38. Kameron
Chapter thirty-eight
Kameron
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what about dragons I didn’t understand, because outside of the name of the game, there hadn’t been any mention of them at all.
However, while we’d relaxed, I had more things to do than I could count.
There were workers to manage, and I’d ended up sneaking out to see how the preparations for the surprise were going.
Mary-Marigold assured me the money was there to handle it, and I believed her.
Her husband was glad I was getting done one of the projects he’d campaigned on.
But I’d vastly underestimated how much time completing it would take.
And on top of it? I was volunteered to set up booths all over the park.
But Nalini barely noticed, as she’d started lesson planning and getting ready to go back to work.
I knew it’d only been a month since Nalini had moved in, and I knew she was still looking for her own place.
But I’d miss having all this time together.
I’d miss listening to her typewriter, and our daily lunches together, and maybe I’d also miss how much she adored Sylvie. Even if she made me nervous.
I wished I’d gotten a chance to spend most of this week with her, but instead I was in the park.
Running a skeleton team in setup, making sure everything was ready for the small — but very hyped — festival.
I couldn’t blame Mary-Marigold for delegating things to me, but as everyone kept saying I was young and helpful, it meant I was doing so much more than I’d originally signed up for.
It felt like a test, one that passing meant the people I’d grown up with would no longer look at me like I was a threat. One where I knew they’d work to protect Cassidy and me as long as we lived here against whatever might come. It was necessary.
And I hated it.
I was getting constant questions I was certain I’d answered before. I’d been in charge of making sure that the vendors showed up with the tents, tables, and chairs.
And now, I was in the park, in the snow, making sure everything was being set up properly.
Snow was constantly coming down, and there wasn’t enough coffee in the world to warm me up.
It didn’t matter how many layers I was wearing, or that these snow boots mentioned a million times they were supposed to keep liquid out.
My socks were wet, my inner layers were wet, and the snow kept getting in places snow should never be.
“Do you think people will mind that it’s not as big as normal?
” Mary-Marigold asked, looking at the tents.
There were still plenty of games for kids to play, we’d hired some food trucks as a substitute for the food stands, and there were so many family activities I was certain you could still get through the Festival without doing everything.
I couldn’t imagine how big the Festival had gotten that everyone thought this was too small.
“I think people will be understanding, with everything that’s been going on,” I answered.
“Just remind anyone upset that it’s amazing they came out to support those who lost everything in the fire.
If they’re going to fight that, it says a lot about who they are as a person, and you should ignore it anyway. ”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she nodded, though she still looked panicky. I wasn’t really sure how to calm her down, not when I hadn’t really known her the last time I lived here.
“Listen,” I said, “I know this isn’t what you dreamed, and you take these events seriously. It shows you love Briar Hill, and that love will still come through. I’m sure of it.”
That seemed to be enough to calm her down, as I started walking around to check on setup again. Or really, to attempt to get warm.
“Where’s Nalini?” I heard an annoyingly familiar voice behind me.
I was glad I’d pushed to get Cassidy moved out of Maya’s class at the semester.
While there hadn’t been any other events in the classroom, everything I’d told her boss about what she’d pulled outside of it had been enough that he agreed with me.
Cassidy wasn’t upset; it turned out Ava was in the other class, so they’d get to spend all day together.
“She and Cassidy are coming over later,” I said, trying to keep the conversation as neutral as possible. “I thought you’d quit.”
“Well, I wanted to check and see if anyone had realized the error of their ways and decided to use your star power for good,” she said, giving me a flirtatious smile that gave me the ick. “It’s sad that nobody in town wants to recognize how it’d help”
“Listen, Maya,” I said, doing my best not to grimace, “I get you’re a fan of RaineFall, and honestly I’m flattered. However, I’m here to get away from being a celebrity; I just want to be a member of the community. You get that right?”
“I guess?” she said, looking at me with confusion. “Is that why you’re always hanging out with Nalini Rana? Like, isn’t it against the bro code to be constantly hanging out with your brother’s ex?”
“Jack knows,” I answered, even though I knew he really wasn’t okay with it. “And honestly, my family dynamics aren’t any of your business.”
“But you’ve always said your fans are your family,” Maya said. I did my best not to roll my eyes — it was a terrible slogan my father came up with right before we’d fired him. And unfortunately, the timing made everyone latch onto it.
“That was years ago, and probably not the best tagline,” I pointed out. “I need you to take a step back from… everything. I get you loved my music, but I’m just…”
“She got to you, didn’t she?” Maya hissed, venom filling her voice, “Because you want to know how she acted before you got here? Like she was super special because she broke Jack Raine’s heart. Nalini gets to cash in on infamy, and you’re mad at the person who wants to support you?”
“Maya. You. Need. To. Stop.” I snapped, loud enough that everyone who was working turned to look at us.
“Between you telling me I needed to find a replacement wife, you putting down my best friend at every opportunity, and your insistence on making me this celebrity figure I didn’t ask for, you’ve crossed so many lines.
And that’s why I moved Cassidy out of your class, and why I’m counting down the days until I never have to talk to you again. ”
“You are going to regret this, Kameron Raine,” Maya hissed at me. “You’re turning your back on your fans, and we deserve better.”
I watched as she stormed away, and despite everything, I felt bad for her.
It wasn’t the worst fan interaction I'd had; there were plenty that were much worse. I had restraining orders to prove it. But it was always sad to see when someone invented an entire parasocial relationship, only to freak out when they found out it truly wasn’t real.
I'd figured I was her favorite band member; I knew being my fan wasn’t a great place to be within the greater RaineFall fandom. Maya had probably spent hours upon hours defending me on social media, believing I’d appreciate something I knew nothing about.
But the way she treated the people I was close to, whether it be my daughter or Nalini, made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure if Maya thought we were destined to be together, and her being Cassidy’s teacher was a sign of that.
I shook my head, telling everyone to get back to work, because as threatening as Maya probably thought she was, I didn’t really care much about it. We had a Festival to put on, and I wanted nothing more than for it to go well. I could worry about Maya in the new year.