For the past year, 18 year old Camille has been getting away with four hours of sleep, a nine hour school day and an eight hour work day overnight. That is until her three teachers and a mystery guy walk into her diner one night.
NOTE: THIS IS A 'W...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Are coming to school today?"
My brother, Noah, knocks on my door.
I haven't been to school in a week.
I don't want to face up to reality.
I roll over to face the door in bed and sigh.
Guess I need to bite the bullet at some point.
"Fine," I shout through the door;
"We leave in 10," Noah shouts back and I listen to his footsteps becoming further and further away.
Climbing out of bed, I grab the first clothes I see. It's a pair of black leggings and an oversized pink sweatshirt. I throw them on, along with some Ugg and brush through my hair, using my straighteners to tame it slightly.
Looking in my bathroom mirror, I sigh at the sight of me. I have deep dark circles under my eyes and I look like I haven't slept in a week. I look like a ghost of the girl I was.
I don't even recognise myself anymore.
I pick up my black tote bag and my phone before running to the car.
By the time we get to school, I realise I don't have any pain meds with me. The hospital ones ran out but I've needed to use Advil pretty much every day. This arm really is a pain in every sense of the word.
I head to put my books away, keeping my head down as I feel people's gazes on me as I walk. The whole school knows about the party and saw me fall at the pep rally.
Fuck my life.
"Camille Owens to the Principals Office, please" I hear the tannoy say as I open my locker. Letting out a sigh, I shut it and head to the office.
I knock on the wooden door, hearing Zander mutter for me to enter.
I go inside, glancing around at the exposed brick walls with an old oak desk in the middle and two brown arm chairs.
Zander is sat at the desk, looking concentrated as he types one his laptop. I hover nervously at the door, waiting for him to finish working.
I watch as his eyebrows furrow whilst his silver eyes scowl down at the screen. His dark hair short and styled, with the stubble making him look perfectly rugged but clean. His white shirt sleeves are rolled to his elbow and I can see his black suit jacket resting on the back of his chair.
He doesn't look like how you would expect a principal to look. You'd expect him to look geeky and old but he looks dangerous and young.
His eyes flicker up to me and he smirks, catching me staring at him. I blush and step into the office, closing the door.
"You wanted to see me, Mr Lockwood?" I ask him as he gestures for me to take a seat in one of the armchairs. I do so, crossing my leg over the over.
"How's your arm?" his gaze travels to my arm which is resting on my legs. I flex my fingers slightly, wincing as pain radiates up to my shoulder.
"Sore... I-I forgot to bring any Advil with me today," I admit, looking down at the cast.
"Here," he reaches into his desk drawer, producing an Advil box and popping out two for me. I take them from him, our fingers brushing together in the exchange. I blush, feeling heat spread to my core at the small interaction.
This is so wrong, Camille.
I pop the two pills in my mouth and he gives me his mug of coffee to swallow it down. It's hot and bitter down my throat, warming and waking me up slightly.
"Stay and drink the rest, Camille," he stares deeply into my eyes, making me realise it's not a request but a demand. I nod and watch as his eyes grow dark for a split second. I sit in silence as he returns to his laptop, furiously typing again.
Taking regular sips of the coffee, I relax into the armchair enjoying the shared silence between us.
Something about Zander's presence has a calming effect on me. We can sit not speaking and I still feel comfortable.
I'm interrupted from my thoughts by a sharp knock at the door, opening straight away to reveal Luka, Josh and Gabriel. They look stressed until they see me, a smile spreading across their faces as they walk in.
Luka takes the armchair next to me, sending a wink to me.
Gabriel walks behind Zander and pats him on the back, his eyes glancing down to the cup in my hand and raising his eyebrow.
Josh leans against the wall by the door, crossing his arms and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
My breathing hitches as I feel tension fill the room. Their presences suddenly make it feel ten times smaller than it actually is.
"You look tired, sweetheart," Luka reaches forward and brushes a piece of my hair from my face. I gaze into his blue eyes and blush at the intimate gesture. I try to look down, avoiding his gaze but he lifts my chin up, staring at my lips as I bite it instinctively.
My stomach flutters as he takes my attention, making me forget about the others in the room.
We stay in this position for what feels like hours and he begins to move forward, only for the bell to ring.
I jump up, mumbling about needing to get to class before running out of the office.
Truth is, I have gym class but, thanks to Zoe, I have to be in the library for the next five weeks instead of out in the field.
I just needed to get out of that situation.
I mean, he's my teacher.
I can't believe I just had a moment with my teacher.
In front of my other teachers.
Walking into the girls' bathroom, I check for it to be empty before I stare at myself in the mirror. A tear falls from my cheek and I wipe it away.
Everything is too much lately.
I can't cope with the constant waves of emotions I've been experiencing since the party.
I lost my best friend and was nearly raped all in one night. I ended up sleeping at my teacher's house and now four of my teachers, including the principal, are flirting with me.
It's all so confusing and exhausting.
I can't even think about the financial stress of me breaking my arm. My dad refuses to work, spending all my hard earned money on booze for himself, and my brothers are too invested in football.
I just assumed the role of caregiver, and they accepted it.
What the fuck are we going to do now I can't work for over a month?
Taking deep breaths, I wipe away the tears and wash my face with water. I leave the bathroom, heading to the library with the intention to bury myself deep in a book and forget the world for a hot minute.
