Fake It Til You Make It

23

Cameron slowly sat up in his bed. He checked his phone first but was once again disappointed when he found no notifications from Esmeray. He's been doing the same thing every morning for the last two weeks. He checks his phone for texts from Essy, gets disappointed when there are none, and then throws his phone back on the bed.

Now, the only messages he was seeing were from Aaliyah, the new annoying girl his parents forced him to pretend to like. She texts him just about every hour and shows up at his house unannounced. All she talked about was what her next post on social media would be and how many likes it would get. Cameron found Aaliyah insufferable but his parents didn't care much about that.

Cameron wasn't the type to miss people, but he missed Esmeray more than ever. Cameron also wasn't the type to admit that he cared for someone enough to miss them. Cameron was seeing Esmeray whenever they worked but they wouldn't speak. If it weren't for them working together, Cameron would have forgotten Esmeray existed. She was doing everything in her power to stay away from Cameron. Cameron and Esmeray shared their traits of stubbornness. Their shifts were long and quiet, despite how badly he wanted to be able to joke with her and hear her laugh. Cameron hadn't told Esmeray about Aaliyah, and he was hoping she didn't find out through social media.

Cameron inhaled deeply as he got up and headed downstairs. He joined his parents in the kitchen and fixed himself a bowl of cereal.

"Morning, son," said his father gruffly.

"Morning, Dad," Cameron said before shoving a spoonful into his mouth.

His mom strolls into the kitchen with a cup of coffee in her hand. She got back from a movie job a week after Cameron's fight with Esmeray. He'd gone back to flirting with every girl in sight and making out with anyone who'd let him get close enough. Once his mom got back, they quickly found

"How are you and Aaliyah?" his mom asked him. She set her coffee on the table and sat across from Cameron.

"She's fine," he responded dryly.

"That girl is lucky her father is getting a job from me after all of this." his dad says spitefully. Cameron shook his head but held his tongue. "You're better off with Aaliyah."

"I can't stand Aaliyah," Cameron grumbles. His mom looks at him and tilts her head slightly.

"I thought you didn't care for a girl you liked." she reminds him. "I'm sure there's something likable about Aaliyah."

Cameron places his hand on his chin and furrows his eyebrows like he's thinking. His dramatic facial expressions while he pretended to try and think of good things about Aaliyah made his parents shake their heads. He then shrugs his shoulders and goes back to eating his cereal.

"Nothing I can think of," says Cameron.

"I can think of something: she isn't the reason you were crying for a week," his father points out. Of course, he couldn't let Cameron forget how torn up he was about Esmeray. Cameron stared blankly at him as he remembered the first night. The whole day, all he wanted to do was talk to her, laugh with her, make fun of her—anything. He was able to hold it together throughout the day, but as he lay on his bed that night, his pillow smelling like her hair products, Cameron broke down. Cameron didn't cry, but maybe it was the way they left things, so unfinished, he felt like he lost her.

Cameron stayed silent and got another spoonful of cereal. His dad gave out a defeated sigh. "Don't be late for work," he told him. Cameron's mother continued looking at him with an intrigued expression like she wasn't impressed by his arrogant behavior. She could sense that there was something he wasn't sharing with them, it wasn't just Aaliyah that was bringing him down. However, she knew he wasn't going to admit that so she decided to leave it alone.

Cameron pushed the shop door open and his eyes immediately landed on Esmeray hunched over the counter eating something, like usual. He was indeed late. Esmeray didn't speak to him, only peered up at him through her lashes.

She took in his cologne as he passed by her—a scent she unfortunately missed. He came back to the front after clocking in and set his phone down on the counter before tending to the store. That's when Esmeray saw Aaliyah's hourly text pop up on his screen. She read the message in her head: Have a good day, love.

Esmeray felt repulsed as she reread the message over and over. She almost felt sick thinking about Cameron being with another girl. The past two weeks weren't the best for Esmeray. She hadn't spoken to Ryan and she wasn't speaking to Cameron. She was missing the best boys in her life and couldn't tell them.

Esmeray could feel the hole that grew within her while not speaking to Cameron and Ryan. She was finally feeling close to Cameron—comfortable, like she could be herself. She didn't regret telling Cameron not to put pressure on things, but she certainly wasn't feeling that way now. Esmeray believed that there was no way in hell Cameron was missing her as much as she missed him. Clearly, he's found someone new, and it seems like she cares for him.

"Eryn's mom has a job," Cameron says as he approaches the counter. Esmeray quickly shifts her eyes to look up at Cameron. "I also apologized to her," he confessed. "Because I wanted to," Cameron added.

"I always knew you could do it," Esmeray says in a sarcastic tone. A small smile grew on Cam's face. He remembered what it felt like talking to her, hearing her gentle voice and her snappy comebacks. Seeing Esmeray's doe eyes look up at him, even with anger, he felt a sense of comfort. Cam's smile quickly faded when his phone dinged again, reminding him of his text from Aaliyah. Esmeray glanced back at his phone, just to catch a glimpse of the word "love" before he snatched his phone up. Cameron slipped his phone into his back pocket and went back to roaming around the store.

Another long and silent shift followed after that awkward moment. Esmeray got into Valentina's car and let out a long, dramatic sigh.

"Don't I love to hear that?" Val spoke with a fake smile.

"It's been a long day," Esmeray says solemnly.

Valentina pouts her lips at Esmeray sympathetically. "Poor baby. Still not talking to Cam?" she questioned.

"Oh, no. We talked. Well, words came out of both our mouths. And then, Aaliyah texted him." Esmeray reveals.

Val looks at Esmeray taken aback but she's not surprised he's getting texts from another girl. "Who's Aaliyah?"

"I don't know. He put his phone in his pocket and walked away. I mean, I'm sure if I opened any social media app I'd find out pretty quickly who she is. I bet he's loving this." Esmeray shook her head.

"No social media," Val warns her. Valentina banned Esmeray from using social media after she and Cam stopped talking. She knew it would only make Esmeray spiral. "Instead, let's think about the bonfire tomorrow night and what we're wearing!" Valentina squeals excitedly.

The bonfire party is something Esmeray and her graduating class did together for their senior ditch day. They agreed that they'd do it again during the summer and it's finally coming. However, unfortunately for Esmeray, that meant Cameron and Ryan would be there as well. That also gave her more reason to look smoking hot at that bonfire.

"I'm thinking dark green," Esmeray tells her. Valentina nodded her head aggressively in agreement. Ironically, green is Cameron's favorite color.