Part 18 (1/2)
”That girly-looking towel boy who's always begging the coach for a soccer tryout. You look exactly like him. What's with the outfit?”
Claire wanted to jump out of her skin with excitement. They were having a normal conversation. Maybe everything was fine. Maybe it had all been a bad dream.
”I need to talk to you.” She twisted the green Puma sweatband around her wrist. ”And Mr. Myner said that if a girl is caught the boys' cabin, she'll get sent home, so-”
”Well, if Dingle catches you here, I'll get kicked off the soccer team, so you better go.” Cam flopped back down and folded his hands behind his head.
”Then let's sneak out back. I have to tell you something.”
Cam didn't move. He stared at the mattress above him and breathed deeply. He wasn't going to make this easy.
”Fine.” Claire stood up. ”I'll leave.” She stood still for a second, giving Cam one last chance to beg her so stay. But he didn't.
Claire took a deep breath and sat back down. ”Look.” She sighed. ”I know you're mad because you saw me kiss Josh after the soccer game last week, and I totally get it.”
He didn't say a word.
Claire continued. ”But I thought you dumped me. You ignored me at the Love Struck dance, you never returned my e-mails, and you were all over Alicia's s.l.u.tty cousin Nina. So what was I supposed to do? I was upset.”
When the springs on the mattress above Cam squeaked again, Claire stopped talking. She used the quiet time to study Cam's face. His breathing remained deep and steady. If he felt any compa.s.sion, he was doing a great job of hiding it.
”Cam, I had no idea Nina told you that lie about the Spanish soccer spell. How was I supposed to know she convinced you to avoid me so you'd win the finals?”
”She told me you knew about it.” Cam rolled over and faced the wall. His voice was distant and slightly m.u.f.fled.
”Well, she was ahb-viously lying.” Claire caught herself sounding like Ma.s.sie and decided to go with it. ”Puh-lease, Nina was a total klepto. She got caught stealing from everyone in school. Are you seriously going to believe her over me?”
Cam was silent.
”Cam?” Claire filled with rage.
Silence.
”Cam?”
Silence.
The more he ignored her, the more her anger swelled. Eventually, the pressure building inside her could not be contained. And all of a sudden Claire burst.
”Cam!” She smacked him on the back, hitting his bony shoulder blade. The pain, along with her pent-up frustration, brought on a swell of tears. She smacked him on the back, hitting his bony shoulder blade. The pain, along with her pent-up frustration, brought on a swell of tears.
His back started shaking and Claire instantly forgot the throbbing in her hand. ”I'm so sorry-did I hurt you?” she whisper-cried.
Finally Cam turned around to face her. He was laughing hysterically. ”Even Brian Jeffreys. .h.i.ts harder than you.”
The instant Claire saw his smile, her tears came harder. Cam had forgiven her.
His eyes sparkled with that playful flicker Claire loved, like he'd suddenly reclaimed his body and banished the cold zombie who had been living there for the last week.
Claire tried not to move. She wanted to bask in the warmth of his gaze for as long as possible, to make up for lost time. They stared at each other without blinking, until every cell in Claire's body felt electrified. She imagined her insides looked like strands of festive Christmas lights pulsing on and off, on and off, on and off, in perfect sync with her beating heart.
Even though Claire and Cam weren't speaking, then-eyes, bodies, and sweat glands seemed to be communicating on a frequency all their own. They didn't need words.
Claire tilted her head slightly to the right and held it there for a second. Her heartbeat quickened and the Christmas lights flashed faster.
Slowly, Claire inched forward.
The closer she got to Cam's full lips, the more she lowered her eyelids. Even though Claire couldn't see her target, she knew she was getting closer, because the sweet smell of Drakkar Noir and Ivory soap was growing stronger. She surrendered to the feeling, allowing herself to get sucked into his invisible force field. She was falling and leaning, leaning and falling, falling and- Finally, there was contact. Instead of landing on Cam's perfect mouth, she was facedown in a pile of itchy blankets. She threw open her eyes and gasped. Her Christmas lights went dark.
Claire kept her head buried until it became impossible to breathe. What just happened? Had she imagined the whole conversation between their bodies? Was her theory about not needing words wrong? Had Cam not forgiven her after all?
”Sorry,” he said.
Claire lifted her head. She was dizzy and too embarra.s.sed to face him. Instead, she stared at the abstract hieroglyphic pattern on his blanket until it blurred.
”What about Josh?” he asked.
”What about him?” Claire was beyond annoyed. What else did she have to do to prove she liked Cam? The soccer outfit, the pinned-back hair, sneaking over and trying to kiss him-all of this certainly should have been enough.
”He likes you now,” Cam whispered. ”I can't just steal his girl.”
”Ew, I'm so not his girl,” Claire insisted. ”I wish I could take that whole thing back. I always wanted you to be my first kiss, not him. I was just hurt and-”
”Well, I want you to be my my first kiss.” Cam rested his hand on Claire's bare knee. It felt like a lightning bolt shot out of his palm and straight into her veins. But the time for their kiss had come and gone. first kiss.” Cam rested his hand on Claire's bare knee. It felt like a lightning bolt shot out of his palm and straight into her veins. But the time for their kiss had come and gone.
They needed words.
”If you want me to be your first kiss, why did you move out of the way?” Claire was shocked with herself for being so straightforward. But at this point, it was easier to ask the questions than to live with them.
”I want our first kiss to be more romantic,” Cam whispered and looked around the cabin. ”Not something we do in front of a bunch of sleeping guys.”
”I hear you.”
Yay! Romantic Cam was back. Romantic Cam was back.
”Besides, you look like a dude and it's kinda freaking me out.”
Claire punched him in the arm and he punched her back. They both cracked up. Cam covered Claire's mouth so she wouldn't wake the guys. Before he moved it away she inhaled deeply, stealing one last whiff of Drakkar Noir for the road.
”I better go.” Suddenly Claire's body ached with exhaustion.
”Meet me after dinner tomorrow night at Powwow Log,” Cam whispered. ”Oh, and please don't say that this is the end-I won't be happy until we've kissed.”
Claire gasped. Her arms and legs immediately flared up in goose b.u.mps. ”That's the last line in the poem I sent you.”
Cam pulled a folded piece of paper out from under his pillow. ”I know.”
”You got it?”