One Kiss (Editing)

Chapter 7

After the fight, no one was in much of a partying mood, so Lucas sent everyone home.

"I'm sorry, Callie," he says to me for the hundredth time as I'm about to walk out the door with Caleb and Michaela.

"It's not your fault, Lucas. I'll try to avoid her from now on, though." I give him a small smile and open my arms for a hug.

He hugs me without hesitation, and I hear Caleb huff as he stalks away.

"I'll see you Monday," I say as I pull back. Lucas nods and shuts the door behind us.

I turn around and see Michaela with a thoughtful look. Caleb's standing next to the car when we walk over and, again, he's ignoring me. I don't like these moods he's been getting in. He's never treated me like this before.

"What's wrong this time?" I ask as we open our doors to get in my car.

"Don't pretend you don't know," he says flatly back.

"Are you mad because I hugged Lucas?" I'm in disbelief. "Like you didn't look at any girl there."

"I looked at one girl, mostly," he says, shaking his head.

What's that supposed to mean?

"Yeah, whatever. I don't know what's up with you lately, but I'm getting pretty sick of it." We've never had an argument like this, and I don't like it.

"There's nothing going on with me," he says in an unconvincing tone. "But there's something going on with you. And Lucas."

"There's nothing going on between us! You know he's liked me forever and I've never shared those feelings! I'm sick of feeling guilty every time he looks at me because of you. You always seem unhappy nowadays, and if it's because of him, you need to drop it or explain. Understand?"

"Fine," he says, though I know he's not going to drop it or explain.

It's not fine, though. It's the exact opposite.

"Well, that was a fun party," Michaela says finally from the back seat.

Even though things took a turn for the worst, Caleb and I laugh.

---

The next morning, I woke up with a lump in my throat. I felt like crying, but I'm not much of a crier.

I get up and get dressed slowly. I feel like I've been hit by a train.

"Callie, Josh and Isabella are coming today. Remember?" my mom yells up the stairs.

My mom is a pretty woman, but she's weathered by age. She has wrinkles and a little gray in her hair, but it suits her and makes her look more professional, which you need to be a lawyer.

Josh and Isabella are my cousins from a couple hours away. Josh is a about five months older than me, and Isabella is a year younger.

"Okay, Mom," I yell back. "I'm up. I'm getting ready."

I drag myself down the stairs and into the kitchen. My father is a caterer and makes me breakfast every weekend.

"How's it going, Berry?" My dad asks me as I slide into a chair and he plops a blueberry pancake on my plate and sets it in front of me. Berry is my nickname from when I fell into a tub of berries at an orchard when I was young. He'll never let me live that down.

"Fine," I reply, but I don't even convince myself.

I can't get over last night. Lucas, Gwen, and Caleb... What should've been a fun night ended in a lot of yelling instead. I'm so focused on my drama that I almost don't hear my dad.