Chapter Three
A/N: I am actually fully satisfied with this chapter! Yay!
Shout Outs:
Kiera (Contagious Laugh): Aw! Thanks! Woot woot!
Gary Coleman: I'M GIVING YOU MY PROPS, TOO, DAWG. Wow, this has to be out longest running inside joke... EVERRRRR. Sit and be fit, FOREVER. (""ever" echoes behind her")
Helayne: I love your terminology! LOL. Thanks for the review! Muaha I got to wear the laurel. Haha.
MarkysGurl (Em): Wow. I was just... BLOWN away by your review. sniffles Thank you SO much. You rock.
Carrie: Aww! That means so much to me! (And Cam, hee-hee- she loves you too!) I completely understand people's issues with Sues. They suck, unless EXTREMELY well written. I hope that my character can break the Mary Sue mold. Or however that phrase goes. Hah. I hope you keep reading and reviewing my story!
Tag: Thankee so much for your review! It means so much to hear feedback! Psshaw, Mary-Sue!Cam (coughFiona) and Peyton are gonna rock da heezy fo' sheezy... Yeah kool okay bye.
"Hey," Cam said into his ear, standing behind him as he struggled with his lock.
Craig almost jumped three feet into the air when he felt her breathing by his ear. He whipped around and backed into the lockers, caught off guard. When he calmed himself down, he noted that she was wearing a fluffy pink pair of cat ears, her untamed curls sticking out all over the place, as if they hadn't decided where they wanted to settle on her shoulders.
Camilla smiled her usual dreamy smile, her eyes heavy-lidded, lined by heavy metallic turquoise eye makeup to match her two-sizes-too-big sweater that hung loosely on her small frame, making her look smaller and more vulnerable than she was.
"Hey," Craig finally said in return, gently pushing past her, shaking his head.
"See you," she said just below a whisper, watching him go before heading to her next class.
"What was that all about?" Spinner asked, meeting Craig at the corner, Marco not to far behind.
"What was what about?" he replied tiredly, shuffling his feet.
"You and Camilla Taylor," Spinner replied, causing Marco to roll his eyes.
"Spin, stop being a jerk," he said finally when Craig decided not to speak up, "Craig can talk to whoever he wants to. So back off, okay?"
"Fine, fine. I will, Mom." Spinner rolled his eyes, running a hand through his dyed locks.
Marco adjusted his backpack uncomfortably, eyes still on Craig, who was determined to stare down the floor tiles as they ever-so- slowly walked to their next class. "Craig... Are you... okay?"
"I'm fine!" he snapped suddenly, quickening his pace. "Just leave me alone!"
"Lets get down to business, fellows," Spinner said as they took their seats in the back of the classroom. "The Valentines Day Dance-who are you taking?"
"Well, you know who I'm taking," Marco chirped, grinning.
"Uh, yeah... So, what about you Craig?" he reached over Marco's desk to poke Craig's shoulder.
"I don't think I'm going," he whispered in return, just as their teacher reentered the room.
Spinner looked throughly appalled. Marco shifted uncomfortably as he leaned farther back into his chair. "What? Not going? Man, this is the dance of the season! Why not go? Pick up a few chicks; dance a few slow dances..."
"Spin..."
"Yeah, Marco?"
"Get off my desk."
She was there in the middle of the cafeteria holding a flower.
Craig immediately ducked his head behind a math textbook as her brown eyes found his. What was she singing? She was singing Happy Birthday? He groaned. She was coming closer to his table now. She was... not going to sing to him? He looked up, putting down his textbook. Cam was serenading Toby, who was blushing terribly when she finally belted out his full name.
He watched as the girl gave her classmate the sunflower and sauntered away to sit by her lonesome at the table behind him. Craig hadn't noticed that he had followed her every move and was currently turned around in his chair, until Spinner poked his shoulder, smirking. It was getting to be a permanent expression on his face, and Craig was just about ready to wipe it off. Nothing was going on between him and Crazy Camilla. Nothing, he was convincing himself. He had just met her. He hardly knew anything about her. And yet... Craig turned around, pretending to stretch his back. Cam was sitting there, innocently munching on her chicken wrap, unbeknownst to all the chatter and gossip going on around and about her. She really didn't know did she? He thought to himself, momentarily studying her sun-kissed face. That same stupid, dreamy smile was still on as she studied the back of her soda bottle, only at a lower, slightly sadder scale, different than the smile she had given him the day before.
Camilla looked up quickly, her grin broadening as he eyes met his for a brief moment. Shit, he thought, turning around as he felt his face flush, returning to his sandwich. She knew he had been looking, even for a few seconds. And, during those few seconds, Craig thought about why she was such a social outcast, why the majority of the school wouldn't want to be associated with her. She really wasn't that bad, once you got past the preoccupied smiles and the random comments.
It was when Spinner started coughing obnoxiously when Craig finally snapped back to reality, dropping all those thoughts. He tossed some fries at his friends, thoughts of Cam still lingering in his mind. She was weird and he didn't want anything to do with her. He didn't want anything to do with-
"Hello, Craig."
He flinched as he finished off his turkey sandwich, slowly looking up from the lunch tray, meeting her heavy-lidded eyes. "Hi, Camilla," he replied, using her full first name. His friends got up from their seats. Spinner had coughed loudly. Marco had patted Craig on the back.
"How are you?" she asked softly as the two boys walked away. He noticed that she was fiddling with the kelly green fringe from the tank top that peeked through the large opening of her sweater.
"I'm... getting by." He shrugged, actually giving her a lopsided grin. Screw school social status and crap for now. He wasn't mean enough to snub her at that moment. And he wasn't supposed to care about that kind of stuff. Cheerleaders and their followers did that. He didn't. "What about you?"
"Same," she replied, gesturing to the chair next to him. "... Can I?"
"What? Oh, sure, go ahead."
Camilla smiled again, gracefully settling herself in the seat, prompting another buzz to go around the cafeteria. She was so much closer to him now. So close that he could smell her scent of vanilla mixed with cinnamon. "Do you always sing happy birthday to other people in your grade?" he finally blurted out after a brief silence.
She shook her head, and then nodded, confusing him a little. "I'll sing to whoever I want to serenade! Today was Toby's birthday and I felt like singing to him. If you don't want me to sing on your birthday, then I won't."
"Um, well... whatever you want. You're a pretty good singer."
"And this is coming from a musician himself!" She laughed her usual light and airy laugh. "Thank you." He noticed her hands that were now folded neatly on the table had paint splatters on them.
"You paint?"
"I dabble in it. I'm not very good. That's why I've been taking classes all this year at the Youth Center."
"Oh, that's...cool," Craig replied, wondering if he should meet her gaze again. It seemed every time he did so, he either lost his train of thought, or dropped it completely. What was it about that girl? The bell fortunately rang and both of them stood up, collecting their things.
"Can I walk with you to your next class? I think it's near mine."
Err. "Well... alright, I guess," Craig said shrugging, wondering if he'd be able to rid of this girl before she got too attached to him. He kind of smiled at her again as they fell into an awkward silence. He was fully aware of all the stares from his peers, but Camilla was fully content prattling on about something she read about mummies in her father's National Geographic magazines while he nodded, trying to pay attention to whatever she was saying.
"Well, here's my stop. I'll see you around then!" she said brightly, skipping into the classroom a few doors away from his own.
He nodded slowly as she pranced away, once again leaving him mystified.
