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On Monday morning, I discovered I was surprisingly looking forward to Phys. Ed. and seeing Cami. I told myself it was the pleasure of getting in some tennis after a whole weekend of abstaining, but unless Cami dramatically improved then I wasn’t really going to be playing much actual tennis.
I found myself looking out for her everywhere I went. I noticed when she passed me in the corridor now and wondered how it was I'd simply never seen her before. It was strange how she was always alone, but it didn’t take me long to realise she genuinely wanted it that way. The evidence for it was clear to me at lunchtime. There was a table of three guys, who all seemed to my eyes to be her sort of people. Kind of grungy-looking. But one of them called out to her as she went past with her lunch tray and Cami didn’t even look their way. Instead, she flipped them the finger as she went by and just kept walking until she found an empty table.
She ate while reading a magazine, and when another girl came to sit down at the same table, Cami glanced up with a freezing cold expression and barked, “Don’t even think about it!” The girl gave her a look of fear and hurriedly found a space elsewhere.
I leaned back in my chair, considering her. All of that attitude should have made her very unappealing, and a week ago it had done. But now, I was just intrigued, and more than that, I kind of thought she was cool. She literally didn’t care what anyone thought, it was amazing.
After lunch, I had a free period and I stalked Cami, following her to the library. She vanished behind a stack of books and I followed cautiously but not cautiously enough.
“Why are you following me?” She appeared from nowhere and thrust against my shoulder making me sway against the stacks behind me before she got up in my face.
“Hey,” I said, trying to look nonchalant. “What’s your problem? I’m just using the library.”
“No, you’re not. You never come in here.” Cami glared at me.
“How would you know? Do you monitor my movements?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she paused then became aware of how close we were standing and back away a bit. “I’m just here every free period, so I'd know if anyone else was here a lot.”
“It’s a free country,” I folded my arms defensively, “I can be here if I want.”
“Fine, be here. I’ll be somewhere else then.” She seemed to grit her teeth as she spun away.
“Why, Cami? What’s the issue with both of us being here? Do you dislike me?”
Some emotion flickered in her face and I thought she was going to say yes, but then she rolled her shoulders and gave me a strained smile.
“I don’t even know you, Luke, why should I care either way? I just thought you were acting strange, like you were watching me for some reason.”
I wanted to say I liked watching her, but I thought she’d probably sneer at such cheesiness, even though it was the truth. There was just something about the way she moved... but I couldn’t pin down exactly what it was that so captivated me suddenly.
“Cami?” I said it to her back as she walked away.
She looked suspiciously at me over one shoulder. “What?”
“Do you want to come to a party on Saturday night?”
The look of shock on her face would have been really funny if it hadn’t also been mixed with a look of horror.
“No.” Her answer was blunt.
“Why not? Because you don’t like me? It doesn’t have to be a date or anything, I just meant would you like to come along, only with me, but not with me, if you want?” I was rambling, which was odd because I didn’t ramble normally, even with girls I really liked. And it wasn’t that I really liked Cami, I just wanted to get to know her a bit better.
“No.”
“Oh,” I thought for a moment, then said, “because it’s me asking?”
“No, because I don’t do parties.”
“But why? Doesn’t everyone like parties?” I was genuinely confused by her response. I could get it that parties could be a minefield for shy girls and guys with no confidence, but even they wanted to be there. Plus, anyone with Cami’s manner would be a sure-fire hit at a party.
“Religious reasons,” she said, a bland look on her face.
“Liar!” I said, spotting her crossed fingers.
She grinned at that. “Okay, you got me, it’s because it’s you asking and you smell.”
I opened my mouth to retort something outraged, but she was already walking away.
“I smell like Mountain Breeze!” I shouted after her, but the librarian hissed at me and so I shut up.
It didn’t matter anyway, because next lesson was P.E. and I was about to see Cami again, and I'd make her run all around the tennis court until she smelled! Ha!