Thank you to crazy and True.
"Cam!" I called.
"Yeah?" he replied, coming out of he back rooms, hastily shoving something in his shirt pocket.
"Help."
He saw the badly beaten and bleeding girl in my arms.
"Why didn't you just take her to a hospital?" he asked angrily.
"Think about it," I told him. "Do you really want another incident where I become famous again?"
"Good point," Cam said. "Follow me," and he helped me to the back to his room and after we had bandaged her up, Cam laid her on his bed.
"What? Do you mean I'm right for a change?" I asked after we had finished.
"Don't push your luck," he replied.
"So, who was that in the picture?" I asked.
"Who said I was looking at a picture."
"It's in your shirt pocket."
"It's just a list of things I need to do around here, including finding myself an antidote."
"Cam," I said, "I'm really doubting it. Cant you just tell me?"
"No; not really," he said dryly.
"Why not? It's not like I'm going to blab or anything. I know a secret of Shane's that I haven't told anyone."
He sighed, probably defeated.
"All right, as long as you promise not to tell," and he pulled the picture out of his shirt pocket. It was a picture of him and a Mexican- looking girl; he had his arm slung over her shoulders in best-friend fashion.
"Who's this?" I asked pointing to the girl.
"That's Ash, Ashley," he said.
I gave him a confused look.
"She's a girl and my friend."
"Oh, okay."
"You remember a gardener in the school, right?"
"Yeah," I said slowly.
"That's her."
"Oh. Oh!" I said recognizing her. "She was a sarcastic one. Mouthy, too."
"She taught me every remark I know," he said.
"Oh, so you weren't sarcastic before?"
"I never said that."
"What happened to her?"
"Well, you remember the day the school got attacked and destroyed, right?"
"Yeah."
"And all the other students were trapped and brought into space?"
"Yea. Did that really happen?"
"Yes. Anyways, she was trapped as well. And when I was up there. Yeah, I saw her, in Lothor's dungeon. Oh.. I gave away our vulnerabilities."
"Huh?"
"Our weak points, I told them to Lothor. I am the biggest idiot in the world."
"Yeah, but you're still smarter than I am," I said.
"I suppose that makes you the biggest idiot, then," he joked.
"Maybe," I agreed.
Then, Cam got misty-eyed, which I found, like, really weird.
"Dude, you okay?"
"No, Dustin, but I'm going to."
"Oh, I see now."
"See what?"
"You like her."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Oh, wow, you do! Why don't you tell people things? Aren't we your friends?"
"Yes, it's just."
"You like her right?" I asked patiently.
Cam didn't say anything, but his answer was etched onto his face.
"And you miss her?"
Still no reply.
"C'mon, Cam, I'm not going to betray you or anything."
"I know," he said finally. "It's just that I'm so used to keeping things to myself; it's been a while since I've told anyone anything. Not without them forcing it out."
"You want to tell me?" I asked.
"If you tell me who you like," he replied.
"Oh, that's easy, but you can't tell anyone," I said, then went into a whisper. "I think I like Blake and Hunter's sister."
"I thought so."
"What do you mean?"
"It just seemed obvious to me."
"Oh; you like her, right?"
He nodded. "So what's Shane's big secret?"
"Oh, um, I.can't.really.say. Not without Shane's consent."
"Ah, I see."
"Yeah, well, I'm going to go; I'll see you later, and no biting!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know."
And I ran out the door and up the stairs to go to Shane's house.
"Cam!" I called.
"Yeah?" he replied, coming out of he back rooms, hastily shoving something in his shirt pocket.
"Help."
He saw the badly beaten and bleeding girl in my arms.
"Why didn't you just take her to a hospital?" he asked angrily.
"Think about it," I told him. "Do you really want another incident where I become famous again?"
"Good point," Cam said. "Follow me," and he helped me to the back to his room and after we had bandaged her up, Cam laid her on his bed.
"What? Do you mean I'm right for a change?" I asked after we had finished.
"Don't push your luck," he replied.
"So, who was that in the picture?" I asked.
"Who said I was looking at a picture."
"It's in your shirt pocket."
"It's just a list of things I need to do around here, including finding myself an antidote."
"Cam," I said, "I'm really doubting it. Cant you just tell me?"
"No; not really," he said dryly.
"Why not? It's not like I'm going to blab or anything. I know a secret of Shane's that I haven't told anyone."
He sighed, probably defeated.
"All right, as long as you promise not to tell," and he pulled the picture out of his shirt pocket. It was a picture of him and a Mexican- looking girl; he had his arm slung over her shoulders in best-friend fashion.
"Who's this?" I asked pointing to the girl.
"That's Ash, Ashley," he said.
I gave him a confused look.
"She's a girl and my friend."
"Oh, okay."
"You remember a gardener in the school, right?"
"Yeah," I said slowly.
"That's her."
"Oh. Oh!" I said recognizing her. "She was a sarcastic one. Mouthy, too."
"She taught me every remark I know," he said.
"Oh, so you weren't sarcastic before?"
"I never said that."
"What happened to her?"
"Well, you remember the day the school got attacked and destroyed, right?"
"Yeah."
"And all the other students were trapped and brought into space?"
"Yea. Did that really happen?"
"Yes. Anyways, she was trapped as well. And when I was up there. Yeah, I saw her, in Lothor's dungeon. Oh.. I gave away our vulnerabilities."
"Huh?"
"Our weak points, I told them to Lothor. I am the biggest idiot in the world."
"Yeah, but you're still smarter than I am," I said.
"I suppose that makes you the biggest idiot, then," he joked.
"Maybe," I agreed.
Then, Cam got misty-eyed, which I found, like, really weird.
"Dude, you okay?"
"No, Dustin, but I'm going to."
"Oh, I see now."
"See what?"
"You like her."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Oh, wow, you do! Why don't you tell people things? Aren't we your friends?"
"Yes, it's just."
"You like her right?" I asked patiently.
Cam didn't say anything, but his answer was etched onto his face.
"And you miss her?"
Still no reply.
"C'mon, Cam, I'm not going to betray you or anything."
"I know," he said finally. "It's just that I'm so used to keeping things to myself; it's been a while since I've told anyone anything. Not without them forcing it out."
"You want to tell me?" I asked.
"If you tell me who you like," he replied.
"Oh, that's easy, but you can't tell anyone," I said, then went into a whisper. "I think I like Blake and Hunter's sister."
"I thought so."
"What do you mean?"
"It just seemed obvious to me."
"Oh; you like her, right?"
He nodded. "So what's Shane's big secret?"
"Oh, um, I.can't.really.say. Not without Shane's consent."
"Ah, I see."
"Yeah, well, I'm going to go; I'll see you later, and no biting!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know."
And I ran out the door and up the stairs to go to Shane's house.