Zachs pov
I could always count on school to be horrible. But being able to hold Cammie's hand made it better. People swooned in the hallways. There were an equal amount of nasty looks, from both the guys and girls. And during some classes, her head rested on my shoulder. God, I sound like a freshman.
But as fall break grew closer, the homework got more intense.
As we were sparring in P&E, some stupid guy came up.
"Be careful not to hurt your girl, man." I knew she wouldn't like that. Her leg came straight at my face with full power. I ducked down and swept her feet out from under her. As she hit the ground, she came back up with more force. I threw a punch but she moved away and flipped me to the ground. The guy just stood there with his mouth open. Cammie was still on top of me.
"As you were saying. Carry on." she gave him a look that said now it's your turn to leave. Other people had started watching. I knew she wasn't paying attention so I switched our places. As she processed what was going on, she immediately fought back. A fist to my rib got her free. We weren't allowed to hurt each other badly, just enough to feel it a little bit. But sometimes, a good bruise could be worth extra credit.
The sparring finished and we started on our workout.
Cammie walked over to the mats and started stretching out. It was almost time to go to practice. Some of the poses she did put me in physical pain just by looking at her. And she had only gotten better with cheer.
The dismissal bell rang and we walked to the locker rooms hand in hand. When we got to the doors, I pulled her in for a gentle kiss. The guys were extremely jealous, I could feel it. Wait, is this what its like to be a girl?
We both got changed and walked to the fields. My arm slid around her waist. She looked hot in her outfit. She always looked hot.
My muscles were in pain. It scared me to think that football could get even worse. I didn't want to drive home. But I still had to go buy steak for tonight.
"I gotta stop at the store for tonight. Hope you don't mind."
"Its good, I'm excited to see if you truly can put Gordon Ramsay, or even Bex to shame." I gave her a confident smirk
"And well look really good in these." she gestured to our practice outfits. I had on a school t-shirt with shorts on. She had on Spanx and a Gallagher sports bra. Her cheer jacket mostly covered it, but I didn't care about what she wore. As long as she liked it.
We walked into some prestigious grocery store. I would never get used to this extreme lifestyle. I found some filet mignon. I grabbed spices and vegetables. It was like when Bex had cooked for us.
"We are actual adults right now." cam had a proud look on her face.
"Good job babe." laughter filled my voice.
The car ride home was filled with some awful and loud karaoke. I dropped her off and went to go tell mom our dinner plans for tonight.
"Just in case you forgot, we're going over to Cammies. And in making steak." I found her sitting in the living room.
"I remember dear. We are all looking forward to it. You make the best steak. How was school?"
"Exhausting." I left the Cammie part out. "I guess people like me because someone is always coming up to talk with me." she laughed.
"I'm sure its hard to manage all your popularity. Was practice good?"
"It always is. I missed football so much. All the guys are welcoming. Are you and dad gonna be able to make the next game?" dad had missed the first one, and he helped me out a lot.
"Your father will most definitely be there. It depends on how work goes for me. You know how it is sometimes." I gave her an understanding look.
She had worked at Blackthorne but retired before she got married. Apparently, she was a living legend. But now she works from home. Her cover is a stay at home mom. She answers emails and stuff. Sometimes there were random trips too. But that's about all I know, things are classified. And that's why I wanted to go to Blackthorne so bad. I had heard stories from her, and I was intrigued. No one could know. People were out there who wanted Blackthorne ended. As for reasons, they are unknown.
"Mom, did you ever meet someone named Joe Solomon?" he had seemed like the
guy that was perfect for that job. He always seemed to know what was going on. I had wondered where he had learned all of those moves for P&E because they were beyond basic. I looked into moms eyes.
"That name doesn't sound familiar." she was lying. Her voice shifted at the end of her sentence. Her eyes broke my gaze for a split second. No regular person would have noticed it. You don't have a spy parent and learn nothing. She had taught me how to tell and spot a lie. She might have been a trained operative but I am a teenager who has told countless lies for years. And Cammie has helped me out too.
"Alright. Just wondering. I'm gonna start on homework." she didn't ask me more. She should have. That made me more suspicious.
"Have fun dear. What time are we going over?"
"6. Tell Emily again, she probably forgot."
"Ok." I walked up to my room. But why would my mother lie about knowing Joe Solomon?
Cammies pov
When I stepped through the doors, I walked up to my gym. Even though I had worked out every single day last week and today, I still liked doing my own thing sometimes. I stretched out and did foam rolling. I tried some yoga. I went downstairs and ate a salad because of health.
I decided to act like an adult and clean the kitchen. It was hardly ever used so I didn't have to do much. But I wanted to slightly impress Rachel. Her house looked like it was straight out of a magazine. I bet she didn't work. I have no idea how she could have that much time to do things.
I took a quick shower. I changed into a better outfit than my regulars. Well, maybe a t-shirt with some shorts. The backyard looked decent enough. I pulled out some homework while I waited for everyone to arrive.
The doorbell rang and I set the papers down. I didn't open it because Emily was already walking in. rachel tried to get her to walk back to her side. I pulled the door open a bit more.
"Hi guys, come in."
"Oh, Cammie, I'm so sorry about Emily." she apologized profusely.
"She is absolutely fine." I closed the door behind them. Zach had a plate in his hands and a warm smile on his face.
"Hi, Gallagher girl. I'm gonna put this in the fridge."
"Go ahead"
The back doors had been swung open. I heard Emily bouncing on the tramp.
"So is that where Emily was last night?" she didn't look angry at all.
"Uhh, yeah. I saw her on the deck and decided to invite her over. Zach and some of my friends were here. We swam and bounced until it was dark then Zach took her home."
"That's alright. But I would appreciate it if next time she came over, she wore a swimsuit."
"Of course. Would you all like a grand tour?" they nodded. "Zach, go grab Emily." he pretended to salute me. An energetic Emily ran inside. "Let's go."
I showed them the four floors while Zach started seasoning the steak.
The third and fourth floor were basically empty. My gym was on the third floor along with the theater and some extra rooms and bathrooms.
Rachel had probably noticed how boring everything was. Although the house alone is absolutely stunning, there weren't many decorations.
"Cammie, how would you feel if I helped you decorate a little bit?" her eyes gave a caring look.
"I would love to. How about we go tomorrow after cheer practice?"
"When does that end?"
"Around 3:30. I would have to go home for a minute first. We could meet at 4:15?"
"That's a plan then. Emily pulled on my arm.
"I want to go to!"
"Its fine if you come with."
"Yay! I want to go bounce!"
We walked downstairs and Zach had finished the steak. Everyone followed me out the back doors. Emily ran onto the tramp and we all sat around the firepit. Zach put the steak on the grill and we started our lovely Monday night conversations. After a while, Emily joined in.
I grabbed everyone's attention.
"Zach and I have an announcement to make. We stood up. he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. My hand rested on his chest.
"We're officially dating," Zach announced. Dan gave a smile and an approving nod. Rachel looked like she was going to explode from happiness. Emily started yelling "I KNEW IT!" Rachel got up. "Welcome to the family, officially." everyone got up and we shared a great big hug.
"How long has this been going on?"
"About a week." that's all she could know. "But wait, there's more." Zach wrapped me up with tender arms. He rested his chin on the top of my head.
"Oh my god, you better not be pregnant." Rachel blurted out with wide eyes. Zach responded before I got the chance to.
"Well…"
"ZACHARY GOODE!" Rachel stood up with rage. This time my eyes went wide. I jumped up before things got worse.
"No no no no no. Zach is just being an asshole." holy shit I was going to murder him. I could see his dad trying to hold back a laugh. Emily looked confused. Rachel was calming down.
"We are actually going on a trip for fall break." Everyone chilled and luckily the dinner was done.
We made our plates and sat around the fire. No one really talked because they were consumed with their meal. I would have to give it to him, that was some damn good steak. I yawned and it was only 8 o'clock. Life was making me tired. I helped Zach with the dishes. I decided to forgive him.
His parents and sister left but he stayed behind. We walked up to my room and watched the sunset. It was amazing as always. I laid on his chest.
"Jesus, I can't believe you said that at dinner tonight." his chest moved up and down. He laughed.
"I saw an opportunity and had to take it. And did you see how my mom reacted? Priceless."
"Ok, I get where you're coming from. But please don't joke about something like that."
"Alright. I promise." he kissed my forehead.
"I gotta go." I walked Zach to the front door. He pulled me into a hug and I closed it with a kiss.
"Be safe out there."
"Goodnight Gallagher girl." the door shut and I went upstairs to take care of my skin.
I woke up the next morning and the air had shifted. It was officially fall. My birthday was getting closer. And so was prom season. We had all gone to homecoming. It was nowhere near as big as prom. The shopping experience for a dress was even worse.
I chose a crop thrasher hoodie, biker shorts, and red vans. California would still be impossibly hot.
Zach and I walked into school, his hand holding the small of my back. We walked over to our group of friends. Macey was talking.
"- plans for fall break?" Bex turned around. "Hey, guys. Maceys talking about fall break."
"Yes. and as I was saying, I think we should go across the country or something. It's our last fall break." she made a good point.
"Italy! We can get our prom dresses from the best." Bex said.
"I can call my mothers designer and everything will work out great. Unless the guys want to say something."
Grant started to talk. "I think I can speak for the other two when I say that I don't want to sit in a store all day. How about you girls can do that and we'll rent sports cars or something."
"Hell yeah. I'm in." Zach responded. Jonas and Liz looked fine with it. So we were going to Italy.
Zachs pov
So fall break was no joke. The girls started talking about what they would need to bring.
The bell rang and the hall was flooded with anxious ninth graders, worrying about getting to class on time.
Cammie and I walked into class and got sat down.
"Fair warning for when you are shopping with my mother. She will take forever, and is very persistent. If she recommends buying something, just do it." cam looked into my eyes and laughed.
"Alright. Solomon is gonna kill me if he hears me laughing." I stared into her eyes. They were definitely blue. From the first time, I had met her, they had seemed closer to grey. Now it was clear to see that they were a mesmerizing ocean blue.
I stopped to catch my breath during running drills. There was a game on Friday. That would also be when I ask Cammie to prom. It would take a lot of people. But she deserved something special. I needed to talk to Bex.
"Hey Grant, can you and Bex meet me at the Starbucks after this?" he tried to catch his breath and answer.
"For what?"
"I'm asking cam to prom at the next game. We can talk later if you're in."
"Yeah man." we went to do pushups.
Cammies pov
Zach was right. Shopping with Rachel was nothing like going out with the girls. I trusted her to pick ou great things. My mind zoned out. I thought about prom and fall break. It's going to be amazing to have my dress custom made. And maybe Zach was working on ways to ask me to prom.
I remembered where I was. We had gone to at least four stores for the three hours we spent shopping. And an inappropriate amount of money was spent. Emily had begged for a treat so we grabbed a little ice cream. She was a pretty good shopper too.
"So we figured out where we are going for fall break." Rachel was driving us home.
"Where?"
"Italy. One of my friends owns a private jet that we'll take. The girls are gonna get custom made prom dresses."
"Very nice. What did the guys say?"
"They want nothing to do with the dress part." she laughed.
"I bet that was Zach."
"You know him pretty well then. He was actually not too bad when we all went to the mall a couple weeks ago."
"I do. They will probably find some trouble to get into."
Zachs pov
As I was driving to the coffee shop, I thought about what I could do to ask her. It would definitely need to involve the cheer squad, drill team, the football team and a throne of course.
"So as I was getting here, I thought about who would be needed. I can trust both of you not to say anything to her right?" they nodded in unison. "The football and drill team would need to be involved. I figured that you could talk to them.
"Probably."
"Ok. Grant, you and I can talk to the football team. So this would all happen at halftime. The football players would line up. Each one would hand her a rose. At the end, a big throne would be there for her to sit on. The cheer squad and drill team would perform. As they finish, smoke will go off. I'll be standing in the middle of the field with a sign that says prom? And her answer will be all that matters. Opinions?"
"That's gonna be absolutely insane to pull off. How will you get to the field without being seen?"
"I have my ways. We can talk to the guys tomorrow. Bex, can you get all the girls together and start making a dance?"
"Easier said than done. But ill have to talk to the coach and get Cammie out of it. Don't worry, it will work out great. And she'll probably be in her cheer outfit."
"I figured she would be. I'll probably be in my football gear too. It's awful to change out of."
"Cam is gonna be so shocked. She really deserves this, she's been through so much."
Bex probably stopped there because that wasn't her story to tell. "And as far as Italy goes, Macey will have a driver sent to your houses to pick you up. We'll leave at 1 am on Saturday. Why so early, I have no idea. But it's going to be worth it."
We all split up and went home. I needed to email some people. And some hacking.