Cameron, 5

Cameron had a big grin on his face.

Life was looking good. It was like a roller-coaster, first you went down, and then you went up.

The excretment hit the circulatory device, big-time, the following day. When he emerged in the morning, his father had already gone to work and his mother was not in the mood for talking. She was hung-over and in a foul mood, so he decided to leave the serious talking until later - much later.

He got his own breakfast, said goodbye and got a grunt in return. He grabbed his book-bag, went down the drive and out to the highway to catch the bus in to school. He nearly missed it too and had to run a bit, which was not good, but he made it.

He envied Gabriel. Doing your schooling at home would save a lot of hassles. It'd be a bit lonely though. Gabriel said he got lonely sometimes. But, that was a good thing, in a way. It meant that he was open to making a new friend - even a dork on the beach in a storm. Cameron very much wanted him for a friend, he liked him. A lot. Funny really, they were both living here in the same small town, well, near it, and he'd never met him before. He was sure glad that he had now.

"Penny for them."

"You what?"

"A penny for your thoughts, Cam." The boy in the seat next to him grinned. "Just not with it this morning, are you?"

"No. Well, it's Monday, I hate Mondays."

"Don't we all? At least it's the last one for a while - holidays next week."

"Sounds good, and the sooner the better."

"Oh, yah! Anything planned for the hols?"

"No, nothing. You?"

"Absolutely nothing. I may not get out of bed."

"That sounds good too, for the first week anyway."

"Man, if I was in your shoes, I'd be in the gorgeous Ellie's bed and I'd stay there!"

"The gorgeous Ellie," Cameron sighed. "Tell you what, Giles. You want her, you can have her."

"For real? I'd give my left nut to have Ellie Thompson hanging off the other one."

"Hang on to your nuts, she's not worth it. No girl is."

"You're all sweetness this morning, aren't 'cha? You guys had a row? I guess she'd be pretty high-maintenance."

"High maintenance? She's a ball-breaker!"

"Ellie Thompson can break my balls any time she likes."

"Yeah? Well you tell her that, and good luck to you."

"You're really finished then?"

"Yeah, we're finished. I don't want to know her."

"Bollocks! You won't be finished. She keeps you on a short leash."

"She used to. The leash is broke and I'm gone."

"I'll believe that when I see it. You'll be back."

"I bloody will not! Not this time, I'm out."

"You're mad. C'mon Bus, hurry it, I want to see Ellie now!"

"Trust me, you don't want to go there. I wouldn't wish her on a dog, not even on you."

"Gee, thanks, I think."

Cameron smiled to himself. Giles was a good guy, but he had a big mouth. That news would be all over the school in no time at all. He hoped that it was, he really was finished this time. Good job too! It was time that he started living for himself, and he had somewhere to go to now, didn't he? He hoped so.

They arrived at the school and everyone shuffled off the bus with their usual lack of enthusiasm. Cameron was even less enthusiastic than usual, she was out there waiting for him. He sighed and braced himself. This had to be done. He got out and she started on him.

"About bloody time! I was waiting and waiting. Why didn't you call me back?"

"Because I didn't want to talk to you. All right?"

"All right? No! It's not all right. When I call, you come running if you know what's good for you."

"It's over, Ellie. We're finished. I'm not playing your games anymore."

"What? It fucking is not over until I say it is."

"Tough. Ellie, shove it. What you did on Saturday night was the last straw. I don't have to put up with that and I'm not. You're just foul and disgusting and I'm out."

"What? You think you grew some balls in the weekend? You know the deal, Fag. Do what I say or I'll destroy you."

It seemed like half the school was standing there watching them. He walked away before he made a bigger fool of himself, and she squawked.

""Where the fuck do you think you're going?"

He looked back. "Going to school. That's what we're here for, isn't it? You might want to wash that filthy mouth out before you come in."

"Fuck you! Fuck you, you dirty bloody faggot. You're gone. I'm telling everything, the whole story."

"Do that and good luck finding another slave. You might have to suck on your own hairy twat.

"Get back here. Faggot! Bastard! Cunt!"

She was standing there screeching when he walked into the school. He wished he'd done that weeks ago.

His dad was so right when he said that whoever loses their temper, loses the argument. 'Thanks, Dad.'

Everyone saw that. Good luck to her finding anyone to believe her now. If only she didn't have that video she'd made of him and the tourist guy, he'd be home free. With a bit of luck, she might've lost it or deleted it by now.

He wasn't that lucky, by lunchtime, it was all over the school. Damm their pixt phones! However, the fall-out was nowhere near as bad as he'd feared it would be. She'd made that vid on her phone and taken it through the window of the cabin, so it wasn't that clear. It was dark in there and it was hard to make out the faces. Also, everyone had seen Ellies's real face that morning, and it was not nice.

"Do your worst. I don't care anymore."

When asked about it, Cameron shrugged and laughed it off. "You really think that's me? Why would I do that?"

Those that wanted to believe it did, those who didn't, didn't. His friends didn't buy it, Giles thought that it was a huge joke. Lots of people didn't care one way or the other, it was the 21st century after all, not the 19th. All too many did want to believe it though, and he was getting lots of flack. He didn't react, they'd get tired of it.

He'd never been so pleased to get on the bus and go home at the end of the day. He so wished that Giles would drop the stupid gay jokes. No, he did not want to come and 'play' with him! Giles could go home and play with himself, as usual.

The bus stopped, he said goodbye and got off. His brother & sister did as well, of course. They lived in the same house, but they were years younger than him and they lived in a different world, except when he got stuck babysitting of course. Like now for instance.

They went into the house and the parents weren't there. Their dad was probably still at work, or maybe out on the land. He more-or-less worked two jobs, building and looking after the 4 hectare lifestyle block. That was pretty good going really, considering all the drinking he did as well. Their mother was often late home on a Monday. Monday was her shopping day and she liked to catch up with friends while she was in town. Sitting around gossiping and drinking tea really.

So, once again, he was stuck with watching the kids. They weren't too bad really, they were good kids and they weren't babies. Jonas was a good little golfer actually. Cameron hoped that he wouldn't get into the drinking side of the golf world as well.

He got a cold drink and logged-on to check his mail. There was heaps of it, but none of it was good. He was getting mail from kids all over town wanting to know about what Ellie was saying about him. He sent a standard answer to them all - "ROTFLMAO. PMSL! can you send me that vid? I'd like to see if it really looks like me." That should shut 'em up.

There was no mail from Gabriel. He cleared his texts and sent the same reply.

"Well, that's not so bad really, and I'm free! That's Monday down. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to go, and then they'll have all of the holidays to forget about it. Smelly Ellie can go screw herself."

He went out to do his chores and told the kids to do theirs as well. They didn't have a lot, but they did have some jobs to do.

The parents both arrived home and it was not good. They told the kids to get lost while they had a very serious talk with Cameron. Usually he was pleased and proud that his folks were up-to-date and comfortable with technology, but not now. They'd both heard the news and knew the story going around. His mother had seen the video, she had it on her phone, and she knew that it was him. She had no doubt at all.

Cameron knew that he could con his father, no worries. His father was a successful small-business man but his world-view was very straight-forward. He was a simple man and he took things as he found them. Cameron could convince him of anything, pretty much, but not his mother. His mother was a different story, she was much sharper and there was no conning her.

So, he decided to come clean. They had to know sometime and now was as good a time as any. So he told them everything. He told them that he was gay, about the stupid thing he'd done and about what a bitch Ellie was being.

His father went right off, he exploded, and then he stormed out of there. At least he agreed about Ellie, he was better-off without her in his life. He told Cameron that he was a dirty queer slut, and then he left - to get drunk probably.

His mother's reaction was different and interesting too. She sat quietly thinking, and then said, "Okay, it's true then, we've got a gay son. I always thought that we did, but when you started dating Ellie I thought I was wrong. I wasn't. Did you use condoms?"

"With Ellie? No, we never needed them. We didn't screw."

"Not with Ellie. Forget about her, she's just a little bitch anyway. Did you use condoms with the stranger you had sex with?"

"Oh, him. Yes we did, he insisted on it."

"Good for him. I'm pleased to hear that. Okay, Cameron, you were stupid and you've got yourself into a mess, but you're dealing with it pretty well as far as I can see. I hope you've learnt your lesson. This boy who saved you from the storm, is he gay?"

"Gabriel? I don't know. I can't figure him out at all and I wouldn't have a clue. I really like him though. He'd be a good friend."

"I think you're right. I'd like to meet him. Don't worry about your father, I'll deal with him after he settles down."

"Thanks, Mum. Thanks for everything. You're great!"

"And don't you forget it. The way I see it, you've got enough problems without our adding to them. I'm your mother and you are our first-born, nothing's ever going to change that. What are you going to do about the holidays? I think you should get out of town for a while. Go away and give them time to find something else to gossip about."

"That's an idea. I hadn't thought of that. I know! I could bike up to Granddad's, I've been planning on that for ages. This might be a good time to do it."

"Bike to your granddad's in Nelson? That's an awful long way on a bike."

"It is, but I could do it. I'll take a tent and take a few days. I'll do the circuit, over the Lewis Pass to the Coast, up to Nelson and back through Blenheim and down the East Coast. I've always wanted to do that."

"Well, okay. That could be an adventure for you I guess. You're not planning on going on your own, are you?"

"No. I could, but it'd be more fun if I've got company. I'll ask Giles if he wants to come with me."

"Giles Townsend? Okay, you do that. Giles is not gay as well, is he?"

"Mum! No, Giles is not gay. I can have friends who aren't you know. I think that they're all straight actually."

"Lucky them, and of course you can. You work it out with Giles and let me know when you're leaving and when you'll be back. Tell your granddad that you're coming too."

"Yeah, of course. I'll call Giles now."

"Do that. All right, I'm going to talk to your father. You stay here and make sure that the kids don't kill themselves, or each other. You'd better feed them too, I don't know when we'll be back."

"Sure, Mum. No worries."

She left, for the golf-club of course, and Cameron took the phone to his room to call Giles.

Giles was definitely not gay. He was a farm-boy, his parents had a dairy farm. His name was Townsend and, at school, he was always known as 'Cowsend' because of his supposed activities with the bobby calves. Cameron didn't know if that was true or not. He'd never asked him and he didn't want to know, especially if it was true - Eww!

Giles was not at home. His mother said that he was out at the back of the farm, doing urgent fence repairs, and she didn't know when he'd be back. No, Cameron didn't want him to call him back.

"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Townsend. I'll catch-up with him on the bus to school tomorrow. Thanks. 'Bye."

He grinned as he turned the phone off. If he was a cow on the Townsend farm, he'd be breaking out of there too!

He checked on the kids, they were okay, just blobbing-out in front of the TV, so he went back to his room to talk to Gabriel and tell him how his day went. At least he had one friend who'd understand his problems.

Gabriel wasn't at home either, dammit. Or, if he was, he wasn't answering the phone, nobody did and they didn't even have an answerphone. How primitive was that? He just have to try again later.

He went back out and joined the kids in front of the TV. It was something to do.

Later, he fed the kids - pea, pie and pud. They ate, cleaned-up and went to bed before the parents came home - probably the wise thing to do. He did speak to Gabriel, for a while but not long. They had a house-full and his grandmother wanted to use the phone. He'd talk to him again tomorrow.

Giles wasn't coming on the bike trip with him. He'd like to, but he couldn't. His holidays were going to be busy; their boundary fences needed some major work done on them. He was going to be flat-out, but that was okay. His dad was going to pay him and he needed the money - he was going to buy a car, it was past time that he had one of his own.

Cameron was disappointed, but he could understand that, he'd like a car too. One day. He thought about who else he could ask to come, but there was no-one. Stuff it, he'd go on his own. He just wouldn't tell his mother. What she didn't know wouldn't worry her.

He had an okay sort of day at school, no great hassles. There were a few comments made, but he just laughed along and blew kisses at them. Ellie was a bitch, of course. That was nothing new.

When he got home, his father was there but he was in the tractor shed and he ignored him. Whatever, he could handle that. Beats getting yelled at. He did his chores and stayed away from him.

He had a good long talk with Gabriel before going to bed - a couple of hours already! It seemed like 5 minutes. He didn't care what anyone said, talking on the phone was way better than chatting on-line. He liked hearing his voice. He liked that boy!

Gabriel thought that his planned trek was a great idea, but he wasn't coming with him. Biking was not his thing, he didn't even own a bike. He had an excellent suggestion though.

"We're going home on Thursday night - back to the mountains! The Shenandoah Road is the shortest route and, if you come that way, you'll pass not too far away from our place. Why don't you call in and see us? Stay a couple of days and I'll show you around."

That sounded really great, he'd love to do that, so they agreed that he would. Gabriel said that he'd email him with details of how to get there. It wasn't hard as long as he took the right turn-offs.

He checked the computer 5 minutes after he'd hung up. It hadn't come through yet. Of course it hadn't. Damm, he was needy! He went to bed.

Two days down, two more to go and he'd be free. He'd leave first thing on Friday, sleep on the side of the road somewhere and get to Gabriel's by Saturday. Choice. He hoped that the weather was going to be good. The long-range forecast looked fine, so that was promising. So it should be, it was Summer after all, kind of.

He slept.