by Jack Parker
"No. I'll find it." Anna's eyes narrowed and walked crisply away.
"What's wrong with her?" Camdon asked.
"I honestly have no idea." I stared off to the side, my mind beginning to wander, when Camdon pulled me close.
"Hey." He tilted my chin to look up at him. "Don't worry too much about it."
I gave him a weak smile, when Anna came thundering back into the room, "Shouldn't you be going home soon?" She asked sternly.
Camdon and I broke apart, I gave him an apologetic look as he warily left my side and went out the front door.
"Did you have to do that?" I asked her in despair. "I really like that kid."
"Yes." She answered curtly.
"Whoa, Anna, what's wrong?" I frowned. "You're really starting to freak me out."
She stopped walking and let out a deep breath. "The drawer…" She muttered, and spun around and took the stairs by twos to look for whatever she was missing. Moments later, I heard a cry of relief.
"FINALLY! I have been looking EVERYWHERE." Anna's voice exclaimed from upstairs.
I raised my eyebrows even though she couldn't see me, and smiled to myself. Finally is right, maybe both of us could be happy now.
Chapter 10
Camdon and I were becoming increasingly close; I could feel it. He would wait by our lockers to talk to me at the beginning of every day, even if we had just seen each other earlier that morning on our frequent runs. He always came and visited me during lunch, would sneak out of his sixth period class to walk by mine and frantically wave making my whole class laugh while making me blush, then meeting up later to take me home. We were almost inseparable. I often found myself sneaking away from Anna and her late night working disasters to be with him. He would sneak in through the side window so much that Anna eventually got a lock for it, and we even went so far as to find a small ladder that belonged to Camdon's stepdad, Joe, and hide it in the bushes so he could take it out to come and see me whenever he wanted.
It was Thursday night, and I could barely concentrate on homework, only thinking of the weekend and Clarissa's party Saturday night. I had promised Dylan and Marcus I would hang out with them Friday but I was becoming a little agitated at Clarissa's get together. Only because I didn't know what it meant. What exactly had Camdon and I been doing lately? Were we dating? Did I even want to date?
No. I definitely wanted Camdon.
As if he knew my thoughts, a heard a quiet tap on my bedroom window. I quickly got up and shut my bedroom door, and went and let Camdon in.
He stood up with a big grin on his face. "Hey there gorgeous."
I gave him a small smile, "Why are you so happy?"
He sat down on my bed and pulled me on top of him. "What? I can't be happy about seeing you?"
I giggled. "You just saw me a couple hours ago."
"Mmm. That's too long." His hands gripped my thighs firmly, so I was straddling him, and gave me a long kiss.
I leaned into him and felt my heart grow warm as he broke our tender kiss. I couldn't help the grin that escaped from my lips. He smirked, and his deep blue eyes had a twinkle to them.
I narrowed my eyes. "What…"
He began tickling my sides as I let out a burst of laughter and squirmed, desperately trying to get away from his grasp.
"Camdon!" I yelled at him, pushing against his strong shoulders. I hit his arm when he put a finger to my lips.
"Shhhh." He said quietly. We were extremely still for several tense seconds, as we heard footsteps coming from out side my door. We instantly sprang apart, and Camdon jumped up from the bed and sprinted towards my door and skidded to a stop in front of it.
"Wait!" He whispered and ran back to me sitting at my bed and gave me quick kiss. "I'll call you when I get home."
"Okay. Hurry up!" I shoved him lightly.
"I'm hurrying!" He laughed and quickly climbed out the window, and I heard a soft thud as he landed on the ground.
Camdon left just in time, as Anna opened the door slightly and poked her head in.
"Hey, Heidi." She smiled.
I tried to control the goofy grin that happened every time I thought of Camdon, as I flipped through a math book. "Hey Anna. How was work?"
She slid into the room and walked over to the window and closed it. "Aren't you cold? It's freezing outside. It's almost November." I avoided her eyes and shrugged.
She sighed. "How about a girls night tonight? I'll go rent a movie and do your hair. Could you paint my nails? They are really chipped and I'm horrible at doing my own."
"Sure." I nodded, and the bright smile returned to Anna's face. Ever since she found whatever it was that had been lost, she was back to her old, sorority girl self.
"Great! I'm going to change into some sweats and get the movie." She bounced out the door.
I heard the phone start ringing and I pranced on it. "I'll get it!" I called out to her, as a faint, "Okay!" was heard through her door.
"Hello?"
"Hey, there." Camdon's voice said from the other line.
I smiled to myself and eased back into my bed and leaned against the headboard. "Did you get home okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. My mom didn't even notice, she's really into this new book she's reading." I heard background noises of him messing with something.
"What are you doing?" I laughed. "You sound like your having trouble with it." I smirked.
"I'm not." He grumbled. "Hold on. I'm making Ella her sippy."
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me and put on a sweatshirt, it was getting cold outside.
"Okay, I'm back." I heard on the other line. "What are you up to tonight?"
"I'm making Anna her bottle. Then putting her to bed." I joked.
"Funny." He mocked my girlish voice.
"Hey!"
"You were asking for it." Camdon said.
"You have no heart."
"I do when it comes to you."
I felt my face flush and felt a little flustered. I didn't really know what to say so I just changed to subject.
"Doubtful." I faked a laugh. "Me and Anna are just going to watch a movie."
We talked for a little bit longer until Anna came back with our movie and promised to meet tomorrow at school. I hung up the phone and just stared at it dumbly.
"Who was that?" Anna asked as she made us popcorn.
"Uh… Camdon." I answered softly, my mind still dwelling on our conversation.
Anna gave me a little wink, "You've been spending an awful lot of time together lately."
I curled up on the couch and ate popcorn as Anna chatted happily away about new friends she made at the office, and we talked about Camdon for a bit, how sweet he was, how much everyone really liked him. She began talking about his dad and my ears perked up.
"Apparently, he was this huge football player. Like a really, really good athlete. Did every sport, whatever." She took out nail polish and shook it, handing it to me as I began painting her nails, listening intently to every word. "And Camdon's mom is supposedly a genius. His dad, his name is Thomas I think, something like that, was the pride and joy of the town, and everyone loved Jill and Tom as a couple, they did everything together apparently, she was at all his games and they had been together all throughout high school. Well she was a senior, and ended up getting pregnant. She had a full ride to Stanford and Princeton, and was trying to choose between the two when she found out."
"Isn't that awful?" She shook her head, "And Tom of course, got a football scholarship, and took it. Jill wouldn't give Camdon up for adoption, and asked Tom to stay, but he wouldn't. So she just took some nursing classes or something. And lived with her parents until they died a couple years ago. Apparently her new husband isn't that bright, but he's really good to her. So everyone is happy."
"Where is Camdon's dad now?" I asked.
"I don't know. California or something like that. No one really knows. Apparently he used to be really good friends with this guy that works in the office. He was telling
me how Tom tried to get back into contact with people, but no one has heard from him in years."
"Has he ever even met Camdon?" I asked timidly, afraid for the answer.
"I don't know." She gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. He's a really nice kid though. You can tell he cares a lot about his family."
I nodded. "I know. This place is so nosey though. I feel bad. Like we shouldn't even know this information at all, unless he wants us to know."
Anna shrugged, "That's why we live in cities. Well, usually."
We laughed at the joke, and for a while, I found our predicament a little funny.
I sighed and fidgeted with the bikini I luckily took with me from Phoenix. It was the end of October and freezing outside, and I was weary about being in the cold. I always wore white bikinis, because they made my skin look slighter tanner, and I pulled on my favorite pair of jeans, grabbed a top, and put on a jacket and boots to stay warm. I heard the doorbell ring and rushed downstairs.
"Hey Anna!" I called up the stairs, "Me and Camdon are going out, I'll be back later!" I quickly slipped out the door and took Camdon's hand and led me to his truck. We hoped in and shuttered from being in the cold.
"Ohhh man." I laughed, rubbing my hands together to stay warm. "I don't think I have ever been so cold in my life."
Camdon grinned. "It's only October. Wait until January, you'll wish you would never have to step outside."
I looked at him pitifully. "Why are we out here again?"
"Because. I can't go in there alone, and if I don't go, everyone is going to bug the shit out of me, wondering why I wasn't there."
"So? Just tell them Clarissa is wretched."
Camdon rolled his eyes at me, "I can't do that, she isn't that bad. She can just be a little overbearing."
"She is that bad. Trust me, you're lucky you don't have to be assaulted by her stupidity."
Camdon let out a laugh but quickly covered it up by coughing. "Clarissa isn't-." He sighed. "Nevermind."
"You don't have to defend everyone around me, I'm not going to judge you if you don't like someone." I felt sorry for him; he didn't have to stick up for everybody, especially those that don't deserve it.
He looked away awkwardly, and put the car in drive, pretending to focus on the empty street ahead of him.
"Hey." I said softly. "Camdon." I reached out and touched his hand, "Don't beat yourself up over nothing."
"I'm not beating myself up." He said.
"Really?" I asked sarcastically. "Then why do you have that look on your face?"
It was true; you could see the muscles in his face contorting into different emotions, wrestling with himself over something.
"It's not-" He hesitated, and stopped at the stop sign at the end of the street and put the car in park. "It's not Clarissa. It's just, this is different for me."
"What is?" I raised my eyebrow, completely lost.
"I've never admitted that I don't like someone before." He frowned.
"Oh don't worry, it's not that big of a deal, I do it all the time." I assured him.
"No, I've never felt- I've never felt comfortable enough around a person to admit it. I don't know, it's just different, is all." I felt my face warm slightly as he looked at me, his eyes seeing completely through me, "I've never felt this way about a person before."
My heart soared as my eyes widened in surprise.
Camdon looked down as he nervously clenched and unclenched his hands, " All I mean is, you're the most real person I know, and it's great that we don't have to pretend to be people we're not."
I ignored the guilt I felt creeping up inside me and stared at him. He was the sweetest person I had ever known, and I didn't deserve him one bit. But I couldn't stop thinking about him, and I had never ever been so happy as I was when I was with him. I had never wanted anything so much in my entire life.
"Can you please say something?" He asked anxiously, a hint of sadness in his voice.
I leaned forward and whispered into his ear, "I don't normally care about people." giving him a kiss on his cheek, "But for some reason, all I can even think about is you." I gave him a small kiss on his lips and pulled away slowly.
Camdon leaned forward and pulled me back, crushing his lips to mine. My heart started racing and I let my arms curl around his neck into his hair as his hands cupped my face. We pulled apart, our breaths heavy, and I pressed my lips to his neck, not wanting it to end. He groaned and leaned back into his seat and pulled me on top of him. I grinned into his neck as I sucked on it lightly and ran my fingers up and down his chest. His breathing began to steadily increase before he stopped my hands from roaming.
"Hold on." He said breathlessly.
I smiled deviously at him and intentionally moved my hips as I shifted my weight. "Yes?" I asked innocently
"I really wish we didn't have to stop. But we are in the middle of the street, and we were supposed to be there a while ago."
"Be where?" I asked teasingly as I continued to kiss him.
"Mmm." He kissed back slowly at first, then it picked up again before he pulled me away. "You are so distracting." He grumbled
I giggled. "Okay, I'll go back to my seat then." I moved off of him before he tugged me back to kiss me some more.
"We are really late." He said in between kisses.
"So?" I said into his mouth. He gave me a quick couple kisses before giving me one last slow hot kiss and stopping.
"I need to go step outside in the cold." He mumbled into my neck.
I laughed and slid back into my seat as he opened up the car door and sat there.
"Close the door!" I yelled, "It's freezing!"
"No! You don't understand." Camdon pleaded. "I need this."
I pouted and crossed my arms, but the steamy car needed to be aired out a little. I waited as patiently as I could as Camdon let the cold air seep into the car before I put the car in drive myself.
"Now we're really late, so let's get this over with."
Camdon sighed and drove us a whole five minutes until we reached Clarissa's house. Things were so much closer in small towns.
I hopped out of the car and met Camdon at the end of the sidewalk leading up to her house.
"I really don't want to be here." I said, my voice a little dull.
"But you are here. And you will stay here because you won't walk home in the cold." Camdon sent me a smirk.
My eyes narrowed at him. How dare he! "Was that your plan all along? I thought you should said we could leave when I wanted!"
"Within reason!" He exclaimed. "If we left when you wanted we wouldn't be here at all." He gave an exasperated sigh at my frown. "Oh just go with it."
"Fine." I walked up to the door with him, pressing the doorbell harder than necessary. "But only because I hate this chick."
Clarissa opened the door, dressed in nothing but a bikini, and let out a squeal of delight as her high pitch voice drawled out "Cammmdonnn!" She gushed. "Guys!" She shouted behind her, to no one in particular, "Camdon is here." She swayed lightly on her feet, and burst into a fit of giggles, getting a little too close to him.
"Someone's plastered." I said a little rudely, so she noticed I was there.
Camdon glared at me, and I caved under his gaze and mouthed 'Sorry', while Clarissa blinked, giving me a blank stare.
"I didn't invite you." She said matter of factly.
"Great." I replied.
"But you weren't invited." She spoke again, slowly, as if trying to figure out the words herself.
"I think we've covered that." I rolled my eyes and Camdon started snickering.
She took a long sip of her drink. "So how… wait. Then what are you doing here?"
"I'm not really sure." I spoke. "I was actually just asking myself that, but its cold out, so can you please move?" I didn't wait for her to stand there and try to figure out what I was saying, so I just moved past her into her house.
"Please don't say anything to me. That was me being nice to he
r. She's totally wasted." I gave Camdon a look.
He slid his hand in mine, "It's not like she wouldn't be worse to you if she was sober, and I suppose not everyone can be as nice as me." He grinned at my playful indignation.
"So… what do we do now?"
He shrugged. "Want a drink?" I nodded. "Alcohol?"
At that I enthusiastically nodded. "Please. If I'm going to deal with these people-"
"Come on, they're not that bad."
I rolled my eyes. "Some of them are. Dylan and Marcus are the only ones that I actually like." I took my drink, coke and rum.
"Any good?" He asked, watching me carefully.
I let out a little laugh. "Yes. It's great. Why, what's wrong?"
He shook his head, "Nothing. Ready?" He led me to the backyard, past bottles and to a big Jacuzzi with about five people in it, and a couple venturing out into the chilly pool connecting to it.
"Camdon!" the boys all yelled out and exchanged one of their weird bro handshakes. I sighed to myself, taking a sip of my drink and putting it down at my feet. I began to unbutton my lovely True Religion jeans, wiggling out of them. I folded them gently and put them a bit off to the pool, and paused, noticing an eerie silence. I flicked my hair behind my back, and suppressed a smile. I looked up to see the group staring at me curiously. At first, I was worried that I was doing something weird, then I noticed the proud look on Camdon's face. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, and began to lift my shirt over my head slowly, and put it next to my jeans, going to sit at the edge next to Camdon.
"Is that a belly button ring?" A curly haired girl I knew from school was the first to break the little moment of silence.
I looked down at my stomach, and the crystal ring in it. "Yeah it is." I smiled at her, trying to be a little friendly.
"That's cool." A fake looking girl next to her said. "There's like, no place to get it done around here."
I shrugged, "Just go into Iowa City on the weekend or something."
The ice seemed to be broken, just like that, and they no longer stared at me like I was below them, but included me in the rest of the conversation. It also helped to have Camdon's arm around me the whole night, and with Clarissa passing out after only being there a couple minutes, things were looking up.