His Secret Love Child (Book One of the LOVE CHILD series)

Chapter Three New Friends

Picture above Drew Fuller as Thorne Hawkthorne.

The bell had just rang signalling the end of class and the beginning of the lunch period. Both Cameron and Thorne gathered their things and exited the classroom. Making their way back to their lockers, they stowed their stuff away.

"Come on, lets head to the lunchroom. You can sit with me and my friends and I'll introduce you to everyone." Thorne offered.

"Why?" Cameron asked.

"Well I don't know about you ,but personally I hate eating alone." Replied Thorne. "And let me just warn you from now. No amount of your bitching and grumbling is going to make me back off from being your friend. You are not going to become a social recluse. Not under my watch, ok. So just give up now and accept that." Thorne continued with a smile. Cameron looked over at him and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Fine!!! Come on. Lead the way oh mighty one." Cameron gave out sarcastically. Thorne just ignored the sarcasms and smirked in triumph as he turned and walked away heading towards the lunchroom.

Upon entering the lunchroom, the noise level hit Cameron like a punch to the face. He felt himself consciously bracing against it. "Relax man ,no ones gonna eat you", Thorne said, placing a hand on his shoulder and rubbing lightly to relax Cameron's obviously tensed muscles. Cameron felt himself responding to Thorne's touch, as the tension slowly eased from his shoulders.

Both boys made their way over to the lunch line. While waiting in line ,Thorne was constantly being hailed by kids in the lunchroom. After selecting their lunch, Cameron followed behind Thorne over to what was quiet obviously the table belonging to the populars.

"Hey guys ,what's up?" Thorne greeted everyone while taking his seat. Cameron followed suit and sat down beside him. The others at the table looked over at Cameron curiously. "Soooo, Thorne, who's your new friend?" one of the boys asked.

Thorne clapped Cameron on the back and said "guys I'd like you all to meet Cameron Cavanaugh. He's the new kid this year." The others at the table gave out a chorus of sympathetic "awws and oohhhs". "It sucks to be you man" one of the other boys said.

"Cameron these are the guys. Lets see, over there is Jennifer and her twin Jason ", both kids nodded their heads in acknowledgement. "On Jennifer's right is her boyfriend Christopher and on Jason's left is his girl friend Cassandra. They always sit like that." Thorne continued, "I know weird right."

"Shut up Thorne." Jennifer yelled out, throwing a fry at him. Thorne skilfully ducked said fry and grinned unrepentantly at a glaring Jennifer.

"Anyway lets continue with the introductions and ignore the she devil over there." Thornes said, while smirking. "That's Bryan and Brant, as you can see they’re also twins. You'll find that a recurring theme around here. Go figure, must be something in the water. And last but not least over here is Phillip." Thorne finished.

Cameron nodded over at them all and said "nice meeting you all." "Same here man." The guys gave out. The girls smiled and waved over at him.

As they all started eating their food, Cameron allowed the conversation to flow over him as he looked around the lunchroom. It was a typical lunchroom set up. Everyone sitting in their respective groups and cliques. There were the nerds and geeks, the emos, the jocks and cheerleaders, the norms and of course the center of it all the populars, of which apparently he was now one off.

What struck Cameron as odd was the atmosphere of friendliness among the different groups. Yes, there was rough housing going on, and teasing taking place between the groups. But it was all being done in a manner of friendly respectful rivalry, which basically said that at the end of the day no matter what their differences, they were all friends.

"Earth to Cameron, come in Cameron." Cameron was pulled from his thoughtful observations by the sound of Thorne's voice. Thorne bumped his shoulder with his own and smirked at him. "So where were you man, you just kind of like spaced out. I’ve been talking to you for five minutes and you didn't hear a word that I said."

Cameron gave his attention back to his lunch and said "nowhere man, I was just thinking. So what were you saying?"

Thorne gave him a sceptical look and raised a brow at him in question. Cameron studiously ignored the look and kept on eating his lunch. Seeing that Cameron wasn't going to take the bait, Thorne suddenly said to the table at large, never once taking his eyes off Cameron "who's up for a pool party at my house this weekend?"

The others at the table gave out yells of excitement and high fived each other. "Ok guys don't get too excited. This party will be small, no more than ten or fifteen people ok. So don't go telling the whole school like you did last time." Thorne stated. "As a matter of fact, lets just make it only us with maybe one or two other people. My father threatened me that if there is ever a repeat occurrence of what happened at the last party I threw, not only will I be grounded for life, but he will ensure that I never have kids."

The others snickered at this. Bryan and Brant were out right laughing their heads off. Thorne scowled over at them in mock irritation. "You two are douches."

After that the conversation at the table returned to normal with Cameron getting to know them and they in turn getting to know him. Cameron was surprised that he found himself liking them and finding them interesting, also that he seemed to have a lot in common with them.

The flow at the table was interrupted by a blonde bombshell walking sinuously over to the table, and wining herself around Thorne and capturing his lips in a deeply passionate kiss. The others at the table including Cameron just stared over at the couple making out in front of everyone. By the lack of reaction and the somewhat bored expression on all their faces, Cameron deduced that this action taking place in front of him was a regular occurrence.

"Well I guess that answers the question of whether or not he is straight." Cameron thought to himself, feeling a pang in his chest.

Finally they broke apart. Touching their foreheads together, the couple smiled at each other and gave each other one last kiss before turning back towards the group at the table. The blond settled herself on Thorne's lap and with her arms wrapped around his neck she said, "hi I'm Sydney, you must be the new kid. Everyone's talking about you, you know."

Cameron smiled over at her and said "I'm Cameron, nice to meet you and yes I am the new kid. You must be Thorne's girlfriend. He didn't mention you earlier while he was introducing me to everyone else."

Cameron heard a couple snickers and snorts of suppressed laughter from the others at the table. He kept staring at the blonde before him as he watched her face turn red in anger. "Yes, I am his girlfriend obviously," Sydney hissed out through gritted teeth.

Obviously these to were not going to be friends. Thorne gave out a chuckle to try and ease the sudden tension at the table. Thorne touched his lips to her cheek to get her attention and said, "Hey babe we were just talking about having a small get together this weekend at my house. Nothing big, just us and maybe one or two others. What do you say, wanna come?"

"Of course I'm coming. The girls and I will so be there." She practically squealed. Her voice was really starting to get on Cameron's nerves and by the looks of it the others as well.

"Babe," Thorne began, "I said nothing big, just a few really close friends ok." he finished. "So does that mean you won't be there then?", she questioned glaring at Cameron. Cameron took a perverse delight in informing her that "actually I was specially invited." with a smirk on his face.

Seething Sydney turned to Thorne and said, "I thought you said the party is just for close friends." "It is." Thorne replied. "It's a chance for all of us to get to know Cameron better since he is now a part of our group."

"Since when!?" Sydney exclaimed. "Since I said so." Thorne replied in a tone that clearly said the matter wasn't up for discussion. Sydney seeing the look on his face and the hard glint in his eyes, wisely chose to back down. She pasted a false smile on her face, kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly to her saying, "ok, babe whatever you want. " All the while over his shoulder she was glaring daggers at Cameron.

Slowly the tension at the table eased as the others tried to recapture the earlier camaderie that had existed before Sydney's appearance.

After school that day Cameron met up with them in the parking lot where they exchanged numbers while hanging out together for a while. As the others started to say goodbye Thorne turned to Cameron and said "do you have a ride home?". "Yeah, my mom is picking me up, as a matter of fact here she comes." Cameron replied nodding towards his mom's car as  she pulled  into the parking lot.

"Well ok then guess I'll see you tomorrow." Thorne said.

"Yeah man tomorrow." Cameron countered, walking away and heading over to his mom's car.

Getting in Cameron puts on his seatbelt and turned to look at his mom. His mother pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive them home. Cameron looked over at his mom, and as he remembered the harsh words that he had said to her just that morning, a feeling of deep shame and regret washed over him.

Cameron hung his head and fought to hold back the tears that where suddenly threatening to fall. He took a deep breath to try and gain some composure before turning to his mom and saying "mom, I'm really sorry for the way that I acted this morning and the things that I said. I didn't mean it."

"I know son, you were just upset." His mother looked over at him briefly and patted his knee. "So are we ok, you and I ?" Cameron asked worriedly. He hated being at odds with his mother. His mother looked over at him and smiled winsomely "aren't we always?" she replied. A beautiful smile broke across Cameron’s face, and he released the breath that he didn't even realize that he had been holding. All the tension just seemed to flow out of him as he and his mother smiled at each other.

Cameron suddenly felt like everything was going to be alright.