"Now what," I say.
"That was all," Kingston says. "I mean, we should get back into practicing shape, but..." He blinks. "I think that can wait."
"There are no updates," Callahan says.
God, his voice is setting me on edge. Maybe because I haven't heard it in so long.
"What? Oh," Kai says, realizing that Cal's talking to him. "You mean from the Albinos?" He shakes his head. "Nothing for a few days. I'm probably overdue to check, though." He shrugs. "I need to go into town anyway. Keep you posted."
"Okay." He gives Cal a thumbs up.
Cal doesn't seem reassured. He chews on his cheek.
"It's okay, Cal," Kingston says. "Kai's handling it."
"Yeah," Cal nods. He took his arms around himself, as if he could possibly make himself smaller. Kingston slides a glance over at me.
"I'm gonna go…study." It's thoroughly unconvincing, especially given that he almost forgets his bag and then comes back for it. But I guess he can tell that there's some kind of vibe going between me and Cal right now, and he wants to be out of the blast radius.
I don't really think Kingston's judgmental in any way—like, upset that his lifelong friend is kind of a little bit gay sometimes, or whatever. Actually, I think he's just more uncomfortable with the idea of anyone having sex—except himself, I guess. I don't know.
But I'm glad he does leave, because my simmering need to corner Cal is about to bubble over.
Cal, though, doesn't seem to catch Kingston’s drift. He's about to leave, too, without so much as a word, and I have to grab his arm to stop him from going.
“Hey.”
I let go slower than I have to. And I want to grab him back as soon as I do.
"Hey," I say again. “Where were you?"
Cal frowns. "What?"
"Saturday. You just disappeared. You were gone all day. You didn't tell anyone, and you just..."
Cal flushes. He mumbles something I can't quite hear.
"What?" I ask.
"I said, I'm surprised you even noticed," Cal says. "You're like a ghost."
I can't believe it. "What do you mean? I wasworried about you," I say. "Just disappearing like that? Without saying?—”
"I wasn't doing anything bad, or anything," Cal says hurriedly.
"Yeah, I didn't say you were," I fire back, unable to stop the irritation in my voice. "I'm saying that because, like, I was worried that something had happened."
"Nothing happened," Cal says. He stares at me, stares at me in a way that's uncomfortable, even as it's something I have fervently missed in the past God knows how many days without really seeing him.
"What?" I say, my voice suddenly uncertain and low.
"You'reworried aboutme?" he says, and laughs a little. "Look at you, Lanz."
"I'm fine," I say, for what feels like the millionth time this week, or even today. "And we're not talking about me."
"We're not. Iknowwe're not," Cal says. “Because you're avoiding everyone. You're avoiding me. You're avoiding Gwenna. And yet you're acting as though nothing is wrong. I'm sorry, man, I know I’m not genius-level smart like everyone else around here, but I'm not that dumb."
I stare at the strip beneath me, the scuff marks from shoes, the occasional ding from a glancing blade.
