A/N: HIIIIII! I HOPE YOU LIKED THOSE TWO CHAPTERS :) THIS IS JUST THE START OF ZAMMIE. IT'S THE BEST THING WHEN JOSH SEE'S THE NEW CAMMIE TOGETHER WITH ZACH, I CAN'T WAIT! *CUE EVIL LAUGH*. HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!
The bookstore was great. I loved my job. I had been there about two weeks, and it was fantastic. It was keeping me busy and helping to keep my mind off Josh and Dee Dee. However, as soon as I'd get home and was alone, the pain would return. I still couldn't understand how anyone could do that to a person they cared about. I guess he didn't love me after all, and she was never really a friend. After a particularly low day, Lizzie asked what was wrong and I cracked to her, spilling everything (she even knew about the weird Zach situation) but I was happy to be able to talk to someone about it. Of course being the kind person that she is, she did everything in her power to make me feel great again and I loved her for it. The bookstore was my saving grace. I loved being surrounded by books, and the Solomon's were beautiful people. I spent my days cleaning and cataloguing the novels and helping customers. When there was nothing to do, I got to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and read. I couldn't ask for a better place to work.
The money I earned from working nearly every day was unbelievable. Within two weeks, I completely made over my wardrobe. Gone were the polo shirts and floral dresses to be replaced only with clothes I felt comfortable wearing. I dyed my hair as well. I decided it was better to go back to my natural light brown/dirty blonde hair instead of the platinum blonde Dee Dee had talked me into years ago.
"We can be twins. It'll be great," she said. Yeah, I didn't want to be her twin any longer. I wanted as much distance between us as possible in a town as small as Roseville.
It was a slow day and Lizzie had taken the day off to look after her sisters, so I was curled up on the sofa reading 'New Surprises by Smiles180' (A/N: Another shout out to a great person who always reviews on my stories and makes my day- her story is also AMAZING) when the bell above the door alerted me to a customer. Placing my bookmark between the pages, I made my way to the counter and waited to see if they needed help.
"Mrs. S? Hello?" he called. "Excuse me? Can you help me with something?" he asked.
I froze. No way. He couldn't be in here. Could he? I thought I had imagined things.
"Excuse me?" he called again. I didn't want to turn around, but I had to. If he was a customer, then I needed to be a big girl and face him. I hadn't seen him since that day the road trip from hell finally ended.
Taking a deep breath, I turned around slowly, hoping the voice belonged to someone else. But it didn't. It was him. I stared at him in shock, still unsure why he was there. He was looking at me the same way.
"Cammie?" He furrowed his eyebrows and stepped closer to me. I nodded and bit my lip, unsure of what else to say. The last time I had seen him, I wasn't exactly the model of self-control.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, sounding as surprised as I felt at seeing him here of all places. A bookstore. The last place I'd ever imagine him stepping foot.
"I work here. Why are you here, Zach? This is the last place I'd expect to see you." I started fidgeting with the books on the shelves next to me to keep from looking at him.
"I like to read." I felt him staring at me. "You look different. I like the hair." He reached across and flicked a few strands of my newly darkened locks from my face before slowly looking down my body.
"Uhm, thanks. I needed the change," I muttered uncomfortably. I didn't know how to react to him staring at me the way he was. He had never paid me this much attention before. No one had. Except for Josh and that ended wonderfully.
"Well, you look hot. Josh is gonna piss himself when he sees you next. Dee Dee's got nothing on you," he said. I felt my lips curl into a small smile, making Zach's lips spread into a heart-stopping smile that showed off his beautiful dimples, which I'd somehow never noticed before. He knew just what to say.
"Bet you don't smile too often lately cause of that douche, huh?" he whispered. I shook my head in response, wondering why he was there and why he was talking to me. I hadn't spoken to him since the day he picked me up. I'd shut myself off from the world, and by the time I'd ventured back into reality, I thought it was too late. I felt terrible for ignoring him after he'd gone out of his way to bring me home when I was upset.
"So you decided to show them you don't need them?" It took me a moment to realise what he was talking about.
"Yeah, I realised you were right. I don't want them to know how much I'm hurting. I want them to see that I don't care. Maybe if I can convince them, I will convince myself too. So what can I help you with?"
"That's good. You shouldn't waste your time moping over him of all people. He's a dick," Zach said. I burst out laughing.
"Yes, he is." I nodded. It felt good to be able to laugh with someone.
"If you really wanna show them you don't care and that you're happy, you need to move on, get yourself another boyfriend. It will kill him to see you happy with someone else. Trust me." He smirked, raising a eyebrow. I wasn't sure about that. Josh had never really been the jealous type, and if he'd cared, he shouldn't have dumped me for Dee Dee. Besides, I was still hurting and wasn't sure I trusted anyone else yet. How could I trust anyone with my heart when the two of the most important people in my life had betrayed me?
"I'm not ready for a new relationship. You make it sound so easy. Like going to the store and just picking up a new one." I shook my head at him. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't find a boyfriend that quickly. Against my better judgement, I still loved Josh.
"It is that easy," he said, biting the ring that pierced the side of his bottom lip.
"Yeah, for you. A walking sex god." He raised a pierced eyebrow and chuckled.
"Sex god?"
"Oh! Did I say that out loud?" I asked, my cheeks heating up. I ducked my head in embarrassment.
"Yes, you did. Glad to know you think I'm so hot. I'll help you with the boyfriend thing. As I said at the end of year, I want to make him suffer just as much as you have, if not more."
"Why?" I looked up at him. His eyes clouded over before he shook his head as though to clear an unwanted thought.
"I have my reasons. Just know I'm more than happy to help you."
"You'll help me? How?" I asked, still wondering why he wanted to make Josh suffer so much. What had Josh done to make Zach so hell-bent on revenge?
It was common knowledge that Josh and Zach used to be best mates, but a month or so before Josh and I started dating, Zach left town. No one knew where he'd gone or why. But when he came back, he was totally different. The Zach who was kind, clean cut, and quiet left Blackthorne High and returned months later as the bad boy Zach, who was standing in front of me. He and Josh had hated each other ever since, and no one knew why. How could they go from being best friends to enemies so easily?
"How about a little payback?" he asked with a mischievous look in his eyes.
"Payback?"
"Yeah, you know, give karma a little helping hand." He turned and swaggered- not walked, swaggered- to the sofa in the middle of the shop. I followed slowly.
"And how do you propose we do that?" I asked, taking a seat next to him.
"I'll be your boyfriend," he said, looking at me as if I were stupid. What? Why would he do that? It made no sense. Apparently sensing my confusion, he reached out and touched my shoulder.
"Nothing would piss him off more than seeing you with me. He hates me," he said, shrugging like it was no big deal. "Look. No pressure. We can pretend to be in a relationship at school and school events, make him think you're over him."
He wanted to act. And if I was being honest with myself, it sounded like a good idea. I was just angry enough to want to piss Josh off, and I knew how much he hated Zach. Everyone did. But I was worried about Zach's reputation with the girls. He was known for not doing relationships. When I asked him that, his answer made perfect sense.
"All the more reason for me to be your boyfriend. You'll be the girl who caught Zach Goode, the girl to tame the player and all that rubbish. Josh will hate that." Zach kicked a foot up on the coffee table and relaxed back into the cushions. "As for the girls I'll be missing out on, they don't compare to seeing Josh's face every day when I walk into the school with you on my arm. I can live without the girls, Cammie. It's not like I give a damn about any of them. They just relieve the boredom. What do you say? Be my fake girlfriend?"
How could I argue with that logic and refuse those green eyes?
"Okay," I agreed. My fate was sealed.
REVIEWS: THANKS TO ANY FOLLOWS/FAVOURITES! THEY MAKE ME SO HAPPY :)
GUEST- Sorry it wasn't the exact day after but i hope i made up for it with the two chapters :p xxx
Zammieotp- HAHA, *eyes will further continue to widen as the chapters progress i promise* xxx
Smiles180- Ahh we're busy bee's what can we do? (i'm busy reading fanfics the entire time and binge watching netflix and eating a shit ton of ice cream). I HOPE YOU DO! And i hope you liked that little mention. It really does mean a lot that you review on literally every chapter i post, it makes me very happy haha xxx
ZammieFan123- Well, i updated! And i can't of want to regularly update like every other day maybe? And, don't worry the Goode/Abrams fighting is starting verify soon and although the Mchenry/Baxter/Sutton/Dee Dee fighting won't be together just yet, they will be individually. Also, you meet Macey a bit further on- hope that's okay! xxx
GUEST- HAHA YES, JOSH IS INDEED AN ARSE. :) Hope you like the Zammie in this and what's to come hehehe xxx