So, I wasn't planning on posting anything anytime soon. I haven't even finished the next chapter (but I hope to do it later tonight when I've finished everything else *coughMathHomeworkcough*), but if not, I will definitely send out teasers once I finish the chapter. So if it takes a few days (or hell, even a few weeks) to reply to everybody then that's why. I just started school again and it's my top priority.

But I really wanted to post this chapter because I want to know your reactions! Also, a few announcements:

In the last post I said I would reply to anonymous reviews here in my authors note. Well, according to a fellow GG author, you can't or else your story might get taken down! So, I'm sorry about that. Really, I am.

Also, I've had a blog up and running for a while now (it's not about fanfiction, it's about by personal novels and such) and I thought I might post the link here in case you guys want to check it out. You'll get updates much faster about me and if you subscribe I will love you for eternity!

Also, I got to do an interview with Andrea Cremer, debut author of NIGHTSHADE which hits stores October 19th. (If you don't know what or who I am talking about google it!)

http:/ellen-faith(DPT)blogspot(DOT)com/2010/07/interview-with-andrea-cremer(DOT)html

and the normal link::

http:/ellen-faith(DOT)blogspot(DOT)com

Please check it out and I hope you'll enjoy the chapter!

CHAPTER THREE

ZPOV

I stared up at my ceiling, unable to fall to sleep. Sleep would come to me in small doses, teasing me when I almost succumbed to it, before it was yanked out from underneath me like a rug.

It was really starting to annoy me.

Glancing over at my bedside table the red digits flashed at me brightly.

10:49

I groaned and stood up and changed in to some decent clothing, before I grabbed my basketball and quietly made my way downstairs. Sliding open the glass doors, I flicked on the outside light which eliminated the garden and my favourite place in the house (besides the bed which had just been downgraded to second): my basketball court.

As I stepped onto the court and bounced the ball with each step, I slowly floated away from everything that was reality. I was in my own little world, doing what I wanted, when I wanted. Every step, every bounce, and every score I made at the moment was for mine to take. When I stepped it was like I had springs underneath my shoes; I was floating on a cloud.

I leaped, my hand grabbing the edge of the ring as I slam dunked the ball.

"Impressive." A voice said.

I dropped to the ground and looked around. Sweat poured down my neck and made my hair stick to my forehead.

"Up here, silly." The voice said with a giggle.

I looked up and smirked instantly. Cammie.

"What are you doing, Gallagher Girl?" I asked, walking over and leaned against the fence, looking up at her. Cammie had covered herself up with a long, black silk robe that made her hair glow in the moonlight. She leaned her hip against the balcony's railing and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Some idiot decided to play basketball in the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep," she said with a shrug.

"Then you better tell that idiot to stop. After all, you need your beauty sleep."

"Actually, I was planning of stuffing the basketball in his mouth, but I doubt a basketball would even fit in his mouth. No matter how loud he can be."

"Ouch." I placed a fake hurt expression on my face and a hand to my chest. "I'm sure that that wonderfully charming man is going to be crushed by your accusation."

Cammie smirked. "It's only an accusation when it isn't true."

I shook my head, the hair falling into my eyes. "Believe it or not, but I don't think I even have a response to that one."

Her smirk widened and she shrugged. "I guess I'm just that good."

"You better watch out, Cameron, someday, somewhere, sometime, somebody's going to leave you speechless. And I'm going to be there."

She glowered. "Don't worry, Zachary," she sneered my name, "I'm sure that one day somebody will give it to you. And when they do I'll be there to record it and play it over and over again for my heart's content."

I raised a cocky eyebrow at her. "I knew it. You just want a picture of my beautiful face. I can hardly blame you. Though make sure you get a picture of the left side of my face. I've been told it's my better side."

She smiled then. It was a smile of snakes fangs, coated in venom that promised pain. And revenge. And trouble. "You really don't want to mess with me, Zach."

"And why's that?"

"Because at the moment I'm a teenage girl who is being deprived of her sleep by a cocky and annoying neighbour. Besides, I fight back."

I shook my head and bounced the ball on the grass once. "Well, then, you better hope that idiot stops playing basketball so you don't turn into a PMSing dragon of a teenage girl that we all know you can be." I smirked.

Cammie's eyes narrowed to slits, and at the moment she looked like a pissed off angel. A really pissed off angel who was hell bent on getting revenge.

I smirked and walked away, throwing a quiet, "Good night, Cameron," over my shoulder as I walked into the house and up to my room.

11:11

Make a wish, Goode. And make it a good one.

I slammed the locker door shut and glared at Grant in exasperation.

"Look, I understand that you're worried about your cousin and all. But relax. Nothing's happened and since you're the only one with any say, nothing is going to happen. So breathe and relax."

I walked off to homeroom.

"Then why are neither of you saying anything?" He persisted.

I stopped and spun on my heel. "We played an innocent, mundane game of Twenty Questions. That. Is. All." I kept walking, and tried terribly to keep the annoyance out of my steps.

Grant frowned. "Then why wouldn't she say anything?" His face blanked before it turned to an angry one. "If you tried anything –"

"No, I didn't," I hissed, glancing around. People were beginning to stare more so out of interest in the conversation and not interest in me. I grabbed Grant's arm and tugged him behind me. "Now let's go to homeroom."

"I just don't get why she didn't say anything if nothing happened!"

I sighed. "I don't know, Grant. Did you ask her?" We walked into homeroom and got our names marked off the role. Our teacher gave us a scolding look; we were late because of Grant.

"What do you mean?" His brow furrowed.

"I mean did you actually you the words, 'what happened in the car trip,' when you asked her?"

We sat in our seats and Grant turned to me. "Was I supposed to?"

"No, Grant, you were supposed to ask her what colour a rainbow is."

"But a rainbow isn't just one colour."

I groaned, rubbing my forehead, and sank into my seat as the bell went signalling our first subject.

PE: Mr Solomon's class.

CAMMIEPOV

I hesitated outside my Spanish classroom door as first period began. Slowly, the hallways became deserted as students rushed off to their classes.

"Um, Cam? I think you're supposed to actually go into the classroom, rather than just stare into it," Bex whispered as if it were the biggest secret in the world.

I turned to her, ignoring her comment. "What class do you have again?"

"PE." She smiled proudly. "And I kick major ass. We're supposed to be starting Self Defence. Why?"

"No reason." I smiled and walked in the direction of the office. "I'll catch up with you soon!"

The cool, air-conditioned air hit me unexpectedly and I found goose-bumps covering my skin. The office was bland with brown and white decorating it and a very sick palm tree in the corner by two brown waiting chairs. I walked up to the desk and smiled politely at the old lady, my feet were soundless as I walked over the carpet.

"Good morning. I was wondering if I could switch my first period class."

She huffed. "You should have chosen wiser when you started."

"I just got here." I said. The lady glanced up at me with an impassive face that was easily number three of impassive faces. "My name's Cameron Morgan." I tried again.

The lady blinked, frowning, before recognition covered her aged features.

Mary, her tag said. "Oh! You're Mr Solomon's Goddaughter."

I smiled angelically. "Yes, I am. I was wondering if I could move into the first period PE class. The thing is, I studied Spanish as my old school and I would like to try something else."

"Want to beat him up, in other words." The lady winked. "Alright, dear, just get Solomon to sign this and bring it back to me when you have your break and I'll switch you to PE."

"Thank you," I said, and walked out the door.

I knew my Godfather had some unnatural skills. But him being able to guess who was in the doorway (me) after they had just walked in (not even two steps), was seriously on the brink of unnatural becoming to out-of-this-world-unnatural.

"Ms Morgan, can I help you?" he asked, stopping his speech mid way.

I smiled and walked up to his side. "Actually, yes, Mr Solomon, there is." I mimicked his professional tone. "I need you to sign this to say that I can be transferred to this class."

Joe took the piece of paper out of my hand and read it in a few seconds. I looked over the crowd and winked at Bex who had a devilish grin on her face.

"Why should I sign this, Ms Morgan?"

This whole Ms and Mr thing was getting old pretty fast.

"Because I find there is no point to sitting in a classroom re-learning something that I don't need to when I can be active and healthy and learn to defend myself."

"You already know how," he said in a bored tone.

I frowned and my tone lightened. "I need to refresh my skills. You wouldn't want me to have to walk home one day, get mugged or kidnapped simply because I couldn't defend myself, would you, Mr Solomon?"

I could see Grant bristle, his whisper drifting towards us: "Don't fall for it! She did it to me, too. She's evil. Ouch!" Bex had punched Grant. "I'm trying to help him! He doesn't know what he's getting in to. Don't fall for tone, Sir! Stay strong."

Too late.

Mr Solomon signed the note. "You have a pair of clothes, then?"

I smiled. "Of course I do." I patted my bag which I had put in my spare clothes on my way towards the indoor gym.

"Then change."

I changed in a record time and sat down by Bex on the bleachers. The indoor gym was more of a podium. Rows of seats sat across from one another, surrounding the basketball court which I had no doubt our team had won countless games on. But every movement that was made practically echoed in the building.

"... If I hear about anybody using these moves outside of my classroom on school grounds and or use the words practise as an excuse, you will find yourself suspended and cleaning up after the Friday night football matches. Am I understood?"

Choruses of 'yes' and 'okay' echoed in the court.

"Good. I will be paring you up in random pairs. If you did not fit with your partner, then I will change you. But only I will change you."

He went through a list of names before he reached mine: Ms Morgan and Mr Hathaway.

Solomon went on to perform basic defensive move that I had seen – and done – countless times before at Gallagher (the school had most unusual class subjects ever!).

"Now go!"

I stood up, whispering words of good luck to Bex, as I made my way down to one of the blue mats that had been placed around to prevent any injuries.

But I can't guarantee anything.

A hand tapped me on the shoulder and I didn't hold back. I grabbed their wrist and flipped the body over, the person giving an 'oompf' as their back hit the blue mat.

"I'm Cammie," I said, smiling down at the person.

The guy stood up, ruffling his blond hair. He had the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen.

"I'm Marc," he said, a smile on his face, as he held out his hand.

I shook his hand and Marc – surprisingly – pinned my hand behind my back and tripped me down to the floor. I huffed and rolled over, pinning his arm underneath my back and jumped up before I pounced, pinned him down, and pinned his arm behind his back as he had done to me a moment before. Except this time I was smart and didn't leave an opening.

Out of my vision I could see a pair of Italian leather shoes tap against the floor. Sheepishly, I smiled up at Joe and shrugged.

"He left an opening."

Joe sighed and glanced around.

"Mr Goode will switch with Mr Hathaway."

I got off Marc, helping him up with a small smile and a shoulder shrug. Marc walked in Zach's direction, rolling his shoulder in small circles, rubbing at it with his hand.

Quickly, I glanced around and watched as Bex pinned the arm behind a guy and cheered, 'I got you again!' with the enthusiasm of a two year old at Christmas.

"Wow, Morgan, what a way to let a guy down," Zach said, as he stood at the edge of the blue mat, watching Marc walk away.

I felt bad.

But not bad enough to miss the opportunity of getting that damn smirk off his face !

I swiped my feet under his. Except it didn't do the way I planned. Zach jumped and grabbed my shoulder, turning me around. I lifted my knee up to his stomach and pushed him away at the shoulder.

Zach stumbled back a step but didn't fall like I had expected.

"Not so easy am I, Gallagher Girl?" His breath hit my cheek, his breathing was laboured, and I was suddenly aware of how close he was and how much of me and him were in physical contact.

He's just trying to get to you, I told myself. Don't let him get under your skin, no matter what. But it didn't matter. But he was right. He wasn't easy. And so I did the only thing I thought was reasonable at the time: I grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him in closer.

And kicked the back of his knee, causing him to fall (there was no way I was letting him beat me. No. Way. In. Hell). I spun around grabbed both arms and kept him levitating in the air. But that didn't last for long, obviously.

Zach seemed to be pretty determined not get beaten by a girl like Marc had – or at least not as bad as Marc had, because he rolled us over, and flipped himself so he on top. The asshole continued by rolling me over and grabbed my hands in his and dangled them in front of me.

"I've been doing this since I was two, Gallagher Girl. You're not going to win." He whispered, leaning forward.

I chuckled. "That's what you think."

Then with all my strength thrown into the force, I pushed my hands forward at his nose and missed by millimetres.

Zach had, however, leant back far enough that I was able to slip my right foot out from under him and strike him in the chest. This time Zach fell like I had been expecting.

I leaped again and put the majority of my weight on Zach's leg – keeping him tied down like an anchor – and held his hands behind his back.

I leant forward and whispered in his ear. "And as you've said I'm a Gallagher Girl. And we don't go down without a hard fight."

I was suddenly very aware of the audience that we had captured. People were cheering, chuckling, and the majority of the guys were shaking their heads at Zach.

Joe walked over, chuckling. "You can stop injuring my students now, Ms Morgan."

I let Zach go, giving him a mock rub of his hair and smiled. Zach mock glowered up at me and I very maturely stuck my tongue out at him.

Solomon now addressed the rest of the class: "Class will be ending in ten minutes. I suggest you take showers and for those who need it" – Joe looked at Zach, Marc and the poor boy Bex fought with – "the first aid kit will be available in the PE office."

With that were dismissed.

So, did I fall anybody? Please say I did! That would totally make my day! :D