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

You Can Run, but You Can't Hide

The sweltering heat of the auditorium and throbbing beats of the music met Cam as he pushed open the door. He quickly found the table his friends had all situated themselves at in the dark and tossed his tuxedo jacket almost carelessly onto the back seat of a chair. The only one sitting at the table was Roger, who was looking quite glum.

"Hey, man," Cam said, sitting down heavily next to his friend.

Roger barely looked up, staring moodily at Brynne on the dance floor. "Where were you? I didn't see you for like the last seven songs," he finally said.

Cam managed a casual shrug. "I was patrolling. And trying to get away from Megan," he added hastily to make his story more believable.

Roger guffawed at the mention of Megan. "I saw her come onto you!" He burst out laughing at the memory, and Cam scowled darkly. "So how was it? Was she hot?" Roger asked, leaning forward.

"It was…slimy," Cam finally said truthfully.

Roger wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Slimy? Ugh, that reminds me of toads for some reason," he commented. "So, did you hook up with any other girls tonight other than Megan?" Roger changed gears, just as Max sat down, pulling at his tie in frustration.

"It's so damn hot in here," Max complained as he poured himself a cup of iced soda, downing it completely in one go.

Cam glanced at his best friend who had just sat down next to him. "No," he said quickly. It was the truth. He hadn't hooked up with anyone. He almost had…but he didn't. In a way. With Aurelie…

"I can't tell Max," he decided silently. "I just can't."

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~One Week Later, Gymnasium~

"You have to sign up for at least one sport," Beth pushed.

"P.E. is a sport," I defended myself as Beth dragged me to the gymnasium.

"P.E. is a class required by the state. It's not a sport! You have to sign up for a club sport!" she insisted as she dragged me over to the bulletin board, where a vast spread of colorful flyers were tacked onto the corkscrew board. "Swimming?" Beth suggested. "Or you can do cheerleading with me!"

I wrinkled my nose at the thought of smelling like chlorine twenty-four seven. Cheerleading…nah, I couldn't see myself as a cheerleader. I shook my head.

"Club volleyball? Ooh! Club tennis! They just finished building the five new indoor courts last year! That should be fun!" Beth said excitedly, pulling down a purple flyer with a picture of Roger Federer striking a tennis ball with his racket on the cover.

"Beth, the last time I held a tennis racket, I almost sent myself to the hospital," I said, scanning the huge bulletin board.

"Fine…how about squash? Or crew? Oh wow, they even have gymnastics, that should be fun…"

I ignored Beth, pulling down a fencing flyer from near the top of the bulletin. Maybe I should consider that…I mean, I am pretty good at it… A white pamphlet caught my eye. It was sticking out from behind the blue swim and dive one, and I pulled it off the bulletin from sheer curiosity.

"Join the McAllister Ski Club! Go on amazing trips during the winter season that you just can't miss out on! Grab your board or your skis and hit those slopes now!

For more info or to sign up, contact Daniel Fenner, senior president of the Ski Club.

Remember, our first trip is December 15th, the first day of Holiday Break! Don't be late!

Ski Club. This was interesting and definitely worth considering. Without a doubt, I was no amateur in skiing. I've lived in Maine for nearly sixteen years, and I've been hitting the slopes with my family ever since I was seven.

"I think I might want to try gymnastics…wanna do it with me Aurelie? What do you have there? Skiing?" Beth appeared at my shoulder, peeking at the white flyer in my hands.

"Hey, Beth, do you know who Daniel Fenner is?" I asked, tacking the white flyer back onto the board, along with the fencing one.

She nodded. "Yeah, he's always in the computer lab after dinner. Why?"

"I think I'm going to sign up for the Ski Club."

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After dinner, I quickly left the mess hall in search of Daniel Fenner at the computer lab. I rounded the corner of the hall, looking up to see the least expected person approaching me on the opposite end of the hallway.

"Aurelie," Cam said, surprised.

"Hey," I muttered, avoiding eye contact as I pulled the door open, entering the lab.

I glanced around the room, trying to spot Daniel Fenner's signature shock of white-blonde hair that Beth had told me to look for.

"Homework?" Cam pressed, his voice dropping to a whisper now that we were in the lab.

"Not really," I muttered back, still refusing to look at him. It was probably the only way to suppress the blush that was threatening to blossom across my cheeks every single time I looked into his dark eyes. Which was precisely why I've been avoiding him for the past week…

I saw a boy with platinum blonde hair sitting in the last seat in the last row of computers and I quickly made my way over, fully aware that Cam was dogging my footsteps.

"Uh. Hi. Are you Daniel Fenner?" I looked down at the tall senior tapping away at the keyboard.

He looked up. His naturally white-blonde hair was cut short and spiky, he had ocean-colored eyes, and he sported a deep tan. "Yup! You can call me Danny! What's up?" he asked. I couldn't help grinning. He had an easy-going attitude and a contagious smile.

"I wanted to sign up for the Ski Club? It's not too late, is it?" I asked.

He shook his head, bending down and retrieving a folder from his backpack. "Nope! Just in time. This is perfect! Do you ski or do you board?" Danny asked, handing me a form to fill out.

"I ski," I answered, pulling a pen out bag and proceeded to fill it in.

"Awesome, I board. What level are you at?" Danny asked.

"Probably a level 8," I said, filling in my grade on the sheet. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Cam raise his eyebrows. What was he still doing here anyway?"

Danny nodded approvingly. "Sweet. It's been awhile since we had an advanced/expert skier in the club." He peeked at my form. "Hey! You're Aurelie! The headmaster's new daughter, right?"

I grimaced. "Yeah. I just prefer Aurelie though," I said, straightening, as I handed him the form.

Danny grinned. "Sorry 'bout that. You're coming on the first trip right? On the fifteenth? We're going to Chestnut Mountain."

I nodded. "I'll be there."

Danny turned to look at Cam, who was staring at me with a funny expression. "Cam Gallagher! To what pleasure do I owe you today?"

Huh, even all the seniors knew who Cam Gallagher was.

"I was...uh...actually going to…sign up for the ski club," Cam trailed off in a mutter.

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"You did that purpose!"

"I did not. It just happened to be a coincidence. I saw the flyer on the gym bulletin, and I thought it was appealing," Cam explained as he followed me out of the computer lab.

"Stop following me!"

"I'm not following you; this is the way out of the building."

I let out a sigh of frustration, quickly heading down the staircase to the first floor.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Cam suddenly asked.

"I'm not ignoring you," I replied, keeping my eyes forward.

I suddenly felt Cam's fingers grasp themselves firmly around my upper arm, bringing me to a halt and turning me around to face him. "You barely talked to me since…since…the Winter Formal…" Cam muttered, slowly letting go.

"Wasn't I just talking two minutes ago?" I said, keeping my eyes on the linoleum floor, turning around once again to head for the door.

"You could at least look at me!"

Was it just me, or why did he sound so desperate?

"I…have to go…finish a report," I lied, pushing open the glass doors and running outside onto the sidewalk.

Why was I so afraid to face him? Why was I running away? I knew I couldn't hide from him forever…and I knew I couldn't hide from my feelings forever…