I looked around anxiously, my eyes searching the crowd at the airport. I felt Zach squeeze my hand reassuringly, but my attention was elsewhere.
I was entirely focused on the woman with the familiar set of warm blue eyes and wavy brown hair, tugging a suitcase behind her.
"MOM!" I yelled, dropping Zach's hand and running towards her. As soon as she saw me she dropped what she was holding and ran towards me as well, wrapping her arms around me tightly.
"Oh Cammie, I missed you so much!" She pulled back to look at me, and I saw tears starting to form in her eyes.
"I missed you too mom." I smiled warmly at her, and she grinned back, hugging me again. Suddenly she stiffened, and held me at arms length again, a shocked look on her face.
"Cammie...YOU'RE LETTING ME HUG YOU! I'M TOUCHING YOU!" She practically screamed, tears beginning to slide down her face. And I suddenly remembered just how much she had missed.
"Yeah uh, it's kind of a long story." I said sheepishly, ducking my head.
"Cammie that's...that's fantastic! It's wonderful! Oh my god what happened? What changed? Oh nevermind, you can fill me in later." She crushed me against her again, and I inhaled her warm perfume. I can't even remember the last time I'd hugged her... "I love you kiddo."
"Love you too." I mumbled from where my face was buried in her shoulder. I might have never let go, if Zach hadn't awkwardly cleared his throat from behind me.
"Oh!" I jumped apart from mom and turned to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him forwards.
My mom gasped, and threw her hand over her open mouth. her eyes open in shock once more. She quickly composed herself, and looks at me for an explanation.
"Mom, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Zach." I said firmly, leaning against his side. My mom narrowed her eyes, and looked Zach up and down, in a moment of tense silence.
Suddenly, she broke into a huge grin and jumped forward, wrapping us both in a hug.
"I suppose this is part of that long story, huh kiddo?"
My mom was quiet, and I was starting to feel uncomfortable under her gaze.
"I-I don't know what to say."
"I know it's hard to believe. I could barely believe it myself! I still can't, not really. But he's helped me so much mom. Without him I would still be the girl you saw last christmas, the one who had anxiety and depression. I mean I've still got anxiety and I'm still getting panic attacks but mom I'm happy."
"Oh, kiddo, I never thought I'd see the day." She wraps her arms around me once more, and I bury my face against her arm.
"It was getting worse mom. I was-" I took a shaky breath and tried to compose my voice slightly. "I was bad. Nothing was working, Dr. Steve couldn't help. The medications didn't help. People at school were treating me like shit. It was like I was back where I started."
My mother seemed frozen by my words. She was no longer stroking my hair gently, or murmuring comforting words. She was just... frozen.
"And then Zach came and- I fell in love with him." My voice cracked, and fresh tears began to fall from my eyes. Something seemed to snap in my mom, because she suddenly started crying also.
"I'm so sorry Cammie, I didn't know you were that bad! I thought things were getting better maybe, that you were okay. I convinced mysel you were, justified me staying away was going to help you. How could I have been so foolish?!" Her voice was angry and harsh, and I know it was towards herself. "You needed me and I-"
"Don't. Can we just pretend like it never happened, and live in the moment?" I looked towards ,y mother with hopeful eyes. I just wanted my mom back, we can figure everything else out as it comes.
She pursed her lips, tears still shining in her eyes. She chooses not to say anything, simply pulling me back into her arms.
"I love you Kiddo. So, so much."
"I know you do." I smiled at her, a real face splitting smile. Her face mirrors mine, and in this moment, I could forget about the years of abandonment and hurt. She's here now, and she's not leaving.
"So I was thinking..." Zach and I were were walking through the park, the same one we'd had our first date in. That seemed like ages ago, yet it was only a few weeks ago... How has everything changed so quickly?
"About what?" Zach piped up, stirring me from my sidetracked thought. I blushed and scooted a little closer to him unconsciously.
"I think you're right. About Liz I mean. She really was sorry... And I have to stop holding against her what she didn't mean to do. I'm not ready to forgive the others yet, not by a long shot. But I think I can manage Liz." I said slowly, wanting to gauge his reaction.
His eyes lit up, and he squeezed me tighter against his side. He leaned down to whisper in my ear, his warm breath tickling my face.
"I knew you'd come around. Plus, I love Liz, and I'm pretty sure she'd die to be your friend again." His expression turned serious, and he stopped walking, abruptly pulling me to a stop. "I know this is really big for you Cammie, and I just want you to know, I'll be there with you every step of the way." He started to lean in towards my face, and I did to, before at the last second turning away and screaming "Race you home!"
I heard him groan and mutter "Cheat," under his breath but he started chasing after me, streaming past other people on the sidewalk, and trying not to collide with fire hydrants.
We were two houses down from mine, when I heard him getting closer and closer. "No!" I shouteed just as I felt his strong arms wrap around my waist. "Gotcha." He panted in my ear, out of breath. I turned around in his arms to face him, and I don't think there is anything on this Earth that could match his beauty at this moment. The rain that had fallen earlier shone like crystals in his dark hair, which flopped against his forehead in the most adorable way. His breath was coming out in huffs, letting out little clouds into the cold air. His cheeks and nose were extremely red, and I leaned forward to kiss the latter.
"I love you."
I stand corrected. The grin that followed was the only thing that could have possibly been more beautiful.
His lips pressed against mine, and I couldn't help but feel like things were finally starting to change for the better.
"Aunt Abby and Joe get in tomorrow." I piped up, breaking the silence in the kitchen. I was making myself some tea before bed, and my mom was typing away on her laptop. We had spent the whole day together though, and I understood that she actually had too work sometime.
"Actually, kiddo. They don't." Startled by her words, I accidently dropped the mug I was holding, and I winced as it shattered into two pieces on the counter
"You mean they're not...they're not coming?" I looked at my mom and she was wringing her hands together nervously, a guilty expression on her face.
"Boo."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT THE HELL?!" I fell over in surprise and turned to see my aunt and uncle laughing hysterically, doubled over. I got to my feet angrily. "I repeat what the hell?!"
"Sorry squirt, couldn't resist." Abby said, straightening up and grinning at me.
"You have to admit, it was pretty ninja." Uncle Joey said, pulling her against him and resting his arm on her shoulder.
"Oh I hate you guys!" I crossed my arms and fumed for a few more minutes, while they just laughed their butts off. "Very funny." I muttered, attempting to stalk off down the hallway, before being pulled back into someone's arms.
"Aw squirt you love us."
"Yeah, what she said." I unfolded my arms and hugged them back. I had missed them too much to be mad at them.
"I missed you guys. A lot." I admitted, my face lost in Abby's long shiny tresses. "Sorry we didn't come sooner, guess we're about 5 years overdue for a visit." She laughed lightly, but I frowned at the truth behind her words. She really had no idea...
"So...how are you?" She asked finally, pulling back to hold me at arm's length.
It was obvious to me then. Why she had never come to visit before. She really thought I was crazy.
Guess it's a good thing she's only seeing me now.
I gave her a bright smile, that surprisingly, wasn't the least bit forced.
"I've never been better."
"Soooooo, Zach's pretty cute." My aunt said flirtatiously, throwing me a wink. I blushed furiously, grabbing a loaf of bread and tossing it in the basket. We were at the grocery store, getting last minute supplies for our thanksgiving dinner.
"Yeah," I mumbled weakly. "He is."
"He really likes you." Her tone was light, but at the same time it was slightly strained, as if there was something she wanted to tell me but she wasn't.
"Yeah..." I said suspiciously, turning to face her again. "So?"
"Nothing. Just making conversation." There was a twinkle in her eye that I recognized from my childhood, something that said I know something you don't know.
"Right..."
AN: OH MY GOD YOU GUYS! ahhhh so much i need to say so little time!
A) I'M SO SO SO SO SOOOOO SORRY! I tried to get an updagte in before school started, and then school did start and all hell broke loose! I lost a few friends, but became friends with all the popular people at my school (I sound totally vain but i'm not friends with them because they're popular, i'm friends with them because Ireally I really like them okay?) So that was kind of hard, but everything's good now!
B) The week before school started, my older brother got sick. And I mean really really sick. He had meningitis, which for those of you that don't know, is deadly. He looked soo bad, laying there on the bed, all pale, with 5 IV bags hanging next to him... He couldn't eat or drink, not even water, for 8 days. I watched the priest come and give him is last rites. That was so scary. I don't think I've ever been more scared in my entire life. I actually thought he might die. But he didn't, thank the lord :) He came home last week, and he went back to school this week and he's making amazing progress in his recovery and is almost fully back to normal :)
C) Next, two weeks ago, at the practice before my first soccer game, my coach appointed me as captain! So awesome right? I was sooooo freaking happy you have no idea. So saturday, it's our first game, and things are going good we're tied, and then like 5 minutes into the second half this girl pushes me from behind with her arm totally extended, and my ankle rolls inwards and all my weight crushes down on it. HURT LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER! So my parents rushed me to the er to get it X rayed, and turns our I have a severe sprain AND there's a fracture in my growth plate! So the past two weeks I've been hobbling around on crutches, which let me tell you, suck.
D) Okay this is pretty personal but I need to vent. So I've liked this guy for a while now, and he's super cute and sweet and amazing and we're really good friends. Last wednesday, I told him. I didn't ask him out or anything I just put it out there. I was like "hey, I like you" basically. And he liked me back. He said he liked me back a lot. But he said he didn't want to date anyone this semester, he just wanted to focus on school and his friends, and I told him I totally respect that, and we were like "who knows, maybe next semester."
So this week, motherfucking ONE WEEK LATER, 7 days after he tells me he likes me a lot, we were at the football game. It was like a big group, and I'm a cheerleader so I had to be there, but I was in the bleachers since I'm hurt. So about halfway through the game, he asks out my friend, who also happens to be the hottest girl in the school. 20 feet away from me. They hugged. He looked me in the eye.
You could say I was crushed.
I mean I didn't even go to school the next day. That's how much it hurt.
Soooooooo yeahhhhhhhh my life as pretty much spiraled down the last month. Anyways, I felt really bad for not updating, and sorry this is such a filler chapter but I felt like we needed some character building and there's already been soooo much drama the past few chapters, I needed a break. But rest assured, there will be more drama. Oh yes, drama is coming ;)
OH AND BY THE WAY 240 REVIEWS ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME WHAT THE HELL YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING I CAN'T EVEN EXPRESS THIS I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO WITHOUT YOU GUYS SERIOUSLY MY GOD THIS IS AMAZING I LOVE ALL OF YOU TO PIECES MWAH :*
I'm starting to think about when this story will hit 300 reviews, and thanks to you guys, I think it might actually be a possibility one day :)))
OH AND ONE LAST THING UNITED WE SPY ASDFGHJKL;ASDFGHJKL;ASDFGHJKL;ASDFGHJKL;ASDFGHJKL; I CAN'T EVEN OMG IT WAS AMAZING BEST OF THE SERIES HANDS DOWN SO MUCH ZAMMIE AMAZING AHHHH I CAN'T DO SPOILERS BUT PM ME IF YOU WANNA FANGIRL! I JUST FINISHED IT EARLIER TODAY (AND STARTED IT BUT WHATEVER!) I BOUGHT IT THEDAY IT CAME OUT BUT DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO READ UNTIL TODAY AND ASSDFGHJKL; GOD HELP ME!
PS: I still need help writing a new summary I suck at summaries blah bleh ew help me