"Are you sure you don't need a ride?" my mother asked worriedly as I hauled my case toward the door. I shook my head. "Jade's house is only a few blocks away. It's a nice day to walk, anyway. I'll be fine," I reassured her. She sighed. "Alright, Ase. Be careful."
Suddenly, my phone buzzed inside my pocket, prompting me to slide it out and check my notifications. There was a message from Caleb that read: Things hit the fan today. Can I come over? I immediately felt sick to my stomach. Oh, God, I thought, wondering what had happened. I glanced at my mother. "Mom, I...I think it might be best if I stay here," I said. "Caleb just texted me, and I think something's wrong. He asked if he could come over."
My mother's expression darkened. She didn't know much about Caleb's situation at home, but she knew enough to tell that it was far from good. "Of course he can," she said softly. "He always can."
"Can I invite Jade and Ethan too? And Gabby?"
My mother nodded. "Sure," she replied. "I'd love to meet Jade and Ethan."
"Alright." I sent a quick text back to Caleb, then messaged Jade and told her about the change of plans. I then texted Gabby, who said that she was already on her way. Caleb must've told her first, I thought. I turned off my phone and shoved it into my pocket, then left my case by the door and began pacing the hallway as I waited for my friends to arrive.
As expected, Caleb was the first to get to the house. I opened the door for him and immediately noticed the tear tracks that stained his dark cheeks, feeling my heart sink within me. He stepped into the house and headed for the living room, where I followed him and sat beside him on the couch. He said nothing, only stared at the floor. "What happened?" I asked.
"My dad happened," Caleb said, a tear streaming down his cheek. "He was yelling at me because I was texting a guy from school, and I tried to defend myself, but then he hit me. My mom didn't even try to stop him. I got out of there, obviously, then ran to the park to text you and Gabby. You know the rest."
"Oh my God, Caleb," I whispered, feeling a pang of sadness deep within me. Why him? I thought, swallowing the lump in my throat as I put my arm around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry. I'm glad you came here."
"Me too," Caleb breathed, wiping away a stray tear with the sleeve of the faded Chicago Cubs sweatshirt I'd gotten him for Christmas what felt like an eternity ago. "Thank you for letting me."
"Of course. Friends help friends."
"Sorry I took so long!" Gabby said breathily as she entered the room, gasping for breath. "I ran all the way here. Caleb told me what happened. Caleb, are you okay?"
Caleb nodded. "I'm fine now, thanks to Ase," he replied.
"What's going on, you guys?" came Ethan's voice from the doorway. Jade came in behind him, throwing a smile in my direction. She frowned when her gaze landed on Caleb, as if she could sense that something was wrong.
Gabby spoke up. "Caleb's parents are jerks, but I'm sure you knew that already." Caleb rolled his eyes at Gabby. "I can speak for myself, Gabs," he said, giving her that sassy grin of his. Ethan frowned. "They hit you?"
"My dad did, yeah," Caleb replied. Ethan shook his head. "I'm sorry, man. You don't deserve that."
Caleb sighed. "Guys, I really don't want to think about it anymore. I kind of just want to hang out and do normal stuff, you know? I'd feel better that way."
"Are you sure? We're all here to help you, Caleb," I said.
"It's true." We all jumped, turning around to see my mom entering the room. She looked at Caleb with that tender expression of hers. "If you need to talk, we're all here to listen. We all care about you."
Caleb smiled. "I appreciate it, Mrs. Hansen," he said, then turned to the rest of us. "I'd really rather not think about it right now, though. I'd rather talk with all of you guys; that's what'll make me feel better right now."
I nodded. "Of course. If that's what you need to happen, that's what'll happen."
Caleb sighed with relief, giving me a look of gratitude. "Thank you," he said.
"Of course."
The rest of the evening was spent chatting and laughing and having a great time, just like we always did at school. Gabby and Ethan did most of the talking, telling anecdotal stories that brought us all to tears from laughing so hard. Every once in a while, Jade would chime in and add to one of Ethan's stories or tell a lousy joke just to cheer Caleb up. Caleb was slowly beginning to look and act more like himself: cheery, charming, and sassy as all get out. Within an hour of being there with the rest of us, he seemed like he was almost back to normal.
At one point, things got quiet, and Jade abruptly burst out laughing. We all looked at her as if she was crazy until she looked up at me and asked, "Ase, can I steal your U2 joke?" It took me a moment to remember what she was talking about. "Oh, the Bono one? Yeah, go ahead. It sucks anyway," I replied once I remembered.
"Alright, you guys," Jade giggled. "Why did Bono fall of the stage?"
"Oh no," I heard Gabby mutter under her breath.
"Because he got too close to The Edge!"
"Oh my God, Jade," Caleb groaned, then glanced over at me. "Ase, you should be ashamed of yourself. I've heard bad jokes before, but that one? My God!"
I laughed, giving Caleb a playful shove. "You know you like it, though," I teased. He smiled. "Maybe a little. It's still dumb, though."
Suddenly, Jade's phone buzzed from inside her pocket. She pulled it out, then sighed. "That's Mom," she said to Ethan. "We have to go, apparently. It's later than I thought." Ethan nodded. "Alright."
Jade turned to me. "Thanks for inviting me and Ethan over," she said, then turned to Caleb. "I wish you the best of luck with your parents."
"Thank you," Caleb said.
"We should go," Ethan said. "Mom'll have a stroke if we're not back soon."
"True that." Jade turned to the rest of us. "I guess this is goodbye. We'll see you all tomorrow," she said. I nodded. "Have a nice rest of your night."
Jade and Ethan left, leaving me, Gabby, and Caleb alone in the living room. "And then there were three," Gabby said, eliciting smiles from me and Caleb. "So, what now?"
I shrugged. "I don't know," I said. I turned to Caleb with a knowing grin. "You mentioned that you were texting a guy earlier."
"Oh, yeah! Let's talk about crushes!" Gabby squealed, and Caleb cringed. "You sound like a ten-year-old, Gabs," he giggled, blushing as he turned back to me. "Yes, there is a guy. We've been talking for a while now, actually. His name's Hayden. He's really nice, and I know for a fact that he's bi, so something might actually be happening soon."
"Aww, that's great!" I cheered. "I'm happy for you." Caleb smiled. "Thanks," he said, then turned to Gabby. "What about you? Do you like anyone?"
Gabby shrugged. "I mean, there's this one guy. You know Charlie Samson?"
"Oh, him!" Caleb laughed. "I remember having a massive crush on him in the fifth grade. Or was it sixth? Eh, can't remember. He's pretty cool, though. I mean, he's smart, and he's got great hair. Have you two talked at all?"
Gabby sighed. "Nope," she said. "He picked up a pencil that I dropped in algebra a few weeks ago, though...oh man, I am pathetic."
I shook my head. "You are not pathetic," I assured her. "You should talk to him. He's a cool guy, like Caleb said. I've talked to him once or twice, and he seems nice enough to me." Gabby thought for a moment, then smiled, giving a slight shrug. "Maybe," she said. "Enough about me, though. Ase, do you like anyone?"
I bit my lip. Can I trust them? "Uh...yeah, actually," I mumbled. I let out a shaky breath, mind racing. Oh, God. Will they tell her?
"Well, spit it out! Who's the lucky girl?" Gabby asked, looking at me expectantly.
Screw it. I sighed. "Fine! Fine, but you both have to promise to keep this to yourselves. Understood?" Gabby and Caleb both nodded eagerly, leaning in close to me. I closed my eyes, drawing in a deep breath. "It's Jade," I whispered.
"Dang it!" Caleb shouted angrily at the same time that Gabby burst out laughing. I flinched back, confused. "Wha...what?" I stammered out.
"I owe Gabby ten bucks now," Caleb pouted. Gabby was beside herself with laughter at this point. "I'm telling you, Caleb, I knew it! I freaking knew it!" she cried in between gasps.
I blinked in surprise, then shook my head. "You guys are insane," I whispered as Gabby finally regained her composure. She looked up at me, grinning. "I'm happy for you, Ase. Jade's a great person."
I shook my head. "No, this isn't a good thing! She's never going to like me back!" I protested.
"I wouldn't be so quick to assume that, Ase." Gabby and I both turned to Caleb at the same time. He met my gaze with his own, then continued. "You know that denim jacket she wears sometimes? The one with the pins on it? Well, I got a good look at it the other day, and I saw a rainbow pin on it just like mine that said 'Pride' on it."
There was a long silence. I felt my heart hammer in my chest, and I fought to string together a sentence. "I...wha...really?" I breathed.
Caleb nodded. "Really."
Another long silence. Oh my God, I thought, is this real? This is real, this is real, Jade likes girls, this is really happening...
"She likes you back, you know. I see the way she looks at you," Gabby said with a smile. I glanced over at her. "You really think so?"
"I'm pretty sure."
All of a sudden, I felt overcome with emotion. "I think I'm gonna cry," I laughed as a tear rolled down my cheek. Caleb put his hand on my shoulder. "I get it, hon. Let it all out."
"'Hon'?" Gabby asked. Caleb ignored her, keeping his eyes on me. I turned to look at him. "I don't know what to do," I admitted. He nodded. "I know it's hard, but I think you should tell her. The worst that can happen at this point is that she'll only want to be friends. She cares about you, Ase. She wouldn't ditch you just because you have feelings for her."
"I haven't known her all that long. Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked.
"So what if you haven't known each other all that long? You like her, she probably likes you, and you have a lot in common. I've seen it for myself, after all. What could go wrong?"
Caleb had a point. I sighed. "Maybe," I said. "We'll probably be jamming again tomorrow at her house, so that might be a good time."
"I believe in you!" Gabby cheered, patting me on the shoulder. I laughed. "Thanks, Gabby."
Caleb smiled. "You've got this," he reassured me. "I promise you, you've got this."
I turned my gaze to the ground. "I really, really hope you're right."