[The words all tumble out, one after the other, and with them goes what's left of his composure. His hanging head, his limp arms, the owl in his lap.
Cam's half laying on Maya's couch, and she sits over him, holding a grey stuffed owl. "This is Hoot. When I was eight years old, I went to my first overnight camp, and I was terrified, so, my parents got me Hoot, and they said as long as he was there, I wouldn't be lonely." Black yarn eyes and Cam's brown ones meet as he holds Hoot in one hand. "And you need to get your own stuffed animal."
He laughs, he smiles, turning his attention to his girlfriend. "Oh, I dunno, can't it just be you? You're...owl-like." She laughs too, a beacon for him, and as she hits his arm lightly and tells him to shut up, he keeps on laughing, keeps on.
His phone, useless, lays on the floor beside his skate.
Early morning, in Maya's kitchen, before she or her sister are awake, he records a message on his phone. "Gooood morning, Maya Matlin! I'm sorry I had to leave, early morning hockey practice. And I didn't wanna wake you, you were drooling so cutely." He takes a breath. "So, last night was pretty much the best night, ever, um, thank you for that," he rushes over this, his voice light, and then hurries along, "And also--" and pulls Hoot up in front of his face. "I kidnapped Hoot! If you ever wanna see your owl again, meet me on the steps at lunch and we'll negotiate for his safe return, mwaaahahahahaaa!"
Giddy, he stops the recording and heads out, hurrying, in the same clothes as yesterday, nothing to change into since he spent the night on Maya's couch. He sends the message, just when he thinks she'll be waking up. He can't wait to see her face at lunch, he can't wait to see her smile.
The bandana discarded on the floor, that he wore around his neck for Spirit Week.
"Eventually, Maya's gonna see what I see."
The steps, in the morning. Zig, who Cam had called a friend, who Cam had given a black-eye in a fit of uncontrollable anger and jealousy. "What's that?"
"You're a psycho." It drains. Everything. Maya's beacon drains. Zig starts to walk away, but stops. "You know, it just sucks that Maya's gonna have to deal with it. And if you cared about her, at all, then you'd get out of her life now. Forever."
Zig leaves. And the little urging in Cam's head suddenly is all he hears.
His phone. Discarded. Useless.
Maya's text when he didn't show, and his reply.
Where are u, cheesy?
I'm not coming. Sorry. It's over.
And how much he'd hoped, later that night, in his last moments, that they'd find Hoot in the backpack loosely around his shoulder, as he lay on the Greenhouse floor.]
2/3
Cam's half laying on Maya's couch, and she sits over him, holding a grey stuffed owl. "This is Hoot. When I was eight years old, I went to my first overnight camp, and I was terrified, so, my parents got me Hoot, and they said as long as he was there, I wouldn't be lonely." Black yarn eyes and Cam's brown ones meet as he holds Hoot in one hand. "And you need to get your own stuffed animal."
He laughs, he smiles, turning his attention to his girlfriend. "Oh, I dunno, can't it just be you? You're...owl-like." She laughs too, a beacon for him, and as she hits his arm lightly and tells him to shut up, he keeps on laughing, keeps on.
His phone, useless, lays on the floor beside his skate.
Early morning, in Maya's kitchen, before she or her sister are awake, he records a message on his phone. "Gooood morning, Maya Matlin! I'm sorry I had to leave, early morning hockey practice. And I didn't wanna wake you, you were drooling so cutely." He takes a breath. "So, last night was pretty much the best night, ever, um, thank you for that," he rushes over this, his voice light, and then hurries along, "And also--" and pulls Hoot up in front of his face. "I kidnapped Hoot! If you ever wanna see your owl again, meet me on the steps at lunch and we'll negotiate for his safe return, mwaaahahahahaaa!"
Giddy, he stops the recording and heads out, hurrying, in the same clothes as yesterday, nothing to change into since he spent the night on Maya's couch. He sends the message, just when he thinks she'll be waking up. He can't wait to see her face at lunch, he can't wait to see her smile.
The bandana discarded on the floor, that he wore around his neck for Spirit Week.
"Eventually, Maya's gonna see what I see."
The steps, in the morning. Zig, who Cam had called a friend, who Cam had given a black-eye in a fit of uncontrollable anger and jealousy. "What's that?"
"You're a psycho." It drains. Everything. Maya's beacon drains. Zig starts to walk away, but stops. "You know, it just sucks that Maya's gonna have to deal with it. And if you cared about her, at all, then you'd get out of her life now. Forever."
Zig leaves. And the little urging in Cam's head suddenly is all he hears.
His phone. Discarded. Useless.
Maya's text when he didn't show, and his reply.
Where are u, cheesy?
I'm not coming. Sorry. It's over.
And how much he'd hoped, later that night, in his last moments, that they'd find Hoot in the backpack loosely around his shoulder, as he lay on the Greenhouse floor.]