After moving to a small town for a semester and a half, Camilla Adams is relived about how great the new place and school seem to be, and how nice some people were.
But then she notices the way students treat one particular quiet guy, some horribly...
Penelope had just closed the door to Ethan's room, blocking the view of Camilla standing outside.
From the day he saw Penelope at the market, Ethan knew he would eventually have to talk everything out with her, even when she had made it clear a year ago that she wanted nothing to do with him after they broke up.
But seeing how she refused to leave him alone, now he needed to make it clear that nothing is going to fall into place just because she came back. Not to mention she's leaving in two weeks anyway.
"Can we talk?"
He almost snorted, but kept it in and nodded instead.
Penelope took a deep breath, staying put in her place. Now he wouldn't need to worry about her staying too long. He needed to catch up with Camilla and continue what they were about to do after all.
"Look, I know you're doing what you are with her to show me that you're not interested anymore. And I get that, I know I hurt you before, and I'm sorry."
"No shit, Sherlock. But I'm not doing anything with her to show you something you should have gotten by now, I actually want to be with her. With someone who accepts me the way I am, unlike some people I know. And don't you think it's a little bit late for your dry apology? Not that I need it anyway."
Ethan wanted to say all that, but he didn't. Not a word. He didn't reach for a paper to write it down, nor did he write it in google translator to say it aloud. He wasn't going to mouth it for her, and she didn't care enough to learn sign language like Camilla had done.
But most of all, because he knew there was more she wanted to say. Even when they were dating, Ethan knew Penelope was no innocent girl, and he knew that she will probably come up with a twisted plan to do whatever she wants. Whether she wanted him to leave Camilla or vice versa.
Kaylee wasn't the only one with plans after all.
"I know she makes you happy, the way you look at her says enough. But the thing is, you have to know it won't last. She says she's okay with it now, but come see her after a while. She'll get bored, she'll meet new people, people who can actually talk to her, who will hear her voice and she'll hear theirs. And it will break your heart. I know you might not believe me now, but it will happen. And I will tell you then that I told you so, and I was willing to stay, but you chose her."
And here it comes. The massive twisted plan of Penelope Anderson. Was she actually trying to get him to leave Camilla by bad-mouthing her? That if she said Camilla would get bored, he would leave her before she did so he wouldn't get hurt?
Or was she trying to guilt trip him into thinking that Camilla deserved better?
One thing Ethan was sure of. Penelope knew nothing about Camilla. She didn't know that she didn't just get bored with people and left them. She didn't see the warmth and care Ethan saw in her eyes. The things she made him feel every time she smiled.
She knew nothing. Which was what made Ethan almost laugh at the first guess he made about her plan.
But when he came to the second, he actually gave Penelope some credit for it. Because if she had come and said those same exact words a while earlier, he would have believed her.
But now, after he had already decided once to let Camilla go and she had held on, he knew he wouldn't do it again. She had chosen to be friends with him back then, and even earlier when they were about to kiss, he saw the care in her eyes. She wasn't just going with the flow, she cared for him, too.
And that moment had his heart fill out with sunshine and rainbows that he thought he was dreaming. But for the first time, it was real. His happiness felt real again.
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Running his hands down his face, Ethan sighed tiredly. He had just escorted Camilla down the stairs and to the front door. And now that he was laying down on his bed, the coin on his nightstand glistening, a small pang of guilt swept over him.
He knew Camilla was just trying to do good when she said that he should give Corey a second chance. She probably didn't even know what happened and just thought that Corey alone was the guilty one. Yet, he had acted like an asshole and drove her away like it was all her fault.
Camilla had tried to hide the speck of hurt in her eyes when she smiled goodbye at him, but Ethan could still see it. He'd always read her like an open book, knowing what she felt without a spoken or signed word from her, and the fact that he didn't do anything about it added to the dose of guilt he felt.
He wanted to tell her everything, from when Penelope broke up with him to the point when he had ignored Corey's calls. Yet, he was afraid she would see how of an asshole he is and leave him. He bet Penelope would do a celebration party if that happened.
Memories of their time at the coast flashed through Ethan's head, to their tutoring sessions and graduation ceremony, followed by their first kiss, to the time he woke up to her presence. And that's when it hit him. Camilla had accepted him, she liked him and wanted to be with him. She had told him that time on the coast that he didn't have to hide his flaws or feelings from her. She had told him he wasn't perfect, that nobody is. He was human after all, and humans make mistakes. They learn from their mistakes.
Ethan shot out of bed, snatched his keys and went down the stairs in record time. He had to see Camilla. He didn't care if it was almost 11 at night, nor did he care if her dad was home. Shit, he would get in through the window if he had to. Because he had to right his mistake.
And because he knew that whatever load of shit he had to right, she would be there for him while he did it.
