Cameron hated me.

I wasn't sure at first, but all the signs are pointing toward that spectacular news.

I tried not to get all mopey about it. I tried giving myself a pep talk and convincing myself that I was better off. None of that was working out for me.

Like the year before, Cam and I had multiple classes together. All of which, he sauntered right by my seat with little to no acknowledgment what's so ever.

He kept grabbing one of the seats in the back, except for AP English Lit, where the only available seat was right behind me.

I couldn't tell you how self-conscious it made me. I kept feeling like he was burning a hole into the back of my head. I kept squirming in my seat, not being able to focus on the teacher and the boring assignments we had coming up. Twenty minutes of that torture, and I told myself to stop being ridiculous and do a quick glance over my shoulder. No biggie. I'd be casual about it.

I twisted my upper body as if I was going to reach for something in my backpack next to my leg then I peeped over my shoulder. Cam caught me instantly, and he quirked a brow. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn I saw a spark of amusement dancing behind his eyes. Dang, it.

I straightened in my seat and promised myself I wouldn't try that again.

And here was the best part, the seats we chose today will be our seats for the rest of the year. Great, right?

Now fast forward to my elective, Minorities in history, the class I shared with one of my best friends, Kendra. We did that thing where we spotted each other, and both our jaws dramatically dropped.

She skipped over to me. We've barely seen each other all day.

"Hey girl, hey!" Kenny said with a wave. She pulled down the hem of her jean skirt before sliding into the desk adjacent to mine.

That skirt wasn't indecently short, and it stopped mid-thigh, stuck within dress code guidelines. But the thing was, Kenny would have never worn that skirt if she hadn't lost a bet against Rosie last weekend.

Rosie was our other best friend that completed the three musketeer vibes that we had going on.

Kenny was forced to strut around, showing off those track star legs of hers. I thought she looked hot, but she would absolutely disagree. She'd rather be in joggers, a tank top with a cropped tee, and running sneakers. She was the sporty one out of the three of us, but today, even her hair was perfectly styled.

Kenny had ditched her messy bun for long barrel curls cascading down her back. With her hair parted down the middle, she had two black crystal clips by her ears, and the contrast against her tawny-colored hair made them pop even more.

I was one of those rare people who couldn't pull off a messy bun. My thick head of curls would probably need to be tamed with some gel and or mousse before attempting to put my hair up like that, which was why I didn't bother trying half of the time. I either let my curls be free, and I resembled some sort of a tumbleweed. Or I did the Ariana Grande look with it half up, half down, and a side bang that I had to occasionally pin to my head or tuck behind my ear because, for the life of me, I couldn't get it to stay in place.

I smiled, happy to see Kenny's face. "Hi," I tried to put a little pep behind it, but I was annoyed and hungry. I hated having a late lunch period. If it weren't for my besties, sharing the same lunch period, it would completely suck.

"What's up with you?" she picked up on my mood instantly through my tone. "Have you seen Cam..." her words trailed off, and I already knew why.

As I suspected, Cameron St. James was hanging out by the door frame, double-checking his schedule.

"Omg!" Kenny whisper yelled. "I can't believe he's somehow gotten hotter over the last two and half months. Criminal record be damned."

I shook my head at her. While she hadn't gotten to know Cam as well as I had, Kenny knew that what was detailed in the papers was an error of judgment. Screw the evidence.

"Have you guys talked at all? Rosie told me that you told her that you had three classes with him earlier. I guess this is lucky number four. The universe must love you." Kenny waggled her brows at me.

"Or hate me," I muttered bitterly, sinking into my seat.

I might have failed to mention that I bumped into Cam on Saturday and tried to talk to him. It didn't end well. I felt like crap about it and told myself I would mention it when it hurt a bit less. But here I was, still feeling like Cam was a meteorite that left a deep empty crater where my heart was supposed to be.

Cameron didn't look the least bit guilty for being MIA this summer. He obviously had no intentions of reaching out to me and telling me what was going on. And that felt like a slap in the face. I thought we had a better relationship than that. Or at least, I thought we were building one better than that.

How could he act like I shouldn't need answers? There was so much I still wanted to say.

"Hello, class. I'm Mr. Bryant." A tall man resembling Hagrid from Harry Potter walked in. I had to do a double-take. Kenny and I traded looks, and I knew she was reading my mind.

Were we finally getting out letters from Hogwarts delivered? Platform 9 ¾ here I come.

"I'm happy to see a packed class. I never thought my subject would bring in so many students." He genuinely looked pleased.

"I never thought I'd be in the same class as a criminal." My ex-boyfriend Drake spoke out with a half-grin.

I dated that idiot for two months and broke up with him when he got a little too handsy during one of our movie dates. When I told him to stop, he gave me this whole speech about how he had been patient, and it wasn't fair that he only got kisses when he wanted more. His inconsiderate nature was a red flag. I knew a mistake when I saw one.

Of course, he picked up another girl right after me, and she was more than happy to give up the goods. I only knew this because I overheard her gossiping about it to her friends in the bathroom while I stood five feet away washing my hands, essentially minding my own business. Let's be honest though, she wanted me to hear it and was waiting for some dumb reaction. I wasn't the type to fall for those games, especially when I'd moved on.

A few students in the class had chuckled at Drake's comment.

Kenny and I kept a straight face.

"Please refrain from name-calling." Mr. Bryant said.

Drake didn't stop there. "I know you're new here, so you don't know that one of your students is a straight-up..."

I took that moment to cut in. "Bold of you sit there and try to talk smack about other people as if you're any better than them."

I saw a few mouths around me go slack. No one expected me to defend Cam.

"That jerk over there goes by the name Drake," I proudly pointed at him. "His confidence is fragile, and he likes to bring other people down to compensate for that. He has no reason to blurt out other people's faults or misfortune. Please ignore him, as I do."

Drake's face grew angry. "She called me bad a name. Why didn't you tell her to refrain from name-calling?" he spat.

"I didn't hear her call you anything. She was merely defending another student from being talked about."

The look of disbelief that splashed across his face priceless.

I grinned triumphantly.

"I don't like bullies. So if it's not class-related, please keep your comments about other people to yourself. Thank you." He did a little bow with his head then moved on with the rest of the class.

I liked this teacher already.

Drake kept giving me the evil eyes, and I turned a blind eye.

Kenny had to run to her next class across the building when the bell rang, and I had to head downstairs for gym.

I had made it down the hall when I was dragged off to the side. Drake's hand wrapped around my bicep. I angrily broke free of his grip, glaring at his stupid face.

The words that came out of his mouth weren't what I would have assumed her had to say. "Who would have thought you had a thing for bad boys."

The laughter that spilled out of me surprised us both. "Last time I checked, I was none of your business," I replied dryly.

Drake didn't like that answer. His lips curled up into a snarl.

I smirked. "If this about what I said in class, you should keep your mouth and save me the trouble of making you look like an ass."

"You don't want to mess with me," he spoke as if I should be afraid of him.

An empty threat. Where Drake got his confidence from was a mystery to me.

"You keep picking his side, and everyone will turn on you, just like they did him. But you're right. You're not my concern. I don't know why I would give a slut–"

He didn't get to finish that sentence. "Funny how you call the girl who never dared to sleep with you a slut. Guys like to throw that word around when their ego gets bruised." I leaned forward, lowering my voice. "Call me a slut again, and I'll drive my knee so hard into crotch that your man parts will get stuck in your throat."

Drake's nostrils flared like a bull about to charge, and then he seemed to calm himself down.

Pity. I would have liked an excuse to follow through with my threat.

Drake spun on his heels, walking off in the opposite direction.

I think I handled that pretty well.

"What the heck, Summer!" I swiveled around, nearly face planting into Cam's broad chest. Instead, my hands flew out to protect my face. They landed on his pecks and stayed there for a moment too long. I was practically feeling him up in the halls.

Cam's heart was galloping in his chest. That was weird. My eyes flickered up to his, and the intensity in his gaze made me drop my hands. I wiped them off on my jeans.

I cleared my throat. "Cam, what's up?" I said coolly.

"What was that in class? Are you crazy?" he said in a rush.

"Um, I'll accept a thank you." I flashed him a smile.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, a sign that he was stressed.

"I don't need you sticking up for me, Summer. I can take care of myself."

"I know that, but it's like you against the entire school. You have no one in your corner, so why can't it be me?" I folded my arms.

Yes, I remembered what he said earlier and what he's been telling me since he's gotten back, but I didn't want to listen to him. I knew him too well. He's been hiding something, and he thinks pushing me away was going to keep his secret.

One of his shoulders slumped against the locker. "You..." his voice came out hoarse, breathing rough. Cam paused then started again. "Stay out of my business, Summer. Don't be a pest."

"Sure thing." I nodded noncommittedly.

"I mean it." He gave me a pointed look.

I nodded again then quickly shifted gears. "Okay, see you around," I told him as I began to walk backward, waving goodbye.

Cam's mouth parted as he stared at me, baffled.

I was going to figure him out, I promised myself.