Full of Promise

by Kate Gavin

  Cam watched his smile fade. “Yeah, sure,” he muttered. “Are you sure that’s all it is?”

  She stared out her window for a beat before turning back to him. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  He studied her longer than he should have as he was still driving and she tried not to let anything show on her face, but she couldn’t tell if he believed her or not. He nodded once and said, “Okay,” before shifting his focus to the road. Once he pulled into the driveway, he gave her a brief kiss and told her goodnight, disappointment clearly spread across his face.

  She walked inside quietly, knowing her mom and brothers were probably asleep. She got ready for bed, but before she could turn off her light, she remembered she needed to text Riley and tell her about the time for the party.

  Hey! Hope I’m not waking u, but we’ll get to the party around 9.

  Nope, I was still up. Thanks! See you tomorrow Cam ;)

  As she lay on her bed with her hands behind her head, she mused that even her short conversations with Riley, someone she barely knew, had her feeling more excited than her night with Danny. She drifted off to sleep thinking the party might be fun after all.

  Chapter Four

  Riley was standing inside her small, walk-in closet with her hands on her hips as she surveyed the clothes. Normally, she’d have no problem choosing an outfit for a party, but this wasn’t going to be just any party. It would be her first introduction to other kids at her new school. But, most importantly, Cam was going to be there too. Her anxiety rose as she remained indecisive about her outfit. She was pulled from her fashion musings when she heard her mom knock.

  “Riley, you in here?”

  She walked out of the closet and threw up her hands in exasperation. “I have no idea what to wear.”

  With a furrowed brow, her mom asked, “Wear to what?”

  “One of the football players is having a party to celebrate the end of summer. Claire and Cam told me about it.”

  “I see. Are his parents going to be home?”

  “Um, I don’t know. It’s not something I asked.”

  “Don’t you think you should have?”

  She looked down and answered, “I guess.” Looking up with pleading eyes, she asked, “I can still go, though, right?”

  Her mother let out a long sigh and looked her in the eye. “Yes, you can still go. I don’t like not knowing the kid or whether his parents are home or not. You will not drink and drive, got it?”

  “Come on, Mom. You know I don’t really drink,” she replied with an eye roll.

  “I know, but I still need to say it. If you need a ride home, I’ll be at work so call your father. Understood?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Her mom’s gaze softened, and she flashed a charming smile. “You’ll help me figure out what to wear, right?”

  Her mom answered with her own eye roll and looked in Riley’s closet. “Yes, ma’am,” she replied mockingly. “Just have a seat on the bed and let me work my magic.”

  Within two minutes, her mom had thrown an outfit onto Riley’s bed. She looked astonished and said, “I don’t know how you did that. I’ve been staring at those clothes for over half an hour.”

  “I’m just awesome,” her mom said with a wink. “Plus, while I want you to look good, I don’t have to freak out about what a certain someone might think about how you look.”

  Her cheeks took on a reddish tint as she looked at her hand, and mumbled, “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Uh-huh, sure you don’t. Have fun hanging out with Cam. Make sure to branch out and meet other kids.”

  “I will.”

  “And, call if you need to. You won’t get in trouble for it. Be home by midnight.”

  “Will do. Thanks, Mom.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetie. Have a good night and I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Have a good night at work,” Riley said as she stood to give her mom a hug.

  “I just hope no one throws up on me tonight.”

  Riley’s nose scrunched up in disgust as she backed away from her mother. “Eww.”

  Her mom chuckled as she left. Riley stared at the clothes her mom had placed on her bed. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before getting dressed.

  By the time Cam finished getting ready for the party, she also had served her brothers a somewhat proper dinner and they were already engrossed in a movie. She took one last look in the mirror, hoping that her white shorts, turquoise sleeveless button-down and sandals made her look cute. Before she could second-guess her outfit, Josh called up the stairs to tell her Danny was at the door.

  “Hey, you look great!” he said as he gave her a kiss.

  “Thanks.” Cam turned to her brothers. Standing with her hands on her hips, she said in her best mom-like voice, “Okay, guys, Mom will be home in about an hour. Behave! I’ll see you tomorrow.” All she heard were barely audible mutters of agreement.

  Cam and Danny made their way to the party. As they pulled into Tommy’s neighborhood, she counted about a dozen cars lining his street. Lucky for him, he lived in a rather secluded area, which meant his neighbors shouldn’t be bothered by the party. Inside, they headed straight for the kitchen to get a couple beers. Almost everyone was split between the kitchen or the living room, where the furniture had been moved to the side to create a makeshift dance floor in the middle. As they got their drinks, Claire walked over with Luke.

  Claire wrapped Cam in a tight hug and yelled, “Let’s dance!”

  Cam tried to protest but Claire either didn’t hear her or just flat-out ignored her. While she didn’t mind dancing in the privacy of her own room, dancing in front of what felt like almost half their class (even though it was maybe thirty kids) was a rather daunting thought. Usually at these parties, she hung back or refrained from dancing until either she had too many drinks or the rest of the partygoers had.

  They started dancing in a group with a few other girls from the team. Eventually Danny and Luke joined them to refresh their drinks and dance, and they broke off into couples. Danny’s hands gripped Cam’s hips as they swayed to the beat while Luke and Claire started making out and went down the hallway toward one of the bedrooms. As Danny leaned down to kiss Cam’s neck, the front door opened and Riley entered.

  “I’ll be right back,” she told Danny as she pulled his hands away from her hips.

  Riley looked cute in dark skinny jeans, white tank top, and red flats. She was talking to another girl from the team, so Cam tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, Riley.”

  “Oh, hey, Cam!” Riley turned toward her with a wide smile. “How’s the party so far?”

  “It’s okay. I’m glad you could make it. Do you want a drink?”

  “Sure. Lead the way.”

  Cam showed Riley to the kitchen as Danny came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Aren’t you going to introduce us, Cam?”

  “Right… Riley, this is my boyfriend, Danny. Danny, this is Riley. She was the one I was texting about last night.”

  He nodded and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m gonna go use the bathroom. Be back in a minute.” He kissed Cam on the cheek and disappeared down the hallway.

  “He’s cute,” Riley said.

  Cam briefly looked down the hall where he had gone. “Um, yeah, he is.”

  “How long have you guys been together?”

  “About eight, maybe nine months?”

  “Long time.”

  Cam nodded as she took a sip of her beer. They made small talk about Riley’s move to town.

  “You look great, by the way,” Riley said.

  Heat rose to Cam’s cheeks. “Thanks.” She cleared her throat, and asked, “Ready for school to start on Monday?”

  “I am. It’ll be nice to meet some more people and get senior year started. What is…”

  Before Riley could finish her question, Danny had returned and wrapped his arm around Cam’s waist. “Can I steal you away for a sec, Cam?”

  “U
m, sure.”

  He grabbed her hand and guided her down the hallway. Cam turned and mouthed, “sorry” to Riley, who waved in response.

  Danny took her into the room at the end of the hall. Before she had a chance to look around, he had closed the door and pressed her up against it, locking it as he leaned down for a demanding kiss. She let out a surprised whimper, which he apparently interpreted as encouragement to move her farther into the room.

  Her legs hit the foot of a bed and she fell back onto it. Okay, so we’re obviously in a bedroom. Without breaking the kiss, he maneuvered them onto the bed. He covered her body with his, bracing himself with his hands on either side of her head as she instinctively wrapped her hands around his neck which pulled him into her more firmly.

  She enjoyed feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers, but soon she knew things weren’t right. She used to become lost in his kisses and wanted more, but those feelings were gone. All she noticed now was the beer on his breath and how heavy his body felt on top of hers. It became blatantly obvious that she was not in the moment as he unbuttoned her shorts and slid his hand into her underwear.

  She grabbed his hand, turned her head to break the kiss, and breathlessly said, “Wait.”

  He ignored her and trailed kisses down her neck.

  In a more forceful tone, she said, “Danny, wait!”

  He pulled back and rested his weight on his hands. “What? Wait?”

  “Yes, I said wait. We should stop.”

  “Why?”

  “I just don’t feel like it, and we’re at a fucking party.”

  “This isn’t the first time we’ve messed around at a party.”

  “That was one time. This isn’t happening now.”

  “Come on. We’ve hardly seen each other all summer and we haven’t had sex in months!”

  “Just get off me,” she said as she pushed his shoulders. He rolled off and sat at the foot of the bed while she stood and zipped up her shorts and straightened her shirt.

  “Look, I’m sorry. What’s been up with you?”

  “Nothing. I’m just not in the mood.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you’re gonna say?” he asked, his voice getting louder with each question.

  She crossed her arms and stared at him. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

  He stood and faced her. “How about explaining to me why we never see each other anymore? Why you won’t really talk to me about anything? Or touch me? Just fucking say something!”

  “We’re done!”

  He stepped back as if she had slapped him. “What?” he whispered.

  She covered her face with her hands, immediately regretting her harsh and abrupt words. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that, but I don’t want this anymore.”

  He took a step forward and gently reached for her hand. “You don’t mean that. It’s just a fight. We’ll cool off and be fine. You can’t do this.”

  Softly, she replied, “It’s over, Danny. I’m sorry.”

  He let out a humorless chuckle. “You’re sorry? Wow. Thanks.” He shook his head and then glared at her as he straightened his shoulders and dropped her hand. “I can’t believe you.” He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

  She took her first full breath since she had entered the room. She turned on the lamp next to the bed and looked around. It was decorated in blue and gray and had a bookshelf full of trophies and pictures, which meant it was either Tommy’s room or his older brother’s.

  She walked over to the door, gripping the handle tightly. She didn’t want to go out there and run the risk of seeing Danny again. So instead, she locked the door. She slid down to the floor with her knees bent and her head in her hands.

  She never planned this. The breakup surprised her too. Okay, maybe not the breakup with the way she had been feeling lately, but the timing of it was unexpected. She never wanted to hurt Danny, but she knew that she had. She saw the pain in his eyes, maybe even a glimmer of tears, but it was too dark to tell. He had been one of her best friends since they started dating, and he had given her so much support during her parents’ divorce. Yet, that wasn’t enough. Somewhere along the way, she fell out of love with him. She couldn’t even pinpoint the moment it happened, which confused her even more. She just couldn’t pretend anymore that everything was perfect between them. Danny didn’t deserve that, and it wasn’t fair to her either.

  She was dreading going back out to the party, but she knew she had to do it sooner or later. As she wiped the tears from her cheeks, she heard a knock at the door.

  “Cam? It’s Riley. Can I come in?”

  She stood, making sure to straighten her clothes again. She unlocked the door and let Riley in before closing it again.

  “Are you okay? I saw Danny storm out of here and slam the door.”

  “I’m fine. Parties aren’t really my thing and I just needed a break.”

  As she turned around, Riley’s eyes widened. “Have you been crying?”

  Self-consciously, Cam wiped her cheeks again before crossing her arms and avoiding Riley’s gaze. “No, not really.”

  Riley moved closer. “No offense, Cam, but your eyes are all red and puffy. What’s wrong?”

  She cleared her throat before she spoke. “Um, I just broke up with Danny.”

  “What? Are you okay?”

  She shrugged. “I really don’t know. I think so.”

  “Come here. Let’s sit down.”

  Riley took her hand and led her to the foot of the bed. “Now do you want to tell me what happened?”

  “He thought we’d hook up, but I didn’t want to.”

  “Did he try to force you?”

  “No, it was nothing like that. Sure, he was drunk, but he didn’t force me to do anything. He stopped when I asked.”

  “Good. How did that lead to a breakup? I thought you liked him.”

  “I do. Well, I did. I mean, it’s not like he’s a jerk or anything. But for the past few months, I haven’t felt like being with him anymore. It’s just…I felt like I was going through the motions with him, you know? It was fun initially. I fell in love, and we’ve been together about a year.” She took a shaky breath and then whispered, “But I don’t love him anymore.”

  “Aw, Cam, I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

  “Can we just sit her for a few minutes? I don’t feel like going out there just yet.”

  “Of course.”

  Riley made small circles on the back of Cam’s hand with her thumb. She should have felt upset about everything that had just happened, but a strange sense of calm came over her with each stroke of Riley’s thumb. They sat there in comfortable silence for several minutes until she started thinking about how hurt Danny had looked before he left the room. She took a deep breath and whispered, “What if I made a mistake?”

  “Do you think you did?”

  “I don’t know. I really hurt him.”

  Riley squeezed her hand. “Breakups hurt. You couldn’t avoid that. Were you happy with him?”

  “For a while I was. Everything was great. But somewhere that changed. I just don’t know when.”

  “Then it sounds like you probably made the right decision.”

  “But I know I hurt him, Riley. And my mom loves him. And Claire thinks we’re like the definition of the perfect couple.”

  “Those aren’t reasons to stay with someone.”

  “I guess, but—”

  “And your mom and Claire shouldn’t factor into this. It’s your life, not theirs. If you’re happy, they’ll be happy. And, I’m sorry, but it doesn’t sound like he was making you happy.” She waited a beat before continuing. “Was he?”

  She thought about this and tears rolled down her cheek. “No,” she said softly. As Riley wiped a tear away, Cam fought the urge to lean in to her touch.

  “Then it sounds like you did the right thing.”

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “You gonna be
okay?”

  She wiped any remaining tears off her cheeks. “Yeah, thanks.”

  “What do you say we get out of here? You can find Claire and she can take you home.”

  “That sounds good.”

  They stood and made their way to the door. Before Riley opened it, Cam grabbed her wrist and said quietly, “Thanks.”

  Riley wrapped her in a hug and whispered, “You’re welcome.”

  Cam’s breath caught in her throat and she melted into the embrace. After enjoying the comfort of the hug for a moment, she somehow found the strength to gently extricate herself. They shyly smiled at each other before heading to the front of the house.

  Cam found Claire dancing with Luke in the living room and whispered in her ear that she wanted Claire to take her home. Claire looked surprised but must have realized how upset she was because her expression softened and she immediately agreed. She gave Luke a kiss as Cam headed to the front door, keeping her eyes on the floor. She didn’t know if Danny had stuck around after he left the bedroom, but she wanted to avoid any more confrontations with him.

  Cam, Claire, and Riley walked out together. Riley hugged Cam and said goodnight to Claire before walking down the street to her own car. Cam spent the car ride home in silence, but she could sense Claire wasn’t happy about that. Several times Claire opened her mouth to say something, only to close it again.

  As she pulled into the driveway and shifted her car into park, she asked, “What’s wrong, Cam?”

  She looked down at her hands in her lap. “I broke up with Danny tonight.”

  “You what? What happened?”

  “We had a fight and I told him I was done.”

  “Why do I feel like there’s more to it than just that?”

  Sighing, Cam replied, “Because there is. Do you want to spend the night? We can talk upstairs.”

  “Definitely. I don’t want you to be alone tonight anyway.”

  They made their way inside, Claire’s arm wrapped around Cam’s waist the entire time.

  Cam’s mom called from the living room. “Cam? How was the party?”

  Cam turned to Claire and said, “Go on up. I’ll be there in a minute. You know where to find some pajamas.”