NEITHER CALLUM NOR HIS GIRLFRIEND was at lunch today, and I haven't had the courage to approach him in our remaining classes. Lately, I've been doing more damage than good trying to befriend him. Ethan wasn't nearly this complicated to get along with or even close to. No one is. Callum is so hostile, angry. How could someone so similar to my best friend be so drastically different?
It doesn't help that people seem to dislike him at this school, and I have no idea why. Not even Jeremy will tell me. His answer was the same as Callum's. 'Ask him.' I'm not one for gossip, but I find a group of teens not disclosing whatever made them hate someone so much to be odd. It's been the only thing on my mind as I walk the filth-ridden streets to work. Callum is already in his uniform zipping around the floor taking orders and passing out drinks to hungry customers when I arrive. I rush to the back, slip into my uniform, and come out to assist him.
He doesn't acknowledge me besides working tables, and I'm thoroughly surprised when he addresses me during our break. His eyes appear bluer instead of green tonight, raking over my face as I join him in the break room. I'm not sure whether I should apologize or keep quiet around him. It seems like my mere existence bothers him even when I thought we were making progress. They say Rome wasn't built in a day. I sit on the worn padded chair next to him and rest my hands on my knees. Just stay to yourself tonight. Maybe he-
"Hey."
My heart skips and my brain becomes a canvas of white. He's talking to me first? "Uh- Hi!"
"Do you know Reyna? My girlfriend?"
"Er." I think back to the isolated moment I saw her in the cafeteria earlier this week. "Not really."
"She's a good person," he declares as if I've implied otherwise. "Unfortunately, people don't see that."
"I'm sorry." I lock my fingers and stare at my dirty shoes against the white tile. Why don't people like you? "I'm sure you guys are good people."
"Reyna is." He takes in a deep breath, chest expanding, and scrubs his palms over his thighs before turning to me with his usual scowling expression. Though he seems less angry and more uncomfortable than anything. "You're so desperate for friendship, right? Why not talk to her?"
"I-" Amber eyes pierce my skull as I relive the moment we saw each other. Not a single word was said, but it was clear from the second she laid eyes on me, she was less than impressed with my presence. My friendship is the last thing she would want. My friendship is the last thing he wants either. What's the difference?
"If you're friends with my girlfriend, you're inherently friends with me." He sits up straight like we're bargaining some sort of association between ourselves. "Deal?"
I giggle. It comes out too fast to stop and I slap my hand over my mouth. "Sorry," I whisper.
Callum's scowl deepens, and discomfort writhes in his posture by the second. "What? I thought you wanted to be my friend? Is my girlfriend a deal-breaker?"
"Nonono." I wave my hands to stop him from diving to conclusions. "It's just silly. You think you have to bargain for friendship. If you want me to be friends with your girlfriend, I'll try." I shrug. "It can't be any harder than trying to be friends with you."
His expression is unmoving, but the faintest hue of lily pink stains his fair cheeks. "You have no idea."
I crack a smile and hold up my fist. "So we're friends now?"
He stares at it waver in the air like the art of fist-bumping is foreign to him. "I guess."
"Cool." I lower my hand and rub it in embarrassment. "What's your girlfriend like?"
Callum hesitates. Confusion creases his face, and he blinks rapidly as if caught completely off guard. "Um." He ruffles up his hair and stares at the floor. "She's nice," he concludes in a thin voice, timid like he's unsure of the answer. "She usually just likes to hang out with me."
"What are her hobbies?" I wonder with a bit of encouragement. "What does she like to do? Are you guys into the same things?"
Impatience wrinkles his brows. "Why not talk to her and find out? That's how getting to know someone works."
"Okay." I raise my hands in defense. "I'll try to talk to her tomorrow. Maybe we can sit together at lunch?"
A nod is his only reply before he rises and heads to the dining room. He stops before the door, palm spread across the worn wood, and gives me a shadowed glance over his shoulder. "Do you walk to work?"
"Yeah. I kind of walk everywhere." I haven't even thought about getting a car yet with how expensive it'll be to maintain one.
"Ride with me from now on," he grumbles. "Don't want you to be kidnapped or something and leave me to take the evening shift alone." With that, he slips out with five minutes to spare on our break.
I bite back a smile and curl my fingers over my mouth. Maybe becoming Callum's friend won't be as hard as I imagined.
We close down the restaurant right at ten, and Callum is waiting by the front entrance for me. I tell him my address as our sneakers scrape over the wet parking lot. The night is cold and dreary, but I can't help the kick in my step as I trail after him. Though my joy dies when we stop before a beat-up old red truck. Claws of ice reach around my, encasing my heart until it slows to a stop.
Ethan's truck. Same model, brand, and quite possibly year. I slowly walk up to the passenger side and examine the faded old paint with spots of rust threatening the coat. There are a few dings from time, and it looks like it hasn't been washed or polished in weeks. Tears spring to my eyes and my fingers tremble as I touch the door handle.
So many days and hours were spent in this truck; conversations were had about any and everything under the stars, riding into the sun, driving away from lavender skies. Nights I snuck into this very truck on school nights to hang out with him and his older friends. Years together on these cotton seats, gazing through a windshield that'd seen one too many dirt roads with smiles on our faces and laughter in our hearts.
"You afraid I'm gonna kidnap you or something?" Callum frowns at me from inside his truck.
"H-huh?" I blink rapidly and tighten my hand around the handle. The flood of emotions inside me continues to swirl in a frenzy.
"Get in."
"Sorry!" I quickly get in and take in a deep breath.
It doesn't smell like him. Not at all. It lacks the woodsy essence of Ethan after he spent the night hanging around a campfire. There's no masculine musk like cinnamon or pinecones used to mask the smell of the countryside in the seats. Instead, it smells like perfume. I glance down to see a glittery car incense plugged into my vent. His girlfriend's.
My heart sinks as Callum departs from the restaurant. So different. Things are so different. It's uncertain what hurts more. The fact that he's so similar to Ethan or the differences between them that matter the most.
I glance at him from the corner of my eye, observe him just in case I really am imagining things. Callum is Ethan. There is nothing in this world that can convince me otherwise from this moment on. The same smooth yet firm jawline that belonged to Ethan is now Callum's. The shadow that would linger on occasion peeks from his fair skin. The freckles over his arrow-straight nose and sprinkled across his cheeks are the staple of Ethan's charm. The reddish tint of his lips always cocked in a smile. Locks of dark hair dusting over his brows as he'd arch them at me with mischief. The dimple in his left cheek. I miss him. I miss him so much.
Callum looks at me and glares. My heart skips and I quickly look away. "Why are you staring at me like that?" he demands. "Like you've seen a ghost or something?"
"I-I'm sorry," I stammer and fiddle with my sweaty fingers. Embarrassment crawls through me and I sink into my seat.
"You looked at me that same way when I served your table. It's weird."
"I'm sorry." My throat is scratchy with emotion I so desperately want to conceal. I shut my eyes and sink lower.
He sighs and mumbles something inaudible under his breath. "Sorry."
"Huh?" I dare peek at him to see him scowling at the windshield. He scowls...a lot.
"I'm sorry. It's hard for me to trust people. I haven't met someone who wants to be my friend in a while. That's why I've been so...short with you. I don't know if you're a genuine person or not." He ruffles up his hair. "If you can become Reyna's friend, that'd be great."
I smile and shove my hands between my thighs. "I would love that. I know we don't know each other, and school only began a few days ago, but I look forward to making friends with you guys."
"You sure did latch on to the wrong couple of kids." He lets out a sound that I would believe was a laugh if there wasn't so much pity in his eyes. "How do you even know there's anything to look forward to? Like you said, we just met. Why do you want to be my friend so badly?"
"You let me borrow your comic," I note. "You're giving me a ride home and to work. You're pretty nice for someone who acts mean."
"I don't act like anything. You don't even know me, so how could you assume I'm acting?"
"You're right," I answer quickly. No matter how much I feel like I know Callum, I have to remember that he doesn't know me. Not yet. The last thing I want is to weird him out by being so comfortable so soon. I have to ease my way into this friendship. Get to know him all over again. "I guess it's just hard for me to imagine someone being genuinely uncomfortable with the idea of friendship. You know, me being sunshine and rainbows and all."
A light sound of amusement leaves his chest and he shakes his head. "Yeah."
I'll count that as a win.
When we reach my brother's house, he tells me an awkward 'goodnight' and waits for me to get inside before driving off. I wait for his headlights and rickety engine to fade into the darkness, remembering all the times Ethan's truck did the same. The gentlest glow fills my chest and I finish my night with a smile. I eat dinner with my brother—purposely withholding my encounter with Callum since he refuses to understand me—and call my family. After a long shower, I take my sleeping medication and curl up in bed with Callum's comic.
It's strange. Ethan was never into these kinds of things, so why would Callum be? I make it about halfway through the comic before fatigue finally sets in. I prepare to place it on my nightstand and shut off my lamp when my phone chimes twice. I expect Jeremy's text as he's developed a habit of messaging me randomly throughout the day. He even included me in a group chat with his friends, and they talk a lot. So much that it keeps me awake more than my insomnia does.
My screen goes dark before I can open the messages, and a call reawakens it with Jeremy Lee above a green accept and red reject option. I bite my lip. We've only been friends for a couple of days, but he seems to be clicking with me well. I only wish it were this easy with someone else.
"Hey, new girl," Jeremy breathes when I accept the call.
I nestle into my sheets and stare at the pitch-black ceiling above. "Is that going to be my name from now on?"
"Probably. At least, until you get rid of that new kid smell."
I chuckle. "Didn't realize I was releasing an odor."
"Not a bad one. You're so outgoing, I barely recognized it at first."
"So what gave me away?"
"Just you talking to Callum Wright."
I huff out a confused sound and tug on one of my night time braids. "What's wrong with talking to him? Everyone acts like he's the devil, but he's been pretty nice to me." With quite a bit of probing.
"You don't know the guy." Jeremy rushes out, "It's not worth wasting our time talking about him. I wanted to ask you something about this weekend."
"Okay? You're still taking me to your grandfather's comic store, right?"
"Right. Why not make a weekend out of it?" he wonders casually. "We can grab some lunch and catch a movie after. There aren't that many warm days left in the city so why waste em'? I can show you some of the cool things New York has to offer before the blizzards take over."
I smile to myself. "Sounds fun. Is everyone else going to be there?"
He's silent for a moment. I almost think he didn't hear me until he drags, "Uh, sure. I can see if they want to come too."
"Awesome!"
"Alright, new girl, I've gotta get some beauty sleep. Talk to you tomorrow?"
"Talk to you tomorrow," I say with a playful eye roll.
When he hangs up, I doze off thinking about Jeremy and his friends and Callum and his girlfriend. Things are changing so fast, I can almost distract myself from the entire reason why I moved here in the first place. For the first night in months, my eyes grow so heavy that I don't reminisce about Ethan before slumber takes over.
.・。.・゜
What do you think about Lea developing friendships with everyone? Callum, Jeremy, Reyna?
bri🤍