Chapter Twenty

       “Elle! Come down here, dear!” my mom called from somewhere in the house.

       “No!” I yelled back. I was still tired from the whole Africa trip. We had gotten back two days ago, and I was still in the whole adjusting phase. The first thing I did when I got home was a take a nice long shower. It felt so good to feel the nice clean, warm water.

       “Elle! Now!” she hollered more forcefully.

       “No!” I shouted back, in no mood to leave the comfort of my room.

       “Elle! You won’t see your car for a week if you don’t come down by the time I count to three!” she threatened, making me feel as if I was a mere toddler.

       “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I groaned out of annoyance.

       Then I heard it, “One… two! Elle, don’t make me get to three!” Unhappily, I rushed downstairs to see my mom standing there with none other than Cameron. CAMERON! I ran right back up the stairs, not even caring about what she was yelling.

       Why was he in my house? Why was he even here? The universe is somehow punishing me in a way I can’t fathom! I got out my phone, and quickly scrolled through my contacts. I pressed call, and thank god they picked up.

       “Hello?” she said.

       “Hey, Kara! I need you to come over my house!” I said frantically, slumping onto my bed.

       “Uh... Elle, what’s the matter?” she asked, worried.

       “Cameron Prescott is in my house.” I heard a muffled sound, and then she hung up.

       “Elle! Why is Cam here?” Jordan asked, coming into my room.

       “How the hell am I suppose to know? All I know is that I want him out!” I cried, throwing my hands up.

       “Elle, chill,” Jordan said calmly, which made me even more aggitated.

       “Jordan, shut up!” I mimicked in his serene tone.

       “Elle!” I heard my mom call in a tone of hers so harsh the last time I had heard it was when I got a D on a science test. I didn’t respond.

       “Elle, come on, we’ll go figure out what’s happening,” Jordan said, grabbing my ankle, and literally pulling my off of bed.

       “Let go!” Like the good brother he was, he dropped me.

       “Elle, now is that any way to treat a guest?” Cam asked, appearing in the frame of my door.

       “Get out!” I yelled.

       “Cam, why are you here?” Jordan asked.

       “Nice to see you too,” Cam said.

       “Elle Pateron, what in the world is going on here?” my mom demanded.

       “Mom, why the hell is Cameron here, in our house?” I raged.

       “Watch your language!” she warned.

       “Answer my question!”

       “Cameron will be staying at our home while he’s here attending your school for the next few months. We’ll be his host family.”

       “Nooooooooooo!” I screamed.

       I could feel the adrenalin coursing through my veins. I was working myself up. When I was younger, I used to do this all the time. Anytime something got tough, and I didn’t want to deal with it, all that built up anxiety would cause me to get light headed. In the past, I’ve thrown up, but, right now, that wasn’t the case. I was too overwhelmed, and couldn’t deal with everything going on around me anymore. I felt dizzy. Suddenly, everything went black.

I opened my eyes to a bright light, and an unmistakable sanitized scent. I quickly analyzed my surroundings to be a hospital. Why the hell was I in a hospital?

       “Elle? You there? You okay?” someone asked, tapping on my arm.

       “Yeah, where am I, and why?” I asked, sitting up gingerly.

       “A hospital, you blanked out when you saw me. I mean I’ve known girls to swoon over me, but never actually faint!” someone I was sure was Cameron said.

       “Cam, can you leave, and then maybe go die in a nice ditch somewhere?” I said, coughing.

       “Oh good, she’s okay! She’s fine everyone! She lashed out on Cammy here, a sure sign that her brain’s working just fine,” Jordan said.

       “Well, Elle, I’m glad you’re okay,” Cam said in his irritating accent.

       “Please, leave?” I asked again.

       “Fine. We’ll talk-”

       “Never. We’ll talk never,” I snapped.

       “Oh Elle! I love your sense of humor!” he laughed.

       “Shut up and leave already, would you?” I immpatiently said.

       “Fine,” he sighed, finally exiting the room.

       “What really happened?” I asked Jordan. “Where’s mom?”

       “On the phone and filling out some paper work. I have to hand it to you, sis, I didn’t think you had it in you to actually faint your way out of a situation,” he said, clapping, “bravo.”

       “Yeah, it was totally my plan,” I sarcastically said.

       “Cam was so scared! I was literally dying with laugher!” he smirked.

       “Great for you.”

       “But don’t worry, I knew my little sister was strong, so I just figured you were faking,” he shrugged.

       “You thought I was faking?” I questioned.

       “For the first half hour, yes. Then you didn’t wake up when I poked you, so I thought it may actually be real,” he reasoned.

       “Oh, that’s reassuring.”

       “I know,” he nodded.

       “Elle! Are you okay? What happened?” Nick asked, rushing into the room to my side.

       “Nick, you’re here! How?” I asked.

       “I sent him a text as soon as I knew you were legit about being unconscious,” Jordan said.

       “Thanks Jordy,” I said dully.

       “So, babe, what happened, are you okay?” Nick asked frantically.

       “Fine,” I replied.

       “I saw Cameron in the hall, why is here?” he inquired, scrunching up his face in disgust.

       “He’s apparently living with us or something, which is one of the reasons she passed out,” Jordan answered for me.

       “Did he do something to you?” Nick probed, overly concerned.

       “No, I just don’t want to deal with him.”

       “Ew! Elle, are you okay? I saw some of those scrubs the people were wearing, and they were absolutely hideous! I can’t even imagine how you’re surviving! Oh, and I saw a lady waiting outside on one of the chairs with a knockoff Channel. A knockoff! It was so depressing!” Kara said, coming into the already crowded room. Only Kara would be able to try and be comforting, while turning on the mega snob at the same time. Only Kara...

       “Oh, I texted her, explaing the situation,” Jordan told me.

       “I swear, I’m going to kill Cameron!” Kara said, exiting the room in a huff.

       “Are you sure that you’re fine?” Nick asked.

       “Yeah, totally, babe.”

       “Okay, then tell me what really happened between you and him,” he requested.

       “Fine,” I sighed, as memories flodded my mind. “He was my first real boyfriend. We spent the summer together. We got close, and just when I thought everything was going great, he broke it off for some girl back in England. It was... a messy breakup.”

       “I’m so sorry Elle,” he said. His eyes were filled with a mixture of sadness and anger.

       “I have you now,” I justified.

       “You’re right, and I’ll never leave you.”

       “Like I was worried about that!” I laughed.

       “You better not have been,” he warned.

       “I wasn-” He leaned down on the hospital bed, and restricted me from talking by placing his lips on mine, and hugging me. My heart started racing, and all for that one boy- Nick Ross.