Gravity Has Nothing on Us

Chapter 4

8. WTF

My head is in my hands. I hear the rustles of the sheets that means that Cameron had gotten up.

I hear him laugh nervously. "Oh. Man, I wasn't trying anything. Here, you sit. I'm just going to..."

The next thing I know we're alone. Tyler is staring at me, and I know it, because I can feel his eyes on me.

"Don't," I say, when I feel him try to hug me. "You big fucking idiot."

Finally I look at him, his face smug as hell, and that's when I curl up my fist, and I hit him in the eye.

"What...the...fuck!" He sputters, holding a hand to his eye.

Then, he pounces.

9. Bowl o' soup

All in all, we only smash one potted plant while wrestling. I have a red mark on my face from when Tyler pushed me off his body and I hit Josh's night stand table. (Admittedly, Tyler had stopped everything to see if I was okay. I slapped him, and it was on again.)

Josh was pissed. Chris was eating his soup, his face blank as always. Cameron just looked embarrassed still, with his face focused heavily on his phone. His beauty was unbelievable. I wanted to lick his face.

Tyler was icing his face. Like, everywhere. He literally was lying back on the couch with ice cubes balanced all over his face. Probably because Josh had no ice packs.

"Sorry Josh," I say, as I'm sweeping up dirt from his floor. He doesn't deem me an answer, instead going to eat his own bowl of soup, because Chris wouldn't share. Greedy little bastard.

"Go and fucking make out somewhere passionately that is not my room! Like seriously, I sleep on that bed!" Josh finally says.

Two things happen at once, I say, "oh my god what no that's not--" and Tyler says, "sorry man we'll try not to do it again." I notice Tyler's eyes are focused on Cameron, a little smile on his lips.

I look at Tyler with widened eyes that say: dude seriously what the hell!

Cameron looks like he wants to die. His eyes are closed and his head is tilted up at the ceiling. Like, why God. Why.

I am wondering the same. Exact. Thing.

10. Happiness Is Singing All The Way Home

I see Cameron again when I'm at Josh's without Tyler.

The night we left here after the whole plant smashing fiasco, I had ordered him to tell me the reason for us fake dating. He wouldn't. He kept silent, and walked to his house, and I went home, too.

Cam smiles at me, and I smile back.

And then, it's all spilling out. "Look. Me and Tyler...we're not-"

"Serious?" Cameron asks before I can say, we're not actually even dating, so please make out with me.

"Yes," I say, nodding my head frantically. I stop when I realize I probably look like a bobblehead. "Not serious. We aren't."

Cameron smiles, blindingly beautiful. I think I see the sun come out, damn. "Cool."

"What's cool?" Chris asks in his monotone voice. He's just entered the living room, a bowl of cereal in his hands. He sits next to me.

"Nothing," I say. But I have a grin. And it's a big one. "Nothing."

Cameron scoots closer to me, and it's a small gesture, but it still makes my heart pound. My hands are actually sweating right now, which is a thing I didn't think actually happens.

When I'm about to leave Josh's, Josh hugs me close, and then eyes me. "You're awful cozy with Cam. I'm confused."

I laugh, say, "Don't be ridiculous," and try to look like Tyler is my one and only. I refrain from snorting at that thought.

Josh stares at me. "Stop what you're doing with your face. Like. Are you constipated?"

I stop doing what I'm doing with my face.

I open the door to my mom's car (a goddamn minivan, cool, I know) and I feel a hand wrap around my wrist. I start, turn, and see green-blue-hazel-what-color-even eyes staring at me. Cameron.

"Hi," I say, unsure of what else to say.

He lets out a breath of air. "I know you have a boyfriend, Cass. And I don't mean to be one of those guys. But I'm going to be one of them right now."

"What are you saying?" And I really hope he's saying what I think he's saying.

"Hang out with me. Like. Chill with me. Alone." His eyes widen. "Like! Innocently alone. But... Alone. You know, friends. We're friends, right?"

I laugh, and say, "okay," even though my insides are all like, oh my god, and he smiles.

I want to see him smile more.

I leave, music bumping, and see him still standing in the driveway with his hands in his pockets, smiling to himself.

I start singing. (I'm a terrible singer according to... Well. Everyone.)

Regardless, I sing all the way home.

11. Empty

"What are you so happy about?" Tyler asks, disgruntled. We're sitting in English class.

The fact that me and Cameron hung out twice in the past week. That he hugged me goodbye. That he was totally, completely, fucking awesome.
That he...

"Nothing. Everything." I sigh, smile. He looks at me with his eyebrows raised.

"Okay..." he says, and starts chewing on his pen cap. I can't hold it in anymore.

"It's just Cameron totally asked me out!" I say and expect Tyler to clap his hand to mine, and say something like, "ugh who would want to go out with you?" but smile regardless because he's happy for me.

Tyler does not react like that.

First his whole face sort of goes blank, like he didn't comprehend. And then confusion.

"He...I'm sorry, what?"

"He asked me--"

"Is he fucking crazy?" He snaps and I widen my eyes at him, and pointedly stare at our anatomy teacher, Mrs. Palumbo. He doesn't get the memo. "You're my girlfriend. You... You can't go out with him. I mean. Like. No, Cass." His anger makes no sense to me. I look at him with my head tilted.

I smile, sort of confused. "Tyler, I'm not actually you're girlfriend. Remember?"

He blanks again. "Yeah. Of course." His voice is cold. He doesn't look at me again.

I'm left with an empty feeling in my stomach. In my whole body.

And tonight is my date with Cameron.

Well, shit.