mr. hemmings // l.h.

30 • madeline

((( this is a SUPER SHORT filler chapter just because the next few chapters are JUICYYYY and eventful. STAY TUNED. ))))

"How'd it go?" Cameron asked me, as I approached him at the arcade counter.

I smiled, "I start Monday!"

He gave me an enthusiastic high five, "Yes! At the arcade counter with me, right? Not pizza?"

"Nope, arcade. With you! I'm so excited." I said.

"Yeah, that'll wear off." He laughed. "It's a pretty fun job though, and now I'll get to work with you, so it'll be nice to have a friend here. I'm a supervisor, so I'm in charge!"

I rolled my eyes, "Maybe I don't want this job after all!"

"No, no, you definitely do!" He chuckled, "When it's slow me and you can play arcade games!"

"Okay, I'm back on board." I laughed.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something." He confessed.

I raised an eyebrow, "Yeah? What is it?"

"How come you didn't tell us you had a boyfriend?"

I sighed, "He's not really my boyfriend, yet. We're in a weird stage right now."

"Ah," he laughed, "we've all been there."

"Hey, Cam?"

"Yeah?" He asked.

"How do I know if a guy really likes me?" I asked, "Like, honestly. When you're into a girl, how do you show her?"

He thought for a moment, intently.
"Well, there isn't really a universal rule for all guys. But I will tell you, there definitely are a few good clues. When a guy is super into a girl, he'll want to spend all of his time with her. Especially college guys. All they really want to do is party with their friends, so if you're getting major attention from a college guy, he must have it bad. If he dedicates all of his free time to you, you're special. Also, he'll remember little things you say, and details about you. He'll be so infatuated that he'll want to know everything about you. He'll get jealous, and moody sometimes, but it's just because we get insecure. We won't ever tell you that, but we do. We're stubborn."

I laughed, and then sat my head in my hands.
"I really like this guy," I said softly, "But I don't want to get led on."

"Do you think you're being led on?" He asked.

I shook my head no.

He smiled, "You're a smart girl, Mads. And you've been through a lot. I really think you should trust your instinct here. If you think he's genuine, he probably is."

"He's a great guy." I nodded. "That's the problem. If I lost him, I'd really miss him. It wouldn't be something that I'd get over in a few days."

"You two are that serious?" He asked, "And you've barely even mentioned him to us?"

I rolled my eyes, "Do you know how hard it is to bring up boys to you and Gabe? You guys treat me like a little sister."

"Well, of course we're going to!" He chuckled. "Someone's got to look out for you, and CeCe, and Trish. That's kind of in our job description."

"Is that right?" I laughed, "Well, thanks for caring. I'm just stressing out."

"When aren't you stressing out? You're always finding something to get all worked up about. Try to relax." He said.

"I'll try." I sighed. "Key word, try."

He rolled his eyes, but then smiled, and reached over the counter to scruff up my hair. I pulled away harshly, cursing him a bit, before giving him a goodbye hug. I had to stand on my tip toes, considering he was still a counter away.

"I'll see you at the dance!" He grinned, "And then, prepare for duty on Monday!"

"Yes, supervisor." I laughed.