Be who we are

4. A Bit Of Prospective

"C'mon we have to go up!" Ferris said excitedly, dragging Sloane across a crosswalk. He was grinning up at the Sears Tower, which reflected the sunlight sharply; tilting my head back I stared all the way up at the top of the skyscraper, arching an eyebrow.

"All the way up?" I questioned as Cameron and I followed at a brisk jog, still arm-in-arm.

"No, we're just going half way; of course we're going all the way up, Rae, it's the only way to go," Ferris replied cheekily. As we walked into the lobby of the tower, I turned my head to look at Cam, who whipped off his cap with distasteful look on his face. He was clearly unamused with leaving his dad's prized car in the garage, and I couldn't say I blamed him; if anything happened to it Cameron would be in an ass-load of trouble and I would feel partially responsible for it... and if he did get in that much trouble, I think I would show up at his house in my crappy car and tell Mr. Frye it was my fault just to keep Cam out of a permanent grounding. I slid my hand from the crook of his elbow to his bicep, giving it a tight and hopefully comforting squeeze. He looked down at me and gave a quick, nervous smile, immediately dragging his eyes to rest on his feet as we waited for the elevator.

On the way up I noticed Cameron getting more jittery with each floor we rose, feeling the way his muscles jumped since he hadn't dropped my arm yet; he wasn't afraid of heights, I knew that, but I had it in mind that he just couldn't get the car out of his head.

"Cam," I murmured as Sloane and Ferris chattered on about something I hadn't caught, "You can relax, you know. We're in the clear... for now at least." He gave a heavy exhale through his nose, twitching a bit more as the number on the elevator display ticked higher.

"Each floor we pass, the further away we are from the car and being able to get out of here," he replied, staring straight ahead with a strained neck. Inching slightly closer to his side, I slid my hand down the length of his arm, bringing it to rest at his side while I interlaced our fingers and gave his hand a squeeze.

"Well, soon enough we'll be back on the ground and twenty minutes closer to leaving. But till we get back to the car, have some fun, okay? I'll try if you do," I said, tilting my head to look up at him. He looked down at our hands a moment, swinging them back and forth slightly as we stood there completely ignoring the other two in the elevator; a nearly invisible quirk of his lips as he turned his head to look at me.

"Okay," he said with a truthful tone, but none of the tension left his body.

Sloane glanced over her shoulder at us and smirked at me, eyes flickering down at my hand, which was still interlocked with Cameron's; one of her delicate eyebrows twitched upward as she mouthed 'so cute,' which made me roll my eyes towards the ceiling. Sloane, like Ferris, had known of my long standing crush on Cam, and loved to tease me about it and talk about it every chance she could. However, unlike her boyfriend, she didn't actively play matchmaker... she just tried to give a nudge or two here and there.

Once the doors opened Ferris happily skipped out of the elevator, grabbed a pamphlet and made a bee-line for one of the wall of windows. He leapt up onto the railing that separated the floor from the glass, which was extended away from the building so we could see straight down to the streets below; he leaned forward so his head was leaned up against the glass, a grin spreading over his face, a look akin to the smile of the Cheshire Cat.

"Ferris, is that safe?" Sloane asked as we walked towards him. He pulled back and laughed a careless, effortless laugh, gesturing all of us forward.

"Of course it is! People do it all the time and the glass hasn't broken yet. C'mon, guys; live a little!" He hopped off the railing and pulled Sloane over, dropping a kiss to her cheek; he then turned to me and smirked, stepping forward with outstretched hands. "C'mon, Rae!" he said in a sing-song voice. "You know you want to! You always liked climbing trees when we were little, therefore heights don't bother you, so let go of Cam's hand and get over there!" He took our hands and pulled them apart before pulling me over to the railing, patting where he wanted me to stand. I laughed at his enthusiasm as Cam grudgingly came to stand on my right and Ferris jumped back in his original position to Sloane's left.