Lola

22

Cam

Dani: I think we need to cancel the dating thing. Talk soon?

My stomach drops as I read Dani's message. Great. I've been cancelled. Just in case things weren't already bad enough, Dani hates my guts. Again. I can't bring myself to respond. 

I throw my phone onto my covers and sit at my desk. Everything else in my life is a mess, so I might as well do a bit of schoolwork.

I study into the evening, nod my way through dinner, and collapse onto my bed for the night.

~~~~

The sunlight streams through my blinds, painting warm yellow streaks on my skin. Usually I enjoy waking up to the sun, but today I just want to stay in bed. 

I don't want to trudge back onto the battlefield. God knows what Caitlyn will be telling people about me. She's already told Dani that I drove her best friend to suicide. Then again, I only recently accused Dani of doing the same. Perhaps I deserve whatever I've got coming for me.

I shuffle through the gates, searching for my friends. A voice from behind stops me. "Hey, Cam! Wait up, brother."

Zig jogs up beside me, flashing me his usual bright and gentle smile. It falls almost instantly as he catches a glimpse of my face. "Brother, what's going on?"

I shake my head, unsure of what to say. 

He clasps me firmly on the shoulder. "Let me guess. Something screwed up your chances with Dani?"

I can't help but be grudgingly impressed. "How do you always seem to know what's going on before I even tell you?"

"Because you're my brother, buddy. It's my job to look after you."

"You know you're not my actual brother, right?"

He grins. "Yes, Cam. I am aware that we are not blood-related, seeing as you look like a snowman and I look like the snowman's shadow in the sun. But you're my best mate, and best mates are the family that you choose."

Before I know it, I'm crying like a wimp. Zig gives me a tight hug and thumps me on the back. "Cry it out, buddy, it's all good."

I sob into Zig's shirt, painfully aware that I have spent more time crying in the last two weeks than I have in the last two years. He sits me down on a nearby bench and I hide my face in my hands.

Zig peers at me curiously. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I throw my hands down somewhat dramatically and stare at him with my puffy, blotchy, tear-stained face. "People don't make snowmen in the sun, they'd melt. That's the dumbest analogy I've ever heard."

He shakes his head, bemused. "Whatever. You know what I mean. You're a paleface and I'm Indigenous. Now, tell me about the important stuff."

"Caitlyn walked in on Dani and I in the greenhouse yesterday."

He pulls a face. "Walked in on you? In the greenhouse? Dude, what the-"

"No! We were just talking. Well, we did almost kiss, but that's it. We needed to talk somewhere that Caitlyn wouldn't hear us, about our relationship and stuff. Lola as well."

He nods, seemingly relieved. "Right, so you went to the greenhouse. Then what?"

"We were talking about what we wanted to do since, uh, I kissed her. She wasn't ready to jump into a relationship yet, but we agreed to date and see how things went."

Zig smiles again. "That's great! Good on ya, brother."

I laugh weakly. "Well it felt great for the thirty seconds it lasted. We were staring at each other all romantic and stuff, and I was about to go in for the snog when Caitlyn started bashing on the door."