Together

Chapter Six: The Things We Want

Cam walked down stairs and opened the refrigerator, taking a look inside, before just grabbing a bottle of water. She was about to head back up to her room when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"May I please speak to Miss. Cam Brooks?"

"This is she, may I ask who's calling?"

"Cam, it's Coach Morgan."

"Hey Coach, what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to participate in a charity meet we're having next week at the U."

"I haven't even been training…"

"Just think about it Cam, a couple hours a day and I'm sure you'll be fine. Also I got the Coach from the US Olympic team to come out and take a look, you never know Cam."

Cam glanced at the floor and shifted her weight. "Thanks Coach, can I get back to you on all this?"

"I'll be waiting."

"Okay thanks again, Good Bye."

"Good Bye Cam."

Sighing she hung up the phone and rested her back against the wall. She took a sip of water as Patti walked in and looked at her.

"Who was that?"

Cam looked at her mother and gave her a small smile. "Just a wrong number." She walked out towards her room feeling horrible for having lied to her mother.

Cam made her way to the track at the University, a place she'd spend most of her college afternoons. Running out her frustration. She loved running track but the last year it became more of an outlet then something she did out of love. She hadn't been to this track in what seems years.

She began doing her stretches, touching her toes and stretching her legs out. She made sure her shoes were tied before she began running around the track. She paced herself, taking her time to enjoy the simplicity of it all.

She was on her second lap when she noticed someone else was on the track behind her. Not really thinking about it she keep running until they caught up to her.

"Howdy."

Cam suddenly looked beside her and nearly fell over. "Mark!"

He laughed and held her arm to help her steady herself. "You okay?"

"Jesus! You scared the crap out of me." See took a deep breath and smiled at him. "That was mean." She said hitting him playfully in the arm.

"Sorry, so uh… what's going on?"

"Nothing just thought I'd run for a while. You know, work off some stress."

"Well if you want to be alone I can go…"

"Nonsense Mark, you can stay. I'd love the company."

"Okay." He replied as they began running around the track in silence, sometimes joking around and other talking softly.

Cam stopped and took a sip of her water bottle then handed it off to Mark. Who nodded a thanks before taking a drink and handing it back to her. She wiped the sweat from her face and turned to Mark.

"How about a little race?" Mark asked wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

Cam shrugged and walked towards the track. "You might be the fast one on the ice, but out here." Cam motioned around. "Your looking at her."

"Yeah… whatever."

"You sure if you get hurt that's my ass."

"Oh I'm sure." He said stopping next to her on her line. She laughed as they both got into position.

"Once around the track, first one here wins… Ready?" She glancing at him.

He winked at her before speaking. "On you Mark, get set… GO!"

They took off Cam in lead but not by much. They rounded the first turn with Mark still close on her heels. She smiled as they rounded the second turn, still having the lead. By the third turn he was beside her, smiling she manage to pull out in front of him putting some space between them. She stopped when she passed the finish line and looked back at him, as he slowed down to a stop.

"Now if you had that kind of speed on the ice… I'd have to marry you."

"Who said I couldn't?" Cam winked at him as he looked somewhat shocked.

"Can you?"

"No… I said who said I couldn't."

Mark laughed and squirted her with the water bottle. She squealed and looked up at him shocked but with a small smile on her face. He just stuck his tongue out at her.

"Why Mark Johnson I do believe you've just started the next war." Cam said in her best southern accent.

He walked backwards as she approached him. "Now come on Cam, you don't really wanna hurt me, your dad won't be to happy."

"I won't hurt you… to bad." She said laughing as she chased him around the field. She wrestled the bottle out of his hands and was now squirting him. He screamed and grabbed her around the waist lifting her over his shoulder, her head behind him. She laughed hysterically as he ram towards their stuff.

"I see Buzz is out of the picture."

Mark suddenly stopped as did Cam, He put her down and noticed the annoyed look she had on her face. "I told you already Landon, that's none of your business."

"I'm sure Buzz would like to know you're working your way around the team, but then, you always have or are you still in between Mike and Robbie…"

"You've got some nerve showing up here throwing insults."

Landon shrugged. "I'll be honest, it stems from jealousy." He turned to leave but stopped shouting over his shoulder. "I'll see you around Cam."

She sighed grabbing her stuff. She tossed them over the fence onto the bleachers. Climbing over herself she sat down and sighed again.

Mark sat down next to her. "You shouldn't let what he said get to you."

"It's not that. I can care less what that worthless excuse for a man thinks." Cam put her hair into a messy bun and then she pulled her sweatshirt over her head, and cuddled into it as she put her hands in the front pockets.

"I never want to be on your shit list."

She smiled at him before speaking. "Can I talk to you? I kinda need to talk to someone right now."

"Sure, what's on your mind?" Mark said looking at her.

"See I love running track, it's what I did in middle school, high school, here at the U. And not to sound conceded, but I'm pretty damn good at it. I've always placed high and set recorders, beat records."

"I can see that." He said causing them both to chuckle a little.

"My Coach from here at the U called me today, and asked if I would run in this charity event their having. I want to. I really do, it's been a while since I've been in a competition. But then he told me he invited the Coach from the US Olympic team to some take a look. Now I love track, but I don't know if I love it enough to actually go to the Olympics."

"Then just tell them that."

"I wish it was that easy, I mean this has got to be an opportunity of a lifetime. But I don't wanna take that spot from someone who really wants it more then I do. But then running has been my life, and if I don't go it's like, I wasted all those years, I worked so hard, all those years… to throw this away."

"Cam your not throwing anything away, you just moving out of the way to let someone else live out their dream. I mean you love running but that doesn't mean you have to go to the Olympics. Cam you live your life the way you want to. Run in the charity event, it's for a good cause and when they offer you a spot and I know they will, just tell them, it's not what you want."

"How did you know you wanted to be in the Olympics?"

"Just always wanted it. I love hockey and it was just another stepping stone in my hockey career, something I can say I loved being a part of."

"I've never thought about it that way… it was just always something I was good at."

He nodded and looked around before looking at her. "I'm sure that when your coach told you about it, you would have gotten butterflies, and been so excited, you wouldn't have come out her to run the stress off. Maybe there are more important things to you then this, maybe this is something you're willing to sacrifice for something better." She looked at him confused as she waited for him to continue. "Okay I know about you and Buzz, so maybe you're still waiting. Not intentionally but subconsciously, and if you do this, it's like your moving on, to something new, away from the past and what can be your future. Maybe your not ready for that, or just don't want to be ready."

She looked thoughtful for a while, the wind blowing the loose strands of hair across her face. After a couple minutes of silence she looked at Mark pushing the strands out of her face. "I know I'm not ready to move on… three years of waiting for him, you'd think I would be."

"I can see if he didn't feel the same way, it would be a waste of time. But he does love you."

"I know, I guess your right, I should have gotten butterflies. I get butterflies, when I walk into the rink and see him on the ice. I'm just so happy seeing him living out his dream, I just wish I could be a part of it with him."

"You are…"

"Not the way I want, but I guess I should be happy nonetheless."

Mark sighed and looked back at her. "Now, I want this Buzz thing to happen just as much as everyone else. But don't sell yourself short. If you want something you should have it, and being a part of Buzzy's life a certain way, then you should have it. Especially if that person wants you to have it too."

"So tell me Mark is there a girl waiting for you back home? "

He blushed and looked down at the field. "Something like that."

"Well she's one lucky girl to have a great guy like you." She said smiling at him.

"Yeah she is huh?" Cam laughed as he pulled her to him, keep his arm around her shoulders. "Buzzy's one lucky guy to have a girl like you behind him. I don't know to many that would do what you have. Don't let him let you go."

"Thanks Magic. I'll do it"

He looked down at her confused. "Magic?"

"Yeah, you work Magic on the ice and you just worked magic on me." She thought about what he said and sighed when he started laughing. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah I do."

"It's nice having another brother."

Mark smiled and hugged her closer. "I'm honored… am I allowed to brag about it?"

Cam laughed and rested her head against him. "Anything you want Magic."

Herb was bent over his desk working, he didn't notice Cam had knocked on his door. Smiling she walked into his office and sat down in front of his desk. She moved as far as she could in the chair and brought her feet up so that her knees were to her chest. Cam sat there watching her dad work, until he looked up and jumped back freighting her as well.

"Jesus Cam! You scared me half to death."

"Sorry dad… I knocked but you were so into your work you didn't hear, so I just thought I sit and wait."

He took a deep breath and took off his glasses. "It's fine, what can I do for you sweetheart?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something…"

"Shoot."

She looked down at her hands before speaking. "Coach Morgan called yesterday morning and wanted to know if I wanted to run in a charity track meet that's going to be hosted here at the U. He also said that the coach of the US team would be there…"

"I know he called me the day before he called you. I think you should do it. Going to the Olympics, that would be great, and track, that's such a high profile event. You'd be great."

"About that dad, I just want to run in the charity event. I don't wanna go to the Olympics. I'd rather let someone who really wants to be there have that spot."

"Cam being a part of the Olympics, is… it's something great, once in a lifetime, your lucky if you can repeat it every four years. Don't give this up."

Cam sighed and looked at her dad. "I'm experiencing the Olympics. It might not be the way you think it should be, but I am and I'm happy. It's just not for me. It's not something I want to do."

"Cam you're going to regret not doing this. You know what happened to me. You have a shot don't let it slip Cam! Don't make my mistakes."

"I'm not you, and I don't want the same things as you!" Cam shouted standing up. "I can care less about being in the Olympics! This is one of the best experiences I've had, and dad it's enough for me. It might not be for you but it is for me!"

"Don't you raise your voice to me Cam. You're my daughter and you will respect me." Herb said standing up as well.

"It's hard to respect someone who's trying to force you to do something you don't want to." Cam walked out of his office and passed the boys locker room door, that was open with a couple stunned players inside.

Herb sighed slamming the door to his office shut.