Finding Out the Hard Way
Disclaimer: I dont own the Clique. If not, i'd be rich and living in New York right now.
"Hey Derrick, Chris, Kemp. Where's Cam?" asked Claire.
"He's out trying to find the girl he has had a crush on for two whole years to ask her out. He finally grew the balls to do it." said Kemp in his usual perverse manner.
"Really?" said Claire her heart pounding fast as she asked this.
She knew it was her. Everything he had done these past few weeks had lead her to believe it.
"Where is he? I wanna watch" she said quickly to avoid any awkward questions.
"He's out in the courtyard looking for her. That's the spot she's always in." said Derrick.
"Oh my god. That's where The Pretty Committee and I always sit" thought Claire. "Thanks" she responded aloud.
She ran in her strappy blue heels toward the courtyard looking for him which was extremely hard to do in her excitement.
Claire was also wearing a white A-line skirt with a wide-necked slouchy blue three-quarter sleeved shirt. Her shirt slouched to one side and exposed a white cami strap and a tanned shoulder.
As she was nearing the end of a tall bush Claire saw him. He was sitting on the bench, looking in the general direction of where she and The Pretty Committee always sit.
Then, she rounded the bush completely.
She saw him leaning forward. Then, Claire noticed what he was looking at. And she was sitting on the bench, closing her eyes as he leaned in to kiss her.
It was Olivia.
Claire wanted to cry, or run, or shout "DON'T DO IT!!" But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything. Just watch them get closer and closer.
She couldn't understand. It didn't fit in with what the guys had told her about the girl. Then, everything suddenly clicked.
Olivia and her loser gang always sat across from The Pretty Committee. She distinctly remembered laughing at her from her spot. And, Cam had known Olivia for 3 years.
Just. Like. She. Did.
Claire was shocked. How could she have not seen this? But she knew the answer as soon as she asked the question.
She was thinking and hoping that it was her he wanted. That was her only wish since the fifth grade. And it was hard to find out this way that she wasn't.
Olivia's and Cam's lips met.
Claire's tears fell.
It was pure torture watching this. But she couldn't look away. Her brain was making her watch this as if it wanted her to know "Cam doesn't like you and he never did".
She saw Cam probe Olivia's lips for entrance into her waiting mouth. She saw Cam's tongue explore Olivia's open mouth and Olivia exploring his.
Claire had thought he would always kiss her like that. The tears fell faster.
She saw that he knew what he was doing. He must not have been a lip-virgin, she realized later on. Though right now, her mind was fuzzy and numb with the pain.
She assumed her mind knew she couldn't take anymore of this. Claire finally could run. And she ran while the tears kept coming fast and furious.
She wanted someone to comfort her. Preferably, Massie and the girls.
Cam saw Claire running. He broke away mid- kiss to see what was up. Olivia looked on with a smirk that clearly said "I won what you wanted".
When he caught up to her, he grabbed her arm forcing her to stop. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" he asked.
Claire's mind couldn't process anything. All she could think of was, "Leave me alone". She tried to pull away, but he was stronger than she was.
"No. Tell me what's wrong." He said, concern dripping from every word.
Claire finally could speak. And she knew exactly what to say.
"You know what? Maybe I should tell you. Let's start with I like you. And right now, when your friends told me that you were gonna ask someone that you had liked for 2 years, the same amount of time I've liked you, I thought it was me. The way you flirted with me and cared about me, I thought it was me. So, I went out looking for you. And when I found you, I saw you kissing Olivia," her voice cracked a little at the end.
"I started to cry. I couldn't believe I had been so stupid. I can't believe I let you lead me on like that for so long. Now, that I've told you, let me go. Go makeout with your new girlfriend. You two deserve each other."
He was obviously stunned because his gripped loosened and she was able to run again.
She ran to The Pretty Committee. Claire almost tripped several times because she couldn't see through her fast flowing tears.
They were sitting on their favorite bench in the courtyard. When she was right in front of them, and they saw her state, they opened their mouth to ask what happened. Claire shook her head as her shoulders trembled while she cried.
Claire looked over to Cam and Olivia while the others looked at her. She saw them kissing again. Unbelievable.
"How could he do that to me? After what I just told him?" Claire thought.
Fresh tears had come thinking of his heartlessness.
They walked her to the bathroom, their self-proclaimed bathroom to be exact, so she could recollect and tell. But for now they didn't say anything.
They just let the tears fall.