Escaping The Friend Zone

POV 3: Cameron

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Cameron was shocked. Earlier, she had been relaxed because even if she was not over him, at least they were not in the same class. Could it be that they really were? She recalled the past events before the end of last school year. That time, she was informed that the only new member of the pilot section was Kendall. Perhaps he was there because he was asked by his teacher to get chalk or something? But he brought his bag. She hoped that it was not his.

"Good morning, Ma'am. I am Allen Bautista. Sorry I'm late. I had a terrible headache earlier, but I decided to come to class anyway." So he really was in her class. But she was sure that his name belonged to another section. Could it be that he was wrong?

"It's alright. We were just about to finish the introduction. You can sit wherever you please. There is a seat at the back. You can take that."

Allen looked at Cameron. But she looked away. She could not hold his stare because she knew how much flustered she was. "I blush too easily, " she muttered to herself. Her classmates always praised her for having a fair skin. But crises like that made her want to hate it. All she could do was to stare outside the window so that he would not see how he affected her.

"Thank you for the offer Ma'am. But could I sit somewhere else?" Allen asked. The class looked at him and back at Cameron. "It's just that it is too close to the window. I'm anaemic. Cameron knows that, don't you?" he directed the question at her.

"Liar," Cameron muttered, but only to herself so that the class would not hear. She could hear the whispers of disbelief in some but the others could not comment about it.

Allen was not their classmate before, and some  only knew him through rumours. He was popular for his looks, brains and musical talent so everyone pretty much knew who he was.  The only person who got close to him in their class was Cameron, so when they turned to look at her, they were expecting that she would answer.

"It's true," Cameron told the teacher, "he had been anaemic all his life." she said sarcastically. But no one seemed to notice; perhaps with the exception of Kendall. She wanted him to sit next to her, she really did, but that would bring discomfort to both of them, and he already told the teacher indirectly that he did not want to sit next to her. All she could do was to agree.

"Is that so," the teacher continued, "then where do you prefer?"

Allen looked at Kendall, nodded towards his direction and said, "His place."

"Well then, I would arrange that," the teacher looked at Kendall and said, "You, the one who was flirting with me earlier," the class laughed at that. But Kendall did not smile. Probably because he knew what the teacher would say, "Sit next to her so that he would be able to avoid the windows."

Kendall did not look at her, but instead, gave the teacher a fake smile saying, "Aw, c'mon Ma'am! I like you too much to be away from you." He tried to sound casual but the falsetto tone that squeezed between his sentence gave him away to Cameron.

"If you really like me, you would do as I say. And I say get your butt out of there." For a teacher, and an old one too, she sure knew how to mess with teenagers.

For a moment, Cameron looked at Kendall and he returned a poker face. She did not want to sit next to him either. But she had no choice. She was not the type to go against adults just like that. It would be rude. And so, she shrugged and looked away instead.

When Kendall was about to take his seat, as if the teacher had caught on about the atmosphere between the three of them, she stated, "For the whole quarter, that would be your permanent seats."