Gravity Has Nothing on Us

Chapter 5

12. Heat

"You seem, I don't know... weird tonight, Cassandra."

"Weird? How?" I ask Cam, laugh manically, and then I wince. Okay, next time he says something Cassandra, maybe, I don't know... don't laugh like you're a fucking psychopath.

He smiles at me from across the table, and his light hair is getting a glow from the light above our head and he looks like a damn angel.

"You seem nervous. Do I make you nervous, Cassandra?" His smile turns into something else, something that makes heat pool in my stomach.

I swallow, hard.

"No," I say.

"Okay," he says, and starts to eat again. His smile stays firmly in place, I would even call his expression fond. Like he finds me...cute. I don't know how that makes me feel. Just that I feel warm inside.

The night, despite my weirdness, was going well. Better than that, it was going great. He was sweet, and when he picked me up from my house, his eyes lingered on me and he had called me beautiful.

(I had spent an embarrassingly long time on my makeup and hair. And God, my room looked like my closet threw up all over my floor.)

He'd taken me to a nice restaurant, and was a complete gentleman.

Everything about this night was perfect, except...

I could not, for the life of me, stop thinking about Tyler's face when I told him about the date. God, he was so mad. But why.

I shook myself mentally. Come on, Cassandra. Focus on the hot, angelic
guy sitting across from you.

13. Excuse me, is that your boyfriend in your bushes? (yes, yes it is.)

Cameron brought me home, and to my excitement, walked me to my door.

This was the goddamn moment. He was gonna kiss me.

I bit my lip. "I had fun tonight."

Cameron grinned, shoved his hands into his pockets, leaned forward. "So did I. So you and Tyler..." he said, and I turned when I heard a slight rustling coming from my bushes.

When the noise stopped, I looked back to Cam. "Me and Tyler...?"

"Why are you with him?" he asks, bluntly. "I just. I like you, Cass."

My heart explodes in my chest. "It's complicated," I say, then add quickly, "I like you too."

His eyes light up, all the colors in them looking goddamn magnificent with the moon reflecting off them. "Good. That's good. I wouldn't want for you to hit me."

"Why would I hit you?" I laugh in confusion.

"If I were to do something..." he says, his eyes flickering from my eyes to my lips. My breath hitches. "I wouldn't want you to hit me for it."

"Believe me," I say, and Jesus, my voice is breathless, "I won't."

He leans, leans, leaning, almost...I close my eyes...lips parted...

"Cassandra," I hear Cam say, in a very low voice.

"Yes?" I say, my eyes still closed.

"Is that...is that your boyfriend in your bushes?"

My eyes fly open. I turn. What do I see?

Tyler crouched in my fucking bushes, with a lollipop in his mouth. He grins, and it hangs out of the side of his lips.

"Yes," I say, barely containing my rage. "Yes it is."

14. Pounding hearts and butterflies and a party

"You stalker, pyscho, asshole! You fucking big loser idiot!" I keep hitting him, and Tyler pleads for relief. His lollipop is already on the ground.

"Stop! Ouch, fuck, stop Cass!" He finally grabs my fists.

Cameron had already left, five minutes prior. He had awkwardly backed away from me, flashing me a quick smile, and promising to text me soon.

I had been attacking Tyler ever since.

"Are you out of your damn mind? Why, Tyler? Why would you ruin that for me?" I ask, anger bleeding out of me.

"Cass, I'm sorry it's just--"

"It's bad enough he thinks you're my boyfriend! Now he thinks you're my boyfriend that fucking stalks me in bushes! In my bushes!"

The easy look in Tyler's eyes disappears at this. He's gone blank again.

"Why," he says, "is it so terrible that you are my girlfriend?" Before I can correct him, he sharply adds, "Fake, I know. I know it's fucking fake."

I don't know what to say. He laughs. "Okay, fine, whatever, Cass. Cassandra," he corrects himself. It feels like a goddamn slap in the face.

I don't like watching him walk away. It makes me feel things I don't want to like sadness and helplessness, which I hate. So I turn to anger.

"Fine!" I yell. "Fuck you!"

"Good," he shouts back. "Hope you're happy with your stupid fucking pretty boy."

"I will be," I scream, and why am I crying? I swipe my face, upset and flushed and frustrated. Why am I crying?

I hear Tyler sigh. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not," I say. My chin trembles.

He comes closer. His hair, sticking up in all different directions, his square jaw, his brown eyes, and dark lashes, all things so familiar to me.

"Stop," I say and wipe at my face. I sniff angrily. "I'm not crying."

"Okay, you're not crying," he says. "Fine. Whatever." He backs away. A tic in his jaw starts up.

"Okay," I say very softly. (My heart is pounding faster than ever.)

"Okay," he says, just as soft.

It feels like goodbye when he walks back to his house and disappears into the darkness of the night. (It, of course, is not goodbye. I still cry and don't know why I'm crying, until I finally fall asleep.)


We act like nothing happened, and we eat chips and watch TV on his bed Saturday afternoon.

"Stop," I say when Tyler grabs one of my feet. A grin is on his face. "I'll kick you," I say and my voice is already shaking from laughter, the way it does when you know you're about to be tickled.

"Tyler!" I half shout and kick him away. He's laughing with glee and I'm screaming and cackling and rolling away.

He's on top of me in seconds, and my breath is gone. (I tell myself it's because he's a fatass and I cannot handle his weight on top of me.)

"Get off me fatty," I grunt. Struggle to move underneath him.

He snorts laughter and it's really not cute. "Fatty. Right."

I roll my eyes, and try to push him off. "Get off," I say. I put my hand between his shoulder blades and see his eyes dilate. It sends my pulse wild.

He looks at me, so intensely I have to wonder what he's thinking, and then rolls off. My phone vibrates in my back pocket.

It's Cam. Party tonight, you in? I type back a yes and all I get in reply is a simple see you at 9.

I look at Tyler who's looking at the TV, and his light grey t-shirt had ridden up and I can see a part of his tan stomach and it sends a feeling of heat straight to my stomach.

I don't let myself ponder why. I keep my thoughts firmly on Cameron. And the party.

He looks up, then. And smiles at me. And it's the strangest thing in the world. I get a feeling, right then.

The feeling of butterflies in my stomach.

author's note: party next chapter. I'm excited, are you?