Page 26 of We Shouldn't Be Together
Cammy smirks, wagging her finger in front of me. “Don’t follow in your psycho brother’s footsteps.”
Yvie sniggers. “You must be talking about Drew, because no way is Freddy a psycho.”
“Keep that dreamy look out of your eye,” Cammy demands, “because if any of us are getting Freddy, it…”
“Hold it,” I blurt, stepping between them. “I told you girls. Brothers are off-limits.”
Cammy rolls her eyes. “Whatever.”
Yvie shrugs. “Yeah. I don’t care if you date my brother. We can totally trade.”
“Eww.“ I grimace. “And don’t call Drew a psycho.”
“Maybe he hasn’t hurt anyone,” Cammy says tentatively, “but he’s totally giving off don’t-mess-with-me vibes these days.”
“He just bleached his hair,” I mutter. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s weird,” Cammy insists. “The hair, the tattoo, and the attitude. It all paints a grim picture of him.”
Yvie nods along. “Tattoos are hot, but not that one.”
“Whatever.” I sigh. “Neither me or my brother want to hurt a teacher. Or anyone else, for that matter.”
Cammy pats my shoulder. “Sure thing, Tab. We believe you.”
The way Camila and Yvette giggle and share a look have me thinking this won’t go away quickly.
“Move along, girls,” Vice Principal Franklin says, striding past us. “You should already be at your next class.”
“Yes, sir,” we all chime in at once.
Yvie screws up her face. “It’s phys-ed next.”
At least that’s one bright spot on my school day. I get forty minutes of freedom if I can keep pivoting Camila’s attacks toward Jamie West. Yvie follows anything Cammy does, so if I can keep them focused on one target, it’ll be a piece of cake.
I cross my fingers behind my back. As long as I don’t say something that distracts them and they turn against me. But avoiding that scenario is like trying not to get blown up in a minefield of underground bombs.
I take a deep breath in as we enter the girls’ locker room. Amazingly, Cammy’s already locked on target. I guess it was a genius move after all to point out Jamie in the hallway before our chemistry lesson.
“Oh, look, she’s in her natural attire,” Cammy says, giving Jamie a once-over. “The tomboy finally gets to be in shorts, instead of looking freakish in a skirt.” Cammy laughs, looking around at the other girls milling in the locker room. “I mean, you’ve all seen her, right? Have you ever seen anyone look more unnatural? It actually hurts my eyes to look at her.”
Jamie tries her best to ignore Camila as she zips her bag. However, when others join in with the laughter, it’s hard to put the group on mute. Cammyeasily gets people on her side because her reputation truly precedes her. No one wants to be in the firing line, so they back Cammy any chance they get.
I’m in a lucky position. Even though she attacks me within a nano-second’s notice, it’s better to be close to her than afar. The less she knows about a person, the meaner she becomes. Cammy’s secret weapon is her ability to make up the most vile imagery. When she knows someone, it takes the fun out of it for her, because she knows if it could be true or not. With Jamie West, Camila has the most fun of all because we don’t consider her a person. She’s our plaything.
Usually, our targets have at least one person to help them flee the scene. But Jamie’s a helpless little lamb. She doesn’t have a single friend in the class because she hangs out with a bunch of gamer boys. Headed up by Kai Nelson. Or Malakai, as I found out today.
I tap Cammy’s arm. “Did you know Kai Nelson’s name is really Malakai?”
Cammy shrugs. “So?”
I notice Jamie tense at the mention of her friend, and reply, “I just didn’t know.”
“It’s not earth-shattering news,” Cammy says flatly. “Plenty of people go by nicknames.”
I’m surprised Cammy is shooting this down so quickly. Usually she’d say something extreme, like he’s going under the radar because the cops are after him. She’d even make up an elaborate crime to go along with it. The fact she’s dropping it, and especially around Jamie, means she doesn’t want beef with Kai.
Is she afraid of what he might say in retaliation? If his protest against me in chemistry is anything to go by, the boy doesn’t go down without a fight. But I need Cammy’s help against him. I can’t survive the rest of the semester near that stupid boy.
