𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒, 𝐌𝐘 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒 ⤜ 𝑪𝑶𝑳𝑬 𝑾𝑨𝑳𝑻𝑬𝑹

𝟎𝟑: 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋, 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐏𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒

࿐
"YOUR NEEDS, MY NEEDS."
CAMILLE WOODS
࿐

I hear the loud beep from outside the house, quickly shoveling the rest of a piece of toast in my mouth, pulling my backpack on my shoulders and grabbing my gym bag for practice after, only making it out the door in a quick attempt to lock it as another honk escapes Cole's Bronco. I'm surprised the damn thing even makes a peep anymore, combined with how old it is and how often he relentlessly lays on it.

"Full house, Cam! Hurry it up," he calls out, one of his arms fully out the window, drumming against the side of the door to the beat of some old, 2000's rock guitar solo.

I roll my eyes as I continue to face the front door, pulling my key out of the lock as I walk towards his car, reaching for the door to the backseat.

Danny quickly opens the passenger door, getting out of the car as he shakes his head. "No need for you to be ambushed," he laughs.

"I really don't mind sitting back here, Danny," I smile at his thoughtful offer.

"With both of your bags?" He raises an eyebrow as my vision drops to them both. "Really, Cami, take the front seat."

"Will the two of you quit lallygagging like a bunch of children?" Cole groans over the distant chatter and brotherly arguing in the backseat.

"You're taking the seat." Danny grins, pushing me towards the passenger door as I reluctantly pull myself in, dropping both bags at my feet.

"Jesus, Cam," Cole laughs. "What are you doing? Having a sleepover in the gym?"

"Thank you, Danny," I smile, looking back to the first row of the backseat, pulling my seatbelt on. He flashes me a thumbs up before smacking Alex over the head for making a snide comment. I notice a girl, jammed in the middle of the two boys, while Isaac, Nathan, and Lee are in the far back. "Jackie, right?" I think back to my late night call with Cole on Friday, the night my car had broken down, where he had told me sometime over the weekend she was coming to stay with them for the time being.

"Howard. Jackie Howard." She nods, forcing a polite smile as Cole takes off quickly, taking a sharp turn out of my driveway, causing my shoulder to bump into his.

"Try not to go all Fast and Furious on me," I complain. "I prefer all bodily functions intact." He brushes me off with a shrug of his shoulders and roll of his eyes. We hadn't quite talked about our deal yet, but we surely weren't acting very couple-ish, and he was lacking effort on his end. I look back to Jackie. "I'm Camille, but people normally just call me Cami."

"Or Cam," Cole interjects with another cocky smile of his. If he wasn't driving, I'd consider smacking him for a fourth time. Maybe I'd even follow through.

"Please don't," I laugh it off, offering a small smile as my genuine tone makes a quick return. "If you want some help navigating your way around or if you need some advice, just let me know. I'll go all big sister on you."

There was a slight flash in her expression, but the falter doesn't last very long as she quickly attempts to cover the dip with a small smile. "I really appreciate that. Thank you."

• • •

"Hey, guys, we've got a full car today, so that means," he looks back at Isaac, arm slung over my seat in an attempt to turn to face him. "Isaac, no offering rides to random cheerleaders."

"You offered a ride to a random cheerleader," he counters, and honestly the kid has a point.

Cole and I speak at the same time. "It's my car." He counters.

"I don't have any other form of transportation," mine lingers a little longer. "You really should be proud of your brother for stepping up and being a gentleman for the first time in his long seventeen years of living." I grin, filling the void with sarcasm as I always do.

"Alex, don't shut the door." He complains, completely ignoring both Cole and I's attempt at defending our actions.

Cole yells something back about leaving at 3:30 sharp as I fumble out of the car, slinging my book bag over my shoulder, and letting my gym bag hang around my elbow. "Except for you," he smiles. "I'll pick you up from practice." He closes my car door for me.

"You don't have to pick me up from cheer," I shake my head, really not wanting the bombarding questions from my teammates or an awkward, silent, tension-filled ride home. "I can ask Kiley, she'll be headed to The Lark anyway." Beside us, Jackie finally pulls herself out of the car and Nathan begins talking about helping her find her way around.

"And who's gonna take you home after The Lark?" His famous smirk appears back on his lips, leaning against his Bronco as he crosses his feet. "There's no way Kiley can take you home everyday. Unlike some people, I'm pretty sure she has a life." He teases, but there's a serious undertone to his words. I know he's right, but I don't want to believe it.

I smack his arm lightly, too worried about his ego to let it lay on even harder. "I apparently need to invest in a muzzle for you."

"Kinky," he jokes, giving me a small, teasing nudge back.