A/N: First chapter with Cam!
Thursdays were often considered boring and hard to get through, almost in the middle of the week and just so close to the weekend, but not quite there yet. However, Cam didn't really mind them. Besides Monday, Thursdays and Fridays were his blessed days off. He often spent his Thursdays and Fridays in the mountain, much to the dismay of his childhood friend Ash, and especially his pretty-much-best-friend-yet-sister Laney. You're boring, she'd complain. Too many cats, too many flowers, not enough time with your buds, she'd whine. No, I don't mean flower buds, she'd hiss, after Cam made a smart-aleck comment about being around his baby flowers for a very good amount of time. Laney obviously failed to acknowledge that the flowers and especially the cats were his friends too. That, and that he saw Laney and Ash and Georgia and Lillian and everyone else every day, and he didn't think that he needed large amounts of quality time with them. Mostly the latter, but hey, the stray cats were almost equally important.
So important, in fact, that even though that Thursday Cam decided that he wouldn't spend his day in the mountain, he took a good amount of time assuring that the cats most familiar to him were properly taken care of and fed, giving them food from an old canvas bag he used for supplies. After all, cats are pretty much better than people. So much easier to talk to, not awkward if you pet them, and there was no doubt when they didn't like you: they'd hiss and run away, and you'd never wonder if they were only secretly putting up with you because they didn't want you to feel bad. They were always honest. The honesty of Cam's friends was less apparent to him, and though Cam scolded himself for not thinking the best of his childhood friends, it was hard not to think that way. It had been that way for him ever since middle school, probably not the nicest time for him.
But thoughts of his insecurities were pushed aside when he stepped past the vine-covered old brick wall that acted as the boundary for the small town of Bluebell. He noticed Lillian leaning against the ledge of the church grounds, admiring the flower planters just above her head. Cam swelled a little with pride, seeing Lillian admiring the young flowers, as he was partly responsible for planting them. Along with Rose and Alisa, of course. He couldn't take full responsibility for the pretty plants, he never would. Cam's steady steps on the road made Lillian snap out of her trance and turn to face at him, looking a bit startled. However, she began smiling.
"Afternoon, Cam!" Lillian called out, straightening herself up and brushing the dirt off of the red vest that she somehow never seemed to destroy. She was either really lucky with keeping that vest nice, or she was a master at scrubbing dirt and sewing tears. Cam wouldn't doubt either.
"Hey," Cam replied as a simple greeting, a bit hesitant to start a conversation. He thought that simpleness suited him.
"It's a Thursday, right? You're back early!" She pointed out, coming closer to you. He stopped walking once she got close enough for his comfort. "Did you forget milk for the kittens or something?" She asked with a small giggle.
"Actually, no, there's a bottle in my bag," Cam explained, gripping the canvas strap in the hand at his side, the bag a foot or so from the ground.
Lillian gave a small pfft sound, her smile growing.
"I think it's really sweet how you're so nurturing and stuff. If you weren't so dainty you'd be a real Bluebell rancher!"
Cam frowned mockingly, making him look offended. He knew Lillian knew he was kidding.
"Dainty? Lillian… I am a man's man, I am just as tough as any of you famers. Tougher, even. Don't let the flowers fool you." It was Cam's turn to give a small laugh, looking away from the rancher. Lillian laughed as well, thankfully. She was mostly always in a laughing mood, a ball of sunshine, similar to Ash. Though to Cam, his sunshine was undoubtedly brighter.
"If you're as much of a Hercules as you say you are, then you'd be able to help me on the farm today, right?" Lillian asked slyly, putting her hands on her hips. Cam gave another small laugh.
"Well, you see, it's not that I can't, it's just that I have a headache and I haven't eaten yet and I'd just really be a burden…"
"Shucks, buster! Maybe next time?" Cam's friend asked, cocking her head and looking at him intently.
"You'd be surprised how long headaches can last," Cam shrugged.
They both cracked smiles and Lillian giggled.
"I'll have to talk to you later, guy. The cows aren't gonna clean themselves," Lillian sighed, looking a bit disappointed but he could tell she happy all the same. Cam gave a curt nod before saying goodbye, the two young adults going their separate ways. Lillian took the road to her farm, while Cam walked from the outskirts to the main area of Bluebell.
He walked into the more populated part of town, passing the large pastures of Georgia's stables and Ash's ranch, noticing how cute the different kinds of animals in Ash's pasture interacted, and how elegant the different sized and coloured horses and ponies in Georgia's field were. They were both good, hardworking friends, and the healthy state of their animals represented how determined they really were. Cam tore his eyes away from the whinnying equines to climb the stairs, leading up to what would probably be considered the town centre, meaning to drop off his bag at his flower stand. But he didn't get to it before he was greeted by his two aforementioned friends by Bluebell's statue.
"Well if it isn't the flower boy! Hiya, Primrose," The auburn-haired girl called out, a cheeky grin on her face from calling Cam one of his many nicknames. The nicknames she gave Cam consisted of whatever flower she could think of on the spot, his favourite random flower nicknames being Wisteria, Hellebore, Brya, and Purpurea. Purpurea was probably his favourite, it was just a weird name and he had no idea where Georgia would have gotten that name from. Not from him for sure, as she always fell asleep when he talked about plants. She moved to their town years ago, and yet she still hadn't learned how to keep her eyes open when Cam talked about how to properly trim your azaleas or pesticides naturally found in plants, or whatever interested him that day.
Georgia was unique in the area. She was half-American, growing up in the southern U.S.A for most of her life, giving her a southern twang that she shared with her father, but was otherwise uniquely hers. When she and her father moved into Bluebell, the pretty young foreign girl was readily accepted, as was Lillian when she moved to Bluebell a year ago. Even Cam befriended them in his own reluctant way.
Of course they'd be nice to them, despite all the barns around Bluebell, the town's inhabitants weren't raised in one.
Georgia waved to Cam enthusiastically and Ash copied her, telling Cam to come over and join them. Cam gave a small smile, dropped off his bag, and started walking to his friends.
"Felt like spending your day off with your friends?" Ash asked with a smirk, adjusting the burgundy hat on his champagne hair. Fixing his well-worn hat was a charming habit that he seemed to do randomly. That's when Cam realized that both Ash and Georgia probably should have been working at that time, but really, he didn't care much. If he was able to spend time with them… that'd be nice, he supposed. And there'd be no interruptions from little girls, thankfully, as Cheryl was in school in the city at the moment. Cool. Good. But Cam was brought back to reality, did Ash just tease him?
"The cats on the mountain are my friends too," Cam defended quickly with a scoff, thinking back to earlier. Though Cam was tentative around most, he and Ash grew up together, thus making Ash one of the few people he felt totally comfortable around. The others being Laney, since she was basically his blood sister even though he only joined her family when he was three, and Rose, being Cam's mentor since he was little. Ash grinned at Cam's joke (though it wasn't really a joke) and chuckled while Georgia laughed. Cam's chest tightened, and though Ash misinterpreted Cam, he proud for making his best friend smile so brightly, and especially proud from making both Ash and Georgia laugh genuinely.
It was nice, making his friends happy for sure.
They decided to be happy together, wasting the day doing nothing particular, talking and visiting Laney until it was time for Ash to pick his little sister up from the bus stop. But even then it wasn't really an end to their lazy, fun day. It was nice.
Really nice.
He felt lighter.
A/N: Cam! Poor sweet snarky boy. Also, next chapter introduces an inciting incident. (And I think Tuesdays and Saturdays would be the best update days, so there's that too)