I tried not to grumble aloud as the group I was with packed themselves into the busy airport. They giggled and surged around me, overly excited from a sugar rush as well as the day's plans. A friend of our's from online and their brother were going to be visiting our city for a month and we'd agreed to meet them in the airport. Today was Halloween so on top of the first in person meeting, which I was admittedly looking forward too, my friends had thought that dressing up would be the best idea. I disagreed. They beat me in the argument, three to one which I why I currently looked ridiculous.
Supposedly it had been our friend who designed each halloween costume, so I would never voice my displeasure with her but the bright orange wig and soda can in my hair felt like a bad joke. I was dressed in more colours than I had ever been and I hadn't realized that suspenders were even still available for purchase let along a thing. We all looked like something right out of a children's show, and not a good one like My Little Ponies.
A peel of laughter from my friends. I tried not to stare at Jake, smile plastered across his face. He wasn't even fazed by our break up. My sunglasses hid eyes that burned. I would not let him see how torn up I was over it all. Jane knew, she shared the same ache within her chest and I'm sure Roxy could guess but Jake was oblivious. He always was. I hated that I loved the dork.
Roxy grabbed my arm, shaking me out of the dark mood that was hanging over my head. Callie's plane was coming in. Good I was tired of waiting.
A tangle of colourful limbs was the result of an attempted group hug. I stayed out of it, offering a nod in its place. The British girl didn't seem to mind, distracted by Roxy's extra hyperactive affection. Out of the fray I felt eyes watching me. Hanging back from the group was clearly Callie's brother, Caliborn. They looked so similar it was spooky. There was something harder in her brother's eyes though, and something uneasy in his smile. I nodded to him, just to be polite. Bad move. The bastard took it as an invitation to come over.
He had started talking to us not long after Callie, she claimed it was because he had a hard time making friends and often tried to take over the ones she made. That's why she had turned to the internet to make friends. He'd still harassed us anyway. Jane and myself in particular. I know he really bothered her but I usually laughed him off. He asked me to draw the most ridiculous things like he thought it was a bother for me and he treated it like some strange game. Not that I knew what we were playing for. It wasn't, it gave me something to do other than moon over the boy that would never really be mine. He did have a knack for sounding like a total jackass though. I wasn't really looking forward to talking to him right now, especially since I looked like a candy coated tool.
"Hi." Jeez did he not know how to be quiet? Online he talked in caps locks and in person he spoke far louder than necessary. "I haven't even been here five minutes and I can tell this place sucks."
"So go home." Where we going to have to deal with him for a whole month really?
"Except you guys look." Here it goes, he was going to derate me for my friends' decision. "fucking awesome." I was glad he couldn't see the surprise in my eyes. Things didn't normally take me by surprise.
"We look like total tools. But they're having fun."
"No you look awesome. You normally look lame." Ugh right. I forgot he was all for pushing his ideas on people like he thought that saying them louder and more frequently would just magically make them true. The whole trip to Roxy's house, where they were going to be staying, Caliborn sat next to me, insisting that the costumes and sugar rushes were the best thing ever. I didn't care. I just wanted him to shut up. I was fucking ecstatic when we finally arrived and I could go home and change back into my usual self. Pulling up the long driveway Caliborn finally fell silent long enough for me to tell Caliope how happy I was for her visit at least. She gave her brother an odd look as she spoke to me, as if he'd confused her.
I helped them move their bags in before informing them all of my early departure. Caliborn followed me to the door, before shoving a piece of paper into my hands. He dashed off and I shoved the scrap into my pocket, quickly forgotten by an accidental glance at my phone's display. Jake's cheery smile grinning into the camera. I needed to change it but every time I tried I froze. Why had I let things blow up in my face?
At home I dropped the stupid candy clothes in favour of something more comfortable when the slip of white fell out onto the floor. Picking it up I expected to find insults or something of the sort. What I found was definitely not what I was expecting, that was the second surprise today. It was a crude drawing of Caliborn and myself, holding hands with only two words underneath:
"You won."
