Starbird

Chapter 27

By the time evening rolled around and my parents had come home only to just make sure I was alive and had eaten, before carrying about making their own dinner and settling down for the night, I was laying on my floor with my music blaring, looking particularly comatose. My body was sprawled across the carpet, looking like I was about to make a snow angel, and I just stared blankly at the overhead light as if it was the most fascinating thing on the planet.

“Is Cam even here?” I heard James say, making his way up the stairs. I couldn’t hear my parents’ response, but I was supposing it was an affirmative as I heard the quick knock against my door as James peered in. “Cammie?”

“Hey, James,” I said, still much too interested in the way my ceiling looked. I heard him come in and close the door behind him, something he didn’t usually do because he would just come and go too quickly to bother with it.

“Are you okay? You look kind of… weird.”

“Yeah,” I said, but I didn’t sound too convincing at all. “Yeah, I’m…  I’m fine.” I realized I hadn’t talked much today and for some reason was having difficulty with words.

“Can I ask you something, Cam? And I need your honest response,” James asked, sitting on the edge of my bed and clasping his hands together before placing his chin atop his knuckles.

“Sure.”

“Did something happen last night between you and Liam?”

That was enough to make me shoot straight up and gape at him as if he read my mind. How in the heck did he know? My vision blurred momentarily as I sat up so quickly, but after closing my eyes for a few seconds, I looked straight back at him in complete disbelief.

“I take it from your look that something happened last night that I need to know about.”

“How could you have possibly known that something had happened?”

“Well, Liam looked particularly relieved today when you didn’t come to set and you look like you’re high or something - not to mention your hand is purple and green from bruising - and, I don’t know, I just had a feeling,” he said and the thought of Liam being relieved that he didn’t see me today made me feel a little disappointed. 

“Whatever I’m about to tell you, do not kill me.”

“That depends on whether or not you deserve to die.”

“And don’t kill Liam either.”

“If you’re already pleading for his life, then I think it’s safe to assume that I might have to kill him.”

“I’m serious, James. Just listen to me and then make your judgment.”

James looked at me carefully before moving to the floor so we could make better eye contact. “Shoot,” he said.

I took a deep, shaky breath, suddenly realizing I hadn’t told anyone yet and it had been almost an entire day. I didn’t want to tell anyone. But I wanted to tell everyone. I hated this.

“Liam kissed me last night.”

James’ eyebrows shot straight up and I saw his lips purse. He didn’t look just angry. He looked furious. I actually believed he was going to go find a shotgun and murder Liam by the look that he was giving me.

“Are you kidding me?” He hissed and I could see his vein popping out of his neck. “I was expecting you did something awkward or just admitted something weird, not that he kissed you!”