“Mr. Ferguson, you look a little ill today.” He looked up from his desk to glance at the girl in the front of the class. She had her arms crossed and a smirk on her face as usual.

“Yes Mary, I stayed at my sister and her husband’s house last night to help care for their new baby…didn’t get much sleep.” he paused, “I’ll probably look more ill as the week progresses though…it seems my house was broken into last night and I’ll need to stay over at Angie’s until the police complete the investigation.”

“They may want to ask some of you a few question at some point; they need to eliminate the possibility that this was done by any of my current or former students.” he glanced purposefully at Mary again.

“Why Mr. Ferguson, you don’t think any of us would have broken into your house do you?”

“Actually Mary, the police said that it would have taken something like eighteen of your young bodies to cause that kind of destruction….perhaps a whole class…” a few members of the class giggled.

“Hey John.” John shuddered slightly. He had been quite aware of Cameron’s presence behind him. She was the girl he had met the previous day…AND spent the rest of the night thinking about. Just hearing her voice say his name sent a chill down his spine.

“Hey.”

“How are you today?”

“I’m..uh..fine.”…. “you?”

“I’m good.”

Mr. Ferguson’s voice drifted back into John’s conscience “Alright, enough chatter…time for a pop quiz” he walked back towards his desk to a chorus of groans. “But first, let me take attendance…Mary Booeye….”

The day passed slowly as usual. John walked the halls alone…also as usual.

He spotted Cameron down the way standing at her locker, applying some lip gloss. His heart beats increased. He had gone quite a while now without any sort of tragedy in his life. Sometimes, he even forgot why his mom didn’t let him behave like an ordinary teenager…about what his father had once told her about his future… about all their futures. Maybe he had finally reached the time in which he could try something new, make a friend, maybe something more.
He walked toward Cameron. She turned to face him as if she knew he was coming. “Do you like this color on me?”

His breathing hesitated. “Uhh..yeah.” he said. “Hey Cameron…” She smiled. ‘Oh God’ he thought. He really wished he’d had more practice at this by now. “Would you want to..maybe do something with me.. sometime.” She was silent “Go to a movie... Or like Mike’s Pizza or something... I mean, if you want to. .. Or if you don’t, it’s fine. . .”

“Sure.”…. “of course John.”

“Okay, you have a cell phone?”….“I can call you.”

Later that day, John walked across the front yard to the country house his mom and he had found sanctuary in. She was busy stripping the wall paper from the walls…third room in two days. He admired her efficiency. He also knew that home improvement was not a priority for hers (they probably wouldn’t stay but for a couple of months anyway) this was just her way of keeping herself busy.

“How was school?”

“Fine.”

“John, I hope that you will keep an open mind here…” Sarah began.

“I’m really fine, mom.” John said allowing a little of his frustration to be heard.

“And nothing…exciting or unusual happened?”

“No, of course not.”
Sarah stared him long and hard before smiling slightly “Still haven’t met any cute girls?”… “I’m your mom, I can tell when you’re thinking about someone..”
“No, there’s nothing to talk about” he said, his face growing warmer and the note with Cameron’s phone number on it burning a whole in his pocket.
He waited until after his mom had gone to bed. She was pretty diligent with getting her eight hours. She was convinced the day would come when she wouldn’t be able to obtain a full nights sleep anymore.
John stepped out the front door and called the number.

Cameron answered after only one ring. “Hello.”

“Hi, Cameron…It’s John.. John Reese” he hesitated. “I know it’s late but do you think you’d like to go to that late night pizza place with me…I just need to get out of the house.”

“Of course John.”

Had John looked very hard out in the dark field, he might have seen Cameron sitting in the drivers seat of a stolen black pick-up truck…watching him.

John took off down the dirt path to the main road where he could get a ride on public transportation. Cameron waited patiently for him to board the bus before following at a discreet distance.
John ordered a medium pizza figuring that it would be plenty for a late night snack for the two of them. He was surprised when Cameron only ate a couple of bites of her one slice. When he asked her about it, she claimed to have…just had a big dinner. His nervousness settled a great deal while they sat and made conversation. Being here, with her, he felt happier than he had in longer than he could remember.
After dinner, John walked her to her truck. “I’m glad we did this.”

“I am too,” she replied, facing him with her back against the drivers side door.

‘Oh, shit’ his mind was reeling and face getting warm again. “Soo, I’ll see you in class”… “Bye.”

“Bye.” Cameron smiled again and got into the vehicle.

John walked back to the bus stop with a slight leap in his step.
Thirty minutes later he ran up to the door and let himself in the house.

Out in the yard, Cameron had returned to her stakeout location. The rest of the night, she sat there, unmoving, unblinking with not a single bit of sustenance to help her get through the night, she just sat…watching.

The next day was the first time John felt excitement about going to school. He walked in the front door of the school and saw Cameron walking up the hallway in his direction. She had a huge grin on her face. He followed suit, walking toward her too. They stopped just short of one another, unsure about how they should continue. John decided to take the risk and reached down and took her hand in his. She turned with him and they proceeded down the hallway holding hands.

The day passed extremely quickly. The two of them already shared all but one of their classes and John had to fight the temptation to stare at her throughout the entirety of each one.

At the last bell, Cameron and John gathered their things and headed out the front door together. Walking her to her car, John weighed over in his head what he should do when saying goodbye today. ‘Kiss…too soon? Hug…too weird? Nothing…well he didn’t want to do nothing...’

Suddenly the sound of a gun shot rang out over the parking lot!
Worried students and a few parents began to scream and gasp. All looking for where the sound may have come from. The next bang came a few seconds later as Cameron stepped in front of John’s path, cutting him off. She took the bullet right in the back of her right shoulder blade and fell into John. The force knocked him off his feet. He scurried up onto his knees leaning over a face down Cameron and saw the blood pooling out from the injury.

“CAMERON!“ She wasn’t moving.

A large figure appeared from behind a row of vehicles and began a steady march directly toward John. A bout of de-ja-vu washed over John. He could hear his mom’s voice in his head saying “You run!.. you always run!” He began to scurry to get back on his feet. The large man was planting his feet and raising his weapon to once again take aim.

“JOHN!!!”… ‘was that Cameron’s voice?’

He was already running and he tried to glance back over his shoulder. Cameron was rising from the ground! His mind reeled but his fear was great and he turned to continue to run. ‘There was no way for her to survive that shot. She’d been dead! Dead!’

“JOHN! STOP, GET DOWN!!”

He ran even harder.
“JOHN CONNOR!!!!” John abruptly stopped at the sound of his mom’s voice. Was she here? Was she in danger?
At that exact moment, Cameron plowed into him again knocking him to the ground. She lay on top of him as another series of shots rang out.
She stayed there until the shooter had emptied his round then she jumped up and shouted “COME ON!”
John didn’t move. He felt glued to the asphalt

“John, you have to come with me now!.. Come with me if you want to live!!”

He turned and looked her in the face, realization dawning over him. All evidence of the sweet and girly Cameron were gone as she reached down and physically lifted him to his feet. Together they ran back toward the parking lot, the terminator not far behind.

A policeman’s vehicle was closest, parked at the curb. The policeman behind it with his radio to his mouth. “Kids, I can’t let you!….” he began as they ran up and John dove into the passenger seat. Cameron headed straight for the cop. John turned around in the seat to see through the back window, Cameron with the cop by the throat and him willingly handing over his keys.

*CRASH* The window next to John shattered, the terminator reached in and grabbed John by the shirt. His grip released seconds later as Cameron who had taken the opportunity to relieve the policeman of his gun as well, emptied six shots into the terminator’s face at point-blank range. He fell back to the ground and she jumped into the drivers seat and together they sped away.