I know I must look like crap. Because this whole week I haven't gotten any sleep. I don't know what Winter said to Lane after we got to the dorm Wednesday night but all day durning rehearsals Thursday and Friday he left me alone. I don't know if she told him to or not but he wouldn't even look at me. Our choreographer wanted us to work out what ever was going on but both of us ignored him. I was angry. He was the one who messed this up not me, he was the one still talking to his ex if Danica was even his ex for all I know they could be still dating.
Winter and Tiffany have been amazing to me with keeping him and the other guys away from me. Very protective and I even took them back out to the rock last night. None of the guys in our group knows what to do or whose side to take because they all know that something went down between Lane and I.
Saturday comes and I find myself dreading the time I usually get excited about. We wait backstage not saying anything at all. I place my head phones in trying to get into my character. Lane stretches out and it's like we are back to week two. Like nothing has changed since the start of summer but we both know that's wrong. I knew I should have kept my distance from Lane. Since we are first only winter and Simon are backstage with us. Winter is glaring at Lane who glares back and Simon just seems uncomfortable about everything.
We go out and give everything our all and we both know we've performed better. When we get off the stage neither of us say a word, Lane leaves and Tiffany tells me to go wait for her and Winter in the audience. I change out of the costume and decide I don't want to watch everyone else perform and I go to my rock. When I get there I'm surprised to see Lane. He is pacing back and forth his phone held up to his ear.
"No I don't know what happened. You don't think I know that Danica! I'm trying here. You don't get it! Because you almost know everything right!" He pulls the phone away from his ear staring at it. "Fuck!" He shouts pocketing it. His pacing gets quicker and I feel the rage building in me. I step out from behind the tree and he stops to look at me.
"What?!" He shouts out.
"We need to talk." I tell him.
"So now you want to talk well I think I know everything I need to know and we are done." It's like a slap across the face. This is his fault not mine.
"Your the one that messed everything up!"
"What the hell are you talking about Cassie! This is why—" he growls out in frustration. "All I know was last week you were dancing on the cabin stage for me and this week you won't even look at me. Your friends are telling me to leave you the eff alone if I want to keep my balls and I don't even know what changed!" He throws his hands out and my heart starts racing.
"Why do you still talk to Danica?" I ask him.
"What does Danica have to do with anything you don't even know her!" He yells at me.
"What is she to you?" I ask him and his jaw drops.
"What the hell did Winter tell you?" He asks and I shake my head.
"Nothing! She didn't tell me anything, she didn't have to when I heard it for myself!" I snap at him.
"Heard what Cassandra please explain to me what you think you know about me." He says sarcastically.
"Your cheating on me!" I shout at him and his jaw drops.
"What?! Are you insane!?"
"What angry I found out! Well you didn't hide it very well when your talking—"
"Where did you dig up this illusion?" He asks me and I glare at him.
"Really Lane I thought you would at least be honest with me!"
"That's all I've ever been!"
"I can't believe that this is how I'll remember my summer."
"You regret dating me?"
"No, but I knew I would end up hurt."
"Is that seriously what you think of me. That all I do is hurt girls? Your the only girl I've ever cared about!" He hisses out.
"What about Danica!?"
"What about her!? She's family I'm aloud to care for her but that doesn't mean I'm attracted to her."
"She's just—" my jaw snaps shut as I process his words. Oh my effing god! Their family. We stare at each other both of our chests heaving.
"What have nothing to say now?"
"But I thought...." I trail off feeling so stupid.
"That I would cheat on you with her!? Yea right! Even if she wasn't my cousin I would never do that." He tells me.
"But Shelli said—"
"So you talked to Shelli instead of me?" He snaps and I sigh realizing what a mess I've made with all of my assumptions and jumping to conclusions without all the facts.
"No one told me you were related." I whisper to myself but I know he heard me. He sighs walking over to me.
"We didn't want it to be public knowledge because when we danced love pieces the judges and campers would think it was nasty. We didn't want to be seen as the incest couple." Lane told me and I have no words. "So everyone just assumed that we were a couple and we didn't help it either. Neither of us denied the claim but even the thought of dating Danica makes me want to vomit. She's such a drama queen. Kind of like how you've been acting." He says and I glare at him.
"How was I supposed to react when I thought you were cheating? Like it was okay?"
"No but you could have talked to me." He reminds me.
"How could I? I couldn't even look at you without feeling shattered. It destroyed me inside. I felt numb, cold, broken and that was just the surface. I was trapped in my own mind I couldn't even think properly." I tell him. We stand in silence for a while just letting our thoughts consume us.
"I guess everything makes sense now." He says quietly. "But did you really think I would cheat on you?" He asks me. I hear the venerability in his voice and see the unsteady look on his face.
"At first I thought you could never. But there's always that tiny seed of doubt, the little voice that psychs you out. Then the next morning you missed breakfast and when I walked in you were on the phone with her. It felt like you weren't even trying to hide it, you where just parading her in front of my face and taunting me."
"Cassie." He looks at me tears in his eyes.
"I was convinced you thought I was so naive that I wouldn't put two and two together. I felt betrayed, stupid but shattered all in the same moment." I whisper ashamed.
"Stop." He begs me tears streaming down his face. "God I'm such a baby." He wipes his tears turning away from me. I walk over to him and grab his hand. He turns to look at me.
"My father used to say that a boy pretends everything is okay but a real man is brave enough to cry and show emotion to his significant other. There is strength in showing emotions and owning them, not being ashamed of them." I wipe a stray tear away. He closes his eyes and his head leans into my hand. We stand there my hand on his cheek and his eyes locked on mine. I search his eyes and I can see a deep sorrow in them and I know just the thought of my thinking he could ever cheat on me broke him. I feel like a horrible person to have caused all this pain from a simple misunderstanding. I pull him in for a hug and he hugs me back. I'm not sure how long he holds me but I know when he kisses my forehead everything just feels right. I almost messed everything up because I was too afraid to communicate with him. We pull apart and Lane smiles at me.
"I only have eyes for you Cassie. You are the most beautiful girl I've ever met. Your smile is contagious, you make me want to do everything in my power to hear your gorgeous laugh, your tears break me, when you dance words haven't been invented that could describe how your dancing makes me feel. Cassandra, you are the one I want, the one I need, the one I can't imagine my life without." He tells me.
"What happens when this amazing summer is over?" I ask him.
"What do you mean?" He pulls back to look at my face.
"We both live in different cities, I don't know if I could go a whole year without seeing you. I don't want us to just be a summer fling." I look deep into his eyes trying to figure out what he is thinking.
"We will make it work." He reassured me but I'm still not convinced.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because this is real." He tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "And I can't imagine not talking to you everyday or seeing your beautiful face everyday." I feel the heat raise to my cheeks.
"Lane we need to be realistic." I remind him and he nods.
"We will figure it more out when it comes to that. I want to enjoy this last week with you." He tells me kissing my forehead again and I love it.
"Did you want to do a duet for the last cabin performance?" I ask him.
"I would love to. What did you have in mind?" He asks trying to pull away but I don't let him.
"We'll figure that out when it comes to that." I throw his words back at him and he laughs.
"Alright." We stay at the rock for another hour before heading back to camp. We walk back into the main camp area holding hands and I see Tiffany and Winter practically jump out of the hammocks they were in to rush over to us.
"Cassandra!" Winter starts but I stopped her.
"We talked it over." I tell her.
"Casandra I don't think you should forgive him so easily." Tiffany says quietly.
"Cassandra once a cheater always—"
"He didn't cheat." I tell them. The give me their confused looks and I sigh feeling so stupid once again for jumping to conclusions. Lane sighs from beside me. By now the guys have joined us in our group.
"But Danica." Winter starts But Lane interrupts her.
"Danica is my cousin." No one says anything. They all just stare between Lane and I.
"Oh." Winter mumbles.
"Dude." Simon gives him a look full of judgement and I glare at him.
"Don't you even dare say anything about it. I'm his partner now so it doesn't matter." I tell them all and Winter's mouth snaps shut quickly. Simon holds up his hands in surrender.
"I get it." Tiffany says.
"You do?" Winter blurts out. I glare at her again and she pretends to zip her lips.
"It's hard enough to do a love piece with a stranger but it ever worse when it's family. The judging is insane." She tells us. No one says anything and I sigh. I don't understand why this is such a big deal to them. Lane and I share a look knowing that the longer the silence the more awkward it'll be. Thankfully Lane thinks of something quickly.
"We didn't even see the posting." Lane says changing the subject.
"We're going to go and check it. See you guys later." I pull Lane with me and we go back to the performance hall. We walk over to the list and share a look before checking the list.
"I know it wasn't our best performance." I tell him and he nods agreeing.
"Third isn't bad." He shrugs and I agree. I'm so glad we got everything sorted out so my last week will be everything I have hoped it would be.
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Another update what!?! I'm zooming through these chapters now!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Tell me what you thought about the fight?! Did you see that coming?
The next update will be whenever I finish it. I hope you enjoy the video to the top because it's a good one!
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-Kaira