"Hey," came her tired reply as she shuffled into the room with Taylor close at her side.
Not caring what anyone said, Cameron went over to her, flanking her other side. "Oh shit, you really are sick."
Swallowed up by the baggy clothes,her eyes scrunched in a wan smile. "Yeah, it’s just a little cold."
"Tell them how you got the cold." Gavin came over, wearing a grim smile as he looked at her.
Everyone in the room turned to look at Ebony expectantly.
Ebony sighed, waving him off and continued walking toward the theater room while everyone slowly followed. "It's no big deal."
Gavin made a noise in his throat as everyone filed into the room. Just like a mini movie theatre, the room had stadium seating and plush reclining couches. "Seems like a big deal to me. Maybe working two food drives back-to-back out in the rain and hardly getting any sleep wasn't such a good idea." And this time Cameron could hear the tightness of anger in his words.
Even though people were talking around them while Taylor was setting up the movie it was all just theater. Every person was listening to the exchange with rapt attention.
Ebony ignored Gavin and sat heavily down in the closest seat. Looking up to Cameron her eyes lit up over her mask in a wordless invitation. Cameron didn’t hesitate. He had told himself on the drive over he was going to find a way to sit with her no matter what. Now the opportunity was being handed to him. He slid into the seat, casual like he belonged there. He wasn't going to look at Gavin but he couldn’t stop himself. Would there be that violent shift of jealousy in the air of? Would he say something? Bracing himself, he looked at him.
But Gavin didn’t say anything to him, he wasn’t even looking at him. His unnaturally bright eyes were still glaring at her from their exchange. Finally, he looked over to Cameron and handed him a bottle of water and a bag of cough drops. Something in his gut twisted as he took the items. The silent request to look after her. His forethought. His consideration. All of it. It all hit him like little needles piercing his confidence from every direction.
The lights dimmed and everyone hushed as the speakers in the walls vibrated with the cinematic music. Cameron looked over to her. From the small portion of her face visible above the mask, he could see her fatigue. This wasn't what he had wanted. He wanted to put his arm around her, to remind her of the chemistry they had. And if that meant making Gavin jealous as fuck in the process so be it.
Themovie, a space horror movie that was still in theaters, played across the screen but he could hardly focus on it. Next to him Ebony had sunk deep in her seat and was drifting in and out of sleep but for her occasional coughing.
Gavin who sat on the row in front of him was watching just as little of the movie as he was. Every time Ebony shifted or made a sound he was looking back at her. Cameron could see the worry and frustration in his expression.
Cameron pulled out his phone. It was far too loud to talk so he typed out a text and showed it to her, the soft glow of his phone lighting her tired eyes. She was like a flower wilting with every passing second.
"You should go ie down. Let me take you upstairs."
Ebony turned to him and again he could see the drained smile in her eyes despite the mask. She shook her head and waved a hand. He could practically hear the unspoken "I'm fine."
Determined he typed again.
"You look like you’re about to pass out. We can go upstairs and you can lie down. I'll sit with you until you fall asleep."
She had barely read the message when she started coughing again. The deep cough wracked her body and she leaned forward in her seat.
Worried, Cameron snapped the cap off the bottle of water and handed it to her but she was too consumed by her coughs to take it.
"That's it," the voice cut through the noise of the film and Gavin appeared at her side.
Bending down, he scooped her up out of the chair into his arms. Someone paused the film and everyone watched as he carried her out of the room. Cameron barely heard the exclamations around him, his attention fixed on her instead. The messy bun that had tried to hold back her curls lost the good fight, sending her hair spilling down. Cameron hesitated for a beat, unsure what to do.
Finally, he got up and followed them out the room. He could've sworn he heard Ethan call out to him but Cameron ignored him. In the den, he saw a glimpse of Gavin as he took the curving stairs up. Cameron moved to follow but Taylor stepped in his way.
Jaw grinding in frustration, Cameron glared at Taylor. "What the hell do you think-"
Taylor cut him off, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know Gavin locks the door to the upstairs during parties. Besides, he wouldn't have let you go up to her room."
"Let me," Cameron repeated, the words scraped out of his throat. Like he needed Gavin’s permission.
Taylor continued to regard him with the same quietly appraising look. "Sometimes I wonder if you want Ebony as much as you want to one-up Gavin."
Cameron didn’t answer, he didn't trust himself to. But the question remained with him for the rest of the night, burrowing beneath his skin like a splinter.
Cameron pulled his car into a parking lot and parked it. Staring down the street in the direction of the Rosebank house, he imagined Ebony in her room. It had been a few days and she hadn't been to school—neither Rosebank sibling had.
Of fucking course, right? If Ebony wasn't there Gavin sure as hell wasn't going to show up. Not that it mattered, both of them were so far ahead on their classwork they could skip the rest of the year and still graduate at the top of the class.
