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  "No." I shook my head firmly. "I'm fine. I wasn't sick, see?" I gestured around me. No puke.

  "Um...okay." Riley chuckled.

  "Let's go see the movie." I smiled.

  That was a mistake. I should have told Riley to take me home. I should never have come. Why had I ever said yes to the date? Because it was my first ever date. Idiot, Farrah, idiot!

  The movie was annoying and slow. The girls had whiny voices, the men's too deep. The animated parts sucked, and the music was dull and dreary. I was being too picky perhaps, Riley seemed to be enjoying it. His arm was on the rests either side of his seat, his fingers clenched on to the ends. He hadn't attempted to hold my hand, put an arm around me, or kiss me. I was secretly relieved.

  "Haha!" Riley laughed suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked up to the huge screen to see two people arguing, one with his pants half way down his legs. Ugh.

  "I'm gonna quickly use the bathroom." I whispered. Riley nodded, barely noticing me. I got up and shuffled past several people, blindly pushing my way out of the room, and into the lobby. I saw the white door to the girl's toilets, and sighed happily. It was too stuffy in there, I thought.

  Blonde hair. Riley has blonde hair. But it wasn't that shade. But a shade I recognised. Darker than Riley's, and the body it belonged to was tanned, not pale. The boy turned around and his green eyes, sparkling, landed on me. His mouth twitched into a smirk and my hands dropped to my sides. Cameron.

  I was right.

  Cameron Carter was here.

  He had stalked me here.

  Holy shit on toast.

  He strode over to me, a knowing look on his face.

  "Well, well, well. Isn't it a surprise to see you here?"

  Chapter 7

  I narrowed my eyes at Cameron, trying to make my next word very dramatic.

  "You." I growled menacingly.

  Cameron took one look at my face and burst out laughing.

  "Shut up." I ordered. "What are you doing here?"

  "Am I not allowed to come to the movies once in a while with some friends?" Cameron asked me, eyebrows raised.

  You mean another blonde bimbo girl that fell for your charm.

  I looked him up and down once, and then around the lobby.

  "There's no one here." I declared, feeling victorious against him.

  "They're in there." Cameron replied, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at theatre door two. "I came out to go to the bathroom."

  "Details not needed." I rolled my eyes.

  "Why are you here?" He trailed off looked around me. "Alone, dressed like a giant pea pod?"

  "Rude." I glared at him. "I'm here on a date, remember? But you already know that."

  "Um no, I just asked why you were here." Cameron pointed out.

  "No, you knew. You found out earlier in the week, Riley told you. And you stalked me here, because you're creepy. See, I'm not the stalker- you are!" I rambled. "You knew I was going on a date with Riley, but how you found my location I have no idea."

  "Location? Stalker? Date?" Cameron looked extremely confused.

  "Maybe..." I thought aloud. "Maybe it was Troy! He would give you the place for my date so you could ruin it! Just like you ruined my weekend last week!"

  "Huh?" Cameron gaped, his mouth falling open. He now looked completely confused and quite amused. "You came to my house last weekend."

  "To look for my cat!" I protested.

  "Which, mysteriously disappeared?" He cracked, grinning.

  "ARRRGGGHHH!" I screamed. I tore at my hair, utterly losing it. This boy pushed my buttons and he knew it. "YOU ANNOY ME SO MUCH!" I waved my hands around in anger, as I always did when I was trying to make a point or when I was, well, angry. Cameron took a step back to avoid getting hit, but I still thumped his head. He glared at me, reaching his arms out to get me. Shit!

  The next bit happened in slow motion. One minute I was standing, yelling things at Cameron, pointing my finger, wagging it and screaming. The next thing I knew, I was being questioned by the blonde lady at the desk with the long pink claws on the ends of her fingers, people flooded out of the screenings to see what was going on, and Cameron was being held away from me by two security guys.

  "Farrah, what happened?" Riley's voice shook with terror, looking from me to Cameron, and back again.

  "N-nothing." I stammered, surprised by everything, and how fast it happened.

  "What did this boy do to you?" The blonde lady asked.

  "Um...he didn't do anything, per se." I shrugged. "We were...uh, just arguing about something silly."

  "And you screamed like that?" One of the security guards asked me, sounding shocked.

  "I guess I overreacted. Sorry." I apologised, looking guilty. I glanced at Cameron, who looked taken aback, and angry- at me.

  "People, please go back to your movies." The blonde lady announced to everyone. She turned to me and hissed, "You and your...friends better leave."

  "F-friends?" I couldn't help what I did next. I burst out laughing at the thought of me and Cameron being friends.

  "Come on Farrah, I'll drive you home." Riley sighed.

  "No, it's okay!" I cried quickly. "You were enjoying the movie- go finish watching it. I'm not feeling too good."

  "O-oh...um...right, okay. Fine. Okay. Bye." Riley stuttered, his face flaming. I grimaced, I didn't mean to make him embarrassed.

  "Thanks a lot." Cameron growled. He stalked out and I watched his muscular, fit, broad- snap out of it Farrah- back leave.

  "Yeah well, don't stalk me next time!" I called out, folding my arms over my chest and pouting. I spun on my heel and my arms fell to my side, my mouth wide open.

  Jason, Tanner, Troy and two other boys around my brother's age stood facing me, looking rather pissed off.

  "Great. Now I know what I have to work with for the next six weeks." Jason grumbled, following Cameron.

  Tanner just looked at me weirdly, but it still made me melt. I was such a weirdo. He followed Jason and Cameron- the other two guys who's names I didn't know following suit. I turned to face my brother and he grabbed me by the shoulder, forcing me out.

  "You're so stupid!" Troy roared when we sat in the car, after hearing my explanation.

  "I am not!" I yelled back. "He stalked me!"

  "You freakin' idiot! I was with him-your brother! Why would he be stalking you anyway?" Troy cried.

  "So? You could've told him where I was! You did! I just know it!"

  "No, I didn't." Troy sighed. "He didn't even know you were there until, obviously, you screamed at him."

  "What do you mean he didn't know? He did too! And I know you told him- why else would he be there with you?" I questioned.

  "Ugh." Troy moaned. "I hate having a little sister sometimes."

  "And what is that supposed to mean?" I raised an eyebrow.

  "It was your first date Farrah..." Troy trailed off, running a hand through his hair.

  "And?" I pressed, now interested in what he had to say.

  "It was your first date, and, ugh I dunno, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Some kind of brotherly instinct, I guess." Troy mumbled.

  "You were looking out for me?" I squeaked. He grunted in response, and I smiled to myself.

  "Well then, thanks." I grinned. "But that doesn't explain why you were hanging around with people younger than you. One being Cameron Carter."

  "People my age are no fun. They're all at college or working." Troy shrugged. "I asked them to come along. They didn't know you were there, honest."

  "Okay, I believe you."

  We drove in silence for a few minutes, but I couldn't hold it in any longer.

  "So you were the one stalking me then!" I burst out.

  Troy choked on air and stamped on the car brake. "'Scuse me?"

  "You're stalking me, brother dear." I beamed in triumph at his facial expression.

  "You-weirdo!" He struggled with an insult for once, but then burst out laughing.

 
"Well I was actually stating a fact, quoting life's true actions, bringing forth the truth to your attention..." I giggled. The car swerved and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Troy pulled over, turning to me, his face dark.

  "You have three seconds."

  "What?" I asked my older sibling, who was now smirking.

  "Two seconds...one second...RUN!"

  He lunged at me, and I scrambled to get my seatbelt off, and to get out of the door. I fell on my face, (yet again!) before picking myself up and running for my life. I had no idea what Troy was up to, nor where I was going. I blindly ran through the darkness, the skirt of my dress flying out everywhere. I came to a sudden halt, a thought coming to mind. Maybe he was going to strand me here as revenge for getting him kicked out of the movie theatre?

  "Hey you're not just gonna-"

  "Gotcha!" Troy cackled, tackling me to the ground.

  "Why?" I gasped, wriggling to get my heavy brother off of me.

  "I thought I'd make the situation lighter." Troy muttered. Lighter? How ironic.

  "What?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you mean? I'm over the date thing already, and the Cameron incident."

  "No, Farrah. Um...I know I said I went to look out for you, and I did!" He added the last bit, because I gave him a very meaningful look. "But, Mom wanted me to pick you up. There's something she wanted to tell you, just not at home."

  "And she sent you." I echoed. He nodded.

  "She wanted you to calm down before seeing her. If she told you at home, you'd run up to your room and not talk to anyone for ages." Troy explained.

  "Just tell me what it is." I demanded, getting panicky. What was going on?

  "We have to go see Dad on Tuesday." Troy announced.

  I sank to the grass beneath my feet, my knees surely covered in mud now. Dad?

  "Why?" I croaked.

  "He says he needs to talk to us. It's important." Troy told me. "Mom got a phone call earlier."

  "Why can't he tell us over the phone? That's how he's kept contact for the last four years." I said bitterly.

  "It's mega-important apparently. Face-to-face important." Troy sighed.

  "I hope he's moving to another country." I whispered, my voice cracking. Tears seeped from my eyes. I hated my Dad with all my heart. For the first ten years of my life he was a good guy, but the last three and a half years with him before he and my Mom got divorced were horrid.

  "Farrah, come on. We have to just go there, talk to him, stay the night and then..."

  "Stay the night?" I echoed. "Great."

  "We'll go to bed early. Or just go out." Troy reassured me.

  "He won't let us."

  "Since when does he care what we do?" Troy asked, suddenly angry.

  "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." I sighed. "So..w-what now? Can we go home?"

  "Not yet." Troy smiled, laying back on the grass. "First we need to talk about your date."

  "Do not try to be the...typical father figure." I groaned.

  "You said earlier, you were over it. What happened?" Troy reminded me.

  "Ugh, it was just a fail. I love Riles-"

  "What?!"

  "As a friend!" I giggled. "But not like as a boyfriend. It was just awkward. Ugh, why am I telling you this?"

  "'Cause you wuv me." Troy poked his tongue out.

  "Love isn't one of my strongest points." I shook my head dramatically. "However sarcasm, embarrassment, idiocy and geeky-ness are open!"

  "You sound like Cameron." Troy told me. I froze. What? Those were the exact words I had said to Jason- I wasn't like Jason or Cameron!

  "What did you just say? It better not have been what I thought it was, brother." I growled.

  "Shut up." Troy rolled his eyes. "You sound like Cameron. Don't look at me like that, you do."

  "How?"

  "He said you were embarrassing, and very sarcastic."

  "Ugh." I spat.

  Troy got up, dusted off his jeans and held his hand out to me.

  "Let's go home now."

  "But-" I tried. I was interested in why Cameron was talking about me, and what else he said.

  "C'mon!" Troy whined. I took his hand, and he began to pull me up. However he let go and made me fall on my butt.

  "Now you're green and brown- like a tree!" Troy laughed at his unfunny joke.

  "What else did Cameron say about me?" I asked Troy out of interest when we got into the car.

  "He wouldn't stop talking about you. He kept asking Jason to wind you up- and me. I didn't know Jason was your French partner."

  "Wasn't your business. It wasn't my choice, you know." I rested my chin on my hand, leaning on the door.

  "I guessed. Don't get too involved with these guys, okay? They're my friends." Troy warned me.

  An idea came to mind. That would annoy Cameron. I smiled, and suddenly- another idea came to mind, that would annoy Troy. Oh I was a genius. Now I just needed to get Jason to work with me after school, somehow.

  ***

  Monday mornings- everyone hates them. Usually I was one of those people. But not today. I waltzed into my French classroom, and gracefully (as gracefully as I could!) sat in my seat, next to Jason.

  "We really need to start this tutoring thing soon." I commented.

  "You were really freaky on Saturday." Jason told me, ignoring my statement.

  "I was? Great!" I pretended to laugh, to cover up my shame and embarrassment.

  "Great? Uh...okay." Jason muttered.

  "Anyway, we need to get started. Remember, we have to work after school? Well how about you come to mine on Wednesday and we start it?" I got straight to the point- Jason wasn't one to pay attention. I wondered if he was maybe part goldfish, he had a short attention span and memory. I got the image of Jason's head on a goldfish's body and burst into laughter.

  "What?" Jason cried.

  "Y-you...never mind!" I stop laughing in time to hear his reply to my question- though I was still quite giggly.

  "Okay...I'll come to yours on Wednesday, but promise not to laugh like that randomly."

  "Yeah sure!" I cheered. Now to find out key information about Cameron, use it against him, get him off my back, and I would be free from (most) embarrassment! I was a genius. Call me Albert Einstein.

  "Why are you smiling like that?" Jason asked uneasily. "What is wrong with you? Are you like, not all there?"

  "Sure, sure." I nodded, not really paying attention.

  "You're not listening are you?" He groaned.

  "Of course I am. I am just so intellectual that I already know you think I'm a nutter and I know nothing I can say or do will make you think differently." I smirked to myself, hiding behind my long hair. It got in my face when I tried to start my work though, and I tucked it behind my ear, (the side not facing Jason!) and noticed something- or someone I should have said, walking into the classroom with a face like thunder.

  I sat up straighter and looked at Cameron with curiosity. His features were tight with annoyance, and he wouldn't look at me. His jaw was tense, his eyes squinting in moodiness. I tucked as much hair as I could away from my face, peering at him. I hadn't meant to get him kicked out- it was his own fault. Sort of. It was more my fault but...he was involved. A little. Yeah.

  "You like him." Jason stated.

  "I do not." I replied, sighing and rolling my eyes.

  "You do."

  "It's your twisted vision making you think that. You already think I'm weird- therefore making you think I might actually like that beast." I sneered. Beast- nice one.

  "You know how you said you're weird and you know I think you're weird?" Jason inquired.

  "Hm?"

  "I think I know a way to find out if you're as weird as you say you are."

  "Go on then, tell me." I sighed.

  His eyes gleamed and darted from me to Cameron and back. Oh dear.

  "Kiss me."

  Chapter 8

  It would annoy Troy. It would, hopefully annoy Cameron. His worst enemy (I had decided
that was what we were), and his best friend? Hell yeah. I was more than a genius, I was a smart-ass, genius, wonder-world-on-legs.

  "Kiss you?" I repeated.

  "Hmm. It would prove if you're weird or not." Jason nodded. Uh, how? Boys were strange creatures. How would one kiss prove that? Maybe I was just so inexperienced in these things, I was oblivious to this rule.

  "Okay." I smiled. I leant in, as did he. Our lips touched...sparks flew...butterflies erupted in my stomach- it was just wow. Could one kiss make a person feel like that?! It was like a dream...

  I blinked several times, looking into Jason's green eyes. Oh, it was a dream.

  "Kiss you?" I repeated.

  "Hmm. It would prove if you're weird or not." He smirked. "Maybe you're better at some things rather than others."

  "No!" I shouted. Everyone turned to face me. Damn. At least Mr. Pedophile. Lopez wasn't there that time.

  "Ha. Proves it." Jason laughed.

  "Proves what?" I asked, confused.

  "You like Cameron, that's why you won't kiss me." Jason informed me.

  "No, I just don't want to kiss you!" I yelled. Honestly, was he so stupid he thought I would give away my first kiss to him?

  "Your first kiss?" Jason echoed. My eyes snapped up from the floor, where I had been thinking. Had I spoken aloud? Did they hear me admit I hadn't ever been kissed before?

  "Yeah, and you just did it again!" Someone called from the back row.

  "Oh..." I moaned.

  "You've actually never been kissed?" Jason muttered. I wondered why he was being so quiet. I looked down to see he was laughing, but smothering it.

  "It's not funny." I hissed, my cheeks aflame.

  "I-it's not...it's not that." Jason chuckled. "It's something it reminded me of, about Cameron."

  I looked up and my breath caught in my throat. He was telling me stuff about Cameron...just like I had planned.