Chapter 7

do not expect accurate myspace usage, i will be treating it as a messaging app-

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The end of freshman year ended too soon, and Cameron found herself spending as much time with Taylor as she possibly could, the two of them either baking cookies, in Taylor’s swimming pool, or in either of their rooms. Mama Swift took the two of them into the cities too, and they found out that they could spend the whole day there as well.

Unfortunately, Cameron was set to attend a three week summer camp up in the cities due to her mother’s business trips that were set on the same three weeks. Taylor had offered up her room for Cameron, and the two of them made a whole slide show for Mama Swift and Madison, but Cameron’s mom found it too bothersome to the Swift’s household so ended up sending Cameron to the summer camp anyways.

It was a fun camp, but she missed her best friend terribly, and if accidentally brushed her lips with Taylor’s in her excitement to see her best friend, that is between her and Taylor and no one else.

If she was not with her mother or Taylor, she was with Drew, who was learning to drive in the summer after getting his permit. His parents loved Cameron, and he always claimed that she was trying to steal his parents away from him. Cameron just laughed in response.

Then came sophomore year, and Cameron felt more freedom once Addison finally graduated. Although she loved the girl dearly, sometimes she was too controlling for Cameron’s liking. Hannah took over next. She looks sweet as long as you don’t get on her bad side. If savage has a name, it was Hannah.

Cameron spent the rest of the year avoiding the head cheerleader whenever possible by pulling Drew into whatever corridor they can just to avoid her. “-Public display of attention-”

“Makes people uncomfortable,” Drew completed, and pulled Cameron into a kiss. She leaned into it, letting his familiar frame pull her into safety. “Sometimes I wonder if you just like to kiss me.”

“Shut up, you have a very kissable lips,” Cameron hit him in the chest, and he rolled his eyes. A familiar mob of blonde hair suddenly walked past them and Cameron pushed herself away from Drew. “On second thought, my best friend is very huggable and she looks sad. See you after school?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Drew pecked her lips before going the other way, and Cameron ran to catch up with Taylor.

“Hey, darling, what’s wrong?”

Taylor glanced around the crowded hallway before pulling Cameron into an empty classroom. Cameron looked at her best friend with concern.

“Another record label rejected my album, they don’t think a sixteen years old girl can make it far in this industry,” Taylor sighed, and Cameron pulled Taylor into a hug. The latter buried her face in Cameron’s hair. “Maybe they’re right, the music industry isn’t the easiest thing to go into.”

“You’re Taylor Alison Swift, you can do anything you set your mind to,” Cameron muttered, sinking into the warmth of Taylor’s embrace. She looked up to meet her best friend’s eyes. “Trust me, one of those labels are going to see that amazing talent hidden beneath the soft eyes and you will get all those adoring fans, and meet all those new people, and then you’re going to forget me-”

Taylor pressed her finger to Cameron’s lips. “Nope, I am never forgetting you, you hear that? Even if I have amnesia, you, Cameron Elsher, are not something easily forgettable.”

“Then you better damn well believe that you are going to get a deal, and then you’re gonna be an international singer.”

“It just takes time,” Taylor took a step back, but her arms are still loosely wrapped around Cameron. “Thank you for the pep talk.”

“What are friends for?” Cameron grinned widely, and Taylor smiled back. They pulled apart as the door to the classroom suddenly opened and Cameron found herself face to face with Abigail for the first time. The red head had been a constant in Taylor’s life since freshman year but Cameron had never crossed paths with her (okay, she might had been avoiding the other girl out of jealousy, but no one needs to know that).

“Taylor, the bell is going to ring in three minutes and you know how our English teacher is-” Abigail paused mid sentence when she noticed Cameron in her full cheerleader uniform. Cameron gave her a wave. She eyed Cameron distastefully and gave Taylor a look. “Do you need me to punch her, because I will totally do it if she hurts you in anyways-”

Cameron gasped in offense. “Woah, I’m going to stop you right there. If I had hurt Taylor in any way I will punch myself for you.”

Taylor glanced between Cameron and Abigail, subconsciously biting her fingernails as the two girls stared each other down. Abigail was the first to break, and Cameron looked smug as she ran a hand through her hair.

“I would prefer if my two best friends don’t fight,” Taylor spoke up, drawing the attention to her. “I need both of you in my life.”

“Any friends of Taylo’s…” Cameron offered her hand, which Abigail took. “I’m Cameron, you must be Abigail, Taylor had told me a lot about you.”

“Hello Cameron, Taylor had told me nothing about you,” Abigail side eyed the blonde and Cameron gasped as she turned to look at Taylor.

“You never mention my awesome self to all of your friends?”

Taylor blushed and refused to look Cameron in the eyes. “Don’t we have a class to get to?”

Taylor grabbed Abigail’s arms and pulled her out of the classroom. Cameron let out a small laugh, trying not to get bother by the fact that maybe she wasn’t the most important part of Taylor’s life.

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“It’s not a you thing, I just get possessive and want to keep you to myself for a little longer,” Taylor ran and caught up with Cameron just before she walked into her mother’s car. “They don’t really like cheerleaders, and I don’t want them to form an opinion on you before they even get to meet you because you’re this really awesome and amazing person and you deserve to be treated as such.”

“Thank you,” Cameron smiled softly. “And I think Abigail is awesome, she looks really cool.”

And that was the end of it, neither of them brought up that incident again but from time to time Abigail would still threaten to fight Cameron whenever she does something dumb that would upset Taylor.

At the beginning of junior year, September, was when the big news happened. Cameron found out on a Wednesday night, when Taylor knocked on her window way past bedtime and climbed in, inviting herself onto Cameron’s bed against Cameron’s teasing remarks.

“Something happened this afternoon, I tried to come by but your mom said you were with Drew,” Taylor pouted, but her eyes lit up again as she continued. “A record had agreed to sign me, we’re releasing the album next month!”

Cameron’s face lit up and she didn’t hesitate as she pulled Taylor into a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you. I knew you can do it.”

“Want to be the first person to listen to my full album?” Taylor held out an ipod excitedly. “I transfer the recordings onto here and we can each share an earbud so we don’t wake your mom.”

“Do you even have to ask?” Cameron grabbed one side of the earbud and let the music flowed over her.

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On October 24, 2006, Taylor Swift released her self-titled debut album, and Cameron couldn’t be prouder of her friend. They had a small celebration at Taylor’s house and Cameron would never admit it but she cried seeing how happy her friend was.

Yet all positives seem to be balanced out by a negative, as Cameron found herself missing her friend at school, having been pulled out by Mama Swift, who got the credentials to home school her daughter. The biggest opportunity came when Taylor was asked to open the shows for many of the country singers, and Cameron soon found herself hugging Taylor goodbye and watching the light of her life drive away with Mama Swift.

The rest of the school year went by slowly, and Cameron found herself drafting letters to Taylor in class instead of paying attention. Austin was the only one who seemed to understand the loss, even Drew was uncertain about how to deal with his mopy girlfriend.

The summer was the worst, and Cameron found herself sending the first of many MySpace messages that would be exchanged between the two friends.

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Cameron

hey, this is cameron, i’m sure you know.

break a leg at tonight’s show, i’ll be watching it live with drew, and my mom, of course. you’re going to be amazing, i just know it.

just want you to know i miss you

austin is driving me insane, come back and claim your brother back :/

i love you, hope to hear from you soon!