We Thought We Were Invincible

by Michelle MacQueen

  The front door rattled as someone tried and failed to unlock it. There was the crash of keys on the ground and then it rattled again before it opened.

  Callie stumbled in, waving at someone behind her. “Bye,” she yelled, unable to control the volume of her voice while obviously trying not to be heard.

  “It's okay, Cal,” Colby said, causing her to jump and slam her back against the wall. “Kat isn't here. She's at Noah's.”

  I almost laughed at the look on her face when her eyes swung from Colby to me and back again. She opened her mouth to say something, then snapped it shut and shook her head.

  Keeping one hand on the wall for balance as she kicked off her boots, she stumbled again before righting herself and walking past us into the kitchen.

  Colby glanced at me and we both followed her.

  “What are you doing back?” Colby asked.

  “And drunk.” I laughed.

  “I'm not drunk.” I had to give her credit, she enunciated each word, so they didn't sound slurred.

  “Oh, I beg to differ.” I leaned against the door-frame, folding my arms across my chest.

  The look she gave me started out defiant, but turned heated as she scanned me from head to toe, taking in my cotton pajama pants and white shirt that had always been a little too tight.

  Colby shifted uncomfortably, and I moved across the room to pull out a glass. Filling it at the tap, I handed it to Callie. “Drink.”

  She obeyed, keeping her eyes trained on me as if she refused to look at her brother.

  “How was the party?” Colby asked.

  “I didn't go to a party.” Her voice rose an octave. “I was just at Morgan's like I said I would be.”

  “Then why'd you come home? And drunk?”

  She looked around. “Don't ask me what happened, okay? Because I've had an awful lot of Tequila and I'll tell you. Trust me, you don't want to know.”

  There was a battle going on in her mind, I could tell.

  “Did you kiss someone at the party?” As he said it, I watched her face. A guilty look sprang into place that cut me deep. That wasn't supposed to hurt so much. It was proof that things had gone too far with us.

  “It wasn't…”

  Colby cut her off and I could've punched him. “Why'd you even go?”

  She stomped her foot and turned on him. “Maybe because I was invited.” A queasy grimace passed over her face and she sat down. “Contrary to what some people think, I'm not a social pariah.”

  “That's not…” He ran a hand through his hair. “You know that's not what I think.”

  “Do I?”

  “Cal,” I stopped them both. “Just tell us what happened.”

  “Fine.” She fixed her brother with a stare, still angry at him. “I found Morgan in a room with some guy,” she finally said. “They were going at it pretty heavily.”

  “Crap,” I whispered.

  Colby didn't respond. His expression hardened. I knew my friend. Impulsive. Unforgiving. That look meant he'd made an instant choice, and he didn't like it.

  Without another word, he turned around and went back into the living room.

  Callie and I stared at each other wordlessly for another moment before she pushed herself up.

  “You guys made me tell.” She sighed as she walked to her room and shut the door.

  23

  Callie

  The hurricane never hit us, the worst of it staying far enough out in the Gulf.

  I spent Monday in bed with a hangover, thankful Kat kept the diner closed. Jamie returned home to his father's house in an effort to keep his car, nothing resolved between us.

  After helping Kat open the diner bright and early Tuesday morning, I caught a ride to school with Colby. He didn't tell me what happened with Morgan, but it wasn't hard to guess. I spent my free first period in the library catching glares from Amelia across the room. I guessed our camaraderie from her party was over. Her eyes narrowed every time they connected with mine.

  Creative writing was worse. When I got there, Morgan's friend Hannah had her butt firmly planted in my seat. Morgan's friends were closing in around her and squeezing me out. Stupid girl tears built up in the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away. I'd never cried over a friend before, let alone someone I probably never should have been friends with in the first place. I let myself believe I was accepted, believe I was in.

  Slumping into an empty seat on the other side of the room, I felt myself being torn back to reality, or at least the reality that existed before this year. Callie McCoy was meant to be the girl sitting alone. All because I chose my brother.

  The look on Morgan's face told me I did the right thing. She was never my friend at all.

  Mr. Chase began class by reading a couple more of our fiction stories from earlier in the semester. I barely heard a word he said and when the bell rang, I bolted from the class. Halfway to the front door of the school, I stopped. There were so many places I'd rather be than under the piercing glare of my ex-friend, but I wasn't in the wrong. Turning on my heel, I lifted my chin to hold my head high and ran down the hall toward my next class.

  The buzz at school was the upcoming winter dance. It was always popular. I'd never been, and that didn't seem likely to change. Surprise surprise, I hadn't been asked. Morgan and I had talked about getting ready together and then going as a group, but that didn't seem likely to happen anymore. Not that I cared. I didn't, I swear.

  It's not like Jamie and I could go together, especially since I'd now reverted back to my old status. We'd only seen each other at school over the past week. He'd give me a nod and a heart-stopping smile, but then move on. Last weekend was soccer championships, taking up every second of his time. I'd had to cover Colby's shifts at the diner - not that I minded. It gave me something to keep my mind occupied. We were getting busier with the return of snowbirds.

  Maybe that's what I'd do this weekend. Work. Who needs school dances anyway? Bad music. Spiked punch. Sitting around waiting to be asked to dance. Let's face it, I was one of those girls.

  Friday came. The day of the dance. Morgan hadn't spoken to me since the party the week before so I wasn't surprised to find my usual seat occupied.

  Mr. Chase walked in jovially, dropping a pile of papers onto his desk with a thud. His accent reverberated around the room.

  “Good morning ladies and gents.” He grinned. “Winter break is almost upon us. You only have one week left of my class before exams unless you've decided to take creative writing two, which I hope you have. We will be delving into nonfiction and how to add your own style to it. But today, we have lots of work to do. Our prompt will take most of class, so we only have time to read excerpts from two of our fiction stories. Callie, you and Jamie are up. I've chosen the action sequences to read so we can see your differences.”

  He pulled our stories off the top of the stack and flipped the page, choosing mine first. I buried my face in my hands, not wanting anyone to see my reddening cheeks as the blood pulsed in my ears.

  He started reading, and it was a while before I could bring myself to listen. “… Cara decided it was now or never. The moment of truth. She sucked in a breath, blowing it out as she stepped out over blue skies. Arching her back upwards toward the clouds, she felt the world holding her up at the same time it was trying to drag her down…”

  He read a few more paragraphs before placing the pages on the desk and looking to Jamie's. I sat forward in my chair, anxious and curious.

  “This wasn't his idea and Jim wasn't so sure about it anymore. He was afraid. Her brown hair disappeared out the door and his gut clenched. There was no turning back. She went through with it so now he had no choice.”

  I chuckled as Mr. Chase read. Of course that'd be Jamie's reasoning. I thought back on that day that seemed like a lifetime ago. It was not long before he supposedly cheated on Amelia. Did I have a right to care about that?

  I got home from school to find Colby sitting on my bed, flipping through my
photo albums. He'd been down all week, even after scoring two goals in the finals. The team had lost, but his future college had been impressed.

  “Hey brother.” I sat next to him, looking over his shoulder at the image of Mom.

  “I haven't looked at these in years.”

  I didn't know what to say to that.

  “Think she'd be proud of us?” he asked, closing the album and turning to me.

  “Of you?” I snorted. “Duh.”

  He smiled at that, bumping his shoulder into mine. “Yeah, but I'm not fearless like you.”

  I couldn't help it. I snorted again.

  “Really. You are. At least this year. You've changed, sis. I don't think anything could break you.”

  Shows what he knew.

  I shrugged. “You just aren't used to being the one who is hurt.”

  “Is this what I do to people?” he asked.

  “Worse because us girls take things harder and you don't exactly have the best track record.”

  “I like that you're mean.” He grinned.

  “I like that you're a doofus.”

  He stood and brought me with him. “Come on. Kat's probably waiting for us at the diner.”

  She wasn't, in fact, waiting for us. We were on the schedule, but the place was slow since the dinner rush hadn't hit yet. Kat was leaning up against the counter, talking closely with Mr. Chase.

  They both straightened up when they saw us. “Hey kids,” Kat said.

  “Uh, hi.” Colby gave them a look that made me giggle.

  Seth Franklin walked in behind us, lumbering toward his usual seat.

  “Callie,” he boomed. “Colby. Don't you two have a dance to go to tonight? What are you doing here?”

  I shrugged and Colby answered for the both of us. “Gotta have a date.”

  “That's bologna. I keep trying to convince Matthew to go and he says the same thing. In my day, you went with your friends.”

  “Gotta have friends,” I mumbled with a short laugh.

  “Now you really sound like my grandson.”

  I went to fill up a coffee pitcher and Colby followed me. “Jamie is going.”

  “What?” Acting like I didn't care was hard, so I kept my back to him. “With whom?”

  “No one.” He said that as if it should mean something. “He's just meeting up with some of the guys from the soccer team.”

  Mr. Chase saved me from my brother's prying eye by waving me over. He smiled at me as I refilled his coffee. “Callie, what I'm about to do is probably unethical, but you would've read it in class if we'd had time today. Plus, I know something is going on with you and I love your aunt and care about you.”

  “I hope that isn't the first time you've said you love her.” I laughed at his rambling. “Because saying it to me first is soooo not cool.”

  “That's not the point.”

  “Then what is, because you kinda aren't making sense.”

  He chuckled, reaching into his briefcase. “The rest of the story.”

  I leaned in, whispering, “I know how it ends, I was there.”

  His smile widened. “Not yours. Jamie's.”

  “Oh.” I gripped the counter.

  “Yes. Oh.” He slid the papers across to me. I couldn't tell you why a bout of nerves struck me as I picked them up. Mr. Chase nodded toward the back room and I took the hint, disappearing from curious eyes.

  The beginning of the story was an accurate account of our arrival and training. He'd named me Lia.

  “Get it on,” someone said over the loudspeaker, telling us to head to the loading zone. Jim followed Lia outside, almost running into her when she halted, her shoulders shaking. Without overthinking it, he slid his hand into hers. “You can do this,” he whispered, feeling her closeness.

  “I'll do it Jim,” she said. “But I need you there with me. One-hundred percent. When we step into that plane, all of our issues stay here.” She paused. “You leave your shit here and so will I. We do this together. We forget.”

  He dropped her hand as her eyes pierced into his very soul. She knew every part of him, of that he was suddenly sure. The girl who was off-limits. The one who was so different from him, but the same. Emotions he'd thought long buried rose up.

  Brushing a strand of hair out of her face, he suddenly realized he'd do anything she asked.

  The rest of the story was a chronological account, almost as if he'd accidentally let this emotional sliver in, not knowing it'd be read by anyone.

  I put a hand on the wall to steady myself. What did he mean by buried emotions? What did he mean by any of it? I needed to know. I had to go to that dance.

  Pushing through the swinging door, I almost ran right into Colby, but I didn't stop. “You're coming with me.”

  “Huh?” he asked.

  I ignored him. “Aunt Kat?”

  She popped out from the kitchen. “Yeah?”

  “Can you deal without us tonight?”

  “What's up?” she asked.

  “I need to go to the dance.”

  A smile spread across her face. “I'm so glad you're going. Of course, I'll be fine. You guys weren't even supposed to be on the schedule. Noah can help until he has to go chaperone the dance.” She winked at him.

  “I'm not going to the dance.” Colby put his hands up.

  “Brother,” I looked him in the eye. “Please. I need you to go with me.”

  He sighed. Last year we wouldn't have been caught dead going together. Things had changed. “Fine.”

  I grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the diner and into his car.

  When we got home, I realized I had absolutely nothing to wear to a dance so I turned to Kat's closet instead. Her dresses would be tighter and shorter than I'd like, but desperate times…

  When all was said and done, I stood in the living room wearing an icy blue dress that stopped mid-thigh. It was a winter dance, but winters in Florida were quite different.

  My hair hung in waves over one shoulder. All in all, I thought I looked pretty good. By the time Colby and I walked out the door, the dance had already begun and I started to forget why I was going in the first place. What did I even say? I creeped on your paper and think you're in love with me?

  “Tell me something.” Colby turned off the car as soon as we parked. “Are we here so you can find Jamie?”

  “No?”

  “I'm not an idiot, Cal. Give me some credit.”

  “Ok.” I sighed. “But I don't want you to hate him.”

  “Sis, Jamie's my best friend. I'm not going to hate him. I can't say that I like it. I still think it'll end badly, but I won't stop you. Plus, Jamie hasn't been with anyone besides I'm assuming you since Amelia. That's a big deal for him.”

  “Didn't he cheat on her?”

  “Jamie doesn't cheat. Ever. He may not be the most reliable guy, but he'd never do that. If he wants to be with someone else, he dumps whoever he's with.”

  “I just have this really bad feeling,” I admitted. “I don't know if it has to do with him. Maybe coming here was a bad idea.”

  “Too late. Let's go.”

  He got out, and I had no choice but to follow. We passed Matthew sitting in his car nearby. Guess he changed his mind, like us. His presence didn't register as odd so we kept going, the awful feeling I'd had only growing stronger. The school loomed in front of us, a brick shadow in the darkness.

  In contrast, the inside of the school was roaring with life. Music blared from the gym as students hung out, danced, and laughed like tonight was special and they didn't have a care in the world. On this night, we were just teenagers having a good time before the real world crept in.

  We paid for our entry and signed in before moving into the gym.

  I scanned the room seeing groups of kids sitting with their own, not interacting with those they didn't know. Morgan stood off to the side, arguing with her younger brother Troy. Troy caught my eye and waved. Morgan slapped his hand down. And then there was another brother and
sister, standing in the doorway, both feeling on the outside.

  Looking toward Colby, he nodded at someone on the other side of the room. “I'm going to find some of the guys.”

  I turned toward where he'd been looking to find Jamie's eyes scanning me from head to toe from where he stood by the opposite door. A small, unsure smile appeared on his face. It didn't belong there in place of his usual confidence.

  I ran my hands down my stomach nervously, straightening the fabric that now felt too tight. Jamie's words entered my mind. He suddenly realized he'd do anything she asked.

  My feet carried me in his direction, stopping a few feet away.

  “I want you to kiss me,” I blurted before I could stop myself.

  His smiled dropped. “Demanding, aren't we?”

  “I thought you'd do anything I asked.”

  Confusion rose in his eyes for a moment before understanding dawned.

  “I'm asking you to kiss me, Jamie,” I said with a confidence I didn't feel. “Right here. I don't care what anyone says anymore.”

  “I thought you liked the excitement of sneaking around?”

  “It's not exciting anymore,” I admitted. “It's painful.”

  His face was serious and for a moment, I was scared he was going to walk away. Then, before I had time to process, he closed the gap between us and kissed me harder than he ever had before.

  His arm came around me to pull me in closer. I worked my hands up around his neck, holding his head in place. It felt different from before. This time we weren't trying to hide. The adrenaline was replaced with peace; my escape replaced with home.

  I don't know how long we stood in the crowded gym, kissing as if our lives depended on it. There were sure to be stares and whispers, but I didn't care.

  I smiled against his lips, finally pausing to catch my breath as a scream pierced the air around us.

  “Gun!”

  II

  When We Were Broken and Strong

  24