“I’ll see you in Lit,” I answer absently. “I’m going to stop in the bathroom.”
When the bathroom door closes behind me, I groan inwardly when I see the girls already in the room.
Desiree and Keisha, two of the lower echelon of the P.B.G.C.’s, are standing in front of the mirror tending to their freshly weaved hair extensions. They glance at me in the mirror, and then eye each other. I can almost see how slowly the gears in their brains turn without Alicia and Courtney here.
I smile sweetly at them. “I see that you have no ammunition without your leaders. Maybe we can be civil? Good morning, ladies.”
Keisha sniffs and sends me a glare in the mirror. “Please. We ain’t worried about you.”
I exhale a false sigh of relief. “That’s good. I would hate to think of the two of you hurting your pretty little heads worrying about me.”
Desiree turns around to glare at me. “Pretty brave for a wanna-be white girl, aren’t you?”
I send her a pitying look and shake my head. “Try a new one Desiree, that insult is all used up.”
“Girl, you actually had something going for you when you were talking to Luka. We even thought about giving you a chance to be cool with us. But now…white guitar boy? Really? That’s beneath even you. Oh, wait…no it’s not.” She smirks at Keisha, who laughs out loud. A snort escapes, and she stops mid-chuckle.
I pause, because I’m impressed that Desiree knows the word “beneath.” When I catch back up, I narrow my eyes. “None of you even know Cooper. If you did, you’d be smart enough to be jealous that I have him and you don’t. Idiots.”
I stalk out of the bathroom.
The name-calling is lower than I want to sink, but I can’t help it when I’m talking to Desiree and Keisha.
When I arrive in Lit, about thirty seconds before the bell rings, I’m greeted by an unexpected surprise.
The brunette from The Spot is sitting in the seat behind Cooper. Her long legs are stretched out in the aisle and she’s leaning back in her seat. Perfectly relaxed. I, for some reason, am not.
I complete an actual double-take, and then I take my seat in front of Cooper.
“New girl’s in our class, huh?” I whisper, stating the obvious.
“Guess so,” he replies. “I didn’t notice.”
I smile at him; he was saying the words he thinks I need to hear, but how could he not notice the beautiful brunette? I see several male eyes checking her out right now.
I wish she wasn’t two seats behind me, so I could get a better look at her. I don’t even know why I’m so interested. Her presence just gives me a bad feeling.
Mr. Taft clears his throat to signal the start of class.
“Ahem. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new face with us again today. Let me introduce Miss, uh,” He glances down at the note on his podium. “Miss Lilly Brewer. Let’s make sure she feels welcome at Oceanview, shall we?”
The class nods and murmurs in agreement.
“Okay then, let’s get started…” Mr. Taft launches right into his lecture.
I feel safe enough to glance back at Lilly, and see that her eyes are trained on the front of the classroom where Mr. Taft is speaking. She is really pretty; her long dark hair is glossy and layered. She has piercing blue eyes that match the color of the ocean down the road exactly, and her thin frame is folded gracefully into her seat. There is absolutely nothing threatening about her at all.
So why do I feel this foreboding in my gut when I look at her?
I look back up at Mr. Taft and resolve to find out as much as I could about Lilly Brewer.
***
I have dance practice after school. It’s our first of the new basketball season, and we have new members who need to learn sideline routines. After practice, I’m sweaty and euphoric. Dance practice always makes me feel that way, but I know my night was far from over. I have to teach my four-year-old students a ballet class at the studio, and then take my own Advanced Contemporary class. I’ll be dancing late into the night.
But as I leave the school building, my euphoria rises again when I see the lone motorcycle in the parking lot. I have a sexy ride to dance tonight, and an even sexier driver.
He’s leaning against the bike, looking as beautiful as ever, but I freeze when I realize he isn’t alone.
Here’s my chance to introduce myself to Lilly Brewer, because she is standing right next to my boyfriend’s bike.
“…So if you could give me a ride…” she is saying.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he answers
Is he?
“I’m waiting for someone.”
Your girlfriend. You’re waiting for your girlfriend,
Something about this is making my stomach squirm. I need Dara here to tell me whether or not I’m being ridiculous. I have a feeling she would suggest I tell Lilly Brewer exactly where she could find a ride, and to stay the hell away from my boyfriend.
Just then, Cooper’s head turns toward me, and I continue walking toward them like I hadn’t been standing there trying to listen to their conversation.
“Here she is!” he exclaims. “Cam, you remember Lilly from Lit, right?”
“Yeah, of course,” I reply, smiling at Lilly. What am I thinking? I have to give this girl a chance. Her asking Cooper for a ride home could be completely innocent. She may not even have known that he had a girlfriend.
Lilly’s lip curls as she looks at me for the first time. Her eyes quickly rove my dance clothes and sweaty face, and her clear blue eyes sparkle with curiosity.
“I remember you from Lit. I was just asking your friend Cooper here for a ride on his bike. I don’t live far, and mine is still being shipped from Cali.”
“Boyfriend,” I correct too quickly. “Cooper is my boyfriend. I’m sorry we can’t help you. These things are just built for two, you know.”
Did she say hers was being shipped?
“Do you ride?” Cooper asks, disbelief pouring out of his voice.
Lilly smirks, leaning into his bike and stroking it lovingly.
“Yeah,” she answers. “I have an Aprilia. It’s smaller than yours, but it’s fast. I miss it so much.” Her bottom lip sticks out in a pout and I almost gag.
Cooper’s mouth drops open slightly in shock before he catches himself and closes it. He plays it cool, even though I can tell how impressed he is.
“That’s cool,” he replies. “Love to see it when you get it back. You ready, babe?” he asked me. “I don’t want you to be late for dance.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to keep you guys,” Lilly says. “I’m going to call my parents to get me, they’ll be here in a minute. You go on; I wouldn’t want you to be late for dance, either, Cam.” She smiles brightly. “It was nice meeting you both.”
“Nice to meet you too,” I answer, putting on my helmet and climbing on the bike behind Cooper. I make sure to squeeze him tightly as we roared away.
The next morning, I drag myself out of bed in order to get ready for school. Dara and I are riding together this morning, because we haven’t spent time together in awhile, between dance, Brandon, and Cooper. We have plans to get mani-pedis after school. I hurry to get dressed, so I can be somewhat on time to pick her up.
When Dara closes the passenger door behind her, she says, “Good morning, sunshine!”
“Good morning,” I mutter.
“Spill,” she orders.
“What?” I ask, bewildered.
“Don’t play dumb with me, sister,” she answers. “Why does your face look all…like that?” She gestures generally in the direction of my face, making a big dramatic circle with her arm.
I sigh. “Ugh. You know that new girl in my Lit class? The one from The Spot?”
“Yeah,” Dara answers, adding lipstick while using the vanity mirror. “Isn’t her name Lilly?”
“Yes, her,” I reply.
“Uh-oh,” Dara says. “I know that tone. What’s wrong with her?”
“I think she’s going
after Cooper!” I blurt.
“Oh, no she’s not,” Dara answers. “We can’t have that, can we? What makes you think that, anyway?”
I recount yesterday’s encounter with Lilly after practice, and the generally negative feeling I receive from the girl as soon as I saw her. She frowns, and puts her lipstick back in her bag.
“Well, there’s no hard evidence. Yet. We’ll keep an eye on her. But you’re not the jealous type, Cam. Don’t let her get to you. You and Cooper are on fire, as much as I hate to admit it.” She looks at me wistfully, remembering her hopes for a relationship between Luka and I.
“I’ve never been the jealous type because I’ve never had anyone to feel protective over,” I point out. “Now I realize I am definitely the very, very jealous type. Like, “Think Before He Cheats” Carrie Underwood type of jealous. I’ve finally found a guy I trust with my heart, and I’m scared to death of losing him.”
I pull into the school parking lot, ashamed to admit this personal thing to my best friend. “I have prayed for him every night, Dara, and I didn’t even realize it.”
She shakes her head ruefully. “Girl, you’ve got it bad. Be careful. We’re only seniors in high school. I love Brandon too, but I know that anything can happen between now and forever. You shouldn’t trust any eighteen-year-old boy with all your heart. Just a piece of it.”
“We haven’t even said it yet,” I mutter.
“I’m sorry, what?” she gasps. Her hand rests on the door handle, but she drops it when she hears my admission.
“Cam! Why not? If you’re so madly in love with the guy…”
“I don’t know!” I say. “It just hasn’t…come up.”
My door opens just then, and I’m swept into Cooper’s strong embrace. “I missed you,” he murmurs in my ear, causing a delectable tremor to run through my body.
I smile. “You just saw me last night,” I point out.
“That was too long ago,” he answers, playfully tugging my ponytail.
We meet Brandon at the Jeep, and our foursome trudges into the school building, where we are met with a lime green flyer being pressed into each of our hands from a junior girl I don’t know.
My jaw nearly hits the floor.
Cooper reads over my shoulder, and whistles.
“Hey dude,” Brandon says. “You got competition!” He is laughing, but I see nothing funny about this.
A large picture of Lilly marks the middle of the page, and the title reads “The Spotlights.” Her band.
Lilly has a band.
And apparently, she’s the face of it, the lead singer. They’re putting on a performance at the pep rally on Friday, to celebrate the basketball team’s home opener.
I begin to think I’m in danger of hyperventilating, for the first time in my life, in front of a commons full of people.
Dara reads my facial expression, and quickly pulls me to the bathroom.
As soon as the door shuts behind us I bend over, hands on my knees. I can’t catch my breath.
Dara’s hand rubs circles on my back comfortingly. “It’s going to be okay, Cam.”
“Is it?” I nearly shout. “I just found this guy, Dara. We’re happy. And now this girl just shows up out of nowhere. Nowhere!”
“I know, honey, but just because she has a band—“
“No! It’s not just that she has a band. She wears leather. She rides a freaking motorcycle, Dara!” I sink down on the floor and put my head in my hands. I breathe deeply into my palms, shuddering with the effort not to sob.
“She’s perfect for him.” My voice is small and broken.
“Okay, I’ve had enough of this,” Dara sits down beside me. She throws her blonde hair over her shoulder and puts on her “listen to me right now or else” face.
“You listen to me right now, or else,” she says.
I smile through the haze of tears threatening to pour from my eyes.
“You’re being ridiculous, and you know it. Cooper only has eyes for you, Camryn Grimes. I’ve seen it myself. Girls have been throwing themselves at him left and right since he got here. He’s only pursued you since he arrived. Fine, maybe he wasn’t my first choice for you, but I’ve got to give him credit here. He deserves your trust. If you don’t give it to him, you’re going to mess this up. No brunette, microphone-holding motorcycle chick is going to steal him from you. End of conversation.”
She’s right, of course. I have no reason not to trust Cooper. He’s been great to me and for me since we met, and I’m not going to screw it up by becoming the jealous girlfriend.
“Sorry,” I smile at Dara as I stand. “Freak out moment over. I’m new at this, you know.”
“Girl, please. If I flipped out every time Courtney threw shade in my direction over Brandon, I’d be in a mental institution by now.”
I laugh. “I don’t think you need to worry about her. She got to be Luka’s Cheer Sweetheart, so she’s occupied.”
Dara sniffs. “I so wasn’t worried. I’ll pull that girl’s extensions out if I have to.”
When we exit the bathroom, Cooper’s eyes scan my face, and then he pulls me into a hug.
“For a minute there, I thought you were upset about the flyer. I’m okay with a little healthy competition, you know. I’d like to see what The Spotlights are all about.”
That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.
Chapter 15
The Spotlights
Friday, after the school day ends, I leave the building to go home and grab a bite before the game. Cooper has hurried off to band practice with Fire and Glory, so I have my own car for a change. Striding through the parking lot, I see that I’m about to cross paths with Luka, who is heading toward his Mercedes.
“Hey,” he smiles as he ambles toward me. “For a girl I see every day, I feel like I never get to talk to you. You know, between your dance rehearsals and your boyfriend.” He tosses his keys in the air and catches them again.
“Hey yourself,” I reply. “I’m a busy girl. You gotta catch me when you can, Mr. Benz.”
“Noted,” he laughs. “Seriously though, Cam, let me holler at you for a second.”
I look at him expectantly, ticking down a mental list of possible subjects he may have to broach with me. It really has been forever since I’ve talked to Luka, so the list is endless. I frown.
“Holler away,” I reply.
He steps a little closer. “After you ended things with me, I was pretty upset. But I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable, or anything like that. Above all else, Cam, I really want to be your friend. I feel like you’re gonna need an extra one of those someday, and I really want to be there. In any way you’ll let me.”
I smile in relief. I’m so glad to hear him say that.
“I want to be your friend, too, Luka. I just wasn’t sure…” I trail off.
“I know. I didn’t make it easy. Please forgive me. And know that I’m here if you need me, and even if you don’t.”
I hug him tightly. It’s fast and sporadic, but I just need to do it. Luka is a genuinely good guy, and I hurt him. He’s standing here asking to be my friend anyway, and I’m lucky he still wants to be in my life after all we went through.
“Thank you,” I say into his chest. “I needed to hear that.”
His arms encircle me instantly, and I have that feeling of comfort and ease that I always experience with around. When I pull back, his beautiful brown eyes glitter with happiness and something I can’t identify.
“So, big game tonight. Home opener! I’m excited. Are you guys ready?” I ask him.
“Please. We’re gonna murder Lametown.”
He uses the nickname we gave our rivals, Lincolntown High.
“Okay then,” I laugh. “I see you, big man. I’ll save a high kick just for your first basket.”
“Oh, hell yeah,” he replies, doing a little jig on the pavement. “Can’t wait.”
He opens my car door for me, and I climb in. “See you in a bit!”
Cooper
I’ve run back to school to get a book I need for a report due on Monday. As I’m leaving, I’m almost humming with happiness. Being with a girl like Camryn just does that to me. I’ve never felt so comfortable with anyone. I’m comfortable with her, yet she still makes my stomach clench with anticipation every time I think about her. And when I see her…wow. She does things to me I never even thought were possible.
I exit the front doors of the school and look out into the parking lot. I stop short when I notice Cam…and Luka.
They’re just talking. A little too close for my comfort, but still. I trust her.
Then he puts his arms around her. I watch her arms snake up around his waist, and I nearly lose it.
I don’t know what stops me from running over there and pounding him in the face for touching my girl like that. Maybe it’s the fact that Cam might never forgive me for acting like a jealous asshat.
So I just stand there, like an idiot, and watch. I’m sure my mouth is hanging open, and my heart is hammering what feels like a jagged hole through my chest. If he tries to kiss her I will end him.
Finally, after ten forevers, she pulls out of the embrace. Then she gets into her car and drives away. I watch Luka get into his flashy SUV and drive off, and I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.
She’s with you, I remind myself. Camryn is yours because she wants to be. She could have chosen to be with Luka if she wanted him. Whatever reason she had for hugging Luka was a good one. Trust her.
I take a few deep breaths, and head for my bike.
As I ride home, I think about the fact that I’m about to watch a rival band perform at tonight’s game. I’m not really worried about them as competition. They have a different brand of music than we do, and their fan base is bound to be different. I’m still interested to go to the game with the guys from Fire and Glory though, and check them out.
I’m also going to check out my gorgeous girlfriend, who is captain of the dance team this year.
I don’t think I have ever even shown up at an athletic event at any of my old schools, and tonight I’m actually excited about attending a basketball game.
Color Blind Page 12
