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  My own cheeks flushed a very bright red when I realised why everyone was laughing. They had heard Jason- but they thought he meant Mr Lopez! Cameron's comment had definitely triggered that, stupid...so and so. I ducked my head down and Mr Lopez carried on with the lesson.

  "Settle down, settle down- be quiet!" He shouted. "As I was saying, we have a test..."

  He reeled off what seemed an endless list of what we were going to learn, what we needed to revise and dates we needed to know for practise tests.

  "Mr Carter, I'd appreciate if you could work on the other side of the room. You seem to get...unfocused when working near others." Mr Lopez stated. I let out a small laugh, and some of the popular people in our class gave me dirty looks. Cameron was their idol- saddos.

  "Bad luck dude- hey we could always swap!" Jason called.

  "No!" I begged, grabbing onto his arm. He looked at me weirdly, his green eyes a bit creeped out. I let go of his tanned arm and shrunk back to my own place. When he wouldn't stop staring at me, I added quietly, "I really hate Cameron."

  "Trust me, I know. That's why I said it." Jason chuckled.

  Mr Lopez dished out bits of paper, handed out dictionaries and little French flags. We were working on dates- bad dates and good dates. We had to do a speaking assessment, describing how our date looked, acted and if we liked the date. That would be a fun topic to work on with Jason. Jason had the other paper filled with criteria- how long the speaking assesment would be and how much we needed to say.

  "Can I see?" I asked Jason.

  "Nope." He smirked, popping the 'p'.

  "Please?" I tried, reaching out for it.

  "No."

  "Why?" I whined.

  "Because I'm pissing you off. That's what Cameron told me to do while you're tutoring me this semester." Jason said cockily. "It's also very funny to see your reactions."

  Anger boiled inside of me. Cameron had Jason as his personal piss-off-Farrah dummy?

  "Why do you do what he says all the time? I think you're the one that likes him! If you do like him so much, why don't you just go make-out with the guy!" I burst out.

  "You're definitely not seeing this now." Jason growled, looking furious.

  "Guess you're going to fail this test, then." I shrugged. I sunk back into my own space, expecting Jason to show me the card immediately. When he didn't, I looked over to see him showing another girl from our class and asking her for help.

  "Mr Evans, you are working with Miss Chambers- keep to one girl." He said sternly. Everyone in the room, including me, laughed at how he phrased it. From Jason's annoyed look, and Mr Lopez' smug one, it was intended.

  "She says she isn't going to help, though." Jason told him.

  "Did not!" I cried. He smirked to himself again as he got a reaction from me.

  "Be quiet, get along, and begin taking notes." Mr Lopez interrupted our mini-argument. I crossed my arms and frowned, irritated. I didn't like Jason already. He was an idiot and a jerk- I guessed Cameron rubbed off on people.

  "Now this is the only preparation we're doing in class. We have more information to study in class for a different test." Mr Lopez told the class. I groaned loudly- I hated tests.

  "Does that mean we have to work after school?" One girl cried out.

  "Indeed it does." Mr Lopez nodded. I turned slightly in my chair and saw the girl looking like she might faint. Not in happiness either.

  "Damn." Jason muttered. Mr Lopez handed us a text book and Jason flipped through the pages. He stopped on a page about fifteen minute speeches.

  "Ah, so that's how long we have to talk for." I grinned.

  "Damn!" Jason exclaimed louder. "Stupid girl."

  "I'm not stupid." I frowned. I wish I could hold my tongue, but it let itself on it's own imaginary leash when talking to Cameron- and apparently Jason.

  "Whatever." Jason scoffed. "You fell out of a car, that's pretty stupid."

  "My brother pushed me!" I lied.

  "Troy?"

  "Why does everyone have to know my brother?" I complained to the ceiling.

  "More work, less chatter." Mr Lopez cut in.

  "Sorry, Sir." I mumbled, beginning to copy down notes from the textbook.

  "You really are a teacher's pet, you know." Jason stated.

  "Am not!" I yelled.

  "Are too." Jason replied childishly. I scowled at him- two could play child games.

  "Are not."

  "Yeah you are."

  "I'm not."

  "Are too- Cameron was right."

  "Cameron isn't right about anything about me." I stopped our bickering and switched to ranting.

  "Why are you so defensive? You like Cameron don't you?" Jason teased.

  "I really don't." I moaned. "Didn't you hear me declaring how much I hated him earlier?"

  "Declaring?" Jason chortled. "Someone's hoity-toity!"

  "You sound like him." I grumbled.

  "How long have you known him?"

  "Two days." I replied flatly.

  "And you think I sound like him? I think he's right again. You're stalking him." Jason pointed out.

  "Cameron isn't right about anything. I'm not stalking him. I don't like him. I never threw myself at him, or fell at his feet. I don't like him." I stuck my chin out at the end of my speech, folding my arms, proud at the way I told Jason.

  "Yeah, that's why you're trying so hard to tell me you don't like him then." Jason grinned. "Denial!"

  "I'm not in denial!" I raged.

  "Yeah y'are." He said, rushing his words because he had already said them so many times.

  "Am not! Why are you so annoying? I might hate you more than Cameron!" I barked.

  "Oh no! That means you like me more than Cameron!" Jason gasped dramatically, purposely winding me up.

  "Stop twisting my words!" I hissed. I raised my voice, announcing my next words, loud and clear. "I. DO. NOT. LIKE. CAMERON. CARTER."

  The whole class turned to face me, making my face burn with embarrassment. With these kind of boys, I always seemed to be embarrassed. Jason grinned up at me, and a few people were sniggering. Others called out to me stupidly.

  "That means you do!"

  "Farrah Chambers likes Cameron Carter!"

  "I do not! Can you not hear me? You're all deaf! Is today opposite day or something? I hate that boy, right there, hate him!" I screamed, pointing a finger at the blonde haired, green eyed boy who was staring at me intently. He smirked at the attention from everyone and the reaction from me. But I saw he was a little hurt, in his eyes I saw that. He faced away, and depsite my hatred for the guy, I felt bad. It sounded a lot harsher out loud- I just wanted people to know I didn't have a crush on the guy. I sat down slowly, Mr Lopez' angry glare on me as I sank down. Jason looked a little taken aback now, and didn't make any more comments about Cameron. He still teased me a little, but after a while he just sat quietly and got on with the task. I looked at him with interest. I needed to get to know Jason better- he was my key to get revenge on Cameron.

  My head once again revolved around to see blonde boy. He was shocked, not upset, at my outburst. That I was sure- revenge was still an option. The sooner, the better. I just wanted to escape the populars and the embarrassment. Why did I deserve this? I was Farrah, quiet, clumsy Farrah. Now, because of Cameron Carter, I was loud, rude, idiotic, Farrah Chambers. It was surprising what one person could do to you. Well, I was gonna make sure he was surprised at what I could do to him.

  Chapter 6

  I lay on my bedroom floor, groaning.

  "I'm a failure of a girl!" I declared to my ceiling. "What's wrong with me?!"

  "You were born abnormal." I heard Troy call from outside my bedroom door. I heard his heavy footsteps stomp downstairs and knew there was no point in yelling an insult after him.

  "If you just let me in Farrah-" My Mom began, begging through my door. She was pressed against it, talking to me, begging me, to let her in and let her pick my outfit for my date with Riley. She knocked on
the door several times, rapping at it, to annoy me.

  "No Mom!" I barked. "I have to do this on my own! It's my date!"

  "Farrah please!"

  "No!"

  "You're going to be late if you don't let me help you." Mom scolded. "You have half an hour until Riley gets here."

  "What?!" I shrieked. I looked at my digital clock and wailed loudly.

  "I'm not sure about half hamster, maybe half dolphin." I heard Troy mutter, walking past my bedroom again.

  "Shut up you...fartface!" I called immaturely.

  "Sweetie, just let me in." Mom pleaded.

  "I am fine Mother." I lied. I sat myself up from the wooden floor and looked at my closet, frowning. I started whispering to it. "Please, pick an outfit for me. Throw it at me. Please. Help me out here! Please!"

  "I will help, if you just let me in!" My closet replied.

  "Huh?" I gaped. I heard more knocking on my door and realised it was my mom talking- not my closet. I was so stupid sometimes.

  I got up, dusted off...well, my legs. I was in my undies and a tank top, I thought it might help because I could try on clothes easier. Instead, they surrounded my body on the floor, laughing at my inexperienced-ness. I crept over to the door and silently unlocked it.

  "Fine. But don't tell Troy." I mumbled to Mom. She grinned like a teenage girl and skipped, physically skipped, into my room.

  "Riley likes green." Mom informed me, sifting through my clothes.

  "H-how do you know that?" I asked, utterly confused.

  "He told me. Maybe a hint for this date." Mom winked. I shuddered, Mom's shouldn't try to play the best friend role. She plucked out a pair of black leggings, and my most hated piece of clothing I owned- my green dress.

  "No!" I gasped. "No, that...thing is disgusting!"

  "It is not! It'll look lovely with the leggings! Then slip on some black flats..." Mom reassured me.

  "It's a sickly green! It's greener than Troy's boogers!" I whined.

  "Heard that." My brother appeared from no where, waltzing into my room. "Ugh!"

  He cried out in disgust when he saw what I was wearing and practically ran from my room.

  "Please Mom, anything else." I begged.

  "You look..." Riley trailed off, looking me up and down.

  "Disgusting? Ugly? Horrendous?" I supplied.

  "Like a giant booger?" Troy inserted from the couch, smirking at me. Damn him.

  "I think you actually look really nice." Riley smiled. "Green is a good look on you."

  Maybe Mom was right.

  I looked over at her, and she was giving me the, 'I told you so' look.

  "You...you wanna go now then?" Riley stammered, suddenly shy.

  "Sure." I said quickly, desperate to get away from Mom and Troy.

  "Prawns." I told Riley.

  "I think shrimps are nicer." Riley replied. We were talking about sea-food, mainly because we were in a ocean-themed resturant. But I was also trying to see what we had in common.

  "Okay..." I tried again. So far, we had agreed on nothing. Was that a bad sign? I may have been inexperienced and innocent- maybe not so innocent, but I knew you needed to have some thing in common. "Cod or haddock?"

  "Hmm...cod. Haddock has a strange taste to it. Smells awful." Riley informed me. He looked back at his food, stabbing some salad with his fork. My eyes went wide and slowly sank down to my own plate. I had ordered haddock. Did my breath smell bad?!

  "Oh, okay. I quite like both." I lied, trying to compromise. I hated cod. It looked too pale and undercooked to me.

  "That's...cool." Riley mumbled. He was a pink-ish color, and he looked kind of embarrassed. It was cute, but unnerving. And he wasn't talking much- was I boring him?

  I tried new tactics.

  "So why did you ask me out all of a sudden?" I blurted. Oops- that wasn't the question I had meant to ask.

  "I've always...um," He cleared his throat noisily. "I've always...yeah, liked- like, liked you, liked you."

  Because that made sense.

  "Aww." I cooed.

  "Do you like me?" Riley asked me, catching me off guard. His blue eyes burned into mine, and I silently wondered if- only if, Riley were to ever get married and have kids, they would have blue eyes. Me and Riley both had blue eyes. But saying...thinking, that, maybe it would do the strange twist of fate and give them brown eyes, or green. I panicked as I realised I was thinking about marriage and kids on a first date- and Riley looked very upset at my silence.

  "Sorry I was just thinking about something!" I cried out stupidly. "Yes, I do. I like you."

  His familiar warm smile returned. "Your family like me too, that's a good sign."

  "Yeah." I grinned. I wasn't entirely sure what to say after that, I didn't know Riley's parents all that well. I knew his Nan, and she hated me. One time I was at his Nan's with Hayley, and I tripped, accidently knocking over some 'priceless' and 'irreplaceable' vase she owned. Who brought one of those to their teenage grandson's house?

  "Do you want to go now?" Riley asked the second I had finished my meal.

  "G-go?" I choked through my food. He got up and patted my back, making me cringe slightly. I didn't like the feel of his hand on my back. At all.

  "To the movie theatre!" Riley beamed.

  "Oh, yes, of course." I answered, unable to hide my disappointment. I had been hoping that 'go' meant go home. Riley called the waiter over for the cheque, and I told him I was going to the bathroom.

  Once safely inside the little girl's room, I pulled out my phone from my purse. I wasn't one of those people that could have their phone in their bra. It always looked too boxy on me, and I was constantly checking down my top to see if it was still there. But how the heck would anyone take it without me noticing?

  I typed out a quick text to Hayley.

  NOT MUCH CREDIT. CALL ME.

  She replied almost instantly.

  "Hello?" I said into the phone.

  "You ask me to call you, and don't check the caller ID? It's Hayley, you idiot." My best girl friend laughed. I could see her rolling her eyes.

  "This date is awful! Me and Riley have like, nothing in common!" I wailed.

  "Well, you've been friends for years." Hayley said unhelpfully.

  "It doesn't matter so much in that department. However this date is suckish! I still have about two hours left with him- in a dark movie theatre!" I moaned.

  "Hold up, hold up. Riley's a shy guy, he's not gonna feel you up or anything." Hayley giggled. "You can survive it. Just make him buy a huge popcorn and put it inbetween you."

  "Isn't that rude?" I asked doubtfully.

  "Oh, you're too polite Farrah!" Hayley complained. "Just do it!"

  I was about to reply, when she hung up. I was on my own again. Damn.

  I slowly made my way out of the bathroom, making sure each step was small so I didn't have to face Riley yet. I was being mean, Riley was a good guy. But a friend, not a boyfriend! Ugh,why was I so polite?

  That's not what Cameron Carter would say.

  I froze on the spot at my brain's words. What? I was thinking about Cameron Carter on my date with Riley- so clever, Farrah.

  I continued my walk, deep in thought. I had told Riley I liked him- what if he asked me out again? What if he thought I was really into him? What if he kissed me?

  Oh Jesus.

  "Farrah?" A male voice made me jump.

  "Yaaah!" I screamed. I turned around to see Riley. Oops. Everyone in the resturant was looking at us.

  "You okay?" Riley asked. That was my chance. My chance to say no, to escape. But no, I was too kind for that.

  "Fine." I nodded. "You just made me jump."

  "You...do you still want to go to the movie?" Riley mumbled.

  "Of course." I smiled. "Let's go."

  My cheeks were still burning as we left, and the cold night air left my face stinging. I shivered, and Riley took this oppurtunity to lace his fingers through mine, supposedly warming my hand up. My hand felt k
inda itchy as he held onto it, and I felt terrible. Was this what was called leading a guy on? Was I a leader? I hated not knowing.

  Riley opened his car door for me, but I frowned at it. It was his Mom's- I knew that from when she picked him up at school when he was younger. How didn't I notice that earlier?

  "When did you get your driving license?" I inquired.

  "About a month ago." Riley replied, not leaving any way for me to reply with interest. He was a guy of few words, mumbles, and stammering. It was sweet sometimes, but annoying right then.

  But another thought struck my mind. How did I not know already? Riley and I were supposedly friends for crying out loud! I was a bad friend.

  "Are you sure you're okay?" Riley checked again.

  "Sure." I nodded, not looking at him. Which, was rude I knew. But I couldn't lie to his face. I was just so polite. It was Cameron's fault I was rude.

  Wait.

  What?!

  Cameron? Why was I thinking about him again? I was on a date with Riley! And why would it be Cameron's fault I was rude- I didn't even know the guy. He was in my thoughts constantly though. Everytime he was, I somehow bumped into him, and trouble was caused.

  Holy shit...on toast.

  Cameron was going to be at the movie theatre! He was always taking girls there! He'd be there. Something would go wrong.

  "Pull over!" I shouted into the awkward silence.

  Riley slammed on the brakes, turning the car to the side of the road. "What's wrong?"

  "I..." I trailed off. What could I say? "I feel sick!"

  I got out of the car and ran behind a shrub. I crouched there for less than five seconds before understanding how stupid I was being. Cameron wouldn't be there. He was just in my thoughts because...well he just was. I was over reacting.

  Still crouched on the floor, I heard footsteps running over.

  "Farrah!" Riley cried. He bent down and hugged me- a sweet gesture I had not expected. "You're not okay are you? Would...would you like me to uh, take you home now?"