PAST

It only took four outfit changes to get here.

I twirled in the mirror, finally loving this choice. I thought about how Cam's face would light up when he saw me.

I had no idea where this date would be or what we would do, but I've been bouncing with excitement all day.

When I checked the time, I still had a few minutes left before Cam's arrival. So I put my feet up, sipping on my leftover Starbucks latte.

Minutes turned to an hour, and I got a little worried. I hoped Cam was okay.

"He's not coming."

I jumped, hearing Mom's voice behind me.

Then I laughed at myself for being so distracted that I hadn't heard the front door.

"No, he's still coming. He's just a little late." Which was so unlike Cam.

"Honey, that wasn't a question. It was a statement. You got all dressed up for nothing because he's not coming." Mom stood up straighter, folding her arms.

"Uh, do you know something I don't?" I laughed dryly since it wasn't possible.

Cam was just late, which is unusual for him, but he wouldn't stand me. He wasn't that kind of guy.

But Cam also wasn't the type to ignore my calls or texts. I stared down at my empty notification bar before checking if he had read the messages in his inbox. Nope.

There was no way Cam couldn't have seen the texts.

Unless he lost his phone or Oh my gosh! What if Cam's stranded somewhere with a dead phone and broken down car and he needed help. Or what if there was some family emergency? Or what if Cam somehow got hurt and no one knew where he was? OR...

"Stop playing all those wild scenarios in your head. It's nothing like what you think." Mom sighed, not caring that I was in a panic or bothering to comfort me and tell me that it would be okay. She knew what I what through with Drake, and she was very supportive. And I knew she loved Cam so that I couldn't understand the cold look in her eyes. "And sorry to break it to you like this, but I don't want you to see that boy again."

That boy?

"Mom, it's Cam. How could you say that? He's my boyfr–"

"Not anymore. And If you don't want to be grounded until the day you move out, you better."

My brows furrowed with confusion as my heart thumped painfully in my chest.

Why would I let Cam go? How could I? The last few weeks of my life had circulated around him. Around us.

Cam wasn't just some guy.

I thought I might be...

A ding from Mom's phone had her slipping out of her back pocket to glance at it.

"It's all out for the world to know now. So you should see it for yourself. News in this small town travels fast." Mom shook her head, but it was her tone of voice that threw me for a loop. She sounded almost pleased about something, but I could be reading her wrong.

I could be reading everything wrong because I was clueless at the moment.

"Summer, come look at this." She waved me forward, and I followed her to the family room.

Mom turned on the TV putting on the local news.

Cam's high school photo flashed on the screen.

"Why is Cam on the...?" I gasped, my hands slapping both cheeks.

"I've been gone most of the day, trying to handle this. That boy got himself in a mess."

The news anchor said something about a prank gone wrong and Cam getting rough with the Mayor when he got caught.

I shook my head rapidly.

They were all bashing him on live television, mocking his success as a student and athlete. They even went as far as to say that Cam's golden boy status had been revoked.

My hands moved from my cheeks to my ears, refusing to hear anymore.

"Turn it off. Turn it off," I muttered again and again.

"Summer," Mom said soothingly, trying to rub one of my shoulders.

I slapped her hand away.

"Aren't you the Mayor's assistant or whatever!" I shouted as I stood. "How could you let this get out of hand? His face is all over the news."

Everyone would see this. Everyone would look at Cam differently and hate him. How can people go on TV and ruin someone's life?

Cam didn't deserve that.

"Didn't you hear what he did? The kid is practically a criminal. Look at the evidence." The reporters showed the car that Cam damaged and the pictures of the Mayor's face. He had a ghastly black eye that added to his unattractive features.

I rolled my eyes.

"Cam would never do that." I pointed to the screen. I was five seconds from launching the remote at it. But that would result in immediate grounding, and I didn't need to spend my summer break locked up inside this house when I had to get to the bottom of this disaster.

"I know you liked him." Mom started calmly, with her hands motioning that I needed to simmer down.

"I LIKE HIM. PRESENT TENSE!" I didn't change my mind about Cam so quickly. I didn't care what that said about me. I knew something wasn't right.

Mom folded her lips, and her nostrils flared. I guess that was the wrong choice of words for her.

But for me, I meant them.

"Doesn't matter. He's bad news, and you should avoid him at all costs." I got a firm stare. I remember that as a child, that look had the power to make me quiver where I stood. As a teenager nearing adulthood, that look irritated me and fueled my defiance.

I cackled. "Can you honestly say that you know every single detail behind this? That you know Cam didn't have a good reason to act out like that."

Mom blinked up at me.

I was angry enough to ask if I stuttered. Mom only knew what everyone knew about Cam. She didn't know that Cam had a reason for everything he did. He was rarely impulsive or senseless. He had his head on his shoulders. So I found it hard to believe that he wasn't provoked somehow.

And to so call "Prank" his friend's family's house? Yeah. Definitely fishy.

"You think the mayor would lie," Mom finally said after a few seconds of silence.

I knew she wouldn't think anything bad about her precious Mayor, but I never liked the man. I was grateful he gave me my job and all, but other than that, he couldn't win me over with his scripted speeches and fake smiles.

I wasn't the only one that felt this way. My grandfather had his suspicions. And it was nothing that the Mayor had said or did to us, but something about him was off. I couldn't put my finger on it. The closet investigator in me wanted to uncover the truth.

And then there's the weird relationship the Mayor had with his family. You never saw the three of them together unless it was a big event for the town. Most of the time, it looked like they were living separate lives.

Then there was the fact that the Mayor only attended hockey games if a camera crew was present to film him bragging about his son and his skills. He took every opportunity to show out.

It couldn't be any clearer that he only cared about himself, his stupid popularity, and being adored by the townspeople.

"I think everyone isn't what they seem all the time," I told Mom. Normally, I wouldn't have dared to say that out aloud.

Mom's jaw fell, but she was quick, masking it with a smile. "How about you apply those words to that delinquent on TV."

Nice.

"I'd rather not." I walked off. Okay, I ran off to my bedroom.

Slamming the door behind me, I dove for the phone on my bed.

I dialed Cam. Once, twice then a third time.

Pick up, pick up, pick up! Then he sent me to voicemail.

So I texted him. I told him I wanted an explanation, and until I heard one from him, I wasn't going to believe whatever silly news was being released.

Cam could count on me for that.

I wouldn't let him down.

I also texted that I would wait for him to contact me. I could imagine he needed some space, or maybe his mom took away his cellphone as any parent would.

I threw my phone back on the bed and crumbled onto the ground with my arrangements of pillows.

Just when everything in my life was going great, I got universally slapped in the face as a reminder of how my life could fall to pieces in the blink of an eye.

Dad flashed in my mind, and I hugged one of my pillows to my chest.

It wasn't that I hadn't learned to be content with life after Dad's passing. But it had more to do with me, feeling like those tiny holes punched in my heart was either fading away or being filled up. And feeling like sleeping dreams deserved a chance to be brought to life.

Cam was responsible for that.

And if he felt the same way I did, I wanted to be responsible for his happiness too.

**

The amount of hours I've spent staring down at my phone, willing a text message to come through, is a bit concerning.

But I haven't heard anything from Cam in days.

The drama surrounding the story with him and the Mayor has died down a bit, or at least, the Mayor has moved on from it since he was smiling at a press conference earlier this week—something about running for governor or state senator.

Gosh, I hoped that didn't happen.

I still didn't know what his deal was. Therefore I would appreciate it if his butt stayed out of higher political seats. People like him didn't need anymore. They didn't need power to begin with.

Meanwhile, Mom has been flitting around the house all cheerful-like. She might as well be walking on water at this point.

She's made all her favorite foods for dinner, and she's been dressing up for work. She even died her grey hair at the salon the other day and opted for some honey blonde locks. The color complimented her tawny complexion, but she wouldn't hear that from me.

It crossed my mind to ask her what was up with her mood. But I was petty and giving her the silent treatment since she told me to break up with Cam.

We haven't broken up, not yet anyway. Not that I wanted us to head in that direction, I just knew that with the way Cam's been acting. He'd probably want nothing to do with me right now.

I didn't know how else I could be supportive and show that I had his back.

I heard a rumor from the girls that most of the hockey team and half of the school on social media unfollowed Cam. And, of course, they were bashing him in the comments.

I wouldn't be surprised if they started a whole Instagram to bully him. I thought those things only happened in books and TV shows, but I was wrong.

People were so judgmental, rude, and ultimately disloyal.

Everyone was quick to grab onto the Mayor's sob story, but no one interviewed Cam. His side was a mystery that was getting ignored.

I sat up on my elbows, glaring at my phone one last time before flipping it over.

I gave up.

I swung my leg around to the edge of the bed, staring out my window. Maybe I should go over to Cam's house and check on him?

As soon as that light bulb turned on, it flickered off. Cam might hate that if he wanted some space. But it would show him that I was here for him, unlike those other traitors.

I rolled my eyes.

Either way, I officially needed to get out of this house and get some fresh air.

I threw on jean shorts and a graphic tee. I left my messy bun as is because I couldn't be bothered, then I skipped down the stairs with my cellphone and wristlet in hand.

I texted my mom, saying that I was heading out. Mind you, she was in her home office, and I could've verbally told her, but this seemed better to me.

I flung the door open before Mom could potentially object about me freeing myself from my three-day self-imprisonment, and I ran right into the girls.

"Umm..." I stared at Kenny and Rosie wide-eyed. "What are you two doing here?"

Kenny shrugged. "Girl's day."

"Surprise!" Rosie hopped, sticking one leg out in front of her, and then did the whole spirit fingers thing.

I struggled to remember when we had scheduled a girl's day.

"It was a spur of the moment thing. Don't overthink it. Just come with us and have some fun. We missed you!" Kenny smiled. "And you promised we would hang out all summer since you ditched us last year to spend it with your grandfather in Minnesota."

I laughed lightly. That was a great trip. I barely had time to miss home, and I think I put on five pounds from Grandpa's cooking.

"Maybe you should fix your hair first?" Rosie suggested, tugging on a loose strand of hair.

Kenny slipped a clip out of her hair and snapped it onto my head.

"There. All fixed. It looks fine. Not everyone prefers being done up." Kenny pointed to herself. Her hair was out with a part in the middle, and she wore black workout leggings with a white razor back t-shirt and baby blue flip flops. Kenny understood the definition of all-day comfort.

Rosie was a different story. She liked to look presentable at all times, and I loved her for it, but it wasn't my style.

"Just because I can't convince you doesn't mean I can't convince Summer." Rosie rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure we're both lost causes. I'm sorry." I told her.

Kenny smiled victoriously. "Great, now that that's settled. Let's go. I want some Chinese food for lunch, then a Chai tea latte with a Cinnamon bun for dessert." She turned on her heels, heading back for the car.

At the mall, Kenny asked, "Why were you heading to anyways? I thought we'd have to drag you out of the house since you've been cooped up in there for days."

"Oh um, you know. Just out." I hung my head a bit.

"You were going to see Cameron?"

"No, no." I quickly denied it and then admitted the truth. "Yes. I just wanted to check on him."

"Understandable." Rosie nodded. "The whole thing seems weird. I still can't believe everything that happened."

"Probably because we've seen Cameron save an ugly ass spider then release it into the wild, where it should've stayed if it valued its stupid life," Kenny recalled. "Cameron never threatened anyone or started arguments. The man was near perfect."

"Any, I repeat, it's still hard to believe. I wish he would have explained his side. But all we got is Mayor Cambridge describing how his car was wrecked and blah blah blah. He's rich. Buy a new one."

"I heard Cam's mom was paying for the repairs," Rosie inserted.

Well dang. That couldn't be cheap.

"Oh shoot. I guess they would have to do that to help make amends," Kenny replied.

"It's only fair," Rosie said.

"Still, who's to say the mayor didn't deserve it?" Kenny added bitterly.

We turned a corner heading for the food court.

"Kendra!" Rosie hissed. "Don't say that out loud!" she whispered.

Kenny snorted. "What? It's no secret my family didn't vote for him." Kenny's dad owned one of the biggest construction companies in town. Since the Mayor moved here, her family and the Cambridges have been bumping heads.

The Mayor wanted specific jobs rushed and corners to be cut. But that's not how Kenny's dad ran his business. So best believe he put his foot down when it came to construction safety and doing a job well done.

"Mine either, but that's beside the point." Rosie reminded her.

"Trouble at 12 o'clock," I heard Kenny mumble as she turned her attention elsewhere.

I looked forward. "Vance?" I called out the name when I spotted his familiar figure.

He was on his phone typing away without a care in the world about whether he'd walk into a poll or the water fountain. But then he stopped mid-walkway to look up.

"Hey, Summer." Vance met me halfway, then leaned in for a quick hug. "Hey ladies!" he said to the girls behind, then proceeded to wink. I knew that was mainly for Kenny's benefit. She was no doubt glaring at him.

I heard her snicker from behind me.

"Hey, Vance!" Rosie waved with a polite smile while Kenny ignored him.

"Can you two go ahead? I'll catch up in a minute." I told them, wanting a minute to chat alone.

"Sure thing." Rosie grabbed Kenny's arm, pulling her along and into a store that knew Kenny despised. Her grumble echoed throughout the entire mall.

"So, how is he?" I asked Vance, crossing my arms as if I needed protection from his words.

"Pretty bad. I've never seen him so down. He's barely spoken to me since the whole thing." My shoulder sagged.

"And the guys have completely cut him off. I think they've sided with Jason because they felt it was a personal attack against him out of jealousy and some other crap. And that's the story Jason has been leading everyone on with. Stupid and ridiculous, if you asked me."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Which side are you on?"

Vance blinked, looking at me with a hint of shock. "Cam's. Should that even be a question?"

I shook my head once more. "I'm sorry. You just never know. I'm sure other people said they'd always have his back, but they've seemed to change their minds about Cam too."

"Not me. He's the closest thing I have to a brother, and nothing will change that."

I had to ask this next question. "Do you know why Cam did it?"

Vance's expression fell. "I wish I did. Then I'd be at the broadcast station announcing it on air for the whole town to finally shut up about this mess. I knew for sure that Cam didn't have any ill will against the Cambridges. He certainly wasn't jealous of them and their wealth or whatever. That's not Cam. So yeah, I'm just confused, as you probably feel."

"Glad I'm not the only one," I muttered.

Vance reached out, double patting my shoulder. "Don't worry. This will all blow over or work itself out soon. Until then, maybe you should take my advice."

I raised a brow. "What's that?"

He stepped up closer to me but not in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. Vance's other hand landed on my shoulder. "Cam cares about you a lot. You might not feel that right now, but trust me. You're his number one."

I almost didn't believe him. My hands thumbed the pendant on the necklace he made for me.

Vance smiled, watching my movement like he knew what I was thinking. "He just needs some space. I can't say how much, but I'm giving him space too, and I told him he'd better come around or I will, and he won't like it."

I nodded. "Okay, I think I can do that." I didn't want to, but I would.

Vance came in for a hug again. "I'm here if you need me. You're practically my future sister-in-law."

I pushed him away with a nervous laugh. "Yeah, right." What was with everybody and saying me and Cam were going to get married. We're teenagers. Jeesh.

"Guess time will tell." Vance grinned. "See you around, Summer. I'll text you if I get any updates." He waved goodbye.

"Okay, thanks. See you!" I smiled, heading to meet back up with the girls.