sharkbait \\ h.s

15

Relationships have never really been one of my top priorities. I've been in two in my entire life; the first being in he second grade with a kid named Jason, who just so happens to be gay now, and the second being Cameron Davis, only a few years ago.

I can tell you that Jason and I hadn't lasted long. He turned out to be quite the player, dating Breanna, Summer, and Peyton all the while he was with me. He and I remained friends through elementary school, even some middle school, but when high school came around, the two of us ended up going in different paths. In more ways than one, I suppose.

Cameron Davis was the first boy I ever loved, or thought I did, at least. We met our freshman year of high school, we had every class together except for PE, for which I was thankful. Coincidentally, however, it was PE that brought us together. Although we had two different teachers, our classes often combined to play dodgeball when it was raining or too windy to be outside.

I remember standing there and watching him play, the way his arms flexed when he flung the ball toward some scrawny kid in the front, and how he bit his lip when he was looking around the gym for his next target.

There was a moment that I was his next target.

I had been watching him in that moment.

It all happened almost in slow motion. Cameron lunged forward and looked me in the eyes, then the ball flew from his grasp and before I knew it, my face was stinging and my nose was bleeding and Mr. Tennis was blowing his whistle and the people who weren't laughing were running toward me, one of whom being Cam himself.

"I'm sorry, Cal," he said. That was the first time anyone but my dad had called me that. "I wasn't aiming for you. I swear I was aiming toward that nerd in the back."

"Don't call me that," I told him, holding my nose closed so I sounded funny, before pushing myself off the hard, rubber floor, and running to and out the gym doors.

He ran after me.

We ended up ditching sixth period to make out in the auditorium. The same auditorium in which I would lose my virginity a year later.

Cameron broke up with me a few weeks after my father and I were attacked in Los Angeles. I wasn't awake to hear him say it, but the guy had the decency to do it while a nurse was taking my blood, and she'd written down his words for me on the back of a magazine.

It's too much, he'd said. I love you and I'm sorry but I can't do this with you like this.

Sitting here with Harry now, my one hand between his two, makes Cameron seem like a stupid, adolescent mistake.

"California," Harry says.

I look up at him. "Harry."

"I'm going to ask you to be my girlfriend. But I want to make sure you actually, for-surely remember me first."

"Okay?" I raise my eyebrows at him, laughing lightly. "I don't remember anything you've never told me."

"Obviously." He snorts.

"I mean, like, I won't be able to tell you your favorite color or what kind of music you like or whatever." Harry sighs and looks at the floor. "What?"

"That's exactly what I was going to ask you."

The both of us burst into laughter, which must carry through Harry's house, because his mother opens the door within seconds, a signature-Anne smile on her lips.

"There are brownies in the kitchen," she says before leaving again.

"So," I say when I know Anne isn't listening in on Harry and I. "What if I just tell you what I do remember?"

Harry smirks. "Sounds good."

I breathe in and slowly intertwine my fingers into Harry's, his eyes watching me tentatively while I do so. Feeling awkward, I start to pull my hand away, but Harry grips tighter. I begin:

"I remember when we met. Sort of. Either the end of freshman or the very beginning of sophomore year. We were in detention, I think--

"End of freshman," Harry interrupts softly, "Saturday school. Continue."

"I remember eating lunch with you everyday instead of with Ariana. You tried holding my hand once and I didn't talk to you for a few days--"

"A week." I glare at him. "Sorry."

I start again. "I remember the last time I saw you before..." Harry's eyes meet mine and they look almost... sad. "It was before... a break maybe? I don't remember. But I was at school. It was cold, and you gave me your Kings sweater. I hated the Kings, but the sweater was warm and it smelled like you. Like, Irish Spring and smoke. I asked you if you smoked..."

Harry smiles a little bit. "God no."

My first day here in front of Quigley's, when I asked Harry if he smoked, all starts to make sense now.

"It's an excuse," I quote him from that day. "You knew then, didn't you?"

"Of course. It was an excuse to get out and see you," he admits. "I was hoping it might spark something."

Before I can say anything, my phone rings in my pocket. Dad reads across the screen and I answer.

"Hey, dad," I say into the phone, "I'm at Harry's. I'm fine. Sorry I did--"

"Come home. Now." My dad sounds frantic on the other line and my heart begins to race. Something's wrong.

"Of course, dad. I'll be there as soon as I can." I almost hang up. "I love you."

When I have the phone shoved back into my pocket, Harry is already standing, pulling me up with him. "Is he okay?" He asks me.

"I don't know." My eyes suddenly begin to burn. "I'm scared."

Harry stops moving to look at me. "California."

"Harry."

He pulls my face to his and kisses me quickly. "Be my girlfriend."

"Okay."

"Okay?" He chuckles, kissing me again.

"Okay," I repeat, smiling a little bit.

His hand finds mine as we leave his bedroom, waving good bye to Anne on our way out of the house. "Mick," is all Harry says to her.

"Everything will be alright, Cal."

The motorcycle roars loudly before we pull out of the driveway, the sound of metal against gravel never sounding so soothing.

--

hi

is the story good so far? i dont get much feedback on how its doing, but id like some? like i wanna know if its good or bad and if i should change something.

also, some of you may have noticed my mistake in the last chapter where cali said something about "my hands" and someone pointed out to me that cali only has one hand and the reason i forgot such a major characteristic is because im writing a different book atm as well as this one and i was confused in that this is not the other book im writing, so i wrote it as the main character in my other story.

blah blah

anyway, feed back ? comments are fun . votes are too, dont forget that .

ily lots <3

~ mel :)) x