If there was one thing Cameron didn't like, it was his alarm rudely waking him up in the morning. He groaned, shifting in his twin sized bed that was way too small for his six foot frame.
Rummaging around under the covers, he eventually found his phone, the cause of the incessant ringing in his ears. The boy turned it off, sighing in relief once the noise stopped.
With one final groan, Cameron swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his bare feet meeting the cool tile below. Shirtless and still half awake, he stretched his arms overhead, arching his back until he relieved the tension.
Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he made his way out of his bedroom and into the narrow hallway, avoiding glances at the many framed pictures littering the walls.
Cameron's house was small and unkempt. It wasn't that he was a dirty person, he didn't really know how it ended up this way. With his mom gone and his dad, well, occupied at the moment, there really wasn't anyone around besides him to clean up messes.
The blonde walked to the kitchen, making himself a bowl of cereal. He stood over the counter, eating his breakfast as he stared into space.
The quietness of the house enveloped him, broken only by the occasional creak of the floorboards beneath his feet. He glanced around the kitchen, noticing the dishes piled up in the sink and the layer of dust coating the countertops.
Just as he finished his cereal, his phone rang with the same dreaded call he received every week. With a deep breath, he pulled out the device and held it to his ear.
"Hey Dad. I know. I know. I will. I have it under control. I know. I won't. Bye."
Cameron's voice carried a mix of resignation and frustration as he spoke to his dad, the familiar routine of their conversation playing out like a broken record. Hanging up the phone, he felt a heavy weight settle in his chest, the burden of responsibility pressing down on him once again.
The blonde put his empty bowl in the sink and made his way back to the bedroom, stopping at the two bigger portraits in the hallway. "Morning Mom. Fuck you Dad." He spoke to each of them. He missed his mother dearly, her absence a constant ache in his heart. His feelings toward his dad were complex, a blend of anger and disappointment, yet there was also something else, a strong desire to make him proud.
After getting ready, Cameron started his walk to school. While he walked, he thought about a certain brunette. He wasn't supposed to like her, but he found himself drawn to her. It wasn't the fact that she was pretty, she was, but that wasn't what made her so appealing.
