"What do you mean you can't come visit this weekend?" Calla's voice asked from the other end of the line. "You always visit!"
I caught my ball with my left hand as it came back down towards my face, phone resting on the pillow next to my head on speaker as I laid on my bed. "My dad's taking us camping for some 'family bonding'." I told Calla, quoting "family bonding" even though she couldn't see me.
There were several long moments of silence from her end of the line before her soft voice spoke again. "Oh..." she said simply.
The disappointment in her voice hurt me, and I couldn't believe that I had just lied to her. But to say that at that moment would be just stupid, if you add it to the reason I was lying to her. Gods. If she knew why I lied to her, she would've been something furious. So I decided to continue with my lie.
"Yeah... sorry..." I said, trying to keep the guilt out of my voice. But if there was any, Calla didn't seem to notice it.
"It's okay, Jimmie."
The way she said the nickname she had given me made me feel even guiltier. "You sure?"
"Yeah. I'm sure. Besides," Calla quickly added, interrupting me as I was about to talk. "It's important for you to spend time with your family. I can't take up all of your time."
I put a hand to my head and closed my eyes. I was lying to her so much... my parents weren't even home. The were out bowling with my siblings. They wouldn't be back till around two in the morning. The local competitions took forever. And they didn't take me because I had been caught trying to steal all of their soda and candy and had been permanently banned.
"Thanks for understanding, Cal." I managed to force out of my extreme guilt state. I couldn't believe that she hadn't caught me in my lie at that point. I had been lying to her for the past half hour as we talked. How had she not noticed?
Wait.
Half hour.
I opened my eyes and cast a glance at my digital clock. The red colors blazed 4:58 pm. I only had two minutes left till my ride was due to arrive. "Hey. Look, Cal. I gotta go now. I'll talk to you next week, okay?"
Calla let out a soft sigh. "Okay..." she responded softly. "I love you, Jimmie."
"Love you too, my pretty flower." I responded with equal softness. "I'll see you in a week, okay?"
"You better, Jimmie."
I couldn't help but to laugh at the way she said it. "Alright. I will."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Okay... have fun on your trip for me, okay?"
I winced at her words. I should have told her then that we weren't even going on a trip, that we had nothing planned together as a family till spring break, and that I was doing something completely different. But I didn't. I couldn't bring myself to do it. Because if I did, I'd hurt her. Not like what I was doing instead wasn't going to if she ever found out...
"Alrighty." I said after a few seconds. "I will. Bye, my flower."
"Bye Jimmie." Calla said with a soft sigh before hanging up the camp phone.
The line beeped several times in my ear before I picked up the phone and hit the end call button. I went to my picture library and pulled up a picture of her, one when she was smiling and laughing after I had tossed her off the dock during one of our walks. Calla Blu. My flower. My beautiful flower. I had promised myself that I would never lie to her, yet here I was, lying to her. Telling the biggest, most selfish, most consequential lie that I had ever told in all my eighteen years.
And I was telling it to her.
Gods.
Where did I go wrong?
...
Oh look. A short chapter for once. XD
I don't own Calla. Once again, this character belongs to ScipioPB, and once again, you all should check her out.
James is mine, though. He's my little son of Hermes. :3