“You’re wearing my sweatshirt, bambi,” he says and I cringe. He has no idea that I, despite the fact that I give him a hard time whenever I can, I never grew out of the childhood crush I held only for him.
This is why I can’t have nice things.
The nickname slices through me, and I feel chills cover my body. I’ve protested since the first time he likened me to the wobbly legged deer, but it’s a sentiment I truly hold dear.
Eric clears his throat and steps back, Mina moving in clumsy sync with him. “I didn’t know you were with Grey.” I decide in that moment if Callum is going to show up and crash my night, because that’s exactly what he’s doing, I’m going to use it to my advantage. I just want Eric to fixate on Mina, or literally any other girl here.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, wrapping my arms around his neck signalling that I don’t want him to put me down quite yet. “Don’t you have a crash out session with Hayden or Tristan?” I say it sweetly, but the way he’s grinning at me tells me that he knows I’m being sarcastic.
Callum squeezes me in his arms. It feels like a natural reflex, pulling me closer to his broad chest. Being in his arms really shows me our size difference. He’s massive. “Hayden’s probably hired forty-two scientists to trace which germ gave Madison the flu. When I left the house, he was sitting up against their bedroom door trying to convince her to let him in.”
I shake my head. “He genuinely would be lost without her. Like if she decided to leave Castlebrook tomorrow, they’d have to shut down the entire school because of him.”
“They’d just have to level the school and start over from scratch,” Callum jokes, finally setting me back on the ground. I see the way he’s eyeing Eric, chest all puffed out like he wants to fight him. Maybe he knows more about Eric than I do. Normally, I’d tell Callum to stop acting so intimidating, but I’m thankful he’s here.
“And Tristan?” I ask, just for small talk. I know nothing about the goalie of the Castlebrook Kings except that he’s very attached to Winter LeBlanc.
“At the library with Winter,” Callum crunches his nose up in distaste. “They read together…for fun.”
I raise a brow. “You object to reading because...”
Callum shrugs. “Why read when you have TV?”
I laugh, genuinely this time because he’s just so very…Callum.
Just then, my brother pulls into the lot, climbing out of his Jeep with a grin like he’s just won the lottery. Given the amount of nights he spends at the casino lately, I wouldn’t be surprised.
He slows when he sees Callum. “Uh… what are you doing here?”
Callum doesn’t miss a beat. “Didn’t think you were coming. Someone needed to look after your sister.”
And just like that, my chest goes tight.
Right. He’s just here as my brother’s best friend. Towatch overme. That’s all it is. All it’s ever been. I take two steps away from Callum because being close to him fogs my brain. It makes me think he feels things for me that he clearly doesn’t.
My brother laughs, unfazed by the accusation. “Had a little date after practice. Ran a bit late.”
I see one of my skating friends, Tara, stiffen at my brother’s words. The way her face falls, I know immediately that she thought he was here to see her. I didn’t realize they had something going on, but really, my brother has something going on with most girls on campus, so I’m not surprised.
Tara tucks her short red bob behind her ears. Her smile falters, and she looks away quickly. I don’t say anything, but I feel it too. That sting of being second choice. Or worse, not a choice at all.
Danny, the only boy on our skating team, shows up and starts heading toward our group. This prompts Lexi’s voice to ring out over the low chatter of the side conversations. “We don’t have enough seats! Someone’s gonna have to double up.”
There’s a pause. A long, tense one.
My brother nudges Tara and pats his lap with a cocky grin. “Hop on.”
She gives him a look like she might cry or slap him. Maybe both, and I don’t blame her. He’s an arrogant asshole, and I know he’s only here because I won’t take his calls or texts. He sure as hell isn’t here to check on me or make sure I’m okay.
Lexi, oblivious to why everyone is so tense with each other, cheerfully offers a solution. “Lilac’s small. She can just sit on one of the guy’s laps.”
Before the moment can get worse, Callum steps in, his arm snakes around my waist. “She can sit with me.”
“I think I just want to go home,” I mutter, but my brother hears me.
“I’ll drive you and we can talk about your date with Vincent,” my brother says low enough that I think I’m the only one who can hear it. My stomach rolls. I feel so boxed in right now that I feel absolutely sick to my stomach.
“No, I don’t think that’ll be happening.” Callum hauls me up and over his shoulder like it’s something he does every single day. “I’m your only option, bambi. Sitting on your brother’s lap would be weird as fuck, plus you look like you want to claw his eyes out, anyway. And you sure as fuck aren’t sitting on anyone else’s lap.”
