She was different. Special. Like how she intervened with Maddie and took my hand. How she let me figure my feelings out rather than demanding to know who Maddie was. I was into you that night too.
What am I doing?
I shook my head, like that would shove the inappropriate thoughts out of there. I shouldn’t be even hoping that Cami could be into me. I would be leaving for the city. It would end poorly, and hello! Maddie all over again? I’d rather cut off my fingers.
“I didn’t speak to her much. Asked her why she’s here. She wanted to talk to me. To apologize, I think.” I rubbed my chest a few times, my attention momentarily caught by a head of curly brown hair who just walked in. Not Cami. “I want to hear what she has to say.”
“How could it possibly make anything better?”
“I think I need to hear her admit she regrets leaving me.” There, I put it out in the open, not caring if it made me pathetic. It might be petty, but I’d thought about her almost every day the past year, just recently feeling strong enough to admit I didn’t love her anymore.
If she planned to apologize, I wanted her to work for it.
“I’m sure she does. The last guy she slept with dumped her after a week. Jude, I think was his name. She’s coming back to you because all the dudes have treated her like shit. Of course she regrets it.” He took a large sip of the coffee, hissing as he set it back down. “Hot. Hot. Hot.”
“You think I shouldn’t talk to her?”
He looked up, a soft expression coming over his face, and he sighed. “You need to do what feels right, but you don’t owe her shit.”
“That’s what Cami said too.”
“Cami again.” His eyes flashed. “You know… having a little fling with her might be just what you need. A wild night with a wild girl.”
My eye twitched at the thought of letting myself do just that—sleep with Cami. It had been so long, and I wanted to taste every inch of her skin. Feel every curve of her muscles and run my fingers through her hair. The fantasy of her had been living in my head since we moved into the dorms, but while my brother’s intentions were good, she wasn’t just someone I could use. I cared about her and wanted her to be happy.
“How’s Brayden doing?” I asked, clearing my throat and changing the subject to his on again, off again boyfriend. Sorry, fling. Camden didn’t get attached much.
“Okay, you’re diverting. You called me here though, FB3, so I’m not ready to talk about me yet.”
“That’s a first.”
“Fuck off, weirdo.” He smiled through the insult though. Conversation flowed after that, but I didn’t feel any more settled about Maddie.
Or Cami.
I wanted to ask her how practice was going or if she really did accept the co-captain role. Was she happy? Tired from last night? My left hand burned as I thought about the way she’d gripped it on our walk back. For whatever reason, her holding my hand had felt different than all her other over-the-top flirting.
I checked my watch. Nine am. Only eight more hours until we’d meet up at the library…assuming nothing had changed. It had become our thing, and I needed to get more Skittles. “Want to run errands with me?”
“Sure. I need TP anyway.” Camden rolled back onto his heels, and a sad look crossed his face for just a second. “I’m gonna miss our errand runs when you’re off living the dream working for Uncle Martin. Pretty sure you’re dad’s favorite right now, which I know is temporary, but I hate it anyway.”
My stomach dropped at the mention of Chicago and the damn internship. Of course Dad assumed it was a done deal. Why wouldn’t it be? I scratched the back of my neck and nodded. “I’m not the favorite.”
“Dude, yes you are. Literally, he wouldn’t shut up about how proud of you he is. I get it, you’re smart and got into less trouble. Big fucking whoop.” Camden was back to his usual smirk, but I sensed the underlying emotion beneath it. He’d miss me.
Which was weird because as much as I wanted to make my dad proud…I’d definitely miss living so close to Camden. I cleared my throat and picked up my keys. “Let’s head out.”
He nodded, letting the topic drop which was what I needed. My head wasn’t on straight, and even though there was a prickle of unease about moving up north, I shoved it down because this was always the plan. Why would I let my dad down now? Because I had a crush on a girl?
Couldn’t happen.
I had a new bag of Skittles and had already opened them and sorted out the yellow ones so when Cami got there she could reward herself with her favorites. She disagreed with my ranking system of putting the least best first. The fact she didn’t pick them all up, throw them at my face, and call me a loser was amazing in itself, so she deserved the good ones.
5:10pm. Where was she?
I ignored Maddie’s texts again and tapped my foot against the table leg. I didn’t want to dive into my material if she was going to show up soon, but the more time went on, the more worried I got.
We didn’t make real plans to meet at the same hour. It just happened, and she was late. She was rarely late.
5:20pm.
She’s not coming.
I exhaled a large, pent-up breath and was surprised to feel so disappointed. After one night out with her as friends, I’d turned into this weird guy. Friends had things come up, and we didn’t have each other’s numbers, so she probably figured it was no big deal.
Totally fine.
I tried focusing on applying for the internships and submitted one application to a company in Chicago. At second glance, the place was two blocks from Maddie’s place—if she still lived there. No. Not now. No thinking of her.
I applied to two more in the city before a familiar scent of vanilla carried my way, making my heart thump heavy in my chest. I couldn’t whip my head around fast enough to see Cami walking toward me. She wore very loose jeans that went up high, above her belly button and a plaid shirt that cut off below her ribs.
Her hair was down and curly, and my breath lodged in my throat. She was beautiful. And waving at me.
“Freddie! Oh, thank god, you’re still here!” She walked up toward me, not stopping until she threw her arms around my neck. I couldn’t even get my brain to catch up to the fact that her body pressed against mine because I was so happy to see her. My skin tingled with joy.
She came. She was with me. She was hugging me.
She pulled back before I could return the hug, and she sat in the chair across from me with a slight blush on her cheeks. Her makeup was done up, and her lashes looked longer than normal. The dark colors around her brown eyes made everything sexier on her too.
But the biggest swoop in my gut was the happiness on her face when she said my name. Like she was equally happy to see me too.
“Hey,” I said, willing my pulse to settle down before she realized I was a total fool.
“Shouldn’t it be heya?” she teased, winking at me before getting out her laptop and firing it up. She had that mischievous look again, and I wished I could capture it in a picture.
“Rude.”
“Oh, my apologies.” She smirked, and her little nose scrunched. “For real though, I’m sorry I was late. I ran into my dad, and we chatted for a bit. I know we didn’t plan to meet here, but it’s been our thing, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” My face warmed like I stood staring at the sun for ten minutes. I liked having a thing with her. I liked it a whole lot.
“I wanted to text you but realized I didn’t have your number. It’s weird that I know about your secret Skittles and tunnels but don’t have a way to call you.” She smiled as she said it, her eyes twinkling with as much joy as I felt.
Was it because she was here with me, or had something happened? I had to know. It seemed so important. “Was practice good?”
A line appeared between her brows for a second, and she set the phone in her hand down. “Um, yeah. It was okay.”
“You were so happy. I thought it might be because of
dance,” I said, like that would justify why I was acting so weird. She ran her teeth over her plump bottom lip and shrugged.
“Maybe I just had a craving for Skittles.”
Fuck. Was her tone extra flirty or was I reading into it because I’d thought about her all damn day? I sucked in a breath and cleared my throat, handing her my phone because I was a total caveman. She’d asked for my number, and I’d gone straight to my questioning because I wanted to know if I was the reason for her smile.
Camden was right. I was not the guy for her.
“Here, put your number in so we can text if we need to miss our study sessions.” My voice sounded like I had an entire frog living in the back of my throat, so I took a sip of water.
She entered her number, but the line remained between her brows.
“What is it?” Was the gig up? Had she come to her senses about me?
“You got a text, that’s all.” She sat up straighter and pushed her hair behind her ears. I glanced at my phone.
UNKNOWN: I know you miss me.
Fucking Maddie.
“I still haven’t talked to her.”
Cami blinked before meeting my eyes, and maybe I was trying to read into the way her gaze might’ve softened, but she seemed lighter at my admission. I wasn’t sure what to do about that.
“I’ve decided I don’t like Maddie.” She pursed her lips and got out her purple pen. I waited, tense as hell, wanting her to continue.
But she didn’t.
“Why?”
“Because she hurt you.” She made an incredulous face, her eyebrows lifting. Then, she twisted her lips into a smile. “Duh.”
Her attitude caused my lips to curve up, and there we were, smiling and staring at each other. Her lips were red and full, and I fought the urge to lean over and kiss her, just to show her without words how much her smile lit me up inside.
“You brought a bag of yellow Skittles? For me?” she asked, breaking the weird trance she put me in by just being here. “Shut the fuck up.”
“I didn’t buy a bag of them. I couldn’t find just yellow, but I sorted them out of this one.” I held up an extra-large bag that I set against my leg and wiggled it.
The smile froze on her face, like it was forced to stay there. I had not expected this reaction. Joy, sure. A cute little smirk, yes. But this…worry? No, she wasn’t worried. Upset? I had no idea, so I set the bag down, feeling my entire face blush.
“Forget it,” I said, needing to change the subject. “We should get started. I have a lot to get through.”
I swallowed down the pins and needles and focused on my thesis. I had to turn in a rough sketch of the paper to my advisor for us to go over together in a week. Cami’s touch on my hand startled me.
Her lone silver ring on her middle finger glittered in the light, and she squeezed my wrist. “Hey,” she said, her voice low and dangerous. “Look at me.”
I blinked a few times, feeling like an idiot. Then I glanced up.
Her face was all soft lines and happiness, a total contrast to her fake smile, and she let out a laugh before saying, “This makes me sound super lame, but this is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me in a long time.”
“The Skittles?” I asked, staring at the bag like this was their fault.
“You sorted out hundreds of them because they’re my favorite. It’s incredibly thoughtful, and I’m charmed. Really.” She squeezed my wrist again, her voice thicker. “You made my entire fucking week.”
My blush felt different this time. “Well, great.”
“Yeah.” She removed her hand, and I swore the heat lingered there. I stared at the skin for a second, letting myself wonder what else I could do to make her week.
Ice cream. Dancing. Treats.
“I’m not following your rules today, by the way. I’m diving right into my lemon candies because I survived my co-captain meeting, passed my first biology quiz, and ran three miles.” She wiggled her eyebrows, daring me to argue.
I remained quiet, and she tossed two into her mouth.
“Smart man. Now, stop distracting me so I can get work done.”
“Me? Distracting you?”
She nudged her knee against mine under the table, humor dancing in her eyes as I realized she was teasing me. She’d joked with me numerous times and touched me twice.
I could deny it all I wanted, but I was getting feelings for Cami Simpson—which was the last thing I needed to be doing. But she was a light, and I was a moth, and I was so drawn to her. I could sketch her entire face from memory, including the dusting of freckles that lined her nose. The urge to reach over and cup her face, to see how smooth her skin was against mine was so strong I had to grip my pen tighter. I might’ve thought Cami had a million walls ten feet high at first, but now that I was inside those walls, I wanted to stay there, be her person for… until I left for Chicago.
I needed math. A clear chart to distance myself from her. I could totally crush on her and keep us friends.
It could be done. I had no choice because if I couldn’t get it together, then she might know I was catching feels. If that happened, she’d want to stop being friends with me, and that was a reality I didn’t want to think about.
If I only had a few months left with her until I moved, then I wanted to soak up every second I could.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Cami
My makeup was on point, my hair almost perfect, and my uniform fit like a second skin. There were very few moments in my life where everything made perfect sense, but dancing was always one of them.
“You ready for this?” I asked Daniella a week later as we stared out at the stadium. “Our first home game.”
“My stomach feels like tennis balls are beating around in there.”
“Deep breaths. You know your moves, but try not to look nervous. The girls can tell.” I wasn’t close to liking Daniella, but in the past week, we’d come to understand each other in different ways. She wasn’t a mean girl or out to get anyone, and she’d learned that I was more than my boobs and dance moves. I knew at some point the attacks on my character would stop feeling like a gut punch, but it wasn’t anytime soon.
“My hair okay?”
I paused, checked out her ponytail, and clicked my tongue. “You got a loose one. Here.” I dug into my bag and pulled out a bobby pin to secure it in place. “There.”
Audrey chose that moment to make her entrance, and her attention moved straight to me. “Ladies, you pumped up?”
“Yes, Coach,” Daniella said, straightening up and smiling.
Since her issue was learning to work with me and lead the team, she was totally on board with all things Audrey. I was not.
Growing up with a coach for a father taught me a lot of lessons. I knew better than to complain and just worked harder to achieve my goals. I also understood that coaches had their own perceptions I couldn’t control. Making decisions really was up to their discretion. However, I’d worked the hardest I could for Audrey, and she still didn’t see me that way. The only reason I was co-captain was because the team was suffering, and I would never forgive her for handing the captain title to Daniella.
“Cami, you look great!” she said, putting a little too much effort into saying it.
I gave her a tight smile and focused on the pre-game warm-ups. We’d stretch and prepare for our sets. We had a specific number of routines we did for certain moments in the game, but our real show was during half-time.
Before I left my bag in the dressing room, I went to check my phone. Naomi and Michael were coming to the game, and my dad often showed up for halftime to see us dance. They’d all sent texts, but the one that got my heart all weird was from Freddie.
Freddie: Hood
Freddie: GOOD. I meant good. My thumbs are too big for this. GOOD luck.
Something flowed through me like a hug and a warm blanket after a long game outside. Comforting. Wonderfully awkward.
I couldn’t he
lp but tease him back.
Cami: Spank you.
Cami: THANK. I meant THANK you.
Freddie: lmao
Seeing Freddie type lmao caused my lips to curve up even more. Was he laughing so hard he fell off his chair? Ehh, doubtful. He was so huge the chair would crumble under his weight if he shook at all. God, I wanted to know how it would feel to straddle his massive frame. Feel his thick thighs against mine, see what made him tremble. Imagining touching Freddie sent goosebumps down my arms in a way that was unfamiliar to me. I’d been attracted to guys before, but this?
It was more.
I didn’t get time to think about it too long though. Coach had us all gather round as she gave us a pep talk. It was different to not be one hundred percent zoned in on her speech. Normally, I’d hold onto every word she said, clinging to them. But instead, I wondered what Freddie was doing. He wasn’t hugely into sports, but he had school spirit. Was he at the game?
Damn, I should’ve asked him if he was coming. I could’ve looked for him or said hi. It certainly would’ve made it a bit more fun to know he was watching. I scanned the first couple of rows and found a couple people staring at us. Some guy waved, and I wiggled my fingers back at him. Fans did that, and it helped PR to smile or wink back.
Plus, I did like attention.
“You get that, Cami?” Coach asked, her eyes narrowing.
I shrugged, giving a noncommittal answer. Annoyance flared on her face, but Daniella leaned over and whispered, “She wants you in the back row.”
“What?” I snapped, my eye twitching and my temples pounding worse than the time I hit myself in the face with a golf club. It wasn’t an ego thing. It was a we’ve been practicing in a certain formation for two weeks thing. Plus, seniors were often in the front.
The best on the team stood in the front.
From the Top (Central State) Page 11
