Mute Love (Part 2)

Hello! This story DOES NOT follow the prompt, so sorry about that. But I finally got around to writing Part 2 of "Mute Love". You can read part 1 if you want too, it's on my account. I had a lot of fun with this story, and tried to add more details about Cameron's life. Please comment if you like it, and enjoy!

Cameron wakes up, his heart beating like it’s on fire. He glances at the alarm clock. 

2 A.M. 

Ever since he met that stupid girl, her stupid smile has kept him awake. He’s pretty sure he loves her.

Cam sighs and rubs his eyes. Why? Just why? 

Amber’s the laughing stock of the school. For a while everyone thought she was mute. And they still think that. She never talked once. Except for the time Cam heard her in the cafeteria.

Cameron keeps trying to convince himself that he doesn’t like her. But then he thinks back to the time he saw her singing. And he can’t help himself but smile.

Cameron sits up and thinks about the amount of caffeine pills he’ll need just to stay awake for school tomorrow. He’s got football practice, and the last thing he needs is a distraction.

He tries to turn off his mind and lay back down. But sits in silence, staring at the dark ceiling of his room for another hour.

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The bustling hallways are full of new gossip and scribbled on lockers. Cameron starts opening his locker when Elijah waltzes over, smiling.

“Hey dude,” He coughs as he opens his locker.

“Uh, hey,” Cam responds.

“Guess what?”

“Yeah?” Cam can barely keep his eyes open.

“That stupid test that Mr. Barley assigned? I paid Charley to gimme the answers, and I got 100%.”

“Cool.”

Elijah clearly notices Cam’s bumness, but shrugs and walks away. Everyone knows that Cam would definitely get an F in anger management if it was a class. They tend not to bother him.

Cameron strolls into Biology, trying not to glance at the back of the room, but slowly failing. Amber is always early to class, and takes her extra time to neatly fill out her planner and organize her papers. 

The bell finally rings after a while of Cameron ripping up pieces of paper to make a little paper scrap mountain, and Ms. Sikowitz finally starts screeching everyone’s name for attendance.

“John?”

A voice in the back says, “here”.

“Lucy?”

Again, “here”.

“Amber?”

Everyone looks to the back of the room. Amber looks up, knowing that the class expects her not to say anything.

Suddenly… nothing.

The teacher looks to the back and sees Amber. She sighs and marks her present.

Attendance continues, and class starts.

As usual, Cam can’t focus the entire time.

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Every class floats by, and Cam couldn’t be more excited for lunch. Before going to the lunch room, he heads to the bathroom to wash his hands. In art, they used graphite. And graphite made Cam’s hands look like coals.

He opens the door of the bathroom, and doesn’t start walking before someone bumps into him from behind.

“Hey!” he yells, turning back. He almost stumbles from seeing Amber behind him, looking slightly frightened.

“Oh, sorry.” He says, “I didn’t know it was you.”

She smiles, “So if it were anyone else, it would be different?”

Cam’s mouth almost widens. “Uh, um, I-You-uh-talked. To me”.

“Well you already know anyways.” She says, and Cameron feels her going back into her shell.

She brightens up a bit, “Elvis?”

“Um?”

“Your shirt. You listen to Elvis Presley?” She motioned towards the vintage Presley shirt, which was the first and only thing he had ever gotten from Hot Topic.

“Yeah?” Cameron says, lying a little.

“Cool. Oh-” she points at his forehead and takes out a little wipe from her pocket.

She wipes his head, “Graphite.”

She puts the wipe into his hand, her fingers slightly touching his, and walks away, leaving Cameron speechless.

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Football practice.

Cameron started football in 6th grade. At the time, his parents roped him into it, hoping his naturally buff arms could get him a college scholarship or something like that. Or maybe he just needed a break from the amount of video games he played. 

Maybe football paid off a little. Because in 8th grade, Cam got into the popular kids club without even a recommendation or application letter. Cam sat on the bench in front of the large field. He started liking football after a while, but maybe he was just lying to himself. And plus, it was hard to stay focused after what happened with Amber. 

When practice finally started, there was lots of yelling and throwing. Like there usually is in football. Cam could throw a football, but when it came to the mindset, he was there. 

In a football game, Cam was a leader. His veins would flow with fire and Gatorade, his heart would burn with a desire to win, and his eyes would fill with something he couldn’t describe.

It was a successful practice, and the sweat on Cam’s forehead was very excited to finally go home. He had two math tests to study for, a huge Biology assignment, and a project in Social Studies that was due in three days.

Cam was always a good student. He always had A’s in every class, which seemed impossible to the other guys at school. It wasn’t that hard if you had motivation. Cam’s motivation? Please his parents.

His mom’s car was waiting in the parking lot. He threw his stuff in the back, climbed in, and closed his eyes the rest of the way home while his mom blabbed about Cam’s aunts forgetting to pay another one of their bills.

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The next morning, Cam realized that he might’ve gotten the best sleep he’d gotten in a while. He was actually able to sleep a bit, which was crazy considering how much he thought about Amber nowadays. 

The drive to school was full of his stepdad asking him questions like “how was school?” and “the weather’s nice, right?” 

Cam’s mom was remarried right after she had him. He never knew his real dad, but he never had a great bond with his step one, either.

Cam got to school 10 minutes before the bell and sat down on one of the tables in the front, waiting to be let in. He turned around and saw Amber sitting on a bench, doing more studying. He would call her a nerd, but she always seemed so on top of things, he had to admire it. He choked at his next thought.

“No, I’m not gonna do it.”

“Do it.” everything against his better judgement said.

“No way.” He told himself again.

“Yes way.” it whispered.

He did it.

Cam stood up from the bench, fully aware that the other three early people waiting outside saw him, waltzed over, and sat down on the bench next to Amber. Her eyes widened as if she might choke.

“Good morning,” Cam practically spit. His stupid lisp from 2nd grade started coming back.

She nodded and smiled, not quite looking him in the eye.

“Weather’s nice, right?” Oh no, he was turning into his stepdad.

She nodded again, then turned to him, looking at him. Maybe she would say something, but she stared for a second, and turned away again towards her paper.

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School droned on, nothing too special. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was the sloppy joes in the cafeteria, which made it smell like gas and old feet.

After school, Cam took his chances. He knew that Amber goes to the music room every day to sing and relax. How did he know that? Well, he’s a stalker, of course.

He turned towards the hallway, walked down it slowly, and heard the familiar sound which drew him into Amber in the first place. Her gorgeous voice muffled through the door. He smiled, filled with what felt like warm caramel. 

He took a chance of a lifetime.

He knocked.

The door opened and a small girl stood there. She looked out into the hallway, and groaned.

“Come in.” She said, annoyed.

“What’s wrong?” Cam asked as he stepped in.

“You!” she yelled, making sure to close and lock the door.

“What?” 

“I can’t-” She sighed, “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Cam looked at her with surprise and relief and happiness.

“Why anyways?” She interrupted his moment of staring.

“Why what?”

“Why do you keep trying to talk to me? Why do you keep looking at me with that adorable dopey expression? There are at least twenty girls lining up at your door!”

“So?” Cam asked.

“So? What do you mean, so? I never asked for this.”

“Do you like me or not?” Cam asked.

She took a deep breath and stepped closer to him, 

“yes. I do.”

Cam chuckled, “me too.”

She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. He stood there, wanting to melt.

“Now leave me alone.” She let go and walked towards the piano.

“What?”

“Go find yourself someone that deserves you. You’ll realize you made a mistake ever looking at me.”

“Amber, there is one thing I’m sure of in this world.”

She looked at him.

“That no matter what, I will never forget you, let alone leave your side until you consent to being with me forever.”

She smiled and teared up. Cam couldn’t believe it. But there was one thing he could be sure of:

He was in love.