A/N This chapter has been edited 02/14/2021
One Month Later
It's been four weeks since I met Cam. During the past few weeks, we've gotten to know each other better.
I learned he used to live two towns over and played on the football team. He told me football gave him a sense of purpose and he was hoping to get on the team here as well.
Once I found out he was trying to join the team, I felt very guilty. Trevor is captain of the football team and the quarterback, Trevor won't make it easy for Cam to join now. I felt so bad that I kept apologizing for two days straight until Cam told me if I apologize again he would stop speaking to me.
I also learned Cam's eighteen years old and has a younger brother named Colby who is four years old. He told me no matter what he would always be a great big brother to Colby. When he told me that, I kept thinking, how could I suspect such a sweet and caring person of tricking me?
My friends have accepted Cam into our group and Kylie has continued to try to push Cam and I together, despite my protests.
Currently I am walking down the hallway with Cam and Spencer, heading towards the cafeteria and trying to ignore the dirty looks I'm receiving from half the female population in this school.
Ever since Cam started to hang out with us, a couple of girls have confronted me, wanting to know why or what I did to make him hang around me. I ignore them. I've dealt with a few jealous girls before because of my friendship with Spencer so it's nothing new.
"When can I come over and finish watching the Rush Hour movies?" Cam whines like a three-year-old. I chuckle and roll my eyes at him. Cam has been asking to come over to my house several times in the last month.
"Why do you want to come over so badly?" I ask, annoyance clear in my tone which makes Spencer laugh.
"We're friends, friends hang out at each other's houses." Cam says.
"So, I can go to your house then?" I ask.
"Of course but I want to come to yours again first." Cam says matter of factly. I sigh, I was hoping inviting myself to his house would make him stop asking to come to mine but it didn't work.
The truth is, I've been avoiding having him come over again. The thought of us alone in my house, makes me nervous. As much as I tried to stop it, as much as I hate myself for it, I've developed feelings for Cam in this short time.
I'm trying so hard to stop those feelings, knowing nothing will come of it, so I have been distancing myself as best as I can.
"Fine. We'll make a day of it, you, me, Spencer, Jake, and Kylie, we'll have a sleepover tonight. Junk food, movies, and pizza. Sound good?" I ask.
"Sounds fun." Spencer says. My eyes turn to Cam, waiting for a response. He smiles a small smile, one that doesn't reach his eyes. Does he not like that idea? My eyebrows furrow in confusion. Cam opens the cafeteria door for me and I walk through, thanking him.
"I'll tell Jake and Kylie." Spencer says, walking off. Cam and I walk towards the lunch line and join the other students. I turn to him and see he is lost in thought.
"I thought it would be fun. If everyone is over, then my parents are going to be more willing to say yes to having you over, especially after what happened last time." I say, feeling the need to explain myself. Cam smiles down at me and shakes his head.
"It's okay, I understand." Cam says absentmindedly. We lapse into silence again and Cam has the same expression on his face. I bump my hip with his and he snaps out of it, his eyes meeting mine.
"What are you thinking so hard about?" I ask. Cam hesitates.
"I was just thinking about football." Cam says. Guilt runs through me as I move my eyes away from him. I know it's my fault Cam has been having a difficult time joining the team.
"I'm really sorry. It's my fault they aren't letting you on the team." I say. Cam reaches his hand out and grasps my chin lightly, making butterflies erupt in my stomach. He lifts my head softly until my eyes meet his.
"It's not your fault. If I had the option to do it all over again, I wouldn't have changed a thing." He whispers. I nod but still feel guilty. He drops his hand from my chin and we lapse into silence once again.
Spencer soon joins us in line and we all grab lunch and take our usual seats.
"I am so excited for tonight!" Kylie exclaims as soon as I sit down. I smile widely at her.
"I'm so happy you can come!" I exclaim.
"I was so worried that I would be all alone with these guys." I say, gesturing to the three guys around Kylie and me which makes her laugh.
"I would never leave you alone with these barbarians. They would tear your house apart and make you be there slave all day." Kylie says.
"Hey! We aren't that bad." Spencer exclaims. Kylie and I share a knowing look then we laugh.
"I wouldn't make Hailee be my slave, she already knows she would do anything I ask. Right Cupcake?" Cam asks, sending me a teasing smile. I narrow my eyes and elbow him in the gut and he doesn't even flinch.
"Cupcake?" Jake asks, looking between Cam and I. I roll my eyes.
"That's Cam's ridiculous nickname for me ever since he saw me in my favorite cupcake pajama pants." I say.
They all start to laugh at my nickname and I can feel blush forming on my cheeks. All of a sudden Cam stops laughing and freezes.
My eyes scan his face, his expression deadly. I follow his eyes to see Trevor walking toward our table.
I freeze and so does everyone else at the table. Jake and Spencer look ready to kill, they know Trevor has been bothering me for a while, they wanted to do something about it but I told them no since Spencer is on the team and I didn't want Jake and him to get hurt.
Cam's hand forms a fist under the table, I put my hand over his, hoping to calm him. He relaxes, releasing his fist and grabbing my hand in his, intertwining our fingers. I'm surprised by his action but I quickly recover and give his hand a gentle reassuring squeeze.
Trevor stops at our table and smirks evilly at me. I move my eyes away from him and stare down at my lap, taking deep breaths to calm myself. Cam squeezes my hand, making my eyes snap up and meet his.
"I'll take care of this." Cam whispers. I nod and whisper to be careful.
"What do you want?" Cam spat bitterly at Trevor. Trevor turns his gaze to Cam.
"I want to talk to you...alone." Trevor says. Cam nods reluctantly and let's go of my hand.
"I'll be right back." Cam tells us but his eyes never move from mine. He walks out of the cafeteria with Trevor.
I eat my food quietly, my mind consumed by what Cam and Trevor possibly could be talking about. Cam doesn't return until about five minutes before lunch was over. He sits back down beside me and everyone stops talking and looks at him, waiting to hear what Trevor wanted. A huge smile spreads across his face.
"The coach made Trevor ask me to try out for the team. I guess he heard about my football stats at my old school and wanted me on the team. I'm trying out tonight at 6 P.M." Cam says happily. I smile widely.
"That's great Cam!" I exclaim, I know how much he wanted to be on the team so I am happy for him, however, I am still worried that Trevor will give him trouble.
"Congrats man. Tryouts are hard but I have no doubt you'll make it." Spencer says, smiling over at Cam. Cam smiles back.
"Thanks man." Cam says.
"Wait, tonight? So you won't be able to come to Hailee's tonight?" Kylie asks, a disappointed look on her face. My smile drops of my face when I realize she's right. They will work him hard and he won't want to come over. Cam's eyes turn to me. I force a smile on my face.
"It's okay. I understand." I say. Cam throws his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side. My eyes widen in surprise as his intoxicating scent fills my sense.
"I'll be there. I'll show up a little late but I promise, I'll be there." Cam says. I nod just as the bell rings for lunch to end. I grab my tray and stand.
"Allow me." Cam says, grabbing my tray and walking it over to the trash. Kylie smiles widely at me, making me laugh. She has been trying to prove to me that Cam likes me, every time he does something sweet she will point it out.
"I'll see you all tonight. Bring junk food and blankets." I say. Tonight is going to be so much fun!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pizza and junk food, check. All the extra blankets and pillows in the house, check. Movies, check. Comfy clothes, check. I am wearing my cupcake pajama pants and a plain soft white t-shirt.
Kylie, Jake, and Spencer all texted me, telling me they are on their way. Kylie walks through my front door, not bothering to knock. Kylie comes over often, she knows she doesn't have to knock anymore.
In Kylie's arms are grocery bags filled with junk food, no doubt. Trailing behind Kylie is Jake with a bunch of blankets and pillows in his hands. I smile at them as Kylie sets down the bags on my coffee table which I moved to the side of my couch so we could all lay on the ground. Jake sets down all the pillows and blankets on the floor.
"Spencer's on his way." I say. They nod.
"Good because I don't know how long I could last with you two alone." Jake says. I laugh.
"You know you love us." I say. Jake throws his arm around my shoulder and his other one around Kylie.
"I don't know what I'd do without you." Jake says. Kylie and I laugh.
"Die probably." Kylie and I say together. Kylie and I laugh.
My door opens again to reveal Spencer. I smile waving at him. Spencer walks inside with his football duffel bag and a blanket and pillow in his arms. He joins us and I lay out the pizza on the coffee table.
We turn on a movie, Kylie and Jake take the love seat and I take the left side of my couch as Spencer takes the right, leaving the space in the middle.
'Good luck today!' I text Cam and put my phone back down on the couch, beside me. I take a bite of my pizza just as my phone vibrates.
'Thank you! I'll see you after tryouts :)' Cam's message read. I smile and set my phone down. We watch two more movies, talk, and pig out junk food and pizza.
I check my phone to see what time it was and if I had any messages. My phone says it's 9:42 P.M. and I have no messages.
Cam still hasn't arrived and my mom and dad came home two hours ago and are now in their bedroom. I sigh. Cam said he would show up. Tryouts wouldn't last this long, would they?
"Are you okay?" Spencer asks, pulling me away from my thoughts. I smile and nod.
"What do you guys want to watch next?" I ask.
"50 First Dates!" Kylie exclaims. The guys groan. I laugh and put it in the DVD player.
"We watched all action movies so far, time for a romance, it's only fair." I say, smiling.
As the intro of the movie begins, the doorbell rings. I head to the door and open it to see Cam standing on my porch. He's covered in sweat, his hair sticking to his forehead. I gesture for him to come inside, leaving him standing in the doorway.
I sit back on the couch and take a sip of my soda, trying not to look at him. Truthfully, I'm disappointed. I know he was busy trying out for the team but there's no way it took this long. Makes me wonder if he didn't want to show up at all.
"Hey man." Spencer greets Cam. Cam nods at him, his gaze turns to me but I don't meet his eyes.
"Um, if it's okay, can I take a shower?" Cam asks hesitantly. I nod.
"First door on the right upstairs." I say. I feel eyes on me and I turn to see Kylie looking at me with curiosity on her face. I'll explain it later to her.
I realize that Cam came empty handed, he won't have a change of clothes and he can't put his sweaty ones back on. I stand up and head to my parents' bedroom. I knock on their door.
"Come in." Dad's voice sounds from the other side of their door. I walk in their bedroom to see Mom and Dad sitting against their headboard. Mom's reading and Dad's watching basketball.
My dad has black hair which is turning silver on the sides, tall over 6 Foot 1, muscular and lean, and the nicest dad a girl could ask for.
"Hi Princess." Dad says, calling me the nick name he has had for me since I was a baby. I smile.
"Hey, can I borrow some of your clothes for my friend to sleep in please?" I ask nicely. Dad nods and head to their closet.
"Is this the new guy friend you told me about?" Dad asks. Mom's eyes move up from her book to mine and she smiles, a knowing smile at me. It's clear she didn't mention to Dad her first meeting with Cam.
"Yes, he just got here." I say. Dad hands me a pair of black basketball shorts and a plain white t-shirt.
"When are we going to meet this mysterious young man?" Dad asks, making me laugh.
"Maybe in the morning."
I walk out of their bedroom and head towards the bathroom and knock on the door.
"I have some clean clothes for you, I'm going to leave them outside the door." I say through the door.
"Thank you!" Cam yells, the sound of the shower stopping. I turn around to walk away when Cam's voice sounds from behind me, too clear for him to still be behind that door. I don't dare turn around, knowing he's grabbing those clothes.
"Wait, please, just give me a second." Cam ask, a softness in his voice. I swallow the lump in my throat and nod. A minute or two later and the bathroom door opens again.
"I'm sorry I was so late." Cam says quietly from behind me. I don't trust myself to speak so I just nod. He moves closer to me, his breath fanning the back of my neck and I shiver involuntarily.
"They ran me hard and gave me a few pointers on things I need to work on. I stayed after the tryout to work on it and lost track of time. I'm really sorry." I turn around and smile a small smile at him.
"I understand. I thought that you just ditched because you didn't care about a childish sleepover, I didn't know you were still at the field." I say truthfully, feeling silly for overthinking.
"I would never do that to you." Cam says, I could see the truth of his statement in his eyes.
"I know, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." I say. Cam's eyes search my face.
"I made the team." He says, smiling widely. My smile widens. Without thinking I fling my arms around his neck and hug him tightly.
"That's great Cam!" I exclaim. I'm so happy he made it and Trevor didn't find a way to ruin his chance. Cam's arms wrap around my waist.
"I couldn't have done it without you." Cam says quietly. I pull back, surprised.
"I didn't do anything; you did it all on your own." I say. Cam eyes stare into mine intently, his green eyes shining.
"You pushed me to join the team, even though the odds were stacked against me. If it wasn't for you I might have given up. Football is my passion, thank you for never letting me forget that." He says, his tone grateful. I'm not sure what to say. I had no idea he took my words under such advisement. He moves closer to me and his smile widens.
"Oh and don't think I didn't notice you're wearing those pajama pants again Cupcake, very sexy." He whispers before walking past me and towards the living room, leaving me behind, shell shocked.
Cam sits on the couch where I was previously sitting and I hesitate. I can either sit in between them or I can sit on the floor. It will be a little crowded if I sit in between them. I decide to sit on the floor in front of the couch and lean against it.
I go to sit on the floor but a hand wraps around my arm and pulls me softly back onto the couch. My back hits a hard surface as I gasp in surprise.
"You can sit up here with me Cupcake." Cam says, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me further into his side. My heart beat quickens, it's pounding, so loudly that I'm sure he can hear it. Blushes spreads across my cheeks as he holds me against him, not moving away, not letting go.
My eyes turn to Kylie, who is smiling widely. I quickly look back to the movie, trying to focus on it. This is going to be a long movie.
The movie ends a while later and it's time for us to start settling down. I reluctantly stand out of Cam's arms, he held me to his side the entire movie and I couldn't have been happier.
I grab a blanket and start spreading it on the floor. The others join me and we start patting the floor down with blankets.
Jake and Kylie decide to lay next to each other on the floor and there are two more spots besides them.
"You can have the couch Hailee." I shake my head. I know Spencer hurt his back the last football practice and he needs to take care of it.
"You sleep on the couch; I'll sleep down here. I like the floor better, I get hot at night." I say, making sure to give him a good excuse so he doesn't insist.
"You're not sleeping in your room?" Cam asks with a confused expression on his face.
"And leave you guys all alone down here? Not a chance." I say, placing my hands on my hips. My eyes move down to the two sides left. I pull back the comforter in the empty spot beside Kylie and sit down, laying the blanket over my lap. I switch the TV to play basic cable channels.
I catch movement in the corner of my eye. Cam is taking off his shirt. My eyes widen at the sight of his bare muscular chest. I have a perfect view of his ab muscles and I swear I'm drooling.
I quickly look away and towards the TV where a rerun of Friends is playing. Cam lifts my comforter from my lap and lays down underneath it.
"What are you doing?" I ask surprised. Cam shoots me an innocent look.
"I didn't bring any blankets; you don't mind do you?" Cam asks. I suddenly realize he was right; he didn't have anything when he came here.
"That's not what I meant." I say, poking muscular peck for emphasis. Cam shrugs.
"I can't sleep with a shirt on, it chokes me." He says. I sigh and let it go. I roll on my side, facing Kylie's side, and close my eyes.
"Are you going to sleep?" Cam asks.
"Yes, it's late." I say, shifting, trying to get comfortable. I try to relax the best to my ability but it was hard knowing Cam is shirtless laying behind me.
After a while of trying to fall asleep and failing, I sigh, opening my eyes to see Kylie and Jake have already fallen asleep. A strong arm wraps around my waist. I freeze, Cam's arm is wrapped around my waist.
I try to get out from under his arm but it's too strong and heavy, he pulls me closer, my body just inches from his. I close my eyes, trying to figure out what to do. I decide to leave his arm where it is, it feels so nice having his arm around me. I'm sure he'll wake up and remove it soon anyways. I think as I drift off into sleep.