The Eras of Us | taylor swift

2 | you're on your own kid

publish schedule? what publish schedule? 

i think the next chapter will be out next Wednesday though. 

- kathy

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"Are you coming?" Emily questioned as they walked off the football field with the rest of the football players and cheerleaders. Cameron blinked back into focus and looked away from her best friend on the bleachers, nodding numbly.

"Yeah, I'll be right there."

Emily gave her a look over before deciding, "I'll tell Addison that you need a ride."

Cameron smiled in thanks before she ran to catch up to Taylor before she could leave with the rest of the marching band members.

Freshman year was different, almost hard. Cameorn found herself immediately pulled into the popular crowd, and Addison, their head cheerleader, had told Cameorn on more than one occasion that Cameron's like a younger sister she never got to have.

While Taylor's affirmation for music pulled her towards marching band, and suddenly it felt as if a social barrier grew between them. Cameron still spent all of the possible waking moments with her best friend, there wasn't anyone else she would rather spent with.

Taylor saw her first, and Cameron grinned as she pulled her best friend into a hug. "Good first game!"

"Yeah!" Taylor laughed, her eyes giving Cameron a look over. "You look good in the new uniform."

"Thank you, I thought I was quite hot myself," Cameron smirked, giving a little twirl to show off her dress. She noted off the redness in Taylor's cheeks to the heat in the bleachers. "You don't look too bad yourself."

Taylor smiled. "Are you implying that there's some part of me that looks bad in this?"

Cameron rolled her eyes and punched the blonde. "You know that's what I mean. But you're coming over tonight, right?"

"Of course! Our weekly Friday sleepover is no joke," Taylor replied. But her attention was soon pulled away when one of the girls from the marching band called out Taylor's name. She smiled apologetically but Cameron wove her off.

"Go enjoy it with your friends, beside I get you all to myself tonight," Cameron grinned brightly, pushing Taylor towards the rest of the band members. "Don't do anything I won't do!"

"You do everything!" Taylor called back as she started to walk away.

"Exactly!"

Cameron wove before running to catch up with Addison and the rest of the cheerleaders. Emily gave her a look but didn't say anything. They didn't need to, Cameron knew what they were thinking. She thought high school was really such a cliche. They all think that Cameron shouldn't hang out with the weird band girl, but what do they know about Taylor Swift?

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Lunch time was the hardest, as Cameron found herself pulled into the "popular" table by Addison the morning after the first football game.

"I've noticed that you've been sitting with that weird band girl all this time, you don't have to do that," Addison looked at Cameron seriously, as if she was looking out for her. "All she does is write in that notebook of hers, you can sit with us from now on."

"She's my best-" Cameron barely finished her thought before Addison was dragging her towards her lunch table, where a group of kids had already gathered.

"Hey guys, this is Cameron, she's going to be sitting with us from now on!" Addison announced, holding up Cameron's hand as if she had just won a prize. And maybe in their eyes, she did won a prize. Cameron put on what she hope was a convincing smile before Addison was pulling her in the bench beside her.

Cameron found Taylor's eyes across the cafeteria, and she shrugged and give her what she hope was a 'I don't want to be here' smile. It must have gotten lost in translation though, because Taylor looked away, closed her notebook, before storming out of the cafeteria.

She was just about to get up and chase after her friend when Addison pulled her back into the conversation. "So... what do you think of Drew? He's pretty hot, right?"

"Who?" Cameron questioned, blinking back into reality and eyeing the table, who seemed to be all staring at her. The guy across from her waved, and Cameron gave him a look over. "He's not bad."

"You two should totally go on a date," Addison continued, and Drew looked almost giddy at the thought. Cameron just wants to get up and look for her best friend. Because she did not like that look of utter betrayal in Taylor's eyes before she ran out. "The hottest freshman football player and the hottest freshman cheerleader, you guys would be the talk of the school by senior year!"

"Oh yeah, sure," Cameron nodded distractly, trying to figure out the quickest way out of this table so she can find Taylor. She glanced around the table again, to see that conversation had resumed and Drew was grinning at her. She flashed a small grin back before ripping a page out of her notebook and scribbling her number on it. "I need to go somewhere, I forgot to grab... something from my locker. Call me?"

Addison looked over the moon, and Cameron hoped that she would not be setting her up with anyone else anytime soon because dating was so not on her high school agenda.

She basically fled from the cafeteria in search of Taylor, before finding Taylor sitting on the ground in one of the empty hallways in the school.

Taylor refused to acknowledge her arrival and Cameron sighed, sliding down on the floor besides her best friend. "I didn't want to abandon you, they pulled me in and I couldn't really stop them. When Addison wants something, she gets them. And I would much prefer to sit with you anyways, you're more fun, and-"

"I get it," Taylor interrupted, her voice soft. She refused to meet Cameron's eyes though as she played with the food in her lunch tray. "They're popular, and I'm not. I'm the weird kid no one wants to sit with, you know, not even the band kids are inviting me to sit at their table. I get it, seriously, I'm just a nobody-"

Cameron suddenly turned and took Taylor's hands in hers. "Let me stop you right there, I will not have you talk about my best friend like that. You are the kindest, the prettiest, and bestest-"

"That's not a word," Taylor muttered out, and Cameron let out a small chuckle.

"It is a word now. But you are so amazing, and no one knew that those things in your notebook are going to one day hit the top 100 chart, because they don't know you like I do," Cameron cup Taylor's cheek, and watery blue eyes met her. Cameron wiped away the stray tears that escaped Taylor's eyes with her thumb. "You are my best friend, and nothing will change that, okay? Even if you're all the way in New York and I'm here in Nashville because they don't know that your smile could light up New York City, and that you are the one that pulled me out of my darkest times. I will tell them you saved me from a fire if it means that they will respect you."

Taylor let out a teary chuckle, and pressed her forehead against Cameron's. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You hid in my backyard to be angsty after your brother stole your first instrument on your birthday," Cameron deadpanned, and Taylor hit her. "I'm sorry, darling, is that not the truth?"

"Shut up, I hate you," Taylor hid her face in her hand.

"I love you too," Cameron grinned, before a sudden thought flashed through her mind. "I also think I accidentally agreed to a date with Drew..."

"WHAT?!"