I've decided to do a thing before most chapters where I'll list one or two "action items" or some questions to think about regarding BLM, LGBT+ rights, women's rights (intersectional feminism only), etc. You can skip over them if you'd like, because I understand that fanfiction can be an escape/break from reality for some people, but that doesn't mean these issues stop existing. They are of the utmost importance, so I encourage you to at least skim the items, or even come back to them after you read; I promise, it'll only be a couple things! :) For today:
1. Follow soyouwanttotalkabout on Instagram (excellent infographics regarding a variety of social issues that are easy to digest if you're easily overwhelmed by statistical information!)
2. Read So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (I've just started and it is SO. INFORMATIVE.)
In other news, Happy Father's Day to Harrow! (And Runaan, Ethari, and Lain. Not really Viren though, lol.) Also, regarding this fic specifically, my goal is to have the entire story written by the end of the summer (written by hand; not typed/edited lmao), that way from then on I might be able to shift to weekly updates (though that does depend on what college is like for me). This is just an estimation, but the story will probably have about 40 chapters, with the last chapter being an epilogue. I've written a little over half of the fic already, and everything is all plotted out in the notes app on my phone (don't judge me for that lmao). Anyways - just wanted to tell you guys that so you have an idea of where I'm going with all this lol. I hope you enjoy the chapter!
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Callum: what time do you want me to pick you up?
Rayla: a half hour from now works :)
Callum: sure
Callum: wait
Callum: i thought football practice didn't end until 5?
Rayla: Coach has to go to his niece's birthday party so practice ended early
Callum: huh. okay
Callum: 3:30 it is, then!
Rayla: see you soon
Callum's heart skipped a beat as she followed her final text with an emoji blowing a kiss. His foot was almost aggressively tapping the floor as he spun around in his rolling desk chair, antsy from a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Their first real date was now less than an hour away, and he had so many plans. He wanted to show Rayla the downtown life of the city, and he hoped more than anything that she would enjoy it. In fact, he had everything pinned on those hopes.
He was also feeling absolutely terrified, if he was being honest with himself. He didn't want to disappoint his girlfriend. And sure, she'd reassured him a dozen times over that anything he planned would be fine with her, but that did not at all abate his nerves.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out to read the caller ID and was surprised to find that it was Harrow. His stepdad wasn't supposed to get off of work - if he was ever truly off of work - for another hour, which he'd only known because they'd had to compromise about leaving Ezran alone at the house for a while so he and Rayla could go on their date.
God, it felt weird to casually think of himself and Rayla as dating.
Weird, but in a good way. And also exhilarating.
Callum realized he still hadn't answered his phone, and he scrambled to press the green button on his screen before the call could end. "Hello?"
"I would like to apologize in advance for what I am about to request of you."
Callum raised an eyebrow at his stepdad's borderline-ominous tone. "Er... okay?" He didn't know whether to be afraid of or curious about what was going to be asked of him.
"There's been a last-minute meeting called of the heads of all Katolian public universities," Harrow began. "I have to fly out tonight to attend. Viren will be accompanying me. I should be back late tomorrow evening. But until then..."
Callum groaned, knowing exactly what his father was going to say. "I need to watch Ezran, don't I?"
"Mhm. Make sure he gets on the bus in the morning at 6:15 and pick him up from Youth Government tomorrow after school at 4:00."
Callum wracked his brain for another solution. Not that he didn't love his brother, but he hated when his schedule was interrupted. Change was inevitable, but really, the world needed to just conform to his plans. Life would be so much easier. "What about Aunt Amaya?" he suggested, aware it was a long shot, because he was pretty sure she was still in another country. "Any chance that she's available?"
"I'm not asking Amaya, Callum," Harrow said firmly. "I'm asking you." Typical. "And besides, you know she's not in Katolis at the moment." Yeah. He did. He wished he didn't. "Now, this also means you need to pick Ezran up from City Park in an hour. He's doing something with Habitat for Humanity that ends around 4."
An hour? Right. Great! Of course. Cutting directly into his date with Rayla. "But -"
"Look. I know you have plans with Rayla. I know that those plans are important to you. And I'm not asking you to cancel them. Just... alter them. Maybe bring Ezran along with you. Okay?"
Well, that was an idea he didn't entertain for long. He loved his brother, but him third-wheeling would not be enjoyable for any of them. And by 'any of them' he meant himself specifically.
Irritation flickered through Callum's body, and he found himself clenching the fist that wasn't holding his phone. All of his work and his planning - he was just supposed to throw that aside? How was that fair?! "But, Dad -" he started to protest, only to be interrupted by Harrow, whose tone had turned much harsher.
"Do I need to rephrase, Callum? I am telling you to do this. Understand me?"
Callum blinked, his words dying on his lips. He felt guilty for arguing, knowing how stressed his dad had to be if he was snapping at him like this. "Yes sir. I'm sorry."
Harrow sighed, and Callum could almost visualize the tension fading from his stepfather's shoulders. "Thank you, Callum. And I'm sorry, too. I promise I'll make it up to you as soon as I can. I'll call both of you tonight after I get to the hotel."
"Okay. Talk to you then."
Callum didn't move right away, and it was Harrow who hung up first. Slowly, as if functioning on a delayed autopilot, he turned off his phone and tucked it away in his bag.
He and his dad rarely argued, which Callum had always felt pretty blessed for. When Harrow raised his voice, it meant something serious had to be going on.
Callum was afraid to know why that meeting had been called.
Well, he supposed an afternoon in City Park with Rayla wouldn't be that bad. His downtown-date plans could wait until another day. Besides - they were better suited for the evening rather than an afternoon outing, anyways.
Maybe he was trying too hard to convince himself.
Callum waited another fifteen or so minutes before he left to pick up Rayla, knowing the drive to her dorm would take less than five minutes. That didn't stop him from putting on one of Spotify's daily mixes on the way there, of course. He never knew what to expect with those, as he, Claudia, and Soren all shared a premium account. Their vastly different tastes in music made recommendations... interesting, to say the least. Though it wasn't like they had zero artists in common. For example, they all liked Queen, because they all wished they could sing like Freddie Mercury.
He pulled into the dorm's parking lot at exactly 3:30. Only one song had fully played through and he'd had no idea what it was. Rayla was already waiting outside and as soon as the car stopped she opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat.
Callum chuckled as she reached back to grab her seat belt. "You know, I would have gone up to your door to get you."
Rayla rolled her eyes. "Of course I know that, dummy. But I also know that you're ridiculously punctual, and" - she tapped the clock on the dash of his car - "would you look at that, it's 3:30. You're exactly on time."
Her callout was simultaneously endearing and embarrassing, as it was cute she'd paid such attention to notice his timeliness but also humiliating because he really was obsessed with staying on schedule. "Anyways," he said pointedly, prepping for a change in subject, "I must admit that I do come bearing some bad news."
Rayla raised an eyebrow. "Really? How bad?"
"I mean, like, not the worst news."
"Gee, thanks. Way to narrow it down for me."
Callum laughed. "Sorry, sorry. I guess I should have been basic and said that I have good news and bad news." He turned down the volume of the music. "The bad news is that my dad has been called to a conference out of the blue and won't be back until late tomorrow, which means I have to watch Ezran today, including picking him up in about half an hour. In other words, we'll have to postpone the original plans I had in mind for our date."
Rayla blinked, clearly processing all of the information. "Okay."
"But the good news is that today should still be a lot of fun!" Hopefully. "We're going to the park?" He didn't know why his last sentence had come out as a question. Probably because he was just a tad bit worried that she'd be angry, or worse, disappointed, by the sudden change in plans.
Rayla seemed to pick up on his anxiety, and reached out to give his hand a squeeze. "Any time I get to spend with you is wonderful, Callum. I don't care what we do or where we go as long as we're together."
Callum didn't respond immediately, and he knew his face had to be growing more red by the second. "God," he muttered, breaking eye contact with her. "That was so cheesy."
Rayla laughed, and she leaned over to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. "Only today. Consider yourself lucky that I've allowed you to even witness my cheesiness. You are one of a few." She pulled her hand out of his. "What are you waiting for, then? Let's get moving! I think going to the park counts as the first part on my tour of the city."
Callum hesitated. "Are you sure you don't mind?"
"Yes, Callum, like I told you. Besides - you said you'd reschedule your original plans, so it's not like I'm missing out forever. Things are just a bit delayed."
Callum couldn't help but smile at his girlfriend's can-do, easygoing attitude. "Alright. I guess I'll believe you." He unlocked his phone and handed it to her before backing out of his parking spot and pulling out onto the road. "I give you control of the music. Play whatever you want."
He knew she was smirking, even though he kept his eyes on the road. "Whatever I want, you say?"
"Within reason," he corrected. "But honestly, there's no way your taste can be as strange as Soren's."
Rayla snorted as she scrolled through Spotify. "Well, we'll see about that." She paused. "Erm, why do you have a Ke$ha playlist? No shade, of course." She glanced at him. "I just never pegged you to be into her."
"Oh, no. That's Claudia's." Callum flicked on his left turn signal as he stopped at a red light. "I share a premium account with her and Soren. The only rule we have is no adding to or renaming anyone's playlists, so we have free range to make fun of each other about the artists we listen to."
Rayla nodded in understanding. "Nice. Fight the system."
"Agreed."
The conversation lulled to a peaceful quiet as Rayla continued scrolling through songs and Callum focused on navigating through a difficult intersection.
He couldn't help but glance at his girlfriend every so often - once he was on a straight road, of course. She was just... perfect. And he knew that was an unfair standard to hold her to, because of course she wasn't really perfect, but her presence felt almost too good to be true. She was funny, she was supportive, she was confident, and she -
She liked him. She genuinely liked him. She didn't care that he sometimes stuttered or that he'd much rather stay at home and sketch or even study than go out and party. Not only did she not care, but oftentimes she'd opted to stay in with him. Even today she hadn't minded the last-minute change in their plans, and that was after he'd hyped up what they were going to do.
Not to mention the added bonus of her being impossibly beautiful.
Callum was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of Taylor Swift floating through his car. Specifically, Taylor Swift's "Lover". He raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend.
"Don't judge me! She's very talented."
"I'm not judging you," he protested as he turned right off the highway, knowing a shortcut to the park. "I just wouldn't have guessed you were a Swiftie." The dark clothes she often wore gave the impression of… well, not goth, because she never wore black, but of someone who still probably listened to rock and maybe a dash of heavy metal.
He noticed that today she was wearing a denim jacket over a dark purple romper. She looked… amazing. He just didn't know whether he was supposed to point that out or not. Surely she knew she looked fantastic. Did she really need him to tell her? But most people liked receiving compliments on their appearance, especially on special occasions like dates - wow, he was really overthinking this.
He'd tell her. Eventually.
"Well, I wouldn't call myself a Swiftie. But you can't tell me her music isn't good," Rayla insisted, placing his phone in a cupholder. "That's just the facts."
Callum laughed. "Rayla, I promise I am not judging you. Or your music taste. Taylor Swift is fine." He was a fan of a few of her songs, too. "Blank Space" went pretty hard, in his opinion.
The rest of the drive to the park consisted mostly of them talking about Renaissance History and the upcoming football game, with Rayla cutting herself off every now and then to sing along to particular lyrics. Callum didn't mind the interruptions. It was pretty adorable.
She was Rayla, after all.
"What did you say this park is called again?" she asked as Callum pulled his car into an empty spot.
"City Park," Callum replied. "Literally the most uncreative name I have ever heard, but the park itself is great. One section has lots of trees and grass and flowers and a little pond, another part is a playground, another part is a dog park, and another part is a soccer field that I think people also play rugby at. And quidditch. The entire park was actually built and landscaped during an economic depression as a public works project to provide jobs for people left unemployed."
Rayla nodded as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "That's pretty cool." She waited until they'd both climbed out of the car before continuing. "Fun fact: Xadia isn't terribly impacted by your economic depressions. For one, we didn't have trade relations with places like Katolis until, like, super recently. We also didn't majorly industrialize until the past few decades because it was only then we realized that industrialization was necessary if Xadia wanted to keep up with Katolis and Duren and everyone else our country borders. Still, even today a lot of areas are self-sustaining."
Callum whistled, impressed, as he popped open the trunk of his car. He loved learning about Xadia. But he couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a joke. "So... What I'm hearing is that you're lowkey a country girl?"
Rayla groaned. "Do not ever call me a country girl. I'm sure it's technically true, but I know what that term connotes here in Katolis, and I do not at all ascribe to those stereotypes."
He laughed at her comment. "Using words like 'connote' and 'ascribe' without being in a classroom? Wow, Rayla, you are such an English major." He grabbed a blanket out of the back of his car before closing the trunk and pressing a button on his keychain to lock it.
"What's that for?" Rayla asked, gesturing to the blanket as they began their trek through the park.
Callum noticed she'd hadn't asked where they were going - she'd simply trusted where he was leading. The thought almost made him giddy. But he raised an eyebrow at her question. "You want to sit on the grass for a half hour with the fire ants while we wait for Ezran to be done?" He smirked. "I didn't take you to be that much of a country girl -"
"Oh my God, shut up," Rayla grumbled, giving his shoulder a good-natured shove. "You are literally the worst."
Callum snickered at her reaction and slipped his hand into hers. The fresh air must have been emboldening him. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."
Rayla snorted. "Damn right you are." But she was smiling.
They ended up setting the blanket down beneath a tree, Callum sitting and taking out his sketchbook while Rayla took off her jacket before pulling out her phone and idly scrolling through Instagram.
Callum continued to work on his picture merging KSU's stadium and the Roman Colosseum. He'd almost finished the stadium half, which meant he'd soon be able to work on the Colosseum. The classics nerd in him was ecstatic about that prospect and it took all of his willpower to prevent himself from rushing through the final parts of the stadium.
"Aw, look at this picture Claudia posted on her spam." Rayla lifted her phone to show him a photo of Soren holding a very tiny calico kitten in his hands. "Looks like they're having fun… somewhere?"
"Claudia works part-time at an animal shelter, I think," he mused. "And Soren sometimes volunteers with her." He'd gone with them once or twice, but he was pretty sure he was allergic to dogs, so he'd often left with red eyes and a runny nose. Not fun.
"Aw. That's sweet of him. I mean, I don't have siblings, but if I did." She laughed. "I hope I'd get along with them as well as those two do with each other."
Callum placed his hand over his heart in mock-hurt. "What about Ezran and I? Is our brotherly bond not the strongest you've ever seen?"
"Please, the two of you don't count. You guys get along too well to be siblings."
Callum tilted his head to the side, acknowledging her point. He and Ez did get along eerily well. Probably had something to do with the age gap between them that Soren and Claudia didn't have. "Okay. Fair enough."
Rayla glanced down at his sketchbook before hastily looking away. "Do I have permission to see what you are currently working on?"
"Of course," Callum replied immediately. "You can look at any of them."
Rayla raised an eyebrow, a small smile forming on her lips. "Really? Any of them?"
Callum's words finished processing in his mind, and he blushed. "I mean - okay, maybe not any of them, but -"
Rayla's soft laughter interrupted him, and she took his hand in hers before giving it a gentle squeeze. "It's fine, dummy. You don't need to justify yourself to me. You have your reasons for showing and not showing your art and I respect that."
He leaned his head on her shoulder. "You are so amazing. You know that, right?"
"Of course I do," she scoffed, resting her head atop his own. She paused, then added, "But that doesn't mean you should stop reminding me."
Callum chuckled, lifting his head and turning his upper body to face her directly. "You, Rayla Moonshadow, are the most amazing person I have ever met."
"Okay, I didn't mean now -"
Callum ignored her protests. "You're strong, and - and smart, and funny and beautiful and..." He trailed off, his hand reaching up to touch her earlobe. "And you have your ears pierced?"
Rayla laughed and nodded, reaching up to adjust the crescent moon earring and not-so-accidentally brushing his hand with her own. "Yes. I just don't wear earrings much. They tend to get in the way when I'm playing football or practicing martial arts or - or doing any physical activity, really. Also, if someone were to attack me out of the blue, earrings are easy to grab and would effectively cause me tremendous pain if yanked."
Sometimes he forgot how thought-out Rayla's decisions could be. She was impulsive, yes, but when she put her mind to planning something, there wouldn't be a single factor unaccounted for. "Well, they look cute," he finally said. "I like them."
"Well, you're cute," she replied. "And I like you."
There was a beat of silence. Then they both broke out laughing.
"I'm so sorry," Rayla managed to say. "I think that's the lamest thing I have ever said."
"No, no, I think it's the best thing you've ever said."
"The lamest and the best, then. It can be both."
Their laughter gradually died down, and Callum was fairly certain that amidst their giggling they'd both moved closer to each other. Their eyes met, and he was reminded again of just how piercing her gaze could be, even when the only emotion behind them seemed to be pure affection.
"Did I mention that you look gorgeous today?" he murmured, the words barely catching enough air to be heard.
"Not until now. But you look gorgeous, too," was Rayla's mumbled response, and then their lips crashed together. It was not a messy kiss, by any means, but there was a desperation behind it that had not been present in any of their previous kisses. Callum found himself leaning in further, wanting to eliminate any and all space between them. Rayla seemed to have the same idea, because she wrapped her arms around his waist and tugged him closer to her. He had to drop his hand to the ground to keep from toppling over.
"Huh," she breathed as he slowly pulled away, her arms still wrapped around him. "That was fun."
Callum resisted the urge to jokingly roll his eyes, though he couldn't stop the delighted grin growing on his face. "You have such a way with words. Your English degree will be well-earned."
She groaned and shoved him away, the passionate moment gone and yet replaced by something lighthearted that was just as intoxicating. "You are such a bully. I'm breaking up with you."
"No, don't do that!" he protested, laughing. "How about -" He grabbed his sketchbook. "Will showing you one of my recent pieces placate you?"
Rayla tapped her chin, as if considering his suggestion. "Hmm..." She grinned at him. "Alright, prince. I suppose that will have to do." She winked at him. "Though your use of 'placate' was also really hot."
Callum ignored her teasing and opened his sketchbook to a family portrait he'd been working on every now and then over the last month. "Obviously you recognize me, and Ezran, and my dad," he said, pointing to each of them as he spoke. "But -"
"I think you're cuter in real life," Rayla interrupted with a smirk, tapping the picture of him. "But overall, not a terrible rendition."
"Ha ha," Callum said, rolling his eyes and trying - likely unsuccessfully - to distract her from the fact that he was blushing. "You think you're so funny."
"I don't think - I know," she retorted, snickering. She then returned her attention to the picture. "Who's this?" she asked, pointing at the woman with short dark hair and a scar beneath her right eye. "You kind of look like her."
Callum couldn't stop himself from smiling at the thought. "That's my Aunt Amaya. My mom's sister. They served in the military together for a long time. Aunt Amaya is a general, actually, but now she mostly serves as an ambassador of sorts. She was supposed to be in town last month, but something I legally am not allowed to know about was rescheduled and she couldn't make it."
Rayla nodded. "That sucks. I guess you don't get to see her much, then?"
Callum shook his head, sighing. "Yeah. It's been like a year and a half since her last visit." He paused, then forced a smile on his face. This was a date - it was supposed to be fun! "Hopefully you'll get to meet her before you go back to Xadia. She's supposed to come in for winter break. Although, she might be a bit... wary of you. At first."
Rayla raised an eyebrow. "Is that code for she's a bit 'old-fashioned'?"
Callum resisted the urge to laugh at her dramatic usage of finger quotations. "A little. But I think she'd come around quickly. My dad would have something to say if she didn't."
Rayla smiled at him before returning her attention to the portrait. Her fingers brushed over the empty spot between Harrow and Amaya. "For your mother?" she guessed.
Callum nodded. "She died in a combat mission. I was seven. Ezran had just started preschool. I think my aunt sometimes blames herself, but we all know there was nothing she could have done."
Rayla placed her hand atop her boyfriend's, gently curling her fingers over his knuckles. "You miss her."
It was a statement, not a question. Callum knew that Rayla, of all people, would understand. "Yeah." Callum flipped to the previous page in his sketchbook, where a full portrait of his mother gazed up at him with a warm smile. "I do." He leaned to rest his head on Rayla's shoulder, glancing up at her. "But I have you. Ezran. My dad. Aunt Amaya. Claudia and Soren." He chuckled. "Even their dad, though Viren's always been a bit of a stick-in-the-mud."
Rayla smiled at his comment, though she said nothing.
Callum then realized how insensitive his rambling had to seem. Here he was, talking about missing his mom and how he'd sort of built a new family as a result, while Rayla was thousands of miles away from her home in a country where most people were less-than-welcoming towards her. God, he needed to -
"I know that face." Rayla tapped his nose, causing him to blink in surprise before he slowly sat up. "That's the 'I'm about to apologize for something unnecessary' face."
Callum blushed. "No, I -"
"Stop talking or I'll have to hit you, you big dummy."
Callum was saved from having to think of a witty comeback when his phone buzzed. It was Ezran, letting him know that his after-school event had ended and that he needed to be signed out before he could leave.
"Looks like we have to get moving," Callum said to Rayla after telling his brother that they were on their way. He stuck his phone and his sketchbook into his satchel. "They shouldn't be too far from here. Ez told me earlier that they were going to examine the different park benches on the east side to look for examples of hostile architecture."
"Ooh. That's actually pretty cool. I never got to do that kind of stuff in high school." Rayla stood, putting on her jacket and dusting her romper off before helping her boyfriend to his feet.
The two folded the blanket together. Callum stuck it under his arm before offering Rayla his hand, and they made their way across the park together. After five or so minutes of walking they were able to see a small crowd of students surrounding a cluster of benches and tables - a picnic area, presumably.
"Hey guys!" Ezran shouted with a cheery wave as he saw them approaching. He turned to face a tall, dark-haired man, and Callum vaguely heard him say something about his ride being here. He then gestured for Callum and Rayla to come towards him.
"Callum, Rayla," Ezran began once they'd arrived at his side, "this is Mr. Kasef. He's Mrs. Lopez's new assistant teacher!"
Callum quickly signed the paper to show that Ezran had been picked up before shaking the teacher's hand. "I don't think I recognize you. How long have you been working with Mrs. Lopez?"
"Just started this week," the man explained. "It's part of my assistantship program for my master's with KSU."
"Oh, you go to KSU?" Callum said, surprised. "So do we! I'm just a freshman, and Rayla is a sophomore."
Kasef paused as he was shaking Rayla's hand. "Rayla," he mused, frowning. "Where have I heard that name before?"
Rayla winced. She clearly had a bad feeling about where this conversation was about to go. "Ah. Well, I'm the new exchange student, so maybe -"
Kasef immediately jerked his hand away. "You're the Xadian?" he snarled. "Who let you out of your cage?"
Rayla seemed so taken aback by his sudden animosity that she said nothing in response, only staring at him in shock.
Callum, too, was rendered speechless. The only defense he could muster was to throw out his arm protectively in front of his girlfriend.
Ezran had not been so incapacitated. "Don't talk to her like that!" he protested, drawing the attention of his remaining classmates.
"Ezran, you do not need to lower yourself to defend her," Kasef snapped. "She's Xadian. She doesn't belong here! Hell, she's probably not even smart enough to attend KSU." He shook his head in disgust. "But don't worry. I'll make sure to tell Mrs. Lopez that you care more about some random foreigner than you do your own countrymen."
Callum was raring to shout at him for his bigotry as well as for yelling at his little brother, but Ezran beat him to it.
"Mrs. Lopez isn't even from Katolis, so have fun getting her on your side with that stupid argument. And I'll make sure to tell my dad - the head of KSU, if you didn't know - about your bigotry and intolerance! Hope you liked this job while you had it, because you're going to lose it before you can even blink." Ezran glared at him. "Rayla earned her place at KSU, Mr. Kasef. I bet she had to work at least twice as hard as you did to get in, too! And yet all you can see is her nationality." He paused, his fist clenching, and he shook his head in disgust. "No. All you can see is your own nationality. You imagine yourself as - as superior, and for what?! To boost your own selfish ego?!"
Kasef rolled his eyes, but Callum could see that he was starting to get unnerved. "Please. I'm not even from Katolis. I just don't think we need Xadians -"
"Well, I don't think you should work here anymore," Ezran interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. "I probably can't get you expelled, but like I said, I will get you fired." Without allowing his teacher a chance to respond, he grabbed Callum and Rayla's hands and began pulling them away, leaving his stunned classmates behind.
He waited until they were out of earshot before he stopped, letting go of them. "I'm sorry," he said to Rayla. "I know it wasn't my place to say anything, but I couldn't just stand there while he was such a jerk to you, and -"
Rayla stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug, cutting off his apology. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, Ez." She sighed. "It's silly, but I wish more people would step in for me like that, when it's clear I'm at a loss of what to do on my own. It's because of people like you that I haven't given up and gone back to Xadia."
"Really?" Ezran asked, his voice muffled by Rayla's jacket.
"Uh huh," she said, gently releasing him from the hug. "Really."
Callum reached out and squeezed his brother's shoulder, warmth blossoming in his chest. "I'm so proud of you, Ez. I know people way older than you who wouldn't have had the guts to do that." Hell, he himself had been too stunned by such outright bigotry - in front of a bunch of high schoolers, no less - that he hadn't been able to gather his thoughts in time to properly speak up in his girlfriend's defense.
Ezran's soft smile turned into a wide grin. "How proud would you say you are, exactly?"
Callum blinked. "Er, very proud?"
Ezran's grin then became a sly smirk. "Proud enough for ice cream, by any chance?"
Ah. Callum should have known he was being manipulated.
"Of course!" Rayla answered in his stead, pulling a twenty out of her jacket's left pocket. "My treat."
"Absolutely not," Callum protested as they began making their way towards his car. "I'm paying."
"Don't be sexist," Rayla retorted, though she was grinning. "Besides, he spoke up on my behalf, so I'm the one who owes him. And this is part of the monthly money I was allotted by the school, anyways, so you could argue you're kind of paying in that respect."
That was not at all how it worked, but Callum knew there was no way he could win this argument, so he relented. When Rayla put her mind to something, that was that. "Alright. But next time -"
"Yes, you can pay. Deal."
"As long as I don't have to pay," Ezran piped in, earning laughter from both of them.
Callum knew there would be more people like Kasef. He knew there'd be more times when Rayla would be too stunned to speak up for herself. Hell, he knew there'd be more times when he'd be too shocked or too scared to defend Rayla the way he should, although he was definitely working on that last one. But as long as people like Ezran existed - well, the people like Kasef… They'd always lose in the end.
xXxXxXx
It's a coincidence that this chapter is being uploaded in the midst of everything going on right now (I've had it written since probably January? maybe February?), but maybe it's actually a sign from the universe. Sometimes we're Rayla - treated unfairly for things out of our control (race, religion, sexuality, gender). Sometimes we're Callum - well-intentioned but overwhelmed and unsure of what to do (and that's okay! what's important is that we educate ourselves and do better!). Sometimes we're Ezran - speaking up in defense of what's right and condemning bigotry when we see it (and obviously that type of allyship is always the goal, so long as we recognize that "speaking up" for someone does NOT equal "speaking over" them). I'm not really sure where I was going with this, but I felt it was worth pointing out. Thank you for reading!
