**Chapter Four**
“So, you got the note, but you will not go?” Cameron questioned as we walked around on campus.
I told him about the other day when the note slipped under the door. Turns out, it was Drew telling me to meet him at the skate park around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. This is what I’ve been wanting, and yet it terrified me to think about going. What if I stood him up and did not show? That would crush any interest in me he seemed to build. To me, it didn’t feel right because of Juliana. After seeing them argue, I doubt she wanted him around me.
Cameron disagreed with what I was saying. We’ve been talking to each other a lot recently, and he’s been understanding of my situation with Drew. I hadn’t keyed him in on what Dillon informed me of, but that information was irrelevant at the moment. The important thing to me was for Juliana to be aware of what was happening.
We made our way into the library to do some light studying together. It would be hard to talk in here, but we had nothing better to do while waiting for Dillon.
I try to explain my reasoning, but honestly, it made no sense. “I don’t know, Cam. Wouldn’t it be wrong of me to do?” I asked. “She obviously wasn’t happy when she saw us talking.”
“Anna, you have no responsibility to her. That’s Drew’s job and if he fucks up, that’s on him.” He had a point, but it still felt wrong.
I shook my head. “Wouldn’t I be liable, since I know he talks to her?” The last thing I needed was an angry Juliana on my case.
Cam rolled his eyes. “Are you gonna go meet him or not?” He was tired of my shit.
I fiddled with the pages of my textbook, debating what to do. Drew and I knew each other for a long time. The only thing we were doing was going to the skate park. There wasn’t anything more than that happening as much as I would like there to be. Sure, Juliana could be mad. But it’s not like I’m breaking any rules. We were doing something as friends and nothing more.
Before I could answer, though, my phone started vibrating. Reaching into my pocket, I immediately recoiled. My dad wasn’t someone in my good graces at the moment. There’s a lot going on with my family that’s left a bad taste in my mouth. I have to give my dad credit; he kept trying, but I kept ignoring him. This time wasn’t any different.
After seeing his name, my finger hit the end button as quickly as I could. That didn’t mean he would stop trying, but I’m just not ready. After what he did, talking to him wouldn’t do any of us any good. The wound was still fresh, even though it was my mom’s problem more than mine. It still angered me to the very core. While also making me feel immense pain.
So much so that even Cam felt the air change. The look on his face showed a lot of concern for me. Dillon is the only other person to know what was going on with my family and me. I do everything in my power to avoid talking about it. I appreciate the concern for me.
“Everything ok?” He asked me with a scrounged-up nose.
I put a fake smile on my face, trying to forget about the call. “Yeah, yeah, just family stuff,” I say.
Cam didn’t buy it but didn’t push me to speak about it. “Whenever you want to talk, I’m ready to listen,” he smiled.
His bright blue eyes lit up, making me feel at ease. I smiled back, feeling even more comfortable around Cameron than I already did. We just met but already he was a great friend. I’m glad he continued hanging out with Dillon and me. He’s the third member we’ve been waiting on all these years. Luckily, he talked to me in that crowded line that day.
Fortunately, we had so much time on our hands that I thought I’d ask him some questions. There wasn’t much I knew about him still. Without prying, I wanted to get more insight into Cameron’s life. Everything seemed so perfect for him. What dark secrets could he be hiding?
Smirking a bit, Cam looked over at me before giggling himself.
“What’s with the smirk?” He questioned, fighting back a smile.
I shrugged. “Well, what was it like growing up as Cameron?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Do you really want to know that?” He didn’t sound happy to talk about it.
“Come on, we’re friends! Give me a little something,” I begged.
He sighed, thinking about what to tell me. Even if it were something silly, I’d take it. It’s not like Dillon, where we’ve spent a lot of time together over the years. Getting to know Cam was going to be fun throughout the semester. The beauty of it is that everything he says will be something new.
Gesturing for me to come over, I sat on the arm of the chair as he scrolled through the photos on his phone. There were quite a few things I probably shouldn’t have seen, but what he showed me was hysterical. I don’t think I ever laughed as hard as I did until now. He was so stinking cute!
“Ok, I was about 4 years old when I did this. However, I used to go into my mom’s makeup and put it all over my face.” He showed me the picture of which I died.
I couldn’t contain my laughter. “Oh, my gosh! Could your eyes get any bluer?” I asked. “That is a fabulous makeup job.”
He laughed. “What can I say? I was a true makeup guru,” he bragged.
We laughed as I looked at the picture some more before ruffling his hair. As I did that, Dillon, Dre, and Drew walked over to where we sat. These were the last people I expected her to show up with. It never hurt to see Drew’s face, which looked a bit off at the moment. His eyes were boring into Cam like he wanted to kill him. That was new.
“Anna, what’s up, girl?” Dre greeted me in the cheerful way that he always does.
I smiled. “Hey Dre,” I say before peaking at Drew. His gaze caught mine for a second before I chickened out and looked away. He has a girlfriend.
Dillon plopped down in the chair I sat in before, sort of annoyed. “Sorry guys, I didn’t think they would follow me.” She rolled her eyes.
Dre came bearing some interesting news. It wasn’t anything that particularly caught my attention. But Cam and Dillon were excited about it, so I thought I should be too. These were the thrills of college and if Drew was going to be there, I figured I should be, too. Maybe that’ll get us talking a bit more. Even though I’ll be extremely uncomfortable.
The good thing is that it isn’t until next Saturday giving me more time to prepare. This would be my first time attending any kind of party. Given that I wasn’t very popular back in high school. Dillon was a lot more likable back then and while we were best friends, she also had others to do things with. Where I only had her. Now Cameron was involved in our friend’s group, making it a bit more even.
“It’ll be over in the 9th hall, so don’t forget,” Dre told us.
I crossed my arms, weary of attending my first social outing. “How many people will be there?” I ask.
“Most likely the whole school,” he said.
That made me queasy. Cam noticed as he grabbed my hand gently. “Don’t even sweat. We’ll all be there with you,” he reassured me with that soft smile.
I nod, smiling back. It brought comfort knowing there will be people I’m familiar with coming as well. I’m not sure how I’ll do in this type of setting. The corner seemed like it’ll be my home once we get there. Part of me wanted to have fun and partake in all the festivities. Though the other part of me is nervous. How does one even party?
Instead of asking that, Dre and Drew lingered for a bit before we all left the library. My eyes couldn’t help looking at Drew from time to time, only to see how angry he looked. He barely contributed to the conversation and when he did, it was very one note. I couldn’t tell why he was so bothered, but the look on his face was undeniable. I felt like he was angry at me because no matter what, he would not glance my way.
There was no time to think about it as we got up and left the library. Not once did Drew speak to me, and I guess that was for the better. It didn’t make me confident about going to the skate park on Saturday. If he didn’t want to talk to me now, would he even show up then?