Changed For Good.

Part 2

Cameron swung on the chair in her room, rechecking the spelling. J.o.r.d.a.n. She looked up at her laptop, clicking on the search engine. She slid her jersey over her knee, looking out the window at the moonlight.
“Cam!”
“What!?” She turned, hearing her little sister calling her again.
“Cam!”
“What Sof? Fa...I’m busy!.”
“Cameron, stop yelling at your sister!”
“Ahh! Yes, mama.” Cameron pushed her glasses up. Her eye immediately caught the change of screen. Swinging back around, she scanned the profile pictures. “Where are you?”
They had shared this moment. She’d practically given her the lead role and this chick didn’t even thank her. There was something about her though, just something different.
“Where are you?” She scrolled the faces again, but she wasn’t there. “Who are you, Laura Jordan?”


“Sounds so boring, Laur! I thought at least a co-ed school would be more fun than an all-girls school. Seriously you make it sound suck!”
Laura smiled, taking a seat upon her bedroom windowsill. She knew her friend Lucy would eventually check in on her. She missed her friends.
“It sucks! So suck that I ended up in the school production.” She heard Lucy lose herself on the other end of the phone.
“Fuck! Ahh, man, you are slaying me!”
“You’re welcome!” Laura chuckled, looking up at the moonlight.
“Oh, man..” Lucy calmed down. “But seriously, you’re alright? Does anyone know what happened at Sacred?”
Laura sighed, looking at the profile picture she had been looking up. “No, well, I don’t think so.” She sat on the bed, taking in the image she had on the screen. “I hope not because I really wanna get into Langley next year. I need to get through this term without any hassles.”
“I hear ya. Hey, let me know when your show is okay. If you need me, chicky, just call alright.”
“Will do.” Laura smiled. She put her phone down on the bed. Sighing, she took in those brown eyes she’d sung into earlier. Cameron Rodriguez. “No.” She closed the screen, pushing it away. She couldn’t even afford to think about her.



“He was gutted as! She just froze him out.”
“So heartless, Cam!” They were at their table in the cafeteria. Cameron was sitting between Ally and Malani, looking past Dayna.
Dayna looked over her shoulder, catching that girl walking past the window outside. “What is your deal with her? Every time you see her, you, like, stop.”
“Yeah, what are you doing, Cam? You just gave her the lead!”

Laura looked up, seeing them watching her through the window. Her eye landed on Cameron, looking back at her. She kept walking.

Cameron watched her disappear. “I don’t know.” She glanced down at her hands. “I need her in this play. She’s got talent. I want to see it.”


Laura walked into the auditorium. She was early.
Blair looked up, hearing the door open. “Ah, Miss Jordan, the star of my show! Welcome to the start of our journey!”
“Ha, thanks, Miss.” Laura smiled, relaxing. She liked Miss Williams. “I take it I’m early?”
“That you are, but,” Blair stopped beside her, leaning back against the stage. “It took me about three weeks to lose the new girl label when I first moved here.” She smiled at Laura. “You’ll make friends here. Just be yourself!”
Laura laughed to herself. “Great, you sound just like my sister!”
Blair pointed to the aisle, remembering the dark-headed woman.
“Jo?”
Laura confirmed. “Yeah, she’s my guardian while I’m here.”
“Ha, well, she seems nice.” Blair smiled, watching the others arriving.
“She’s okay.” Laura felt her nerves playing up as the four girls approached the doorway.
“Is she picking you up?”
“Yeah, she’ll be here later.”
“Okay.”

Cameron sat in the row behind Laura next to Ally. Dayna and Malani sat on the stage next to Missy.
“Right. Welcome to Wicked!”
“Wicked!” Dayna joked. Everyone laughed. Laura caught Cameron’s laugh in her ear.
“Well done. So...” Blair handed out the scripts. “We will do a simple read-through today to get the story out in the open. Alright,” She sat down at her desk. “I’ll narrate.”
“Act 1, scene 1” Blair read.
“We see a gigantic peaked black hat being used to symbolise the Wicked Witch’s demise. The hat disappears, and we are outside the Wizard’s Palace in the Emerald City, capital of the Land of Oz.
“Look! It’s Glinda!” Ally read.
Blair read as Cameron acted. “Glinda, resplendent and beautiful in her gown and tiara, descends from the sky on a mechanical device that spews soap bubbles as the Celebrants point and cheer.”
Cameron smiled, waving and playing it up. “It’s good to see me, isn’t it? No need to respond—that was rhetorical.” She smiled down at them.
“Fellow Ozians.” She started to sing. “let us be glad, let us be grateful, let us rejoice that goodness could subdue the wicked workings of you-know-who.” she pointed at Laura. “Isn’t it nice to know that good will conquer evil, the truth we all believed by and by outliving a lie for you and—”
“Glinda!” Blair said. “Exactly how dead is she?” Cameron responded. “Because there has been so much rumour and speculation—innuendo, outuendo—let me set the record straight: According to the Time Dragon Clock, The Melting occurred at the thirteenth hour, the direct result of a bucket of water thrown by a female child. Yes, the Wicked Witch of the West is dead.”
Blair pointed to Ally. “No one mourns the wicked!”
“Everyone.” Blair pointed.
“No one lays a lily on their grave. What we miss when we misbehave.”
Cameron began to sing. “and goodness knows the wicked lives are lonely. Goodness knows the wicked die alone. It just shows that when you’re wicked, you’re left alone.”
Cameron moved to the front. “After all, she had a childhood. She had a father? Who just happened to be the Governor of Munchkinland. You’re a Munchkin.” Cameron smirked at Laura.
Blair read. “From out of the past appears a sombre-looking man, the witch’s father.”
Cameron pointed. “And she had a mother. As so many do.” She read. “And like every family, they had their secrets.”
Blair pointed at Dayna. “And her lover, a mysterious man whose face remains in the shadows, appears.” Everyone laughed.
“Me?” Dayna laughed. “Ahh crap! Okay.” She read the script. “I have another drink, my dark-eyed beauty. I’ve got one more night left here in town, so have another drink of green elixir, and we’ll have ourselves a little mixer. have another little swallow, little lady, and follow me down.”
Blair read. “They kiss and sink to the floor.”
“Lay one on her, Dayna!” Cameron said, taking a seat next to Laura. Blair continued.
“The lover disappears. The mother struggles back to her feet, now hugely pregnant.”
“Oh, what!” Malani sat up, holding her stomach. “You bitch, Dayna!”
“Was it good for you?” Dayna winked.
Cameron read. “But from the moment she was born, she was well,” She glimpsed at Laura. “different.”
“Me?” Laura pointed to herself, smiling shyly.
Blair read. “Suddenly, the witch’s mother clutches herself in pain!”
“Agghhh!!” Malani cried. “It’s coming!”
Missy as the midwife came closer. “The baby’s coming! “I see a nose.” She sang. “I see a curl. It’s a healthy, perfect, lovely little...
Ohhhhh! Sweet Oz!” Missy gasped.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Malani looked down at her imaginary baby.
Missy stood up. “How can it be? What does it mean? It’s atrocious! It’s obscene! Like froggy, ferny cabbage. The baby is unnaturally—”
“GREEN!!” They all said, laughing.
“Take it away! Take it away?!” Missy marched.
“So you see,” Cameron said. “it couldn’t have been easy!”
Cameron sang. “We know what goodness is; her life was lonely. Goodness knows the wicked die alone. She died alone.” Cameron sat up quickly. “No one mourns the wicked!”
“Good news!” She jumped again. Laura laughed. “No one mourns the wicked! Wicked! wicked!”
Cameron swung around in her chair. “Well, this has been fun. But as you can imagine, I have much to attend to, what with the Wizard’s unexpected departure. And so, if there are no further questions—”
“Glinda!” Blair yelled. “Is it true you were her friend?!” Everyone gasped.
“Uhm? Well,” Cameron scratched her nose, glancing at Laura. “I, I, Yes.” She nodded. They gasped again.
”Well, it depends on what you mean by a friend.” Cameron looked Laura over. “I did know her. That is, our paths did cross. At school, but you must understand it was a long time ago, and we were both very young.”
Laura smiled at her, pursing her lips softly.
Ally flipped over her paper to follow on. There was nothing. “Is that it?”
The others flipped their pages over.
“That is the end of scene one.”
Blair stood up, moving in front of them all. “So, how is that sounding?”
“You guys were funny.” Laura directed to Malani and Missy.
“Can we keep it like that?”
“Of course!” Blair smiled. “This is your guys’ production. Make it original; make it your own.
Laura sat back, her arm touching Cameron’s next to her.
“Hi,” Cameron smiled softly.
“Hi.” Laura curled her lip shyly.
“Alright, you want to continue?” Blair asked, reaching for the papers on her desk. “Yeah, this is cool.” Dayna got up, offering to hand them out.

The piano started, and Laura glanced at Missy at the piano about to play her first solo. Laura blushed, and she began to sing quietly.
“Did that just happen? Have I actually understood? This weird quirk I’ve tried to suppress or hide is a talent that could help me meet the wizard. If I make good, so, I’ll make good. When I meet the wizard, once I prove my worth, I meet the wizard, what I’ve waited for since birth!”
They all laughed. She continued more confidently.
Cameron sat there totally in ore of the girl in front of her.
“Woohoo!” Everyone cheered, impressed with Laura’s casual performance.
“Thanks, guys.” Laura smiled, catching Cameron’s stare. She smiled shyly, brushing her hair behind her ear.
“That was amazing!” They heard as Jo stood up from a few rows back. Blair glimpsed over at the woman, feeling her eyes on her.
“Wow, guys! Laura, congratulations, you nailed that!” She put her script back on the desk. “That’s all for today, guys! We’ll pick up on Monday.”

As they started moving, Cameron stood up, pushing her hands into her back pockets. “You were great.” She directed to Laura who was grabbing her bag.
“Ah, thanks,” Laura smiled, strangely nervous around this girl. “You’re a natural comedian.” She pointed out. “You make me laugh!” An instant grin came to Cameron’s cheeks. Those green eyes sparkled.
“Thanks!” She blushed.
“Um,” Laura glimpsed over at Jo, talking to Blair. “My rides here so...”
Cameron glanced over at Jo. “Your sister?”
“Yeah.” Laura looked over at them. “I’m staying with her while I’m here.”
“Oh.” They found themselves looking at each other for a moment. Laura turned about to go.
“I’ll see ya...”
“Are you sure you don’t wanna hang out? With us? We’re going to the Mall.”
Laura stopped. She dropped her head a moment. She turned back to Cameron, standing a little closer than before. “I just can’t, alright.”
“Why not?”
Laura felt the warm touch on her arm. She sighed.
“Camz, just stay away from me, okay. Please.”
“Laura?” Cameron sighed as the dark-headed girl walked up the aisle towards her sister, talking to Blair.
“Can we go?” Jo looked over her shoulder at her sister.
“Now?”
“Yip.” Jo turned back to Blair, not ready, wanting to.
“Ahh. Yeah, alright.” She smiled at Blair. “See ya, Blair.”


Jo jumped in the truck, annoyed.
Laura got to the other side, seeing the look on her face. “What?”
“I was in the middle of a conversation!”
“With my teacher!”
“So?” She clicked her seatbelt.
“Can we just go, please?”
“No.”
“Why not?!” Laura looked up at her, seeing her looking out the window. Cameron was walking towards them. “Oh my god, what is she doing?! Drive!”
“No!”
“Jo!” They watched Cameron stop next to Laura’s window that was up.
“Put your window down, Jerk!” Jo smacked her shoulder. Knitting her brow, Laura did as she was told and put the window down.
“Hi, Jo, right?” Cameron looked across Laura to her sister.
“That’s me.” Jo grinned.
“Hi, I’m Cameron. Laura’s best friend.” Laura’s eyes widened, looking between them.
“Well, nice to meet you, Laura’s best friend!” Jo laughed, noticing her sister’s sudden discomfort.
“So a group of us are going to the mall, and I wanted to ask your permission if Laura can come to hang with us since it’s Friday and all,”
Jo grinned to herself, turning in her seat a bit more. “Sure she can.”
“Good!” Cameron smiled, catching Jos’sisterly tease towards Laura. “Um, can she have some money so we can get something to eat?” She flicked her eyebrow. “Maybe see a movie or something?”
Laura put her hand over her face! This was so embarrassing! Jo laughed, reaching into her pocket for her wallet.
“Do you want me to pick her up later or..”
“Ah, hello! I’m right here, guys!”
“Ally has her license, so she can drop her off.” They ignored her. Jo pulled out a couple of twenties about to hand them to Laura instead of passing them to Cameron. “You guys have a good time now! If she gets grumpy, give her sushi. She likes sushi.”
“Yuck!” Cameron laughed, finally looking at the girl in front of her. “So, are you coming?”
Laura looked between them, knitting her brow. “Alright, fine!” She grabbed her phone from her school bag and got out of the truck.
“Have fun, you two!”
“We will!” Cameron looped her arm through Laura’s, walking her back towards the auditorium. “See, that wasn’t hard.” Cameron chimed. “You only had to ask.” She handed Laura her money.
“Are you always like this?” Laura asked taking it from her hand and tucking it in her pocket.
“Like what?!”
“Ah, pushy!”
“Only when there’s something I want.”
“So you do want something from me then?”
“Pff! Relax, Lo!” Cameron swung her arm around her neck. “I just wanna hang out with you. I am your best friend, you know.” She teased. The corner of Laura’s lip curled unconsciously. Shaking her head, she laughed to herself, relaxing.
“You’re not going to give up, are you?”
“Ah, Nah!” Cameron’s smile was genuine.
“Jesus, alright!” She swung her arm around Cameron’s back. “And it’s Jordy, not Lo.”
“Okay, Jordy.” Cameron nodded. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Dayna!” Cameron yelled looking at the girl crammed in the backseat with her and Laura. Malani had been quick to call shotgun on the front seat. Cameron, the skinnier of them, had sat in the back between the other two but found she was sitting more on Laura than on the actual seat.
“I’m swashing Jordy! Move your leg!” Laura sat there against the door, her arm over the backseat with Cameron practically sitting in her lap. Cameron stretched her arm again, phone in hand, trying to take a selfie. “Jordy.”
She looked up, seeing the two of them on the screen. Cameron had her lips puckered, doing a peace sign. Laura leaned forward, doing the same. Cameron pulled it down and flicked to the picture.
“We’re so cute!”
Laura looked at it. She had to admit they did take a good photo together.
Ally saw her in the mirror. “Laura, get used to it; she’s a snap queen.”
“Hard out!” Malani turned around. “You’ll turn around, and bam, she’s taking a selfie with you!”
She glimpsed at Cameron playing with her phone. “What do you do with them all?”
“Some I post.” Cameron looked down at her. “Some are just for me.” She smiled, her left eye winking slightly.
“Hmm.” Laura smiled to herself. She wasn’t sure the girl knew she was flirting, but she didn’t mind. It was a nice change from girls hating on her.
“So Laura, what’s your story?” Dayna asked. Cameron turned slightly. Laura looked up at her, those brown eyes were searching her face.
“Um, well.” She looked between them. “I got into a fight at my last school and got kicked out.”
“What??” Malani dragged out. “Are you a bad girl?”
“Ha.” She looked up at Cameron, about to say something cheeky, until she stopped herself by chewing her lip. Cameron cocked her eyebrow seeing the look.
“Just wrong place, wrong time. All girls school, too many periods at the same time becomes bitch central.”
“Hard out! Dayna’s a bitch when she has her period.”
“Hey!” Dayna reached around the seat to slap Malani.
“You’re a bitch all the time!”
“Only when I’m around you!”
“Then stop hanging around me!”
“You stop hanging around me!”
Cameron sat back, watching the two girls have their domestic.
“Are they always like that?” She heard Laura’s raspy tone in her ear. The goosebumps hit her skin.
“Always. They are so much alike but so different.”
“I can see that.” They watched them for a second.
“You need to give me back my Queen B CD anyways!”
“Ah, hello! that’s mine; you borrowed it!” They continued.
Laura glimpsed at Ally, concentrating on driving. “What about Ally?” She asked, adjusting her belt. Cameron flicked her hair over to the other side. “Ally’s the oldest.” She put her hand up to hide her whisper. “We call her mum sometimes. She’s so cute.”
Dayna’s voice suddenly got louder. “And I will Beyoncé all over your ass Malani!” She spoke with her finger up, getting all diva in Malani’s face.
“Chill Island princess!” Laura spoke up. Her accent kicked in. “Leave this beautiful black queen alone. And you know no one is as hot as Beyoncé.”
“Mmhmm, that’s right, Chico!” Cameron joined in, dropping her accent. “Don’t let us get all J-Lo on your asses!”
“Oh, I see.” Dayna sat up. “I see where this going! Dance off!”
“Hell yeah!” Malani joined in.
Laura leaned forward, dropping her arm over Cameron’s shoulder. “Us against you two.”
“Oh, hell yes!” Malani snapped her fingers, giving Dayna a high-five. “Ma sister and I are going to whip your asses!”
“Ally!” Dayna tapped her seat. “To the mall!”
“To the mall!” They all yelled.
Cameron gave Laura a nudge with the biggest smile on her face. She brought her hand up, laying it flat she wiggled her fingers. “Tenemos esto(we got this)”
“Tenemos esto.” She said back in Spanish.


“Here, Ally.” Laura put her hand out, offering her the ten dollars she had left. “For your gas.” Ally pulled up the handbrake, looking at the offer beside her.
“Are you sure?” She looked between Laura beside her and Cameron in the back seat.
“Yeah, of course! I would have had to pay for a taxi anyway.”
Ally smiled. “Thanks!”
“You’re welcome.” Laura smiled back. She glanced at Cameron sitting in the middle of the back seat. “I guess I will see you guys on Monday?”
“Yeah, ya will,” Ally answered, noticing Cameron chewing her lip.
“Okay.” Laura looked out the window at Jos’ place. “Well, see ya guys.” She opened the door, deciding to go. She’d only just reached the bottom of the stairs on the front porch when she heard the car door open and close. Turning around, Cameron was heading her way. She smiled to herself.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were stalking me?”
“Are you crazy! Of course, I am!” Cameron laughed, stopping in front of her. They’d spent the good part of the afternoon tag-teaming, Dayna and Malani, in everything at the mall and arcade. The free ice creams were a worthy prize.
They smiled at each other, not wanting the evening to end.
“Hey, um.” Laura brushed her fingers over the other girl’s arm. “Thank you for practically blackmailing me into hanging out with you today. I enjoyed it.”
“Yeah, me too.” Cameron bounced on her toes. “You know you’re part of the crew now.”
“The crew? Oh, lucky me!” They laughed. Laura noticed her start to chew her lip. She was beginning to read this girl.
Cameron looked up at her, realizing she knew she was thinking about something. She put her hand in her pocket, pulling out her phone. “I just realized I don’t have your number.” She opened up her phone passing it to Laura.
Laura started typing in her digits, the blush starting on her cheeks. “You’ll have to send me our selfies.”
“Of course!” Cameron smiled. Laura returned her phone, taking a glimpse at the moon above them. Cameron looked over her shoulder, seeing the moon. She turned back, smiling. “I love the moon.”
Laura dropped her eyes back to the brown eyes looking at her.
- toot-
They glanced over at Ally in the car. Cameron looked back at her, knowing she had to leave. Laura pursed her lips. This felt weird.
“Night Camz.” She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the slender girl. She felt Cameron relax in her arms as her arms returned the hug.
“Night Jordy.”
Laura was the first to pull back, putting some distance between them. “Remember to send me those photos, okay.” She stepped back up the stairs.
“I will.” Cameron smiled, moving back towards the car. Laura watched her get back in with Ally and close the door. She opened the door and waved as they took off. Walking inside, she leaned up against the door, closing her eyes. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Grinning, she saw the familiar quirky smile. The simple text attached to the bottom said.
‘Your eyes glow in the moonlight.’ She couldn’t control the grin anymore, the tears started coming to her eyes. She was smiling while crying; why did this feel so sad, so good, so emotional?
“Jordy? That you?”
“Yeah.” She yelled back, realizing she had to get control of this before Jo saw her, and she couldn’t explain it.
“There’s leftovers in the fridge.”
She took a calming breath. “Thanks.” She kicked her shoes off and headed up to her room.