The Athena Effect (14 page)

“There.” She set his hand down on the table, “The thread can come out after about a week or so.”

Jarod looked at the neat row of stitches, “Nice job.” He looked at the heart-shaped box, “That was my mom’s.”

Caledonia cleaned off the needle and rewound the spool of thread, packing them away neatly and replacing the lid on the sewing kit. She set it down with care.

Jarod scrutinized her, and seemed to have a rare moment of clarity, “Cal’s lucky he met you… We’re both lucky. You know, he’s a good guy. He could do a lot better than–” he gestured all around, “This.”

“What do you mean by that?” Crystal chimed in, offended.

He rolled his eyes at her, “I mean that Cal’s a smart kid. He could actually do something with his life… I suppose that I haven’t done a real good job of helping to bring him up… He took it real hard when dad got put away.”

“Put away?” Caledonia was puzzled.

“He didn’t tell you our old man’s in jail?”

She shook her head no.

“He’s in jail for killing their mom,” Crystal said, coming up behind Jarod and rubbing his shoulders. “Not on purpose though.”

“It was an accident,” Jarod explained, “He was drinking and he fell asleep at the wheel.”

“He killed like, three other people too,” Crystal added, “Hit ’em head on.”

“That’s terrible,” Caledonia said quietly.

Jarod sighed, “Yeah well, he’s doin’ the time for it. It’s been five years and Cal still won’t go visit him. Not even once. Pops feels real bad about it.”

They all looked up when Calvin walked in the door. He handed a bag to Caledonia and she pulled out a tube and package of tape and bandages, lining them up on the table. Jarod held out his hand to her like an obedient child, and she set to work, applying ointment, carefully wrapping the wound and taping it up neatly.

Calvin stood watching her with soft eyes, overwhelmed. He almost wished that he was the one with the cut, just so he could feel the gentleness of her touch once more. There were so many sides to her that she had his head spinning. She’d surprised him once again; first by knowing what to do, and then by taking firm control over his belligerent brother.

Despite being deceptively fragile looking, she was proving to be stronger than anyone he’d ever met.

He was falling further and further under her spell, and the way he felt about her was written all over his face. Crystal nudged Jarod, and when he looked up at his brother, even a drunk man could see it.

“Do your best to keep it clean,” Caledonia told Jarod, handing him back his hand and getting up.

“Thanks,” he said thoughtfully, “Looks like you saved the day again.”

“You’re welcome.” She finally looked up to meet Calvin’s anxious eyes, “I should probably go home now.”

“Why don’t you stay and have dinner with us?” Jarod asked.

“Yeah!” said Crystal, “I can cook!” She ran to the kitchen and came back with two beers, thrusting them into Calvin’s hands, “You two go wait on the couch and I’ll put some garlic bread in the oven.” She nodded at Caledonia, “Kay?”

Caledonia looked at the three of them watching her expectantly. It felt good to be wanted somewhere for a change, and she really didn’t want to go back to her aunt’s house anyway. She could see that they were all sincere, so she nodded back.

“Okay, thanks.”

She followed Calvin to the couch and sat, taking the beer he offered her. She sniffed it and took a little sip, wrinkling her nose and grimacing with distaste, “This is what all the fuss is about? It tastes awful!”

Calvin didn’t know why he was surprised, “You’ve never had a beer before?”

“No, but everyone keeps trying to get me to.”

“Who’s everyone?” he asked, laughing at the disgusted look on her face.

She stiffened up and looked down, unwilling to discuss it. He took the beer from her, “It’s okay… You don’t have to drink it.”

He set both bottles aside on the end table; he didn’t really want his either. When he was with her he didn’t want to drink himself numb like he sometimes did. He was happy simply to be there, present in the moment. With her.

He reached for the remote control, “Do you wanna see a movie or something?”

“I don’t know,” she squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable. The last person who’d asked her that was Phil.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a movie before,” he grinned his crooked grin at her.

She looked at him with sad eyes, hating the fact that she was so different.

“Whoa,” he said, putting down the remote. “That puts a lot of pressure on me.”

“Why?” she asked, worried.

“Because I have to make sure your first movie is a really great one,” he smiled.

“You don’t have to do anything,” she said, looking down at her hands in her lap.

“Yes I do,” he replied, completely overwhelmed by the way she made him feel. He wanted to make everything perfect for her. He wanted her to be happy more than anything he’d ever wanted for himself.

When she looked up into his dark eyes he was doing it again, casting the strongest, most intense shade of bright fuscia and red at her that she’d ever seen, rendering her speechless. She looked at his lips and wondered why he never tried to kiss her. He kissed all the other girls, so she could only assume he didn’t want her that way. She blushed and looked away.

Calvin watched her in awe. He wanted to kiss her so much he could barely stand it, but there was nothing coy or flirtatious about her, and he found himself waiting for a signal that never came. She was so skittish he was afraid she’d run away if he made a move on her, and he was afraid to risk it, knowing how easily she could slip away from him.

She looked back up at him and his breath caught in his throat. Just sitting alongside her made Calvin feel good, better than he’d ever felt before. Caledonia made him see the world through fresh eyes, and drop his jaded act. He wanted to be the first one to show her everything, and he wanted her sitting right next to him all the time.

That would have to be enough for now.

Caledonia studied his warm brown eyes and thought she could never feel cold looking into them. Their eyes were locked onto one another’s when Crystal peeked around the corner, “Hey Cal, Jarod wants to know how you like your steak done.”

“He already knows,” Calvin answered in a strangled voice.

“Not
you
… her!”

Calvin smiled at Caledonia, and the two of them burst into laughter once again.

~

Chapter Eleven – CONFESSION

~

Calvin walked her home after dinner, unable to convince her to stay and watch a movie. After a day filled with firsts, Caledonia was exhausted, and she knew that she risked falling asleep again if she stayed any longer. She remembered the ugly scene with her aunt in the morning, and she dreaded a repeat performance.

He took hold of her hand as they walked, and she didn’t pull it back. He was encouraged, but he felt her tense up as they drew closer to her house, so as tempted as he was, he dared not try and kiss her goodnight.

Frustrated, he watched her slip silently into the dark condo, waiting on the sidewalk until he saw a light flick on in an upstairs bedroom. He wandered back home slowly, images from the day flashing through his mind.

He shook his head, remembering the no-nonsense way Caledonia had managed his drunken brother. He was doubly impressed by her lack of squeamishness in dealing with the bloody cut– he didn’t know anyone else who would have been so cool and collected. He remembered that both of her parents were practically doctors and figured that they must have been the same way.

He tossed and turned that night, having a hard time falling asleep. When he finally nodded off, his dreams were filled with images of her; clinging to him on his bike, or lying on his bed with her hair spread out across his pillow. He vividly recalled her smile, her laugh, and her scent. When he woke up he missed her, closing his eyes and trying to worm his way back into his idyllic dreams.

By the time he rolled out of bed he’d replayed every moment from the day before in his mind. He checked his phone and found dozens of texts piled up. He scrolled through the invitations, flirtatious messages, and raunchy come-ons; there were messages from everyone but the one person he truly wanted to hear from.

He smelled coffee brewing, and when he headed for the kitchen he saw the bandages and sewing kit, still sitting on the card table. Everything he looked at screamed out her name, taunting him with her absence. He started making a mental list of the places he’d like to take her next, trying to imagine what might please her the most.

“Morning,” his brother called from the couch.

“How’s the finger?” he asked, helping himself to a cup of coffee.

“It’s good. Are you gonna see Cali today?” Jarod asked, “Because I want you to thank her for me.”

“You thanked her last night,” Cal reminded him.

“Yeah, well… Just tell her again, okay?”

“Sure,” Calvin nodded, He slugged his coffee and headed for the shower, eager to get to school for the first time in years.

“Hey Cal–”

He stopped in the hallway, “Yeah?”

“Don’t blow it with that one… She’s a keeper.”

He was quiet for a beat, “I know.”

~

When Caledonia woke up the next morning, she was still clutching the little plastic keychain she’d gone to bed holding. She thought about Calvin, and held it up, studying the little bear. Images of their day at the fair danced through her mind, making her smile.

She remembered all the people, the strange and greasy food, and the thrill of riding on the Ferris wheel. Every memory was tied to a picture of Calvin’s face watching her, and his beautiful dark eyes would not stop preying upon her mind.

She stretched out her arms, feeling strangely happy. She got ready for school, thinking it would be nice to see him again; she felt a tiny flicker of optimism for the first time since the accident. She heard voices in the kitchen, and came down the stairs with her book bag to find Angie sitting at the table with Phil.

“There you are,” Angie sounded exasperated, her voice filled with sour muddy disappointment. “Come sit down…We need to talk.”

Caledonia edged into the kitchen, taking a seat across the table from Phil uneasily. Angie looked at her with tight lips, turning pale yellow with suspicion.

“I got a e-mail from school that you missed some classes last week.”

Caledonia looked down. She had skipped school the day they took Rufus to Calvin’s grandparents, but she never imagined her aunt might find out about it.

“I made up all the work,” she explained. “I’ve gotten perfect scores on every test.”

“What were you up to?” she asked.

Cal shifted in her seat, unwilling to tell the truth. If Angie was upset about her skipping school, she really wouldn’t like the story about breaking a dog out of the pound. Caledonia didn’t like to lie, so she didn’t say anything.

Phil and Angie exchanged a look, and her aunt’s lips tightened, “Cal, we were worried about who you’ve been running around with, so we looked in your room and found this.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a stack of twenty dollar bills, “Where did you get all of this money all of a sudden?”

Caledonia’s eyes flew open wide. “You were in my things?” she said in horror.

“Phil found it,” she replied.

Cal reached out for it, but Angie snatched it back. “Where did this come from? Tell me!”

“It’s mine… I earned it.”

Phil laughed derisively, “I bet I can guess what she did for it. Those bikers must be paying her for her services.”

He was exuding such an evil ugly color of greenish brown that Caledonia recoiled as if she’d been slapped.

She turned towards her aunt with tears in her eyes, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then where did you get this?”

She tried to explain, but the more she talked, the more the two of them exchanged knowing looks. They didn’t believe her about selling truffles any more than Calvin had before he actually witnessed it. Her aunt nodded at every nasty comment Phil made, mirroring his ugly skepticism.

Phil was enjoying the interrogation, a sadistic glint in his eye, “I think we’re gonna have to hold onto it. Can’t you see that Angie has been working day and night to put a roof over your head? You don’t do a thing around here to earn your keep.”

“And you do?” Caledonia retorted, indignant.

Angie looked shocked, “Cal! You apologize to Phil right this minute!”

Caledonia got up with a sob, running out of the house. With her aunt turning against her, now she was certain that she couldn’t stay any longer. Her money was gone, and her vague plans for getting away quickly were completely ruined. She wiped her eyes and shouldered her bag resolutely, setting out on her long march to school.

Calvin stood in front of his house, leaning against his motorcycle with a helmet in his hand, waiting. He saw her figure approaching and couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.

“Hey, I was thinking–” When she drew close he could see that she looked utterly miserable. “What happened?”