EUDEMONIA

3. Eliana, but mostly Cam

Cam and I have known each other since the second grade. Even back then, he was a real hit with the ladies, the teachers fawning over his cute freckled face and his big green eyes.

We've always been in the same class, since lower school but never really became friends: it wasn't that we didn't like each other, we just had different friend groups and that was that. It didn't stop us from having friendly conversations when we happened to be standing near each other.

When we hit middle school and everyone started having crushes on each other, his popularity shot to the sky. All the girls started giggling in his presence and they would argue amongst themselves about who would be the lucky girl to pair up with him for group projects. Cam was undoubtedly the cutest out of all the six graders and the rest of us, still just average looking kids, didn't stand a chance. The rest of the boys were a little resentful, including me, but we also looked forward to high school, hoping that we would also get the same attention from girls when our time came.

In eight grade, I got my first girlfriend. Her name was Eliana, and I later learned that the reason why she dated me was because she thought that Elias and Eliana sounded good together. We never actually went out on dates or even kissed because neither of us actually liked each other, but it gave us the clout of being in a relationship, something that even Cam had never done.

Two months into dating, she came up to me after school while I was putting my books into my backpack and told me she was breaking up with me. Distraught, I asked her why and she said it was because she was dating Cam now.

In all of my eighth grader glory, I stormed over to him the next day during recess and confronted him about the situation. In my head, it had seemed like a very good idea but when I got there, he was in the middle of a four corners game with his friends. I yelled at him there and then, his friends making fun of me for being such a girl.

"Why would you steal my girlfriend like that?"

He stared at me then looked away, bouncing the basketball against the court cement.

"She wasn't right for you," he muttered blushing.

His friends chimed in with, "Cam's much cooler than you!" and "Suck it up loser," making my confusion at Cam's statement turn into scorching embarrassment: losing your girlfriend to someone else is a tough blow, even at thirteen years old.

Later, after school when he was alone waiting for his mom to come get him, I decided to confront him again, just to save face.

The second he saw me, he sighed and said, "Look, Elias, I—"

"Am an asshole," I finished for him, a scowl on my face. "You're just jealous that I got a girlfriend before you."

He scrunched up his face in disagreement, "Nah, I just... She just wasn't for you. I'm helping you out! I even broke up with her today!"

I froze. "What? Why would you do that?"

"I didn't actually want to date her, I was just getting her away from you. Trust me on this one," Cam said, turning away from me to look at the line of cars, searching for his mom.

Hmm, just a dude looking out for another dude. That made sense to my thirteen year old self. And come to think of it, Eliana wasn't that interesting anyways, and I didn't really like her. I guess Cam really was looking out for me.

I held out my hand for a handshake. He looked at it for a second before taking my hand, a smile blooming across his face.

"Girls ain't shit," he said, and I couldn't help smiling back.

And from then on, we were best friends.

***

Cam stops playing and looks at me with a wicked smile spread across his face.

"Come to give me back my boxers?"

My face immediately erupts. No way. No. Fucking. Way. This has to be a joke.

Luckily, my dark face hides my blush so I regain my composure and let out a curt, "Ha. Ha. Very funny."

Cam's smile remained intact and he holds out his hand, as if to gesture to give him his boxers. This time, I fully lose my cool.

"What the fuck, man? This isn't funny," I fume. This whole one night stand situation is honestly exhausting and I can't take it anymore.

"What do you mean?.. Do you, like, intend to keep them?" He says, a puzzled look on his face. I stare at him some more. Is this for real? I slept with Cam? The guy who stole my girlfriend in eighth grade? My best friend? No fucking way. I look at him for a couple seconds, trying to figure out what drunk me was thinking. I mean, yeah, he's an attractive guy, he's funny, he's a total dick and maybe even a little considerate, and we're best friends, but that's it. And I've never been into guys.

"Wow, okay, I'm down for round two if you are but maybe not right now, I'm practicing," he says to me, a smirk on his face. He clearly mistook my staring at him for a look of desire or something, and I'm still just as confused as ever.

Cam turns around and starts putting away his music sheets as I have my existential crisis and I blurt out, "I slept with...you?"

He snaps back around, a slight frown on his freckled face, "No need to sound so disgusted...Wait, you didn't know?" I shake my head, anger swelling in my chest.

"What the fuck, did you take advantage of me?" I yell at him, fully ready to punch him.

Cam puts his hands out in front of him, clearly appalled at my question, "Wow, calm down, man. I would never do that! You know me!" I stop advancing towards him and just stand there, lost in my thoughts. He's right, I do know him. He may be a player, but he would never truly hurt someone. Yes, he does hurt girls all the time, emotionally, but they know what they are getting into before they sleep with him: he always warns them that he doesn't do relationships. And to physically hurt a girl he wants to sleep with is something he would never do.

He sighs and sits down, putting his saxophone on the chair next to him.

I clear my throat as I sit down on the piano bench a couple feet away from him, "Well, this is awkward. But, how? Or...why?" I have so many questions that I'm about burst.

Cam looks at me with his green eyes and sighs again.

"Do you really not remember?"

AN:

Hey bitches (feels dumb writing that cause no one has read this book yet lol)

I hope that I'm including enough details for it to make sense? if there's any part that feels too rushed please tell me so i can remember to fix it when i edit :)

feel free to comment ! i want to know your reactions