It's been a while since my last update, as I expected it would be. School makes me entirely unreliable and I apologize immensely for that.

I would, however, like to thank you all for your patience with me. You guys are amazing to stick around and wait for me to get off my lazy bum and write for you. I really, really appreciate your support.

CHAPTER 8

Zach dropped me back off at my house after lunch. The ride there was devoid of conversation, only the bluesy tones of Buddy Miller and Judie Miller filling the compact car with sound. When he pulled into my driveway, Zach dropped his hands from the wheel and looked over at me.

"You okay? You were quiet all through lunch." His voice was full of concern and its deep tone made me feel comforted which in turn made me feel guilty.

"I'm fine." I said quietly. "Just a little tired. I think I need to lay down for a bit."

He nodded.

"I should probably head inside." I said, my voice hushed. There was something about the way he was looking at me that made me feel as if he could see right through. He knew that I was keeping something from him; I only wished I knew what it was that he didn't know.

Without another word, I ducked out of the car, closing the passenger door behind me quietly. I forced myself to walk at a regular pace to my front door. By the time I was in my foyer with the door fully latched behind me, I was shaky all over and breathing unevenly as if I'd just finished a 5k. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the odd feelings.

I blamed Macey for this. It was an irrational assumption perhaps, but it was nonetheless the one I was going with. If she hadn't brought up all this talk of Zach being ga-ga over me then I wouldn't be feeling awkward and like I should be avoiding my new friend. Instead, I would feel relaxed and able to maturely handle my boyfriend being thousands of miles away from me.

Yes. That was it. Macey was undoubtedly riling me up because of her evil scheme to...to...

I sighed and slid down against the door until I was sitting on the cold tile floor. None of this was Macey's fault. It was mine with all of my insecurities and unresolved issues. I shook my head. It was still too early in the day to be thinking such dark thoughts. It was better to save those for the creeping hours of the night when the owls hooted passed my windows and the moon was there to soothe the nightmares.

I sat on the floor for another minute, the coolness of the floor actually quite comfortable compared to the humidity throughout the rest of the house. With a certain detachment, I remembered that Zach still had the SIM card of my phone and that I would need to retrieve it before I called Josh again tonight. I needed to let him know that I was okay and that I hoped he was having a good time with DeeDee even though he wouldn't understand the importance of what I was saying and I didn't actually really believe what I was saying.

Still, it was the right thing to say.

I didn't realize how exhausted I truly was until I had plodded my way up the stairs and was standing at the entrance to my room, staring at my bed as if in a hypnotic trance. I shuffled across the carpet to it and plopped down face-first. Within seconds, the haziness of sleep began to engulf me and it came as a huge relief to feel all my stress melt away.

~.~.~.~

The sound of laughing woke me up. I jolted up from my position which hadn't changed much from when I had first fallen asleep. Blearily, I looked for my bedside clock, wondering what time it was and yelped when my eyes focused on the blinking lights that declared it to be after seven. I'd been asleep for more than five hours.

Another laugh traveled up from below and this time I was able to discern that there were two people laughing. I scooted off the bed and out of my room, taking the steps two at a time to get to the main floor of the house.

"...and then when I asked him what he was doing," a voice giggled from the kitchen, "he told me that he just wanted to dress like a big boy!"

There was more laughter. It was loud and unrestricted and the first time I had heard my mom laugh like that in ages. I smiled to myself, imagining how red her face always got when she laughed like that and hurried the rest of the way into the kitchen, trying to catch a glimpse of it.

Sure enough, her face was red as she leaned against the counter, her entire body shaking with the force of her laugh. Across the counter from her was Abby, laughing just as hard though with far less blotchy skin.

Their laughs wound down to giggles after a minute and then just sighing, and I decided I might as well announce my presence.

"What's so funny?" I asked in my best jovial tone.

My mom jumped a little bit, surprised to see me standing in the kitchen. "Cammie, I didn't see you there. I'm sorry. Did we wake you?"

"It's cool. I was plenty rested." I waved her off. "Hey, Abby."

"Hey there, Cammie." Abby smiled at me. "Hope you don't mind me coming by. I'm afraid I strong-armed your mom into a girls' night."

"I don't mind at all. I do have to commend you, though, on being able to make Mom here do girls' night. She is usually so unbending when it comes to things she doesn't want to do."

"Hey, now!" Mom cried, sounding indignant. "You make me sound as if I'm some sort of tyrant."

"Is that not a synonym of parent? Odd."

I chuckled a little at my own good joke while my mom just rolled her head. She turned to Abby. "Help me here, Abby. My daughter is just so uncontrollable."

"Downright rebellious." Abby deadpanned.

"Oh, hardy har har. You two are just so hilarious." I roll my eyes at them as they exchange another giggle and then slide into the seat next to Abby at the counter. "So, what brings you over?"

Abby smiles brightly at me. "I ran into your mom today down at the town hall today, and we got to talking."

"Abby's going to be the new psychologist at the academy this fall." Mom said.

"Gallagher?" I said in confirmation and they both nodded.

Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women was the elite private school located less than ten minutes from Roseville. It had been established by the last member of the Gallagher family back in the 1800s and stood as a great symbol of our town's long and "sensational" history. I personally had never stepped foot in the school but there wasn't a kid in Roseville who hadn't made the trek down the winding road and scrambled their way to the top of the wall that surrounded the academy. It only took one look at the swooping green lawns and the palatial exterior of the school for you to know that Gallagher was no place for a small town girl; it was the home of princesses.

"I didn't know that," I said to Abby. "Maybe you could sneak me some pictures of the inside of the school. I've always wondered what the inside of it is like."

"Well, that's just a travesty!" Abby exclaimed jovially. "We must rectify that ASAP."

I returned her smile and asked her if she planned to stay for dinner.

"Pizza's on its way over now. Your mom was kind enough to invite me over for dinner and a movie. She's gonna give me the dirt on all the teachers in town."

"Your welcome to join us, honey," Mom said coming around the counter and patting a hand on my shoulder as she passed me. "We're going to watch The Goonies. I know that's one of your favorites."

I didn't hesitate for a second before I agreed.

"Just let me run and get something real quick, and I'll be back."

I didn't wait for their answer before I headed for the door and told them not to start the movie without me. I strode across the expanse of the lawn barefoot, the spears of grass tickling my toes as they dug their way between them. I hopped up the couple stairs to Abby's house and rang the bell, half of me hoping Zach was home and the other half hoping he was out.

The latter was disappointed as he swung the door open seconds a little, his face betraying no surprise at seeing me at his door.

"Hey," I began and then stopped there.

"Hey."

"My SIM card." I said bluntly. "I need my SIM card."

At that, he leaned against the door frame, not inviting me in and certainly not handing over the vital piece to my phone.

"SIM card, huh?" He said. I nodded. "And what makes you think you've earned it?"

"Earned it? What do you mean?"

"Come on, Cammie," he spoke to me like the answer was obvious. "I took the card to keep you from obsessing about your man-candy parading living it up in Barbados-"

"-he's not in Barbados."

"-and have you stopped? Have you stopped thinking about him?"

"It's only been a couple of hours." I replied.

A smile tugged at his lips and a surge of irritation rose in me. "Then you're not ready to have your SIM card back."

"Now, listen here," I said, "that is my card and if I ask for it back then you should give it!"

"But you gave it to me for safekeeping and I worry about the power you could wield with it." Zach said in a tone so completely serious that he had to be joking. "Right now, I fear you may use it for evil."

"Zachary."

"Cameron."

We stared each other down, neither willing to back down before the other. "This is absurd." I muttered.

"Such is life." He replied.

"Do you realize how terrible a person this makes you? You are preventing me from calling my boyfriend. My boyfriend, who's out helping the world. And what are you doing Zach, besides monitoring my calls?"

"Well, I just ate a sandwich. I'm thinking about going back for seconds."

I groaned in frustration and stomped my foot. "I'm serious, Zach. Give it back."

He appeared unfazed. "How about this? Get through one night without it. Go one night without worrying about whether he'll call and just let go of it all, and then I'll give it back first thing in the morning."

I glared at him but he gave no sign that this affected him. I sighed and gave in.

"Fine." He grinned at me. "But first thing in the morning, I'm coming for it."

"First thing in the morning." Zach extended his hand to me to shake. I took it and shook it firmly, hoping to convey how very much I did not want to go through with this plan through the simple touch.

After a few seconds, we stopped shaking hands but didn't let go of one another. I looked down at them and thought for a second of what would happen if I didn't let go. But that was an absurd thought and I quickly pushed it away.

I pulled away from him and took a step back. However, I forgot to consider the steps and lost my balance, tipping backwards. My arms flew up and I braced myself for the inevitable fall, my eyes closing as though if I couldn't see the fall then it wouldn't be real.

The impact of the ground never came, though. Instead, I was jerked back forward. I collided with something warm and firm. I opened my eyes slowly, taking in the feeling. Zach's arms were wrapped around me, pinning my arms down. I pressed up against his chest, my head resting under his chin. It almost reminded me of our first encounter when he had landed on me in the grass, and we had been pressed up against each other just like this, shoulders to knees touching.

I expected him to pull away, to let go and step back. But he didn't. I expected myself to excuse myself, to make a silly comment and slip back to my own house where I was able to think coherently and not just about how I could feel every breath Zach was taking. But I didn't.

I felt his hands rub against my back and it occurred to me that we were hugging. I brought my arms up as much as I could and wrapped them around his waist, hugging him back.

I pulled away after a minute, not because it had begun to feel awkward-in fact, Zach's chest was extremely comfortable-but because I had to something to say.

"Thank you," I said.

"For what?" He asked, confused.

"For being my friend." I said. "I mean, we've barely known each other a month and already you're...you're just a really great guy, Zach. And a really great friend."

He looked down at my face, a smile on his lips. "You're a really great guy, too, Cammie."

I slapped his bicep. "Oh, shut up!"

He laughed off my pathetic comeback. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Cammie."

"Yeah," I replied, "tomorrow."

I turned and watched my feet as I descended the steps this time. I walked across our two lawns much the way I had the first time I had met, leaving dark footprints in my wake. And just as before, when I turned to look back at the place I had just left, Zach was there watching me watch him.

Hope you all are enjoying your holiday season! I know I have been (which is why my panic attack is due to hit at any moment).

Let me know your thoughts if you please! :)