"Cameron?" I gaped. The cocky bastard winked and strolled in further, looking around nonchantly. 

"There's no pets in here." I frowned, gesturing at the reception. "They're back there." I jerked a thumb over my shoulder. 

"Cool. Can I go take a look?" He asked, which was pretty polite...for him. 

"Um, I guess. What kind of pet are you looking for exactly?" I quizzed, fairly interested. As peed off at him as I was, and as much as I hated him- it would be intereting to find out if the most popular boy at my school liked cute fluffy bunnies. A thought ran itself through my mind, my mouth dropped open in terror and I leapt in front of Cameron just before he reached the door to the animals.

"Hey!" He cried. "Christ, first you stalk me and now you're throwing yourself at me? Jesus woman, slow down a bit. We've only just met."

"Don't be so utterly ridiculous!" I snapped. "As if I'd ever want the likes of you."

This was a complete lie, Cameron was gorgeous. But he had a foul personality- that counted a lot more than looks. 

"Someone's hoity toity, aren't they?" Cameron teased. "So how come you won't let me in? I just wanted to take a look around."

"I couldn't ever, ever, ever, let an animal live with you. It would be torture, and I'm sure I'd get done for animal cruelty. You're insane, you'd probably test drugs on the poor pet or sell it for money or something else stupid." I explained, waving my arms around in demonstration, making him take a few steps backwards.

"Wow, is that what you think I'm like? Thanks so much." Cameron rolled his eyes, his tone bitter and sarcastic.

"Sorry." I mumbled. "I doubt you'd actually do that, but you're crazy. I heard you rode your motorbike into someone's open garage? For no reason? And you rode over the owener of that houses' foot?"

Cameron raised an eyebrow and I knew I was in trouble.

When I was a child my Mom told me I needed to be honest, polite, and always kind to people. It didn't matter if I wasn't their bestest friend ever, but they were people with feelings and emotions. I needed to treat them how I would like to be treated- with respect. She also told me she wanted me to be extra nice, because Troy had failed that mission. I wondered if she still thought that I needed to do that. Because polite was something I had not been as of late.

I squeezed my eyes shut, probably looking stupid. I didn't want Cameron to murder me though. I heard him step closer, and in seconds, his breath tickled my face. I uttered an inaudible squeak. Cameron Carter was known to be dangerous, and was about to skin me alive. It wasn't fair! He wasn't polite or kind or caring to anyone or anything, yet I was going to get killed because one time, one freakin' time, I wasn't nice. I had so many things I wanted to do, people I wanted to meet- I hadn't even had my first kiss! Life, fate, Cupid, Jesus, Mother Nature or someone in the skies had it in for me, I swore. 

"Do you believe everything you hear, Farrah Chambers?" Cameron's voice snapped me out of my daydream. My eyes blinked open, and I saw he was literally inches away from my face. My mind trailed into a vision of what the girls at school would say if they saw this...

Snap out of it Farrah. He's asking you a question. And calling you by your full name- that definitely can't be good.

"What's with calling me Farrah Chambers all the time?" I blurted out, my mouth not communicating with my brain properly. 

"Huh?" My question seemed to have caught him off guard. But not for long, because a scowl formed on his face. "I asked you a question first."

"Answer mine, and I'll answer yours."

"That's not how it works, Farrah Chambers." He told me, his mouth twitching up into a smirk as he realised he said my full name again, clearly to piss me off. 

"Holy shit on toast is a saying, yet that wouldn't really work out too well either." I said before yet again, thinking. My mouth seemed to be in charge of me instead of my brain when I talked to Cameron. And that wasn't a good thing. I was supposedly the quiet, calm, nerdy Farrah. Not the sassy, idiotic, fence-climbing, Farrah Chambers.

"What the hell?" Cameron snorted, suddenly bursting into laughter. "Holy shit on toast? You say that? Haha, haha!"

"Shut up." I grumbled.

"Sorry, sorry. Just answer my question. Do you believe everything you hear?" Cameron repeated.

"Well, no. But the story seemed to fit your image. Why? Is it not true?" I asked, curiosity seeping out.

"No it's not. I don't even own a motorbike, Farrah." He stated.

"You didn't call me Farrah Chambers that time! Yes!" I cheered. 

"Sorry. I don't even own a motorbike, Farrah Chambers. And I didn't do that. What exactly is my 'image'?" Cameron smirked.

"Ugh." I grunted. "As if you don't know. You're a...hey wait! You're supposed to be answering my question now! Why do you call me by my full name?"

He rolled his eyes at me again. "Because it pisses you off. Now answer my question."

"I knew it." I muttered to myself. My eyes snapped back up to his, his green eyes narrowed slightly at my blue ones. 

I ignored Cameron and walked off to find Riley, slamming the door behind me. But Mr. Nosy came after me. 

"Hey, don't leave! C'mon, tell me! Is it that bad?" 

"I don't know what your idea of 'bad' is, Cameron." I shrugged him off, slipping out of the back door, and trudging over tens of thousands of little stones to get to the horses in the stables. I didn't hear footsteps behind me, so I guessed Cameron had given up. 

Riley was standing, grooming Shelley, one of our oldest horses. She wasn't up for adoption, Auntie Tessa owned her. Shelley was gray with a few black spots on her back. She used to be a champion racer, but her previous owners sold her to someone who treated her badly, and she broke her leg. She's okay again now, but she wouldn't race anymore. 

"Hey Riles." I sighed.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked, looking genuinely concerned. "Is it our date? A-are you backing out?"

"No!" I exclaimed. "No, not at all!"

I had totally forgotten about the date, because Cameron had to come along and annoy me. I was looking forward to the date very much though. Not just because it was my first one- I mean, Riley was a lovely guy and my Mom and the rest of my family approved of him. Not that I'd tell them. Auntie Tessa I assumed already knew, because she helped Riles set it up. But she could be trusted. I wanted to tell my Mom all about my first date, see her reaction but...she was my Mom. She would tell everyone, and I did not need phone calls from random people telling me what to wear or to congratulate me.

As for Troy...he'd tease me until I died. I was seventeen and had never had a date or been kissed. He already made fun of me. If he found out about Riley...let's just say Troy was the one person who did not like Riley. Unpopular people were nothing to him. But to be honest, even popular people weren't either, now he had left school. He was such an ass.

"Then what is it?" Riley put a hand on my arm, smiling sympathetically.

"Uh..." I started, unable to keep my eyes off of his hand, which was trying to soothe me by rubbing up and down on my arm. To be honest it was scaring me.

"Farrah, there's an awesome dog back there." A new voice interrupted. "He barks and it sounds like he's hiccuping. What's his name?" 

I groaned mentally and spun around to reveal Cameron. Joy.

"Is that Cameon Carter?" Riley whispered.

"In the flesh." Cameron grinned. "So, the dog?"

"You can't have him. Go somewhere else- I refuse to let you adopt anything." I snapped.

"Farrah..." Riley began.

"I don't wanna adopt him, I want to know his name. Does it match his funny bark?" Cameron cut him off.

"How old are you?" I cried. "Go away! This is my work place- stop stalking me!"

"His name is Shaun." Riley told Cameron. Idiot.

"Why Shaun?" Cameron inquired.

"Does it matter?" I whined. "Can't you just go? I thought you were hanging out with Troy?" 

"Farrah, this young man is a customer, don't be so rude. That's unlike you. Sorry Sir, excuse my niece." Auntie Tessa appeared out of nowhere. I noticed Riley had moved, and was next to her. He must've called her at some point. How did I not notice that? Stupid big-headed, nosy, bad-mannered Cameron was distracting me, that's why.

"Sir?" I choked.

"Niece?" Cameron's eyebrows were raised at the same time.

"Yes, and yes, Farrah." My Aunt took control of the situation. 

"Oh cool. So is this a family business? Would I ever catch Troy down here, cleaning animals?" Cameron spluttered.

"No, he's...not very, uh, helpful when it comes to animals, I must say." Auntie Tessa struggled. "So, are you a friend of Troy's? Or Farrah's?"

"No!" I shouted. "Look Aunt Tessa, I came here to get away from him. Now he is here, I must leave. Bye, see you soon! I'll see you on Saturday, Riles."

I stormed off, but I caught the looks everyone wore. Cameron was smirking his face off, cocky bastard. Now he knew how to get under my skin, I doubt he would stop. In and out of school. I saw Riley's smile, aimed directly at me, which honestly made me smile too. He was such a sweetheart. Auntie Tessa was smiling too, looking from me to Riley. I huffed and marched into the main building, and then straight out of the reception. Yes, I loved my Aunt. Yes, it was sweet of her to help set me and Riley up. But she had the nerve to tell me off, about manners no less, when he was around? The world had no meaning anymore! 

I trudged home on foot, wondering if I'd ever get a driving licence. I hated getting rides from my brother, with his 'delicate' car, that I wasn't allowed to eat in. He ate in front of me, claiming he wouldn't make a mess. Yet he made way more mess than me! My mind remembered the times he picked me up, when his friends were in the car. They were all allowed to eat. And boy, did they make a mess. I thought about whether Cameron had ever been in Troy's car. If they were friends for three years, (which my idiot brother did not care to mention either!), he probably had been. Ugh. I couldn't get away from Cameron today. He was everywhere, from his own house to mine, to my work place- even in my thoughts God dammit! I was such a lucky person. Really. Sarcasm was layered on those words like chocolate on chocolate cake. Nothing was better than sarcasm right then. It soothed my aching head, and helped me through my day with Mr.Nosy/Popular/Jackass. I just hoped if I had to ever communicate with the boy again, that sarcasm would be on my side. 

Author's note:

Thank you so so much for all the comments, votes, and reading list addings so far! You have honestly NO idea how much it means to me. It's really helping my confidence :)

This chapter is dedicated to Jadedark, because she's a great friend and has encouraged me to get my story out for ages :P

The picture to the right is Milly, who got this story started ;) 

Thanks for reading!

x Emily x