Fake Dating Ramsey

03 | Dear Reader

Cammie waited at the school gates, watching the cars pull out and the students walk by. She had long said goodbye to Gemma and Jace who had, surprise, surprise, gone home together.

She still couldn't believe they were back together. It was like she was trapped in a Greek tragedy and all she had left to do was wait for a fickle, vapid god to tell her she was doomed to marry her long lost brother.

Her father's car appeared at the gates. She breathed a sigh of relief as she rubbed her hands together and the car stopped in front of her.

"Sorry I'm late Sweetie, I just got caught up in this long-distance phone call and I couldn't-"

"It's fine" Cammie said as she opened the front door and climbed in "Where's Paisley?" she asked once she heard the click of the seat belt locking into place.

"We're just going to get her now, she stayed after school to try out for some team." He waved his hand about for a moment before returning it back to the steering wheel. Cammie nodded and looked out the window. "How was your day Sweetie?" George asked not taking his eyes off the road. He was a very diligent driver.

"Fine, well, yeah... fine." Cammie wanted to say something else to her dad so the car wouldn't fall silent, but she couldn't think of anything, nothing had really happened that day, so the silence descended anyway. There wasn't anything else said on the drive to the middle school. Paisley was stood outside, her phone in her hands, her eyes locked on the screen. She had tried out for the cheer team, even though they didn't find out till next week whether they had made it or not she was pretty sure she had made the team.

"Come on Paisley, we need to get home I need to have a Skype chat in 20 minutes with some very important businesspeople." George said out the car window as he pulled up to his youngest daughter.

"Coming," she hopped into the back seat "Hey Cam,"

"Hey Paisley, did you have a good day?" Paisley smiled brightly

"Yes, I did, I think I got on the cheer team, I did a pretty good try-out if I do say so myself."

"I didn't know that you had try-outs today." Cammie was surprised that Paisley wouldn't have brought something like that up; yes, she knew she had been practicing for the team, but she didn't know that it was so close.

"Well, I kept forgetting to tell you." Paisley said trying to close the conversation and Cammie was too tired to push for it.

"Well like I said I have a very important call to make so I need you girls to stay quiet and out of the way." Cammie and Paisley nodded, "Good, yes, well okay then." Why is my family so awkward? Cammie thought to herself. It hadn't been like this before her mom died. There wasn't silence in every car journey, her and her sister weren't as distant as they were now, and her father wanted to spend time with them and didn't just sit on the phone.

Cammie entered the house, Paisley and her dad not far behind.

"Like I said girls-"

"You have a business call," Paisley muttered "We know." She kicked off her shoes and headed down the hall to her room. George stared after her for a moment, while Cammie untied her boots and slipped them off her feet one by one, precariously bouncing about on one leg when she couldn't get the left one off.

"Cammie, if this goes on, there is pasta and a jar of-"

"Tomato sauce in the cupboard, yes I know." Then she too headed off to her room, leaving George alone. He felt an ache in his chest as he watched the two closed doors. He was missing them; he wasn't there for them very much and they seemed almost too used to it now. It was simply what they expected, and he didn't like that, but he wasn't going to change, he couldn't, he had to work, it was simply all he knew now. So, he headed off to the home office; where he seemed to spend all of his time.