Rosie and Kenny were late this morning, so I didn't get the chance to meet up with them before heading to my locker.

I released a yawn covering it with the back of my hand. My body betrayed me by waking up a whole hour early, but I used my time wisely. I hopped on my laptop and began editing my blog. I haven't revamped it since I started it.

I still had sunflowers as my background and a vibrant drawing of a sun with the rays that had the squiggled lines next to the header. My blog's name was Sunflowers and Sunshine. Was it an original name? Probably, since I googled it and nothing else came up before I settled on it. Could I have thought of a better name? That was also another huge probably, but my brainstorming partner was MIA, and I had to go at this alone. I still was.

Not that my besties wouldn't jump at the opportunity to help me, but I haven't even told them about my secret hobby yet.

I thought that if this turned out to be a major flop, I could bury it and pretend it never happened. No one would have to know.

Anyway, I checked the views on my last blog post about school bullying. I got a lot of mixed reviews. I didn't specifically say what inspired the post. I just spoke about people's past experiences and what I've seen with my own eyes. Of course, I got the idea from what happened with Cam's locker the other day. I needed to vent, and I felt like what I had to say was worth sharing. I hoped it helped someone and made an impact, no matter how small.

I didn't know what direction I wanted for this blog. But I knew I wanted a place to write. I wanted to inform others about town news but through my voice and get creative. I thought it would be cool to discuss some teen issues and communicate with people who felt the same or had questions but no one to ask.

Was I an all-knowing writer? Far from it, but I was doing what I can. And hey, maybe one of my readers could teach me something too.

I felt the second the clouds stopped eclipsing the sun, and the rays fell on me.

Out of habit, my fingers reached for my necklace with the wooden charm that had a sun carved onto it.

I looked down at it, positive I was giving myself a double chin effect but never mind that.

The day this was gifted to me was still one of my favorite memories.

Another yawn broke free. This one had my eyes tearing up.

I had seen my mother drinking coffee this morning, and when she offered me a cup, I turned it down. I shouldn't have done that. Caffeine in my system might give me the boost I need to push through this day.

I rubbed at one of my eyes.

Before entering the building, I did a quick survey of the parking lot. Cameron's bike was nowhere in sight.

I didn't take more than three steps from the top of the staircase before Abigail and her crew surrounded me. I wasn't sure if I should be concerned or what? They've never tried to talk to me, and that was the way I liked it. They were the toxic mean girls that pretended like they were the queens of the school. They acted as if their whole lives were going to be like High school.

While I wouldn't normally wish for the hard life to knock someone on their ass. But I thought it would be beneficial for these girls to get a taste of the real world. Not everyone would see a pretty face and bow down to them, especially with their lack of brain cells.

I straightened. "Can I help you?" I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice, but I failed.

I had five minutes in the morning to catch Cam at his locker. We still weren't talking much besides the occasional nods of acknowledgment or my favorite "Good morning, Summer."

What had my life come to? Me, over here, holding onto a crush. If this was one of those things that wouldn't matter in five years, I wanted the universe to tell me now so I could give up and possibly laugh about it.

But alas, the universe liked to make me suffer. Dramatic, I knew that. But what would my life be without a bit of drama?

I peeked over the girls' shoulder, making sure Cam hadn't arrived at his locker yet.

"Talk fast. I'm in a rush," I told them when they were taking too long to speak up.

Some students wouldn't dream of talking to Abigail like that. Then there was me, fearless to a fault and completely uncaring.

Abigail puckered her lips, giving me an eye roll. When she snapped her fingers, one of the girls' hand's stuck out holding a flyer?

I didn't take it at first, choosing merely to glance at it.

"It's an invitation." Abigail clarified with a hair flip. "You're one of the lucky people who's getting invited to the most popular party of the year." She forced a smile, and as if on cue, the girls surrounding her did the same.

I stared at their matching expressions, oddly creeped out. If I was going to get attacked by a bunch of her clones, was this how they would smile at me? "No thanks." I declined with a fake smile of my own.

I moved to walk around them, but she took hold of my arm with her manicured nails.

I glanced down at them, then back to her. With a slight raise of my brow, she released me as quickly as she had grabbed me.

Abigail laughed it off. "My bad. Listen, I know you don't usually go to these things, but it's kind of a big deal. And it wouldn't hurt."

The people who matter to me weren't going, so why should I?

I didn't hear him coming up, but I felt Cam's presence before seeing him pass me.

"Reconsider," Abigail pouted, blinking her stupid lash extensions at me.

She snatched the paper from her friend's hand, stretching out to me.

Cam was slipping his jacket off and hanging it up in his locker.

"Yup, yup. Sure thing." I blindly reached for the stupid paper, then gave them a half-assed wave goodbye. Actually, it was more like a shooing wave indicating that we were done here.

"Hey," I said loud enough for only Cam to hear in the busy halls.

I thought I saw the corner of his lips twitch, but maybe I imagined it. He turned to me, "Good morning, Summer," he said with a tilt of this head.

Cam was wearing a black t-shirt with a picture of Hogwarts in the middle. Typical Cam, a Harry Potter nerd and all. I was glad that much hadn't changed about him. His dark locks had the whole bed head vibes right now with the way they fell below his sharp jawbones in a mess of waves.

He seemed to be in a good mood. He slammed his locker shut then took a few steps toward me. I felt my heart jump in my chest.

I went on to slide some of my textbooks into my bag without making eye contact. You know, doing the casual thing, remaining unaffected by his proximity, the scent of his cologne, how his tall figure basically hovered over mine, how his eyes tracked my every movement. No big deal.

"Summer..." he began.

I hummed a response.

"I wanted to thank you for lunch. It was really nice of you, and I appreciated it."

I cast him a long side glance, replaying his words in my head for a second time before opening my mouth. He didn't mention anything about his immaculate locker, but he had to have known that I was responsible.

"No problem. I didn't want you to starve or anything," I replied nonchalantly, stuffing my bag with the last few items.

I missed his face at lunch, and I knew if he didn't eat then, he wouldn't eat at all. So I grabbed a bag of his faves and set out to find him. Luckily, I spotted him in the first place I checked.

To avoid Cam making a scene and arguing with me about how he couldn't accept it. Instead, I dropped it off at the desk he was sitting at and made a beeline for the exit, all while telling myself that he couldn't have seen me. But I knew without a doubt; he had an idea of who would have done something like that for him.

Cam's hand snaked out in front of me as he took my little plastic bag of tiny black elastic rubber bands, my hair essentials.

"Do you mind?" was his way of asking permission to steal one.

"Go right ahead."

Cam took one out and pulled half of his hair into a small ponytail leaving the rest down.

"How does it look?" he asked, smoothing it over.

I stepped back, pointing to the mirror in my locker. "See for yourself."

"Not bad," he mumbled, admiring his reflection before turning back to me.

I saw his hands shoot out to brush a strand of hair away from his eyes, but he didn't quite catch it. I so graciously assisted him, reaching for the strand sticking to his cheek, tucking it behind his ear.

"Thanks."

"Yup." I gave him a brief smile that was nothing close to the smile I was giving him in my head.

"My mom keeps threatening to cut my hair off in my sleep." A shiver passed through him. "She's dangerous with a pair of sheers, and she's dang good at her job, but I think I'd like to hold onto this look a bit longer."

My filter chose that moment to malfunction. "It's a good look," I blurted out.

My eyes fell to Cam's mouth, watching a slow handsome grin emerge. Then the bell rang, reminding me of how we have to cut this little moment short. This was the nicest he's been to me since his return. I ought to buy him lunch more often then. Or I could go back to trying to unravel the mystery of why he constantly wanted to keep me at a distance.

There was no way the months leading up to summer break meant that little to him. I felt what he felt, and it's the reason I was still here. We had history.

"I'll see you in class," Cam said, leaving me at my locker to think through all my thoughts.

***

Mom mentioned that she would be late again after telling Rosie and Kenny that I wouldn't need a ride. Kenny had to go to her part-time job, and Rosie wanted to stop by the animal shelter to help out.

It was pouring rain, and instead of sitting in the library to wait it out, I grabbed my umbrella, deciding that it was a good day to soak in the rainy weather, literally.

I wondered how Cam got home today. There was no way he could have rode his bike in this weather.

Standing by my usual bench, I let my cluttered brain run wild. I would have happily stayed there if my ex didn't pull up in front of me.

The window rolled down, and I saw him leaning over the center console.

"Get in."

"Not happening. I'd rather tsunami take me away," I rolled my eyes.

"I'll let the offer stay on the table for another ten seconds." That was far too long if you asked me.

I counted down the seconds until he would leave.

"This is one of the reasons I broke up with you. You're so stubborn," Drake said.

"Correction, I dumped your ass. I knew I was too good for you." I gave him a tight smile.

"Suit yourself." He sped off, splashing up water. I jumped back to avoid it-ass face.

"You okay?" Cam asked, creeping up behind me and ducking under my umbrella. His hood was up, and his bag was hanging off his forearm.

Startled, I gasped. "Yeah, totally," I mumbled, all breathy.

"What are you doing here? Are you waiting for a ride?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

My brows knitted together. "Well, how are you going to get home?"

I heard a clap of thunder and squealed, dropping my umbrella at our feet. As if the weather knew I no longer had a shield, it started to pour even harder.

Cam retrieved it, giving it a good shake before placing it over our head once more.

I peered up at him. "Thanks."

He didn't reply. When he stuck his finger out and pointed to a jeep across the parking lot, I heard him say, "That's my car. Do you want a ride home?"

Me alone in a car with Cam. "I uh,"

Mom pulled up at that second. "Hey, sweetie. Sorry, I'm late. Hurry in. I have a conference call soon."

Her eyes landed on Cam's, and they narrowed. Jeesh.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Bennet," Cam spoke politely, turning on that charm he was famous for.

"Yeah, hi!" Mom replied with something resembling a wave. "Get in, Summer."

Cam held the umbrella over my head until I was safely in the car. Then he pulled it down before handing it to me.

I smiled at him, and he smirked, closing the door for me.

There was my old Cam. What could have brought him out today?

"You're talking to that guy again?" Mom said as soon as we drove off. I saw her eyes glance up at the rare view mirror, looking back at where Cam stood.

"Cameron, mom. Would you mind not pretending like you don't remember his name? You liked him when I bought him home a few months ago." I tightened my seatbelt. "I believe your exact words were, 'he's prom date material. A charming young man with a good head on his shoulders.'"

Mom snickered. "His name is irrelevant after what he did. And that was before. He had us all fooled. Even you."

"People make mistakes. They're allowed to do that when they're growing up."

"You're not wrong, but his was unforgivable."

I shook my head. "I understand how it may have affected you, but you can't hold that against Cameron forever."

"Watch me," she huffed. "By the way, you need to stay away from him. It's bad for my image, having my daughter conversing with a criminal."

I stared at her side profile. I had two options, agree with her and go behind her back. Or agree with her and do as she says.

If you knew me, you knew which one I would choose.

"Yes, mom." I nodded.