Chapter 4 Illusion

On Monday morning I seem to be in a complete and utter daze.

I've been trying to forget about this past weekend, but I can't get Cam's face out of my mind. How it felt when he touched my wrist, the way his thumb delicately traced my skin.

We hit a breakthrough. He wasn't his normal asshole self. He was back to being that boy I missed. That boy I had a massive crush on.

Damn.

I've got it bad.

Spinning my locker combination absentmindedly, I pop it open and grab the books I need for history next period.

The conversation with Cam made me put a little extra effort into my appearance today. I put a light layer of makeup on my face, and I decided to wear a maxi dress rather than my usual sweatpants and a sweatshirt. A part of me hopes he'll notice.

"Have you seen him yet?"

I jump when Maya suddenly appears when I shut my locker, an agonising look on her face as she awaits my answer. I had called her immediately in the morning to let her know what Cam had said and what we talked about. She thought he was hitting on me, but I don't think that's what it was. He's like that with every girl.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me feel somewhat special though.

"No, I haven't. It's not that big of a deal if I don't see him. It's fine."

"Sure it is." She rolls her eyes as we begin walking to class. "That's why you're all dressed up, right?"

I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks, knowing she has a point before I feel a shove to my shoulder. I stumble backwards, almost falling onto the floor.

"What the-"

"That's for interrupting the other night." Sadie sneers.

"Honestly?" Maya goes to lunge for her, but I hold the edge of her shirt back so that she's unable to move.

"It's fine." I mutter, recollecting the books in my hand. "Just let her go. It's not worth it."

Sadie and the rest of her p**sy of cheerleaders wander off back down the hallway, and as much as I try to brush it off, the anger still manages to surface.

"I hate cheerleaders." I seethe. "So fucking much."

--

When the bell rings after last period, I silently send up a prayer and thank god it's time to finally go home. Today has been the worst. From the run in with Sadie, to not seeing Cameron at all today, to the big test I have in two days for algebra, I'm over it. Completely and utterly over it.

"Hey, Maddie!"

As the swarm of students around me exit out the double doors to the courtyard, I glance back and see Mark trying to catch up with me. I'm not sure what's different about him, but as he nears closer I see that he's got a black eye.

"Oh my god." I immediately say. "What the hell happened? Did Ethan do that to you?"

"Oh, this?" He grins sheepishly and shrugs his shoulders. "It's nothing. Honestly. I deserved it after I tried to kiss you and all."

Ethan is insane. I get that he's protective over me, but really? It's not like Mark forced himself on me. He tried to make a move, I said no, and he respected it. He didn't do anything wrong.

"I'm so sorry." Is all I can think of to say. "I didn't know he'd do that."

"He didn't." Mark laughs. "It was Cameron. Like I said before though, it's fine. I deserved it."

"Cameron?" I repeat, almost as if I hadn't heard him right. "He did that to you?"

"He said he did it for Ethan." He shrugs. "I could have ratted on him for doing it, but that would result in him getting kicked off the team, and that would also result in us losing any chance we have at making states this year. I'd be hated by the entire team."

He offers to walk me to my car, and the entire way there all I can think about is how stupid boys are.

"I'm so sorry." I say again. "I know I keep saying it, but I just don't know what else to say."

We reach my Prius parked in its usual spot. I put my backpack on top of the trunk, resting my back against the silver frame.

"You don't have anything to apologize for." He reiterates. "I just want to tell you how sorry I am for what I did. I shouldn't have made a move on you so quickly, especially since you're not like the other girls here. I was drinking, and I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay." I tell him, because it is.

"I would really love to make it up to you. I'm having this get together at my house tomorrow night. It's nothing big, but it'd be somewhere we could get to know each other a little better. I don't want to take you on a date yet and overwhelm you, because I'm pretty sure I already know what your answer would be to that, but..."

He's rambling, and I can't help but find it somewhat cute. Mark isn't hot in the way that Cam is, but he's cute with his glasses and freckles. It's hard to imagine that he's on the football team. He reminds me of nerdy Cam.

I see something behind him at the courtyard, and when I narrow my eyes I see Sadie and Cameron. They're holding hands as she drags him to his car. They stop at his trunk, and he lifts her up, pressing his lips against hers.

Bile rises into my throat, and I immediately want to take off this stupid dress. Why the fuck did I even think I had a shot with him? He wasn't flirting with me at all last night. He was just wanting to be friends again. That's it.

So much for him being back to who he used to be. He's not going to change. He's still a player, and he's still going to have his life focused around the next girl he can get. Cameron:

It's not even the end of first period and I already know it's going to be a terrible day.

Mark hasn't shut up about Maddie during the entire lab. I'm just trying to finish so that I can get the hell out of here, but after every sentence that comes out of his mouth I become a little more irritated.

"And she definitely seemed into me." He gloats, sticking his chest out proudly. "I give it a week."

"A week before what, exactly?" I slam down my pencil and twist around to face him. "What do you think is going to happen in a week, Mark?"

It's so loud from everyone's chatter that Ms. Benson can't hear us. She quickly excuses herself to go grab some material from another teacher, and I'm grateful it leaves us without supervision.

Mark seems shocked that I've entered myself into this conversation, but instead of backing down he gets a cocky smirk on his face. "A week until I pop that cherry." He laughs.

My chair goes flying back, my fist coming into contact with his eye before he can continue to say anything more.

He's doubled over in pain, all of the students erupting into oooh's as they watch the scene unfold in front of them.

I can't help but see red when I picture them together. I can't stand the thought of anyone else touching her. I've always pictured it to be me. No one else.

"If anyone records this I'll do the same fucking thing to you." I sneer, grabbing my backpack from the desk, tempted to spit beside him on the ground. What a piece of shit.

I squat down beside him, getting real close to his face so he can hear me clearly. "You touch her and Ethan will have your ass." I threaten. "Much more than I just gave you. That was for him. Stop talking about his fucking sister that way." 16

"You realise that just makes it more of a challenge, right?" He taunts.

"Find out and see." I chuckle angrily, throwing open the door to leave class early.

--

Sadie finds me immediately after school, her hand coming around to hold onto my bicep. My mood was utterly fucking ruined from first period, stupid Mark and his fucking comments.

Sadie can sense something is up, because she leans up to brush some of the curls away from my face. "Are you okay?" She asks.

Shrugging her hand away, I let out an irritated sigh and head out to the courtyard.

No, I'm not okay. I can't stop thinking about Maddie, and that's so wrong. She shouldn't be on my mind at all, but lately she consumes me. The scent of the vanilla from her hair, the smoothness of her skin, it's all so addicting, and I can't have her.

"Hmm." She smirks. "I'd love for you to take that anger out on me."

I'm surprised she's still giving me so much attention when I literally just fucked Michelle the other day. Wait, was that Michelle? No, that was Kelsey.

See? I can't even keep track of the girls I've fucked. Normally once I've screwed them over they cuss me out and I never hear from them again, but Sadie seems persistent.

As I go to fish the keys out of the pocket of my jeans, I freeze when I see Mark and Maddie headed towards her car.

What the fuck is she doing with him?

Did he not fucking learn from earlier?

The blood boils underneath my skin, my hands clenched at my sides. He was being serious when he said he would make this a challenge, and if it weren't for the entire school watching I'd go over there and beat his ass.

I can't do that though because then it'd be obvious that I'm into her, and word would get back to Ethan, and then my face would look a hundred times worse than Marks.

"Let's go to my place." Sadie grabs onto my hand and drags me away from the courtyard, not taking no for an answer. "My parents are still at work."

I'm so angry I can hardly stand it. It doesn't help that Maddie looks downright gorgeous in that dress, her wild and crazy hair going into perfect ringlets all over the place.

I want to pull on it.

I want to shove that dress up and bend her right over that car of hers.

Oh, fuck it.

I pull Sadie against me when we reach my car, hoisting her up so that I can grab onto her ass. I will just fuck this feeling away. It hasn't worked yet, but maybe this time it'll do the trick.

Maybe this time I won't think of how Maddie's tits would feel in my hands. Maybe this time I won't think about the curve of her ass and how good she'd look bent over for me, soaking wet and panting from how much she wants me.

My dick is hard now, and Sadie laughs like she actually did something to make it happen. She has no idea I'll be thinking about someone else entirely during our little session.

"Get in." I tell her, extremely impatient to get to her house.

and I suddenly remember that I'm in the middle of a conversation with him.

"Sorry." I blurt out, trying to remember what he had just said before.

Oh, that's right. The get together.

Glancing back at Sadie and Cameron making out heavily on top of the hood of his jeep, I send Mark a smile and nod my head. "I'd love to come to this get together." I say proudly. "What time?"

Like a little kid on Christmas, he gets all giddy and I can't help but laugh.

"Great." He says. "Be there at 8?"

Cameron:

It's not even the end of first period and I already know it's going to be a terrible day.

Mark hasn't shut up about Maddie during the entire lab. I'm just trying to finish so that I can get the hell out of here, but after every sentence that comes out of his mouth I become a little more irritated.

"And she definitely seemed into me." He gloats, sticking his chest out proudly. "I give it a week."

"A week before what, exactly?" I slam down my pencil and twist around to face him. "What do you think is going to happen in a week, Mark?"

It's so loud from everyone's chatter that Ms. Benson can't hear us. She quickly excuses herself to go grab some material from another teacher, and I'm grateful it leaves us without supervision.

Mark seems shocked that I've entered myself into this conversation, but instead of backing down he gets a cocky smirk on his face. "A week until I pop that cherry." He laughs.

My chair goes flying back, my fist coming into contact with his eye before he can continue to say anything more.

He's doubled over in pain, all of the students erupting into oooh's as they watch the scene unfold in front of them.

I can't help but see red when I picture them together. I can't stand the thought of anyone else touching her. I've always pictured it to be me. No one else.

"If anyone records this I'll do the same fucking thing to you." I sneer, grabbing my backpack from the desk, tempted to spit beside him on the ground. What a piece of shit.

I squat down beside him, getting real close to his face so he can hear me clearly. "You touch her and Ethan will have your ass." I threaten. "Much more than I just gave you. That was for him. Stop talking about his fucking sister that way."

"You realise that just makes it more of a challenge, right?" He taunts.

"Find out and see." I chuckle angrily, throwing open the door to leave class early.

--

Sadie finds me immediately after school, her hand coming around to hold onto my bicep. My mood was utterly fucking ruined from first period, stupid Mark and his fucking comments.

Sadie can sense something is up, because she leans up to brush some of the curls away from my face. "Are you okay?" She asks.

Shrugging her hand away, I let out an irritated sigh and head out to the courtyard.

No, I'm not okay. I can't stop thinking about Maddie, and that's so wrong. She shouldn't be on my mind at all, but lately she consumes me. The scent of the vanilla from her hair, the smoothness of her skin, it's all so addicting, and I can't have her.

"Hmm." She smirks. "I'd love for you to take that anger out on me."

I'm surprised she's still giving me so much attention when I literally just fucked Michelle the other day. Wait, was that Michelle? No, that was Kelsey.

See? I can't even keep track of the girls I've fucked. Normally once I've screwed them over they cuss me out and I never hear from them again, but Sadie seems persistent.

As I go to fish the keys out of the pocket of my jeans, I freeze when I see Mark and Maddie headed towards her car.

What the fuck is she doing with him?

Did he not fucking learn from earlier?

The blood boils underneath my skin, my hands clenched at my sides. He was being serious when he said he would make this a challenge, and if it weren't for the entire school watching I'd go over there and beat his ass.

I can't do that though because then it'd be obvious that I'm into her, and word would get back to Ethan, and then my face would look a hundred times worse than Marks.

"Let's go to my place." Sadie grabs onto my hand and drags me away from the courtyard, not taking no for an answer. "My parents are still at work."

I'm so angry I can hardly stand it. It doesn't help that Maddie looks downright gorgeous in that dress, her wild and crazy hair going into perfect ringlets all over the place.

I want to pull on it.

I want to shove that dress up and bend her right over that car of hers.

Oh, fuck it.

I pull Sadie against me when we reach my car, hoisting her up so that I can grab onto her ass. I will just fuck this feeling away. It hasn't worked yet, but maybe this time it'll do the trick.

Maybe this time I won't think of how Maddie's tits would feel in my hands. Maybe this time I won't think about the curve of her ass and how good she'd look bent over for me, soaking wet and panting from how much she wants me.

My dick is hard now, and Sadie laughs like she actually did something to make it happen. She has no idea I'll be thinking about someone else entirely during our little session.

"Get in." I tell her, extremely impatient to get to her house.

TBC