Last Stop

Chapter fifteen

"Hey," I grin at his awkward squeak as I collapse on Anna's sofa next to him , exhausted because I worked the full day today and not just half day like usual.

"How come you get away from helping out on the farm?" I ask, everyone else has chores. All his brothers are always around helping out.

He shrugs "My father is tired of me breaking things I think. But my job is all the books and financials of the place so I do all my work for the farm at a desk because I am better at math than the rest." I nod, totally seeing how that works.

"Makes sense, I don't see you being much help with all the manual labor." He scowls at me and I smile, suddenly now that we have made a truce it is easier. "Then something would happen and it would be like finding a needle in a haystack only this needle has blonde hair." I get shoved for this as I start laughing and he pouts. Anna and Henry come out the kitchen with bowls of popcorn and drinks while Declan looks up from his phone on the other side of the room.

"Thank goodness, I thought I was going to have to listen to these two flirt forever." Spencer goes red while I just laugh as we settle down for movie night. Audrey had a family event so it is just the five of us. Anna and Henry are all cuddly on the one side while Spencer and I share the long couch and Declan the armchair making offhand comments about how he is 'fifth wheeling' . I don't think Spencer changes from the colour red the whole movie and the one after that.

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"Have you talked to your mother since?" Millie asks over dinner the night before school starts.

I nod "Yeah, the usual but we only really talk about meaningless stuff, she hasn't mentioned my going back." I say sighing as I cut into the roast that Millie made, it is delicious. "Oh," I say remembering the conversation I had with my guidance counselor the other day. "My GC wanted me to talk to you guys about next year."

Marks nods for me to continue as they both look on expectantly. "I don't know what I really want to do, I mean I have thought about Policing academy of FBI or something but apparently the school has been getting letters from colleges who want me to go and visit.' I look down nervously, the future scares the shit out of me. A future I never truly gave myself time to think about. I thought I would get a job after highschool, support my mom. What scares me more though is doing it alone.

"Well do any of the colleges appeal to you?" Mark asks seemingly not surprised by the information " Because we can always take a weekend trip over and check them out, you never know it might appeal to you"

I shrug "I don't know, I-I liked UCLA but that is far and expensive so I was looking at the community colleges close by."

"Cameron if Colleges are interested in you then I am sure that there are scholarship's in the works, don't let that bother you." I nod at my aunts advice. Before looking up at them.

"Maybe I can go through some offers with you guys?" They both nod enthusiastically and I grin small into my plate. It is nice having responsible adults in your corner because I know that whatever the future holds I do not want it to be anything like my past.

I head to bed relieved that I don't have to make the decision right away . Nor do I have to make it alone. A warmth blossoms in my chest as I lay staring at my ceiling. Trying to imagine an actual future for myself. One that isn't filled with greasy diners and paying off drug dealers. 

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"Lola!" I call up the stairs. Everyone else  went out earlier to shopping but we got left at home. Millie just phoned me to ask if I could take her to horse riding since they won't be home in time. "Lola?" I yell again when I don't get a response. I wait but eventually I sigh, heading up the stairs. Knocking gently on her door I don't get a response so I peek inside. The usually neat room is a mess. Lola is in the corner curled up in a ball and I can tell by her shaking shoulders that she is crying.

"Lola, what happened?" I ask concerned walking over to her and crouching in front of her. "Lola?"

"Leave me alone." She sniffs into her knees.

"No, Lola." I say softly "I won't." Something I have learnt from both Millie and Mark is that when people are in pain like this you do not leave them alone, you sit and you wait and you listen." did someone hurt you?" I ask gently and she shakes her head into her knees. "Then what happened?" I ask and with a hiccup she glances up at me with teary eyes. "I won't tell anyone, promise. I mean you saw me cry Infront of everyone."

She seems to contemplate that before nodding "They always make fun of me because all my clothes are pink." She says and I nod, understanding why then the room is covered in all her pink outfits. "They call me a baby for still wearing pink only."

"Then I have to ask you a very serious question, Lola-Grace." She nods "Do you like pink?" She nods "Are you sure?" She nods. "Well then everyone else can go jump." I say firmly.

"Don't ever let anyone tell you who to be, they are just jealous that you are confident in pink."

"Why would they be jealous?" She sniffs and I place my hands on her shoulders.

"Because they have to be unhappy and fit in to the colour cliches," I tell her. "How about we get you to riding and then we head out for a hot chocolate?"

She nods and I grin, feeling triumphant that I broke through the tough exterior. Maybe we can all be friends now. By the end of the day she is back to her usual snarky self but at least her words do not have the same bite behind them that they used to.

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Spencer is acting weird. Like weirder than normal weird. He is avoiding me, at lunch he barely utters a word. Since we all arrived at school this morning has been silent. Declan even went has far as checking his forehead in English. He doesn't have temperature.

"Hey Cameron?" Audrey asks from across the table "Who are you asking to the Prom?" She asks , she just got asked by the person she has crush on today and she is practically glowing.

"Please don't drag me into this talk Audrey." I say with a groan "I am not going to Prom."

"What!" Anna says so loudly that half the room spins to see what happened. Lowering her voice she whispers "You can't not go, Cameron this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

I sigh "Who are you going with?" I ask and her cheeks colour, eyes flitter towards Henry and I smirk "Oh, I see." I say as she glares at me to continue "Why can't you and Audrey just be happy you have dates and go have fun?" I ask conversationally and Declan snorts.

"Anna has been planning prom since she could walk," He says "No chance she is dropping it, you may as well agree to go."

"No thanks." I say I throw my gaze to Spencer who is sitting quietly. Cheeks red as a tomato. I furrow my eyes what is up with him? Deciding that I don't want to be the only one noticing his weirdness I bring him into the discussion "Why don't you ask Spencer, He seems to have something to say." Said boy glares at me when everyone's attention turns to him. I smile, leaning back happy the attention is off me and back on him.

"Yes, well I am annoyed with him," Anna declares "He could have said yes to the fifth person who asked him out. You would swear you weren't planning to ever get a date and you promised you would come.  Yes you heard right, he caved under Anna's pressure to make him come to the stupid dance. I raise my eyebrows. I didn't realise that he had been asked more than once. Somehow the idea sends uncomfortable butterflies through my stomach and I frown.

He shrugs "I can go solo." Anna clucks and I turn my gaze away from his pink cheeks only I regret it a second later when my eyes met Declan's who is watching me intendedly. A sparkle in his eyes. I do not think I want to decipher the look right now. I have only just stopped being under Anna's magnifying glass.