The Resolution of Callie & Kayden(60)

But that was okay.

She didn’t need wooing.

She didn’t need songs.

Because she wasn’t a princess.

And the boy wasn’t a prince.

She was just a girl.

And he was just a guy.

And this wasn’t a fairytale.

But real life.

And fairytales were overrated anyway.

The rest of their conversation was light, cautious, neither of them comfortable enough to bring up that night. They soon parted ways, with a wave and a smile that carried hope they would soon see each other again.

It was not the end for these two.

There was so much more in store for them.

Now that their monsters were out of their lives.

It didn’t start right away – the relationship between the two of them. They had a class together and their conversations were filled with, ‘Can I borrow a pen?’ and ‘Did you go to my game on Friday?’ and ‘You should really go to my game.’

The girl wanted to say more and so did the guy, but it took some time just to work up the courage to take that extra step.

But finally the time came.

‘So I was thinking,’ the guy said one day when they’d run into each other in the hallway. He was standing up straighter these days, more confident now that he wasn’t being beaten down. ‘That we should go out some time.’

‘Like on a date?’ The girl had never been out on a date and she was confused. Yes, they’d talked a little bit to one another and she couldn’t stop thinking about him – her journal was filled with pages of their average encounters and of course the details of his eyes because those were her favorite part – but other than that, they’d seemed like they were going to be friends, which was way better than not being friends. But now, his expression showed signs of something else, as if he’d been trying to fight it, but had given it up and let it free.

I like you, his expression read.

I like you, too, the girl wanted to say.

‘Yeah, on a date.’ He seemed amused by the girl, almost nonchalant about the whole thing, but his eyes promised, I like you a lot.

I like you a lot, too.

‘Okay.’ It was hard for the girl to say, and when the words left her lips, they surprised her.

They surprised the guy, too, as if he’d thought she was going to say no. If she didn’t know any better, she could have sworn they both stood taller.

‘Okay then,’ the guy said. ‘I’ll pick you up tonight.’

‘Okay.’

They parted ways, the girl’s head swimming with possibilities.

But could she trust him?

Because in a world full of monsters, it was hard to tell who was what.





Chapter 25


#167 Say Goodbye.



Kayden


It’s not until Dylan calls me the next day I decide to go to the funeral because he says he’s going. Tyler’s not, though, because he was worried it might send him back into a relapse, which I understand. I honestly keep waiting for something to set me off and do the same thing, but I feel strangely okay.

I think Callie’s relieved when I tell her I’m going to the funeral, like she thinks it will give me a sense of closure. I’m not sure if she’s right, but it’s the only chance I’m going to get so I take it.

The funeral is in North Carolina where I just found out my mother grew up, which is why my father and her had been hiding out there – because they knew people. Callie comes with me, thankfully, but we can only stay for two days because finals are going on and there’s no way I’m going to f*ck up my grades or hers for this. With the limited time we have there, we mostly just hang out on the beach near our hotel.

And I’m okay with that.

In fact, it’s perfect.

‘I’m starting to become a fan of the ocean,’ Callie says the morning of the funeral. She’s sitting between my legs in the sand, leaning back against my chest, the sun beaming down on us. ‘It’s so peaceful.’

I’m playing with her hair as the water crashes against the shore just a few feet in front of us. ‘Yeah it is.’

She rests her head against me and lets out a contented sigh. ‘We should come here more often.’ She adjusts her sunglasses over her eyes. ‘Well, not to North Carolina, but to the ocean.’

‘We could always live by the ocean,’ I say, putting one arm around her and leaving the other in the sand to support our weight, ‘after we graduate, and maybe I’ll get lucky and get drafted to a team that’s near the coast.’