After Alex Died by Dakota Madison Page A

collective gasp from the group. All of the kids looked stunned.
    I could feel my heart start to race and the auditorium, that had felt large when I walked in, suddenly felt like it was closing in on me. Several beads of sweat ran down my face and I quickly wiped them away. I could feel my stomach start to churn and I started to get light-headed. I could feel myself start to sway and right before I passed out, Cameron caught me in his arms.
    When my eyes opened both Dr. Jones and Cameron were staring at me.
    “Are you okay?” Dr. Jones asked.
    “I don’t know. What happened?”  I was lying on the floor. “Where are the kids?”
    “I sent them to lunch early,” Dr. Jones replied. “You fainted and Cameron caught you just before you fell.”
    I looked at Cameron. “Thanks.”
    “Why don’t you sit up?” he said.
    I did as I was told.
    “Would you like me to get you some water?” he asked.
    I shook my head. “I think I’m okay. Embarrassed but okay.”
    “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Dr. Jones a ssured me as I sat up and let Cameron help me to my feet.
    She continued. “All of the kids expressed their concern. Needless to say they were surprised by Cameron’s story but even more surprised that you were Alex’s sister.”
    “You should probably get something to eat.” Dr. Jones gave me a stern motherly look. “Cameron mentioned that you don’t eat much for breakfast. You know it’s the most important meal of the day.”
    “So I’ve heard.” I glanced at Cameron, who was stifling a grin.
    “When you’re feeling a little better, ” Dr. Jones added. “You may want to have a talk with Destiny. She seemed worried about you.”
    “I will.” I was worried about her too.
    “I’ll go to lunch with you,” Cameron offered. I could see he had concern in his eyes.
    “I’ll be okay,” I assured him.
    He was still holding onto my elbow. I felt like he was afraid to let go of me, as if I might fall again. Or maybe he felt like he was holding me up emotionally as well.
     
    Cameron was quiet as we headed to the cafeteria. “You can let go of my arm,” I suggested. “I promise I won’t faint again.”
    “Okay,” he agreed, but he didn’t release his hold on me.
    “Seriously, I’m feeling much better.”
    When Cameron finally let go of me, he didn’t seem to know what to do with his arms, so he folded them over his chest.
    “I’m sorry you lost your scholarship to Penn State.”
    “I got into a college in Boston for the fall term. A partial academic scholarship. I’ll have to work part-time to pay for the rest. My parents already told me they wouldn’t pay for me to go to school. They were furious when I lost the basketball scholarship.”
    “So you don’t play at all anymore?”
    He shook his head. “Nope.”
    “That’s too bad. You were really good.”
    “I just don’t have it in me anymore.”
    I knew how he felt. There was a lot I didn’t have in m e anymore. I stopped and turned to face Cameron. “I had no idea that you ever thought about me.”
    “I think about you every day. I’ve thought about you every day for the past two years.”
    “I didn’t realize that you even noticed me before—everything happened.”
    Cameron put his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels. “I have a feeling there’s a lot about me you don’t know.”
    I could feel my breath quicken. “I’m not sure what you want from me,” I muttered.
    “I think you do,” he said softly.
    I shook my head. “No.”
    Cameron’s eyes met mine and we stared at each other for a moment. For the first time, I noticed he had specks of gold in his green eyes.
    “ No, you don’t know what I want or no I can’t have it .”
    “Just no,” I said.
    “I’ll take that as a no for now .”
    “I never expected you to be an optimist,” I said.
    “I’m not. I used to thrive on a challenge, though. It’s been a long time since anyone’s challenged me. It’s actually been a long time