Chapter 28 #2
“That I’m not destined for physics. That me and Callum are just delaying the inevitable. Our parents are going to find out either way, and when they do…”
Mason winces, thinking about the entire town of Northwood blowing up in two different sections. One explosion at the Fanning household, and the other at the Brown’s.
Jenna sighs. “Mason, just—give it some time, okay? You’re clearly on the way to getting drunk and you can’t think straight.”
Mason shakes his head. “No. I’m the most lucid I’ve been for a while, actually, this isn’t supposed to—”
He freezes as he hears a familiar chuckle coming from the patio door.
He turns to see Callum coming outside with a girl.
He’s frozen to the spot, watching them interact and talk.
“Yeah, I’m trying for the big leagues… I want to go pro for sure,” Callum says, smiling at the girl dressed in a revealing witch costume.
“Mason…” Jenna says.
He shakes his head. “Don’t.”
Callum tells a joke, and the girl laughs, brushing her hand on Callum’s arm.
Mason’s stomach sours as he watches it all unfold. Callum doesn’t pull away. He’s letting it happen. Is this what happens at all the frat parties Mason hasn’t gone to? Does Callum just talk up girls like this?
Callum makes another joke, and the girl puts her hand on his chest.
Callum laughs too and as he looks to the side, his eyes land on Mason.
Mason’s lip quivers and his eyes turn misty as he watches Callum take a step back from the girl.
Mason shakes his head and turns away, walking right for the front yard so he doesn’t have to watch this anymore.
Mason spins around before he walks off. “You have a way to get home?” he asks Jenna.
Jenna nods, her eyes flitting to Callum. “Don’t worry, Mason. I’m fine.”
Mason purses his lips, turns back around, and keeps walking in the direction he was going in.
“Mason?” he hears Callum say, his voice panicked.
Jenna doesn’t follow; she watches Callum run after Mason.
“Just let me go,” Mason says, refusing to look back at Callum.
Callum’s fast, so he manages to intercept Mason and stand in front of him.
“Mason, that wasn’t what it looked like, my—my dad tried to set her up with me—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Mason mutters, shaking his head and trying to cover his eyes.
“Mason,” Callum says, his tone commanding and pleading.
Mason closes his eyes and hangs his head.
“I was just being nice to her. My dad’s trying to set her up with me through Joel, he’s always trying to me up with someone, and—God, I hate him.”
Mason puts his hands on his hips and nods, finally opening his eyes to face Callum’s pleading gaze.
“Every party’s like this, I was trying to hide it from you because I didn’t think you should see that, a-and things are still new a-and I didn’t want to risk telling, you and I—”
Mason puts his hands out in front of him, trying to stop Callum from his spiral. “I get it.”
He really does. He knows Callum wouldn’t cheat on him, he knows it’s all for show. That’s what Callum does. All to get away from his father.
“Can you come back to the party, please? I actually hate these things when you’re not here, I only want to be with you.”
Mason shakes his head. “No. I want to go back to my dorm. I have homework to catch up on.”
He tries to storm past Callum, but Callum stops him.
“Mason, what—what is it? I told you about this. Do you not believe me?”
Mason nods. “I believe you, Cal. Of course I do. But…”
“But what?”
Mason sighs and the tears come back. “It shouldn’t be like this. You’re—you’re always going to pick your dad over me. It’s always going to be like this, isn’t it? Finding fake partners to pretend you’re dating just to appease him? To appease Joel? The team?”
Callum blinks. “What? No, I—it doesn’t have to be like that—”
Mason shakes his head. “But it does. I think we’ve always known, that, Callum.”
Callum puts his hands on Mason’s shoulders. “Hey,” he says so gently like he’s talking to a spooked animal. “We can get through this, okay? We have so much time still to figure things out.”
Mason sighs and nods.
He doesn’t want to give up so easily. He only just got Callum back, and it’s always been like this for them. People don’t want to see them together. They’re not meant to be together. But wouldn’t things be easier if he stopped lying? Just lived like he wants to?
“Just got back to the party, okay? I want to go home,” Mason mutters.
Callum grabs him tighter, like Mason’s about to disappear or float away from him.
“Mase. Just—give me a minute, okay? Give us a minute. Remember what I said? I’m trying to figure this out.”
Mason nods. “I know. Me too.”
Callum stares at Mason, his expression resolute. “I will figure it out.”
“Okay,” Mason whispers.
Callum hugs him, fully enveloping Mason in his embrace, getting some black feathers tickling his cheeks.
Mason stands there, hoping for a glimmer of hope in the pitch blackness. Hoping that there is some way out for them where they can both be happy.
Callum releases him and walks back to the party, staring at Mason with adoration. Mason smiles weakly and turns away to walk across the grass back to the front yard.
He trudges through the grass, thinking back to when he was last in this yard. When he and Callum last confronted each other. How he threw up in the bushes. That Callum chose football over him.
He knows they’re past it now, but Mason isn’t so sure what’s behind them is fully in their rearview mirror.
Like a defensive linesman, there’s always going to be someone tailing them, and maybe they’ll have the game turned over before they score their touchdown.