Pick Up The Pieces [Cameron]

[Erika Roxann Martens]

The situations that Erika's 'habits' got her into...

She was, as yet, the only student at Riverdale high who was both a 'normal' (non reincarnate, as she now knew) and yet knew what RSOR was. This meant that she was in on some awesome secrets. However, it also meant that she was the cause of attention from two different parties as a result. RSOR was one of them, of course, and Erika didn't mind that so much. She was already close friends with two members of the leader's panel anyway, so if anything, knowing that secret about them only strengthened their friendship (though it would likely be shattered if they found out how Erika acquired the list of names that started this whole thing...). With attention from RSOR came attention from a group known as Anti-RSOR. She'd already been caught and interrogated by Errol Murdock, and considering she was not trained in entirety to deflect these questions, she'd been caught extremely off guard. Erika hadn't realized that there was a downside to the information than she knew...

The other situation was one that Erika wanted to wish away. At first she tried to rationalize it - She'd only meant to borrow a bit of money. Every time she tried to rationalize it, however, she felt sick. Cameron was her boyfriend. Or, at least he was her boyfriend at the time. No longer did that title hold true. He'd caught her, and that was that. She couldn't even make any excuses for what she did. It all came back to the fact that stealing from someone so close to her was especially wrong (though it wasn't right in the first place...that didn't help Erika to stop, though, as she was ingrained too far in it at this point). It all came back to the fact that if anyone needed that money that was stolen, it was Cameron. What's more, of course he'd catch her, with how hard he had to pay attention to his funds.

The senior wanted to make it up to him. Erika had texted Cameron (still on her speed dial on her phone...she wasn't giving up that easily), asking him to meet her at a coney island restaurant in the middle of Riverdale. She had every intent to foot the bill. As an only child, she usually did have access to money. So why had she stolen from Cameron? Was it really only for the rush? Was she really that addicted? Was it really worth it, after considering all of the negative consequences? Erika waited anxiously outside of the restaurant in a sweater, glancing at her phone occasionally to see if Cameron had tried to get a hold of her. She hoped he would at least show...she didn't want to think that their relationship was damaged beyond repair. Not yet, at least.

Word count: 481
To: Cameron/Ali
Notes: None

[Cameron Alexander Smith]

It had been a month since Cam and Erika's year and a half romance had ended. Everything had been absolutely perfect in Cam's eyes. He didn't think that there was another living creature that he would find on Earth that he loved as much as Erika. She had quite literally been the girl of his dreams and more importantly she had been the girl that he had lost his virginity too, something that had been incredibly important to him. He knew, of course about her kleptomania. Even in the situation that he was in, he found it easy to turn a blind eye to what was going on. He had tried to talk to her yes, but that had not worked and so he had turned to trying to ignore it. It wasn't difficult at first to brush off the little things that she brought home from a day's shopping that she had obviously not purchased (although he pretended to think that she had). As time went on and her 'heists' got larger Cam started to worry for her, more so for the fact that if she got caught she would be in a hell of a lot of trouble.

She crossed a line when he caught her rivalling through his college savings.

He had never, in his short life, felt so many emotions go through him all at once. He was absolutely horrified at what she had done to him - she was probably the one person who knew everything about his home situation and she had still stolen from him when she knew full well how desperately he needed it. He was angry - heated words had been spoken from his mouth that he now felt guilty about but he also felt that he deserved to say them. Most of all he was heartbroken. It was a horrific desicion to make but once he found that he could no longer trust her he had ended their relationship for good. A desicion which on some days he felt was the right one and on other days he regretted. And what killed him the most was knowing full well that if these problems didn't exist then he would probably have married this girl.

They had exchanged some conversation, but Cam was trying to get over her and was so avoiding being around where she usually hung out. He didn't not want to be around her though. In fact he missed her company so bad that he sometimes stayed up till late crying about their failed relationship. It wasn't a surprise to him when he received her text message. They had been exchanging messages a lot and although he had taken her off his speed dial (to save from drunk dialling her and upsetting her even more) she was probably the contact that he text the most still. It was more of a surprise that she propositioned a meal together to talk. At first he was going to text her to decline and was halfway through his text when he suddenly realised that he needed to hear what she had to say for herself. He essentually knew why she wanted to see him and he knew full well what he was going to reply. It would be hard but it was the right thing to do, from Cameron's point of view.

And so here he was, dressed up slightly in dark blue denim skinnies, a red checkered shirt and black (fake of course) converse shoes. Was he nervous? Hell yes. He didn't know how this was going to go down and he knew that he would end up upsetting her at some point in the evening. He had made the effort to scrape some money together for tonight. He had taken on a couple of extra shifts at his 2 jobs at a grocery store and a music store, making sure that he could pay for his half of the food. After all, they were not a couple anymore. He had walked, a journey that had only taken 20 minutes as he lived in lower Riverdale, but he was earlier than he expected. He wondered if Erika would be there, but as soon as he rounded the corner of the street he spotted her standing outside. He hurried up a little, not wanting to keep her waiting any longer for him. As he reached her he gave her a small smile (he wasn't sure if this was going to be awkward or not) and out of instinct he put his arms around her, giving her a hug and a little kiss on her forehead. Damn he missed her warmth. "Hey E. You okay?" He was genuinely concerned with how she was. He knew that this break up had gotten her down and he hated to be the cause of that. "You haven't been waiting long for me have you?" There was concern in his voice as he said this. It was a cold day after all and he didn't want her to be cold.

Tags: Erika/Mandee
Listening to: ...
Thoughts: Awwwww D=
Word count: 895

[Erika Roxann Martens]

One month. To Erika, it seemed both agonizingly long and extremely short. It had been a busy one, to say the least, with the holidays and all of the events with RSOR. Nevertheless, it felt like ages since she'd been able to hug and kiss Cameron. And it was all because of something that she did. All because she couldn't control her own impulses.

Even if Cameron did have money for his food, Erika would insist on paying tonight. After all, she owed that much to him. She'd taken money from him without his permission, but she would not take any money from him any longer, with or without it. How could she have let the situation get as far as it had? Maybe the gesture would even win Cameron back. Somehow she doubted it. She knew Cameron well, and she knew that what she'd done was the lowest of the low in his opinion. Cameron had to work and struggle hard for everything that he got, and by stealing from him she'd figuratively spat in the face of all of his hard work. She couldn't blame him if he never wanted to talk to her again. Regardless, though, Erika did still want to talk to them. They were still on friendly terms apparently, Cameron usually responding to her texts and even sending a few of his own. Erika wasn't sure if she was happy just being friends, though. She'd dated this boy for a year and a half. It would take a lot of getting used to, and Erika wasn't ready to call it quits just yet.

Cameron's greeting gave her hope. She instantly felt warmth as Cameron put his arm around her, just as he would have before any of this happened. He then proceeded to hug her. The huge smile that came across her face fell just a tad when Cameron kissed her on the forehead rather than on the lips. She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up anyway, and she realized this, but it still hurt a tad, and she couldn't completely disguise this.

Was she okay? Not entirely, but she wasn't the type to admit that openly. "I am. I just kind of missed seeing you around, that's all. I figured we could grab a bite to eat...as friends, of course."[/color] Erika hated to add on the disclaimer, as it wasn't what she really wanted, but she knew that she couldn't just come out and say that she wanted him back. At his question, Erika smiled and shook her head, looking at her watch. She hadn't been waiting long, but it felt like longer than it actually was. Again, she wasn't about to bring the full details up. "Only about five minutes or so."[/color] She waited to see how Cameron would respond.

Word count: 481
To: Cameron/Ali
Notes: None

[Cameron Alexander Smith]

Breaking up with somebody was always a rough experience to go through. Breaking up just before Christmas and the New Year however was downright painful and depressing. Cam had been saving like crazy since the beginning of the year to buy Erika a bracelet inscripted with a little message from him. He was sad that he no longer had reason to give it to her. He didn't know what he wanted to do with the money that he had saved for her either. It wouldn't feel right putting it towards his college savings after what that money had been meant for. Perhaps he would give it to his parents, who after the holidays were having an even rougher time paying the bills. Come to think of it, yes that is what he would do. His mother and father had been an incredible source of support for him during the last month and so it was the least he could do to show them how much it meant to him.

He noticed the smile that Erika gave him and knew instantly what she was thinking. He didn't want to lead her on this way but it was hard not to wrap his arms around her whenever he saw her. He had become so accustomed to it that it felt like he was missing a limb when he wasn't around her. He saw her face fall and instantly felt terrible. He shouldn't have hugged her. Now it was going to be even harder telling her that it was over for good. He didn't have a clue what to say and he figured that now was not the time to tell her that he couldn't be with her. He wanted to make sure that she was okay and although he was treading in dangerous waters in messing with her feelings, he wanted to risk it to hopefully have the knowledge that she was starting to feel slightly happier. Deep down though he knew that this wouldn't be the case. He had had every right to end things after what she had done but he was still tearing himself up inside and had spent a good half hour crying last night. One of them had to be strong though, and he decided that as the male, it should be him.

He smiled at her explanation of why she had text to meet him. He didn't know what to think or say to her missing him. He missed her too incredibly, but he also realised that perhaps saying this wasn't the best idea and would give her false hope. And so he just nodded and replied back to her. "It'll be nice to have a catch up with you, for sure. Shall we go in?" He walked to the door and held it open, letting her pass him into the restaurant and then following her in. Even now, he was still being a gentleman to her. It was something that he had learnt from his parents growing up after all and so it was kind of embedded in him. They were soon seated in a booth in a quiet area of the restaurant. Cam was kind of glad of this. After all he was worried that Erika would either shout at him or cry, so at least they were in private. Plus he felt emotional about it all and so if she cried then he would too. It was hard to find a conversation starter. He had hardly been around her in person for a month and a lot could change in 4 weeks. They had been sending texts yes, but a lot of them were of their feelings. Cam had tried to avoid asking what she had been up to, for fear that she could have met a new guy. That would've killed him. "So, what have you been doing recently? Anything new with you or your family?" He was kind of scared of the answer, in case she did mention a new boyfriend. He didn't want to cry this early on into the evening after all.

Tags: Erika/Mandee
Listening to: blessthefall
Thoughts: Break ups suck asssss!
Word count: 740

[Erika Roxann Martens]

The timing indeed could not have been worse. Cameron was not the only one who'd had his gift planned out. Erika felt extra terrible that she'd rationalized, at the time, that it was alright to borrow a few dollars from Cameron because he'd be getting it back in his gift. Now that the act was over, Erika could look back at her actions more objectively, and realize that she was just making excuses to soothe her conscience. And, maybe, to try to win Cameron back.

Obviously it hadn't worked. That didn't mean that she didn't have hope that she could make things right again. She'd admitted that she was wrong, right? She'd apologized. She'd even brought along the Christmas gift that she'd intended to give him. She'd purchased a book for him on the middle ages, knowing that he was into history (and also getting into history herself, now that she knew what RSOR was). So what if they weren't dating? Erika not only wanted to give this to him, she felt as though she owed him this much. Hopefully he'd forgive her?

Erika smiled when Cameron explained that it would be nice to have a catch up with her. At least he agreed with her on that much. He wouldn't have come if he didn't miss her, now would he? Question was, did he want to continue with their relationship or was this really just as friends? Unfortunately, Cameron gave no hint as to his feelings on the matter, and Erika was left wondering. It did bother her a little not to hear the words 'I miss you' from Cameron himself, but what could she do? She couldn't force those three words out of Cameron, so she'd just have to accept that he did want to catch up with her. It was something at least.

Erika let out an odd sounding snort when Cameron asked if anything new had happened to her in the past month. Oh yes, she'd only uncovered the biggest secret at Riverdale High, the one that an entire group of people was devoted to trying to uncover. The group that needed to hide itself because the world finding out would be too dangerous. RSOR. It did occur to her that she couldn't have told Cameron about her discoveries anyway, given what Fred and Isa had told her. "Yeah, apparently I'm going to be a big sister."[/color] She managed to hold a serious face for a few seconds before it transformed into a large grin. "Just kidding. Nope, not much has changed in the past few weeks. You?"[/color] She felt tempted to ask him how he was doing in terms of his savings, but realized that she would be unintentionally pouring salt on the wound by doing so. Therefore, she stayed silent in that regard.

Word count: 479
To: Cameron/Ali
Notes: Indeed. >.<

[Cameron Alexander Smith]

The timing for their break up was definitely awful. But then again, Cameron had to think that it would have gotten worse if nothing was done about it. Deep down, a selfish thought seemed to rise in that he would have felt like a complete mug if he had caught her stealing so soon after Christmas, with the hard work he had put into his gift. In a not so selfish way, he again thought of his parents who had been planning on buying Erika a gift too and how let down they would have felt after spending money they didn't have to spare on their son's soon-to-be ex girlfriend. He also kind of hoped that this break up would give Erika the much needed kick she needed up the ass to sort this problem out, after seeing what it was doing to the people around her and more importantly, to her.

Before they began talking a waiter came over to get a drinks order. He waited patiently for Erika to choose something she fancied from the menu and then ordered a Dr Pepper for himself. He would have very much liked to have ordered a beer but since the drinking age was 21 and he didn't look 21 he was pretty sure he would have had to show some ID. So a fizzy drink would have to suffice. It was extremely hard sitting here, across the table from Erika. Only a month ago things would have been totally different between them. They would have been laughing and joking together, being affectionate and perhaps saying I love you's every so often. Now it was hard to even think of what they could say to one another. One thing could be taken out of context and hurt somebodys feelings. One thing could not be said and hurts somebodys feelings. It was a tricky situations. And all he wanted to do in this tricky situation was tell Erika that he loved her with all his heart and that they were okay. But he couldn't. Not after her betrayal. The only thing left to do now was to tell her that he loved her, would always love her but that a relationship was just not possible now that there was no trust. But that had to wait. He couldn't do it now. Not when she seemed to look slightly happier than he had seen in the past month.

He heard the odd sound that came out of Erika's throat and raised an eyebrow at her whilst taking a sip from his drink. He would have asked straight out what it was but he had pop in his mouth ready to swallow, so couldn't. Before he had a chance to though after he had swallowed it she mentioned that she was going to be a big sister. He looked at her, eyes wide with a huge smile that he could not help. He loved her family and was extremely happy for the new addition. "No way?! Seriously?!" He was pretty damn excited by this news so he was a bit disappointed when she grinned informing him that it was actually a joke. He grinned too at this. "Damn, you had me for a second.". He smiled shaking his head and then listened to what she had to say. He was happy that she seemed okay and nothing else had happened to her that would upset her even more. And he was secretly happy that she had not met somebody just yet. "Not a lot either. I have a new job. It's at a music store, selling vintage records. It's alright. It can be quiet but it seems popular with the older people." He took another sip of her drink and then began scanning his menu for what he fancied.

Tags: Erika/Mandee
Listening to: blood on the dance floor
Thoughts: I'm hungryyyy
Word count: 699

[Erika Roxann Martens]

The unfortunate part was that Erika did realize that what she was doing was wrong. She knew that she shouldn't be stealing. The rush, however, was too much to resist. It was, for all intents and purposes, an addiction with the senior. Erika had always been an adrenaline junkie, and having given up two sports in her first year of high school, she evidently needed another escape. Stealing provided that extra adrenaline rush that she craved, especially since she had to work so hard to keep it a secret. Her parents would be devastated, her reputation would be ruined...

Just like her relationship with Cameron was ruined. If you asked Erika right now, she'd swear that she would never steal again, especially if it won her Cameron back. It wasn't so easy, though.

Erika was happy to be seated across from Cameron at the table again, and her expression showed this, though the longing look in her eyes betrayed that she wasn't happy just sitting across the table from Cameron. She wanted things to be the way that they were. Erika placed an order for a 7-Up with the waiter, watching as Cameron ordered a Dr. Pepper for himself (she smiled fondly - she could have guessed, as this was his usual pop of choice whenever they went out). As the waiter left, Erika suddenly became aware of just how awkward it was to be sitting here with Cameron when they weren't actually dating any longer. A month before they would have been chatting nonstop. Well, maybe not completely nonstop, but they'd be chatting more than they were now. It was why she was happy when the conversation continued.

The eighteen year old had a mouthful of pop when Cameron uttered his 'no way, seriously?', and while she was able to swallow most of it before bursting into a fit of snickers, she still had a small amount dribble down her chin. She quickly unraveled the napkin containing her silverware and dabbed at her chin to dry it off. She was happy to see that he brushed his slip up off easily, and her grin increased in size at this. "Glad to see I still got it."[/color] She was also happy to see Cameron in good spirits, and seemingly not too mad at her. He could always have brushed her off entirely, or been cold to her throughout this entire meeting (in which case, he might as well have just brushed off her attempt to reconcile). So far things were going pretty well. She smiled wide when she heard that Cameron had a new job. "That's great! How much does it pay? What sort of hours do you get?"[/color] She asked, hoping that it was at least a good sum. Cameron deserved that. Erika looked down at her menu as well, trying to aim for something cheap.

Word count: 488
To: Cameron/Ali
Notes: For reference - Minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. I can't see a sixteen year old making much more than that. Maybe $8 max, but I don't know if I see him even making that much unless they take some serious pity on him.

[Cameron Alexander Smith]

Cameron had never had to deal with an addiction before so really, it was hard for him to fully understand Erika's problem. He of course knew that it would be more difficult for her to stop than it seemed from the outside. That was something that had frustrated him throughout their relationship. Why hadn't she sat down and told her parents what was going on? They could have helped her before it got her into trouble! Cam seemed to forget though that some people were not as comfortable opening up to their parents as he was with his. perhaps Erika had been too afraid of their reaction. It still frustrated him nonetheless. He wished that she could have fully opened up to him about it, but it was no good sitting here and thinking of what ifs now. The damage had been done and in Cam's eyes, their relationship was beyond repair.

Cam was just starting to think how awkward things were feeling between them when Erika who had just taken a sip of her drink, laughed enough that it dribbled down her chin. This made him laugh out loud, his hand grabbing onto his stomach, the way it always did when something particularly amused him. It was about 15 seconds before he finally calmed down enough to hand her his napkin, but she had already fetched one for herself and was dabbing her chin dry. "Smooth E. Real smooth!" He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling slightly, the way they always did when something she did or said made him laugh the way he had.

He smiled as well when she commented on his new job. He realised that they were creeping close to dangerous waters, talking about something that was related to money. He hoped that they wouldn't come onto the subject they were here for so soon. He didn't feel in the right mind just yet to talk about something that was painful to both of them. In his own little Cam way though, he wanted her to know that he was okay though financial wise. He didn't want the guilt hanging on her to eat at her, even though he was still incredibly angry at it. "I get about $7.40 per hour. I only work about 10 hours a week though. It's kinda quiet so they don't need me and with my other job and school...I don't fancy getting totally bogged down with work. I'll pick some more hours up in the holidays...possibly another job too." He smiled at this. He honestly didn't seem to mind the fact that he had to work hard to get some cash. It was something her had always done after all, and so it felt alien to him if he wasn't rushing back and forth to a couple of jobs.

Luckily both jobs had let him have tonight off so that he could spend some time with Erika. They knew that he had split up with her - he had rang in sick to both jobs whilst it was still raw. They of course, did not know the details. Cam had just told them that they had grown apart and that was that. He was still in the process of looking through the menu when he picked out a simple meal of burger and fries. Not nutrional at all, but it was still good. "Anything taking your fancy yet?" He enquired as he closed his menu and placed it on the table.

Tags: Erika/Mandee
Listening to: We Came As Romans
Thoughts: Finally posted ^^
Word count: 646

[Erika Roxann Martens]

When it came down to it, Erika had a hard time admitting to herself that she had a problem. She did know that what she was doing was wrong, but that didn't mean that she could battle the urge when it came up. Sitting down and telling her parents was almost laughable, except that she didn't find it in the least bit funny either. How devastated would their parents be to find out that their only daughter was a raging kleptomaniac? Getting detentions frequently was about the worst they had to worry about with her, and that was usually only over silly infractions like talking in class or being tardy. Stealing? That was something else entirely. That wasn't only against the rules, it was illegal.

Upon seeing Cameron laugh she lost it as well. She could only imagine how silly she looked, and she had to admit that Cameron's laughter made her feel a bit giddy as well. Perhaps the part that made her feel the best was hearing Cameron call her by the name E, his old nickname for her while they were still dating. Now, there was nothing overly romantic about the name, and it could easily be used between friends as well. Nevertheless, it wasn't the anger and disappointment that greeted her the day they broke up. It was the disappointment that bothered her most of all. Mostly because she couldn't blame him. "Like I said Cam, I still got it."[/color]

Erika knew that money was a tricky subject as well, but she honestly wanted to hear that he was doing alright. $7.40 an hour for someone his age was pretty decent, but only ten hours a week didn't amount to much. She knew that Cameron had another job, but how much time did that leave for himself? She felt tempted to reach across the table and place her hand on his, but stopped herself before doing so. They weren't together anymore. What if he freaked out? Conversely, it might be a step in the right direction, but did she really want to take that chance? In the end, she decided against it. The last thing she wanted to do was break up the seemingly good rapport they had. They might be broken up, but the fact that they were getting along was a good sign. Even if things were without a doubt awkward in some spots.

So the senior placed her hands in her lap to prevent them from doing anything of their own accord (or what felt like their own accord). Erika wanted to ask him more about his jobs, but didn't know how safe it was to stay on the subject of money, what with how their relationship ended. She further thought about asking him about college, but even that seemed a bit dangerous, as she'd 'borrowed' (and she still mentally called it borrowing, even if she knew deep down what it truly was) money that he was saving up for college. It was a lot harder to have a conversation than she thought, though Cameron bridged the gap with a question about food. Food. Now there was a safe subject at last. "I'll probably get a hot dog and fries. Well, something with fries, I haven't quite decided yet."[/color] She wanted to make sure that it was something cheap, as she knew Cameron would likely be going that route. How would it look if she ordered a steak next to his burger and fries?

Word count: 592
To: Cameron/Ali
Notes: Wewt.

[Cameron Alexander Smith]

Calling Erika by her nickname he had given to her just felt natural. It was like her calling him by his nickname, Cam. Although the only difference being was that E had been his own personal nickname for her and Cam was one that almost verybody he knew used regularly. Cameron was just such a mouthful. Erika's on the other hand had been cute to him, and he had liked to use it when they were cuddling up together in bed or something. Thinking of this caused him more pain than he was expecting and it showed in his face - he suddenly looked taken aback and upset. But after another blink it had gone. Why was it so difficult to sit here with her but too difficult to say goodbye for good? He didn't want to lose her and deep down he didn't want to lose her as his girlfriend but he felt that taking her back would only do more bad than good eventually. He didn't know why he felt this but to him it made sense. And he was more worried about her of course...he didn't want to cause her anymore pain but whichever road he went down now would do nothing but that. He loved her so much but he loved her enough to let her go.

Ten hours a week didn't amount to much true but when you put it together with his other part time job he clocked up betwwen 20-25 hours a week giving him at least $170 dollars. He gave some to his parents every week, then he split the read 70:30. The larger ratio went towards college. The smaller bit went towards little treats for himself, such as when he was saving for a new t shirt and for his weed. He was lucky that he got paid weekly as his money was usually gone by his next pay check. He was obviously doing something right though as he still managed to afford his little luxuries after he had put money away and towards the house. Things were definitely a bit better off during the summer, when he was able to work another job and molre hours at all of them so that he was coming out with more than double what he had now, which tended to be the reason why summer meant that he got most of his clothes for the year and stocked up on school supplies and stuff. At the end of the day he didn't want Erika to feel bad, partly because she had basically spat on all of his work, but mainly because he was fine and he knew how to look after himself.

Cam wouldn't have known what to have done if Erika had placed her hands on his. It was likely that he would have let her for a second, maybe even stroke her hand back and then pull away. So it was good that he had moved the conversation to food at the right time. Hot dog and fries sounded good but he reckoned that he was going to stick to his burger. He had a craving for it now that he had seen it in the menu. "I'm gonna have burger and fries. It's calling to me like a hobo is called to a guitar" Even in awkward situations like this Cam still kept his sense of humour. He smiled at Erika as they waited for someone to take an order. Whilst waiting he picked up his cutlery and began beating out a rhythm whilst making up a rap to it. "E is going to order some fries, I'm so hungry I might die, she's gonna have a hot dog, im having a burger, if we dont eat soon then there will be murder...yo wassup wassup!" He finished off with a gangster sign with his fingers and then dropped his knife and fork as somebody came over to take their order. He looked over at Erika so that she could place hers first.

Tags: Erika/Mandee
Listening to: Brokencyde
Thoughts: I apologise for the big financial paragraph...it flowed better with what I was trying to say ^^
Word count: 744

[Erika Roxann Martens]

It was most definitely a relief to hear Cameron calling her E again. Regardless of his intent, it was friendly in nature, and was a reminder of the good times that they'd shared. At the same time, this reminder was a bit bittersweet, as Erika longed to hear him call her 'E' with that same feeling as before. With them sitting side by side, hand in handy, watching the latest movies in theaters. They'd even successfully made out once in the back, without getting caught by the theater employees.

Erika wondered if perhaps she should try to get a job. Her parents provided for her quite well, especially given that she was their only child and they both had decent jobs, but knowing Cam's story gave her a different perspective on things. Maybe she should be saving up money for college too. She didn't have anywhere near as much to worry about as he did, of course, but Cameron was opening her eyes to the fact that the world wasn't as easy as she'd been raised to believe.

"A hobo to a guitar? First time I've heard that one, but it fits!"[/color] Not that there were too many hobos on street corners in Riverdale strumming for money, although there might be a couple in Lower Riverdale. Erika usually only went down there when visiting Cam when they were still dating. Damn, she wished she could do something to help him out! Especially after what she'd already done to him...

Then it came to her. A grin came across her face, a grin that was probably attributed to Cameron's rap (and to some extent it was), but had an ulterior cause behind it as well. She would make it up to him. She'd leave him gifts to help him out. She would also get a job and use the funds from that to help pay for those gifts. Or, at least, that was her resolution. Now whether she'd be able to stick to that method of obtaining the gifts remained to be seen, but it was a valid resolution, at least? A step in the right direction? It was with this thought that she gave a gleeful laugh as the waitress came over in a hurry after hearing Cameron's rap. "I'll have a chili dog with fries. Make them cheese fries, actually. Thanks."[/color] Erika handed the waitress the menu then sat back and listened while Cameron ordered. Before the waitress left, she stated with a smile that the two of them made a good couple, heading off to take another group's order before either of them could correct her. Erika went red as she looked across the table at Cameron. Well, a couple of months ago it would have been true...but now? It just seemed like salt in the wound. All because she screwed it up.

Word count: 486
To: Cameron/Ali
Notes: Awkward waitress. XD

[Cameron Alexander Smith]

There were many incidents between them that kept running through Cam's head, like a movie as well. The movie theater incident was one that crossed his mind. There were other things that were rather explicit, and then some that were not sexual at all. Their first date, their first kiss, little outings they had ventured on together such as picnics. Even their first shared spliff together was running through his head. All of these were each a painful stab to Cam and a painful reminder of what he was going to lose for good by the time that this meal was over. Why was he ending it again when it caused so much pain to do that? Damn his stupid dignity!

It was true that in some senses they were worlds apart. But liek it was normal for Cam to have a job all of the time, it was normal for Erika to not have a job. This didn't bother Cam in the slightest either - why did he have the right to say whether someone should get a job or not. He was pretty sure that if things were better off at home then he wouldn't have a job either. In fact it wasn't very often that a Junior held down one job, let alone two.

Cam grinned at Erika's comment about a hobo and his guitar. he had made it up off the top of his head so he was glad to see that she appreciated his sense of humour still, even if things were a bit weird between them at the moment. He was finishing off his little rap when he saw Erika start grinning widely at him. He assumed that she was grinning at his words, but he also knew Erika well enough to know that this wasn't entirely the case. He smiled a bit glad to see that she seemed a lot happier today even though he knew why she was like this. He again mentally kicked himself for the fact that he would soon have to take that away from her again. But he carried on like normal, his smile turning to a grin. "That's a big grin...you look like The Joker E! What's up?" He smiled at her again, waiting for an answer when the waitress suddenly came over seemingly hearing what he was singing.

He tried not to laugh at that but he couldn't quite help but get rid of the grin on his face. It was the first time he had even called over a waitress or waiter like that before and he planned on trying it elsewhere. He waited for Erika to place her order and then placed his. "Cheese burger and fries for me cheers. Do you want another drink?" He looked over to Erika unsure if she would want a top up or not. He was trying to make his drink last, so that he wouldn't have to purchase another one. But if Erika wanted to he wasn't going to stop her.

Then the waitress just had to go and make everything awkward again. Cam addressed her comment with a nervous laugh whilst looking in E's direction. It seemed that they had finally come to why they were there in the first place. Cam didn't want to start this conversation though so he let Erika go first, if she wanted to.

Tags: Erika/Mandee
Listening to: Skrillex
Thoughts: Uh oh!
Word count: 618

[Erika Roxann Martens]

At least where Erika's plan was concerned, it was a good thing that the waitress showed up when she did. It distracted Cameron from the fact that she was grinning, considering all of the reasons that she could think of (the true reasons, actually) were ones that she wasn't sure that Cameron would like to hear. The first reason was, of course, the fact that she had an idea to help out Cameron and make it up to him. The key part of the idea, though, was that he didn't know it was her, because she knew that he'd refuse it then. The other? She was happy that it was almost, almost seeming like old times.

Then the waitress had to go and ruin the mood.

In her defense, she had no way of knowing what was happening between Erika and Cameron. For all she knew Erika and Cameron were a cute couple. And, in fact, they had been up until recently. That was why the words stung so much. It was fortunate that Erika didn't need a refill on her drink, or the waitress might come back sooner. Erika needed time to regain her composure before that could happen. Apparently, so did Cameron. All he responded with was a nervous laugh. Erika forced out one of her own. The awkward silence was killer. In just a few minutes, they'd gone from laughing and joking to complete silence. This wasn't supposed to happen. Trying to occupy herself in the silence, the senior made stirring motions with her straw in her drink.

It finally grew to the point where Erika could no longer take the sound of the ice moving around in the glass to break up the silence. She had to say something, but what? Why did this have to happen? "I'm sorry, Cam."[/color] She was, and she was fairly certainly that he knew that she was, so why was she simply repeating herself? Maybe because there was still a faint hope in Erika that one of her apologies might stick, that Cameron would put this behind them and they could be a couple again. Perhaps the worst part of the whole thing, though, was that Erika likely wouldn't stop her habits. She would apologize, and she would promise not to do it again. And while she would mean the promise at the time, she'd get caught up in the moment and end up doing something again. That was how Erika worked, and Cameron knew her well enough to realize it. In fact, in some ways, Cameron seemed to know more about Erika than she knew about herself. Erika began to stir her drink with her straw again, waiting impatiently for a response. She desperately wanted to continue their previous conversation but didn't know if that was a possibility now.

Word count: 477
To: Cameron/Ali
Notes: Ruh roh indeed. XD

[Cameron Alexander Smith]

It was definitely a good thing that Erika didn't mention anything about her plans to help out Cam. She was correct in thinking that he wouldn't be too thrilled with what she had in store seeing as the first thing he would do would be to jump to conclusions on how she was actually going to retrieve the stuff. It wouldn't be very fair no, but could you really blame him after how he and the senior sitting across from him had ended? However if she had admitted to how she liked it feeling almost like old times, he perhaps wouldn't have been as awkward about it as if she had admitted her plans. The awkwardness would have been more out of pity than actual wanting from his end, but even now that feeling was still there for him too, even if most of it had gone so quickly. He still loved her, but it was a different kind of love now...one that he could never reciprocate back to her...at least not now anyway or in the near future. He could not deny though that this almost familiaer territory that they were in was nice though. It was a shame that it had to end like this.

It was sods law that when things were going rather smoothly, something had to ruin it. That 'something' had turned out to be a waitress who was oblivious to why they were here together - it was not her fault but Cam couldn't help but feel an inkling of irritation at how sudden they had arrived at this unpleasant part of the evening. He wasn't sure if he was ready and he had no clue what to say. He had hoped that they would be able to talk after eating as they would have been able to build bridges every so slightly more. But noooooo. He was still rattling his brains trying to think of something to say when he heard the sound of clinking. As he looked up Erika suddenly apologised to him. He looked at her, not knowing quite what to say and knowing that she was probably wanting him to forgive and forget. It took a few moments to gather the thoughts rushing through his head. He had to be straight with her, and that moment had come. "I know you are. And I appreciate you apologising. It's just that..."

He paused, wanting to look at her properly as he was saying what he was about to say to her. That way she would know that he meant what he was saying to her and would not give her false hope. "It's just that I don't think I could trust you one hundred percent again. And trust is one of the biggest parts of a relationship right? I don't...I don't think we could work with it not being there." He was giving it to her gently as he felt that it was completely unnecessary to spring it all on her at once. He did think that she might see some false hope in what he had already said though and so he added onto the end: "I want to say that we can work things out but after what happened...I love you but it's not the same as before. I'm really sorry E." Cam was such a gentleman that even he was the one who had been wronged, he was the one who ended up apoligising. He was worried about how Erika would take what he was saying, and so he began to stir the ice cubes in his Dr. Pepper awkwardly too, waiting for her to have her say.

Tags: Erika/Mandee
Listening to: From First To Last
Thoughts: I'm SO sorry how long this took to get out >.<
Word count: 685

[Erika Roxann Martens]

If she could, Erika was pretty sure that she'd go back in time and slap herself. At the very least, she would tell herself off for even considering what she'd done. Of course, she'd gone a lot farther than just considering it. And for what? It wasn't even that much money in the end! Yet it symbolized so much more. Perhaps the worst part of it all? Despite how much Erika wanted to change her ways, despite knowing that she needed to after the trouble it landed her in with Cam?

She wasn't going to change. She wanted to, and she had the right goals in mind, but she hadn't set out thinking that she was going to steal from Cam either. She'd reasoned it out in her head as borrowing, and that she would pay him back. That was part of the problem - Erika always had mental excuses for her actions at the time that she did them, even though looking back she often realized that she was in the wrong. It was always too late at that point, however. In the case of Cam? It was far too late.

The corners of her mouth turned up a little when Cam stated that he knew she was sorry, and that he appreciated her apology. However, at 'it's just that', Erika's smile dropped abruptly. There was no way that anything good could follow that. She was already bracing herself, but it still wasn't enough to protect her from what was coming. To some extent, though, she didn't want to protect herself. To some extent she wanted to punish herself for her own wrongdoing.

Hearing the disappointment in his voice was a punishment in itself. The words only served to make her feel worse. Of course he didn't trust her. She wouldn't trust herself. It still hurt hearing that he wasn't going to give her a second chance. For all intents and purposes she realized it even prior to his saying it, but actually hearing the words from his mouth made it official. She was still stirring her drink with her straw, with a noticeable difference in the degree of speed and power with which she did it. If one paid close enough attention, they'd notice that she was stirring harder, as a result of her own frustration and nerves. Another part of her wanted to take everything out on the waitress, who just had to make an assumption and bring this out into the open. In the end, though, she remained silent on that front. She knew the waitress was an innocent party who simply made what she thought was an innocuous comment. It was Erika who set it all into motion with her own mistake, and now she was paying the price. Erika couldn't even bring herself to meet Cameron's face at this point, instead resting her eyes on her drink. "I understand, and I don't blame you. I...I guess I should probably go."[/color] Erika stammered before shuffling to her feet. It wasn't that she didn't want to be around Cameron, or that she didn't want to pursue a friendship. However, the conversation had gone sour, and the entire mood of the evening was ruined. Even if they did stay and chat as friends, there would be a dark cloud looming over their heads for the rest of the meal. Most importantly? She was upset, and she wasn't so sure she would be able to stop herself from starting to cry in front of Cameron.

Word count: 477
To: Cameron/Ali
Notes: Ruh roh indeed. XD