by Vera Quinn
“Damn, Callie has filled out nicely over the summer.” Jeb has just made the understatement of the year. How old is she again? “I’m going to go say hi.” Jeb is already headed that way. I go right behind him.
“Hey Ty. Hey Callie.” Ty nods but Callie doesn’t acknowledge Jeb at all. “Callie remember you’re riding with Fe and his mom this afternoon. I have to go to the club. I have some errands for dad. Go straight home after track practice. We’ll be there later.” Ty is being an ass to his sister, but that’s what brothers are for.
“Whatever Ty. I already heard all this. Dinner will be ready when you get home. Can I go now? I see Sarah over there. We have our first class together.” She just wants away from her brother.
“Ok. Are you making cobbler tonight?” Ty looks like he wants awa y from her, too. “So you can cook and you’re beautiful sweetheart?” Jeb is laying it on strong.
“I’m not your sweetheart. I’m not anyone’s sweetheart.” With that Callie runs over to Sarah, her friend.
“Your sister sure is cute. She grew up over the summer. Can she really cook, too? She has attitude.” Ty gives Jeb a glare. “Baby Girl is off limits. That word not only comes from me but straight from dad. You want to keep your dick, keep it away from my sister. She’s only thirteen and she can’t date.” He sounds serious. If she were my sister and looked like that I’d probably do the same thing.
“Ty, you still having that camping thing this weekend at your house? Sounds good. Who all is going to be there?” We have had this planned for about a month. Only guys camping and fishing all night.
“Yeah, but I am going to have to babysit Callie and her friend Felix. Dad is out of town. We’ll have someone there but I have to stay close to her. They’ll be camping, too.” I can’t say I mind that. Callie always seems to blends in. She doesn’t act like some snotty princess. This weekend cannot get here fast enough.
Callie First week of high school is done. Not so different than middle school. Classes are easy so far. I study and do my work, no problems. I like most of my teachers. I have classes with my friends. Not much changes. Felix has been quieter than normal. Sarah is still crushing on Ty and Hanna has a new boyfriend. I’m just not interested. I guess it will come in time, getting bit by the boy bug, but I’m ok with not having the all consuming boy crazy thing happening. I just don’t get it. It’s not like real love exists. It’s all temporary, so why open yourself up to it? I guess I have a jaded outlook but there’s so much more to do. Racing cars, my martial arts, and just anything. No, I like my life the way it is. Tonight is going to be cool. Felix and I love to camp. Maybe I can get him to open up to me. Something has been up with him. We just have to stay away from Ty’s annoying friends. Red will be watching over us, but that means he will be acting like a big kid himself. He’s not that much older than Ty but he is a prospect for my dad’s club. Dad is out of town so we have a babysitter in leather. I shouldn’t say that. I love the BlackPath MC, but they are stifling sometimes. Red is the newest prospect, so he is our shadow. He’s cool though. He gives us our space as much as possible. I’m gathering up everything we’ll need. First, bug spray. Not doing without that. Plenty of food. I made homemade pizza in big quantities. My brother can eat, and so can Red. I know Ty’s friends can, too. S’mores stuff and cookies. Then I add some trail mix and veggies for me. I make sure my ice chest is full of water, juice, sports drinks and pop. Extra clothes, matches, and sleeping bags. Fe and I will have our own tent. That’s about it. I am set. I hear someone at the door and I know it’s Fe. I open the door and sure enough it is.
“You ready to fish all night?” Fe just looks troubled. “You know I am. I have everything ready except our rod and reels. They’re outside. Oh yeah, I almost forgot my phone. It’s been charging. Let me get it and I’ll be ready. Red has the tents set up already and Ty and his friends will be there later. We’ll have a little time alone so we can talk. You’re going to spill your guts. You’re too quiet and I’m worried about you. So you’re going to spill.” Fe looks like he would rather do anything but talk. I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I didn’t care.
“Ok. I guess it’s time. I hope you’ll still be my friend afterwards. You’re my best friend and I can’t lose that.” I knew Fe was going through something big and I hope I can help him. We get all our stuff outside and go to dad’s shop to get the four wheelers out. We actually live close to town. Right on the outskirts. Our front yard you can tell. We have close enough neighbors. But our back yard opens up into woods. It looks more country back there. We have the best of both worlds. I open the big doors so we can get out and to my surprise dad is standing there. I didn’t hear his bike. I look around outside and I see his truck. “Dad what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be out of town and where is your bike?”
“Got back early and wanted to spend some time with my family. Left my bike at the clubhouse. Needs some maintenance. I will be your fishing partner tonight. What do you think about that?” I think it is awesome. I am a daddy’s girl, so I am always up for extra time.
“Great, dad. I made homemade pizza and some chocolate chip cookies.” Dad loves both.
“Now I know I am glad I came back early. Fe, how are you, son?” Oh, I forgot about our talk. I’ll be sure we have time. “Actually Mr. Black, I’ve been better. Callie and I were going to talk tonight, but I would like your advice.” My dad looks surprised. I don’t know why. If I had not known Fe for so long I would think he liked my dad better than me.
“Ok. Sounds important. Let’s get everything down there and set up and then we can talk. We should still have time before Ty gets here with his friends.” I’m just glad Fe feels comfortable with dad, too. Fe loves his mom and dad, but he can’t really talk to them a lot. They have a communication problem and they have expectations of Fe that he just doesn’t understand. Glad I have a cool dad. “You two take the four wheelers and I’ll grab the poles and bring my truck.” Doesn’t take long to get down by the pond. We unload everything out by the tents and the folding table Red set up. Our folding chairs are all set up. I put my bag of clothes and towels in our tent. I spray our tent inside and out with mosquito spray and then I spray for ants. Learned that lesson the hard way one time when I woke up covered in the little boogers. Fe and I spray each other for bugs and we are set. Dad throws his sleeping bag in our tent and sprays himself. He grabs a beer out of his cooler and we all set in front of the tent. Dad takes a couple of drinks and looks at Fe. “Ok son, you have our undivided attention.”
“I really don’t know where to start.” Fe seems lost and my he art goes out to him. “I think I’m gay. I mean, I’m attracted to boys, not girls. I mean, oh heck, I don’t know what I mean. I’m confused.” Fe looks like that took everything out of him. I go over and sit beside him in his chair and take his hand in mine. Fe’s face lights up. Oh no, he thought I was going to turn away from him.
“Fe, I love you just the way you are. It doesn’t matter to me, so get that thought out of your head. You are stuck with me, buddy.” Fe turns and hugs me with everything he has, then he turns to look at my dad. Dad takes another drink of his beer and looks at Fe. “Son that is a big statement. How do you know?” Fe looks at me.
“Well sir, I would rather look at pictures of guys than girls. I have a crush on a guy, instead of a girl.” I look at dad and he is considering his words. “Felix, I think you need to discuss this with your parents. They can help you sort it out.” Dad just doesn’t understand the situation at Felix’s house. “That being said, we are here for you. Our family don’t care who you are attracted to. We don’t judge. You are who you are on the inside. Anything else is not ours to judge. Talk to your parents, they love you. Just remember we are your family, too.” Dad gets up and hugs Felix and Felix is crying. I think he is just relieved. I love my dad. Felix finally pulls himself together. “Thank you both. I thought I knew how you would react, but I worried about it. I tried talking to my dad, but he just wouldn’t listen and kept chang
ing the subject. I’ve had doubts that anyone would listen. I’m just glad I actually said it out loud finally.”
“Felix give your parents time. They’ll come around. You are entitled to your feelings and they’ll adjust. They love you. Be yourself. If you need someone to talk to or a place to go to get away for a while, we are here. It doesn’t matter what the color of your skin is or what religion you are or who you’re attracted to, we are here. Our home is open to you, as always.” I hear a truck and another four wheeler coming and I look over my shoulder at them.
“Can we talk when no one is around? I’d like to keep this quiet for a while.” This is his decision and I understand it. “Of course. This is your story to tell. Let’s get the rods and fish some.” Dad steps toward the back of his truck and I know the conversation is shelved until another day.
Mason
I didn’t know Ty’s dad was going to be here. I thought I might get to talk to Callie. Not with him close. I don’t know why I even want to talk to her. She’s too young. She doesn’t even act like she likes me. She ignores me at school. Never tries to talk to me when I am with Ty. She’s either got her head in a book or under the hood of that damn car she works on all the time. She stays around her own friends at school and if I try to start a conversation, she either walks away or talks to someone else. I’m used to girls wanting my attention, not running from it. At least I know it’s not because she is interested in another boy. Brad asked her to the carnival last week and she turned him down. Brad is Ty’s best friend. We park next to the tents and we start pulling stuff out to get setup. I see Felix, Callie and Mr. Black going to the pond with their fishing gear. I wonder if she is too girlie to bait her own hook or get her own fish off the hook. I watch her with Felix and I am jealous. She is so comfortable with him. My questions are soon answered. Callie sets her own rig up, but she is using a lure. The girl likes to bass fish and it’s not long until she has her first fish. It’s a pretty good one. At least three or four pounds. She takes it off the hook like a champ. That’s all we needed to see. We are all hurrying to get to the pond. Nothing like seeing someone catch a fish to get us moving. Can’t be out done by a girl. We’d never live it down. We all have a good afternoon fishing. Mr. Black says he will have a fish fry and invite us all over to eat them. We all caught them and we all cleaned them. Even Callie. She wasn’t grossed out by the guts at all. Mr. Black took them home to wash and freeze. He left us here eating cold pizza and talking around the fire we started. It’s not cold, but who camps without a fire. After a while I hear Ty’s phone ring and it’s his dad telling him he is in charge until he gets back. He’s needed at the club for a while. I hear that place can get wild at times, but who knows. I see Callie lying on a blanket beside Felix and they are looking into the sky talking. If I want a chance to talk to her, it is now or never. I walk over and sit down beside where she is lying. “What are you two doing?” They both look at me and laugh. Not what I expected, but ok. “Something funny?”
“Not really.” Felix laughs as he gets it out.
“We were thinking about where exactly is heaven up there in that big beautiful sky? I mean, can you think of anything more beautiful than a Texas sky late at night?” Callie is still looking at it and I slide down beside her.
“You’re right. Nothing any prettier than that, except for your beautiful eyes.” She can’t ignore that. It’s out there. I am flirting and if I get caught I might regret it. “Is that all you can come up with? We’re looking at the most beautiful sky and you want to turn it into a chance to flirt?” Callie almost seems mad. I can’t figure her out.
“I was just trying to be nice, squirt.” I don’t think she knows what flirting is for. Squirt should make her mad. Good, she needs to feel something for me. “Whatever. Felix let’s move.” With that she is up and gone. Felix hangs back. “Mason you seem like a nice enough person. Don’t try your charms on Callie. She is not interested. I’m telling you this because she is my best friend. She isn’t like most girls. She isn’t scared of anything. She faces her fears and kicks their butts. She just doesn’t think a boy and girl relationship will work and it is a waste of her time. She had a hard childhood and I don’t know if she’ll ever get over it. She doesn’t sit around daydreaming about getting married and having kids. She just wants to get by. Save your moves for someone else.” Felix is whispering so no one else will hear, and I know it is because he is trying to protect Callie’s secrets from everyone. That explains the sad look in Callie’s eyes that I see at times. “Just let her be.” With that Felix is gone behind her. I sit there on the blanket looking at the sky, and I know then Callie is going to be someone special in my life. I won’t have it any other way. All girls should dream, and I hate the person who took that away from her.
Callie
One Year Later… Tenth grade classes are no different than freshman. I’m just not lost. Same friends, same classrooms, just a different year. Nothing too challenging. As I get off my dad’s bike, I see Mason and his buddies. Jeb and I have become ok friends, but Mason always stares and it is like he is waiting for something. Cru and I just exist around each other. I don’t care much for him and he don’t care much for me. I see Fe and Sarah waiting on me. Hanna must not be here yet. Dad is dropping me off for the first day of school, he says to scare the boys away. He says I’m too pretty for my own good. If he only knew all the boys who have already asked me out. I’m not interested, so it doesn’t matter.
“Ride home with Ty and no lingering in the parking lot.” I have heard it all. It started two weeks ago. You are still too young to date. I can thank Brad for this. He had the nerve to ask my dad if I could date after I already told him no. Ty’s friend is not too smart. Now he’s not even allowed in our house. I have to give it to Brad though, he had nerve. Now I get the fall out.
“Yes, sir. I already told you dad, I am not interested in dating. Brad is just crazy.” I guess dad gets it, because he looks at me funny.
“One day you will Baby Girl. One day. I just want to wrap you up and protect you.” Dad is not doing well with me being a teenager.
“Love you, dad. Have a good day.” I kiss dad’s cheek before he puts his helmet back on.
“I know when I have been dismissed. Later. Stay safe. Love you.” Dad puts his helmet on and leaves me standing there. I move toward my friends. “Callie, wait up.” Mason is yelling behind me. Heaven help me. “What do you want Mason?” I am losing my patience with boys.
“I thought I might walk you to class. You know, the way friends do.” What is up with him? “Why? We don’t have the same classes.” Lame excuse. Surely he can do better. “Maybe I want to hold your hand.” Not happening buddy. Try again.
“No. See you later Mason.” I take off towards Felix who has a big grin on his face and then I hear the laughter behind me and something about being shot down again. “Callie.” Will he never stop? I turn and look at Mason.
“See you at lunch. Save me a place.” Why would a senior want to sit with us? “Whatever.” I give up.
Mase I’m looking for Callie when I enter the lunchroom and I spot her and her friends. Callie is beating Brent in the head with her empty lunch tray and then she punches him in the kidney. Ouch, that’s got to hurt. I push people out of my way and Jeb is right behind me. By the time I get there she has Brent on the floor wailing away on him. Mr. Griggs, our bio teacher, is trying to pull her off, but that girl is pissed. I go over and pick her up and hold her in a bear hug. I am over six-foot-tall and probably out-weigh her by eighty pounds and still it is not easy to do. She is a little hell cat.
“What is wrong Callie? What did he do? Damn girl, calm down.” She seems to come to her senses and I think she is calmed down. Mr. Griggs has Brent. I let her go and it was the wrong thing to do. She dives for Brent and takes Mr. Griggs with her. Jeb steps up, Ty runs in and we get Callie calmed down. That’s when I see Felix and he has a busted lip and looks like he is going to run. When Callie looks over to Felix she goes to him
and puts her arm around him.
“Callie, Felix, and Brent, office now.” He looks to Ty. “Ty call your dad.” This isn’t good. Hanna and Sarah come up behind us. I look at them. They have tears in their eyes.
“What happened to make Callie flip?” Ty asks Sarah. “Brent was making fun of Felix and he tripped him and made him drop his tray. When he fell he hit the side of his face and busted his lip. When Callie heard what Brent said and saw Fe she went crazy.” She does have a temper. It’s not long before we hear the bikes coming. Mr. Black did not come alone. There’s like six of them. All of them looked pissed off. Ty makes his way out to them and they all go into the office.
“What did Brent say?” I’m asking Sarah, but Hanna answers.
“You’ll have to ask them. Not our business.” With that she takes Sarah’s hand and they leave. “That girl is a hell cat. Wonder what got her back up? That’s not like her. She never gets in trouble.” Jeb is right. I guess we will find out later. So we head to class before the bell rings. We never see Callie or Felix that day. In fact Callie is suspended for three days for fighting. Brent was suspended for a week. The story never gets out what it was over. Just Callie was taking up for her friend. Mr. Black was not happy with her suspension. Everyone heard when the bikes left. I saw Ty later and all he would say is Brent deserved it and worse. That day everyone learned it didn’t matter how quiet Callie was, to not piss her off. After that I was determined to get Callie’s attention. Now I had a plan. The next afternoon I would talk to Mr. Black.