Shards of a Heart

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - Then

    Monday at school, Camdon walks over to my locker and leans against the wall adequately while I get my books out.

    "What'd you want?" I ask, closing the door and tilting my head slightly at him.

    "I can't just hang with you? Or walk you to your class?" He grins and follows me as I start walking away.

    "No. Number one, your class is on the other side of the school, and number two, don't you already have a girlfriend?"

    "I don't need to be to class on time and no, she broke up with me a week ago," For someone so sweet, Camdon has no luck with girls. He tries so hard, but all the girls he asks out are mean and don't care for him. They call him clingy and sensitive, and when he hears this, he thinks that to make it up, he should get them flowers. That pushes them further and they dump him. Poor kid. He doesn't let it affect him though, which is good, because with all the girls who have dumped him you'd think he would stop believing in himself.

    "Okay, fine you can walk with me, but you never have before so start explaining why you're here." I pause so he can catch up to me before continuing to my class.

    "Do you want to come over to my place tonight? We can start doing research about your mom and stuff, pick up where you left off..." He stops when I reach my classroom door. I stand on the side and sigh.

    "Camdon Elijah Donovan," I start with a slight shake of my head. He rolls his warm chestnut eyes dramatically. "I love you to death, but I-" I stop when his puppy dog eyes get wide.

    "You love me?"

    "As a friend" I blush, embarrassed that I just said that. He grins, his plan working. "Anyway," I continue, "I don't want to look further into it. I've accepted the fact that she's gone, and you should too."
He nods, then laughs.

"Your face got so red" I breath in a deep breath, purse my lips exasperatedly and turn into my class.

Jade waves at me from the back and I make my way to her, plopping into the desk next to her. A boy I recognize as Gabe Merkcan is smiling at me with an infatuated smile. He's good looking and could be cool, if he didn't wear white socks under his too short blue jeans and striped shirts. Because Jade is carrying a comical smirk, I raise and eyebrow at her; this is obviously her doing.

"Celia Gray," Gabe starts, never taking his chocolate eyes from my lips. It's kinda uncomfortable when he is this conspicuous. "Would you like to go out with me?" My eyebrows shoot up before I give Jade a bitter look.

"Gabe, that's so sweet of you to ask." I try to make my expression sympathetic. "Unfortunately, for both of us, I'm not in the mood for dating. Maybe ask another girl? Like Lizzy, she always bats her eyes at you. Plus, she's way cuter than me" I explain. Gabe's eyes go to Lizzy, whose dyed blue hair hangs around her face. She pulls at it and sticks a short end into her mouth. I look away, sort of disgusted, at Jade. She looks disappointed.

"Come on! You guys could be cute together!" She grins jocundly at me.

"And since when did I need a boyfriend?" I put a hand on my hip as the bell rings.

"You need a date to the dance!"

"Umm, no I don't. Plus, that's months away. Let me get through first semester before I even start thinking about a date." The teacher walks into the room, and some people quiet, but we continue talking.

"Have you even ever had a boyfriend?"

"Yes, in sixth grade"

"Oh sixth grade, such a big year" Her voice is laced with sarcasm and she moves her hands for emphasis.

"For me it was! I became a woman that year!"

"How so?" Her forehead scrunches up when she raises her eyebrows.

I lean in and speak quieter. "I got my period for the first time"

"The fact the you had to whisper that shows you aren't a 'woman' yet" I make a face and lean back, but I can feel heat in my cheeks. You gotta be kidding me.

Jade laughs just like Camdon had earlier, "Your face!" I put my hands over my cheeks, unable to stop my smile, then turn and look at the directions on the board. It's time to actually do school so I don't flunk this class. I hate Algebra Two.

Just as much as I hate Algebra, I hate history. Okay, I hate school in general, but those are my least favorite subjects. Sign me up for something more interesting please, I'd like to learn how to save the world not how it has already been destroyed.

I think Camdon hates it more than I do.

I'm sitting in the back of History class, desperately trying to type the notes before my teacher changes the slide. She always says that if we don't get all the notes to go over the reading, because well, we're supposed to be doing that anyway. Reading a History book is more damaging than beneficial since I don't understand any of it, then have to go back and reread, and then I still don't understand it. By then, it's two in the morning, and I'm going to be falling asleep in class.
I look up and almost groan out loud when she changes it to a picture slide, the  pictures being of some building that we must be talking about. Movement in front of me catches my eye, and I look towards it. On Camdon's laptop, instead of a document for notes, is a youtube video titled: Best Buzzer Beaters - NCAA Edition. I mentally slap him. He's been complaining about how taking notes doesn't make him remember stuff. Well no wonder; he hasn't been taking any.

The slide changes again and I get back to making annoying typing sounds as me and 30 - wait, 29 - other kids slam our fingers into our keyboards.

After class, I wait for him at his locker. He comes walking with a bunch of friends, but his face lights up when he sees me waiting. I scowl and cross my arms as he leaves his group to stand next to me.

"At first I thought you were being nice and escorting me to class like I did you, but now it seems as though you are about to scold me." He sighs, leaning on his locker. I take a step away so I'm facing him.

"You know why you're failing History right?" I say brutally.

"Of course I know, it's because I suck at learning things from those notes." He looks me in the eyes, hurt.

I continue anyway. "No Cam, you suck at taking notes." his eyes widen and he grins slightly, then tries to cover it up. I keep my face straight - barely.

"You saw me watching basketball videos. I have a great excuse; I'm learning way more from those than I am in that class."

"You need to start actually trying"

"I've done that and I can't get better"

"Then you need help because you're being awfully pessimistic" I turn around and walk away, praying that I can still make it to my next class on time.

"Then help me," I hear him call after me, then scold myself for turning back around. Camdon smiles. "I'll see you after school at my house then, bring your books"

I try to argue, but he jogs away, somehow avoiding teachers yelling at him.

Guess I have a date with the devil tonight - Wait, that's not right. I have to try to get an innocent angel to understand the devil. Even worse.

• • • • • • •
How do guys feel about Camdon? I'm having a hard time portraying his character, so I need some input as to what you think of him to see if it matches my idea.

Thanks for all the votes!

Stay Gold,

AJ♥️