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

"Crap," a very familiar voice suddenly said next to me.

I looked up, slightly shocked. "Cam?!"

He collapsed onto the bench beside me, breathing heavily. I noticed he was dressed more casually seeing how it was a Saturday, in a neat t-shirt, a zip-up jacket and dark-wash jeans that hugged his…well, butt, perfectly.

"I missed the damn bus," he panted, sucking in deep breaths. It looked like he had just run a marathon to get here.

"Join the party," I said sarcastically, crossing my arms. "Next bus is in thirty minutes."

Cam sighed and leaned back, running a hand through his dark hair. I tried to ignore the way his hair stuck up in the back, messy but still cute. He turned and flashed me his signature smirk.

"I'm not surprised that you would be the one to miss the bus," he laughed.

"Look who's talking, Mr. Prefect," I retorted. His smirk suddenly faded and his eyes widened as if he were seeing me for the first time. "What?" I asked, suddenly anxious. "Do I have something on my face?"

Cam shook his head. "No, you just look…different," he said, not quite being able to place it.

"Good or bad?"

"Good…" Cam hesitated. "You look…prettier," he said, struggling to get the words out.

I blinked. Did Cam Gallagher just call me pretty? Oh my goodness, Cam Gallagher just called me pretty.

"Um," I suddenly said, at loss for words. "Will made me get a haircut," I muttered, turning away.

"Harrison?" Cam asked, surprised. "Isn't he kind of…weird?" he said hesitantly.

I sat up, angry. "So what? He's an amazing friend if you get to know him," I shot.

Cam immediately held up both hands. "Whoa, slow down, Nelly. I never said I didn't like him! He's always been nice to everyone!"

"Whatever," I muttered, facing away.

There were a few minutes of awkward silence before I felt a small drop on my nose. I looked up to the foreboding skies, which had been blue only moments ago. Now it was an ominous gray. Thunder rolled in the distance.

"It's going to rain," Cam stated flatly. And as if he could control the weather, the skies opened up and poured down on us. Yeah, he was just that great. "Come on!" he shouted over the suddenly booming thunder as we both leapt to our feet, searching for shelter.

"There's a shop over there!" I screamed, pointing across the street and down the block.

"Then let's go!" Cam yelled. And he grabbed my hand and started running.

His hand was warm and larger than mine, and my hand fit into his perfectly. I could see the contrast between our skin, his nicely tanned and mine pale. I felt a blush crawl up my neck as he tightened his fingers, pulling me along. We burst into the store a minute later, soaking wet.

"Ah, crap," I muttered, trying to wring out the rainwater from my flimsy t-shirt. At least it wasn't white. I distantly remembered my hair dresser telling me it was okay to wash my hair after getting my highlights, so that was okay.

"Hello, how may I help you?" a kindly voice said behind me. Cam and I both whirled around, facing a slight, elderly saleslady. "Are you looking for something for your girlfriend? A nice necklace perhaps? Maybe a ring, to be more audacious?" the saleslady asked.

Wait. Was she talking about me? I quickly looked around the neat shop, seeing large displays of intricate jewelry. I caught the large sign by the register. Tiffany & Co. Well, that explains it.

Cam stuttered. "Me? Oh, no. You've got it wrong ma'am. She's not my girlfriend," he explained hastily. "We're just…hiding from the rain," he finished lamely.

I nodded, going with the flow. The saleslady raised her eyebrows. "Oh. Well, in that case," she trailed off, walking away. I glanced at Cam. Was it just me, or were his cheeks going pink? I looked away, catching sight of a large silver clock hanging on the wall.

"Cam," I called anxiously, "the bus is coming in a couple minutes. We're going to miss it if we don't go now."

He looked out the glass door. It was still pouring rain. He sighed, and slipped off his jacket, holding it over his head. "Come on, get under, and let's go."

"What?" I said on impulse.

Cam gave me a look. "If you want to drown in the rain, that's fine by me," he said, pushing open the glass door.

On second thought… "Wait!" I yelped, walking next to him, holding his jacket over my head as we stepped out back into the rain.

The jacket didn't do much other than keep the rain out of our eyes as we ran back across the street, where a long bus was pulling up.

"Hurry," he urged as we leaped across a large puddle, just as the automatic doors hissed open. I crashed into his back as we abruptly stopped.

"Go, go, go!" I pushed him up the steps into the dry bus.

"Uh," Cam started, rifling through his pockets.

"Here, I'll pay," I offered, handing the bus driver ten dollars. Cam was silent as the bus driver handed back my change and we both collapsed onto the plush seats.

"Thanks, Aurelie," Cam muttered quietly. "I'll pay you back." I stared at him. "What?" he asked, confused.

"You called me Aurelie," I said, a stupid smile on my face.

"What do you want me to call you, blonde-headed-bimbo?" he snorted, regaining his cockiness.

"You always called me by my last name," I said quietly.

"Oh," Cam murmured. He turned to look out the window, silent.

The air conditioning in the bus had finally taken its effect. I shivered, my freezing wet t-shirt clinging to my skin. Goosebumps were rising on my arms.

"Are you cold?" Cam suddenly asked.

I shook my head, crossing my arms, hoping to retain warmth. He sighed, and shrugged off his jacket, draping it over my shoulders.

"Here," he muttered. "I know its wet, but it's supposed to be weather-proof, so the inside should be dry at least."

"Thank you," I replied, surprised at his act of kindness. I hung closer to the jacket. Despite the smell of wet rain, it still smelled like Cam, a mix between some sort of delicious (and probably expensive) cologne and something else wonderful I couldn't identify. I accidentally jostled the jacket, and something small and square fell out of its pocket, landing on the ground.

I quickly bent down to retrieve it. It was a small notebook. It had fallen with its cover open, and I could make out the words Camaxtli Gallagherin great penmanship.

Camaxtli Gallagher? "Is this yours?" I asked, handing the book to Cam.

He took one look at it and swiftly snatched it out of my hands. "Don't look at it," he snapped, sounding much more like himself.

"Sorry," I murmured. After a couple minutes of silence, I spoke up again. "Your full name is Camaxtli Gallagher?"

Cam sighed and stretched, his long legs reaching towards the seat in front of us. "Yeah. But how retarded can you be to go around and let people call you Camaxtli? Whose parent gives their kid a weird name like that?"

I smiled. "I think it sounds nice. What is it?"

"Some sort of weird Aztec name," Cam sighed. "My mom was a History professor over at Harvard, and she specialized in Native American Culture and History. Apparently, Camaxtli is the Aztec god of hunting and war," he explained.

"That's interesting," I said.

"My mom always used to tell me those great Aztec myths," Cam recalled, sounding nostalgic. He turned and looked out the window again, the rain droplets streaking the glass. "But that was years ago. She died of cancer when I was eleven," he murmured.

I stayed silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," I said quietly. So Cam's mom died when he was eleven. It suddenly hit me that I was orphan, even though I technically had parents now. I sniffed, willing my tears not to fall.

"Are you crying?" Cam asked, slightly incredulous. "I mean, it was a long time ago, I—" He suddenly broke off. "I shouldn't be talking," he muttered under his breath. "I apologize, Aurelie."

I looked up, smiling a bit. "It's okay. It was a long time ago," I said, mimicking his words. "Plus, I'm happy now."

He returned my smile. "So am I," he whispered.

And the bus rolled on, rumbling through the streets as the rain pounded against the windows in a perfect symphony.