Chapter Fifty-Four
Sky
F or pick up day, there aren’t many parents on the grounds. There’s plenty of drivers, though. Men in chauffeur suits, picking painfully across the snowy quad in their formal lace ups, not equipped to deal with the frosty powder, and not a clue where they are going. I eye one, donning a santa hat, lugging three suitcases by himself around the frozen statue in the center. I’m not surprised when I realize that it’s Britney trailing behind him, head looking down at her phone.
“Thank god,” I say, glad she won’t be here for the break. Nothing sounds worse than being isolated in Lamb Hall with evil incarnate. When I texted my mother that I would prefer to stay at Hillcrest for the holiday, it gave me a knot of guilt in the pit of my stomach the whole time I waited for her reply. It took her two days to respond and when she finally did, all it said was, ‘Okay. Have fun!’. I don’t know if I should be relieved or concerned. How bad is it there that she would think school should be fun?
“Bye, bitch,” Ruby mutters beside me, following my line of vision to Britney and her descending gait. She flips her finger at her back, and my cheeks quirk up.
“Oh, well there’s Barbie.” Ruby slides her gaze to me.
I roll my eyes and hug my jacket tighter. She’s been trying to get me to ‘Cheer up, Barbie, it’s Christmas.’ all week. But it’s hard to do that when watching Cade deteriorate. It’s like he’s been infected by a sickness that’s draining his soul. He keeps falling asleep in class, he’s always clammy, and the dark rings under his eyes are only getting worse. I’m hoping that the break will give him just that, a break .
“Ugh,” Ruby scoffs as my lips fall back into their dreary state.
She knows what’s bothering me. I made the mistake of voicing my worries to her a few nights ago. I don’t know why I thought she would dole out anything but a snarky comment. After the night she held me through my breakdown, she went right back to her usual self of keeping people at arm’s length. But the extra insensitivity here probably comes from her dislike of Cade.
“Finally!” Ruby spins.
Callie is sweating despite the weather, clutching a bundle of freshly printed papers from the library as she bends over to brace herself on her knees.
“The printer was out of paper,” she says as she catches her breath, little plums of white disappearing into the air.
We’ve been keeping an eye on her suitcase for the past twenty minutes—at her request, even though it would have been fine—while she made hard copies of directions for her return home. Apparently, she has a car here, and it’s only a few hours’ drive to her family’s estate.
“That’s why you have a phone,” Ruby folds her arms. “Ever heard of GPS?”
“Technology can fail, and I’m not getting lost on a back-road. That’s how you end up in Wrong Turn with barbed wire around your mouth.”
I blink at the visual, surprised she can even drive with such creative anxiety.
“You’ll be fine,” I tell her, shaking my head.
“I will now.” She flaps the papers in Ruby’s face.
After a good sneer from Ruby, we walk Callie to the parking lot. Lana was whisked away earlier in the morning, gone before we could muster the energy to leave the warmth of our beds, but I know Ruby feels just as bad about it as I do. We’ve all become practically sowed at the hip, and I admit… I’m going to miss everyone. Ruby doesn’t leave for another few hours, but I’m already feeling the effects of choosing to not go home. There’s an air of loneliness that I haven’t felt since before Hillcrest. It doesn’t help that when we reach the parking lot, it’s mostly cleared out. Over half the area has recently vacated spots bare of snow.
I don’t even see Cade’s car.
My brows furrow as Callie pries open her ice crusted trunk. Where would my demon have gone? The ice cream shop is closed for the winter and honestly… he probably shouldn’t be driving in his condition.
I try to push it aside, giving Callie the most reassuring hug I can, and glance over her shoulder into the trunk. It’s filled with jumper cables, protein bars, a case of water, and three different first aid kits. It’s so excessive my heart aches for her, and I squeeze her tighter, trying to give her some of my bravery.
A sleek town car slides—literally hydroplanes—into the lot just as I let her go. We all backup as its wheels try to gain traction, and me and Ruby share a look before it stops right in front of us. Black tinted windows hide the occupants, and we all clutch at each other as the back door swings open.
Bobby, in his usual ridiculously large parka and comical galoshes, climbs out. I have to bite my lip to hide my amusement as he shoots a finger in the air like he’s just remembered something. I raise my brows playfully at Callie as he spins, falling onto his stomach on the seat. He reaches for something, the contrast of his bumbling and the elegant town car endearing, and I realize how much I’m going to miss him too.
“I was afraid I wasn’t going to get back before you left,” he says to Callie as he scampers out.
He’s holding what looks like a walkie talkie on top of a box with a matching picture of the device on its side.
“I charged and programmed it,” he says, looking everywhere but at her.
There’s a glowing ruddiness on his cheeks, and I turn to see Callie fidgeting with her scarf, also looking everywhere but at him. I can’t with these two. They are both the cutest and most frustrating pair I’ve ever seen. They clearly like each other. They always somehow end up sitting next to each other, and Callie has started recycling. Even Bobby is obvious, and I don’t understand how blind the two of them can be. He’s been studying specific foods for anxiety, for crying out loud, spouting on about green tea and bananas during lunch. It’s the slowest budding of a bloom I’ve ever seen and agonizing.
I can’t stop myself, and nudge her forward, urging her to accept whatever Bobby has brought her. She skids on the ice but quickly straightens, placing her hands under the box.
“Um, thank you.” She looks at it quizzically and then casts an unsure glance back at me and Ruby.
I subtly nod, trying to encourage her to ask what it is, but Ruby steps forward.
“Well, what is it?” Ruby snatches it off the box, bold and as intrusive as always.
“It’s a satellite phone,” Bobby finally looks at Callie, ignoring the way Ruby holds the device up and presses at the buttons. “It’s for your trip. You can call for help from anywhere with it. It doesn’t need cell service or anything. I mean, statistically , you’ll be fine. I just… Well, I know you get worried.” He looks down at his feet. “I just thought it would make you feel better.”
My heart all but melts and it takes everything in me not to ‘awhhh’ out loud.
“You got her a satellite phone ?” Ruby dangles the device from her fingers like it has a disease, not impressed.
Surprisingly, Callie nabs it from her and clutches it to her chest.
“I love it,” she says to Bobby. “I’ve always wanted one.”
“You always wanted a satellite phone?” Ruby asks dubiously.
“ Yes .” Callie hisses, shooting her a quick glare.
I do the same, mouthing for Ruby to shut up . She puts her hands up and rolls her eyes, backing up. I shuffle to the side with her, raptly watching their exchange.
“You didn’t have to do this…” Callie whispers.
Bobby shrugs, but after an awkward silence, he speaks. “I got the subscription for it. You should have an email.”
“Okay,” Callie says.
“Okay,” Bobby repeats.
I’m practically biting my nails as their hands graze when Callie scoops the box into her arms. I’m so hopeful that they are going to kiss, or at least hug. I can see the way she’s looking at his lips, the way his arms give off micro movements, like he wants to reach out. I’m on the edge of my seat, hanging by a thread, when they both suddenly separate. My shoulders sag. What the hell?
“See you after break.” Bobby turns and steps towards the town car as Callie frowns, putting the box in the trunk.
No. No. No. Ughh. What is wrong with them?
I quickly slip in next to her. “What are you doing?” I ask under my breath. “Hug him goodbye.”
She twists her hands, forehead scrunching up in uncertainty.
“Do it!” I hiss. “You know you want to, and you aren’t going to see him for two weeks.”
She stares at me, wheels turning, and I nod vigorously. She can do this. She wants to do this. She’s just scared.
“Hurry,” I tell her.
A shrill whimper eeks out of her as she quickly spins.
“Bobby!”
He turns, completely unsuspecting, as Callie skids on the ice and barrels into him. Her lips land right on his, and I swear his eyebrows reach his hairline. It’s a quick thing, so fast that if I had blinked, I would have missed it, and then she’s scurrying back.
“Okay, bye!” her voice is high pitched, whole face flushed.
Bobby just gulps and stumbles into the town car. I catch him once, twice, three times, fail to grab the door handle before he finally shuts it and the car crunches its way out of the parking lot.
“Oh. My. Goddddd . ” Callie squawks once we’re in the clear. She’s clutching the rim of the trunk, knuckles white. “I can’t believe I just did that. I just did that .” A panicked smile climbs up her cheeks. “Oh, god.” It turns into a grimace. “I just did that . I can’t believe I did that. I can’t. I can’t.”
Her chests hiccups rapidly, and I realize she’s starting to hyperventilate.
“I think I’m going to pass out,” she breathes.