A week had passed. Camille didn't come to school.
Dean had guessed after comparing this time with before, her grandmother had probably passed away now.
Which means he had less time... Only a little over a month now.
It was the next Monday, the start of a brand new week. Dean looked for Camille today.
She did end up coming to school, her backpack still hanging off one shoulder.
She had on a simple long sleeved T-shirt and leggings. And to everyone else she probably looked normal. But Dean could see the exhaustion on her face.
Dean had also noticed over the time he'd spent here, the snow had started to melt. The trees were growing just the tiniest little buds of leaves.
And it wasn't hot out, but it wasn't cold, lukewarm. Things he used to be excited about. Now it made his stomach heave.
Camille walked down the hallway. Dean acted like he "happened" to be passing by.
"Oh, hey Camille?"
She turned her head. "Oh... Hey.."
Dean wanted to apologize for last time. He wanted to make her feel like she could talk to him.
"Hey Camille, before we have to go to class I just wanted to say, I'm sorry about before, you know I wasn't trying to creep you out or anything. I did have to deliver something to your house before, and I was getting back into the stores truck... And you came out to get it. I thought you were beautiful. I know I haven't come off towards you exactly in the best way, but I really do would like to be your friend."
Camille seemed like she was at a loss for words, but upon seeing the genuine smile Dean had on his face, perhaps her heart softened.
"Okay, it would be nice to have someone to talk to around here."
Dean nodded.
"See you after class Camille..."
She turned and walked farther down the hallway. One she was gone from sight Dean nearly jumped from joy.
Though he knew Camille had been popular and was a very kind person like before, she had never had many friends that she hung out with outside of school.
Dean knew she probably thought his story about dropping off the groceries at her house was a lie... But it wasn't, he had changed some things around of course, but that was how he first noticed Camille.
Of course he has known her name and remembered her being in his class when they were little kids, but he never spent any time around her, he was always goofing off with his friends. This time around was different.
They were like 12, and Dean had been helping at that farmer's market even back then for about 2 bucks a day, and so he rode his bike to the address of her house.
He sat the bag on their step and rung the doorbell and then ran back across the street.
As he kicked back the kickstand, he heard the door open.
There she was, to him, a ray of sunshine.
That was when Dean first saw Camille as a girl, before he hadn't ever really been interested in girls. That's when he first decided he would marry her.
He even biked home and told his mom excitedly, she thought he was bluffing and dismissed it as the words of a little kid. But low and behold a year later in 8th grade Dean introduced Camille to his mother, with the brightest smile on his face.