Wow. It's been eighteen days already? It went by so fast! Haha. Well. This is a really short chapter. I'm sorry, but I couldn't really add anything else to it to make it longer without giving away the next one. Argh. Two short chapters in a row. ): But if it helps, I'll make the next one longer? Ehh, hopefully.

Haha. Some people requested more Cameron. So he gets a nice chunk in this chapter.

This chapter is dedicated to: -loveCory. Just because she's awesome like that. (:

Who's That Girl

Chapter 22- Cameron Says Try

Nobody's POV-

"That is such a lie Gabi."

Gabriella looked up, as her eyes widened in surprise. She saw Chad standing in front of her. She quietly averted their eye contact. She couldn't help but still feel a little awkward around him and the rest, excluding Kelsi and Cameron of course.

Chad looked at her curiously, as to why she hadn't responded like she usually did. He suddenly realized why she wasn't saying anything. He nodded at her, taking a seat beside her. He sighed once, before speaking.

"Okay. Maybe Big Bro still does deserve the silent treatment." He told her, keeping his eyes on her, she still didn't say anything. "Well, that's okay. I'll just talk my big mouth off then." He joked lightly. "Umm, for the first part, I'll just say that I'm sorry. Okay, Gabs?" He paused, waiting for her to acknowledge that she heard him.

She nodded stiffly, still not looking at him. He smiled slightly. It was at least something right?

"I'm sorry for doubting you. You know, when we had this life long bond and trust between us." He began, playing around with the sheets on the bed. "I'm sorry for listening to the witch's lies; after we had figured out she was bad." He continued, shaking his head in disgust.

"I'm sorry that I picked her over you." He listed, looking up at her. "And I'm really sorry, Gabs."

"It's just, we were so caught up in the moment." He explained rationally, staring at her morose and thin figure. "We didn't see what was right in front of us." Chad told her, now viewing the cuts and bruises that were on her body. He winced seeing how deep they were, before continuing. "We didn't see that you were getting hurt. Neither did we see the pain we were inflicting on you…" He trailed off, taking a deep breath to resume his explanation and apology.

"And I desperately wish that I could go back in time, Little Sis." He said, finally catching her eyes. "I would do anything to save you from being hurt, Gabs." He chuckled. "Heck, I would go back in time just so we would be able to beat up Melanie over and over again. So that way we get her back for the depression she made you go through." He finished, waiting for her to respond now. He had run of out 

things to say to her. He frowned, as he noticed that she wasn't about to say anything unless he initiated it.

"Gabriella." He called out in a singing voice.

"Yeah?" She answered, trying to digest what he had said in. Sure Chad was one of the ones that had hurt her, but at least he was trying. The entire group had hurt her, not just him. Besides, she had to give him credit for being the first and bravest one to confront her alone. Plus, who could stay mad at such a lovable guy with a poofy afro?

"Will you forgive me?" He asked, pouting at her. He gingerly brought his companion up from the floor.

The brunette opened her mouth to accept, but was cut off by the asker himself.

"And Jimmy?" He questioned, raising the infamous basketball up. She giggled and shook her head, seeing Jimmy in Chad's hands.

"Yes. And always for Jimmy." She replied, having made up her mind.

Chad grinned brightly at her. "Aww, my friends are getting along." He joked, wanting that serious mood to be gone from them forever. She smiled and nodded.

"Can I have a hug now?" She asked. She had missed getting hugs from one of her older brother figures. She frowned in confusion, as she felt Jimmy being thrown into her arms. She looked up at Chad, wanting to know why he had thrown his prized basketball at her.

"Hug Jimmy first." He stated proudly, trying to hide that fact that he was kidding. He bit his lip, trying to hold back laughter as he saw her actually hugging the basketball.

"Now can I have a hug with you now?" She questioned, a little annoyed at how Jimmy smelled. He chuckled, before standing up.

"Of course." He answered. "We'll sandwich Jimmy!" He exclaimed, happily clapping his hands. She rolled her eyes realizing that she had hugged a basketball for a joke.

"Chad…" She warned. He laughed at her, before leaning down to her height, as she stretched up to his.

"I'm just kidding, Gabs." He replied, embracing her tightly. "Take a chill pill, will ya?" She shook her head against his shoulder.

"Now, do you wanna tell me what's going on between you and Troy?" He questioned, referring to the abnormally saddened boy that sat or was somewhere in that hospital. She broke away from their hug, not wanting to talk about this new subject.

"You know the story, Chad." She told him simply. She was now debating whether she should tell him or not.

He silently rolled his eyes at her answer. He had just noticed that her mood had changed so abruptly.

"I do, but not the story behind the story." He said, wanting her to fill in the rest of his curiousity, and answer his question. She only shook her head in response.

"Come on, you can tell Chaddie, and Jimmy." He cooed in his best baby voice. She sighed, before taking the plunge. She was going to have to tell someone soon. So why not Chad?

Gabriella sat with her knees crouched up to her chest, staring out of the window. So much had happened during the past weeks. So many things had changed too. She wondered if everything would go back to normal anytime soon, because she didn't know herself. This was real life. It can't just be fixed that quickly. As she began to think about what to do next, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She looked over, and saw Cameron walking in again.

"Hey Ellie." He greeted, standing near her. He stood a little farther from her than usual. He didn't want to hurt her. He had just talked to her doctor, and she had told him to be careful of her cuts. They had just stitched a couple of them up, and most was recently rubbed with alcohol.

"Chad said you wanted me?" She nodded, noticing how far away he was from her.

"Aren't you going to come closer or anything?" She asked, curiously. "I don't bite, like I did when I was four." She replied, as he chuckled at the memory of when the two cousins had first met.

"I know that much, Elle." He told her, sitting down on her bed, closer than before. "But really, what's up?" He asked suspiciously. She shrugged.

"Nothing. Could you come closer?" She requested, as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Sure." He responded nervously, suddenly afraid of what the brunette was going to do.

Gabriella noted his nervousness, and laughed at him, before bringing him in a hug. She embraced him tightly, as he hugged her back in confusion. He suddenly felt a tear drop on him.

"Not that I don't enjoy hugging my favorite cousin or anything, but what's up with you?" He asked, truly concerned.

She hiccupped, holding back her tears that were threatening to fall. "Nothing." She replied, clutching onto him. She had really missed seeing him, and had never gotten a chance to hug him since he came to Albuquerque. She guessed that the reasons for her almost crying, was because of her emotions that were getting the better of her again. "I just realized that I never got to welcome you properly. Plus, I missed you." She told him truthfully. He nodded against her, as he let go of her. He reach over to the night stand beside her, and took a tissue from the box of them.

"It's okay." He said softly. "Come on, you had a lot on your plate." He handed her the tissue, as she took a hold of it, and decided to not use it. It only was one tear.

"Yeah, but still. I'm just glad you're here." She stated, smiling slightly. He chuckled before replying.

"Well, I'm glad that you didn't kill yourself." He told her, cocking an eyebrow accusingly at her. She looked down and bit her lip.

"I know it was for a stupid reason, but I just couldn't help it, Cam." She admitted to him. "All of these gloomy emotions were bottled up in me from before, and the Melanie thing just triggered it all I guess." She replied, shrugging.

He nudged her arm gently, careful to not harm any of her self inflicted cuts. "Told you, you had to let go of your feelings." He replied cheekily, grinning at her. Gabriella rolled her eyes at her own cousin.

"Whatever, Cameron." She retorted, shaking her head.

The two relatives fell in a small comfortable silence, until Cameron decided to break it.

"Hey Elle?" She looked up from her hands and at him.

"Yeah?" She asked, wrinkling her forehead in confusion, as she saw her cousin smiling at her. "What?"

"Forgive Lover Boy sometime soon will ya?" He told her playfully, trying to keep the mood light. He had seen how Gabriella's rejection had affect Troy himself. And right now, he really wanted them to get together already. The drama between the two won't stop building. Soon enough, all of its going to come tumbling down if they don't do something.

"Why? He hurt me, Cam." She shook her head sadly. "Must we go back to the Melanie thing?" She asked slightly annoyed. He rolled his eyes at her lame answer.

"You know that it's not about that." He replied fiercely.

She sighed, why couldn't have her uncle and aunt give birth to a dumber person? "I know." She admitted in defeat. "But still!" She exclaimed, her stubbornness starting to show.

"Gabriella." He stated sternly, before softening his voice. "Try for me? I love the both of you." He paused, waiting for her to look up at him. "And I just hate seeing both of you suffer." She scoffed in response.

"I'm not suffering, and neither is he." She replied, her voice clearly showing her frustration and confusion towards the blue-eyed male.

"Shows how much you know." He muttered under his breath, and sighed. "Ell, he's a wreck right now." He told her, remembering back to when he had seen Troy walk out of the room, devastated from being rejected. "He can't just grasp the concept of you not welcoming him with open arms. Let go of it." He tried.

She shrugged off his comment about Troy, as she changed the subject. "I'm not suffering." She retorted. He abruptly stood up from his position on her bed.

"Not on the outside, but on the in. You can't tell me that you're not hurting too." He stated, shaking his head. This was it. It was his last chance to convince his cousin.

"Everyone can see it." He continued, as each word that came out of his mouth, grew in emphasis. "You can't say that you don't freaking love him. That you just want to forget what he's done for you in the past." He told her in disbelief. "You can't even tell me that you want to be this selfish, Gabriella." He shook his head.

"I know you better than that. Inside your heart, you've already forgiven him. You always forgive him no matter how much he fucks up." He said with confidence shining in his voice. "You want to get together with him right now." He rolled his eyes, before saying the next sentence he had in mind. "Hell, I bet you want to get freaky with him right this instant. It's just that stupid pride of yours that preventing you from doing so!"

"I-" She started, but was cut off by Cameron.

"Just admit it! Elle, I'm sick and tired of all this drama." He confessed truthfully, not really caring that he had interrupted her. "Admit that you're hurting on the inside and forgive him verbally and in person!"

Gabriella sighed, knowing that he was right. He had always been right. She bit her lip, avoiding what her cousin had just said. "I'm not going to let go of it, Cam." She told him, her voice soft, and sounding deflated.

"Just try, Ella. It's not that hard." He urged one last time, and turned around walking out of the room. Unfortunately, he didn't see the small nod Gabriella had emitted, moments after he had left.

Mistakes? Plenty.

I know, I know, Gabriella was kinda moody in this chapter. But that's how she's supposed to be. Well, at least for right now.

On another note, thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate the support that comes from them. We've hit the 500 mark, if you haven't noticed. My goal is to get 600 by the end of the story, but I'll still be happy if we get close to it. Seeing that there are only three chapters left. Two regular ones, and an epilogue.

Hmm, if you ever get bored, try reading my other story, The Mental Guy. (; It's doing better than I thought it would.

Next update for this should be sometime this week. TMG will be updated soon too. Spring Break, baby! :D

-Ilyilyx3