Right now, I’m at a basketball game with Greyson, Luke, and Callie. The crowd is going crazy, whistling and screaming and about as wild and out of control as Jenna is when she eats too much cotton candy.
“Where are Greyson and Luke?” Callie asks as she plops down on the bench beside me.
I point out Luke and Greyson in the bottom row in our section. Greyson keeps waving his arms around, his eyes lighting up the way they always do when he’s talking about something that excites him. Luke is shaking his head in disagreement and sticking his hands out to the side. More than likely, they’re discussing either photography or the gym, both of which I find a little boring, but I love watching Greyson debate things he’s passionate about.
I reach into the popcorn bucket and stuff a handful into my mouth. “What’s with the silly grin, my darling Callie?”
She sticks her hand into the bucket. “Kayden just told me he loves me.”
I almost throw the popcorn bucket onto the bald guy’s head in front of us. “I’m so happy for you,” I say as I grab her and pull her in for a hug.
She folds her arms around me. “I’m really happy for me, too.”
I pull away and set the popcorn bucket onto the floor. “I know you are, which is good. I really didn’t want to kick Kayden’s ass.”
She laughs at that. “I’m sure Kayden’s grateful, too.”
A large man behind us starts yelling at Luke and Greyson to “sit the fuck down!”
Feeling like the protective boyfriend, I turn around and yell, “Shut the hell up,” while Luke flips him the middle finger.
Seriously, sports fans are insane.
Grabbing the bucket of popcorn, I fix my attention back on Callie, only to find her staring at Luke.
“Sometimes…I wonder if Luke...” She leans in and whispers, “If Luke…likes... guys.”
I almost choke on my popcorn. “Luke’s not gay, Callie.”
“Are you sure? Maybe he’s just afraid to come out, like Braiden was.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” I glance down at Greyson and Luke, shaking my head. “You want to know what I think?”
She nods, stealing a handful of popcorn. “Yes, please share your knowledge, Oh Wise One.”
I scoot closer to her. “I think that Luke’s been through something that makes him more understanding and accepting than the average person. And I think that sometimes people misinterpret understanding and acceptance and make it into something that it isn’t.”
“You’re right and I’m sorry,” she says with a trace of embarrassment. “I should never assume things about people.”
“You don’t need to apologize.” I playfully poke her in the side. “Besides, you’re one of those people.”
“What? Understanding and accepting?”
“The kind of person who sees things in a different light because they’ve been to hell and back. The kind who has given and received redemption.”
We exchange a smile as the crowd goes berserk, shouting and clapping and jumping up from their seats. I start clapping, too, even though I have no damn clue what’s going on.
Callie’s phone rings and she shouts, “It’s my brother!” She jumps to her feet with her phone in her hand. “I’ll be right back. He’s been trying to call me all night.”
She hurries down the stairs and I turn my attention back to Greyson and Luke, thinking about going down there and joining them, but they’re already climbing the stairs toward me.
Luke takes a seat down at the end of the bench where Callie was sitting, and Greyson sits beside me.
“Having fun?” he asks, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bucket.
“Oh, yeah, a blast.” I smirk. “You so owe me for this one.”
He grins as he shoves his mouth full of popcorn. “Sounds good to me.” As the people in the bleachers continue bouncing and screaming at the game, he leans in and whispers, “Thank you for coming with me.”
I slide my hand toward his and lace our fingers. My heart pumps deafeningly from inside my chest, but I refuse to pull away. He smiles at me and I take a deep breath, feeling my scars become less visible. Sure, the ones on my arm are still there, and they always will be. But the ones on the inside, those are the ones I have control over. And I know as long as I stay strong, they’ll continue to fade away.