Book 2: Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"So you managed to do it too." Kameron looked at me with almost an impressed look.

It was unclear what she was talking about. If she thought we were anything alike, she was mistaken. The difference between us was that both guys liked me. Whereas one of them wanted her and the other wanted her far away. I felt more justified in my actions because it's not like my feelings weren't reciprocated. I wasn't using Cyrus to get close to Jay. In fact, Jay wasn't someone favorable in the beginning. Kameron couldn't be anything more than a mooch.

She walked around me with her arms crossed. It was strange. "What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

Her pacing around me stopped. "You know, dating Cyrus, then falling for his hot best friend," she explained. "It's tragic, isn't it?"

"It wasn't like that, and his best friend fell for me too," I fill her in.

That offended her. "And you think Jay didn't fall for me either?"

"I know he didn't."

Once that was said, we had this stare-down that felt like it would last a lifetime. She looked at me like I had committed an all-time sin, which I did. However, Kameron's situation with the boys was utterly different from mine. Real emotions were involved; this wasn't some silly game she played with them. Mainly with Cyrus, whose heart she broke. I didn't set out to hurt anyone; things happened, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

On the other hand, Kameron used Cyrus to get to Jay in a way that would damage anyone. If she wanted Jay, that's who she should've gone after. I'm sure he would have been more receptive if that's how things started, but no. Kameron is sneaky and shouldn't be trusted, but I'm casting judgment that isn't fair. I still don't know much about her, and it felt like that'll be the case moving forward. It seemed like we weren't going to get along. Only time will tell.

Kameron laughed as if anything were funny. "Does he know?" She queried.

I shake my head. "Cyrus, no, but it doesn't matter anymore," I say, knowing what I do now.

Her eyes brightened. "Why's that? Did everything go to shits?" She was asking too many questions.

"Jay and I are only friends meaning nothing else will happen. Plus, Cyrus is getting married." It was clear, but I explained anyway.

"Oh," she liked the sound of that. "In other words, I'm free to do what I want with them." She laughed hysterically. "Great, for a minute there, I thought I would have to threaten you; thank goodness it won't have to come to that."

The woman was insane! Did she say she would have threatened me to get to both Cyrus and Jay? It's not like I could do anything about it; however, it's not something I liked the sound of. What was she going to do to win them over? Surely they wouldn't fall for her tactics. Kameron was an even more significant threat because she was going after both of them, not just one. Cyrus wouldn't fall for her tricks, though, because even though he didn't want to marry Jenna, he would be loyal to her. As for Jay, he's made it clear that he couldn't stand her. I'd be surprised if anything were to happen with that.

I can't lie and say that it didn't bother me. These two guys meant a lot to me, and seeing Cyrus with Jenna was terrible enough. My heart couldn't take seeing Jay with Kameron. I'd lose my mind and all hope. She was going to be exactly like Jenna was last year. A pain in my ass and constantly competing with me even though I don't want any problems. Fingers crossed that neither of them gets wrapped up in her senselessness.

There wasn't anything I could say to her without sounding worried. That would be the worst thing I could do. That'll make her think she has the upper hand in the situation. I didn't know what she would threaten me with because she had a lot of money. The power imbalance between the both of us was drastic. I could be snarky and confident the way I was with Jenna, but that would only get me so far.

"Well, I'd say this conversation went wonderfully." Of course, she would think that. "Thank you for staying out of my way."

"Um, you're welcome, I guess." I didn't know how to respond to that.

Before she walked away, Kameron stepped up to me one more time with this devious look on her face. "I'm sure we'll have more to discuss later on. If you thought Jenna was bad, trust me, I'm worse."

Still not knowing how to respond, she walked away, astounding me. Are all women in Sunbury a bunch of whack jobs? They want to assert their power because they can influence people like me. Thankfully, I learned how to avoid that with Jenna. Whatever Kameron was going to do with the boys would be interesting. I knew it would all come crashing down at some point.

Anywho, walking up the spiral staircase was fascinating, to say the least. It brought back many memories, like the first day I walked down in my blue dress. Seeing everyone in their best dress was quite intimidating, knowing that they would be some hard hitters. However, my grammy didn't disappoint in making me look fabulous like everyone else. That wasn't even the best part of walking up the stairs.

The best part was seeing a familiar face that was also excited to see me. It's been a year, and she looked the same, just a little taller. Saida, her blonde hair cascaded down her back in one of her many beautiful dresses. Her eyes widened with excitement when she noticed it was me walking up the stairs. If I didn't brace myself, we both would have gone tumbling down since she rushed into with a hug so tight. It's safe to say she missed seeing my face around here. It's great because I've missed her too.

"Autumn, I didn't know you were back!" She screamed, not letting me go.

I laughed, squeezing her back just as tight, if not tighter. "It's great to see you, Saida; how have you been?" I asked as we smiled at each other.

She shrugged, "miserable knowing my brother is marrying Jenna." She wasn't thrilled about that as much as the next person.

"Yeah, that's why I'm here," I say, hiding my emotions towards this ordeal.

Saida rolled her eyes. "Of course, that's why I'm so sorry you have to witness that. I know you and my brother had a real connection."

She was apologizing to me, but she had nothing to apologize for. It did suck to see those two be wed, but I was taking it in stride. We had our talk, and from the looks of it, Cyrus was going to include me in his life. That was enough for me to get through this thing. At least it was for now. Saida didn't know all the complicated details that included Jay in this situation. So there was no need for her to say sorry. Mainly because I got myself in a sticky mess.

I bent down to her level to reassure her I was okay. Saida was a caring girl and came across as a bit of an empath. She also looked forward to having me around more often as she would be my sister-in-law. Now she was going to have Jenna fill that role, and I don't think Jenna is interested in getting to know Saida the way I am. Luckily for Saida, my sister was here this time, and I couldn't wait to introduce the two.

"Trust me; it's okay. Cyrus and I are still friends, so I'll be around more often than you think." I reassure her.

She smiled, hugging me again. "When you have free time, do you think we could paint together again?"

I nod, "of course,, and I have someone to introduce you to." I say, eager for them to meet. I knew they would be best friends.

"Oh, who is it? Please tell me they're like you." She followed me back up the stairs.

"Well, we're not really the same, but she is my sister so there's that."

I'm unsure how Summer was going to handle meeting Saida. This girl comes from a completely different life than the both of us. Summer might feel out of place being her friend, but they're kids. Meeting new people as a kid is different than meeting people at my age. At least they're both still innocent and open to engaging with others. At my age you want to keep your circle more closed off to others as much as possible. Aside from that, I think Summer will learn a lot from interacting with Saida. She could finally have a friend to confide in about things like why she isn't accepting towards Jeremy. Anything to get Summer back to herself again. Having a friend should do just that.

"She's my age right? Then I can't wait to meet her, I don't have many friends but she'll practically be more like family!" Saida was excited. "I wish I can stay and chat more, but I have to run before my mom freaks out. I'll see you later Autumn."

She hugged me one last time before making her way back down stairs. It didn't seem like she had to be up under her mom like she used to be. That was a good sign that Farah was becoming more leient. It was obvious Saida still had to do things here and there, but she wasn't strictly following a schedule anymore. I'm surprised she hadn't ran into Summer yet being that they are staying here. Knowing Summer, she's probably been hiding out because she's unfamiliar with her surroundings. That girl was a pill sometimes, but Saida would make her feel comfortable in no time.