Chapter Six
{Cammie}
Even though I had all weekend to prepare myself for school and the inevitable crossing paths with Zach, when Monday rolled around, I was anything but ready. My nerves were going haywire, and my fight-or-flight system was definitely ready to pick flight at any given moment.
I knew I was being paranoid (I mean, chances were that Zach was probably avoiding me, too, so I didn't have to worry about him initiating some kind of contact), but I still couldn't stop myself from looking over my shoulder every five seconds while at my locker. My mind must've been solely focused on looking for the mess of his brown hair, because I completely missed Liz who now stood in front of me.
"Hey, there! How was the weekend in the Morgan household?" she asked, too peppy for an early Monday morning.
"It was like any other weekend," I told her, a faint smile on my lips. She might've been unreasonably enthusiastic, but that was what I loved most about Liz—she was always optimistic. "How was yours, Liz?"
"Well, I finished my homework for the week and an extra credit assignment for Dr. Fibbs—"
"Of course you did."
"—so, mine was great!" she finished like I hadn't even spoken.
I smiled and shook my head. How someone could love homework that much was beyond me.
For the fifteenth time that morning, I looked over my shoulder and down the hall, praying that Zach had enough sense to skip school today like I was wishing I had.
That's when I saw Lucas scurrying down the hallway towards Liz and me, his eyes pinned on me like a vulture's.
"Oh, crap," I mumbled. "Liz, we have to go."
"What? Why?" she asked, confused and concerned.
"Lucas is heading this way," I told her, grabbing her arm and tugging it in the opposite direction from the boy who was quickly closing in on us. "Come on, let's go to class," I begged her.
Thankfully, she didn't argue. It wasn't until we were inside our first period classroom that she spoke.
"Cammie, if he's still trying to talk to you after this long, I think it's best you hear him out."
Um, what? Was she absolutely crazy? I wasn't going to hear him out. He humiliated me in front of the entire soccer team…including Zach! In fact, if it wasn't for Zach punching him in the face, I probably would've gone out with Lucas and fallen into his trap like some Alexa chick had, and then the whole school would know how naïve and stupid I was. No, I was definitely not going to hear him out. There was nothing that he could say that would change my mind about how disgusting he was.
"Liz, he only pretended to like me to get in my pants," I explained, repulsion etched into my face and drenching my words.
"To be fair, that's just Zach's side of the story," she argued.
That's just Zach's side of the story. Her words replayed over and over again in my head. But Zach wouldn't lie to me, right? I mean, we weren't exactly friends, but we've never given the other a reason to lie or to be accused of lying. Actually, besides the whole attraction-slash-hatred thing we had going, he's been the most honest guy in our group. So he definitely wasn't lying about Lucas…right?
As if reading the confusion on my face, Liz shrugged and added, "Just saying."
"What are you just saying?" Bex asked as she sat down next to us.
"Liz thinks I should talk to Lucas," I told her with a roll of my eyes.
"You should," she agreed, her voice nonchalant like she hadn't just told me to talk to the devil.
I gaped at her, my mouth dropping to my chest and my eyes growing wide. "What?" Of all people, I thought Bex would be the one telling me to stay away. I also thought that, by now, she'd have asked for permission to tie him up by his feet and take a bat to him like a piñata.
She smiled cunningly. "You should definitely talk to him, and cuss his ass out when you do." Okay, now that sounded more like Bex.
"Bex, no, I—"
"He's scum, Cammie. The jackass needs to know that," she told me, ignoring my protests.
"If I show him any emotion on the matter, it'll only be more humiliating," I began. "He doesn't care about me or about what he did. Manipulating girls is all a game to him. If he doesn't care about it, then why should I? I'm just going to pretend he doesn't exist and move on."
With a shrug, Bex dropped the subject, and Liz was quick to follow.
"Aw, what's with the long faces?"
I glanced up to see Tina Walters sitting down beside Liz, her eyes taking in all our sour expressions.
"It's nothing," Liz answered, waving the negativity away with her hand. With her voice cheery again, she smiled and asked, "So, Tina, what's the latest juice?"
Tina was the school's biggest gossip, even though a lot of her rumors were simply that with not a lot of evidence behind them. If you wanted actual facts, Macey was the one to go to, but Tina did manage to always have some interesting stories.
She flipped her gorgeous blonde hair over her shoulder and chuckled. "Well, Mrs. Thomas gave birth to her baby boy Saturday morning. Ben Morris got pulled over for a DUI last night. Oh, and your homeboy and his ex might've gotten back together recently." She finished with a sly smile, obviously proud of the last rumor she uncovered.
I, on the other hand, was not so ecstatic about it. Although she didn't mention names, I knew exactly who she was talking about.
"Who? Zach and Aubree?" Bex clarified. The look on her face was a mixture of shock and disgust, the same feeling I had in my stomach just thinking about it.
There was no way Zach would get back together with Aubree after she cheated on him. He made that pretty clear when he was absolutely livid after talking with her the first day of school. Tina must've been talking about someone else.
But she smiled proudly at Bex and nodded, confirming that they were exactly who she was talking about. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.
"They were seen together after school last week in their spot. And rumor has it, they talked over the weekend about giving it another go. She was at his locker this morning, so I can only assume they're on again," Tina explained, oblivious to me digging my fingernails into my palms to keep my mouth shut.
I swallowed down the anger and forced myself to unclench my fists. After all, it wasn't Tina's fault. She was just the messenger, and as badly as I wanted to punch someone, you should never shoot the messenger.
The one thing I couldn't suppress was the bitter jealousy. After everything Aubree did to Zach, he still wanted to be with her. I couldn't blame him, really. She was beautiful and, for some reason, everyone at school loved her. How could I compete with that?
I was being ridiculous. There was no competition between us, because Zach and I were never going to be together. So what if we had crazy chemistry and a mutual attraction? We had spent our entire relationship pushing each other away with pity fights, hurtful words, and closed walls. Why would he even want to be with me when all I've done was irritated the hell out of him?
I was beginning to regret suggesting that we solve our issues with a kiss. Clearly, that only made things worse. Before, I was simply jealous of Aubree because Zach wanted her. Now, I'm actually hurt that he wanted her over me.
I had no ties on Zach—no control over what or who he did—and I couldn't stop him from being with Aubree if she was what made him happy.
By now, I should be used to setting aside my own feelings for those of others. After all, I'd been doing it for the last three years…
::*::*::*::
{Zach}
The day couldn't have gone any slower if it tried. By the time school was over, it felt like five years had passed. I was relieved when practice had finally started and I could release all of this pent up aggression I had been holding back all weekend. Word of advice for you guys out there crushing on a girl you shouldn't even be thinking about because she's your cousin's best friend and you promised you would never hook up with her: don't kiss her. Ever. Trust me, it only makes things more complicated.
I was running our usual mile around the track for the soccer team's warm-up at an unusual fast pace when Ryan managed to catch up to me. Letting out a long, low whistle, he shook his head. "Man, you really fucked up."
I panicked at his words. Since Cammie had been the only thing on my mind for the past three days, my brain reliving the way it felt to hold her against me and how soft her lips were as they pressed against mine with rough determination, I assumed that was what he was referring to. And if that was the case, my ass was in deep shit.
"What? Why do you say that?" I asked, praying he couldn't tell how freaked out I was.
With a laugh, he answered, "Aubree told Kaitlynn and Jessica that you took her back, only to sleep with her and dump her right after."
"What?" I shook my head, baffled by the fact that Aubree deliberately lied to make me look like an asshole. "No, man. That never happened. She wanted to get back together but I told her no, and that was it."
Ryan laughed again. "Dude, I know. That's where you fucked up." Noticing my confusion, he continued, "Come on, you know how Aubree can be. Saying no to her was the dumbest thing you've ever done."
"Are you saying I should've said yes? After what she did to me?" I asked in horror. The boys were the only ones who knew what went down between Aubree and I back in May and how hard I took her betrayal, so to hear Ryan say I should've taken her back honestly almost felt like a stab in the back.
He rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh like he was speaking to a child that just didn't understand the way of the world. "You know she only wants to get back with you because she wants the final word. The relationship would last, like, three weeks, she'd break up with you, and then you'd be free forever. Otherwise, you're gonna have to deal with her and her conniving ways until you leave for college. Sounds like an easy decision to me."
I never thought of it that way. He was right. After calling me a hundred times over the weekend begging me to take her back, she showed up at my house and tried to show me just what I'd been "missing" since we'd broken up…and then she started that rumor that I had screwed her and dumped her, all because I said no. Who knows what else she'll do if I keep rejecting her…
But if I did get back together with Aubree, then what would that mean for Cammie and I? If I got back together with Aubree just days after kissing Cammie, she'd be crushed. Especially since we kissed just days after Lucas humiliated her by playing her! I couldn't do that to her. I spent the last three years hurting her—I wasn't going to do it anymore.
Fuck, you know she doesn't care what you do, man. The kiss was just a one-time thing. She wasn't expecting us to date, or be together, or for it to even happen again. I was being ridiculous thinking that Cammie would care if I dated Aubree again. If anything, maybe she'd be happy for me? Or at least happy that she didn't have to worry about me catching feelings for her. Whatever the case, maybe being with Aubree was the smartest move for me?
"Hey, are you still going camping with us this weekend?" Ryan asked, breaking through my stupor.
I had completely forgot about it, to be honest. But I knew that Cammie was going to be there and, although seeing her again made me excited, it made me even more nervous. "Um, I don't know. I don't think—"
"Oh, come on, Zach. It's tradition!" he exclaimed with a groan. "You can't cancel on us again after bailing on us all weekend."
"I didn't bail on anyone," I lied. Truth was, I had kind of been avoiding hanging out with any of our friends over the weekend in case Cammie was among them. But I was never going to actually admit that.
"We had plans to go to that concert on Saturday and play some football on Sunday, but you were MIA ever since our movie night Friday," he argued. "That's bailing."
I didn't have a reasonable response, so I just stayed quiet. He was right, after all, and I wasn't about to be caught in a lie and make myself look suspicious of anything.
"You know, it's kind of funny…Cammie was ditching us all over the place, too." He lifted a brow at me, as if to ask if I knew anything about it.
I cleared my throat, feeling as transparent as a window with the way he was watching me. "Well, I can't speak for Cammie, but I definitely wasn't ditching you guys. I was just…busy," I lied again, looking away and hoping Ryan somehow lost his ability to be perceptive. The kid was observant and aware of everything, which was really bad for me, at this point.
"So, that means you're going camping with us?"
"Of course."
"Even if Cammie's going?" He raised his brow again, and I had a feeling that maybe he was onto us. Was it possible that Ryan found out about our kiss? Maybe he had cameras inside his house and saw us in his kitchen? God, I hoped that wasn't the case. Nothing's more embarrassing than being caught on camera.
I shook my head to erase that line of thinking. Ryan was a straight-forward guy. He'd tell me if he knew anything about Cammie and me, especially because it was Cammie and me—the two who couldn't stand to be around each other. Believe me, if anyone found out, they'd be begging to get some answers as to how the hell we ended up making out in Ryan's kitchen.
With that relief, I was actually able to muster up a convincing fake laugh. "I've tolerated her for this long. I'm sure I can handle a weekend," I told him.
He chuckled and shook his head, but otherwise remained silent.
Which only made me more paranoid that maybe he did know something he wasn't telling me…
Sorry it took me a little longer than usual to get this posted. I was a tad busy... But hey, it's here! And I know it wasn't super exciting, but everything I write has a purpose lol. I'll try to update quicker next time.
Okay, random request, but I've finished just about every book in the universe that's interested me (at least that's what it seems like lol), so if you have a favorite book or have read something interesting recently, PLEASE send me the titles of them! I'm constantly reading and now that I don't have anything good to read, I'm like a lost puppy. Help is appreciated!
Thank you to all my readers. Y'all are awesome! And your reviews have me laughing and smiling like an idiot. I'm glad you guys liked the kiss and are excited to see what happens from here. This chapter was just to show you how it's got Cammie and Zach confused more than ever, but we'll see how they decide to handle it when they go camping (; Make sure to leave a review! Thanks again (:
