8. Callie
Chapter 8
Callie
Freshman Year
Did I hear him right?! This doesn’t happen to me. Ever.
He pulls me into a tight hug, and I just stand there smiling like I’ve never smiled before. I nestle my head into his chest hoping that this thing between us lasts. Being around him brings me so much calmness and peace. It tells me that he’s not just some high school sweetheart. He’s the real deal. Or so I’m hoping.
“Callie, are you okay?” Mason asks nervously.
I look up at Mason, wondering why he thinks that I’m anything but okay right now. His thumb comes up to my face and wipes a tear off my cheek. Oh no, I’m crying. I don’t like crying in front of people. Especially not Mason Ward. Come on Callie, get it together…
“I’m okay. They’re happy tears, I promise.” I say before laying my head back on his chest.
We stand like that for a few minutes until people start spilling in through the front door of the school. I pull away just in time to look up and see a huge smile plastered on Mason’s face. I quickly pop up on my tippy toes and plant a kiss on his cheek.
“It’s time to get to class now, boyfriend .” God, I’m so cheesy. Ew.
“I’ve got to run to my locker real fast but then I’ll see you in English, girlfriend .” Mason winks, planting a tender kiss on my forehead before turning to walk to his locker.
I turn and walk in the other direction towards the classroom.
Pulling out my phone before class starts, I text my mom.
Me: Thanks for moving me here against my will, Mom. (:
Mom: ...you’re welcome? I think. What makes you all happy to live here all of a sudden?
Me: Class is about to start. We’ll talk after you get home from work.
Mom: Okay. Have a good day. Love you.
Me: Love you too, Mom.
I put my phone back in my pocket just as Mason walks in the door. He looks at me and smiles before continuing to his desk, on the other side of the classroom. Two of his teammates stroll in and go straight to him, giving him a high five before looking at me and smiling with a nod. I guess news really does travel fast.
I don’t see Mason again until I enter fourth period. By then all his teammates know we’ve made it official - and apparently, so do a few of the cheerleaders. I guess that shouldn’t surprise me since two of them are dating his teammates. I don’t get the same welcome from them as I did from the football team, though. They’re more into looking my way and rolling their eyes. As if I’m not good enough for Mason since I’m not a cheerleader. Whatever.
It’s finally the end of the day. I meet Mason at my locker, making sure I’ve got the textbooks I’ll need to do my math and English homework before we head home. I’ve been walking home with Mason ever since it’s warmed back up outside. It’s so much nicer than riding the bus. Mason lives right up the road from the school and I’m a few more blocks past him. He always walks me home before heading back to his house.
I’ve got a little over an hour before my parents will be home, so I sit at the bar and pull out my history homework. This is a really simple assignment, so I don’t think it’ll take all that long to complete. We are working on a timeline in class, and we are supposed to be finding events that took place within the time frame that we were given in our group. My group decided we’d each take two years so that we all had an equal amount of work. Hopefully, they’ll actually do their part. I’ve always hated group projects because I’m usually the only one who puts in any work and ends up having to do the entire assignment myself. Much like our last assignment in Science. I’m still annoyed about that whole situation.
One class down. One to go.
I’m a little more than halfway through my math homework when I hear my mom pull in. She always gets home about twenty minutes before my dad does since he’s coming from downtown. Getting up, I gather all my worksheets into a pile and put them in my math textbook because I know my mom will be on me as soon as she gets in the house about our conversation this morning.
And I’m right.
The door barely opens when I hear her call my name.
“I’m in the kitchen,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Oh good, you’re down here. I can’t wait to hear all about why you’re now happy to live here, against your will.” Using air quotations to make a point.
“It’s nothing really. Just met some cool people and no longer hate it here.” I can’t even bring myself to look at her.
“You’re lying. I can tell by the way you’re fidgeting.”
“Ugh, fine. Mason and I are dating now. He asked me this morning.” I hide my face with my hands, peeking through my fingers.
“Oh! I’m so happy to hear that! Mason seems like a good person. We can't wait to meet him.”
“Yeah, he is. He’s a really good person.”
Natalie Callahan, better known as Mom, doesn’t let anything slip through her grip. Especially when it comes to me and Emily.
“EMILY!” I yell on my way to her bedroom.
“Why are you yelling at me…” she says, opening her door and peeking around the corner.
“I’m getting ready to go to Mason’s football game. Are you still coming with me? I’m meeting a few friends there.”
“Yeah, I was in the middle of getting ready when you rudely interrupted me.” Laughing, she closes her door and yells “I’LL BE RIGHT OUT!”
Emily is annoying sometimes but we actually get along pretty well for being so close in age. It hasn’t always been this way. We used to fight so much, instigating each other and then blaming the other person even though we knew exactly who started it.
I hope we stay this close. It’s nice having a friend so close.
“Mom, Dad… Emily and I are heading out. We’re walking up to watch Mason’s game.” I say, giving them each a small peck on the cheek.
“Do you need money for concessions or anything?” Mom asks, pausing the show they’re watching.
“No, I think we’re good. I’ve got some cash if Emily needs anything.”
“Okay. You girls have fun. Tell Mason we say hi if you see him before or after the game.” They haven’t even met him yet but include him in conversation a lot.
Emily walks down the hall and says bye before following me out the front door.
“Cal. Can I tell you a secret?” Emily says, barely above a whisper.
“Of course. What’s up?” I say, stepping closer so I can hear her better.
“You know Matt… the guy on Mason’s team?”
“Uh, yeah. The tall blonde, right?” I’m pretty sure I know who she’s talking about but I’m really bad with names.
“Yeah, him.” Her cheeks are turning a light pink color. Does she have a crush on him?
“He’s cute.” Yep, she’s got a crush on him.
“He is. And I don’t think he’s seeing anyone.” I say, nudging her arm.
“Callie! I don’t want to date him! I just think he’s cute.”
Right. Totally believable.
“Emily, you don’t have to lie to me. Your cheeks are telling me exactly the opposite of what your mouth is.”
She brings her hand up and rubs her cheeks like her embarrassment will wipe away. “Okay… yes, dating him would be cool… but that won’t happen. I’m two years younger than him and a nobody.”
“Umm, Em… did you forget that I am also a nobody and dating Mason..??”
“No, I didn’t but that’s different..” she says, speeding up to get away from me.
I match her pace, linking my arm with hers. “How exactly is it different, Em??”
“Ummm…” She’s fidgeting with the sleeve of her shirt, so I know she’s full of it.
“That’s what I thought. Come on, let’s get a good spot on the bleachers so we can see our men.” I say, laughing before pulling her through the gate to the field.
“Ughhhhh,” Em moans and I can’t help but laugh a little more.
After going to a few of Mason’s games I tried watching a football game on the television and it’s not the same. I can’t get into it. I’ve never been to a professional, or even college, football game, but I can tell being there is a million times better than watching it on television.
We’re up thirteen points and the game is almost over. I can hear our entire side of the field screaming out different players' names as they possess the ball. A few chants are booming from different sections on top of the cheerleaders doing their best to get the guys moving.
The buzzer sounds and cheers ring out all around Em and me. My throat is sore from yelling and screaming but I get out a few more before we start walking down towards the fence. At the end of every game, Mason meets me at the fence for a quick kiss before heading to the locker rooms.
“That was a great game,” I whisper unintentionally, but that’s all the louder it comes out.
Mason smirks before placing a sweaty kiss on my forehead. “Thanks for coming. They really made us work for that win tonight.” Mason catches Emily hiding behind me and adds, “Hey Em. Thanks for coming.”
She smiles and nods his way but doesn’t say much. She’s still a little shy around him.
“Text me when you get home. Oh, Mom and Dad told me to tell you 'hi' if I was able to see you tonight.”
“Tell them I said hi. I’ll text you when I get back home but I can’t promise I’ll be all that talkative tonight. I’m exhausted.”
He gives me one more forehead kiss before waving bye and walking over to the team.
“Cal, you ready to go? I was going to drop you off before I head to the store to grab a couple of things.” Mom calls from down the hall.
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
“Do you need some cash for tonight?” she asks on our way out to the car.
“No, I set some aside knowing I’d need some for tonight. Thank you, though.”
“It’s the alley on Long Street, right?”
“Uhm, I believe so. Let me double-check. Why does our town need more than one bowling alley anyway?”
“They’ve both been there forever, and I don’t foresee either of them closing. Both seem to do well, even though this is such a small town.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket and bring up the text from Cassidy. “Yes, the one on Long Street.”
“Okay, good. That’s on the way to the store where the other is a little out of the way.”
I laugh because I know Mom would take me either way and wouldn’t complain about it being out of the way .
The parking lot is packed when we pull in so she pulls up along the closest curb she can and tells me to text her when I’m ready to be picked up.
As soon as I open the door, I can hear Cassidy’s laugh. It’s one of those laughs that as soon as you hear it you immediately know who it’s coming from. The kind that is contagious and makes you feel happy, even if you’re not.
I haven’t been bowling in a long time and never to this place. The inside looks like your generic bowling alley; lanes spread across the far end of the open space, tables at the end of each lane where the groups can sit and eat while they bowl, a round bar-like restaurant to the left, and skate rentals on the right. The floor is white and black checkered tiles. A few art pieces are hanging on the wall, but honestly, most of the wall space is bare.
When it’s my turn, I pay for my shoe rental and then make my way over to where the girls are all sitting around a table at a lane to the far right of the building. I smell the nachos as I pass the bar and immediately know I’ll be grabbing some with a fountain Pepsi later. There’s nothing better than a fountain Pepsi.
Cassidy, Jen, and Amber are sitting at the table when I walk up. “Hey, guys. I hope y’all didn’t wait for me to start.”
“We played one game but decided we’d wait for you before starting a new one,” Jen answers. She’s setting up our names on the board and getting the new game ready as I put my shoes on.
“Is anyone hungry? I think I want to grab some food before we start a new game.” Amber says from beside Cassidy.
We all nod in agreement and make our way over to the bar to order.
Amber and I get nachos and a Pepsi. Cassidy and Jen get burgers and sweet tea. We grabbed a large fry to share, too. We make small talk while we finish eating and then get set up for the game.
It’s my turn first and I knock down eight of the pins and I hear a collective “ughhhh” from the table. I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t get all ten or because I only need to knock down two more to get a spare. I line the ball up and roll it down the lane only knocking over one of the two remaining pins.
Next up is Jen, and on her first try, she gets a strike. Amber goes and knocks down six on her first try and then three others on her second try. Cassidy goes last, getting a spare.
We keep going until all ten frames are completed, Cassidy kicking all our butts. Jen had beginners’ luck, but Cassidy came out of nowhere in the last few frames and got ahead of all of us.
As we’re all cleaning up our mess from the food, my phone starts buzzing in my pocket. I already know it’s my mom letting me know she’s out front. I sent her a text after I finished the last frame to let her know we were wrapping up.
Mom: I’m out front, but don’t rush. I’ve got my book with me.
I stare at my phone a little before deciding to put it back in my pocket. As much as I enjoy hanging out with Mason, it really is nice to get in some girl time.
“Ugh, is anyone else not excited about the test next week in math?” Amber whines.
“I don’t know why you think any of us are excited about it??” I say, hoping my sarcasm comes out.
“I’m not excited about it. Pretty sure I'm going to bomb it.” Cassidy says although she’s the one most likely to ace it.
“I know I won’t ace it but I don’t think I’ll do too bad. I’ve been studying with Mason trying to get more comfortable with the formulas and such.”
“Speaking of Mason… I’m glad we finally got you away from him for the night. We should definitely do this more often. It’s nice hanging out with the guys, too, but there’s just something about girl time that fills my cup.” Jen says with a smile on her face.
“Yeah, you’re right. I do like the time that we all hang out together but spending time with just y’all is necessary, too.” My phone buzzes, reminding me that my mom is sitting outside. “Hey guys my mom’s out front. I’m going to turn my shoes back in and head out. Thanks for inviting me to come hang out. I had a lot of fun.”
“Let’s get you away from Mason more often.” Jen laughs. But she’s right. Mason and I have been hanging out a lot lately and I enjoyed this time with just my friends.
“Ha ha,” I say sarcastically before adding, “I will be making a habit of doing it more often. Especially if we go bowling again.”
“I’m always down to bowl!” Amber says, the others chiming in their agreement.
“I’ll see y’all at school on Monday!” I say before turning to walk towards the shoe rental desk.
“Hey, Cal. I was thinking we could go hiking this weekend. Maybe a few of us can go together. What do you think?”
I never thought I’d enjoy hiking but being out in the woods, listening to the sounds of birds and nature, is calming and brings me a certain kind of peace I can’t get anywhere else. “Yeah, I’m down! I’ll ask Em and a few of the girls if they want to go, too.”
“I am planning on asking Josh and Matthew if they want to go. We can pack a picnic lunch, too. Spend the whole day out there if everyone is up for it.”
“That’ll be fun. I hope everyone can go but I’m also down if it’s just us going.”
Mason and I spend the next few hours throwing a ball around the backyard, and at one point Emily comes out to join us. What starts as a game of monkey in the middle quickly turns into Emily and me against Mason and we still lose horribly.
Emily goes to throw me the ball and as I’m running I trip over my feet because of course I do and Mason gently tackles me to the ground. I immediately break out in a giggle fit and soon enough Mason and Emily are both laughing with me. Or at me, I’m not sure.
“You’re getting better Em!” Mason says after we’re all done laughing.
“I’ve been learning a thing or two by going to your games with Cal, I think.” It probably has more to do with her crush on one of the football players but I won’t be the one to spill her secret.
“Well, it’s done some good. Now if Cal would let me teach her y’all might be able to take me,” he says, laughing again.
“You don’t even give us a chance, Mase!” I say and then we’re back to laughing.
Emily, Jen, and Amber shuffle into the backseat of Mom’s car after I called shotgun this morning. Mom’s dropping us off at the hiking trails outside of town where Mason, John, Matthew, and Justin will be meeting us.
“Y’all packed enough water, right?” Mom says, turning to look us all in the eyes.
“We’ve each got a cup with ice water and then Mason packed a cooler with ice and more bottles of water. There’s a cooler with stuff to make sandwiches and a bag of bread in the trunk, too. If we need more there’s a shelter with vending machines that have water and other drinks.” I say, pointing to the back of the car.
“Okay, I just don’t want y’all out there hiking in this heat without staying hydrated.” She says while turning the key to start the car.
I turn on the radio and one of my favorite songs plays through the speakers. All five of us turn it into a small jam session as we make our way out of town.
As we pull in I can see Mason and the guys sitting at a picnic table under the shelter. Mom pulls in and parks, unlocking the doors so we can get out. After popping the trunk I walk to the back and grab the bag with the bread and our cooler.
Turning around, I almost smack into Mason. Again.
“Cal, you’re on the way to making that our signature move.” Mason laughs before grabbing the cooler from my hands.
“Hey, Mrs. Callahan,” he says, waving to my mom with his free hand before grabbing mine.
“Hey Mason! Nice to see you again. Y’all have fun and please call if you need anything. Be careful and watch for snakes,” Mom says before turning to get back in the car and driving away.
Two hours later we’re walking down the main path leading back to the shelter. “Whew. That was tiring but necessary,” I say, taking a swig of water from my bottle.
“It was a lot more relaxing than I imagined it would be if I’m being honest,” Jen says.
“This is your first time hiking, isn’t it?” Amber asks from behind me.
“Yeah. My parents hike a lot but I’ve never been with them. I borrowed my mom’s shoes today but I might have to buy my own and get out here more often.” She’s bending over now, hands on her knees. Hiking is fun but sometimes it can take a lot out of you, physically.
“Mason and his brother go a lot and I was hesitant to go with them at first but now I try to go as much as I can. It’s relaxing and shuts my brain off a little bit.”
“I don’t know about y’all but I’m starved. Let’s go eat!” Matt exclaims before turning away and heading to the sheltered area.
We left our coolers in the trunk of Josh’s car while we hiked so Mason and Josh headed towards the parking lot to grab them.
“Hey Em. Have you talked to Matt yet? It won’t hurt to say hi to him.” Sometimes she’s gotta be nudged out of her comfort zone a little.
“No,” she says shyly, looking around to make sure no one heard.
“Don’t worry, no one knows your secret. It’s safe with me.” I say laying my arm around her neck. “But seriously, just say hi.”
Josh and Mason lay out all of our sandwich-making ingredients on one picnic table while we gather around one another to eat.
I’m thankful for this small group of friends Mason and I have joined together. Everyone gets along great. Mason, Josh, Emily, and I get in quality sibling time while also hanging out with friends.
When we first moved here I never thought I’d have found a good group of people this easy. I was so upset about moving away from my old neighborhood and those I’d grown close to that I never thought about it positively. Moving wasn’t completely bad. It’s allowed me to find more great friends, an awesome (and pretty hot) boyfriend, and grow more as a person.
As I sit here surrounded by people that I’ve grown really close to, I can’t help but smile. I’m genuinely happy.