A shorter chapter today; my apologies for that. It's been my first week back at school this semester and it's already hectic. Ugh. But I hope you enjoy! Think of it as a little buildup for next week's more eventful chapter. ;)
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Callum hadn't seen any of his friends in two days. Rayla he hadn't seen since he'd dropped her off at her Shakespearean Literature class, and Claudia and Soren he hadn't seen since the café and the assembly before that. He hadn't spoken to Rayla after that evening, either, when she'd texted him 'thank you' for giving her number to Claudia.
The reason he felt more hung up on Rayla's absence, he figured, was because there simply weren't many people he typically talked to in the first place. Soren was too far ahead of him in school for their paths to cross often, and while he did hang out with Claudia a lot, they didn't actually have any classes that overlapped.
The only class he knew of Rayla's was of course Shakespearean Lit, though he was well aware his odds of having any classes with her were slim. It was too bad. She seemed like she'd be fun to share a class with.
Huh. Callum really needed to branch out more amongst his fellow freshmen.
Then again, it wasn't his fault that people were too afraid to approach him because his stepdad was head of the university. Or maybe they were predisposed to dislike him because his stepdad was head of the university. Whatever. Regardless, his asocial behavior was a result of a mix of factors.
Maybe he should talk to Harrow about -
His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing. He normally kept it on vibrate, so it startled him, but he recognized that ringtone.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Er, call.
Callum grabbed his phone off the dresser and answered it. "Hey, Dad. What's up?"
"Hey, kiddo," Harrow said, static faintly crackling in the background of the call. "I know this is last minute, and I'm sorry for that, but can you look after Ezran tonight? Amaya had to cancel because a conference was rescheduled that she can't miss."
Callum was keenly aware of the fact that Harrow knew he didn't have plans, thus he didn't understand his stepfather's apologetic manner about the subject. "Yeah, sure," he replied. "What time do you want me to be there?"
"Just from 5 to 8. I should be back by then."
Callum scribbled the time in the margin of his planner before tossing it onto his bed. "You know, I really do think you can leave Ezran on his own now. He's almost fourteen."
Harrow sighed, and Callum could practically visualize him shrugging. "Yeah, I know. But I think it's good that you spend some time with Ezran while you're still living in the state. Before you leave for your master's."
Callum snorted. "I just started towards my bachelor's degree, Dad. I don't think you need to worry. Besides - you know Ez and I are inseparable in every sense but literal."
"How could I forget?" There was the sound of someone talking in the background of the call, and Harrow clicked his tongue. "I've got to hang up now. See you tonight, Callum, and thank you again."
"No problem," was all Callum managed to get out before his stepdad hung up. He sighed, turning his phone on vibrate before placing it back on his dresser. He was sorely tempted to collapse into his bed, despite it being afternoon. Wednesday was the one day of the week where all he had was one class. That in itself was somewhat a blessing - what was unfortunate was the fact that his class was in the afternoon. Ugh. He hated afternoon classes. But being a freshman meant he hadn't had much control over his schedule, even considering that he was Harrow's son.
He glanced at the clock on his wall. He could probably squeeze in a ten-minute power nap before he left -
His train of thought was then interrupted by a loud buzz of his phone. It was unexpected, but not unpleasant, to be contacted by two people within a span of five minutes.
Claudia: all you have is Ren today right?
Callum: Yes; why?
Claudia: jfc only you would send a text with a semicolon
Claudia: i can't believe we're friends
Claudia: ANYWAYS
Claudia: i want to have a game night at my dorm
Claudia: maybe around 6
Callum: Tonight?
Claudia: yes
Claudia: so Soren can meet Rayla! you in?
Callum: I don't think so :( I have to watch Ez
Missing a chance to hang out with all of his friends sucked, especially since it meant he'd also be missing a chance to better get to know Rayla. She'd been right when she'd said he wouldn't have the guts to text her - although, to be fair, he didn't have the guts to text anyone, really. But he'd already committed to watching his brother.
Claudia: just bring him! you know your dad won't care
Claudia: we just won't play Cards Against Humanity with him there haha
Claudia had a point, as she often did. Harrow trusted Viren and therefore by default trusted Soren and Claudia.
Mostly.
Callum: Sounds like a plan :)
Claudia: sweet! see you tonight
She followed her final text with a dozen emojis, which brought a smile to his face and made his heart flutter. How embarrassing. Callum then toyed with the idea of texting Rayla and Soren about his and Ezran's presence at the mini-gathering of sorts, but decided against it. He didn't want to bother them, and for all he knew, they could both be in class right now.
Speaking of class... He was going to be late if he didn't leave soon. Talking with Claudia had taken up the time he could have used for napping - tragic.
Without another thought towards his plans for the evening, Callum grabbed his satchel and headed out the door.
At least he was going to Renaissance History.
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Callum fired off a quick text to Ezran about Claudia's game night in the spare minute he had before his class began. It looked like his professor was going to be late, anyways. Professor Dupuy had a tendency to stop at Starbucks before their lectures.
Just as he was about to put his phone away, it buzzed. Only it wasn't an answer from Ezran, which was what he'd expected.
Rayla: Look behind you
Callum wasn't sure whether to be intrigued or terrified by the message. He turned around, and sure enough a certain white-haired girl was sitting a few rows back, giving him a satisfied smirk. He offered her a small wave before sending her a quick text in return.
Callum: You can sit next to me, you know
Rayla: You sure?
Rayla: Isn't it social suicide to sit next to the weird Xadian
Callum: I committed social suicide the moment my dad became head of the college
Callum: Seriously
Callum: Come sit
He heard rustling and the shuffling of feet behind him, and sure enough Rayla slid into the desk on his left a few seconds later. Now that she was next to him, he could see that she was wearing a purple scarf around her head to keep her hair back. "I didn't know you were in this class," he whispered with mock accusation, unable to keep a grin off his face. "You didn't mention it when we were talking on Monday."
"Well, in my defense, I wasn't in this class at that time," Rayla replied with a shrug as she straightened her binder on her desk. "I met with Professor Harrow, er, your dad, later that day, and he helped me to reorganize my schedule so that I had a couple classes with Claudia. Calculus and one of my English classes, if you were wondering which."
He chuckled. "Right. Nice."
"Anyways, I had to drop a women's and gender studies' course I was taking. Professor Harrow told me I could switch into basically any other elective I wanted, and I remembered how much you were gushing over this class, so..." She shrugged again. "Here I am!" She then gave him a suspicious glance. "Although, I didn't expect you to be in this specific class. How did a freshman get into a second level course?"
Callum smirked. "AP European History credit, thank you very much. Scored a 5 and got out of two semesters of history."
Rayla rolled her eyes. "Right. How could I forget that you're a nerd?"
"If you get to call me a nerd, then I can call you a jock."
Rayla laughed. "Okay - fair enough. Seems like a reasonable compromise." She lifted her arms above her head and stretched, her nose crinkling as her back cracked. "I hope you're willing to help me power through this course, prince. I only switched in because you recommended it."
Callum's heart fluttered an extra beat at her words, flattered by the idea that she'd taken the class solely based on his opinion of it. "So should I charge you for tutoring sessions?"
Rayla snorted, lightly nudging his shoulder. "As if. I'm an exchange student - I don't have money to throw around like that. Besides, surely my company is more than enough reward for you."
"Then I guess it'll be a favor," Callum said, pulling his notes out of his binder. "But only since you're my friend."
Rayla's cheeks dusted with a pale pink for a brief second at his words. Then she said dryly, "How kind of you."
Callum knew his own face had also reddened, but he was saved from having to provide an answer when their professor walked into the room.
At the very least, it was nice to finally share class with a friend.
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I promise this isn't a texting fic, y'all. Hopefully this chapter was as fun to read as the first one was! See you next week if all goes well.
