"SO, WHAT, Ricky called you to tell you that Cam had something important to tell you?" Kourtney spoke, frowning at the screen. Nini stared at the phone.
She didn't want to admit it, but there was a small glimmer of hope in her chest. She wanted to know what Cam wanted to say, and she hoped it was what she thought it was. Things were over between her and EJ— she'd already decided that.
"I guess so," said Nini, shrugging casually. "I don't really know. It was probably about the phone."
"No," said Kourtney with a shake of the head and a small smile on her face, "it's not. He found out the day before he told you, Dom told me that."
Nini sighed. "I don't know what he wanted to say, Kourt."
Kourtney figured she knew, but she wanted Nini to find out for herself. She also knew, via Dominic, that Ricky was hiding out at Cam's house, or at least had been since about 9:00 PM that evening.
"Alright, I gotta go." Kourtney said with a small smile. "I'll talk to you later. I love you!"
"Love you, too." Kourtney disappeared, and Nini sighed out, falling back on her bed. After a few more seconds of staring up at her ceiling, she shut her phone off, hoping to escape the rest of the world. Mostly EJ.
Cam stopped his car in front of Nini's house, clearing his throat and rubbing his hands together anxiously. Nini hadn't been answering his texts, and he couldn't sleep, even though Ricky was fast asleep in his bedroom.
His thoughts had been going too fast for him to comprehend, and he couldn't sleep, even though it was ten o'clock at night. He didn't know why he was at Nini's house, but he desperately wanted to talk to her.
He debated climbing up to her window, like an idiot, but the front door swung open just as he quietly got out of his car. One of Nini's moms, Carol, was standing at the front door.
"Mrs. Salazar-Roberts." he said, wishing his voice didn't sound as worried as it did. "I'm really sorry."
"It's been a minute since you've been here, Cam." she spoke softly, smiling up at him. "Why don't you come in, sweetheart? Everything okay?"
"Uh... yeah." Cam nodded, biting his lip and rubbing his hands together against his better judgment. "I'm... I'm sorry again, I just really needed to talk to Nini." he stood in their living room, looking around. It was just how he remembered it.
"I heard her talking to-" Carol cut herself off as Nini came down the stairs, her wide eyes set on Cam, who stared up at her. Even though she was dressed in her pajamas, he still thought she looked beautiful, and he wanted to kick himself for it. "Oh, Nini! Cam's here!"
"Hi," she breathed out nervously.
"Hi," he replied, just as breathlessly.
"I'll just be getting ready for bed." Carol put a gentle hand on Cam's arm before disappearing into her bedroom, leaving the two teens to stare at one another. Awkwardly, Cam pulled his sweatshirt off, realizing it was suddenly hot in the house.
"You okay?" Nini asked, approaching Cam. He took an involuntary step backward.
"I just... you weren't answering your phone." he motioned to her, and she turned crimson.
"Oh." she giggled stupidly, shaking her head in embarrassment. "I... Yeah, I have it turned off. Why? Were you worried about me, Cameron Caswell?" she elbowed him playfully, and he grinned.
"Always am, Nina Salazar-Roberts." he teased back, and she bit her lip. "I just... you know, wanted to check up on you after the..."
"Yeah." said Nini, and Cam took a seat on her couch, leaving ample room for her to join him if she wanted to. She did, and their forearms brushed up against one another, sparks erupting in the teens' chests. "I'm... a little upset, but mostly annoyed."
"Yeah, I know." Cam clenched his jaw. "Me too."
"How are you and EJ?"
"Not good, I don't think." Cam hung his head, pursing his lips together tightly. "I screwed our bond up."
"Hey," Nini whispered softly, making butterflies burst into Cam's stomach. She put her hand on his bicep, flustering herself at the action as she mistakenly squeezed it. "I'm grateful you told me. You didn't screw anything up, okay? It's all him."
If only you knew, thought Cam to himself, but he bit his tongue to keep his words inside. Instead, he just stared at her.
"Maybe." he said after one too many beats of silence. "Still, it hurts. He's my cousin, and we've always been, like, best friends. I just wish I didn't do this to us. I wish I hadn't hit him with the ball, and I wish he didn't know about-" Cam's eyes shot open, and he cleared his throat. "I wish he didn't do what he did."
Nini's lips parted slightly and her eyes flickered down to his lips, as much as she didn't want them to. Their close proximity was new territory to them, at least since they'd drifted apart. Nini didn't know why he looked so alluring, but he did.
"Sorry, I just suck at talking-"
"About your feelings, I know." Nini laughed gently, finishing his sentence for him. "But that doesn't mean I don't care about you. And I always want to be there for you, and talk to you," Nini swallowed back the words and kiss you, "so just... whenever you need me..."
"Thank you, Nini." said Cam shakily, trying to ignore the way that Nini's hand had fallen into his. She looked past him at the clock on her wall.
"It's getting late," she mumbled, trying to ignore the fact that their lips were inches away from each other, "maybe you should just stay."
She stood up, tugging on his sleeve and pulling him up with her. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, but he ignored it for a moment.
"Come here," she opened her arms, and Cam, almost unwillingly, fell into them, his arms wrapping around her waist. He could feel Nini's hand on the back of his neck.
Nini had never felt so comfortable in someone's arms before. She felt she could stay there forever. Maybe that's why they were so close; best friends. She just wanted to be best friends again.
"Okay," whispered Nini when he finally pulled away, "you should stay. It's late, you shouldn't be driving. I'm gonna get you a spare blanket and a pillow, okay?"
"Nini..." Cam had tried to say, but Nini was already gone. He pulled his phone out of his pocket.
ricky
hey saw ur note. i'm gonna
head home and talk to
my parents
"Dammit," said Cam to himself, looking up at Nini's bedroom. He looked at the door.
When Nini walked back downstairs, she saw that Cam was long gone, and only his sweatshirt remained. It was an old one, she noted, from basketball camp. It had his last name and number, 7, on the back.
Maybe Nini shouldn't have, but she picked it up, holding it up against her chest, hugging it as if it were Cam, still in her arms.
Her heart began beating swiftly in her chest, her teeth chattering. Maybe she was cold, so she put on his sweatshirt to see if it would help.
But it only made it worse. In fact, it was so bad that Nini came to a halting realization— she was in love with Cameron Caswell.
+
"You going to Hoco?" asked Dom, coming up beside Cam at his locker.
"Well, I bought a ticket, but I don't have a date, if that's what you're asking." Cam replied, sighing slightly as he pulled his books out of his locker. "Do you have a date?"
"Oh, God no," Dom grinned at Cam, who rolled his eyes. "You're gonna be my date."
"Stop."
"Okay."
The two boys continued down the hallway as Ricky and Big Red passed them. Ricky and Cam smiled weakly at one another. Cam hoped Ricky was doing at least a little better.
"Oh, you know what I heard?" Dom continued rambling, although Cam merely turned his head in acknowledgment. "EJ is taking Gina to Hoco. Weird, right?"
Cam frowned, turning to look at Dom. Against his better judgement, he clenched his jaw. He thought it was ridiculous how fast EJ was moving on from Nini, and he thought it was ridiculous that Gina was going along with it. He exhaled furiously.
"EJ is an idiot." he said, shaking his head begrudgingly. "He and Nini just broke up."
"Yeah." Cam bristled. "I know."
They nearly ran into Kourtney and Nini, who were exiting the girls' bathroom with Miss Jenn not far behind. Cam jolted back. Miss Jenn observed the situation for a second, before mumbling something with a smile and walking away.
"Oh, God." Kourtney grimaced at her brother. "I can feel my brain cells dying."
"Ha, ha." grumbled Dom dryly, putting his hands on his hips. "Is Cam your ride for Homecoming, too?" he pointed at his taller best friend, who looked between the two girls.
"Hello," said British Nini abruptly, staring at Cam, wide-eyed. Kourtney tilted her head, glancing at Nini out of the corner of her eye.
"Hey, Nini." Cam grinned at her, and against her will, Nini blushed. Kourtney rolled her eyes at their interaction, elbowing Nini harshly to bring her out of her trance.
Of course, Kourtney was fully on board with Cam and Nini, or Camini as she and Dom liked to call them. One time Nini had heard the terminology, but Kourtney had assured her it was a type of camel.
However, seeing Nini obviously pine over her former best friend, who had spent years in the background made Kourtney feel somewhat sad. She wasn't sure if Nini had the bravery to confront Cam about her feelings.
"We're not going to Homecoming." said Kourtney, shaking her head. She motioned between she and Nini. "We have a girls' night."
It somewhat eased Cam's nerves knowing that Nini wasn't going with anyone, even if she wasn't going at all. However, Cam realized the lack of her presence would also make Homecoming a much less enjoyable event.
"Oh-Oh, cool." Cam nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as he swallowed. "Yeah, well, have fun. Sounds like a good time."
Nini nodded with her mouth closed tightly as Kourtney raised her brows in her direction— they both knew if Nini started talking, she'd inevitably ask Cam to go with them.
+
"This isn't even fun," stated Cam plainly as he, Ashlyn, Dom, Ricky, and Big Red entered the school to get in line. "Can we go home and have a movie night or something?"
Ricky had opened his mouth to agree, but Ashlyn held a hand up, effectively silencing him. She shook her head, "Listen, we paid for these tickets, and we're here to have a good time!"
Cam didn't believe that he'd been having the "good time" that Ashlyn mentioned, but he held some form of hope.
Once they got past Mazzara, who was checking tickets, they headed into the dance, opting to avoid pictures and beeline directly for their table. It wasn't long before Carlos arrived, a big grin on his face.
"Guess what!" he exclaimed, the excitement obvious on his face. "Seb... he's coming to dance with me in public!"
"That's great," said Cam, smiling widely at Carlos, who looked flattered by his table-mate's enthusiasm. Ashlyn placed a hand on Carlos' shoulder, and they began whispering in quiet tones.
It was only a few minutes of happiness before, out of nowhere, EJ and Gina took a seat beside Ricky at the table. He and Cam grimaced at one another, and Cam turned away. He could feel EJ's glare burning into his neck, and he wanted to do anything to avoid it.
"Look at my dad," laughed Ricky awkwardly, showing his phone to Cam, who gratefully welcomed the distraction from EJ and Gina. "He's putting himself out there."
"Looks good." Cam grinned, pointing to Mike's outfit. "What, did he ask you for fashion advice?"
"...Yes." Ricky replied sheepishly. Cam began laughing, slinging an arm around Ricky's shoulders.
Another few awkward minutes of silence passed through the table, although Carlos' sad sigh garnered everyone's attention, especially Ashlyn's. It had been about forty-five minutes since the dance had started, and Seb had not shown up.
"He'll show up, okay?" Ashlyn told Carlos, putting a hand on his arm. "Maybe he just hit traffic."
Cam unfortunately tuned out of the conversation when he felt his phone buzz in his coat pocket. He reached in, grabbing his phone.
nini
hi
nini
how's homecoming?
cam
really bad ngl
cam
just awkward
nini
i'm assuming gina and ej are there
cam
you guessed it
cam
you upset?
nini
not upset just annoyed
cam
feel like i've heard that one before
nini
you should've come with me and
kourt
nini
would've been like old times
cam
such a good offer wish i had known
abt it
nini
still time to come?
Cam would've responded (a vague grin had already crossed his face), but he heard Gina talking and looked up. She was looking at EJ, who had a forced smile on his face.
"Could you get me some punch, babe?" she asked sweetly. Cam grimaced; he hated babe.
"Sure, babe." replied EJ hesitantly. Cam frowned at his obvious awkwardness— it wasn't like EJ to act so uncomfortably.
Ricky was quick to slide over into EJ's seat, a small, worried smile on his face. Big Red and Cam exchanged worried glances; they didn't know what Ricky was going to say.
"Hey, not to intrude on date night," he chuckled, and Gina frowned, "but you can do better than EJ. That-That guy's bad news."
"You're not exactly one to give relationship advice." Gina smiled, although her tone was passive-aggressive. "And when I want your opinion, I'll ask."
"Well, I'm giving it anyway. I sort of thought you were classier than this." Ricky shook his head. "But, hey, maybe you really are what people say you are."
"And that is?"
"Ricky." hissed Cam warningly, although Ricky didn't even look in his direction.
"Just a little too ambitious for your own good, or anyone else's." he snapped, before taking a drink from his punch cup. The table quickly fell into an awkward silence, and Cam nearly began banging his head off the table to try and erase the memory of the night.
+
"I guess that's him saying he's not interested," sighed Nini dejectedly. It had been seven minutes since she had texted Cam, and there was no reply. A part of her worried that he had found a girl to dance with.
"It's our girls' night!" shouted Kourtney over the music. "Come on, Nini, it's fine."
"Yeah, you're right." she sighed, although her chest still ached. "I just can't believe I never realized how much I... God."
"Yeah, we literally all saw it, Nini." Kourtney smiled at Nini, whose brows raised in surprise. "Except you two."
"I'm so stupid," Nini groaned, burying her head in her hands. "If I hadn't made so many bad decisions, my life would be so much easier."
"There's still time." Kourtney elbowed Nini gently. "And I think he's been waiting for so long that he won't mind waiting a little longer."
Nini looked up at Kourtney with wide eyes and the latter cursed under her breath; she had forgotten that Nini didn't know about Cam's feelings towards her. And, as Nini's eyes glimmered under the lights of the bar, Kourtney relented. She would happily give up girls nights for Nini and Cam to finally find the love they deserved— within each other.
+
"Feeling alone?" asked a voice. Cam, who was slumped back in his chair, looked up to see Gina standing beside him. She took a seat in the chair beside him, drinking some punch. "I can relate."
"Yeah, I heard what happened between you and EJ." Cam muttered, playing mindlessly with the rings on his fingers. "Sorry to hear you lost your boyfriend." Cam couldn't help but allow a sneer cross his face.
"Hardly," breathed Gina, looking over her shoulder. Unfortunately for her, Cam assumed, EJ was long gone. Where to, no one really knew.
"You know, Nini really liked him." said Cam quietly, swallowing his pride. "And... And I know you don't like Nini, but this is just... it's not right, Gina."
Gina looked at Cam, exhaling with a frown. She looked stony, and the expression on her face made him a little worried for his own safety. She looked away, before looking back, even angrier than before.
"Sorry." he held his hands up in surrender. "Just... take it a little bit easier on her, please? For me?"
Gina didn't respond. Instead, she got out, heading out through the doors and probably leaving for the night. Cam groaned, burying his head in his hands.
jack
HEY GUYS!!! so sorry for forgetting to upload yesterday but here's the next chapter!! WNJOY