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“He agreed to it. I’m staying with you homecoming weekend. He just wants to talk to your dad first!”
Calvin’s face fell at the mention of his father, but he tried to brush it off, muster a smile and nod, showing me he was happy that we’d spent the weekend together. It was better than Facetime and texting non-stop while physically apart. I didn’t want Calvin to go to homecoming alone, the game, the bonfire, all of the activities that would become forever memories for both of us. I knew Calvin would never cheat on me, but the thought of other girls thinking he was single if I wasn’t there, ignited a firestorm in me. Even if my parents had forbidden me, they would have had a hard time dragging my unwilling body to the car.
“Well, let’s hope my dad can be civil for more than five minutes.”
“Where am I sleeping?”
“With me.”
I gasped at Calvin’s answer. He took his eyes off the road for a second and handed me a sweet smile.
“In your dreams,” I said. “My dad won’t let me go if your mom or dad tell him that.”
“Guest room, next to Fox’s bedroom. I’m sitting vigilante outside your door all night with a Glock.”
“Haha! More likely you’ll be sneaking in to kiss me goodnight!”
“Right after I load the gun.”
I couldn’t tell if he was serious.
More and more, it seemed like the stress of me staying at his house was greater than the reward of spending the weekend together. I wondered if Calvin didn’t feel safe in his own home. The idea made my heart break for him. Now he was old enough to take care of himself, but the idea of a younger Calvin feeling frightened of his father was unbearable. I wished there was a way I could turn back time and comfort the young boy inside of him.
“There’s still time for me to go with my parents if it makes things easier. We’ll still have homecoming senior year.”
Calvin pulled into the closest parking spot near the entrance at school. I unclipped my seatbelt trying to hold back the tears.
“Ellison, look at me.”
Cal took my chin with his fingers and gently forced me to turn my head and confront my fears. Tears spilled from my eyes. I wasn’t sad, just overwhelmed with emotion.
“I love you. I want you there. No, I need you there. Let me worry about my asshole dad, that’s not your battle to fight.”
“We fight battles together, we’re a team,” I told him. I grabbed my backpack and swiped my fingers under my eyes trying to salvage my mascara.
“Not this one,” Calvin said. He slammed the door so hard the whole car shook with the impact.
“This battle is mine and it’s up to me alone.”
Chapter 18
CALVIN
I was sweating the weekend and the worst part was that I couldn’t hide it from Ellison. Having her in my house, with my family, would be an honor—if my family were normal, functional, but we were far from it. I didn’t want anything to happen to Ellison, and I guess a part of me was scared too that if she saw who I really was, she’d hit the road running.
My home life was fucked up and I was a product of that environment. Part of me couldn’t believe that my mom was actually going to go through with it. But she craved normalcy even more than Fox and I did. She didn’t just like the Kraft family, she wanted to be like them—wholesome and altruistic, community-minded, accepted by her peers and generally viewed as good, instead of feared, as all of South Vale felt about our family.
I’d have been more excited if Ellison were coming over to meet in-laws who would embrace her, a sit-down dinner, and stimulating conversation at the table. But it wasn’t her fault that I couldn’t provide those things. The Montgomerys had a legacy, I was part of that plan no matter how much I wanted to deny it.
“El, wait up! Listen, let’s not have a fight. I’m fucking floored that you’re coming. I just wish we could give you what you truly deserve.” I charged after her up the sidewalk to school, grabbed her back and she shrugged my hand off her shoulders in anger. We’ve never had a fight and I didn’t want this to be our first. “Stop, would you?” She didn’t want to look at me.
Her eyes were bloodshot when she turned around, tears about to slip over the edge and spill onto her cheeks. I reached out to touch her face and she grabbed my hand.
“I have all I want with you, Cal. I don’t want you to be any different from who you are. I love you now, exactly as you are.” Her eyelids fluttered and I was afraid she would have a seizure. I pulled her into my arms and she sobbed into my neck.
