Chapter 10

<Callie Stevens>

"He seems sweet." My mom comments as she buckles Henry into his car-seat.

Well, he was acting much better than usual.

"Yeah, I guess." My voice trails off while I buckle myself in next to Henry.

"How do you know him?" My mom asks with a grin.

"He's in my French and history class." I say and glare at her through the rearview mirror.

"Where shall we go for dinner?" My dad inquires, trying to blatantly change the subject.

My mom gives me a wink and then turns towards my dad to answer his question.

"I saw a bar and grill back there that looked pretty good."

"Then let's go." My dad smiles as he pulls out of the park and drives back the way we came, searching for the bar and grill my mom saw.

I stare out the window at the setting sun, a mixture of oranges, yellows and pinks painting the sky as it changes from day to night. My eyes follow the passing scenery; some old brick-buildings, the church my family has been attending regularly, a few family-owned restaurants and a plethora of little shops. There are tangles of people sitting outside of nearby restaurants, families walking down the sidewalk in little clumps, the sounds of local music filling the air as bands set up in the park where the market just was.

My parents are laughing and talking to each other while Henry falls asleep in his car-seat. I smile and brush some hair from my little brother's eyes, placing my lips gently on his forehead. He stirs a little, but his eyes remained closed. I go back to looking at the passing scenery, the town giving off a lively air. I've never really lived in a place like this; one where everyone knows their neighbors, where everyone cares for the people around them. Everington is stuck in its own little world, just like L.A., but it's a completely different kind of world.

Everington is easy-going; people aren't trying to get anywhere fast, they just want to enjoy the ride. L.A., on the other hand, is very touch and go. To me, it felt like everyone always had somewhere to be and no time for all the people they met along the way. No one was allowed to stand in their way because these people were too important to be stopped. The world L.A. is trapped in isn't of its own creation, though; it was created by everyone else in the world. To the outsiders, L.A. represents glamour, it's where people go to make it big, to make their dreams happen. The world puts L.A. on a pedestal and there are certain things expected of the people that live there too.

Everington like a breath of fresh air. In L.A., you are what your parents were; you are bound within the confines of your reputation and there's no way you can get rid of it because one person will always remember the one instance you screwed up, no matter how much time has passed. I guess that's why my dad had to move; he wanted a fresh start and a better life, one where he wasn't defined by what he did thirty years ago and where his family didn't have to be subject to the same torture. At least, for once, I won't be known as Paul Stevens Daughter.

My dad pulls in a parking space by the curb right in front of a small restaurant where half of the lights in the sign have gone out. It's supposed to read: "Smokie's Bar and Grill", but all of the consonants have gone out, so the title is all jumbled up. I help my mom get Henry out and then I follow her up to the fronts doors of the restaurant where loud music is mixing with the sounds of a sport's game playing on the TVs around the bar.

My dad walks us inside and we stand near the hostess stand. I look around the bar and grill; my eyes absorbing the unfamiliar surroundings. The walls are decorated with license plates, framed sports' jerseys and countless pictures of the high school football teams over the years. The bar is made of a dark sort of wood and has bright lights strung around it while bartenders rush around to get the boisterous crowd their drinks. Cheers erupt as the favored sports' team scores, which causes lots of people to order another round.

"I am so sorry." A girl, around my age, says in a deep southern accent while she grabs a few menus from behind the stand. "Saturdays are crazy 'cause all the drunks come in for the college football games. What can I do for you?"

The girl, whose nametag reads "Annie", smiles politely at us.

"Table for four if you can squeeze us in." My mom replies, her eyes crinkling as she smiles back.

"Of course; would a booth work? It's as far away from the drunks as I can get you." Annie chuckles, weaving her way through the maze of tables, so she can reach the rounded booth in the back, which seems to be the only open place in Smokie's Bar and Grill.

When we finally reach the table, Annie is standing next to it, the menus clutched tightly to her chest. My mom slides in first with Henry, then I take a seat next to her, my dad taking his place last. The hostess hands us our menus and welcomes us profusely to Smokie's.

"I'm Annie, and I'll be your server tonight; can I start y'all off with anything to drink?" She asks in a perky voice.

My mom orders water for her and some milk for Henry while my dad orders a beer. I ask for sweet tea and then Annie leaves us to look at the menu. My eyes light up as I peruse the menu; everything is Tex-Mex, which is my all-time favorite food.

"Well, I guess we found Callie's little slice of Heaven; they have steak tacos here." My dad jokes, his amused chuckling continuing on until Annie has come back with our drinks and a basket of chips.

She sets everything down on the table and pulls out a pen to take our orders with. She turns to me first, a smile glued to her face.

"I'll take the steak tacos with guacamole, please." I say as I hand her my menu.

Annie takes the rest of my family's orders and then walks back to the kitchen to place them.

"Did everyone have a good day?" My mom asks, reaching across the table to hold my dad's hand.

"Well, we all know Callie did." My dad teases, his eyes gleaming as he turns to face me.

"Yeah, I really liked the fried green tomatoes." I smirk and cross my arms.

"And the employees."

"Very funny, Paul, I'm sure Callie was just trying to be helpful." My mom chides and pats his hand. "He seems like a very nice boy."

Not exactly the words I would use to describe him...

"Thanks for the defense, mom." I smile in my usual manner as my mom goes back to talking about the market and what she's going to do with everything she bought.

~~~~~

The sky has turned an inky black and stars are sprinkled throughout the canvas spanning above me, their white light glistening a million miles away. I've never seen stars like this; back in L.A., the only stars I saw were on the A-list and those were few and far in between. The buildings in the city blocked out all other light; they blocked out a lot of things out, in fact, keeping the inhabitants in a sort of bubble.

My dad unlocks the car and opens up my door for me. I buckle Henry, who's half-asleep, into his car-seat and then lean against the car window as my dad pulls away from the curb. My eyes follow the stars, the car carrying us away from town and back towards our modest suburban home. The inky black of the sky reminds me of the striking bruise of Jasper's jaw; it was looking a little greener today, thankfully, but I still can't help wondering where he got such an injury.

Who would hurt him like that?

I drift off to sleep as the car continues driving, my mind still focused on Jasper. He was different today; he seemed to be in an almost better mood. He actually talked to me, he didn't shrug me off or ignore me; he actually carried on a conversation with me. For some reason that little improvement makes my heart flutter. I don't understand why people spent their whole lives ignoring him; it just takes a little more effort to talk to him, but it isn't impossible. I guess no one else was willing to put in the effort...

The car pulls into the driveway within a few minutes and I feel myself being led inside. I stumble up to my room and pull on a pair of sweatpants, only half-aware of what I'm doing. My eyes droop closed the second I hit the pillows and I'm plunged into a peaceful sleep, thoughts of Jasper still at the forefront of my mind.

~~~~~

It's Monday morning and the sun is shining, which is the only reason I got up today. I'm currently sitting in my guidance counselor's office, discussing how to get out of yet another AP class; this one being an AP science class. I was an idiot for thinking I could handle six AP classes and now I'm paying the price by having to play catch-up in two classes.

"Okay, Callie, there's only one other science class that's open during this time-frame; it's a human anatomy class." My counselor, Mr. Jackson, says as he gazes at his computer screen.

"Sounds great," I say without thinking. "Anything to get me out of AP Chem."

"It's nice that you know your own personal strengths." Mr. Jackson chuckles, pressing print on yet another new schedule for me.

"Thank you for getting me out of AP. I don't know what I'd do if I had had to stay." I smile brightly and accept my new schedule.

"As long as you feel like you're challenging yourself." Mr. Jackson grins back as I stand up to leave his office, my eyes staring at the number of the new room I'm supposed to be going to. "Have a good day, Callie."

"You too!" I wave and begin to walk towards the staircase that will take me to Mr. Roberts' Human Anatomy class.

My feet make softs sounds on the linoleum as I walk down the upstairs hallway where classes are already in session. I pass yet another group of boys getting high in the corner of the hallway; I turn up my nose and continue walking until I reach the right classroom. I double-check my schedule before knocking on the door. A balding man with glasses set on top of his head answers it. He squints and waits for me to say something.

"My name's Callie Stevens, I was just transferred into your class." I state politely, showing him my new schedule.

"Of course, please come in and we'll find you a seat." He says as he lets me inside.

The door slams behind me while I make my way to the front of the room, all of my new classmate's eyes trained directly on me. I look around my new surroundings and my eyes lock on a book in the back of the room; it seems to be hiding someone from my view. There's only one person who would make such an effort to hide... I notice that the seat next to the hidden person is empty and I'm about to mention it to my teacher when some guy a few chairs away shoves his partner towards that empty chair. The teacher, Mr. Roberts, oddly enough, doesn't notice this jerking movement.

"Ms. Stevens, you can take the chair next to Mr. Arnold." My new teacher says and indicates the recently liberated seat.

I make my way slowly towards it and sink down into the chair, setting my bag underneath the table. The boy next to me smirks as if he's very pleased with himself. I pull out my notebook and a pen while Mr. Roberts continues his lecture.

"I'm Jesse," The boy whispers in my ear, his breath fanning my neck.

"I'm trying to focus on the lesson." I say from the corner of my mouth.

"I can help you catch up," He offers, his tone suggestive.

"Somehow I don't think catching up is what you had in mind."

I side-eye the boy while I pretend to watch Mr. Roberts lecture. I take in his dark brown hair and green eyes; his features are sharp and defined, but he's nowhere near as captivating as Jasper. He reminds me of every other guy I've ever seen in my life, while Jasper is unlike anyone I've ever met. The boy, Jesse, catches me looking at him and winks. I turn away and try to catch a glimpse of Jasper, who's still stubbornly hidden behind his notebook in the back of the classroom.

"You're never going to hear the lesson if you keep looking at me." Jesse whispers and I feel my shoulders tense up; I didn't expect him to be so close to me.

"I'm never going to hear the lesson if you don't keep quiet." I retort and slip off my hoodie, turning around slowly to put it on the back of my chair.

I steal a quick look at the back of the classroom and find Jasper's cold, blue eyes staring back at me. I smile softly and pray that he'll respond, but he just turns away and pretends his didn't see me.

We'll that stung...

"Why do you keep turning around; the show is right here." Jesse smirks indicating himself.

"Actually the show is up there." I say and point at our teacher. "He's the one making sure you graduate."

"This class is a joke." He whispers, his eyes gleaming.

"Colleges won't see it that way."

My voice trails off as I try to take notes on the lecture, even though I only understand half of what's going on. Jesse continues to annoy me and I do my best to ignore him. My eyes stay trained on the board at the front of the room and my back remains to Jasper the entire class, but I can feel his cold blue eyes bore into my skin until the bell finally rings.