I ran to the waterfront, silent tears leaking from my eyes the whole way there.

Chapter Five

Sitting with my feet hanging off the dock, I had been crying for what felt like ages before I heard footsteps behind me. I knew those footsteps. However, I didn't move as he sat next to me and placed his arm around my shoulders.

I broke for a moment and just buried my head in Grant's chest, letting my tears soak his shirt. My twin didn't say anything. He didn't have to. The conversation was had once, and since then at times like this, we would just know how the other was feeling. We were just close like that.

So instead of speaking, Grant pulled me in closer and wrapped his arms around me tight, putting us in an interesting hug position, his face buried in my hair. I felt a few tears on my neck and realized they were his. My brother was crying. My brother was crying. Grant never cries, not even when Dad died, he just stood there looking empty and alone, as if all emotion had left and he wasn't physically capable of crying. It was just impossible. Because Grant never cries.

But I guess even he has his moments. After sitting there holding each other for what felt like an eternity, we pulled away.

"Are you okay?" Grant asked, hands on my arms.

"No. Are you?" I answered honestly.

"Nope."

I leaned my head on his shoulder and it was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"You know, he wouldn't have wanted you to hide your voice." The statement was quiet, yet I still heard it.

"I know." It was a shuddered response, but a response nonetheless. "I know he wouldn't. And I feel like I disappoint him because of that. Like I'm breaking a promise. And I kind of am. That night...when the truck crashed...he made me promise not to stop singing. And I...And I always tell myself that I'm not really breaking that promise, because I didn't stop, I just don't sing outside of my bathroom but that's just a loophole I created so that I didn't have to feel guilty. I hate myself for...for disappointing him but I just...I can't face it. I can't face singing without him with me. I just can't..." The tears were flowing freely again by the time I finished talking.

"You're not disappointing him Cam. He would understand. You're scared and hurt. But that should be why you sing, not why you don't. You should express how you're feeling with music instead of not singing because of how you feel."

As I thought over my brothers words, it became quiet again.

"Okay." I whispered.

"What?" Came the mumbled response.

"Okay." I spoke louder.

"You're going to try to put your music out there again?" I could sense the hope in his voice, and it made me smile a little.

"Yeah. Slowly, but I'll work my way up to singing at Benny's again soon."

And with that, he put his arm around my shoulders again, leaning his head on mine as we watched the water silently.

When we finally got home after that long walk back, we opened the door to see everyone running around with papers and cell phones and pictures of me and worried expressions. Even Zach was there.

"Guys." I said quietly, blushing a little as I tucked my hair behind my ear.

The ruckuss continued. They hadn't heard me.

"Guys." I spoke a little louder.

They still hadn't heard.

"GUYS!" Grant yelled for me.

He knew I didn't like to raise my voice unless I was really angry like I had been that morning.

Everything stopped and they turned to us, expressions calming and phones dropping.

"Oh, thank god." My mom moved towards me and wrapped me in a bone crushing hug before she pulled away, squeezing my arms with her hands. "Cameron. Ann. Morgan. Scare me like that again and I will murder you. Do you understand me? I will mother fucking murder you. Is that clear?"

Jeez, she must be really angry because Mom never curses. Like, never. And honestly, I was afraid. Afraid to the point where I forgot to respond for a moment.

"Is. That. Clear?" She repeated, exaggerating the words.

"Yeah. Yes. Of course. Yes." I nodded, stiff as a board.

Mom let me go and hugged me again.

A lot of hugs went around that night and I was yelled at my many people, but all I could do was squirm under the gaze of electric green eyes peering at me from the other side of the room.

I woke up and took a quick shower before changing into some ripped jeans and a black oversized Pop's Chock Lit Shop cropped hoodie. I slid on my military boots and styled my hair in waves, pulling it up into a ponytail.

I took a deep breath and stared at my sapphire blue eyes in the mirror. "Alright, Cammie. You can do this."

Grabbing a backpack and the keys to my dad's old motorcycle (I didn't have a car), I ran downstairs.

"Hey, hon." Mom said from the kitchen.

"Morning." I smiled.

She glanced up from the pan where she was trying to make...an omelet? "Where you going?"

"Oh, uh, Benny's. Haven't been by in a while so I thought I could pop by." My words came out as stutters.

Mom froze and looked at me fully, a small hopeful smile on her lips. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"That's great, Cam!"

It was silent for a few seconds.

"Where's Grant?"

That put her back into motion and she turned back to the pan where the "omelet" was burning. "He's went to meet up with Zach. I don't know when he'll be home or where they're going."

Ignoring how my heeart fluttered slightly at Zach, I smiled. "Well, in that case, I'm out. See you later." I waved before turning towards the garage door.

"Wait. You're taking the bike?" Joe asked as he walked downstairs. He and Abby had stayed over last night.

I turned, slowly nodding as my teeth sunk into my lip. "Yeah. Dad taught me how to ride and left it to me so I might as well use it sometime, right? Anyway, I'll see you guys later."

With that, I retreated into the garage.

Sighing, I walked past my mom's van and over to the corner. There was a tarp. And underneath it, the treasure of my childhood.

Peeling it back, I couldn't help but smile.

Dad's bike.

"My turn! My turn!" I exclaimed as Dad pulled back into the driveway with Grant on the back of his kawasaki vulcan.

I was five years old. It was a Saturday and Mom was out, so Dad had decided to break the rules a bit.

"Alright, Chameleon. Get up here." Daddy held his hands out.

I giggled as he lifted me up.

"It's awesome, Camster! Really!" Grant called.

I held tightly to my father as the engine rumbled, loving the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

And without warning, the bike took off down the street.

Grant ran behind us, whooping and whistling as he tried to keep up.

The wind blew my hair out of my face, and the sound of my laughs filled the air.

Grabbing my leather jacket from the backpack and the helmet from the rack on the wall, I took my hair out of it's ponytail and pulled on the jacket, throwing the helmet over my head.

"Alright, Cam." I revved the engine and slowly pulled out into the driveway. "Let's do this."

With that, I speed down the street, getting faster by the second.

TIME SKIP

After about 20 minutes, I pulled up in front of Benny's. Benny's was a small bar/cafe tavern about 10 minutes outside of Roseville. It was literally in the middle of nowhere, nothing but forest surrounding it. Benny, the owner, and my dad go way back. They were in a band together in high school and were even close freinds after that. The band desembeled after college but Benny still aloud Dad to perform at the bar/cafe sometimes and when I was born, he became somewhat of an uncle to me. We would sing together, cook in the kitchen at the cafe and play instruments.

I hadn't seen him in years and I didn't know if he would be mad at me or not, causing an unnerving feeling to settle in my core.

But despite my nervousness, I still parked in the front, took the helmet off and shook out my hair, and then stepped up to the oak doors.

However, what I didn't do was notice the electric green eyes watching my every room from afar.

Zach Pov

I was waiting for Grant outsode of some place called Benny's. Apparently there was some old friend he wanted me to meet that worked there or something.

I was just leaning on the side of the building after parking my car on the far end of the lot when something caught my eye.

It was a motorcycle coming down the road at reckless speeds.

I was expecting some guy in his late twenties with tons of tattoos to step off of it, but instead I saw a girl.

A girl driving a motorcycle and wearing a leather jacket. A girl with wavy blonde hair. A girl with striking blue eyes. A girl whose name was Cammie Morgan.

A girl who I knew as Gallagher Girl.

She swerved into park in front of the doors, pulling the helmet off when she came to a stop. She shook her hair long hair out, making her a thousand times more beautiful.

I can't deny that when Grant talked about her, I was expecting some girl that wears pink and loves attention. Little did I know she was beautiful, the most beautiful girl I'd ever met, hated the color pink, preferred to stick to the shadows and rides a motorcycle. As soon as I saw her that day, when Macey had announced the "new and improved" Cammie Morgan, I was head over heels.

She was the center of my world at that exact moment, and I couldn't do anything but look at her. Her smile brightened my world, her laugh made music ring in my ears.

But her disappearing for at least 2 hours?

I almost had a heart attack.

She hadn't payed much attention to me after she cane back, but when she walked through the door it was like I could breathe again.

Not that I'd try to date her or anything.

First, she'd never feel the same way. I was a terrible person before Roseville, and that's probably why my mom moved us here in the first place. Sure, it was for the music studio but she most likely wanted dme to have a fresh start.

At first I thought moving was a load of shit and I was literally ready to go off on my own and move to...I don't know...New York?

But when I saw Cammie, moving didn't seem so bad anymore.

Second, Grant might literally kill me.

I almost wanted to call out to her, but then I realized I shouldn't. Besides, I needed to wait for Grant.

She walked inside the oak doors of Benny's and didn't even notice me watching her.

After a few minutes and Grant still wasn't there, I clenched my fists.

Screw it!

Walking forward, I followed Cam through the doors.

Cammie Pov

I walked up to the counter, leaning on it with one arm, the other on my hip, surveying the place.

Not a single thing had changed in the 4 years I hadn't come.

The tables were still wooden with the black folding chairs surrounding them. The counter I was leaning on was still littered with scratches from drunks digging their nails into the surface, bar stools lining it in a half circle. The stage at the front of it all. No more than 7 people hanging around in dark corners.

It was exactly the same.

And it made me smile.

"Hey, uh, I'm gonna need a 1987 Scotch on the rocks, please." I called out to whoever was in the back.

They only served 1987 Scotch on the rocks to one person. But that one person no longer came around. That one person was my father. That one person would say exactly what I'd just said when he would order it too. And I didn't want just anybody to hear me say it. I wanted Benny to hear me say it. Because then he would know who I was. Then he would know I was back for good.

"Oh, uh..."

A bartender came to the front, he was new, someone who was probably told of the old Matthew Morgan and his daughter, but of course he wouldn't know who I was. He stared at me blankly but before he could say anything, a voice stopped him.

A man in his mid forties with graying black hair and kind blue eyes, a neatly cropped beard decorating his face sauntered up to the counter, a huge smile forming on his face, causing my smile to grow.

"Cameron Morgan as I live and breathe!" Benny exclaimed, walking through a door that led to my side of the counter and picking me up in a tight hug.

I laughed, hugging him back.

When he finally set me down, he shook my arms slightly. "It's been what? 4 years? Look how grown up you are!"

I laughed again. "I'm only 17, Benny."

"Well, that's 4 years older then the last time you walked in here. How've you been? Still singing I hope?" He raised an eyebrow.

By now the bartender had returned to his post, looking confused as ever.

"Pretty good, but um...Actually, I kind of stopped singing after...you know." My hand moved to tuck my hair behind my ear.

He sighed and put his hands on his hips, about to scold me but I spoke before he could.

"But, last night Grant convinced me to get back into it so...Here I am!" I rationalized. "Besides, I haven't seen you in a while so I thought I could drive the old bike down here. I would've dragged Grant with me but he's with a friend."

The smile reappeared on Benny's face. "Y'all still have that old thing?"

I grinned. "Of course. But while I'm here...Do you still have it?"

"Why wouldn't I have it? It's in the back if you wanna get it back in tune." At my nod, he led me back behind the stage to the sort of lounge area.

It was sitting on a stand freshly polished and dusted, even after all these years.

"There she is." I whispered in awe, running up to my old acustic guitar.

I ran my fingers over it's shiny surface, remembering the hours we spent together in that very room. She was a beauty, a legend. I remembered my dad and I playing duets together, that guitar in my hands.

I picked it up and smiled.

"I'll give you a moment." I heard Benny say behind me, then the whip of the curtains as he disapeared behind them.

Snapping out of my trance, I pulled the strap over my head and around my body, sitting down in a stool nearby.

"Okay, Cam. You got this."

Taking a deep breath, I started with something simple. Boys Like You by Anna Clendening. My fingers strummed over the keys and I started to sing.

Mama said there'd be boys like you

Tearin' my heart in two

Doin' what you do best

Takin me for a ride

Tellin me pretty little lies

But with you, I can't resist

Before I met you

I never felt good enough

Before I let you in

I'd already given up

Left on read, no reply

Left me just, wonderin' why

Now I'm skeptical of love

So when you hold my hand

Do you wanna hold my heart?

When you say you want me

Is it all of me or just one part?

So when you hold my hand

Do you wanna hold my heart?

When you say you want me

Mama said there'd be boys like you

Tearin' my heart in two

Doin' what you do best

Takin' me for a ride

Tellin' me pretty little lies

But with you I can't resist

I'm terrified

But I'll never let you know

Social suicide

If I ever let it show

Everything feels just right

I fall in place, we fall in line

I'll never let you go

So when you hold my hand

Do you wanna hold my heart?

When you say you want me

Is it all of me or just one part?

So when you hold my hand

Do you wanna hold my heart?

When you say you want me

Is it all of me?

Yeah

Mama said there'd be boys like you

Tearin' my heart in two

Doin' what you do best

Takin' me for a ride

Tellin' me pretty little lies

But with you I can't resist

Maybe mama doesn't always know best

So when you hold me

(When you hold me)

Am I the only one?

Do you wanna know me?

(Do you wanna know me?)

Or is this all just for fun?

Mama said there'd be boys like you

Tearin' my heart in two

Doin' what you do best

Takin' me for a ride

Tellin' me pretty little lies

But with you I can't resist

No, no

Maybe mama doesn't always know best

Mama said there'd be boys like you

Too good to be true

Doin' what you do best

Takin' me for a ride

Tellin' me pretty little lies

But for you, for you, for you

I'll take that risk

"Wow."

My head snapped up, but I relaxed when I saw who it was. "Zach. What are you doing here?" I flipped my guitar so that it was on my back.

He ran a hand through his curly dark brown hair. "Grant told me to meet him here but when he didn't show and you came I followed you inside. Benny pointed me here, and I found you..."

I blushed and tucked my hair behind my ear. "You, uh, you heard that, huh?"

Zach nodded, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Yeah. You're amazing, by the way. Like, really amazing."

My blushed deepened. "Thanks."

It was silent between us for a couple of minutes.

"How 'bout I take you somewhere?" Before I could answer, he grabbed my hand and lifted me off the stool, bringing me back to the stage.

We stepped down the steps and Benny reappeared.

"Where might you two be going?" He asked.

"I have no idea." I answered, eyes wide.

Zach's smirk widened. "I'm going to show miss Gallagher Girl over here the only part of Roseville she hasn't seen yet. Harmonic Studios."

Holy hell, he's taking me to his mom's studio.

It was the only thing my brain would allow me to think as he led me outside to his car.

"You have a Corvette?! A freaking Corvette?" I exclaimed, staring at his blue car.

Zach laughed. "Says the girl who showed up on a motorcycle."

He opened my door for me and I slid in, him getting in on the other side and pulling off.

It was a ride filled by comfortable silence, the radio blasting the background music. (I had to admit that his Corvette was a pretty smooth ride though.)

After about 20 minutes, we pulled up in front of a five story building that had tons of windows and big gold letters at the top reading, "HARMONIC STUDIOS", looking completely out of place in this small, mediocre town but enthralling at the same time.

And all I could think as I got out of the car and stared up at it was,

Oh. My. God.