Disclaimer: It makes me incredibly sad o say that I do not own the Gallagher Girls, Ally Carter does, but some things you just have to deal with...
Author's Note: Wassup fanfictioners? I hope you are having a great day, I certainly am. You want to know why? Because I am finally able to update for you all! I hope you like this chapter; it's a bit cheesy and sweet with the Zammie stuff, but who doesn't love a bit of fluff?! Anyhow, this is chapter 11; I sincerely hope you enjoy it! :)
When I creaked open the door to my room, I found Bex and Liz working away on their homework, trying to get it finished before the weekend started. They smiled as I came in.
"Hey girls, where's Macey?" I asked, curious as to where my other best friend had gotten too.
They gave each other a worried look, having a conversation between their eyes. They seemed to have finally agreed on something, since Bex suddenly turned to me with a sheepish smile and said, "She's at dance rehearsal for the musical.
I felt my smile falter slightly. I tried to cover it up with fake enthusiasm so I wouldn't seem like a Debbie Downer. "Hey, that's great! I bet she'll do amazing in the musical. I mean, WOW. She is working really hard. She's such a great dancer and really deserv-"
Liz cut me off mid sentence. "Cam, you don't have to pretend in front of us, you know that. We know you're not happy."
Now it was my turn to cut her off. "I'm fine, okay? Of course it's upsetting to see someone else live your dream, but I'm fine. I'm coping."
"Zach told Grant what happened in the gym...and Grant texted me about it. I don't think you are coping. I think you're in denial," Bex said softly, trying not to hurt my feelings.
"We're worried about you Cam, you're basically our sister. We have a right to be," Liz added.
I just shook my head. "I am not in denial," then glared at Bex. "In fact, I have moved on from dance completely. I am over it...seriously. I've decided to take music as my new subject. They have a really great instrumental programme," I told them.
"You mean Zach programme," Liz joked, giggling with Bex whilst I rolled my eyes.
"Guys," I moaned. "Stop being so childish and immature. I'm not even dating him."
"Yet." Bex said, laughing to herself. I gave her a shocked and questioning look that said 'How the hell did you know I have a date planned with Zach?!" She just giggled and explained, "Grant told me. Actually, Grant said some other stuff about Zach liking you, but I'm not going to tell you!"
"What?! Why?!" I asked, trying to snatch the phone out of her grip, which would've been a lot easier if I wasn't in a wheelchair.
"You can only see what is on my phone if you let me and Liz help you get ready for your date!" she said, as if she was the cleverest person in the world at that moment.
I groaned in frustration, but temptation finally overcame me. "Fine, I can be your personal Barbie doll for the night, just give me the phone!"
"All right, don't get your panties in a bunch love," she muttered, chucking me the phone.
It read: OMG Zach it getting ready for a date with Cam! He keeps saying it's no big deal, but I know it is. He really likes her, I can tell! From what I've heard, Cammie is quite stubborn too, they are the perfect match! LOL kind of like me and you ;)XXXX
"Awwwww," Liz sighed, I hadn't noticed she was reading over my shoulder.
My cheeks had turned a light shade of pink. Bex and Liz noticed this and just giggled. "Come on Cammie, we only have two hours left to rebeautify you before Zach comes." I rolled my eyes, but when she saw me she just shook her head and said evilly, "I don't know why you're rolling your eyes missy. I know you're still sore and everything, but that excuse for wearing no makeup can only last so long. Liz, get the foundation and mascara, we've got some work to do." At my horrified and slightly scared she just laughed.
After an hour and a half of 'rebeautifying' I was nearly ready, all that was left to do was but on the black dress Bex had laid out for me. Just as I was about to grab the dress off of my bed, Macey burst in to the room out of breath.
"Sorry I'm so late guys, dance was hectic. We had two full run-throughs of the duet as well as being fitted for costume..." she looked at me apologetically. "Sorry Cam, I didn't mean..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"I'm over it silly! Now help me get changed into this stupid dress, I have a hot date." I told her.
She looked at me appraisingly and muttered, "I knew you were wearing makeup. Damn, I missed the makeover?! Let down! Oh well, at least I get to see you before you leave. One quick question. By any chance, is a certain Zachary Goode this 'hot date'?"
"Maybe..." I murmured as a weak excuse of a reply.
"I have been waiting for this day to come all of my life!" she exclaimed.
"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Bex joked.
We all just burst out laughing, enjoying our time together.
"Quick Cam, Zach will be here in 15 minutes and you're still not dressed!" Liz reminded me, sending us all into panic mode.
Carefully, they all managed to get me into the dress, which isn't the easiest thing when I'm in a wheelchair. Macey zipped me up, whilst Bex handed me a bag and Liz gave me a thin jacket to match my dress. After fussing over the finishing touches to my hair and squabbling over what looked best, there was three clear knocks on the door. Suddenly, we all went silent.
Slowly, Macey made her way over to the door and opened it.
"Hello Zachary, how are you on this fine evening?" I rolled my eyes at Macey's antics.
"Urmm good?" he said, it sounded more like a question though. He was probably freaked out by Macey's weird behaviour. "Um, is Cammie there?" he asked nervously.
"Just coming Zach," I called.
Before I rolled myself away, Bex mouthed to me 'Good luck. Go get him tiger!' and Liz grinned to me and gave me a thumbs up.
When I reached the doorway, he was stood leaning against the doorframe, holding a single white rose. He broke out into a grin when he saw me coming, and I smiled right back at him. He looked amazing, his bright green eyes shining, black hair perfectly tousled, wearing smart jeans and a white shirt.
Macey broke us out of our trance by saying, "I expect Cammie to be back by at least 10.00...in the morning," she added with a sly wink, which made my cheeks go an embarrassing shade of red. I glared at her, and she just laughed and said innocently, "What? I have a shopping trip planned for tomorrow. I want to leave before town gets too busy."
I just rolled my eyes and glanced at Zach, who (surprise surprise) had a smirk on his face and was chuckling at our conversation.
"Let's go?" I pleaded with him, not wanting Macey to embarrass me further. He just nodded and took the back of my chair, smiling at Macey on the way out.
"Be safe!" Macey called down the hall after us. She was so dead when I got back.
"Sorry about that," I apologised sheepishly, once we were out of earshot of my dorm room.
"About what?" he asked casually.
"Macey acting so...Maceyish."
This just made him laugh and say, "I don't mind, she seemed funny."
"See, not all dancers in this school are as bad as you think they are!"
"I know, you already proved me wrong on that whole 'dancers are evil' theory." I just rolled my eyes and scoffed at what he said.
"So...Do I get to know where we're going now?" I asked, trying not to sound too eager.
"Nope," he replied simply.
"But I hate surprises!" I moaned.
"Oh well, I think you'll like this one," he said as if he knew something I didn't (which in this case he obviously did).
We slipped into a comfortable silence, not feeing the need to fill the empty air between us. Once we were outside of the girls dorm, he pushed me in the direction of the woods.
"You're not some crazy person who is going to murder me in the woods, are you?" I asked him jokingly.
"Even if I was, why would I answer that question, that would give the game away."
"Shut up smartass," I muttered, amused by his answer. He just laughed at my reply, finding my annoyance amusing somehow.
After nearly 10 more minutes of walking through the woods I started to get fidgety. "Are we nearly there?" I asked and moaned at the same time, feeling like a little kid on a long car journey.
"Nearly," he replied, chuckling at my disgruntled state.
After about 5 minutes, we reached a clearing outside of the woods. It looked like something out of a fairytale. Cute and special and romantic. There were flowers growing around the edge, forming a garden-like feel to the area. Luscious green grass was everywhere looking more than inviting. What surprised me the most was the tartan picnic blanket that lay in the middle of the clearing, with an old fashioned picnic basket on top of it.
Zach looked at me, trying to gouge my reaction. A smile broke out on my face as I looked from the set up picnic to him. "Zach..." I trailed off, lost for words.
"I know, It's not great, but I had limited resources in my defence. It doesn't seem like much and it's really–" I cut him off, knowing he was about to say something bad about all of this.
"Perfect, it's really perfect Zach. No one's ever gone to so much trouble for me. This is amazing. I love it." This made him grin, putting him in a better mood.
"This was Malady," he said with a fake English accent, gesturing towards the blanket.
Once I had wheeled myself over, he carefully picked me up out of the chair, and set me down on the blanket. He smiled at my surprised expression, knowing full well that I was expecting to stay sitting in my chair.
Silently, he came and sat opposite me, reaching for the picnic basket. He reached in and pulled out two china plates and glass cups I recognised from the Gallagher kitchen.
"I figured they wouldn't miss a few plates here and there late on a Friday night," he said with a cheeky grin, looking like a little boy who just ate all of the sweets and chocolate that was meant to be shared for everyone.
"You stole these?" I asked with mock surprise. He just rolled his eyes and set the glass and plate down in front of me.
"Now, I may not be a master chef, but I do make a mean everything filled sandwich."
"A what filled sandwich?" I asked, confused.
He placed a full looking roll down on my plate and said, "Everything filled sandwich. In there you got your ham, cheese, lettuce, bacon, ketchup, PB and J, plus my secret ingredient." He laughed at my disgusted expression and said, "Hey, don't knock it till you try it! I learned that the hard way, though in my case I guess it was more like don't judge a girl by her cover."
I just laughed and picked up the mammoth sandwich that probably weighed more than I did. Once I had tasted it...I loved it! All of the different foods mixed together made my taste buds zing. There was a slight spice to the flavour, adding to the flavour. I moaned in delight from how good the sandwich tasted.
Zach laughed at my reaction and said, "I told you it was good!"
"Mmmm," I replied, "What is that extra spice in there? It's amazing!"
"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," he joked, giving me a wink that made my heart flutter.
"Oh, so you're being all secretive now are you? Well can I at least know what we have to drink?" I asked.
"Sure," he said whilst pulling a bottle out of the basket.
"Um, I can't drink that at the moment. I've heard it's not good to mix medication with alcohol you know."
"Don't worry Cam," he had already started pouring the goldeny yellow liquid in my glass, "I'm sure you can mix sparkling apple juice with your medication." Then we both started to laugh at my slight idiocy.
"Cheers," he said, holding his glass in midair.
"Cheers," I repeated. "To us," I added just before we clinked glasses and took a sip.
For ages after that, we just spent time eating and talking and laughing. Zach had also brought grapes and crisps and apple pie. It was delicious, and he was such an easy person to talk to. By the time it had reached 11.30 we were ready and packed, not wanting to have to walk through the woods when it got too late.
Zach pushed me back to my dorm room, and we stopped outside.
"I had a really great time tonight Zach. I enjoyed myself," I added with a shy smile.
He just grinned at me and said, "Me too. We should do this again sometime, maybe you could come hang out in my dorm tomorrow? We have tons of stuff in our common room, a pool table, darts, board games, the lot."
He seemed nervous, so to ease his anxiety I said, "I'd love to. I'll be there after dinner in the dining hall."
"You can bring Bex, Liz and Macey too if you want, I know Grant and Jonas wouldn't mind, and I have someone in mind that we could set Macey up with."
"That'll be great!"
He then bent down to my level and kissed me, literally taking my breath away. The way his lips felt on mine, his breath, his smell, just he alone made me dizzy and forget where I am.
As he pulled away, he murmured quietly, "I could get used to kissing you Cammie Morgan," his breath washing over me.
"Me too," I whispered back, but then realised what I had said. "Wait, I didn't mean it in that way. I couldn't get used to kissing myself. That would be weird. Okay, I'm just going to shut up now," that last bit was slightly muffled, since he kissed me again, trying to get me to stop blabbering. He pulled away and smirked at me, but before he turned to leave I said, "Hey Zach, I'll be seeing you in music class from now on too, I forgot to tell you earlier. I'm looking forward to it."
"Really? That's great Cammie. I can't wait until we're in the same lessons. It'll be fun! Anyway...I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked again, still seeming unsure.
"Definitely," I confirmed. "Bye Zach," I said with a giggle.
"Bye Cammie. Oh wait! Could I...maybe get your um...number? You know, in case I have to come and save you again sometime."
"Sure," I agreed, and plugged my number into his phone. Once I had given it back to him, he just smiled and turned and left.
I opened the door to my room, to find the girls playing some card game in the middle of the floor. They smiled as I came in, but looked too nonchalant, too casual.
"I know you guys were listening just then so stop pretending. You would think with all of those acting classes you would do better under pressure," I said, chuckling at their failed attempt.
They all burst out laughing. I quietened them down by asking, "So, who's ready for a quadruple date tomorrow?" That got them chatting and gossiping quietly, planning outfits and makeup for tomorrow. While they did that, I got into my soft oversized t-shirt that belonged to my dad, and got snuggled up in bed. I was tired after today, but boy had it been worth it!
AN: Hey hey hey everyone! I really hope you liked this! It captured a lot of Zammie! I tried to make it a long one to make up for the wait. We will meet Grant and Jonas next chapter HOPEFULLY! That is, if I ever get round to writing it! Anyway, I still love y'all and I would really like to hear what you think of this chapter. I wasn't sure if there was too much or too little fluff. Please hit that review button and send me your thoughts! Have a good day (or night as it is for me!) wherever you are in the world. You guys are STILL the best reviewers and readers ever! ~XOXO