Challenge Accepted
Scarlett
I close the front door behind me and rest my back against the wood. I tilt my head up and smile. Dad is asleep in his chair in the living room. I walk over, pick up a blanket from the couch, and lay it across him. I’m halfway up the stairs when his voice startles me.
“Who was that?”
I turn around. Dad stares back at me from his chair.
“No one.” A blatant lie.
“So, you’ve been out with no one most nights? I’m not an idiot Scarlett. You’re an adult, you can do whatever you want. Just be careful.” There’s sincerity in his voice.
“Thanks Dad, I just don’t know what it is yet. And I know you catch feelings early, so I’m trying to spare you the heart ache.” It’s true, he does. But I’m also trying to brush off these feelings I’m having.
He chuckles. “Hey, that’s not fair. I’m just a lover.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, I know.”
He looks out the window then back at me. “You don’t know something is worth it ‘til you try, Scar.”
I smile. “Thanks, Dad. I love you.” I turn around and continue up the stairs.
“I love you too.” He proudly shouts.
Before I reach the last step, I stop briefly, still facing forward. “His name’s Callum, he’s a good guy,” I yell. I won’t get into all the demons and trauma that make Callum who he is, but at least he’ll know his name.
“Callum. Hmm… Interesting name,” I hear him say.
“Night, Dad.” I laugh.
“Night, honey. Thanks for telling me, I can’t wait to meet Callum.” He emphasizes his name.
He’s being protective, not snarky.
I laugh to myself and head into my room. In Dad’s eyes, I don’t think I’ll ever find anyone good enough for me.
I throw my purse on the floor, shut the door, pull my phone out, and roll over on the bed. I open my conversation with Callum. He’s probably not home yet, but I contemplate sending him a text. I bite the inside of my cheek. I don’t want to sound desperate…
Fuck it.
Scarlett: Thanks for a good night.
I don’t hit send. Instead, I stare at the message, overthinking.
A bubble with three dots appears and then disappears.
Callum: Miss me already?
I smile. He must’ve had our conversation open and saw that I was typing. Two can play this game. I delete what I previously typed out.
Scarlett: You wish.
He must be home—that was quick. I wonder where he lives? I imagine he’s in one of the nicer neighborhoods in town, with houses like his grandparent’s place. I linger on the thought, wondering if he’ll ever take me to his house.
Callum: No, I pray.
I fixate on his response before I pull up Sophia’s number. The phone rings three times before she answers.
“Hey Sis. What are you up to?” We obviously aren’t sisters, but she’s been calling me that for years.
“Not much, just got home, was out with Callum for a bit.”
“Oo-la-la. Go anywhere interesting?”
“Yeah, actually. It’s kind of weird I guess, but we went to his grandparent’s house. They were out of town.”
“Oh shit, that’s hot.”
I laugh at her reaction. “You’re ridiculous. Anyways, I wanted to see if you wanted to go dress shopping with me?” Sophia’s got the best style.
“Oh, of course! I’d love to! What is it for?”
“Callum asked me to this party, or... event, I guess? I don’t know which.” I guess I should’ve clarified those details.
“Formal though?” She asks.
“Yeah, it’s an event for this group. I’m not sure.” I don’t really know what to tell her since I’m also confused on what it is.
“Okay, no worries. I know the perfect spot. You have morning class tomorrow?”
“I only have a class in the afternoon, but I have my TA seminar after. Would the morning work?”
“Yep, I can pick you up. Will you be at home?”
“Can I call you when I’m done at the gym? Going to go scare a couple rounds out of Ricco first.”
“Sure, just let me know.”
“Perfect, thank you! Love you.” It feels weird, but I’m excited.
“Bye, love you too.” She hangs up.
I finish my bedtime routine, then look online for some dress ideas. I debate on sending one to Sophia to see if she approves of the style. Instead, I find myself in my conversation with Callum.
Scarlett: How’s this for the event. Is it an event or a party? I guess that matters for the type of dress I get.
I attach a picture of a black dress with an open back. It falls elegantly on the model and stops just above the ankles. It’s just tight enough to see every curve but loose enough to keep details hidden.
Callum: Jesus, Scarlett.
Frig, is it too much? Before I type an explanation, he responds.
Callum: I’m going to fuck you so hard in that dress. You’re going to scream my name so fucking loud.
Scarlett: Challenge accepted.
I smile bigger than I’d like to admit. Something about flirting with Callum fills me with warmth and jitters. I place my phone on the nightstand and turn off my light. I look up at the ceiling. What is this man doing to me?
~~~~~~~~
The next morning, I wake up to a loud bang.
“Dad?” No answer. I throw the covers off and run downstairs. He’s not here. I rush out to the garage.
“God damn. Piece of shit.” I spot Dad as he wipes his forehead off with an oily rag.
“Jesus Dad, what was that?”
“Sorry, did I wake you? The damn wheel well fell off.” He has a car up on the lift, the same car that Callum exposed and explored my body on. I fight back a smirk.
“I was just worried that something happened to you, that’s all.” I reach over and pat his back. “Be careful, old man.”
“I’m not that old Scarlett, I had you when I was twenty- one.” I roll my eyes— if I had a dollar for every time he’s used that excuse.
“I’m aware, Dad.”
“You have class this morning?” He throws the rag on the bench and reaches up into the car.
“No, I’m going to have a few rounds with Ricco then Sophia and I are going shopping.”
“Oh? What for? Do you have money?” He’s always a caretaker at heart.
“I don’t need money Dad, jeez. I’m an adult. And it’s just some event, I think it’s a party?” He looks over at me, his eyes squint. Like he’s trying to figure out what I’m thinking.
“You think it’s a party? You don’t know what you’re doing?”
“Well, I think it’s a party. I don’t fully know yet.” I deflect. Callum didn’t clarify on the nature of this party when I asked him last night.
“Okay, well, have fun shopping for the maybe party. Tell Ricco I said hi.” He raises his eyebrows, shakes his head, and slightly laughs.
I run back inside and get ready for the gym. I throw my sports bra and shorts on, with sweatpants over top. Winter is almost here. While sunny days are still warm, the nights are brisk.
I snatch my school bag off my desk chair and take it with my gym bag downstairs. I pour some coffee and yell bye to Dad before leaving for the day.
Once I’m at the gym, I head over to my locker and follow my usual routine. Ricco waves at me from the ring— he’s with another boxer. I wave back and gesture for him to stay. I can hit the bag today. A part of me feels slightly selfish for always taking up too much of his time.
I start toward a small area with different bags and find the one that I prefer. As I walk toward it, Ricco comes over.
“Hey Scar.” He walks to the bag with me. “Up for some sparring today?”
“You’re busy, and I don’t have much time, so I was just going to hit the bag a bit and call it a day.”
“Alright, let me know if you change your mind. He’s just leaving.” His head motions toward the guy in the ring.
He looks familiar, about six feet tall, and sandy hair. A chill runs down my back, making me shiver. I can’t pinpoint where I’ve seen him before.
“Thanks Ricco, you’re the best.” I tap his shoulder. “But turn up the heat, it’s freezing in here.”
“No Scarlett, you’re not working hard enough. Get moving.” He walks away.
I laugh and look back at the ring. The guy is gone. At first, I find it strange that he left so quickly, but Ricco did say that he was done his lesson. I’m overthinking this.
I hit the bag, over and over. Today, I need to push—for something deeper, something within. I don’t need an outlet—I need a spark.
After almost half an hour on the bag, I’m exhausted. My body aches but it doesn’t stop me from thinking about our plans later. I call Sophia to let her know I’m ready for her to get me, then I quickly shower and get dressed.
I meet her outside, her red car pulls up, the country music is blaring.
I open the passenger door, and she moves her bag from the seat. I climb inside and put my seat belt on as she turns on to Main Street.
“Well, do you have any dresses in mind or are you going to see what you find?”
“I have something in mind.” I grab my phone and pull up the picture of the dress I sent to Callum last night. I hold it out for her to see. She glances over for a second, paying attention to the road.
“Holy shit!” Her eyes pop and her brows lift.
“Is it too much?” I rummage through my bag on the ground and pull out my sour gummies. I eat them in my order of colours and offer a handful to Sophia.
“Honestly, it’s perfect. If it’s too much for the party, Callum can always just take you home.” She smirks, with a mouth full of gummies.
“Oh, trust me, I think he will anyways. We’ve spent almost every night together.
He’ll come over at night or sometimes we meet on campus in this beautiful hidden spot.
I forgot how nice it feels in the beginning when you like someone, and you just want to learn more about them.
” Sophia and I haven’t talked about boys lately—I guess from the lack of action. That’s changed for me.
“Are you talking to anyone? You haven’t mentioned going on any dates recently.” Sophia is usually the opposite of me. She goes on dates regularly and keeps her options open.
“I’m not. Well, it’s complicated.”
I gasp. “Sophia!”
“What? I didn’t want to tell you... I’m still not telling you. It’s complicated and embarrassing.”
If she’s not ready to share, she must be really confused. Sophia tells me everything.
“Oh, now you have to tell me.” My eyes are glued on her. She doesn’t say anything as we pull into a parking spot on Main Street. We get out and meet in front of the car, close to the dress shop.
“Are you really not going to tell me?” I open the shop’s door for her.
“I don’t know what it is yet, like you and Callum but a bit messier.” She rolls her eyes.
“Oh God. I can’t wait to find out. Take all the time you need.” I pull her in for a side hug. She knows that I’m always here for her, just like I know she’s there for me. Sometimes that includes figuring things out on our own, even in complicated situations. I know the feeling, so I let her be.
The store’s dresses are colour coded. The walls are painted a soft yellow, and a bunch of frilly ball gowns hang near the front. As we walk over to the black dresses on the rack in the middle, a friendly, blonde middle-aged woman comes over to us.
“Can I help you ladies with anything?” The smile on her face tells me that she’s likely getting paid commission.
“I’m actually looking for this dress, or something like it.” I pull out my phone and show her the picture.
“What size?” She asks as she walks over to a different rack.
“Four?” I have no idea what size I am. I haven’t bought a dress in years, and the sizing is always different from jeans or pants.
“Hmm. Maybe an eight or ten?” She says as she looks me up and down.
I’m not offended. I spend a lot of time in the gym. I try not to take her comment personally and remember that she does this job every day.
“I’ll just try on both then.” I wait for her to grab them off the rack, but she doesn’t.
“We only carry one size of each, and I don’t have any left in those sizes. I’m sorry. How about another style, one that suits you a little more?” She plasters on her fake smile and eyes me up and down, like I don’t belong in this store.
“I’ll look around a bit, thank you.” God, I hate confrontation, but she was being a bitch. I’d rather raid Sophia’s closet and get out of here.
I find Sophia. She holds two dresses in one hand while browsing through a rack with the other.
“Let’s get out of here.”
She looks to me, confused. “But you didn’t even try anything on yet. Where’s your dress?”
“The sales lady is being weird, and I would rather borrow something of yours.”
She scans the store to find the sales lady. She rolls her eyes, places the two dresses in her hand back on the rack, and grabs my arm. We walk out.
Sophia looks to me as we head down Main Street.
“What did she say to you?”
“I’m probably just overreacting, but I didn’t know what size I would be, and she said that they were sold out of the eight and ten in the dress that I wanted.
It’s not that I was offended about the size, I could care less what size I am, it’s that she made it seem like I wasn’t good enough for the dress or that damn store.
” I look down at the cement then back at Sophia.
She sighs. “Sometimes I hate this town. If you aren’t filthy rich, people don’t want anything to do with you.”
Sophia smiles. Her parents always have brand new cars and lavish jewelry. She never had to worry about applying for scholarships or reheating dinners. Instead of trying to understand, she offers support in the best way possible.
“Want to get ice cream?”
I smile and squeeze her hand as we walk to the ice cream shop.
Later, she drops me off at the gym to pick up my car and gives me a hug before I leave.
As I approach my car, I notice something on my passenger seat. It’s dusk and I can’t see from across the street.
When I’m finally close enough, I see a long black bag lying across the passenger seat. I walk around to the opposite side and open the door. It’s a clothing bag. As I unzip it, a note falls out.
You deserve everything.
It’s the dress I wanted.
There’s only one person who would’ve done this. I used to think I liked my world untouched, but that’s before Callum Mercer got his hands on it and ruined anything else for me.