Chapter 13 #2
Dreux bobbed his head. “Progress.”
“I guess.”
“He’s trying, Saylor. Can’t fault him for that.”
“Like with René?”
Beside me, Dreux’s expression changed as he shifted his weight away from me toward the driver’s door. “Do you see my dad trying?”
“He bought you a car,” I noted.
I watched as Dreux scowled. “Not supporting my baseball games, not coming around, not apologizing for all the shit he’s done, you’re right, the car definitely makes up for that.”
What was I thinking? Back home, a lot of kids were bought by their parents. How had I mistaken that for love?
“You’re right,” I said. “Being there is more important than material things. You ever thought about reaching out?”
We’d made it to school where Dreux was silent until he found a parking space.
“Why reach out to him when it’s supposed to be the other way around?” Dreux gave a shrug, looking down and fingering the material of his steering wheel. “I’ve got my mom, Rick, and Scott when I need him. When my dad’s ready to be a man and not an ass, maybe I’ll be here.”
Dreux’s story made me appreciate Scott more. He wasn’t being flashy with his trying, he was doing so sincerely and genuinely, right down to the lunches he made for me.
The song playing on the radio caught my ear. The smooth tone of the rapper’s voice and the message in the lyrics were melodic.
“That’s not bad,” I admitted as we got out of the car.
Dreux smirked as he pulled his school bag on his shoulder. “Joey Bada$$. You should look into him. There’s a huge world out there beyond Gwen Stefani.”
I narrowed my eyes. “No Doubt was the shit back in the day.”
Dreux’s full lips formed a smile. “Hell yeah.”
I had half a mind to knock his baseball cap off his head when Aidan suddenly popped out in front of us.
He hadn’t been there a full minute before I felt the negative energy surrounding him. One look at me and his face morphed into annoyance.
Whoa.
When Aidan focused on Dreux, a mask void of emotion took over his face, complete with a chipper smile. “Hey, man, can we talk? Alone.”
I didn’t wait for Dreux’s response before taking off toward the atrium where Bonham and the guys usually hung out. Things were getting too heavy, and I could use a laugh with my friends.
“Saylor!”
Shouting drew my attention away from the reprieve up ahead of me. I looked to my right and saw Cameron waving on the school sidewalk as she walked over.
I waited for her, at once noticing the closer she came, the more sullen she appeared. Blonde curls up in a ponytail, loose fitting T-shirt, and a glimpse at her feet found mismatched socks.
Something was up.
“Hey.” I angled my head at the green and pink socks on her feet. “You good?”
Cameron’s blue eyes watered and she blinked a few times to compose herself. “No.”
This was very new to me, this sisterhood it felt like we were forming.
One thing I immediately liked about Cameron was her acceptance of me.
I was moody and standoffish, and sometimes I still wanted that space, but Cameron didn’t push or pry.
If I were the one coming to school in tears, I knew without a doubt she’d be there for me, just like she had been with Vanity.
The fountain was actually empty, so I ushered us over to sit and get to the bottom of Cameron’s dilemma.
Beside us, the water jetted out in a gushing stream, splashing cool droplets on our skin. The clear liquid against the clean gray stone of the fountain was welcoming. Right away, I’d always liked this spot. It was tranquil and refreshing. Hopefully it would provide some relief for Cameron.
“What’s up?” I asked as I sat and faced her.
Cameron wrung her hands in her lap. “Last night…I-I broke up with Aidan.”
My brows tipped up as I mouthed, “Wow.”
It partially explained Aidan’s attitude earlier. I studied Cameron, seeing her grief magnified in her wet eyes. “Are you okay?”
Cameron nodded, despite having to wipe at her eyes.
“It wasn’t working out. I mean, I thought about what you said about it being my body and my right.
We were fooling around and he got mad because I wanted to stop.
From there it just happened.” She looked at me, her eyes big and wounded.
“I did it, I told him I was done with him.”
I threw an arm around her, pulling her close. “Good job. If he can’t respect your boundaries, then fuck him.”
Cameron didn’t seem so sure. “He’s the first boy I ever loved. I feel like maybe I was too harsh, you know?”
“Cameron,” I sighed. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. His getting ‘mad’ at your wanting to wait is a big sign that he wasn’t the one for you.”
She wiped at her nose and attempted to agree with me, but I could see the internal struggle to accept what she’d done. “It’s hard, you know? Have you ever been there before?”
I thought of my one relationship, and though we’d ended on different terms, I still knew the pain of breaking up.
“I can’t relate to your ‘love,’ but I know when a guy is wrong, it’s not your fault. I feel like we try to take some of the blame, just in case they come back or swear they’ve changed. Until Aidan can see his fault on his own, don’t feel bad about anything.”
Cameron sniffled and wrapped her arms around herself as she peered down at the ground.
I didn’t know what love was, so maybe I wasn’t the right person to give advice.