, where Tori and Tristan were waiting. "Hey guys," I smiled. Cameron smiled at them.

"Hey Maya, Cameron." Tori said gently. "Maya, would you please accompany me to the bathroom?" She asked. I could tell she wanted to talk. I turned to Cameron. He smiled at me.

"I'll see you when I can?" I smiled.

"Definitely," Cameron said gently, kissing me on the cheek. I hugged him tightly, taking in his scent. It smelled familiar, but I didn't bother to remember where I last smelt it. He hugged me back before bidding goodbye to Tori and Tristan. He left, disappearing into the crowd of students in the halls. I turned to Tori and Tristan, knowing well that Tori and I would be talking here.

"Are you guys together?" Tori asked, furrowing her eyebrows. She was confused, unsure, maybe even hurt. I nodded confidently, smiling. "And you're happy?" I nodded again. Tori sighed, looking over at Tristan. "Great," Tori nodded. "I'm happy for you." She wasn't happy, I knew that.

"You don't look happy." I said gently, opening my locker. I took a breath. "Do you guys still think I'm crazy?" I asked. "I'm over the idea of him being Cam," I assured them, and I wasn't lying, partly. "I swear!" I continued, grabbing a textbook. "Cameron spoke to me last night, took me out, and well..." I shrugged, "he cares for me, and I care about him." I turned to my friends. "Shouldn't that be enough for you guys?" I asked.

"We're just worried." Tristan blurted out. He had this look on his face, and I knew he was trying to read my expressions. Tori tried to read my words. I rolled my eyes. "You were so hung up on Cam's death, the idea of Cam being alive," Tristan began, "and now you're over him? Just like that?" He snapped.

"I'm not over Cam." I said coldly. "Cameron knows that I'll never replace Cam," I added, my voice dripping with anger now, "he knows that I still love Cam," I shut my locker door, "and he accepts that, and he's trying all he can to make me happier." I continued. "Okay?"

"Okay." Tori said softly. "He's making you happy?" She asked a bit. "Like you were with Cam?"

I sighed, "He's trying." I turned away from them. "I have to go." I lied. "I'll see you guys at lunch." I said bitterly, and disappeared into the crowd. I sighed to myself. I wasn't replacing Cam. Cameron knew that. I like Cameron, a lot, and he likes me. If I'm happy, shouldn't that make Tori and Tristan happy?

It should, shouldn't it?

I walked out of class, walking down the hall to go to lunch. I stopped when I felt an arm around my waist. I looked over to my right, where Cameron stood. "Hey!" I smiled. He smiled back as he took my hand. "How has your day been so far?" I asked gently.

"Pretty good," Cameron smiled a bit, "how did uh, Tori and Tristan take seeing us?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "Are they mad at me?" He asked as we turned down the hall. I sighed, stopping him in front of a locker. We allowed everyone else to head to lunch. I needed to talk to him, alone.

"They're not mad," I began, "just-" I stopped. "I don't think they're that happy." I sighed. "I'll convince them that you're a good guy, okay?" Cameron nodded. "Come on," I smiled, "let's get to lunch." We turned to continue walking down the hall, when I saw Zig. I took a breath, stopping with Cameron. Zig looked over at me, and then to Cameron.

"Hey." Zig said gently. "Haven't seen you in a while." He looked over at me. I smiled gently, and nodded. "I'm Zig." He offered his hand, and Cameron shook it firmly.

"Cameron."

"Ah," I began, "Cameron, this is Zig, he's Tori's ex-boyfriend and um, a friend of mine." I said softly. "Zig, this is Cameron, my boyfriend." Zig raised his eyebrows. I felt Cameron's hold on my hand get just a bit tighter. I looked over at Cameron gently, assuring him that Zig was a good guy. "How have you been?"

"Boyfriend?" Zig asked. I could see the confusion and hurt in his eyes. "This guy is your boyfriend?"

"Cameron," I corrected him, "is my boyfriend." I said firmly. I looked over at Cameron. He didn't seem too happy. Something was wrong. He wasn't smiling. Zig wasn't smiling either. The two seemed to be hot-headed at the moment, and we had only been here for a minute or two. "We're going to get lunch." I said softly.

Zig didn't respond, and sighed as he left us. I sighed, walking down the hall with Cameron. "I don't like him." Cameron mumbled. I looked over at him.

"Zig's a good guy," I smiled, "I promise."

"Something didn't seem right, when he saw us," Cameron furrowed his eyebrows. "Does he...like you or something?" I took a breath, glancing away.

"He used to." I mumbled. "It's nothing, because nothing ever happened between me and Zig." I sighed. "He's just a friend." Cameron nodded. I smiled at him. He smiled back. He had a soft smile, a smile I had seen before. It was gentle. Just like Cam's. I pushed away that thought as we got in line for lunch.

No. Cam is gone, and I have Cameron. Cameron won't replace him, but he'll help me become happier. I looked over at Cameron for a moment before grabbing some lunch. I thought back to seeing Zig in the hallway, and how Cameron reacted. He doesn't like him. Neither did Cam. I silently groaned as we walked over to sit with Tori and Tristan. Stop it. Stop thinking about Cam. I couldn't think about Cam, I had to stop.

We sat down, and Tori smiled. "You look happy, blooming." She told me.

Cameron looked over at me, smiling a bit. I blushed, glancing down at my food. I knew Tori was just saying those words to make it seem like she was fine with me and Cameron. I knew she wasn't. I sighed as I felt Cameron gently squeeze my hand.

I'm happy. I don't need Cam to be happy. I didn't need Tori or Tristan's approval to be happy. I'm happy, all on my own. Cam's gone. I pushed away the thoughts of Cam from my mind. No, he's dead.

Gone.

A/N: Thanks for reading!

HINT: Part Two will reveal a lot about this male character's life.

What do you guys think about Maya and Cameron? About Cameron and Zig seeing each other? Are you guys excited for Part 2? Are you guys convinced that Cam is alive?