Bad Things

Twenty-Six: Throwing Punches

"Why are you apologizing Cameron?" I ask him over and over as he shuts down the bar, ushering everyone out and telling then that he's closing earlier this evening.

It's much earlier than usual, only 9:30pm which means Cameron will be losing a lot of business tonight.

My dad is frantic, trying to speak to me but I can't hear him. My focus is on Cameron and whatever the hell he's apologizing to me for. The crowd clears and Cameron closes the front door, turning towards me.

His eyes are stone, but not in a bad way; in an emotional way. It's a foreign look on Cameron and it scares me because he's a guy of little emotion but in this moment he looks like he's going to shatter.

"Babe, let me speak to you in the back... Alone," He attempts but my dad stops him.

"Babe? What the fuck is happening? You're not going anywhere with my daughter!" My dad's voice is loud and so is Cameron's when he responds.

Cameron stands tall, giving my dad a very Cameron-like glare, one that could burn someone's soul, "She's a big girl. She can decide for herself."

My dad's head turns to look at me, his eyes pleading, "Ollie, what are you doing with him?"

"Dad, he's..." I look at Cameron, my heart conflicted and my head hurting. I can't answer my dad because I'm just as lost as he is right now. I need to hear Cameron's side of things and he won't say anything in front of my dad, "He's okay. I... I really need to speak to him."

"Olli--"

Before my dad can object, Cameron is dragging me to his bedroom. He closes the door behind us and locks it quickly.

I'm frozen in place, fear filling my veins as I await Cameron's explanation but when I turn to look at him he has his head leaned against the wall with his eyes shut.

"Cameron," I say with urgency in my voice, "Talk to me. What's going on?"

I hear him sigh and he pauses for a moment before pulling himself off of the wall. Cameron looks at me and takes a small step closer toward me, "I need you to trust me, okay?"

"Trust you? I don't even know what's happening!"

"Olivia, I need you to trust me..."

I've had it with his procrastinating, "What the fuck is going on Cameron?"

He flails his arms in the air before beginning to spill his thoughts. His words stun me, "I know! I know everything and I have from the start..."

"You know..."

"Everything," He repeats, "I know you're eighteen. I know that you've been lying to me about your entire life, and I know that the son of a bitch that's been fucking with my life is your father. Bu--"

"No! Don't you dare say but. You knew and you allowed me to work her, Cameron... Why? Even I know how bad this looks on your company having a minor work her and you hired me? This doesn't make any sense," I shake my head, unsure why Cameron would risk his business.

I knew why I lied but why did he? What did he get out of this other than the possibility of going to jail and having his bar shut down?

"No, I... I paid you but not with official company cheques. I paid with my private cheque book under 'owing' not a work cheque," He begins to tell me and it seems like he has a lot to get off his chest, I'm ready to hear it all but I'm not sure I'm prepared, "There are no legal things leading back to you working for me..."

The cheques were never verified, even the contract we went over was fake? How did he know to do these things before he even knew who I was? This seemed planned; to be so far ahead with everything. There's no way this plot occured overnight.