* oh sweetheart, put the bottle down ,

[addison tyler]

i want you to show me love -- ♥

It was one of those days when Addie could find absolutely nothing to do. So evidently, she had decided to get on the computer and see if anyone was online. To her surprise, there hadn’t been. Addie had posted basically a help notice, asking people to stop her boredom. Well it had worked, and now she had plans with a Mr. Cameron Sweet. Now that she thought about it, most of her friends that she met she had met online previously. Addie shuddered, remembering how incredibly creepy that really was. She couldn’t help but wonder what made her so socially awkward. She wasn’t a grade grubber. She knew which grades she deserved and which ones she didn’t, and she didn’t think she was too un-cool. Maybe there really was something wrong with her.

She found herself walking the mall, looking for something to do until she found Cameron. She passed a Hollister store, turning her head and seeing pictures of the models. She hated seeing all of the pretty girls in swimsuits, skirts, tank tops and clothes that definitely didn’t flatter her body in her opinion. It wasn’t like she was fat, because she wasn’t; but she was a recovering anorexic. It’s not like they have perfect self-esteem or anything. Addie crossed her arms across her stomach, making her way past the store as quickly as possible.

Only the next place she walked into was the Food Court, where there was plenty of little fast food stores everywhere. It was then that she felt the need to zip her gray sweatshirt up the front of her stomach, hopefully covering anything visible. Under her sweatshirt was a white fitted t-shirt, hence the sweatshirt covering her up. She crossed her arms back across her chest, feeling the tiniest bit better about her image as she made her way to the Chik-Fil-A. It sickened her the way they put the food together. It’s not like they had clean hands, and they just threw it together like it was dirty laundry. “Could I have a sweet iced tea, please?” The girl asked politely, getting the money out of her faded jeans pocket.

Her eyes landed on the food again, and she suddenly felt squeamish. It wasn’t normal for her to have her stomach in knots just because of the way people made food. This was different. She had bee on a bout of anorexia for awhile now. The smell was horrendous. Addie winced, her eyes narrowing at the man in front of her. He wanted the cash before he’d get her stupid drink. Addie handed him the five dollar bill, watching him get out change and then hand it back to her. She waited for her drink, stepping over to the next line. He handed her the huge cup of tea. Addie took a sip of the liquid, and then recoiled at how sweet the tea tasted. She should have expected that kind of reaction. With that, the cup was in the trash and she was back in line. “Could I get a diet coke instead?” The girl asked with a nervous look on her face. She bit down on her lip as the cashier turned to go get her second drink. Silly Addie, should have just stuck with the tea.

[tagged] kelly! <3
[word count] 547
[credit] tsarina & naturaldisaster of caution!

[cameron sweet]

This was an odd experience for Cameron; he had never gone to meet someone he had only talked to online before. Especially when they had only chatted once, and he really had no clue who this girl was besides that her name was Addie. Walking through the mall, Cameron almost hesitated and turned back, worrying whether he should be concerned if it was a creeper. Then he shook his head and told himself to keep going. If some psycho tried to kidnap him, he'd just break his neck and wave mall security over.

All his fears were completely shaken away when he spotted the girl in the picture standing near the Chik-Fil-A. He smiled a little and shoved his hands in his pockets, starting over to her. So the situation was a bit strange, but it wasn't like he had friends anyway. It was either spend another Friday alone or go out and meet this girl.

Just as she stepped out of line with her drink, he appeared in front of her. "Hey," Cameron mumbled a bit awkwardly. Ugh, he detested weird moments like these. Quickly he grabbed her free hand for shaking. "Nice to actually meet you, eh?"

[addison tyler]

[
i want you to show me love -- ♥

When Addie saw the boy in front of her, she gave him a gentle smile. The first impression was everything. It was one of the things Addie had trouble with. She was shy, and tended not to talk enough. This time would be different. Kind of like a New Year’s Resolution, without the New Year. She had decided long ago that she was going to become more social, but it was honestly a lot harder than she had imagined. It was something she would just have to get used to. It was hard for her to just strike up conversation when she didn’t know the person, but she supposed it couldn’t be too hard. Addie shook his hand as he grabbed it, nodding in response to his comment. “Definitely,” She said with a soft smile.

She let her hand drop from his, immediately feeling self conscious again. Addie bit down on her bottom lip, trying so hard to figure out what to say. It was these times where she just wanted to jump out of her body and assess the situation before she blurted out something completely stupid. She glanced down at her feet for a second before looking back up at him. “So while I was on my way, I realized how extremely creepy I must have sounded when I said we should hang out sometime.” The girl commented with a laugh. “So I’m sorry about that.” Addie didn’t feel as stupid as usual, but it sure wasn’t any better.

What was it with all of these cute boys hiding in Pittsburgh? First there was Jasey, but he had been from France. Then there was Cameron, and he was definitely cute. Addie was always a little bit more tongue tied in front of boys, simply because the first impression on boys was a lot different. They wouldn’t want anything to do with you if you were innocent and stupid like she was. Addie wouldn’t put up a front though. She had to keep herself as real as possible without sounding too much like a little girl. Sure, there was only a year between the two but if she wanted to make a friend, she couldn’t scare him off. It wasn’t likely that she would now that she had probably said one of the stupidest things possible.

Then there was the fact that if her father knew she was hanging out with a high school dropout, who would probably end any possible friendship that had began to blossom anyway. Her father was so overprotective of her. Sometimes Addie wished her father was more like her step-mother. Her step-mother was completely oblivious to anything Addie did. Skyler was her only priority, which she guessed she could understand since Skyler was her blood son, and she was not. That way, if her father was less overprotective, she could get out, meet more people, and try to make these last few years of high school a lot better than they had been.

Addie took a sip from the Diet Coke, feeling much better about her choice of drink now that it didn’t have all the calories and sugar that tea had. She looked up at Cameron, giving him a smile. “So, tell me about yourself.” Addie said, realizing how awkward it sounded. “I mean, we have to get to know each other somehow, right?” She asked, a sheepish grin on her face. Addie mentally kicked herself, standing in front of the boy. If she wasn’t as reserved as she was she would have probably just asked Cameron to kick her for him. But that wasn’t the best idea. She was almost positive that would scare the boy off.

[cameron sweet]

Cameron chuckled to himself, not necessarily at what Addie was saying, but because of the fact that she was so obviously nervous about the situation. He should have expected her to be a bit more shy in person, seeing as it was a lot easier to chat with strangers on the Internet. He was actually surprised he wasn't feeling anxious. He hadn't hung out with really anyone in a long time. Then again, being shy wasn't really his thing.

"No worries, you didn't sound creepy. I mean, I wouldn't have showed up if you had," he said with a grin, remembering how he actually had almost turned around before arriving. He shrugged it off and fell into step beside her. Walking around the mall while they chatted would probably feel less awkward then just standing there.

"Tell you about myself," he repeated, wrinkling his eyebrows a little. What exactly did she want to know? He didn't want to suddenly go off on some big rampage about his life story or anything. Maybe he could start with something small. "Well... I like comic books. You ever read comic books, Addie? You should read some."

[addison tyler]

[
i want you to show me love -- ♥

Addie hated that it was obvious that she was nervous. It wasn't only the fact that she had never met Cameron before, but because she could practically feel the heat flooding to her cheeks. She bent her head down, slicking a hand through her hand to cover up the pink. Once she felt it leave, she felt a little bit better about the whole situation. He didn’t seem to be laughing at her or anything like she expected. It wasn’t like she thought Cameron was going to be rude or anything, it was just stereotypical for a shy girl to be shaking in her boots upon meeting a cute guy, and usually the cute guy would either a.) Laugh at the girl, or b.) Think she was a total freak. Now unless Cameron thought Addie was a total freak, they were in the clear.

Her eyes lit up when he said she wasn’t creepy. A wave of relief washed over the young girl, and suddenly she felt a lot more comfortable. They had started conversation without her being abnormally shy and him laughing at her, and now they were walking around and talking. She sipped at the drink again, shuffling along next to the boy. “Well that’s good,” Addie said with a chuckle. Of course it was good. She hadn’t sounded like a creeper. “I wouldn’t have come if I were you. I could have been some fifty year old named Gerald with sixteen cats or something. Then again, I’m pretty sure a 50 year old wouldn’t have a picture of me.” Addie mentally kicked herself for the second time today. She had gone on rambling about something that probably didn’t make any sense at all.

Comic books? Addie would have to say she had never laid a hand on one, which was quite a surprise considering she had an immature step brother that had most likely read everyone there had ever been. Addie shook her head, surprised at his reaction to her asking to tell her about him. “Actually, I’ve never read one in my life.” She commented, laughing softly. “My step-brother read captain underpants when we were little, if that counts.” Addie bit down on her bottom lip, a sheepish grin shining through all of those nerves. Addie couldn’t help but wonder if that had sounded immature. She didn’t want to come off as immature.

If she did, she’d have to fix that somehow. He was older than her, and if she wanted to keep a friend she couldn’t keep acting like a complete three year old. She tucked some of her brunette locks behind her ear, looking over at Cameron. If only she could make her nerves disappear. Maybe there was a class for people who were too shy. Didn’t people say there were support groups for everything? That would make a person wonder if there were support groups for certain foods, or certain people for that matter. There had to be a support group for people who were too shy. It just made sense. She’d have to check into that. After all, she figured she would need one pretty badly.

[cameron sweet]

"If you were a fifty-year-old man, I would have been able to kick your ass with no problems. Unless you're implying that I'm not fit enough to beat up an old man. Then I'd be rather insulted." Cameron smiled and gave Addie a quick wink, just to reassure that he was joking. She seemed like the kind of girl who might believe she had actually offended him, and then start apologizing repeatedly for it.

Even though she was slowly becoming more comfortable, Cameron could sense that she was a self-conscious person. He could just tell by her body movements: the way she took tiny sips and crossed her arms over her chest... obviously meeting new people wasn't exactly her area of expertise. Cameron could relate to her on that level, but he was also a seventeen-year-old guy. It was a little easier for him not to be nervous in situations like these.

"Captain Underpants is pretty nifty, but it definitely doesn't count as a real comic book," he smirked, flipping some hair out of his eyes. He kind of wished he'd brought his beanie hat. "I'm talking Spiderman, Watchmen, any type of manga, even Archie comics. Some of my greatest times as a child came from reading Archie." When Cameron started talking about comic books, he really got on a roll. It was best to stop himself before he started ranting endlessly.

"I'll lend you something sometime. You need to try a comic book, m'dear."

[addison tyler]

i want you to show me love -- ♥

Cameron was right in winking to make sure Addie understood he was only joking. Addie was a very big realist. She could kid around whenever she wanted to, but when others did she usually took it literally. It sounded hypocritical to her, and it was another one of the things she had been working on. Addie had no idea why she took things so literal. Her father told her she got it from her mother, but Addie had always remembered her mother being awfully nice and a person who liked to cut up and get people laughing. Another wave of relief washed over the girl, and she laughed softly. “No, I think you probably could. Unless said 50 year old man was like Hulk Hogan or something, then I’d have to wonder.” She teased, biting down on her bottom lip.

If Addie knew that he could tell she was self-conscious, the girl would probably flee under a rock if she was small enough. She didn’t think it was all that obvious. Then again, Addie didn’t study her obvious movements. If she watched herself all day she was sure she would see them, but it was physically impossible to do so. She bit down on her bottom lip, continuing to shuffle beside the boy. It wasn’t as awkward as she had thought it was going to be. In fact, Cameron seemed rather comfortable with it. Addie longed to be that way. Maybe there were certain people that could just do that to her.

She knew Skyler and Roscoe had that effect on her, and even after she had hung out with Jasey for awhile she came out of her shell with him. Maybe it was just one of the things that boys did to her. Then again, it seemed as if it would be quite the opposite with Addie. Boys made her sweaty, nervous and overall just afraid. This seemed different. She was afraid, but not as much as she usually was. Addie chuckled, nodding and listening intently. “I’ve never read any of that stuff.” Addie commented, raising a brow. “I’ve heard of them, and I’ve seen the Spiderman movie, but I’ve never actually read it.” She mused, looking over at him.

Addie suddenly wished that she had brought an iPod or something. Music was one of the easiest topics to talk about, and she could go on for hours about it. It was mainly because Addie was obsessed with music. Her guitar was her baby, and she made sure nobody else touched it. She was protective of it, almost as if it was her own child. Anything could be expressed by music. Addie wrote her own music in a notebook, but she never showed anybody. Mainly because it was about how she truly felt about herself or other people. She didn’t want people invading on her personal thoughts and opinions. She found it to be hard to tell people the truth to their face. If they knew she was writing about it behind their backs, it would only be worse.

As he offered to lend her one sometime, she nodded in agreement with a sheepish grin. “That’d be great. Then I wouldn’t seem like such a loser since I’ve never read one.” She commented, giving him a soft laugh. As she began to feel a little bit comfortable, Addie thought that everything would soon come a lot easier to her. After all, when you get to know somebody, you become more comfortable with them. Cameron was definitely somebody Addie would be interested in getting to know. Not only because he was cute, but because he wasn’t making fun of her. Not everybody made fun of her, but when Addie got to stuttering and searching for the words to say, people would tend to shy away from her. Cameron wasn’t doing that, which made her feel ten times better about herself and the situation.

“I remember my brother used to read them. I never really got into it, I was always trying to play my guitar or something,” Addie stated with a nod. That was something she would always want to keep doing. It wasn’t just a hobby to her. It was more like her life. Addie tugged at the bottom of her sweater, hoping to make it look a little bit looser and not make her seem like she was heavier than she was. She hated it when clothes did that. They just seemed to cling to a body and make the person look bigger than they really were.

Then again, if you wore clothes that were too big for you it did the same thing. It was like the shirts that bloused out at the bust like an empire waist. She thought that those shirts could make a person look pregnant if they wore them the right way. It was one of the shirts on her ‘I will not wear ever ever again’ list. Then there were skinny jeans. A person really had to have the right look to pull those off. She didn’t think she had that look. Then again, Addie didn’t really think she could pull any outfit off. She took another sip of her drink, letting her hand fall to her side.

Addie felt terribly rude for not offering to get back in line so he could get something if he wanted to. She’d have to apologize for that later too. It seemed like Addie would be apologizing for an awful lot before the end of the night. Of course, she’d end up hiding all of it and then getting nervous again. She mentally kicked herself for the third time tonight, feeling stupid for not voicing her opinion. Instead she just kept it hidden behind her smile, hoping it wasn’t as noticeable as Cameron seemed to think. She wouldn’t want the entire world thinking she was a self-conscious recovering anorexic. That would not be a reputation that she’d like to uphold. In fact, she didn’t think anyone would want to.

[cameron sweet]

Cameron had to laugh as she offered up the fact that she had seen the Spiderman movie. It was almost funny how nowadays people considered seeing the movie the same as reading the original material. Not that he thought Addie believed this; she seemed smart enough to know that films and books were extremely different. But sometimes it bothered him when other people thought they could get away with just seeing the movie, and not actually experiencing the literature because they were too lazy to read. Though, this mostly bothered him because he was a writer himself, and he would hate to see his work diminished someday just because a director fit it all into a big screen adaptation.

He wasn't sure where they were heading in the mall now. It looked like they had reached a certain area filled up with women's clothing stores (which was obviously of no interest to Cameron). He glanced around and spotted an entrance to an atrium, where there were plenty of benches and tables to sit at.

"You play guitar?" he asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation. Cameron had never been too talented with instruments. He attempted to join the school band in sixth grade, and had ended up breaking the tuba he'd been given. Needless to say, he never tried making music again. It always impressed him when other people could play instruments though, especially something as complicated as the guitar. Suddenly he had a new level of appreciation for this girl he had just met.

"How well can you play?" he murmured, slowly walking in the direction of the atrium. He figured they could sit down and talk. Having a discussion was much easier when they could actually face each other. "Can you do any songs? You've gotta let me hear you play sometime."

The atrium was very spacious, and filled with all sorts of pretty plants and miniature fountains. Cameron smiled, wondering why he didn't visit the mall more often. Sure, it was usually filled with bratty teenagers, but it was a beautiful place. Besides, he could always just visit during school days, when all the kids were in class.

"Here, do you want to sit down and drink that?" he inquired, gesturing towards one of the empty tables nearby. Without waiting for an answer, he headed towards it and pulled out a chair for Addie. Then he moved around to the other side and sat himself down.

"So how long have you been playing the guitar?" Cameron knew he was probably becoming a bit too insistent on this whole guitar thing, but it really did interest him that Addie could play. Sometimes he wrote poems, and he always wondered what they would sound like if they were made into songs. Unfortunately, he didn't have the musical talent to make them into tunes. "Have you ever written songs? What kind of guitar do you have?"

He blinked, and then quickly shut himself up. He hadn't been giving her enough time to actually answer the questions...

[addison tyler]

i want you to show me love -- ♥

Addie’s eyes widened a bit as she saw that they were in the section with all the women’s clothing. She bit down on her bottom lip, pulling her sweater closer to her so it would cover up more of her body. It was quite a hard maneuver, holding the cup in one hand and pulling her sweat inward with the other, but it would make more sense in the long run. If he asked what she was doing she’d just use the excuse that she was cold and needed to keep her sweater closer to her to keep some heat in. Then again, it was summer, so she shouldn’t be shivering in the middle of the mall. She decided to keep the dramatics down a bit.

At the mention of her playing guitar, she nodded eagerly. “Yup, I do. I’ve played since I was about eleven.” Addie said with a small smile. It was one of the easier topics to talk about for her since it was basically what her life consisted of; music, her guitar, writing, and school work. The four things kept her going no matter what. Even if she was doing crappy with all of them, it still gave her a sense of relief. It was kind of like her therapy. If she was in a bad mood, she’d sit there with her guitar and play until her hand cramped, until her fingers twisted in ways she weren’t sure they were supposed to twist, until she was finally happy again, or at least until every inch of stress was out of her body and onto those strings.

“Hmm, well I’d say I play pretty decently. I mean, I’m not an expert but I wouldn’t call myself a beginner or an amateur.” She said rather sheepishly. Addie hated talking about the things she did well. It made her feel like she was bragging about it, even if she wasn’t. She bit down on her bottom lip, feeling embarrassed for what she had said. Whenever he questioned if she could play songs, a smirk appeared on her lips. “I can play quite a few of The Goo Goo Doll’s songs, as well as Taylor Swift. I play them best, but really I can learn to play just about anything if you give me the sheet music and I sit there for twenty four hours.” The girl giggled at her comment. It was true. If she really worked at a song with full concentration, she was absolutely one hundred percent sure that she could play it.

She never really played for people other than Skyler and Roscoe, but if the boy wanted to hear her then by God, she would do it. Addie nodded, giving him a small smile. “I’ll definitely let you, but I’ll probably mess up. I don’t play in front of people very often.” She stated with a nervous laugh. It was no laughing matter really. If she wanted to make music part of her career, she had to learn how to be confident in front of crowds. It was one of those things she had realized not too long ago since Skyler lectured her on how well she played and how she should perform with it. Addie disagreed.

When he asked her if she’d like to sit down, she nodded with a smile, taking her seat across from him. Addie sipped at her drink, listening to what he said. Had she ever written songs? Of course she had. She was sure it was hundreds, but it’s not like she ever let anybody see them. Addie contemplated telling him or not, and decided to tell him the truth. After all, Addie wasn’t a liar, but she didn’t necessarily want to share her lyrics or anything. “Sure I have,” She said with a small smile. “Mainly about the kinds of situations I get myself into, about how I’m feeling about myself, about how I feel about others,” She shrugged. “Feelings, really.” She said with another nervous laugh.

[cameron sweet]

Addie was an extremely modest girl, Cameron was realizing. Most of the time when people were asked about their hobbies and talents, they'd go on small rants about their triumphs and goals. But Addie simply answered his questions and didn't say much else about it. She seemed uncomfortable revealing that she was good at something. This was quite the opposite of Cameron, of course. If he could play the guitar, he'd be out there explaining every little detail about it to everyone he knew. Not that he knew many people...

"Taylor Swift?" he repeated, wrinkling his nose. Cameron had only heard a few songs by the popular singer, but he wasn't really into her music. Then again, he was never really into the mainstream music that was put out today. "She's the one who wrote that Love Story song, right? A little cheesy to me, but eh, to each their own." He'd never admit it, but the music he enjoyed listening to the most was classical. He absolutely adored Debussy. But this wasn't exactly something he tended to brag about.

"I'm sure you'll do fine in front of me. I mean, there's nothing to be nervous about. Even if you do screw up, it's not like I can play the guitar, so you've got a step up already." He laughed and slicked a hand through his messy hair.

The mall was becoming a bit noisy as more people arrived. He should have expected this, it being a Friday night and all. As soon as Addie finished her drink, he'd ask her if she wanted to hang out elsewhere. Unless she was too nervous to get in a car alone with him, which she kind of did seem like the type of person who would be.

"Feelings." Cameron lowered his eyebrows and leaned forward in his seat. "Well, yeah. I mean, I don't know what else a song could be about if you wanted it to be meaningful." He paused. "I guess it's the same with poems. That's what I do, write poems." He winced, realizing how much he sounded like a wuss. "Only sometimes, though. But feelings probably play the biggest part in any piece of good writing. What are your songs generally about, then?"

The discussion was getting a little deeper, which was good. He didn't know why, but Cameron really enjoyed connecting to people like this. Talking about songs and poetry was so much more interesting than having a boring conversation about the weather or something. Or maybe he was just liking this so much because he hadn't talked to anyone in a long time. Addie was the first person he was actually hanging out with in a while. He probably needed to do stuff like this more often.

While he waited for her to answer, he gently reached over and flicked some lint off her shoulder. Then he smiled and retreated his hand.

[addison tyler]

i want you to show me love -- ♥

Addie couldn’t help but smirk when Cameron commented on Taylor Swift. It was true, her songs were the cheesiest song ever, but that was the whole reason Addie absolutely loved them. “That’s the reason I like them,” She said with a chuckle. “I kind of want to find a love like that; I mean I guess everyone does?” She questioned herself, shrugging slightly. “Sure they’re cheesy, but they give you something to reach for, something to look forward to. I don’t know, I guess it sounds kind of dumb.” Addie giggled nervously, tucking some of her hair behind her ears. She was beginning to feel a lot more comfortable around Cameron. He was sweet, just like his last name said. He hadn’t judged her once, which was something she was afraid of with anybody. The one thing she couldn’t stop doing was second guessing her. She had done it twice in the past two minutes. She bit down on her bottom lip, looking up at him for a second before continuing to listen to him.

He had a point. She could wing it if she screwed up and he would never know. Then again, he had also said she had nothing to be nervous about. Addie could find something to be nervous about in just about everything. But she had taken a big step by coming and hanging out with Cameron. She hadn’t talked to anybody but Skyler in days. She never talked to anybody else about the deeper things. In her mind, almost everything was a little bit more than skin deep. Her mind was complicated, and she didn’t let too many people in. She was deciding one thing right then and there. Cameron was going to be let in; because he was probably one of the nicest people she had met in awhile other than Jase. He was probably the nicest person in the world.

“I get nervous about everything, as if that isn’t obvious yet.” The girl mentioned, giving him another laugh. “It’s just natural. My dad’s overprotective and likes to scare me into not doing things.” She said with a matter-of-fact nod, crossing her arms across her chest. As he suggested going somewhere else, she almost wanted to hug the boy. It was almost like he was actually interested in continuing to talk to her! She mentally kicked herself for what seemed like the millionth time tonight. He really did want to continue hanging out with her. Addie hadn’t done that in a long time, and now that she was she figured she should continue to do it; at least with the nice people that is. “Sure,” She agreed with a small smile, turning around and tossing the cup in a trashcan nearby. You would think that Addie would be afraid of going with Cameron, but she figured that she had to be a daredevil for once. Actually, you’d be surprised at the bigger things that Addie wasn’t afraid of. It’s mainly the smaller things that don’t necessarily matter.

He wrote poetry? Addie’s face lit up immediately. She always found that to be amazing in guys. Mainly, because it takes a lot for a guy to admit he writes, or so Addie thought. “You write too?” She asked with a soft smile. When he quickly said only sometimes, Addie chuckled, realizing how he probably regretted admitting to it. But that didn’t matter. The boy already had major brownie points in her book. As he continued to ask about her lyrics, she looked down at her feet, biting down on her bottom lip. This was going to be difficult. “How I miss my mother,” She paused. “How sometimes being invisible isn’t so great,” Addie laughed nervously. “That probably sounds really emo…” She couldn’t help but get nervous about that one. “Oh, and how I want to be pretty.” She laughed again. As he flicked her shoulder, she grinned again.

”Cameron, you are truly a sweet guy.”

[cameron sweet]

He chuckled, though he understood what Addie meant about finding a cheesy love like in a Taylor Swift song. When he was younger, he had always thought he would grow up someday and all his problems would end once he found the right person. Now that he was older and wiser, he realized it was kind of silly to think of things that way. Nobody was the right person. Everybody had something wrong with them, and a love could never be perfect. It wasn't pessimism - it was reality. "It's not dumb. I suppose it's what we all want," he commented, shrugging one shoulder.

Cameron wrinkled his eyebrows upon hearing that her father was overprotective. It wasn't necessarily that fact alone that bothered him. He actually liked overbearing dads, because it meant that they at least cared about their child. It was just the way she had said that he scared her into not doing things, and made her nervous. That wasn't right. However, he shrugged it off, figuring she wouldn't want to go any further into that.

"Come on, let's go," he nodded, pushing his chair out and standing up. He waited patiently for Addie to get up, and then started heading towards the nearest exit to the parking lot. Hopefully she wouldn't take one look at his car and decide that she didn't want to go anymore. It was an old beat up thing, but it wasn't like he could afford much better. At least he had fixed it up and made sure it was safe. As long as it could run, Cameron had no problem driving it.

Addie missed her mother. Meaning, her mother was either dead or had left or was gone in some way. Cameron looked down at the marble floor as they walked along, trying to hide his frown as it became more apparent. He didn't know what to say to Allie. He still had his own mother, but he had never really been close to her. He didn't even know if he'd miss her if she died. It's not like it would make any impact on his life...

"How you want to be pretty?" he repeated incredulously, holding the door open for her. Outside, the warm summer air was drifting into darkness. "That's ridiculous, you're already pretty." Of course, he didn't understand the body war Addie had going on inside her head. He didn't even know about it.

"And I'm not a sweet guy. I just haven't gotten pissed off with you yet. That's when I turn into a monster." He winked again, pulled his keys out of his pocket, and led Addie over to his rusty car. It took him a moment to unlock the old door, and he glanced back at her anxiously.

"Just be a little careful getting in on the passenger's side. If you pull on the door too hard, the handle might come off."

[addison tyler]

i want you to show me love -- ♥

Addie truly did want a cheesy Taylor Swift love song to become her life, but she had lost a lot of hope whenever she turned sixteen and it hit her that she had never even been with a boy like that. She always wanted to be able to write a break up song or something about complete heartbreak, mainly because everybody else did; but then she would realize she had no experience in the field and it would most likely suck. Addie didn’t know why she couldn’t find a boyfriend. She had quite a few close friends that were boys, but she never saw anything but that in them. There was Roscoe, and he was her best friend. He was more like a brother than anything. Skyler was obviously completely out of the question, considering they were step-siblings, and Jasey was too old for her. She loved all of them, but they just weren’t right for her. “I mean I don’t know if you do or anything, so it might sound really stupid and I know my brother thinks that philosophy is trash,” She said with a soft laugh, twirling one of her brown locks.

She nodded whenever he asked her to go, standing to her feet and pulling her sweater down. She got to his side and looked up, realizing how much short she was in comparison to him. Cameron didn’t seem like a tower, but Addie was pretty short and standing next to someone who was taller than you was pretty intimidating if you’re doing it for the first time in awhile. Addie hadn’t been around a boy other than Skyler in a long time and she was beginning to wonder if that would forever be her excuse. She had to stay with Skyler. He was older than her and should be able to take care of himself but whenever she wanted to go out and do something, he didn’t, which meant she had to stay and keep him company.

The girl really didn’t find it fair. She managed to get out of the house before her parents and Skyler came home from a counseling session today, so there would be numerous questions when she came home in his car, but she didn’t necessarily care. She was having fun for once and she really didn’t want her parents to ruin that just because Skyler didn’t have anywhere to go. He was a fucking football player for God’s sake, why couldn’t he just go out with the guys for one night? It would somehow remind him of Taylor. Addie felt bad for being annoyed by it, but she never said a word. That would mean she was selfish.

As Cameron complimented her, Addie’s eyes doubled in size. She’d never been complimented like that before, at least not by anybody except for her mother or father and sometimes Skyler if she was getting dressed up for a particularly dressy event. She bit down on her lip to hide the huge grin that was trying to escape and show up on her pale pink lips. Addie couldn’t help but smile, looking over at Cameron. “If you really think so,” She said softly, letting out a soft laugh. “And thank you,” He could be a monster? Addie couldn’t see that yet. Then again, they had only known each other for a little bit. She wouldn’t want him to get mad at her for no reason, so she chuckled at him. “You shouldn’t. I don’t tend to say things that piss people off unless I do it without knowing. I don’t think you could be a monster though.” Addie commented with a soft smile.

She tugged on the handle softly, opening the door to the car. Addie wasn’t repulsed by the car. She knew some people couldn’t afford it and with Cameron being a drop out she just figured it, but she didn’t say anything. After all, Addie would rather have an old rust bucket that gets good mileage than have a fancy new car that had all the latest technologies. She had told her father that and he wouldn’t allow it. She had to have the newest car with the newest safety features. Addie slid into the car slowly, crossing one leg over the other and shutting the door behind it. “It would have been real embarrassing if I pulled the handle off.” The girl admitted with a sheepish grin.

[cameron sweet]

It was sort of comical how much Cameron's life contrasted to Addie's. She had to worry about her overbearing father, while his parents showed absolutely no concern for him. She was sometimes annoyed by the fact that she had to do whatever her step-brother did, and Cameron hadn't even seen his older brother in ages. If he knew about Addie's background, he wouldn't have been sure which was worse. His situation was pretty awful, but he had no idea what he would do if he had a family like Addie's, where everyone was all up in his personal business.

He smiled at her reaction to his compliment. Obviously he had pleased her. Either she didn't receive good feedback often, or she was just an attention-starved whore who fished for compliments. Cameron didn't really think it was the latter, though. Either way, making people feel good about themselves always gave him a nice feeling inside. And he hadn't even meant to do it this time; he had just let the truth slip out.

"Well, I mean, I'm not gonna lie. If I didn't think you were pretty, I just wouldn't have said anything. But you are, so there's really no point in spending your time wishing you were, right?" Cameron flopped into the driver's seat, and cautiously closed the door beside him. Then he stabbed his key into the ignition and the car began to rumble.

"So Addie. I think you've broken two rules of the women's safety code. The first one was never to meet up with a man you met on the Internet. That was silly enough. And now you've gotten in a car with me alone? Tsk, tsk." He snickered and watched her from the corner of his eye. "Let's all thank our higher power of choice that I'm not a rapist."

To be honest, Cameron could have easily taken advantage of Addie at this point. The majority of the male population would be ecstatic that they had a girl alone with them in their car. That pretty much entitled them to do whatever they wanted with the girl. But Cameron could truthfully say he wasn't interested in sex. First of all, he hadn't had any experience since at least a year ago. Second of all, he didn't want to lose the first friend he might make in a long time. Besides, he wasn't horny. Sex just wasn't on his list of things to do right now.

He pulled out of the space and slowly drove to the exit of the lot. "Where do you want to go? We can head anywhere your little heart desires. Just make sure it's not too far away, 'cuz I can't afford a lot of gas." He grinned and paused at the exit of the lot, drumming his fingers on the wheel and waiting for Addie to suggest something.

[addison tyler]

i want you to show me love -- ♥

Cameron was right in the fact that Addie didn’t receive positive feedback very often. She remembered her mother used to give it out like it was rice for the people in Africa. Of course, Addie got all sorts of feedback when she did well in school or when she helped Skyler out in some way. They were things that she wanted to achieve, but she wanted to be able to achieve other things as well. She wanted to get her guitar out and play it in the middle of the street for the world to hear without obvious nerves radiating off of her entire body. She was taking big steps in her progress of making new friends and becoming more social, but no matter what happened she still always found herself getting nervous.

"Well, I mean, I'm not gonna lie. If I didn't think you were pretty, I just wouldn't have said anything. But you are, so there's really no point in spending your time wishing you were, right?"

A grin spread across her face from ear to ear. She didn’t even try to hide it this time, because there was no point. If she acted like it was normal for her to get compliments like that, then she would seem very egotistical, which she was not. At least, she didn’t think she was egotistical. Then again, she never knew what she seemed like since she’d never had an out of body experience. Addie turned to look at Cameron and gave him a smile. “Thank you so much,” She said softly. “That probably made my month. You have no idea,” The girl said with a nervous laugh.

Addie nodded in agreement with Cameron. “You’re right; it was a pretty stupid thing for me to do.” She said, laughing. “But of course, if I wouldn’t have shown up, then I wouldn’t have met you, and I wouldn’t have a new friend.” Addie declared, feeling a bit more sure of the situation. “Cameron, I’m pretty sure that if you were a rapist, I’d simply kick you where it hurts and scream rape.” She laughed again, something she found herself doing a lot tonight. It had been a long time since she had really laughed, and now she remembered how good it felt to do so. “Plus if I really thought you were going to do something to me I wouldn’t have gotten in the car anyway.” She stated with a small nod.

Her nerves had finally subsided completely as the two talked. She was really rather happy that she had decided to show up instead of chicken out. Cameron had been very kind to her, even when she was rambling like an idiot about Taylor Swift’s cheesy and unrealistic love songs. It made her wonder if there were any more people in the world like this that would put up with all of her eccentricities and make her want to get to know the person more. It was rare that Addie found herself wanting to understand somebody better, so Cameron was lucky; or more so, Addie was lucky she was beginning to trust again.

“I really don’t mind. Surprise me! Unless you’re going to take me to some dark alley and take away my innocence… then don’t surprise me.” Addie stated, trying to keep a straight face. To no avail, she failed, beginning to giggle. “Not that I think you’d do that,” She wanted to make sure she hadn’t offended him.