“At least you were there to witness it,” I offer up, my stomach twisting. “Maybe when the guys hear it from you, they’ll believe me.”
“What?” he cries, like I’ve told him there’s no difference between Marvel and DC. Quickly, he moves so he’s in front of me and walking backwards. “The guys believe you. They’ll always believe you. Yeah, I’ll tell them what I saw, but don’t think for a second that they don’t trust what you tell them.”
“Then why did Kaleb…?” I trail off, not sure exactly what I’m trying to say.
“It’s not that he doesn’t believe you-- he does,” Felix affirms, a shockingly serious expression holding tight to his normally happy, elfin features. “He just wants Gina to stop. We all do, and he hoped that with all you guys it would make a difference. Even knowing what a bitch she is, we all seemed to underestimate her evilness.”
I give him a look, and he cringes a little, moving so we’re once again walking side by side. “Okay, you didn’t, but it wasn’t that we didn’t believe you, we just hoped…”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” I reassure, tucking my hair behind my ears. “Hope isn’t a bad thing-- just didn’t work in this instance.”
“What are you going to do?” he inquires, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets.
I shrug, feeling drained and lost. “I don’t know. She said she’d call my aunt about today, so I’ll wait to see what she says.”
“Don’t worry. She’ll believe you,” Felix replies automatically, like he can see the doubts clawing through my mind. “Just like me and the guys, she has your back.”
I nod, as I fight the tears that never seem to go away.
∞∞∞
The skies are still a heavy grey, thick with clouds a hair's breadth away from showering us with rain, but the wind, thunder and lightning from my magic is thankfully gone.
All the guys, except for Connor, are in the parking lot waiting for me after school. As soon as I see Kaleb, everything seems to bubble up inside me and I rush toward him.
“I told them,” I confess, tears already clogging my throat. “I told them, and they didn’t care. They didn’t believe me!”
Aching tenderness reaches out to me from his warm brown eyes, and he opens his arms, inviting me into them. The last vestiges of any self-control I had melts away, and I start crying as soon as my head rests against his chest.
“I’m so sorry, Callie,” he murmurs into my hair, holding me tight and rocking me side to side.
Relief washes through my body so profoundly, that I grip tightly to the back of his shirt, scared that my legs will give out. I didn’t break what Kaleb and I have beyond mending. He’s still here. He still wants to be my friend.
“What the hell happened?” Donovan growls from somewhere behind me.
“She was called into the office during third period,” Nolan answers, his voice indicating he’s right beside me, but I don’t look up. “Unless the gale force winds and whatnot was a coincidence, I’m guessing it didn’t go well.”
Without my permission, the locks that have kept me together today have snapped open too early, and I can’t seem to stop crying. I feel like I’ve been tied to a rock and repeatedly smashed by huge ocean waves, and there’s nothing left to put me back together.
“Gina set her trap better than we realized. Like Dr. Doom level,” Felix explains for me. “All the rumors had already made it to the office, and the bitch already reported yesterday that, get this, Callie was harassingherbecause she used to date Nolan.”
“Of course she did. Is there nothing she won’t stoop to?” Nolan seethes, and I flinch against the power of his rage. Gently, he begins running his fingers through my hair, as if to reassure that his anger has nothing to do with me. “I’m guessing they didn’t give a shit about what I have to say about it.”
“You’d guess correctly,” Felix agrees sourly. “Callie asked that they call you down to ask you about it-- actually she asked them to call all of you down-- but Mrs. Cartwright didn’t seem too interested in listening to anyone else. Her mind was made up before we got there.”
“We do it anyway,” Kaleb announces, his voice a heavy rumble in my ear. “I don’t care if they don’t believe me. Callie is not going to face this alone. If they’re going to accuse her of lying, they’re going to have to accuse me too.”
Taking in a few halting breaths filled with the scent of sandalwood, I plead, “Please don’t. There’s no reason for you to go down with me. They won’t believe you, not in a way that really proves my innocence, and if Gina started targeting you…”
Kaleb squeezes me tight against him, his hard muscles offering little give to my smaller form. “It doesn’t matter if she comes after me.”
My voice muffled against his chest, I counter, “Your reputation means everything to you.”
I feel him tense beneath my fingers that are digging into his back, and he pulls away enough to look into my eyes. It’s breathtaking to once again meet his gaze and see all of his feelings-- not just his kindness and understanding, but his righteous fury and his passion.He hasn’t given up on me.
“Listen to me very carefully,” he says, his baritone voice thick with emotion, and he reaches up with one large hand to cup the side of my face. “My reputation isn’t more important than you. Nothing is...” He glances up, as if he’s remembering we’re not alone, then clears his throat. “I… I just don’t think I can live with myself if I don’t speak up.”
“Thatwouldtarnish the ‘Perfect Kaleb’ lifestyle,” Donovan taunts, then with a sneer, he adds, “What do those posters around school say? ‘See something? Say something!’”
