We were still the centre of gossip by the end of the week. I swear the majority of the people in this school had no life since they instead spent their time making ship names that they could post about online. Everywhere I went, all I heard about was how Zach had attacked Josh in a jealous fit of rage and broken his nose. While it wasn't entirely wrong, the jealousy part was slightly far-fetched, and his nose wasn't broken- just really, really, really swollen. I laughed every time I thought about it. Zach didn't even seem concerned that people were painting him as the jealous boyfriend. He took it all in his stride, whereas I seemed to always be defending him. When questioned about the fight, he would only answer with: What's there to be jealous of? She's with me; or It was one punch; or Josh is a tool and deserved it. I was surprised at how many people agreed with Zach about Josh deserving it. Preston Winters, a boy from my history class, said he should have done it a long time ago. Luckily Zach knew how to deal with people and uncomfortable situations, unlike me.
I managed to avoid Josh the entire week. He'd taken time off because of the damage to his nose. I think he was just embarrassed. But Sunday night just after I had finished helping the Solomon's close the bookstore, I received a string of text messages from a number I didn't know. I blinked at my phone a few times, trying to recall the phone number, but drew a blank. Thinking whoever it was must be texting the wrong person, I opened the first message and tried to swallow the lump that had suddenly appeared in my throat. I closed my eyes and shoved my phone back into my bag, before taking a deep breath. I couldn't read them. Not in front of the Solomon' s.
"Are you alright, squirt?" Abby came to stand beside me. "Is that fitty coming to get you or do you want me to give you a ride?"
Holding back my tears, I forced a smile on my face and replied that Zach was on his way. At least I hoped he was. He had called me in the morning and asked if I wanted to grab dinner at the diner again after work. I couldn't refuse. The burgers really were the best in town. Although according to him I have yet to try his world-famous and even better ones.
It was only moments later that I heard Zach's car coming down the street, the engine rumbling to a soft purr as he pulled up to the curb. "Ready?" he called through the open window at me before calling to the Solomon's. "Hey Abby, Joey." I turned to say goodbye to them and climbed into his car.
We rode in silence. The stupid text message kept repeating itself in my head over and over. The fact that I had several others waiting to be opened haunted me, but at the same time I really wanted to know. I pulled my phone out of my bag and twirled it in my hands before throwing it back inside. I must have repeated that three or four times before we finally came to a stop at the diner and Zach snatched it from me.
"Cammie?" I looked away, knowing he was going to ask me what I was doing or what was wrong.
"You're crying," he murmered so softly I barely heard. I snapped my head around to look at him to tell him I wasn't crying when I touched my cheeks and felt the tears. Damn. "Why?"
It was a simple question with a simple answer. I was crying because my stupid ex-boyfriend had just sent me a message telling me I had been his biggest waste of time. But for some unknown reason, I couldn't tell Zach that. I didn't want him to start thinking like Josh and believe I was a waste of time. And I didn't want him to know that Josh had upset me either, because who knows what might happen.
"I'm sorry. I'm just not feeling well. Do you mind if we just go home?" Zach didn't look convinced but nodded anyway and handed me back my phone. I was grateful that he didn't ask me any more questions. He just dropped me off with a simple, "See you at school," before driving off. Normally, he would drive me there in the morning but he had an early soccer training session the following morning.
Mum didn't appear to be home when I walked inside, kicking off my shoes at the front door. It couldn't have been luckier timing- an empty house with no one to ask how my day was or why I was crying. She'd see straight through it and make me talk about what was wrong anyway. I trudged up to my room and sat on my bed staring at my phone. I didn't know how long I sat there and stared for. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. I finally opened up the second message from Josh.
Worst girlfriend ever.
Then the third.
Ur just another notch on his bedpost. Don't think ur special. Cos ur not.
I hated to be pathetic and vulnerable, but when I thought about how much I loved him and how much I thought he loved me, something seemed to cripple inside me. My chest was tight, aching right in the middle. I stupidly opened the fourth message. I knew I shouldn't have. I was only setting myself up for hurt.
Ur worthless. And you and ur loser boyfriend are done.
Sinking further into my bed, I slumped onto my side and curled into a ball. I was trying to wrap my head around how someone could be so heartless and cruel. Was I really so worthless?
My phone beeped in my hand, and I clenched my jaw shut. Please not another one, I thought to myself. Sniffing back my tears and wiping them from my eyes, I tried to make out the small black text on the screen. It took a minute for my eyes to focus, but they did. I smiled. It was just a small and very brief smile before my emotions crashed again. But it was a smile. And there was only one person who could cause that when I was so miserable.
Zach: Hope you're feeling okay. Sweet dreams *about me* ;)
I didn't reply. I just hugged the phone to my chest with Zach's message still on the screen and let myself cry.
-THE NEXT DAY-
Zach was waiting for me outside homeroom. He pulled me into his arms leaning against the wall. "Ready to face him?" he asked.
"No." I didn't want to see him after our run-in last Monday. And I sure as hell didn't want to see him after the messages he sent last night. Suck it up, Cammie.
"Are you okay?" Zach asked. I nodded. I hadn't told him about the messages because I didn't want him to cause any trouble or overreact. I was sure it was Josh being vindictive and trying to make himself feel better about being punched, but it still hurt.
"Don't lie to me, Cammie." Zach grabbed my shoulders and held me in a way that forced me to look into his eyes. I stared straight back at him. I didn't want to give anything away. "What happened?"
'"Nothing. I'm fine."
"You can hide the bags under your eyes with makeup, but they're still there. You've been crying." He clenched his jaw. I folded. I knew he'd find out eventually somehow or other. So I told him about them and made him promise not to do or say anything about it. I just wanted to forget it all together.
"Zach, please just leave it. I want to pretend he doesn't exist. I want to not let him bother me anymore."
"Fine. Just focus on me and remember his face when you admitted that sex was so much better with me. It's what keeps me going," Zach said a little too loudly. He gave me a wink as a few people turned to stare at us.
"Zach!" I hit him in the chest, trying to scold him but failing because I was giggling.
"What? It's true. You know it, I know it, and so does everyone else now."
"You forget one important thing." I stood up on my toes to whisper in his ear so no one else could hear. "We haven't had sex yet, so I'm just taking your word for it." I pulled back to give him a serious look.
"Yet?" His eyes lit up, and he licked his lips as he smiled mischievously. "Challenge accepted."
Butterflies erupted in my stomach at the thought.
"Keep dreaming, Goode." I rolled my eyes and looked up at the ceiling to avoid eye contact with him. Bad idea. Zach leant in and pressed a kiss to the base of my throat, sucking gently on the skin before pulling back with a glint in his eye.
"Well, either way, I stay true to my word." He smiled and grabbed my wrist to bring my hand up to his hair. When I gave him a questioning look, he just shrugged his shoulders.
"I kinda like when you play with my hair, " he admitted softly before looking down the hall. Well, it was aa good thing I like playing with his soft, thick, curly hair too. I was a little jealous. "Come on. Let's go in."
As soon as we walked into the room, all eyes turned to us, and everyone fell silent. It was like this every day. It's as if they're all waiting for things to break apart or for Josh to finally snap and hit Zach back. Their eyes flickered between us and Josh, who was already sitting in his seat next to Dee Dee.
"Jerk," I heard Josh mutter under his breath. Dee Dee was fussing over him, rubbing his face, fixing his hair, and shooting death glares at me. He looked like he was in more pain than when Zach had punched him. It kind of made me feel a little sorry for him, more so than I'd like to admit.
"Jealous." Zach responded to him in a sing-song voice, not bothering to keep his voice quiet, earning him a few soft chuckles from around the room. He pulled out my chair for me and kissed my cheek. He was really making a show of the boyfriend thing that morning.
I focused on Zach's actions and instead blocked out Josh. "Smooth, Goode. Real smooth." I smiled up at him and batted my eyelashes, maybe overdoing the girlfriend act a little. But that was what I was meant to be. The happy, carefree girlfriend instead of the moping and upset version of me who Josh wasn't getting the satisfaction of. Zach winked at me, grasping my knee in his hand. Just that little bit of contact between us and my anxiety was dulled instantly.
"Does that mean I'm getting' lucky today?" He lifted his eyebrow, a gleam of humour in his eyes. His lip twitched like he was trying not to laugh- most likely at the memory of Josh's face in the bookshop the other night. So we're playing it like that. Like we were flirty, horny teenagers. When, in all honestly, he already was.
"Maybe," I replied coyly, grabbing a handful of his hair. Knowing that he liked it made it less weird for me to do. I took my lips to his ears and whispered, "Tone it down, Romeo." I knew that it looked like I was whispering something sexy to him instead.
"Don't start something you're not willing to finish, unless you wanna ditch and go to my place." Zach smirked as I pulled away. I laughed at his attempt to make Josh jealous by completely ignoring my warning. He smirked at me, grabbed my hand, and leant in again to whisper in my ear.
"Keep smiling and laughing like that and you'll even have me fooled." His mouth pressed against the skin just below my ear, sending an involuntary shiver up my spine. A small sigh escaped my lips. A sigh that didn't go unnoticed by Zach.
"Like that, huh?" he asked. I could feel his breath against my ear.
"Uh." I felt my cheeks warming. I clamped my mouth shut to stop myself from saying anything stupid. I wasn't sure if he was doing this for show or if he was trying to mess with me. He was a major flirt. He had a reputation to keep up, even if he did have a girlfriend. So I guessed Zach was acting just like he would with any other girl.
"What the hell happened to you?" Dee Dee's voice interrupted us from behind. "You've changed your attitude, your behaviour, and your appearance. I don't like it." I glanced at Zach, who squeezed me gently in support, before I turned to face Dee Dee with a sudden burst of courage and what I hoped was a genuine looking smile plastered over my face.
"You don't have to like it. I let go of all the drama and fakeness in my life. I stopped pretending to be someone I'm not. I stopped trying to be you." I paused for dramatic effect and let that sink in. Dee Dee gasped and scowled. "This is me, and I am finally happy. I'm happier than I've ever been." I gave her an overenthusiastic smile before spinning back to face the fron tof the class where the teacher was busy reading the paper and ignoring us. Letting out a deep, shaky breath of relief when she didn't reply, I chanced a look at Zach, who I noticed seemed somewhat impressed.
"I'll see you at lunch." Zach pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth after acting as the perfect boyfriend and walking me to class. I watched him walk away before he paused and tilted his head, as though he were thinking of something. He spun around and smirked at me with that look in his eye. The one I was quickly learning meant trouble.
I suddenly felt a body slam into mine. "One for the road," Zach growled. Before I could answer, his mouth met mine. It was quick, and rough, but a kiss that left you feeling breathless, leaving me wondering what it would be like to have Zach's affections for real and not for show.
"See you at lunch, C ," he said into my mouth before pulling away too soon.
"That was extremely hot and romantic in an I'm-gonna-rip-your-clothes-off sort of way," someone said from behind me, echoing my thoughts exactly. Spinning around, I turned to see Bex standing awkwardly. Her mouth turned up into a half smile. She hadn't spoken to me since the road trip from hell ended and Josh and Dee Dee became official. Why was she talking to me now?
"Yeah, well, that's Zach." I shrugged and entered the classroom, taking my usual seat in the middle, confused and disorientated at her appearance. She was one of Dee Dee's friends; what reason would she have to speak to me? As I was pulling out my books and pens, the seat beside me suddenly became occupied. I glanced up to see who had decided to sit by me all of a sudden and was surprised when I saw Bex's uncomfortable smile staring back at me.
"Umm?" I raised an eyebrow at her, unsure of what to say.
"I'm sorry. I should never have stopped talking to you. What they did was harsh and I hate what they've become. I miss you being a friend. I hope you can forgive me," she said in a rush, fidgeting with her bangles. I knew I shouldn't forgive her so quickly for dumping our friendship so easily when there was a rift between Josh and Dee Dee and me., but it had to be hard for her, too. You couldn't remain neutral when there were fights between friends. There's always a side to choose. I knew it was also partly my fault for shutting myself off. I missed having Bex as a friend; as much as she didn't fight for me then, there had been so many other incidences when she had. She'd been there for me.
"I've missed you, too." I smiled at her and laughed when her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. She squealed and threw her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug.
"I'm so sorry. So sorry. So, so, so, so, so sorry," she repeated over and over again.
"It's okay. I understand. Just forget it." I smiled and pulled out the novel we were studying. Wuthering Heights again. It seemed like the education board couldn't think of anything better when it came to classic literature.
"So you and Zach, huh? Tell me everything." Uh-oh. I wasn't anticipating having a grilling of my fake relationship with Zach. It was the first time anyone had truly wanted to know. Not just for the sake of the gossip mill.
"Uh, well…" I trailed off, trying to think of what to say.
"How long have you been together?"
"A couple of weeks." Her eyebrows nearly flew off her head. I suppressed the urge to laugh at her stunned face.
"Zach's had a girlfriend for a couple of weeks? Wow! That must be some sort of new record. How did you meet?" She whispered in disbelief, giving me a look that was almost awe and maybe a little pity. Everyone knew Zach didn't date girls: his entire reputation was based on how easily he broke hearts. I knew the girls at school would be jealous that he was "mine", but they were also counting down the minutes until his bad boy reputation took full effect and he cheated on me or something. Kind of hard to do when the whole relationship was fake, but I wouldn't let it worry me.
"Meet? We've gone to school together for years."
"You know what I mean. We've never really been friends with him or anything."
She was right, sort of. We had run in different circles the past couple of years- me being in Josh's circle and Zach just doing his own brooding, solo routine surrounded by girls. He didn't have many friends inside of school but from the stories I'd heard circulating the neighbourhood, he had plenty of fun with his friends outside of school doing god knows what.
"He came into work one day. We got talking and had lunch, and then it kinda became a regular thing. Next thing I knew, we were together. It sort of just happened." I wasn't lying completely; I was just omitting the truth. I didn't want to get into the details of how or why Zach had picked me up from the beach that day, so I didn't mention it.
"Wow. So he helped you get over your heartbreak?"
I flinched at that question. Was it that obvious I was heartbroken? I guessed it was. I mean, I did freak out and run from the school when Josh broke up with me in front of everyone, and I was a crying mess for weeks after the road trip ended. But Zach was helping, so I decided to be truthful.
"Oh, I'm sorry. That was insensitive." She looked mortified.
"It's okay. Yeah, if it weren't for Zach, I'd be mess. He makes things better. Makes me forget about Josh." It was true. He had helped. Even though Josh still had a hold over me, he made my life so much lighter, as much as I would never admit that to him.
"So it's love then?" Love? Uhm, no.
"It's way too soon for that, Bex. I care about him a lot, but I'm not ready to love anyone again. Look what happened last time."
"That's true, but I think Zach is different. It's obvious how much he cares about you. I don't think he'd ever hurt you like Josh." Of course I knew he wouldn't hurt me like that "trollop" as Mrs Solomon would say. We weren't even really together, but I couldn't tell Bex that. Zach was just a fantastic actor with an incredible knack for making me feel better.
"You don't know that. No one does." The teacher cleared her throat and sent us a pointed look that told us to be quiet and read our books. I raised my book to hide my face and started reading. Bex didn't notice. In fact, her book was still on the desk unopened. I wasn't even sure she had the right book out, to be honest.
"No, I don't, but I know what I see. And the way I see Zach look at you, particularly out there in the hall just before class, that guy's got it bad."
Her words rang in my ears as I soaked in what she was saying. He could never. He just wanted revenge on Josh as badly as I did, if not more. But I didn't tell her that, either. Instead, I shrugged and returned to my book, ending our conversation. I tried to concentrate on what I was reading, but my mind kept running away from me and imagining all these different scenarios where Zach did care about me and our relationship was real.
We could have fun. We had a lot in common. But Zach had never been the commitment type, and he wasn't my type. Correction- he wasn't my type before Josh. But I was a different person since Josh and Dee Dee got together. Was I Zach's kind of girl? I didn't think so. In fact, I knew I wasn't. I wasn't one of those girls who threw themselves at him or dropped their panties if her so much as looked in their direction. I wasn't easy. This was just payback for something I didn't understand but hoped to one day, when he trusted me enough to tell me.
A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Prepare your Zammie cuteness-metres for the next chapter...Answering reviews next time :) xxx