an: hello there. disclaimed, per usual. xP long chapter, long a/n. dedicated to dani. because even if she won't read this, even if she won't come back, even if she's somewhere else, hopefully enjoying love, i'm always going to love her 'cause she was just the best friend ever. ever.

Several days passed by since the Thanksgiving Benefit where Cam leaned in to kiss Massie. It was a thought that lingered in his head for more than a couple of times. The idea of Massie and Cam being a couple, however, scared him. Massie, she was too much to handle, and Cam, he wanted a subtle relationship; one where things are said through eye contact and thoughts are shared through light fingertip brushes.

Cam sighed to himself, walking along Westchester's only park. He stopped by the pond that Josh and he once rested at. He sat down on the dewy grass and watched the ducks once again, swimming away from each other, near each other, around each other. He narrowed his eyes and smiled. A distance away, he could just imagine Nikki Dalton standing by the classic wooden bench, throwing bread into the pond.

"Cam? Cam? Cam, is that you?" a whiny voice reiterated.

Cam turned around, his eyes heavy and his reflexes slower than usual.

Claire stood in front of him, the heavy wind blowing wisps of white-blond hair into her navy blue eyes and her body clad in head to toe designer wear. She smiled widely and extended her arms out, pulling him in a hug from behind. "Oh my Gawd, Cammie, I've missed you!" she squealed.

Cam's eyes widened. Her voice was even more high-pitched than usual and her squealing had gotten more irritating than he remembered. In fact, did she ever really squeal? Cam awkwardly patted her back, his eyes darting around for a certain dark haired-beauty, hoping that he wouldn't see her hugging Claire. "Uh, hey there, Claire," he mumbled.

She squealed again and made a face as she backed away from him. "EhmaGawd, why are you sitting there? It's, like, so dirty." She stuck her tongue out and wrinkled her ski-slope nose, digging her hands into her trench coat's pocket.

Cam raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I don't know, I like it. It's peaceful down here. No one bothers me." Except for a one girl named Claire.

Claire nodded with understanding and giggled to herself. "So, like, how are you guys? You know, the gang? I'm, like, uber sorry that I don't hang out with y'all any more. Like, I totally wish I could break away from Skye, but you know, it's like, totally impossible. I mean, she's like, so racin'." She nodded, her eyes wide.

Cam awkwardly stared at Claire. "Racing?" he asked.

Claire shook her head, throwing her head back and laughing maniacally. "No, silly, racin'. It totally means, like, cool and shit like that." She nodded and smiled, showing off her pearly whites.

Cam nodded slowly, confusion on his face. Racin'? And, y'all? And uber? "Uh, okay then. You keep thinkin' that. Heh," he awkardly coughed and turned away. "So, like, I have to go now. My mom—"

"But Cam!" she whined, looping her arm through his, "We haven't tawked in forever. We seriously, like, need to. Tell me about Cameron. How have you been? Or, you know what? Let's start with me first, since I have so much to tell you. So, like, you know how I got with the PC, right?" She giggled and waved her hand around, as if to dismiss the thought. "I'm sorry, I meant the Pretty Committee. Only members of the Pretty Committee can call it the PC, or TPC, 'cause it's racin' like that." She giggled again and Cam cringed. Had she always been that annoying? "Anyway, as I was saying, so, yeah, Skye met up with me on the night of the Halloween dance where she taught me how to get over, like, all my ex-boyfriends." She smiled at him as they passed by a squirrel that was chewing away on an acorn.

"And how would that be?" Cam asked, only because he had a feeling that Claire wanted him to ask her.

She giggled and ran a French-manicured hand through her thin hair. "By going out with other guys, duh!" She again giggled that insanely irking laugh which caused Cam to flinch once again. "So, anyway, I've gone out with, like, all these cool guys, but, sigh, sadly enough, they pale in comparison to Derrick. He'll always be my first love, y'know. But since bitchy little Massie—"

"Whoa, whoa, wait, what?" Cam stopped them and shoved her arm away from him. He glared at her as she stretched her arm about and frowned.

"Ow, Cammie, that really hurt. I think you, like, broke my arm," she scoffed.

Cam shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Claire, tell me, why would you say that Massie's the bitch here? You have got to be kidding me, Claire, really? After all that Massie's been through, you're going to blame her for all of this, all that's happening to her?"

Claire stood there, shell-shocked, her eyebrows scrunched together and her jaw dropped slightly. "Ugh," she scoffed again, "obviously you're going to take her side. They always take her side 'cause she's a Mary Sue. She's such a perfect little bitch. I mean, she's nice and she's funny and she's pretty and everyone likes her—"

"That's not true, Claire. Everything you stated is what you are, too! But, see, the thing is, Claire, you're not perfect because you fucking left your best friend the moment she needed you the most. She needed you there when she and Chris broke up with each other and you didn't do shit, Claire, you didn't do shit. Not only that, but you tried to take Derrick away from her! You knew Derrick had a thing for Massie, you knew that. But, since you're so selfish and you care about only yourself and no one else around you, you bailed on her! You and Kristen. Seriously, what the hell? Massie had always been there for you guys and you fucking leave. Seriously, if I could punch you right now..." He angrily punched his thigh and went back to shouting at Claire, hand gestures and all. "You're the bitch here, Claire, going around and being... Gah, I just don't know how to explain it to you anymore, Claire. You're just so... So stupid. You're conniving, you're mean, you're whiny and you're just too immature to be sixteen, Claire. Face it—you're never going to be liked by any of us anymore." Cam had no idea what he was saying anymore, so it all came out in a mess of words that trailed off after another. "You know what, Claire? I can't believe I actually used to like you. You used to be so nice and so sweet, and now, look at you. You're the 'less hotter version of Regina George'. Like, seriously; you think that all these people look up to you and want to be you, but no Claire, you're literally destroying their lives. You're coming up with all these rules that girls have to follow and you think you're smart for coming up with them, they're not, Claire. You and your little Pretty Committee make no sense whatsoever. So you know what, maybe you girls are perfect for each other; stick with each other because in the end, you four are all you'll ever have."

He swallowed and turned away from Claire, glad that he was able to let that all out. There was still so much to be said, still so much to be thought out, but for Cam, it was over for him. He was finished with his part in this story. He was going to enjoy what was left of his sixteen-year-old life and then move on to his seventeen-year-old life, and on and on, wherever it took him.

"Cam?" Claire whispered.

He turned around, his dark eyebrow arched once again, his face stoic and expressionless.

One corner of her lips turned up and softly, she said, "You used to like me?"

Cam let out a cynical chuckle and he shook his head. "Yeah, Claire, I did. The only regret of my life."

an: four for you, cam fisher, four for you!

so, remember how i said i was going to finish this exactly on the 23rd? i totally flaked, 'cause today's the 20th, and i have, like, six chapters left -_- so, i epically fayl. i just really thought that it was still far away, when it really wasn't, so yeah, kind of my fault. and tomorrow, i'll be posting two chapters, so yeah. :)

uh, i guess that's it. review? :)

ericka