One Week
Chapter Seven
Riley had gotten Cammy a 3:45 AM flight to New York that morning. Cammy left a note for her parents telling them not to worry, she was fine, and the three O'Connel sisters drove her to the Los Angeles airport. They all asked what made Cammy realize that she loved Matt; that was the conclusion that she'd come to when listening to the Backstreet Boys song. Cammy didn't say much, just that she'd been thinking about it for a while.
"I TOLD you it would turn into something more," Haylee said as the four girls walked into the airport. The fourteen year old thought for a minute, then said, "Cammy? What if he doesn't like you back?"
Cammy stopped dead in her tracks, the idea of the feeling not being mutual only coming to mind now. "You sure know how to kill a good idea, Hayz," she muttered, turning around and heading to the car.
"Cammy, no!" Riley said, turning her best friend back around towards the terminal. "Ignore Haylee. You're getting on that plane, and you're going to New York to proclaim your undying love to the person you've known forever."
Cammy blinked. "Haylee gets her talent from you, you know," she stated, turning towards the doors again. All three O'Connel's grabbed Cammy and dragged her to the terminal.
"Hey Cammy," Kelly said. "You ARE coming back...right?"
"Well, yeah of course I am," Cammy said. "I just don't know when..."
"Cammy, if you're not back here within three days, I'll come over there myself and get you," Riley swore, grinning at Cammy. She laughed, and hugged her friends goodbye before boarding the plane. As she strapped herself into the seat and listened to the flight attendant go over all of the safety procedures, Cammy prayed that things would go well. She wanted this more than she'd ever wanted anything else in the whole world.
"Thanks," Cammy said, paying the taxi driver. She was standing outside Matt's house. She looked across the street, at her old house, and was happy to see it was still as she remembered it. She turned towards Matt's front door, and walked towards the house, ringing the bell when she reached the doorstep.
A woman answered the door. "Hi, Mrs. Ballinger," Cammy started. "I don't know if you remember me, but I used to live across the street--"
"Camryn James?" Mrs. Ballinger interrupted. Cammy nodded happily, and was captured in a tight squeeze. "Oh, Cam, you've grown so much!" Mrs. Ballinger said, pulling Cammy away from her and looking her over. "Matt told us about meeting up with you, but he didn't say how much you're turning into a young woman!" Cammy blushed slightly at that comment. "So where are your parents?" Mrs. Ballinger asked, looking for a car outside her house.
"Uh, they're not here. It's just me," Cammy said. "Um, can I talk to Matt? It's sorta, like, really important."
"Matt's at school, hun," Mrs. Ballinger reminded her. When she saw Cammy's face fall, she asked, "What's wrong, Cam?"
"Nothing, just tell me where Matt's school is," Cammy said. She looked at the key rack, and took the ones that were on the hook labeled "Matt". "I need to talk to him."
"Cam, this is New York!" Mrs. Ballinger shouted to Cammy, who was already walking towards Matt's BMW. "You can't drive here yet!"
"Watch me!" Cammy yelled back, not meaning to sound rude but just feeling desperate. "Where's his school?"
Realizing that she was still the headstrong little girl that had moved away ten years ago, Mrs. Ballinger gave Cammy the directions. As Cammy slammed the driver's door shut, a photograph floated down from the driver's sun visor. Cammy picked it up and looked at it. A smile lit up her face as she recognized the four year old girl that was blowing out her birthday cake candles. Matt sat next to her, wearing the party hat he'd been forced to wear by both his mother and Cammy's mother. Cammy put the photo back where it had fallen from and started the motor. She peeled out of the Ballinger's drive way, headed to Pleasantville High School.
Because she argued with the secretary about being able to see Matt, Cammy was sitting in the Principal's office. "Mr. Hunter, please," Cammy pleaded another time. "It'll only take a minute, I promise!"
"Young lady, my school will not be disrupted just because you want to talk to one of my students," Mr. Hunter said sternly. Cammy argued that she wouldn't be disrupting the whole school, just one person, and it wasn't really like disrupting Matt either. As she argued her point, the Principal watched her with cold eyes. Then Mr. Hunter stood up and began walking towards the door.
Cammy stopped and looked at the Principal. "Are you getting Matt now?"
"No."
"Oh...where are you going then?"
"If you must know," Mr. Hunter said in an annoyed voice, "I have to visit the restroom."
"Oh." Cammy was sorry that she'd asked. While the Principal walked to the restroom, Cammy sat there, wondering what she was going to do. Suddenly she noticed a PA System microphone on the Principal's desk. She knew how to work them; she'd done the morning announcements at her middle school. Figuring that the Principal couldn't stop her from inside a bathroom stall, Cammy walked around to the Principal's desk and took the microphone off the desk. She sat down in the swivel chair, and swung around so her back was toward the door. Slumping down in the seat, Cammy pushed down on the bar and said in a clear voice, "Attention!"
Cammy jumped as her voice boomed outside in the hallways. "Uhh, this message is for only one person, so if you're not the person, you can just, like, ignore me..." Good intro, Cammy, she thought sarcastically. "Matt? Matt Ballinger? It's me, Cammy. Cam. Camaro, whatever you wanna call me, it's me. Yeah, I know I'm supposed to be in California but, I realized something last night. Having you on one end of the country and me on the other, that's just crazy. It won't work for me. I know what you're thinking, what's wrong with cross-country friends, I mean that's what pen pals are, right? Well, mostly I agree with you. Being friends and living on opposite coasts of the US, that's fine." Cammy took a deep breath. "But when you're in love, now that's a whole different ball game. Yeah, you heard me right. I realized it last night when I was listening to BSB, but that's not important. What I need to know is what you feel. What you think. You probably think I'm crazy, saying all this stuff over the PA to the whole school but I don't care. Your stupid Principal wouldn't let me talk to you one-on-one, so this is my last resort." Cammy's heart was beating a million miles an hour. "Matt, ten years ago I couldn't do anything about losing you. But now I can, and I will. I--"
The Principal's office door slammed open behind Cammy. Her first thought was that it was the Principal, come to call the cops on her for illegally using the PA System. She whipped around in the chair, microphone in her hand.
Matt stood in the doorway, and the two stared at each other silently. "I love you too," Matt whispered to Cammy, a smile lighting up his face.
Tears of joy welled up in Cammy's eyes. "That will be all," she said into the microphone, and threw it down on the desk. Cammy ran into Matt's open arms, holding him like she'd never let go. Cammy drew away from Matt, and kissed him on the lips. It lasted much longer than their first kiss, but it held just as much magic. The Principal's threats of suspension were unheard by the two teens. The only thing that mattered was that moment.
September 23
Dear Journal,
To think that if I hadn't gone to the mall that day none of this would have happened is kinda scary--but also pretty awesome. I'm so happy that I found Matt again. He's the best. I love him so much.
I'd love to say that my parents understood completely, and that they're not mad at all. But that would be one huge lie. If they could, I think they'd kill me. Mrs. Ballinger made me call them and my mom started up right away with my full name: Camryn Jacqueline James...ugh. I hate my name. Anyway, they're really ticked about me "running away from home". To tell the truth, I kept feeling like I was running TO my home. But that's besides the point. They do have a point, I guess--I could have called Matt at 3 AM instead of Riley. I just felt like I needed to be with him.
I'm not really sure what will happen from here. I mean, I will have to go back to California eventually. My whole life is there. But I have a feeling things will work out.
Later Days,
Cammy aka Camaro James
PS: We tried sticking French Fries up David's nose again. He ran away before we could. God, I love being back here!