Cammie Healy - Jennifer Foor Page 0,45

it work. At the moment I wasn’t very optimistic. I could still see the look on my father’s face. I’d never experienced such disappointment firsthand. It was devastating to me.

Emotions were always something I’d easily been able to control. It was possible my hormones were causing me to lose it so frequently. I promised myself I wasn’t going to get upset for the rest of the day. If I could make it that long I’d repeat the process tomorrow and then the next. I was determined to stay strong, because it was necessary to depend on myself in case I ended up with no one on my side.

When I was nestled under my covers to take a nap, I reached over and fetched my phone out of my jacket pocket. As I pulled it out I noticed a card stuck in the screen. I loosened it and realized it was the one Wes had given me with his contact information.

I stared at the number, reminiscing about the way he’d made me feel earlier. The butterflies were still there, a constant reminder of how he’d gotten to me.

I considered sending him a message. I wanted to reach out to him; to let him know I wasn’t mad.

Instead I did something ridiculously stupid. I sent a message to James instead.

Was any of it real? Did I mean anything to you at all? – Cammie

He replied almost immediately.

What’s done is done. Have you considered taking care of the problem yet? – James

Please answer me. It’s a simple yes or no. – Cammie

No. – James

Like a knife being driven directly in my heart, I had what I wanted. James never gave a rat’s ass about me. He couldn’t have cared less about my feelings. I’d never regretted something so much in my entire life. That’s when I knew I couldn’t go back. There was no way I could face him, his wife, or the scrutiny I would get from my peers. If Jasmine had been right the whole campus had probably seen the photos of us together in compromising situations. I’d made a mockery of my hard work, and now I had to face the devastating consequences.

After that, it was easy to cry myself to sleep. I didn’t think about the nice afternoon, or even Wes. My mind was fixed on my failures, and how I was going to overcome them.

Knocking caused me to shoot up from my sleeping position. I looked around the room to find the sun had gone down. I made my way through the dark area to see who was at the door. Callie stood in a red dress. She’d done her makeup and styled her hair in long curls. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks,” she replied. “I’m hoping when Wes sees me he’ll want to take me out after dinner.”

I almost choked on my own saliva. My poor sister liked Wes. Little did she know he had his eyes on me instead. I felt horrible about it, but also glad he’d promised to let it be. Maybe in time he’d be able to give Callie a chance. She was a sweet girl who deserved to have someone treat her right.

“I’m sure the dress will do the trick. I might have to borrow it sometime.” Obviously after I gave birth and fought to get my figure back. Just imagining it was terrifying.

“I hope so. If not, he’s totally gay.”

“Keep me posted on that.” I could smell the aroma of dinner resonating from downstairs and lots of voices. I knew I was late to the party, but refused to care. It was only a meal, and the idea of being in the same room as my father made my appetite nonexistent.

"Is everyone waiting on me?" I asked.

"Duh. Even Josh is downstairs. Didn't you hear us calling you?"

I shook my head. "No. I must have been exhausted."

"He brought a girl, and it's not, Wes' sister."

"Is that surprising?"

‎"I think he only did it to make Wes think they weren't an item. While the cat is away the mouse will play, right?"

I let out an amused laugh. "I guess."

"Hurry up and get downstairs. We're all starving."

I followed behind my sister, not caring what I was wearing or how I appeared. If I looked half as bad as I felt then they'd stick to eating instead of giving me the third degree.

As soon as I rounded the corner into the dining room, I was facing my father at the head of the table. One glance was all