Campbell Saunders

Maya returned a roll of her eyes, shaking her head a bit. “Doubt it.” She said simply. She had noticed that the boy was a little like herself; clumsy, awkward, and all around having no idea what to do. But she felt obligated to say otherwise, even though there was truth in it. He didn’t seem too klutzy; nothing like Maya Matlin. “You’re not all that awkward. I’m worse, I swear.” The girl shot him a reassuring smile. She scrunched her nose a little at the mention of the popular reality TV show. “I completely agree.” Maya told him. She could never figure out why the Kardashian family was so famous. Yeah, they were all super pretty, but why did they get riches for having good genes? It wasn’t fair, but neither was life. The niner couldn’t help but feel glad that Campbell hadn’t answered her question anyway. If he had taken back the compliment, she would’ve been heartbroken. Although, Maya didn’t believe the boy anyway, but she couldn’t help but think there was a little truth to it; she wanted to hold on to that small bit of hope. If Cam took it back, there was no way the girl could do so. Quickly, Maya nodded her head after he had spoken. “Yeah, you’re totally right.” She agreed, hoping it’d make him forget about her compliment. She was happy that he hadn’t mentioned, or even acknowledged, it. Maya didn’t want to deal with the confrontation, mostly because it would be really embarrassing for the young girl. She had no idea where the comment had came from; as it was completely unexpected and left her mouth abruptly. She wished she had thought before saying, but Maya hadn’t, and now she was stuck to wonder what Campbell Saunders was thinking.

Maya immediately felt stupid, mostly because she hadn’t thought of the boy as a pyromaniac. “Yeah, right, sorry.” She apologized quickly, shrugging her shoulders to make it seem like no big deal. She couldn’t help but laugh a little bit at Campbell’s pun. “Seriously, you’re comedian material.” She reminded him once again. “You’d actually watch that? It would be completely boring, and there’d be no plot whatsoever.” She said, shaking her head a bit. As their eyes made contact, Maya stared into his for a couple of seconds, before quickly looking away. She had completely tuned out until Cam mentioned her being ‘the pretty girl’. She abruptly looked back at the boy, not caring that her cheeks were most likely extremely pink. “You think I’m pretty?” The blonde couldn’t help but ask. “Wait, you don’t have to answer that.” She added, not wanting the boy to be able to take it back, because who in their right mind would find her attractive? Even if it had been a lie, Campbell still complimented her, and Maya felt the need to do the same back. “I’m sure you’d have all of the girls on your side, though. I mean, the entire female population is all about the really hot guys, right?” After she had said it, she couldn’t help but regret it. A part of her hoped he hadn’t been paying attention other at all, and didn’t hear her last statement. Maya glanced down at her feet, shuffling them together anxiously. She could feel her whole body heating up out of embarrassment. Maybe Cam wouldn’t comment on it, or even acknowledge that she said anything.

The anticipation of Campbell Saunders’ answers was killing Maya—but not literally. She couldn’t feel her heartbeat any longer, and couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t the boy’s face. The sweat glands in her palms were working fast, and she could feel her hands becoming slightly moist. All she wanted was some kind of reaction out of the hockey star; he didn’t even have to say anything of the stuff back. Maya didn’t expect him to. She could’ve came up with some lie to all of those questions, and now she was wondering why she hadn’t done so, but it was too late to take back her words. What if she had made Cam uncomfortable because of her feelings, and now he was going to leave anyway? She wouldn’t be surprised. If she was some super jock and a geeky, petite blonde had just confessed liking her, she’d probably scoff and walk away. Maya was waiting for the boy to do just that, but he didn’t. Campbell was still going to stay. When he started on ponder on what to do, the girl opened her mouth to suggest a few things. Although, before she could say anything, he was facing her again—and getting awfully close. Cam called her cute, as well. She swore we heart actually stopped that time, and she couldn’t find any way to breath. As his finger made contact with her chin, Maya was about to question his motives, but wasn’t able to because something was on her lips; it was Cam. Campbell Saunders was kissing her! In the short amount of time that their mouths were connected, Maya had gotten to kiss the boy back before he pulled away. What he said next didn’t register into her mind, but he had sprinted off in another direction. What was going on?

A part of Maya wished that Campbell hadn’t brushed off the question completely, because it had given the girl a reason to explain her feelings towards the boy. She didn’t want to bring it up again, though, and come off too into him. She suddenly became very interested in her hands, something that happened whenever Maya Matlin became nervous. The blonde decided that it’d be best if she forgot all about that conversation, because obviously Cam wasn’t interested. it was typical for her, anyway. Guys never liked her as anything other than a friend. She glanced back over at the hockey player next to her, examining his facial features. His hair was messy, but in the ‘cute guy way’. She took his outfit into account, and it didn’t even seem like he was trying to look good. Yet, he still did. And something about her personality seemed to mesh with his. They weren’t too similar, but they also weren’t too different. Maya quickly brought her attention back to her fingers once more, not wanting to lock eyes with the boy. He’d then figure out that she had been staring, and there would be embarrassing moment number five hundred for the night.

The girl couldn’t help but notice that Cam was really into starting a fire. “Well, if you actually want to see some flames, we have a fire pit in the backyard?” Maya decided to suggest, shrugging her shoulders a little bit. She had never used the thing on her own, but how hard could it be? You just threw some wood in it, along with fuel, and then lit it. The process seemed easy enough. Of course, this would require him staying even later, and she doubted he’d be up for that. Maya had no idea when the rest of her family was going to be home, but she assumed it wouldn’t be until late, or even not until tomorrow. The younger one raised her eyebrows as Cam mentioned actually having a desire to watch a show about her. “Really? I’m sure it’d be super boring, though. I wouldn’t have anybody to cook-off with.” She commented. “And it’d mostly be of me sitting up in my room alone, playing my cello, and yelling at Katie for interrupting.” Maya added, gesturing towards the upstairs. “You are funny!” She reassured him, giving Cam a gentle smile. “If you ever got over that fear, I’m sure you’d be able to do it. And the best way to conquer a fear is to face it, right?” She said, grabbing a dinosaur shaped nugget, and holding it in her hand. “Like me. Just go for it!” Maya added before taking a bite out of the food in her hand as an example, giving Campbell another smile after it had been swallowed. She glanced down at the pan, realizing that had been her last one. The blonde nodded her head lightly. “Yeah, go for it! Can you get me Sprite?” She asked, and then received. Once she was given the glass, Maya took a few sips out of it, before setting it on the counter.

After explaining he’d stay, Cam had noticed an ever so large grin form on her face, which made him less nervous about the possibility of her refusing to answer the questions. A long silence swept the room, Campbell was unsure if she was thinking about the answers, trying to figure a way around them, or just plain out contemplating letting him leave. Tapping his glass lightly and rapidly while he awaited even a sound from Maya, his was skipping countless beats, it felt as if he hasn’t even breathed since he asked the question. When she finally managed to blurt out the first answer, Campbell could tell that she would beat around the bush with every question. He sighed quietly to himself, awaiting her next botched answer. The beginning of the sentence merged from hr mouth, and her pause made Cam’s eyes widen, although he assumed the worst, he wanted to believe he’d get his real answer. As she continued, Campbell furrowed his eyebrows, nodding along as he waited for her to make her point, and when she did, he sat back and smiled. Cuter... She had actually used the word, it wasn’t him imagining things, she had really actually said it. Her explanation about him being a doofus went right over his head, he was still stuck on ‘Cute.’ Tuning back in when she had paused, and listening to the end of her statement he smiled. “I’m always trying.” He said, standing from the stool and tucking it back under the counter. “Well, I said I’d stay if you answered my questions, and you did, so... What to do.. What to do?” He asked, turning around in the room to gather ideas. He turned back to Maya and stepped close to her, “You’re cute too.” He said, his heart beating through his stomach, where it had dropped to after he turned to look at her. Resting his thumb on her chin and the side of his index finger right below it, he tilted her head up so that her lips could meet his. Leaving her lips on his for a few moments, he gently pulled back and dropped his hand down to his side. “If you’ll excuse me, I must go to the restroom.” He said, backtracking from the kitchen into the hallway, walking directly to the room that he noticed a shower in when he had first stepped into the house.

The girl watched as Cam hung his head low, and then gave her a weak smile. She wasn’t too sure if this was fake or not, since she had never really been one to hide her own feelings. With the exception of tonight, because why would a hockey star like Campbell Saunders even be interested in her? She was a dorky fourteen year old with glasses, and there was no point in letting him know that she might have developed some feelings for him. She couldn’t help but think that it had been some sort of dare that the Ice Hounds convinced him to do. Maya wasn’t going to hesitate to answer the boy’s questions, but then he quickly changed his mind and took it back. Was she supposed to answer it anyway? Obviously Cam didn’t want one, so she decided against it. “I so would have, but since you told me not to, so my lips are sealed.” Maya replied with the same playful tone, pretending to zip her mouth shut and throw the invisible key over her shoulder. She thought about why Campbell hadn’t wanted her response, and couldn’t figure out a reason. It was confusing, but Maya tried her best not to let it puzzle her too much. She had always been told that boys could act really peculiar.

She couldn’t help but feel grateful when she had gotten the food when she did. The blonde knew she must have looked, and sounded, horrible. She hadn’t even been trying to dance or sing, and she hoped Cam hadn’t found it too unattractive. Going into the fridge, Maya pulled out the ketchup for herself, but of course she’d let Cam use it if he wanted to. “Hey, the night is still young, we have plenty of time to burn down my fabulous kitchen!” She exclaimed. She squirted some of it onto the side of the pan, making sure it was away from the boy’s half just in case he didn’t like the tomato substance. She nodded her head as Campbell explained that his side had salt and pepper on them, thanking him before picking up one of the nuggets and dipping it into her ketchup. She wasn’t exactly sure on why she had thanked the older boy, but decided not to ponder on it for too long. “Thanks! Maybe I should be a chef instead.” Maya said with a grin, bringing the food up to her lips. Before she could take a bite, the other had taken out his phone again. She giggled at his dinosaur voice, dramatically taking a bite out of it as Cam made it plead not to be eaten. Once she swallowed the chicken that consumed her mouth, she couldn’t help but continue to laugh at what he had just done. “You’re hilarious. How about this, I’ll become a chef if you start doing stand-up comedy, hmm?” Maya suggested, raising her eyebrows at him. The girl finished off the nugget before picking up another, and doing the same actions over and over.

The arrival of the food was bittersweet for Campbell, sure he was starving, but he was also utterly embarrassed by his terrible attempt at not being awkward. He just said his favorite song was a talk show, and rested his hand dangerously close to Maya’s waist. However, this also meant he couldn’t watch Maya dance around so terribly, which was almost as entertaining as her terrible singing. Her ability of being able to make a fool of herself for fun made Cam green in envy. “Oh goodie, we’ll save the fire for last!” He said, clapping his hands together once, realizing that the whole situation had put him in a joke slump. “Maya Matlin’s COOK-OFF Mansion Takeover. That sounds like an awesome show, I’d totally watch it!” He said, knowing he probably actually would, had Maya been the star of it. Her compliment made Cam doubt everything she’s ever said to him, who would possibly lie about Cam being funny! “Thanks.. I would if you know, I was actually funny, and wasn’t deathly afraid of crowds and audiences.” It was true, Cam was super shy around two things, a lot of people and not a lot of people. He’d be just as afraid in front of a crowd of millions as he was in front of a crowd of one, the one being a cute girl with blonde hair and adorable perfectly fitted glasses. Grabbing the last of the chicken nuggets on his side, Campbell inhaled it and turned his head to the fridge. “Mind if I get us some beverages?” He asked, realizing he sounded like someone from the 40’s. Hopping down and grabbing a few clean cups from the dish rack next to the sink, he poured himself some water and the drink of Maya’s choice. When he returned he took a giant sip, trying to remain calm with all that was going on.

Maya quickly covered her face with her hands as Cam mentioned her eating a frozen piece of chicken. She shook her head out of embarrassment, feeling her face heating up once again. “No! I didn’t do that!” She exclaimed into her hands, hoping her cheeks weren’t as red as they hand been as the girl slowly moved them away so she could look back at the boy. “You have no proof. You didn’t catch it on camera.” She added with a teasing smirk. “But, even if I had done it, I only did it because you thought I wasn’t stable enough to be around them.” She paused for a second, letting her last syllable linger longer than expected. “I didn’t do it, though, so my reasoning doesn’t even matter!” Maya added quickly, laughing at herself. She was trying her best to appear confident in front of Campbell, and she hoped it was working. Maya had heard that guys liked confidence, and a part of her wanted the boy in her kitchen to like her.

Hearing him ask why she had invited him over again, Maya hesitated to answer. She opened her mouth for a second, before closing it again as fast as she could. “There’s no fun in cooking by yourself.” She said simply, but the girl knew that wouldn’t be enough for Cam. He had also listed a bunch of other people she could have asked to do this with her instead, but after every name he said, she couldn’t help but assume that this wouldn’t have been as fun as it was with Campbell Saunders. The blonde still have no idea on what to tell him, so she continued to stay silent, trying her best not to embarrass herself once again. The girl had already done it twice tonight, and there was no need for a third. “Because you’re special, doofus.” She finally answered, adding a playful insult at the end to lighten the mood. She hoped that would be good enough for the older boy, because she didn’t exactly have an explanation. Maya just preferred making chicken nuggets with Cam than anybody else, and what was so bad about that? After she had hopped up on the counter, she felt a hand on her upper thigh. Glancing down, she noticed his hand there, which made her gently bite down on her lower lip. Maya looked back up, wanting to make eye contact with Campbell. When that happened, he quickly jumped down from the counter. She had no idea what that had just been, but didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by asking.

He danced as large and characteristically as he could, but being how shy and nervous he was, he just shook around, sometimes managing to raise his arm and sing along, but sounding worse than Maya, was too embarrassed to continue. After a few moments of dancing Campbell opened up slightly, Maya was perfectly fine and confident in front of him, and it made his envious. He was extremely relieved when Maya noticed it was time for the food, since the dancing thing was probably even worse than his hand touching her so awkwardly. He swung around to watch her bend over and grab the food out of the oven, and realizing he was staring, quickly swung back and found a seat, trying to breath normally so she wouldn’t catch onto the idea that he was nervous. It was practically impossible she’d know he was staring at her bum, but the possibility she could have still frightened Cam to pieces. “We managed to make them without burning it all down, what a disappointment.” He smirked before grabbing the pepper and spreading it across half the pan, then doing the same with the salt. “The ones on that side are salt and pepper free.” He said with a crimson grin, in case Maya wasn’t paying attention to what he had been doing.  Grabbing the most delicious and delicate looking T-Rex, Campbell munched down onto the bread and digging into the white meat. “Impressive, Maya Matlin.” He said, whipping the phone back out, “Mm mmm mmmmm” He hummed, pointing the camera at the pan before taking a shot of Maya about to take a bite. “Nooooo, not my face, pleaseeeee!” Campbell said in a hushed high pitched voice, pretending to be the dinosaur inches from her mouth.

Don’t yawn, you’re going to make me sleepy!

Laughter’s just contagious.

I know I shouldn’t be laughing, but I totally am!

Her attention had directed off of Campbell for a few seconds, and in that short amount of time, a camera had been thrown in her face. She gave the boy an intriguing look at first, but then began to laugh as he pretended to be the MTV camera crew. Maya shook her head at Cam playfully, realizing how much of a doofus he really was. She watched as he continued to film himself over by the oven, not being able to help but roll her eyes. What he was doing was extremely cute, and completely unexpected. The girl went through the freezer, finding her bag of the oddly shaped chicken nuggets. She set the object on top of the counter before grabbing a pan, putting that right next to their food item. Maya began placing the meaty dinosaurs onto the tin foil, glancing back at Cam as he asked if she needed any help. The blonde pushed the bag closer to the other, so it was close enough for him to reach. “Knock yourself out!” Maya exclaimed with a grin. “Not literally, though. I’m not taking you to a hospital.” She added jokingly, lifting her pointer finger and shaking it back and forth; almost as if she were scolding the older boy. She continued moving the chicken nuggets from their container and onto their new home, her eyes being directed towards Campbell again as he asked his question. Maya smiled at him, about to answer, until he picked up one of the dinosaur nuggets and made it growl at her. Maya shook her head lightly at the boy again, grabbing he nugget out of his hand with ease. “If I was having any issues with them, would I do this?” She asked, before putting the frozen piece of chicken into her mouth and attempting to take a bite; she had completely forgotten about still having to cook them. And, to Maya Matlin’s luck, it was hard as rock; it tasted disgusting. Immediately, a look of dislike took over her face. She turned around, throwing that one in the garbage. She laughed softly at herself, knowing how unintelligent she must’ve looked. “Just kidding.” She added, shrugging it off as if it were no big deal. Maya quickly turned away from Cam again, letting a very noticeable blush overtake her cheeks. She always seemed to embarrass herself in front of the wrong people, and she wouldn’t blame the boy if he made fun of her automatically.

"Good things come to those who wait." Maya told Campbell as she got the pan in the oven, looking back over at him, who was now sitting on the counter top. She took a few steps closer to him, standing next to his legs that were dangling off. "If you’re not patient, I might just eat all of them by myself!" She teased, walking over to the other side of the kitchen. She grabbed the salt and pepper shakers, holding them up to show the hungry boy. "Here they are! Even though I prefer my dinosaurs without." Maya added, setting the two seasonings next to Campbell. By the time she had done so, though, his phone was out again, and he was talking to the camera. She couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably; she was positive he’d be able to hear it in the background later. When he moved his phone so it was facing her again, the girl raised her eyebrows a little bit. Maya moved away from the counter, spinning around on her heels a couple of times for Cam. The young blonde giggled as he told her to give a message to her fans. "Thanks for your support, and I love you all!" Maya exclaimed, blowing the camera a kiss. "And, a daily reminder that Campbell Saunders is indeed a doofus!” She added as fast as she possibly could; before Cam could move the camera away from her. She was surprised not to hear a remark from the boy following her innocently meant insult, but not complaining, she stood against the counter once again.

“Coming from the girl who chewed or as I should say, tried to nibble on the food before it even hit the oven?! You can’t even wait!” He said, flicking his eyebrows up at her and offering her a small smile. Growing increasingly nervous as she approached his legs, but trying to discourage the butterflies, but as she crossed the kitchen to show the spices he smiled, not only because he was glad she had it, but because she had moved away enough for him to simmer down. He laughed along with her silliness for the camera, and he just barely heard her last comment, but decided against fighting her on it. Just before he could strike up another conversation, he noticed the girl was next to him again, and something about having her so close put him on edge, he wasn’t able to think correctly and he wouldn’t be surprised if he said something completely awkward. He looked at the oven, trying to discreetly separate them, even if it was just with their eye contact. His eyes flicked back to the clock, and then to Maya, who was dangerously close, close enough to hear his stomach grumble if it in fact did. “Well.. Not really.. You can cook them by yourself. And I mean, you could have asked anyone, Miles.. Zoe.. Zig..” He said scratching the inside of his palm, something he liked to do when he was nervous. “Why me?” He said, hoping he’d get a direct answer, not something about him being a doofus or about him offering to do it.

Glancing at herself in the mirror, Maya knew a black tank top and sweatpants, that didn’t even match, by the way, wouldn’t be okay for her to wear with company arriving. She had never been too worried about her appearance, but looking halfway decent would probably be a good idea. Plus, it wasn’t just anybody coming over. A change of clothes was obviously a must. She picked up a lock of her bright, blonde hair, and looked at it. "A shower, too." The girl thought to herself, before heading over to her closet to pick something out. Maya’s fashion sense was certainly different from a lot of girls her age, and that’s what she liked about herself. She didn’t enjoy being involved with the normal standards of being a teenage girl. She thought of herself as ‘unique’, but some people said she still dressed like a child. It all fit, though, considering Maya barely even looked fourteen. It used to pick at her, but rarely did so anymore. After finding some sort of outfit, the young girl made her way into the bathroom. She didn’t bother knocking before making her way in, since she was home alone. Katie had gone out somewhere with Jake, and who knew where her parents were at? At least Maya knew that nobody would interrupt her and Cam while they were making a certain kind of shaped chicken.

After getting out of the shower, Maya changed into her newly picked out clothes. She quickly blowdried her hair, not wanting the boy to notice that she had just showered for his visit. As she tried to plug in the cord, she couldn’t help but get her arm tangled in it. This was typical for Maya Matlin, due to the fact that she was extremely clumsy. She could recall all of the many times she had tripped over her own feet; the worse was when Tori forced her to enroll in a pageant, and she fell right on her face in front of tons of people. Gravity obviously wasn’t a friend to the girl. Her arm was soon free, and her hair was dry. Maya looked at herself once more, semi-satisfied with the new product. She then made her way downstairs, sitting down on the couch to wait for Campbell’s arrival. She flipped through a few channels on the TV, wanting to break the silence that was all around her house.

When all the dinosaurs had made their way to Neverland, Cam’s name for the pan, he hopped on the counter beside it and tapped his foot in midair, “How long does this usually take, I’m starving!” He said, “Oh, and you better have the salt and pepper.” He smirked over at her before pulling his phone back out and recording another video. “Maya Matlin Mansion Takeover Update, the dinosaurs are in the oven, I repeat the dinosaurs, are in, the oven.” He said, overdramatic and loud, like a news anchor reporting the breaking news. “In other news, Maya Matlin,” He turned the camera to her. “Is looking particularly extra nice today, 360, Maya, do a 360!” He said, twirling his finger behind the camera and laughing. “Do you have anything to say to your fans?” He watched her, then the camera to see if it was centered, and then his eyes caught glimpse of Maya through the screen, she looked adorable and peppy, her hair flowed nicely down to her shoulders and her smile was shiny and she just looked like a star. Not knowing what she said, being so cooped up in his thoughts, he looked at her and then turned the camera to himself, “More updates heading your way.” He tapped the lock screen, lightly laying the phone down and looking back to her.

Whenever. I’ll be here all night. *ba dum tsssh*

When are you coming over so we can burn down my kitchen?

Alright, let’s do all three!