*Faith POV*
The school is covered in painted blue signs warning me of the impending doom happening at the end of the half school day. Pep rally day. The day where everyone gets to cram into the gymnasium, scream loudly, and cheer for the cheerleaders and their sultry dance moves. It's great really, I mean who doesn't love to watch Angela prance around like she runs the world. Oh, yeah. Me. I loathe this stupid stuff. What does any of it have to do with life outside of this stuffy place? Berry walks up to me as I stand next to the sign staring at it with all my vehement hate.
“If you’re not careful the paint is going to melt right off that sign and onto your shoes.” he jokes and I turn my disgruntled gaze towards him. This jerkface made me run an extra 2 miles today and then made me add extra weights to my reps and I didn't even have Izzy the
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*Cameron POV* I close my eyes as Angela presses her body against mine in the janitor's closet. Her wet lips clobbering my own while she forces little moans like it's the best thing she has ever experienced. I groan inwardly trying to tap into the old me, the me who would jump at the chance to be with a beautiful girl in the janitor's closet. Her hot tongue presses on my lips begging for entry and I deny it, kissing her back with full force lips trying to keep this light enough for her to get uninterested. She grabs my hands and places them on her hips forcing me to apply pressure and pull her closer. Reaching around my waist she slides her hands into my back pockets squeezing my buttocks and groaning with delight at what she finds. She can sense my hesitation as she abruptly stops kissing me and reels back to look at me.
*Faith POV* “You ok” Mia asks, stopping just in front of me looking over my face. “I'm good.” She looks me up and down skeptically. And I force a chuckle. “Really I am fine. I've just had a rough day of my own making.” I smile at her honestly. It’s true, this day has sucked, and the majority of it has been because I miss Cameron and Izzy. Now that I've been properly put in my place unknowingly by Cameron I can focus on Izzy and my friends. I take a deep breath and grab her arm. “You and Noah are walking me to the pep rally.” I declare and she smiles brightly. “About Noah.” She looks at me shyly. “Oh I know, you guys are finally official.” I wave her off like it's no big deal waiting for her to explode.
“What do you mean she deserved it?” Mom says trying to remain calm but falling very short. It doesn't help that Mia is feeling zero remorse, not that she should have to in my mind. But it doesn't bode well when the attacker is starting to come off as a psychopath. “Aunt Grace-” Mia says calmly “The principal wants to suspend you!” she shouts, tossing her hands up in defeat. “What great reason do you have for beating up the girlfriend of the richest man in town” “She had it coming,” She says shrugging “Excuse me?” My mom says walking closer her hands perched on her hips. “She attacked Faith first!” Mia says standing up unable to keep her calm demeanor thinking back about what had happened “She called Faith out in fr
*Cameron POV* “He isn’t worth the trouble anyway.” She says looking right at me and quickly retreating down the hall her head held high. I curse her for not having the guts to witness the slice of her words. In all the time we have spent together I hadn't figured her for a coward. Her words hit deep, and I know she knows it. It's why she used those words and turned tail to run so quickly. I rise to my feet before Principal Peters even can call me into his office and follow him wordlessly. I have a seat in the chair across from his desk leaning back and resting my head on the back of the chair. The cool leather connecting with my neck easing the tension in my head. “Cameron.” He starts and I open an eye and look at him.
“Faith” I breathe out content. “Cameron?” she says questioning and I freeze in alarm. Crap. I wasn't altering my voice. I force a strained laugh. “Nope, quit dreaming. It's me, Izzy.” I can hear an audible sigh on her end. “Izzy.” her voice cracks and so does a piece of me hearing it. “I'm not friends with Cameron anymore.” I close my eyes trying to keep my own tears from falling when she begins to softly sob on the other end. “Are you okay with that?” I hesitantly ask her. I can hear her sniffling yet she doesn't respond. “You just nodded your head ‘No’ didn't you?” and she chuckles so softly. “Gah. I feel so stupid. I mean I knew I couldn't date you and be friends w
*Faith POV* I throw the blankets off me quickly, running for the bathroom and jumping in the shower. How did I not see that text until he was like 5 minutes away? I step into the water and squeak as the ice cube temperatures deprive me of the warmth my bed had provided. I grit my teeth and bear the temp just long enough to wash my red puffy face. I can only hope the arctic temperatures will ease the swelling from my tears. Shivering, I step out of the shower and wrap a towel around me and run to my walk-in closet searching for anything I can toss on. I clearly haven't done my laundry in a couple of days as I search frantically for something, anything to throw on. I groan in frustration. I can hear a chuckle from my room and I freeze. “Don’t get dressed up on my account.” I smile at the sound of his voice. I
The cheers reverberate off the metal stands as I weave my way through the crowds of moving bodies. Everyone is in their own bubbles laughing and chatting loudly. Groups of girls giggling over the guys in their football gear, especially Cameron Davis. Number 36. The star player, the hottest guy in the school, and the person I'm trying like hell to avoid. Now if only my eyes could remember that I need to not stare at him like the hungry wolves on the sideline looking for a fresh piece of meat. Teenage hormones are such a strange thing, there is this magnetic draw to Cameron no matter how hard I try to ignore it. How can I feel exactly the same way for Cameron as I do for Izzy when I know Izzy better. With two minutes left in the game, I sidle up to the fence below the stands wearing an inconspicuous hoodie and baseball cap, wondering if I can figure out which number Izzy is. I know he isn't on the ros
*Cameron POV* Everyone seems to move around me at double speed. The whole of the room is full of laughter and congratulations as the guys replay the last remaining minute of the game that led to our victory. We won. We are going to the championships. This means more practice and less time. This means a way to occupy my mind. Taking a big deep inhale I relish the pain it brings from my injury, anything to distract me from the emptiness I feel. I close my eyes to refocus but all I can see is her face. The disappointment when she walked out of those showers towards me. The question she asked by just saying the name I had given her. One minute I had hope, the next I was watching it go up in flames. I had thought that earlier today was my lowest point. That maybe, just maybe I had suffered enough in one day that I could escape further injury. Instead, I’m in
Warm water trickles down my leg as another contraction squeezes my insides in an invisible vice grip. I groan loudly, clutching the counter and leaning over. I hear a clattering beside me and I look over, seeing Izzy holding his little stuffed puppy, his eyes wide in fear. He looks so much like Cameron right now. I smile through the pain as he tentatively steps closer. “Mommy, you peeped your pants on the floor?” he asks in his sweet 3-year-old voice and I chuckle. “No baby, mommy is going to have a baby. Do you know where mommy’s phone is?” I ask, hoping he might remember where I had it last since I never can recall these days where I put anything. “Um. Yep!” His tiny little legs work hard as he runs out of the bathroom and bangs around in the living room. “Iz. Izzy?” I call to him. “Yeah, mommy?” “Did you find it?” He walks into the bathroom, holding my phone, and I nearly fall over with rel
4 years later, *Cameron POV* I wipe my sweaty palms on my khaki pants. Faith’s name rings through the speaker system and a single graduation cap rises from the sea of green as she makes her way to the stage. Noah and I jump to our feet, screaming and cheering for her. It doesn’t matter to me that every man and woman graduating is wearing the same robes and hat. My Faith looks a thousand times better than all of them. Her auburn hair shimmers in the sunlight as she climbs the stairs, a stunning, excited smile on her perfect face. There is no doubt in my mind that this woman is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. She shakes the dean’s hand and pauses for a minute while photos are snapped. Noah and I take our seats and he leans over to me anxiously. “Ok, dude. I’m freaking out for you,” he whispers. I shoot him a scowl, and he just chuckles and shrugs. Noah and I quickly became good friends and then, as fate wou
*4 months later* * Faith POV* “Come on, Faith!” Cameron shouts “Run faster!” Mia screeches “Yeah, pretend Mia is coming for you!” Noah adds. I can hear an oof from him, which makes me smile, knowing Mia probably whacked him. I try to tune them out as I run by them on my last lap, hurtling towards the finish line. I need to hone in and focus. Currently, I’m sitting in second place with Mariah right on my heels. My heart is racing with the sheer adrenaline of the race and my legs are exhausted. They feel like jello but I push harder, faster than I have ever gone before. Little by little, I gain on the girl in front of me. Each step vibrates through my leg, pulling me closer to my last victory.
“Do you guys think it's stupid of me to keep doing family therapy?” I ask Mia, Noah, and Cameron. They all look around at each other, waiting for someone to talk. “That’s up to you,” Mia says. “If you think you need to do it to get the closure you need, then I think it’s exactly what you need,” “You have to remember that you are un-hashing a lot of heavy stuff. You are reopening old wounds so that you can heal appropriately. It’s going to be tough in the beginning.” Noah adds. “You said Uncle John is back to actually showing up, right?” Mia asks, and I nod. I forgot how long it’s been since we’ve sat and had a serious conversation about it all since she spends most of her time with Noah and I’ve been busy with Cameron. “Did he give a good excuse?” Cameron asks. “He went back to visit his AA mentor and talk about everything. His mentor helped him find a therapist here and Dad claims he is going daily now.” I say, sh
*Faith POV* The car idles as I sit and stare at the garage door. A stray tear slowly weaves its way down my cheek as I swipe at it furiously. I hate feeling like this. My therapist keeps telling me that healing is a process and even when I ‘heal’ I’ll still have moments when I’m not ok. And today I’m not ok. I feel emotionally drained, and all I want to do is sleep for days. I hate these scars that make me feel so ugly and imperfect. I have done so well compartmentalizing all my shit so I could help and be there for Cameron. And it felt amazing to do that. I regret nothing. But now I’m being bowled over by my own insecurities and internal pain and I feel so alone. I have people I can call who would be here in a moment for me. But I feel terrible for bothering them with my sob stories. Mia called me the moment I left Cameron his food to ask if we could reschedule our girls-only night. Of course, I said yes. She is in love and happy
The arcade is bustling and the sounds of the games surrounding me remind me just how alive and vibrant this place is. I sit at one of the tables towards the back with a now cold pepperoni pizza as I watch everyone move around me. A young girl is crying because she lost the game while her older brother chuckles and tries to console her. The boy to the left sits at the table drinking his soda while being engrossed in some random comic strip in his hand. I look to the center of the store and I swear I can see her. Standing there in front of a young boy who looks just like me. I blink back the burn of tears, letting the memory play itself out before me as if it’s a movie of my life. “Oh, my sweet little Izzy. I promise the machines are clean,” she assures me with a sweet smile. & year old me just smiles in excitement. “Shouldn’t I be at school?” ten-year-old me asked her. “Not today. Today we are celebrating yo
“How’s Edith?” Noah asks as he walks up to Faith and me. It’s been a few days since her stroke and there still isn’t much change. Though she woke up, she still looks like she is not completely there and it’s slowly killing me inside. “She’s hanging on.” Faith answers for me, entwining our hands and offering me a supportive smile. “Well, that’s good to hear,” Noah says, trying to make conversation as he sits at our lunch table. I like Noah. He seems to be a genuine guy who thinks the world of his two best friends. Who doesn’t respect a guy who can put up with two polar opposite girls at the same time? Ever since the time we all hung out in Faith and Mia’s living room, he and I have had a new mutual respect for one another. One that I am certain will grow into a wonderful friendship. Which is refreshing since I really only have Faith. Being the popular guy comes with a lot of things, one of them being lots of acquaintances but no
Each blip on the monitor is a reminder that she is still here, still fighting. It’s been a whirlwind since we arrived. Flurries of medical personnel bustle in and out checking vitals, changing liquids, offering water for Faith, dad, and me. She had a stroke, that’s what the doctor said. He said extreme stress brought it on. I rode here with her in the ambulance. I just knew she would wake up if I left her alone for even a minute, and I couldn’t miss that. Yet she still hasn’t opened her eyes or even squeezed my hand. I know she will recover. It doesn’t take a medical genius to know that she is just too amazing to leave me. She would never do that to me. Faith walks up behind me and snakes her hands over my shoulder, hugging my back and giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, how are you doing?” she whispers. The heat of her breath tickles my ears as I turn slightly to see her face. She looks exhausted and stunning. How
“Well then, I will find a job and buy us a double-wide to live in,” Dad smirks. I choke on my laugh when her face falls, and she grows pale. “Fine. I’ll sign them and go to John.” She says. It’s blatantly obvious that she is trying to get a rise out of my father, but the only reaction she gets is a bark of laughter from Faith. “My dad?” Faith is trying to contain her laughter while my mother grows red with anger. “I’m sorry. You think he wants you after you tried to destroy him by getting him addicted to drugs?” “Woah, what!” I look at my mom as she stands looking guilty. Now it’s my Father’s turn to turn red with anger. “You gave him drugs?” My father says, his voice rising as it echoes through the house.”