by Kate Gavin
“Oh.”
Riley sat there, hopeful that Cam’s silence wasn’t because she was grossed out.
Cam shook her head and looked her in the eye. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant to come out of my mouth. I just had no idea. It’s not like it’s a big deal. It doesn’t change anything. You know that, right?”
Relief flooded Riley’s face. She wrapped Cam in a strong hug and whispered, “Thanks. I hoped it wouldn’t. The only people who know are my parents and my friends back home.”
As they embraced, Cam felt the pounding of Riley’s heart against her chest. She imagined this was super nerve-wracking for Riley. With Riley in her arms, Cam’s heart began beating almost as wildly as Riley’s. What if she likes me? That thought brought an odd, fluttery feeling in her stomach and she was barely able to stifle a hitch in her breath. She didn’t feel uncomfortable or weirded out by that thought. She felt excited.
She pulled away and took Riley’s hands. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone, not even Claire.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it. I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you’re lying to her, but I would prefer to tell her on my own.”
“It’s okay. This is your thing to talk about and I promise not to say anything.”
Cam realized she still held Riley’s hands, so she gently let them go and rested hers in her lap. They sat in silence for a beat, which could have felt uncomfortable, but she felt a little curious instead. She really wanted to ask Riley how she figured out she was gay, but since Riley was the cause of her confusing feelings and thoughts, she ignored that temptation.
“H-How’d your parents and friends take it?” Cam asked quietly, dreading the answer if it was a negative one. With the way Riley had been making her feel lately, Cam was starting to think she might need to have a similar discussion with her family and friends.
“My friends didn’t care and my parents were fine with it eventually.”
She was relieved but she tempered her reaction and just absently nodded. She wanted to ask more, but she didn’t want to make Riley suspicious if she kept throwing questions at her. “Well, I just want you to know that I have absolutely no problem with it, and I promise I won’t tell a soul.”
“Thanks.”
“So, how about we watch another movie?”
Riley’s face transformed into a wide smile of relief.
“Good idea.”
Cam got up and placed Wonder Woman into the DVD player. They settled back down on the bed, reclining against the pillows. Within ten minutes, Cam felt her eyelids growing heavy. She tried to fight it but she soon fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, Cam woke up to use the bathroom. When she got back to the bedroom, Riley had curled into a ball on her right side, facing Cam’s side of the bed. She moved the snacks onto her desk, turned off the lights and TV, and got into bed, covering them both with the blankets. One of Riley’s hands was extended toward her, and she wanted to reach out and hold it, but instead, she rested her hand a few inches above Riley’s with that image in her head before falling back to sleep.
That thought came true. Cam woke up the next morning and her hand was in Riley’s. Right away her mind went into panic mode and she wanted to snatch it back before Riley woke up and saw what had happened. Yet, it felt nice and natural. She was tempted to brush her thumb across the backs of Riley’s fingers.
Before her brain could process the decision to move her hand, Riley cleared her throat. Cam knew Riley had noticed their entwined hands. Cam quickly pulled her hand back and held it under the covers, immediately missing the warmth of Riley’s touch. “I’m sorry. We, um, fell asleep.”
“It’s okay. I should go. My mom wanted me to do some chores today.” Riley pushed back the blankets, sat on the side of the bed, and put on her shoes.
“Okay, let me walk you to the door.” They walked downstairs and were stopped by Cam’s mom in the kitchen.
“Are you girls hungry? I can make some pancakes.”
“No thanks, Ms. Leoni. I told my mom I’d be home early. Thanks for letting me stay over.”
“Anytime, Riley.”
As Riley buttoned her coat, Cam opened the door. Just when she was about to walk out, Riley gave her a hug, and said quietly, “Thanks again, Cam.” She looked Cam in the eye while holding on to her shoulders. “I had a lot of fun last night.”
“Me too. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
Cam shut the door behind her. She leaned back against it, staring up at the ceiling. She still couldn’t believe that Riley was gay. She never would have guessed. As she remembered the position they woke up in, Cam’s eyes shut and her imagination took over. Their faces had only been inches apart. It would have been so easy for her to lean forward and place a kiss on Riley’s lips. She straightened up and opened her eyes.
Oh shit.
Chapter Ten
The Friday before Thanksgiving was the night for a big party thrown by Andre Wilson, the senior quarterback on the football team. It would probably be even bigger than the party thrown at the beginning of the school year, and everyone had been looking forward to it.
Claire drove Cam and Riley to Cam’s house after school that day, so they could hang out and get ready for the party together. They all had a quick bite before heading up to Cam’s room. Claire and Riley started getting ready in the attached bathroom almost immediately, while Cam waited her turn, lying on the bed channel surfing.
Riley was the first one done, and when Cam saw her, she stopped changing the channels, and openly stared at her with her lips slightly parted. She wore skinny jeans, a pale pink tank top, a light, cream-colored cardigan, and knee-high brown boots. Her makeup was very subtle—only some mascara and pink lip gloss. Riley’s hair was loosely curled, and the sides were pulled up and gathered in the back by a gold clip. Cam was also thrilled to see she was wearing the owl necklace.
Riley looked down at what she was wearing. “Does this not look good?”
She shook her head and said, “You look great.”
Riley blushed but before she had a chance to reply, Claire walked in and said, “Well, of course she looks great. She always does. How do I look, guys?”
Claire had dressed up, but she was known to do that. She wore a navy blue dress with three-quarter length sleeves, a thin, tan belt around the waist, and matching tan ankle boots with a slight heel. Her makeup was heavier than Riley’s but not so that it was too much.
“Looking awesome, Claire,” Riley replied.
Smiling, Claire said, “Thanks. All right, Cam, now it’s your turn to get dressed.”
Groaning, Cam crawled off the bed and stood in front of Claire.
“I think you’ll look great in that red dr—”
Cam held up a hand to interrupt her. “Nope, I am not wearing a dress. I know the end of season party is a bit classier than most, but I’m not going to be uncomfortable all night.” While she had been okay wearing a dress to Riley’s birthday dinner, it hadn’t involved dancing or drinking games, so she hadn’t had much of a problem with her choice of outfit. Now, however, she was looking for comfort and practicality in tonight’s choice of clothing.
Claire narrowed her eyes and said, “Okay, okay. You don’t have to wear a dress, but only if you let me pick out your outfit.”
Placing her hands on her hips, Cam rolled her eyes and muttered, “Fine. Have at it.” She went back to lie back on her bed and threw her arm over her eyes as Claire rummaged through her closet and dresser, quietly consulting with Riley every so often. Finally, Claire picked out black skinny jeans, a white, sleeveless top, red flats, and a short, black leather jacket.
“You’ll look fantastic in this!” Claire said with a smile.
Riley nodded in agreement. “Definitely.”
As Cam got off the bed, she struggled not to roll her eyes and said with a hint of self-deprecation, “If you say so.”
Claire gripped Cam’s wrist, looked her in the eye, and said softly, “You’re
going to look great.”
“Thanks, Claire.”
As Claire and Riley checked their makeup and hair again in the mirror, Cam changed into the clothes Claire had picked out for her. Once she finished, she turned toward them and asked, “Well?”
Riley was the first to turn around, and Cam didn’t miss how Riley’s eyes traveled up her body with a slight hesitation before reaching her face.
“You…” Riley cleared her throat and continued, “you look beautiful.”
She immediately felt the heat rush to her cheeks. She was never great at taking compliments, but she noticed that a swarm of butterflies seemed to have settled in her stomach. Huh, that’s weird.
Claire turned and wrapped an arm around Riley’s shoulders. “You do look beautiful, Cam. Told you so.”
Cam stuck her hands in her back pockets and shrugged. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.” She caught Riley’s gaze again briefly, but she couldn’t tell what Riley was thinking. It was like the look she had in her eyes when they were eating ice cream after Riley’s birthday dinner.
Claire checked her hair once more in the mirror and said, “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
“Bye, Mom,” Cam said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Wait a minute,” her mom called, which made all three girls stop and turn around. “Now, remember—have fun, but be smart and safe. If you need a ride, call me. I mean it.”
“Don’t worry, Ms. Leoni. We’ll be fine,” Claire replied.
“I’m sure you will. There is to be no drinking and driving. Preferably, no drinking at all. Got it?”
“Got it,” Cam said, kissing her mom on the cheek. After calling out goodbye to her brothers, they all headed for the party.
As soon as Riley walked into the front door of Andre’s house, she looked around the room, surveying the setup. Straight ahead was a staircase leading up to the second floor where an unrecognizable couple made out and looked to be a second away from moving to a more private location. To the right was the living room and several small groups of people sitting around and chatting away. One group even had a game of euchre going, a staple card game in the Midwest. Finally, to the left was an open area that contained the dining room and kitchen. Andre had placed a large plastic tarp across the dining room table and the chairs had been stacked neatly in a corner. Two seniors on the volleyball team were playing a junior and senior from the boys’ soccer team in what seemed to be a competitive game of beer pong, while several of their friends stood around cheering and drinking.
“Let’s grab a drink. I need to get mine out of the way, so I can drive home,” Claire said as she grabbed Riley’s wrist and pulled her toward the kitchen with Cam following behind them. Several of their soccer teammates stood around the kitchen island talking and drinking.
Riley gratefully took the cup of beer Claire poured for her. She joined the conversation about their tough loss and how she was equally happy and sad the season was over. Riley noticed Cam was her usual self and stood a tad off to the side, quietly listening to everyone’s thoughts as well as glancing around the room every so often.
Her focus was pulled toward the dining room when she heard one of the volleyball players yell, “Who’s up?”
Riley quickly turned to Cam and said, “Let’s play.” Riley wrapped her arm around Cam’s waist and guided her toward the free end of the dining room table.
Once all the cups were set up, the volleyball players, Marcy and Kayla, lined up for the first shots of the game since they had been the winners of the previous game. After eyeing up her opponents, Riley turned to Cam and said with a wink, “Time to kick some ass!”
It was a tight matchup at first—each team making at least one shot for the first few rounds, but then Marcy and Kayla started to falter, probably due to this being their third or fourth game. Cam and Riley took advantage of their increasingly sloppy shots, quickly finished them off, and cleared the table.
Riley and Cam hugged, and they refilled the cups for their next opponents, two senior football players. This game was even easier to win because Riley was pretty sure these two had helped Andre set up everything for the party, so their drinking had begun a couple hours before anyone else had arrived.
As the night wore on, both Riley and Cam felt the effects of all the beer they had to drink. The more they won, the less reserved Cam became, giving Riley hugs and caressing the small of her back. Every brush of Cam’s fingers along Riley’s skin sent shivers down her spine and made her heart race. It took every effort to temper the urge to wrap Cam tightly in her arms.
Their fourth game started poorly, not making a single shot in their first ten attempts. They were down by three cups when Luke walked in with Danny and another cross-country teammate, Phil. Riley watched as Danny’s gaze landed on Cam. His eyes dimmed with sadness and he immediately went into the living room instead, while Luke and Phil moved toward the keg to get beers. Once they got their drinks, they stood next to the table to watch the competition.
Cam and Riley were making a comeback and were now tied, each team having two cups left. Their opponents missed both of their shots. As Cam prepared for her shot, she looked over at Riley and gave her a smile and a wink that made Riley want to melt on the spot. Cam looked toward her target, trying to hold her arm steady despite the alcohol-induced sway, and launched the ball. It went in with almost perfect precision.
“Woo!” She jumped up and down with her arms in the air in celebration. She turned to Riley, and said, “You’ve got this!”
Riley took a deep breath and tossed the ball to the opposite side of the table. She was probably more surprised than anyone when it hit the inner rim of the cup and dropped in. Before Riley could even process that they had won, Cam pulled her in for a bear hug and buried her face in Riley’s neck. Riley felt the warmth of Cam’s breath on her skin, and it took a tremendous effort to stifle a moan.
While she wanted to continue celebrating with Cam, she knew it was getting too hard to not react to Cam’s touches—the beer making her slow to respond appropriately. She reached around her neck and pulled Cam’s hands away. “Great game, Cam. I think I’m going to sit the next one out.”
Cam’s eyebrows lowered, and Riley saw disappointment flicker in her eyes. “No way. We’re a great team. We’ve dominated all night.”
With a final squeeze of Cam’s hands, Riley replied, “I know, but how about you play with one of these other guys now?”
Phil immediately swooped in at Riley’s suggestion. “I’m in! Let’s play, Cam.”
Cam took the ball Phil had been holding out as Riley left for the kitchen.
Once Riley had realized Cam was starting to become a little more touchy-feely, she knew it would be a good idea for her to remove herself from any temptation and find another group of friends. She poured herself a fresh beer and took a few small sips, leaning her elbows on the kitchen island as she watched Cam and Phil sink a couple shots in a row. He celebrated by wrapping his arm around Cam’s waist and pulled her in for a side hug. She didn’t want to watch another guy flirt with Cam, so she closed her eyes and took a large gulp of beer. When she opened them, she jumped back when she found someone standing next to her.
The girl reached out and gently gripped Riley’s forearm, and said, “Whoa, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Blushing in embarrassment, Riley shook her head, and replied, “It’s okay. I think I was in my own little world.” The girl was very cute. She seemed to be almost half a foot taller than Riley with dark brown skin, closely buzzed black hair, and eyes the color of honey. She was wearing light-washed jeans, a maroon long-sleeve T-shirt, and a navy blue vest. Riley had seen her around school before and knew she was a junior on the volleyball team, but she had never properly introduced herself. She reached out her hand, and said, “I’m Riley.”
“I know.” Riley’s brow furrowed in confusion as the girl continued. “What I mean is that I’ve seen you around and I’ve been to a few of your soccer
games. I’m good friends with your keeper, Cassie.”
“Got it.”
“Oh, I’m Bri, by the way,” she said as she rolled her eyes as if she was embarrassed.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too. So, how do you like Indy? You just moved here this year, right?”
“Yeah, we moved here at the beginning of the summer,” Riley replied. “I like it a lot. Everyone seems pretty nice and I’ve made some good friends,” she said as she looked over to where Cam and Phil were just starting a new game of beer pong.
Bri followed her gaze and asked, “Oh yeah. I’ve seen you around with Cam and Claire, right?”
“Yep,” she replied. She caught Cam’s gaze and noticed her eyes had narrowed to tiny slits. Riley didn’t understand her reaction, but she shook it off and filed it away so she could ask Cam about it later. Instead she turned back toward Bri and asked, “So, how’s your semester going so far?”
Riley found herself in easy conversation with Bri for over half an hour. They sat on a couple barstools on the other side of the island, facing each other. She learned Bri had an older brother and a younger sister. She was obsessed with volleyball, loved to read, and had a secret talent for cooking.
Riley couldn’t be sure, but she felt like Bri had been flirting with her almost since the beginning of their conversation. Bri had taken every opportunity to touch her in some way, whether she brushed her fingers against Riley’s or slapped her knee in reply to something funny she had said. And if Riley was honest with herself, she wasn’t all that mad about it. She hadn’t been the focus of another girl’s attention since Abby. At times, it felt like Cam would flirt with her, but she always tried to brush it aside as just friendship. While Bri’s touches weren’t bringing the swarms of butterflies that Cam’s always did, there were still a few of those buggers flying around her stomach.