According to Plan

Chapter 46

...His arm that still held on to me. At any moment, in any time, shock and rage could overcome him, and he could let go of me in an instant.

His face was completely red. In fact, it was terrifying how quickly his tan complexion grew to that deathly crimson tint, "you..." he hissed, glaring down at me like I was a poisonous snake.

"Cameron," I whimpered, clinging on desperately to his arm. I looked down.

Bad idea. Very bad idea.

I gasped and let out a little yelp. I noticed some people below me screaming to call the police and others running around in frantic disarray.

"Please," I spoke again, "I'll explain everything later, just please don't let go of me."

Suddenly, the mood on his face changed from an enraged man to a hero, fighting to save someone's life.

"Grab my hand again!" he yelled.

I reached frantically for his hand, stretching my limb as far as it would go. He grasped on to my other hand tight. Then, he stuck his two feet in the grove of the ledge and hauled me up gently, but quickly.

I laid there, sprawled on the roof, hyperventilating and struggling for air. My world spun violently around me and the urge to pass out and barf both overcame me at the same time. In the distance, I could hear sirens rushing our way. Cameron looked down at me, disgusted by my appearance alone. Then, without another word, he simply left, throwing the corsage I had made him to the ground.

                                                                               ***

It took a while for me to convince the doctors and nurses that I was okay, and all I needed was an aspirin and maybe a nice cup of tea. My parents freaking out didn't help too much, either. To add to the whole shebang of it all, there were those students who loved nothing but gossip, and spread around a nasty rumour that Cameron was the one who tried pushing me off the roof of the school building.

"I can't do this," I said. I felt like bursting into tears, "Billy, I can't go back."

Billy placed down a hot bowl of soup on the table and plopped down beside me, "Stella, you have to go back to school, alright? It's been a week already. This is going to blow over... eventually. But you can't hide at home, or here, to get away from your problems."

I was curled up in fetal position on Billy's couch. The pillow was my best friend and I refused to let it go. The bowl of soup was enticing, but hunger didn't really strike me at this moment. I only felt grief as the image on Cameron's face that night played over and over in my head.

"He hates me, Billy. He absolutely hates me!"

"And how do you know that?" He raised a brow, "you haven't even spoken to him yet."

"Even still," I answered, "there's everyone else with all these rumours and speculations. And... even Leah. She still hates me. What have I done?"

He offered me a gentle grin, "nothing's going to get better by you sitting here and sulking, feeling sorry for yourself. You have to get up, Stella, and go and try to fix things. It can either stay the same, or get better. It can't get any worse than this."

I sunk deeper into the couch, wanting it to swallow me alive and never spit me out. If Cameron never wanted to see my face again... I could at least thank him for saving my life. I owed him that much, didn't I?

"What about the police, are they still investigating at school?" I rubbed my temples. The cops had decided my story wasn't good enough, and with all the rumours that had been going around, they were bound to have been interrogating Cameron.