How I Fall (41 page)

Ellen laughs. “How about you tell them both…next week.”

“Why?” I frown. “Are you ashamed of me?”

“No—how about you tell her on a night I’m
not
going to be sleeping over at least? Would you mind? I don’t really want the extra scrutiny when we’re supposed to be totally focused on the project today and tomorrow. I haven’t even told my mom and Nash yet. I was going to do it this weekend after we have the WOA photos all loaded and done. Is that okay? I can only handle one huge thing at a time.”

He smiles. “Okay. The big reveal can happen after the game on Saturday. After I win the game and my dad can’t say you’re messing with my head, that is.”

Patrick snorts. “After we both win the game, you mean? Maybe by then Laura will be over that Casper dude, and you and I can do a public announcement together. Get the coach to video us down on one knee in front of our women because I refuse to buy into the zero-dating rule for the rest of this football season or ever again.”

“Yes!” I’m smiling, but I get that Patrick’s understanding just how much back up I’m going to need when my dad and coach find out I’ve got a girlfriend. When they hear I also have zero intentions of breaking up with her for the rest of the season or ever again, I’m pretty much dead.

Ellen bumps me slightly in the shoulder. “How about,
eew?
You two are ridiculous. Don’t you dare make any sort of public spectacle about us dating.”

I laugh, wishing I could pull her into my arms. Instead I whisper, “I can’t believe I get to hang out with you all night but I can’t even kiss you.” Patrick gag-coughs, and I switch back to a normal voice before saying, “I mean all of you guys—it’s going to be so cool—and tomorrow promises to be even better.”

Ellen beams. “I’m so excited about the storm I can hardly breathe every time I think about it. Do you think the ropes are holding in the wind?”

I nod. “Way ahead of you. I’ve already checked. They’re fine.”

She gives me this look that makes me want to run out and check them again, just so she will repeat this same expression of you’re
the-best-boyfriend
all over again.

Mom and Laura are in the kitchen, arms looped through each others. Mom shouts out, “Cam, I simply adore this girl. Bring the other kids over here so I can get a good look at how they’ve grown up. Hello, Ellen, and hello, Patrick. How rude of me to walk away so quickly, but now that I have, I’m going to order you all some pizza. Does Ellen—do you have—you know? Any
special needs
or
dietary constraints
?”

“Hi, Mrs. Campbell,” Patrick shouts out, rolling his eyes toward Ellen. “I’m a vegetarian, so no meat for me please.”

“Oh. Okay.” Mom blinks like she’s surprised.

“Hi,” says Ellen in an over-cheery voice but it’s not lost on me that she had to unclench her teeth to speak. “I eat everything so anything’s good.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“I’m used to that. Whatever,” she whispers back.

“Where should I put their things?” I ask, grabbing up sleeping bags. Patrick copies me.

I raise a brow at Patrick. “So it’s okay with you if my mom tries to blatantly set me up with Laura London? I don’t need you kicking my ass over a girl I think is not safe for anyone to date.”

Ellen laughs, the shadows slipping away from her face as quickly as they came. “He’s right, Patrick. We are only trying to protect you. If you kiss her too many times you might end up swallowing glitter and get some sort of lead poisoning.”

Patrick laughs. “Totally fine. And if I die from glitter off Laura London, then I’ve died a happy man. Sadly, she’s made it pretty clear she’s going to stay single for the rest of her life despite our amazing kiss, so until she agrees dating me for real might be a good idea, she’s on her own.”

“I’m warning you, my mom is a nut.”

Ellen laughs. “This is going to be so funny.”

I swallow. “No, it’s not. It’s also up to you two to get my mom’s claws off Laura right now and let her know what my mom thinks, or Ireland’s going to let it slip that we made out down at the beach and at the bonfire and then—”

Ellen pulls in a breath and Patrick’s ripping apart our hands. “Wait. What? You kissed at the bonfire?”

Ellen flushes and nods.

“Seriously? You didn’t tell me? What kind of crap best-friend rule book did you read, Ellen, because the one I’ve got has way different chapters as to how information is supposed to be handed over.”

“He didn’t kiss me,” Ellen whispers. “I kissed him. Three times. Besides, you never really told me the details of your kiss with Laura beyond stating that it was amazing-earth-shattering and perfect. Laura told me that it went far beyond normal kissing, and that your hands moved all over her and way too fast, yet you said only it was a simple kiss where you were you helping her erase the memories of Casper! Do you want me to tell you how Cam’s lips are absolutely—”

Patrick puts his hands up to his ears just as I shout, “Hold up! Everyone. Easy on the public details!”

“Right. Sorry.” Ellen’s turned bright red.

I run my hand through my hair before dropping my voice to a whisper, “This is so awkward and I sure don’t want you two swapping details about us kissing—not on this level—not on any level.”

Patrick pulls his hands away from his ears, flushing as well. “Well…yeah…fine. Dude. I see your point. The four of us are all just a bit too close these days, aren’t we? Maybe we need to adjust some.”

“Yup.” Ellen laughs.

“It will work itself out,” I say, smiling at Ellen. “Now can we set up things in the basement and save Ireland from my mom? Do you think you can handle the stairs while Patrick and I haul all the stuff?” She rolls her eyes like she’s annoyed that I’ve asked that question so I quickly go on, thinking of things that will bring her smile back, “There’s a sliding glass door down there that leads to a little patio garden with a few trees and shrubs. All within easy reach so we can—”

Ellen claps her hands together. “Measure how thick the ice is already freezing over the plants?” Her grin returns full force, those dark eyes sparkling with contagious excitement.

I grin. “Exactly!”

“Let’s go!”

ellen

The boys were sent upstairs by Cam’s mom at least an hour ago and Laura and I are all alone in a basement that seems bigger than our school’s gym! Only, unlike the gym, this place is all carpeted with this perfectly soft and cozy—thicker than I’ve ever felt—beige carpet. We could have slept on that just fine, but Cam insisted on pushing the eight or so cube-shaped padded seating things that were staged all around the huge room into couches that line the walls near the flat screen. When it was all set up, he covered the whole thing with this really comfortable, custom made pad he got out of a special closet behind the ‘wine cellar’ area. An area off to the side, behind the bar and the pool table area, that is.

Apparently Cam’s parents bought this convertible furniture just for Cam’s sleep overs or extra visitors who come through. Cam’s set it up into this huge sleeping square that looks like flat couch. It’s so big it could actually sleep like eight people side by side without anyone feeling crowded or uncomfortable. Like everything in this whole house, it’s beautifully designed but without Cam in the room lending me his confidence and warmth, it feels cold and very much like I don’t belong here.

Laura and I have made a camp in the exact center of the monstrous thing, and even though Cam turned on this really pretty gas fireplace so we’d have extra heat and a nice warm glow covering both of us down here, we can’t seem to sleep at all. I’m obsessed with the sounds of the storm. Every time I hear the wind spike, I’m imagining and hoping the ice is layering on just how I want. I can’t stop thinking how everything we’ve worked for hinges on tomorrow—that plus the fact that I’m in Camden Campbell’s house and I guess he’s my
boyfriend
now—I’m feeling anxious.

Extra, sleepless and completely anxious!

The way Laura’s got her sleeping bag pulled up to her neck and her eyes are all round and shiny, I think she must feel anxious, too.

But for other reasons.

She whispers, “It’s so hard not to think about Casper.” She pulls out her smartphone. “I wonder if I should Skype him. It’s morning over in Ireland right now.”

“No.” I take her phone from her. “You said last time Casper wouldn’t even pick up to talk. Do not be the one who keeps trying to
talk
if he’s the one who broke up by typing it on Facebook. It’s seems so
hungry,
and…no…you deserve better, okay? Believe it.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Her voice is so sad. “But, I keep wondering how there can be anything better when he was the best, you know?”

“Apparently you and I have different quality tastes.” I’ve kept my voice strong and firm, even though I want to cry with her. I want to shout:
Who dares break my Laura London’s heart? “
I’m only going to say this once, but from how that guy treated you during this break-up, I’ve got to mention that Patrick in his sleep would be better than your Casper wide awake.”

“Hmm. Patrick is a better kisser. But kissing isn’t everything, is it,” she mutters under her breath, rolling over, snuggling closer to me. Her eyes get all serious. “Holy-mother. What if kissing
is
everything? What do you think?”

“I’m only a beginner in that area so...I’ll need to research that more.”

“Aww. Cam was your first kiss?”

I nod.

“We shall revisit the topic when you have more to contribute, then.” She laughs. “Does this house feel like a hotel lobby to you like it does to me?”

“Good way to describe it.” I track the long shadows made from the fancy art frames lining the walls. “I don’t know how Cam lives here.”

“Right? It’s so not him. Everything’s just too perfect and shiny and I guess where it doesn’t work is that everything seems so forced, and so…
tense.
Including Cam’s mom. What do you think? I get this feeling that the woman’s got everything, but she’s not happy at all. Did you pick up on that?”

“Mostly I was too nervous and trying not to have CP moments in front of her to notice her happiness levels.” I sigh. “I don’t know if she liked me. Do you think she liked me?”

My phone buzzes under my pillow so I grab it and read:
My mom likes you. I swear. And she is sad. She’s married to an ass. Trapped here, just like me. But only for the short term. And it took that woman forever to fall asleep. Patrick and I are in the stairwell at the edge of the room. We can hear everything you are saying but we didn’t want you to scream if we just popped out. Can you warn Laura we want to hang out more? I don’t need her making one of her scenes.

I text back:
K. Hold.

“What’s it say?” Laura leans up on her elbow, squinting at the text.

I pull the phone away and, unable to resist, I gasp and look into the dark corners of the room like I’m scared. “It says we’re not supposed to scream.” I blink at her.

She whispers, “Don’t joke. Okay? For serious.”

I blink again and glance at the phone. “It says they can hear everything we are saying.”

Laura sits up and scrambles as close to me as possible and clutches onto my arm. “Oh-my-gosh, Ellen, I knew we should have closed the curtains on all of them huge windows. Whenever there are sleep overs set in a dark house on a lake, things go badly. Everyone knows that. Do you see anything we can use for a weapon?”

I shake my head, biting my lip hard so I don’t laugh.

The storm sends pellets of rain onto the windows just then. So much so that every window starts rattling. Laura reaches past me so she can grab a whole lamp off a table! She yanks at it until the cord comes out of the wall, then hauls the thing up next to her chest. Books and other table knickknacks land on the carpet with thuds.

I cringe and bite back another laugh.

“Where do you think they’ll enter the room?”

“Shh.” A giggle almost escapes. I work my way out of her grip while simultaneously trying to stay away from the swinging lamp. “The stairs is my guess?”

“Oh, you wish it could be that obvious. I bet they’ll show up straight out of that fire!” Her eyes are circles of fear in her pale-white face. “This is just like that Scream-Demons movie. For that matter this is just like that other movie, THE Paranormal. Did you see it?”

“No,” I choke out.

“Well, I did and I know what to do.” She ducks low, making me do the same as she whispers extra quiet, shoving the top of the lamp toward my face. “Unscrew the light bulb fast, Ellen. Shatter it right-directly into any eyes—human or not—that come close. Use the metal and glassy edges of what’s left and go crazy, hear me? Distract and divert and draw blood until I can beat the devils out of them with the base of this lamp. We can peel the plastic off this cord and electrocute them or maybe tie them up with it or…something.” She holds up the plug. “It’s our only chance. Unless you’ve got a pocket knife in your pajama pockets. Please say you’ve got something.”

“No. Laura, I’ve been joking.” I can’t hold back anymore and I’m laughing so hard I can hardly breathe. “The boys are requesting permission to enter the room and hang out with us more. They’re worried you’d make some sort of huge noise or actually scream if they did it without warning.”

“Why you little...” Laura shakes her head.

“Based on your response,” I laugh more, “they were correct to text first.”

“Put down the lamp, Laura. We’re the good guys. I swear.” Patrick comes around the corner first.

Cam’s right behind him. “And you called
me
violent the day you met me? Strangling and death by electric lamp? Wow. Just wow.” Cam peels the lamp from Laura’s hands.

“Only for supernatural creatures.”

We all laugh.

“What?
” Laura’s face is so priceless, I start giggling even more which seems to make Cam crack up double as well.

Patrick’s grinning like he’s more gone on Laura than ever. “Don’t discourage her. I love a girl who knows how to fight demons. Will you go out with me yet?”

“I said if you asked me again, I’d punch you but good, and so I will.” Laura flings herself at Patrick and also starts pummeling Cam’s chest with tiny, lightly landing fists. “You bloody bastards gave me such a heart attack. I bet when I wake up I’m going to have a pure white stripe in my hair from the sheer terror you put inside my head.”

“And it will be beautiful. It will give me another excuse to ask you out because I love girls with alternative hair.” Patrick’s smiling down at her like she could punch him in both eyes and he’d love her for it.

“I’ll still say no, so you can stop.” She pretend punches him one last time and plunks back down on the giant square couch.

He sits next to her, stretching his long legs out in front of him and leans back on his elbows. “You’re the one who keeps jumping at me, sweetness. I’m not the one doing that.”

“Sweetness?” she huffs out. “Don’t call me strange, Canadian endearments. That one makes me feel like cotton candy or something useless and it sounds so—
ridiculous
.”

“Cotton candy is the most beautiful candy ever invented.”

“You guys want to watch a movie?” Cam asks, dragging sleeping bags for him and Patrick out of a closet.

“Sure,” I say.

Cam comes over and motions to the huge square couch. “Is it okay if Patrick and I sit with you two on this? We could move the furniture back or sit on the floor, but…it’s more comfortable.”

“You wee-little Don Juan players. I thought this deal was supposed to be chaperoned. You set this all up knowing you meant to come back down,” Laura teases, scooting over.