I AM SORRY!
Right after I announce my tidy updating routine, I break it! Now that school has started back up, I will not be able to update as frequently. Not going to lie, reading Six of Crows is what's taking up my time. While I do not know what my new updating schedule will be, I do have this chapter, so HAPPY READING!
I can be pretty short-sighted. For instance, while I was running, I didn't stop to think how my makeup wasn't water proof. Bex knows I can forget about the little things though and was already touching up my smeared face.
"You're fortunate I have backup brushes," Bex finishes dabbing at my forehead and started packing up. I sling my backpack on and laugh gratefully.
"Let's go," I push open the locker room door and turn down the hall and am immediately given something to groan about. "I have to make it to the other side of the school on these legs- All I want to do is pass out!"
"Sorry, Cam," Bex stays put then turns away. "I have to go the other way."
"Who will carry me if I fall?" I exaggerate and smile, I totally could collapse at any moment.
"I volunteer," Zach leans against the wall, not to look cool but probably just to play off how weak he feels right now too.
"Tell me how that goes!" Bex calls out already leaving me for Grant.
"Come on, Cam, I heard you have places to be," Zach walks off without waiting for me. Once his back is facing me, I have to decide if I want to slip away into a blind spot or chase after him. On one hand, I can go the long way and avoid him, so he doesn't walk me to class. On the other hand, no, there is no positive to being taunted for no reason.
I do what the chameleon in me does best and slip away in the opposite direction, making sure to use counter surveillance to prevent being seen. I have the school down by now (mostly because there was a map with my classes' room numbers on it) and arrive at history earlier than expected.
The sight of guys throwing themselves over the hot girl in the class is so common, it's the first thing I see when I walk in. I would have ignored it like I did every other class, but this was different. The girl wasn't dressed scandalously, she was actually very modest, and the girl seemed painstakingly bored at all the attention.
"Macey!" I walk up to her knowing she would shove aside one of the boys to let me sit down.
"Cammie, I swear you just saved me from inflicting a Herr-Durma on myself," She pushes the boys away from her, they seem offended by her lack of interest but leave nonetheless. "You look awful! What happened in gym?"
"I let her win and she threw a fit," Someone lies. You have got to be kidding me, this is the fourth class I have with Goode. He puts his hands on my desk and smirks at me. "Where did you go?"
"That's a lie and I went to class," I lean back in my seat as he leans forward.
"He said she said," Zach smirks. "I was a little hurt when you ditched me, but I see you couldn't stay away for long."
I would be blushing so hard right now if I wasn't pissed he lied to Macey, not like she would believe him.
"Goode, Leave!" Macey snaps a finger and points away from us. "Cam and I have to talk."
Zach didn't seem flustered by her harshness, yet he puts his hands up in mock surrender, "Okay, I'll keep my distance."
"Thanks," I grab a textbook from my bag and open up to the chapter written on the board under today's agenda.
"Don't play," Macey warns. "You're going to spill what's up with you and Zach. Why are you having such a quick snap back from Josh?"
"Zach and I are just competitive people, it's not like either of us are going after each other," I breath through gritted. The next person that accuses me of pining over a civilian is… well let's just say I cannot guarantee their safety.
"That may be true for your half, but he hasn't stopped staring at you since he got here," Macey points her pencil towards Zach's desk. I don't dare glance at him, if I do he'll catch me and smirk, and every opportunity I give him to smirk is a misfortune.
"We'll talk about it later, I promised Liz I would tell her everything when we were all together," I shut her up. She shrugs and we both start on a worksheet that's on our desks. What's absurd is that the teacher was asleep behind his desk with a travel pillow around his neck. He didn't stir for the rest of class.
Zach tries to walk with me to sixth period, but Macey didn't allow it. She can be scary when she wants to. As much as Zach wanted to mess around, he prioritized his safety, an admirable trait.
"Hot boys are dangerous, Cammie. There all the same, and I don't want you to get hurt," Macey walked me all the way to my computers class to make sure Zach didn't pull a move.
"I can protect myself, but thanks, Macey," I wave her off. I was doing a fantastic job fending for myself, but no one seemed to notice.
The computer room was large, about forty dinosaur desktops stood perched on fake granite tables. The spots were composed in rows of four. It was difficult to see who sat where just by looking over the tops of the computers. Through the maze, my eye landed on the bright pink fuzz in the dead center of it all. Making eye contact, the pink fuzz found me too.
"Cammie, Josh here told me you enrolled!" Deedee waves energetically then pats the table at which she is sitting, which happens to be the same row my two favorite people in Roseville sit at. "You have to sit with Josh, Dillon, and I!"
I don't argue because it's Deedee, and I just can't say no to her.
"No," Dillon kicks the rolling chair I was going to sit in away from me. "She can sit somewhere else."
Honestly, If I didn't know better I would have thought I broke up with him. Despite his attitude, he gave me an excuse to leave their group. Deedee seemed disappointed, she shouldn't be. Anyone can see she's in love with Josh, not just someone who goes through his trash and finds a love letter with her return address.
"No," Josh holds the chair out in front of where it was originally. "Cammie, can sit here."
Josh waits for me to sit, then he pushes it in like were on a formal date. News flash: We're in school. I'm being too harsh, trying to keep my guard up around him was making me into something I'm not. It's unfair, Josh always did deserve better.
"Thank you," I nod to Josh and he gives me a whisp of a smile; a sad smile. Deedee sees it as her place to jump in. Maybe she felt threatened like she did when Josh and I were dating, or she genuinely wanted to be my friend. I'll have to watch her motives continually.
"I am so happy you are here, I can tell we're are going to be best friends," Deedee smiles as she steps on Dillon's foot when he gives me a glare. How did these two polar opposites become best friends?
"We were going to invite you to our table for lunch, but we saw you were getting pretty popular real quick," Dillon tries to growl but it sounds more like a failed hiss.
"She's a likable person, Dillon," Josh argues.
"Tell me why a likable person would dump you and walk away like you meant nothing, tell me," Dillon gets in my face. "I was there, remember?"
"I'll tell you why I did that, Dillon," I shrink instead of standing my ground. "Even though I only owe it to Josh, not you."
Dillon nods his head expectantly while Josh and Deedee lean in to hear me out.
"I was homeschooled because I have horribly strict parents," I begin to weave my tale as truthful and real as the Little Mermaid's. "They didn't allow me to have friends if they weren't approved by their standards, so I never had any, or let me go out unless one of them was with me. I could never join sports or even Girl Scouts for crying out loud!"
Deedee is looking at me like I'm a kicked puppy, but she's the one being conned. Josh is already wrapped around my finger, but Dillon is still reluctant to submit. I guess I'll have to dig a little deeper.
"I live just on the outskirts of town and have never truly seen it, I begged my parents to take me to see other people to see anything, but they would just say it was too dangerous. Of course, this is a sweet All- American town of neighbors who bring you apple pie and parents who let their children run around in the roads not fearing anything. They were so terrified of anything happening to me, they made me take self-defense classes when I became old enough, the drive to the lessons was my only opportunity to see farther than my front yard."
Dillon looked slightly uncomfortable, time to reel it in.
"It got worse when… umm," I pause and look down. I thought I could tell them the small truth of my father's death, but I can't bring myself to it. "Something happened, and my mom became more protective of me. One day I snapped and ran away- I intended to come back, but I still ran. That was the night I met Josh. He wasn't like how my mom describe the other teens in the town. Maybe it was because he was nice or different, call it an act of defiance for all I care, but I started to fall for him."
The last bit was the truth, the only truth I could give them. The three appeared saddened to their core, wondering what happened to me that caused all of the chaos. I pressed on. I would not let this become an issue any longer.
"The time I spent with Josh was the happiest I had been all my life, but it was near impossible to manage. I was able to get away with sneaking out because my mom was becoming so busy, she didn't have time for me. However, things eventually started to settle down, she caught me entering through the back door after an outing with Josh and practically interrogated me. I'm not a good lier, so I confessed everything. She warned me that if I didn't stop seeing you, Josh, she would take away my college fund, any savings I had, and she would disown me. I'm sorry, Josh, but when it came to you or my future, I had to choose my future. I know I hurt you, but I didn't have much of an option. She wouldn't have even let me say good bye, but I risked seeing you one more time. When she found out, she didn't speak to me for a week. Through all of that, Josh, you need to know, that if I could do it again I would."
Deedee had tears in her eyes at my performance, Dillon looked at me as if I were Amish and breaking free of an awful past. Josh looked heartbroken.
"Cammie," Josh took my hands and I ducked my head, keeping up with my character. "We should have never been so quick to judge, I think it's safe to say we all forgive you."
The other two nod, "I never could have known, but now that I do I am so sorry for how I treated you, I was just trying to protect my best friend," Dillon begs.
"I forgive you, I understand what it looked like, and I never had the opportunity to explain until now."
"Why is your mom letting you go to public school now?" Deedee rubs my back, I can't tell her I don't need soothing.
"I think she's sick of me, we still aren't on good relations even though they have gotten markedly better," I sigh, I hate making my mom into some kind of monster. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. Can we just do the work?"
I put them in an uncomfortable position, they weren't expecting me to be the broken girl, they we're expecting a target. For not being a good actress, I put on an excellent display. I guess I can manage an award-winning performance in dire situations.
Like the other classes, I'm the first out the door when it's over. I don't wait for Josh, Deedee, or newly discover softy: Dillon. Now that I'm gone they are probably talking about me in hushed tones, like I contracted a deadly disease and was given a life expectancy. I can't wait to find that suspect and leave here with a competed mission, away from the girl I made myself out to be. I am weak and small here. I don't see that changing any time soon.
Poor, tragic Cam. Can Dillon truly be the misguided nice guy he is claiming to be? And how polite of Zach to offer to carry Cammie...
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