Blue light legacy

Chapter 10: New Roles and Old Flames

Cal had just finished his last class for the day and was heading to his base when his friends William and Jackson caught up with him.

"Hey, Cal! You up for lunch? We’re thinking about hitting that new burger place downtown," William said, a grin on his face.

"Yeah, man. It's on us. You’ve been cooped up in the library too much lately," Jackson added, slapping Cal on the back.

Cal hesitated, considering the mound of assignments he still had to tackle, but then he saw the hopeful looks on his friends' faces. "Alright, let's go. I could use a break."

As they walked toward the restaurant, they laughed and joked, reminiscing about old times and teasing each other about their current crushes. Just as they reached their destination, Cal's ex-girlfriend Cassandra Vasquez walked by, her arm linked with a tall, handsome man.

"Cal," Cassandra said, her tone dripping with false sweetness. "I didn't expect to see you here. Oh, this is Jefferson, by the way. You might have heard of him. He's the mayor's son."

Jefferson gave a smug smile and a small nod, his gaze appraising Cal dismissively.

"Hey, Cassandra," Cal replied, forcing a polite smile. "Nice to meet you, Jefferson."

Cassandra continued, "Jefferson's been taking me to the nicest places in town. We're actually planning a trip to Europe soon."

"Sounds great," Cal said, trying to keep the edge out of his voice.

At that moment, Kara, now disguised with a wig and sunglasses, walked up to their table and took the empty seat next to Cal. She slid her arm around his shoulders, her smile warm and confident.

"Sorry I'm late, babe," Kara said, kissing Cal on the cheek. "Got caught up with some errands."

Cal's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly caught on. "No problem, hon. Guys, this is Karen, my girlfriend."

William and Jackson looked at each other, eyebrows raised, while Cassandra's smile faltered. "Girlfriend, huh?" she said, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"Nice to meet you all," Kara said, her tone friendly but with an undertone of possessiveness. "Cal's told me so much about you."

Cassandra's eyes narrowed slightly. "Well, isn't that interesting. How long have you two been together?"

Kara smiled sweetly. "Oh, a few months now. We’ve just been keeping it low-key, you know? Cal’s so humble about everything. I guess that's one of the reasons I fell for him."

Jefferson shifted uncomfortably, sensing the tension. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Cal. We should get going, Cassandra."

"Yeah, we should," Cassandra said, her voice stiff. She glanced at Cal one last time before turning on her heel and walking away with Jefferson.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Cal turned to Kara. "Thanks for that. You really didn't have to, but I appreciate it."

Kara grinned. "No problem. It was kind of fun, actually."

William leaned in, eyes wide. "Dude, since when do you have a girlfriend? And how come we didn’t know about it?"

Jackson chimed in, "Yeah, man. You’ve been holding out on us."

Cal laughed, scratching the back of his head. "It’s a recent thing. We just wanted to see how it went before making it public."

Kara played along perfectly. "Besides, we both have busy schedules. But, I promise, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me."