Hey Romeo, Don't You Think You're Just a Tad Overrated?

I sat on my bed, my legs crossed underneath me, my laptop resting in my lap. I frowned as I pressed the up-arrow key, and then quickly shifted to the right. I let out a groan as the animated character that I was controlling on the screen was attacked by enemy aliens and died.

Game Over, the words flashed across the screen.

"That was retarded," I muttered, closing my laptop shut and sighing. Everyone else was probably having so much fun at the dance with all the music, the dancing, and just being with all their friends…

A sharp clattering sound on my window made me jump. I quickly eased off my bed, making my way cautiously to the window. Another sharp rap echoed against the tough window pane.

I quickly drew back the curtains, frowning when I saw no one was there. "What the hell, Aurelie. What did you expect, Cam Gallagher's face?" I chided myself.

I turned back around when something struck my window again. That was it. I leaned over my desk and jerked the window open, letting into my room a cold rush of night air. I stuck my head out the window, the scent of roses reaching my nostrils from the trellis beside my room. I nearly fell out the window when I saw who was chucking rocks at my room.

"What the hell is your problem?" I hissed down at Cam Gallagher. "Are you trying to get me into more trouble by breaking my window?"

He shrugged in the darkness. From what I could see from the dim streetlamps, he had taken his black tuxedo jacket off, and he was just wearing a stiff, black-collared shirt, a gold tie, and black pants. His hair was messy and he looked incredibly handsome. And he was standing under my window, looking up at me.

"Can you just come down here?" he asked in a loud whisper.

"What do you want?" I replied in the same volume.

I couldn't tell, but I thought I saw him roll his eyes. "Just get down here," he said, impatient.

I gritted my teeth. Then I retreated back into my room, slammed my window shut, and yanked open my closet door. I quickly jumped out of my sweatpants and struggled into a pair of comfortable jeans, sneakers, and pulled a McAllister Academy sweatshirt over my head. The front pocket of my sweatshirt was weighted down where my cell phone was lying.

"Rachel?" I poked my head into the living room, where she was sitting and watching T.V.

"Hey, Aurelie," she smiled at me.

"Do you think it's okay if I take a walk outside for five minutes? For some air?" I asked.

She hesitated. "Sure. It's a bit cold out though, you might want to grab a second jacket," she informed me.

"I'll be quick," I shrugged it off, heading out the front door and quickly walked around the house.

Cam was still leaning against the side of the house, looking positively bored.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the dance?" I hissed as I stalked over to where he was standing.

"Do you want a rose?" he asked nonchalantly, ignoring my question completely. He handed me a crimson colored rose, fully bloomed and beautiful.

I blinked. "Uh…"

He shrugged. "I was going to climb the trellis again, but that stupid rose fell off and pricked my finger. I thought you'd want it back."

I almost laughed out loud then. "You're going to get in trouble!" I said instead. "You're a prefect!"

He rolled his eyes. "Nobody's going to notice I'm gone for like ten minutes. And I can't always be a prefect," he added.

"Funny you should mention that," I muttered under my breath.

He smiled and started walking. "Are you coming?" he asked, looking back.

I looked down at the scarlet rose in my hand. "Fine," I answered, catching up to him.

The first couple minutes were completely silent. I took this moment to observe him carefully. The first two buttons of his shirt were left undone, and his gold tie was hanging loosely around his neck. Cam's black tuxedo jacket was draped casually over one arm, and both of his shirt sleeves were pushed up. I suddenly felt very conscious next to him, dressed in old jeans and an oversized sweatshirt.

"What are you doing here anyways?" I finally asked again.

"It was getting hot in the auditorium," he answered vaguely.

I frowned. "Why here? Why did you come here?"

He shrugged again. He was starting to annoy me with his ambiguous answers and motions. "I felt like it," he said.

"You felt like it?" I echoed.

He didn't answer for a second. "I was being arbitrary," he finally said, as if it were the answer to every single stupid thing he has done.

"You don't strike me as arbitrary," I remarked. "You're a prefect. You can't be arbitrary."

"I just wanted to get away okay?" Cam suddenly spoke, annoyed. "I just wanted to be with someone…nice," he faltered, struggling for the last word.

"Aren't you supposed to monitor the dance? You're a prefect. You could get in serious trouble," I said.

Cam suddenly stopped walking and turned to face me. His dark eyes were blazing in the muted yellow light. "Aurelie, please. Not now. Right now…I don't want to be a prefect. I just want to be Cam Gallagher…a normal, teenage, boy." He sighed, closing his eyes briefly.

We stood in silence for a second. My cell phone suddenly started singing loudly in my pocket and we both jumped.

"Who is it?" Cam asked as I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

I checked the caller I.D. "I don't know. I don't recognize the number," I answered. I debated on whether or not I should pick it up or not.

"Leave it," Cam said in a whisper. I looked up. There was something undistinguishable written in his eyes. "That's a nice ring tone," he commented.

I glanced at my still singing phone in one hand, the rose in the other. "It's one of my favorite songs," I answered. "I'll Be, by—"

"—Edwin McCain," Cam finished.

I was surprised. "You like his songs?" I asked.

He smiled lightly. "This one was my mother's favorite," he answered.

"Oh," I said, looking down again. I watched as the light from my phone faded away with the song, only to start up again when my mysterious caller persisted to make it through again.

"Do you…want to dance?"

"What?" I glanced up at Cam. Was it just the lighting, or did a red blush crawl across his cheeks?

"Do you want to dance?" he repeated in a murmur, stepping closer.

"I…uh…"

He took that as a yes, and slowly wrapped his hands around my waist. I could feel a rush of warmth where his hands contacted my body, even though there was a thick layer of sweatshirt and t-shirt separating us. I awkwardly rested my hands on his shoulders, seeing how I still clutched both the ringing cell phone and the thorny rose in my hands. We slowly started swaying to the tinny music that was emanating from my phone. This is…

"Nice," Cam finished.

I blushed. I hadn't realized I had said that out loud. We slowly spun around in circles under the warm light of the streetlamps on the sidewalks. I looked up, only to feel my blush intensify when I saw him staring straight into my eyes. I was suddenly aware of the lack of space inbetween our bodies. A shiver traveled up my spine. Cam didn't blink, his eyes burning like dying coals in a fireplace. He leaned down, closer.

Was he…is he going to…? I thought frantically, my stomach flipping. His lips were inches away from mine, and I could feel his warm breath fan across my face. He smelled like...peppermint and the scent of the forest after a heavy rainstorm...

The song from my cell phone abruptly ended as the caller decided to finally give up and hang up. The silence struck us like a hammer, breaking the strange trance.

"Sorry," Cam muttered as he suddenly pulled away, a bit flustered, stepping back. He blinked twice and shook his head as if to clear it.

"S'okay," I murmured, feeling the warmth that had enveloped me only seconds ago vanish. I shivered, suddenly feeling the cold night air. I should have taken Rachel's advice and brought a jacket.

We suddenly heard two voices from the far end of the sidewalk. I quickly recognized one of the voices. David.

"I have to go," Cam suddenly said, snapping back into attention. His dark eyes were alert once more, and he had that harried look on his face again. Gone was Cam Gallagher the normal teenage boy, and back was Cam Gallagher, the prefect of McAllister Academy. "I'll…see you later," he spoke quietly, and just like that, stepped out of the yellow circle of light illuminating the sidewalk and blended into the night.

It took a second for me to register what had just happened. David's voice sounded again, this time, closer. I started, quickly jumping off the sidewalk and ran the short distance to the McAllister House.

I pulled the front door open hastily, and Rachel turned, startled by my sudden entrance. I tried to slow my breathing.

"Hey! What happened to you?" she asked, taking in my state of being.

"It's cold out," I told half of the truth.

She nodded, and then looked a bit confused. "Why are you holding a rose?" she asked me.

I looked down, suddenly remembering that I was still holding it. "Oh! Um…I was walking by the side of the house…and this rose fell off of the trellis. It looked pretty…so I brought it back," I lied. "Um…do you have a vase or a spare mug or something?"

Rachel nodded and stood up. "I actually have this small crystal vase my sister bought for my birthday last summer that I never used. You could have it," she said, leading me into the kitchen. "Here it is," she proclaimed after rummaging around the lower cabinets for a few minutes.

She helped me fill up the crystal vase with water from the sink, and I gently placed the rose in the glass.

Rachel smiled. "It looks beautiful," she said.

"I know."

"Where are you going to put it?" she asked as I carried it out of the kitchen.

"My room, if that's okay with you," I glanced at her. She nodded. "Thanks for helping me, Rachel," I told her as I climbed up the stairs and entered my room.

I gently set the crystal vase on the small nightstand and sat down heavily on my bed, relaying the events that had just occurred in the past ten minutes. I watched as one crimson petal came loose and slowly fluttered downwards, resting softly atop the white tabletop.