1. If you're American (US), remember that Mount Rushmore is carved into the Black Hills ("The Six Grandfathers"), which are sacred to the Lakota Sioux tribe. In other words, Mount Rushmore is literally the peak example of desecration, colonialism, and anti-indigenous sentiment. How can we celebrate the 4th of July when not all Americans were liberated then?
2. Follow on Instagram! I've only just been introduced to their page, but they publish lots of informative resources pretty regularly. (They posted today explaining the history of Mount Rushmore that I summarized above!)
You know how I said last chapter I was a little over halfway done writing this story? Now, two weeks later, I have three chapters left to write (by hand, of course; typing and editing comes later). That's insane. When I started this fic, I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to finish. But the TDP fandom is possibly the most supportive one I've ever been in, and it's thanks to your kind reviews and dedication to this story that it will be completed! Of course, there is still a long way to go for you guys (this is chapter 13 out of 40 or 41, after all!), and I am so excited to see your reactions to how everything progresses. I hope you enjoy :)
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"So, do I get a celebratory kiss for scoring 28 of tonight's 49 points?" Rayla said with a smirk as she pulled off her helmet, dropping it to her side as she placed her other hand on her hip. Her hair was tumbling messily out of its bun and her shoulder pads were heavily askew, but nonetheless she looked radiant in the setting sun.
Callum found himself immediately turning red at her request. The crowd of players and fans swarming the field around them was also dizzying, which certainly didn't help his composure. "Maybe - uh, maybe when there's fewer people?" he managed to get out, instinctively stepping closer to her and squeezing his eyes shut.
Rayla, the brilliant, perceptive goddess among mortals that she was, immediately picked up on his anxiety. She slipped her free hand into his and began guiding him off the field, chattering aimlessly about different plays she'd run during the game in an obvious attempt to keep his mind off the crowd - an attempt Callum very much appreciated, even if it was only moderately successful.
Finally, they stopped walking. "Okay, we're off the field now," Rayla said. "You can breathe easy."
Callum opened his eyes as Rayla sat him down on a bench, letting out the breath he definitely knew he had been holding. "Thanks."
"No need to thank me," she said with a cheeky grin, ruffling his hair. "Just wait here while I take a quick shower. Then we can finally go on that date we had to reschedule. Sound good?"
Callum gave her a grateful smile. "Sounds perfect."
Rayla placed a quick kiss on his forehead before disappearing into the girls' locker room, and Callum had to resist the urge to sigh dreamily as he watched her go. It was amazing how quickly Rayla could turn his mood from stressed to blessed - rhyme intended, because her love of poetry was definitely rubbing off on him.
While he waited, Callum decided to work on one of the pictures that would ultimately become his brother's birthday presents. It felt like yesterday he'd had two-odd months to prepare - now it was closer to two weeks. Fortunately, the line art for both of the pictures were done. Now all he had to do was color.
Ugh. What a pain.
Not that he disliked coloring, but coloring had always been what he was most likely to mess up. Something about the general existence of blending was incredibly anxiety-inducing. Which was why he generally preferred charcoal. But this picture was for Ezran, who loved color. He wanted it to be perfect for him. On the plus side, of course, Ezran was very much a believer in the "there are no mistakes in art" mantra, which meant he loved any art of Callum's. His brother was definitely his #1 supporter.
"Oh, hey! Callum!"
Callum looked up upon hearing his name, barely managing to plaster a smile onto his face as Felix sat down onto the bench next to him. "Hey," he said, instinctively closing his notebook. He tried not to shut it too quickly, though. That would look... 'weird' was probably an understatement. Also rude. Callum faltered for words before finally saying, "Er... Nice game."
Felix chuckled. "Thanks. But it was really Rayla and Soren who carried it. And the O-line, of course, because Soren would be powerless without them. I only had like... 36 total yards?"
Callum shrugged. "I mean, that's better than zero total yards."
Felix grinned. "Alright, fair point." He gestured to the girls' locker room. "Rayla in there?"
Callum nodded. For some reason he felt oddly satisfied that his girlfriend was unavailable. Which couldn't be good.
"Will you pass on a message for me, then? Normally I'd hang here until she came out, but I have people waiting on me right now," he said with a laugh.
Callum hesitated, but couldn't think of a valid reason to refuse. Darn. "Yeah. Sure."
"Don't worry, it's simple. Me and a few friends on and off the team are going to Live After Five tonight. You know, the music event downtown. You and Rayla are both welcome to join us. It should be a good time."
Callum stiffened at the player's words, though he did his best to hide it. He'd already planned to take Rayla to Live After Five that evening for their first real date - now he wasn't sure he wanted to go. Not if the football team was going to be there. It wasn't even that he hated the football team or anything, because most of them - including Felix, as much as he wished he could find a valid reason to dislike him - were pretty chill guys that had always been friendly and welcoming to him.
So what was making him feel so nauseous?
"Hello? Callum? You still there, dude?"
Callum flushed as he realized that he'd zoned out and had as a result been silent way longer than was necessary. "Sorry," he mumbled before clearing his throat. "Got lost in thought for a second." He offered Felix a weak smile. "Yeah, I'll pass the message along."
"Great! Thanks, fam." Felix grinned and clapped him on the shoulder before standing and dusting off the front of his pants. "Hope to see you two there!"
"Yeah. Hopefully." Callum managed a half-hearted wave goodbye as Felix left down the hall from which he'd entered. He tried to return his focus onto the drawing for Ez, but he couldn't seem to switch his brain back into 'art mode'.
He needed to figure out what was going on with himself. His inexplicable dislike of Felix was getting to be a hindrance.
"Ready to go?"
Callum turned to see that Rayla had emerged from the girls' locker room, her football uniform replaced by a lavender crop top and high-waisted jeggings. Her hair was damp but not dripping, and she'd chosen to let it hang freely around her face - probably to help it dry faster. Sometimes he forgot the natural wave her hair had.
"You look... great," he said before his brain was able to finish processing the compliment. He felt his face start to redden, and he hastily added, "I mean, not that you don't always look great, because you do, you just look… extra good?" Brilliant ending on his part. That was why Rayla was the English major and not him.
She chuckled at his flustered behavior. "Thank you, Callum. I would tell you that you look, quote, 'extra good', too, but..." Her expression of amusement was replaced by one of concern. She sat down next to him and placed the back of her hand on his forehead. "You actually look a little pale. Are you feeling okay? Do you have a fever?"
He'd praised her perceptiveness less than a half hour earlier, but now Callum found himself wishing his girlfriend was a little less observant. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, trying to sound reassuring. "Just a little worn out from a - a nasty physics exam I had earlier today." Which wasn't totally a lie. He took her hand off his forehead and gave it a gentle squeeze. "But don't worry. I feel much better now that I'm with you."
Rayla blushed at his words, though she still appeared skeptical of his reassurance. She didn't comment on it again, though, for which Callum was grateful. "Well... Alright." She grinned at him. "Does this mean you're finally going to tell me what our date tonight is?"
Callum pretended to deeply consider her question as he tucked his sketchbook into his bag before they began walking out of the stadium together. "Hmm..." He grinned and slipped his right hand into her left one. "I suppose you've waited to find out long enough." They turned to take a back exit out of the stadium and avoid the crowd still on the field. "We're going downtown to an event called Live After Five, where they feature small bands and solo artists to help them get more publicity."
"Ooh, that is pretty cool," Rayla said, her eyes twinkling in excitement. "So, who's performing tonight?"
"A local band called Katolis Revival. I've only heard a couple songs, but I think they're pretty good. I did a little googling of them earlier, and the most interesting thing I learned is that all of their songs double as slam poetry!"
"Okay, now I know I'm going to love them," Rayla said with a laugh. She glanced at her boyfriend as they headed into the parking lot, an amused glint dancing in her violet eyes. "I never took you to be a poetry person after the emotionally-devastating 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day' struggle I witnessed you endure."
Callum shuddered at the reminder. The ghost of Shakespeare would forever haunt him. "Look, I like poetry. I just don't like sonnets. There is a distinct difference."
Rayla rolled her eyes, but she was grinning. "Whatever you say, prince." She released his hand and walked around his car to get to the passenger seat. "Whatever you say."
Callum laughed as he, too, climbed into his car. "I know that tone. Don't talk down on me, young lady."
Rayla finished buckling in before she placed a hand over her mouth and innocently fluttered her eyelashes. "Why, I haven't any idea what you're referring to."
Callum's laughter only increased at the ridiculous act, and as a result he nearly dropped his key while trying to put it in the ignition. "God. Never do that again, please."
Rayla snickered, adjusting the AC vent directed at her as Callum began backing his car out of its parking spot. "Absolutely not. I'll have you know that I'm a comedic genius."
Callum rolled his eyes but couldn't stop himself from smiling at her playful indignation. "Right. A comedic genius. Definitely how I'd describe you."
"I'll have you know that I'm the funniest person on the football team!"
"And I'm sure there's a ton of competition for that position." The smile on his face faded at the mention of the football team as he suddenly remembered who else was going to be at Live After Five, and he didn't fully process Rayla's response. He needed to get a grip. Seriously - what was going on with him? "Oh, by the way," he said, trying to sound super casual, "I forgot to mention that we might run into some familiar faces at Live After Five tonight."
"Ooh, really?" Rayla pulled a comb out of the backpack that she'd left in Callum's car and began detangling her damp hair. "Who?"
"Uh... some of the football team, according to Felix." He paused, then added, "I think he said something about a few friends off the team, too, so maybe... Claudia?" He didn't really know anyone connected to the football team who wasn't also on it other than Claudia.
Rayla whistled, then winced as her comb got caught on a particularly tough knot. "So what I'm hearing is that our date might end up transmuting to become a massive group gathering."
Callum bit back a sigh, determined to keep himself from dampening the evening any further. "Uh... I guess so? We can try to avoid them if you want." Which he kind of wanted. Not that he'd admit it aloud.
Rayla laughed and stuck her comb back into her bag. "No, it's fine. I'm not worried." She winked at him, a smirk dancing on her lips. "I'm sure we'll stumble across a private corner at some point. That's when we can really have fun."
The blood rushed to Callum's face at her words, which of course only made his girlfriend laugh harder. "Ugh. You're not funny."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Rayla apologized, wiping tears from her eyes as he mock-glared at her. "You're just so easy to tease. And you look so cute when you're flustered!"
"Uh huh." Callum turned right onto the boulevard that would take them downtown. "I feel like now would be an opportune time for me to mention that you have severely lessened your chances of getting a celebratory kiss at any point this evening."
Rayla gasped dramatically. It would have been more convincing had it not been for the wide grin on her face. "No! I take it back. I never said a word."
The rest of the drive was lighthearted and full of off-key singing to the first Frozen soundtrack, including an entertaining role-swap of "Love is an Open Door". It was so fun, in fact, that Callum was almost able to make himself forget that their date was soon going to be crashed by a bunch of football players. Felix included.
Key word being 'almost'.
The world apparently decided to rub that fact in his face, too, because they'd only been out of the car and wandering around downtown to pass time for a little over fifteen minutes before they ran into Felix, Soren, a blonde guy Callum thought was named Jason, and a boy with vibrant indigo hair that Callum didn't recognize.
"Hey, I was hoping we'd see you guys!" Felix said with an elated grin that made Callum's stomach roll. "We're about to meet Claudia and Emilé at Boudreaux's for beignets. Care to join us?"
Rayla glanced at Callum, as if silently asking what he preferred to do. He tried to shrug indifferently, though he wasn't sure it came across as such.
"Sure," she replied, smiling at the group. Then her smile faltered. "Er, what are 'beignets'?"
Felix gasped and looped his arm through Rayla's, pulling her forward as he began guiding her to a small café down the street. "How have you been in Katolis for two months and you haven't had beignets yet?"
Callum found himself trailing behind the small group. As much he adored Rayla, and even for as long as he'd known Soren, he was keenly aware that he didn't really fit in amongst their sporty friends. They were always incredibly nice to him, which he appreciated, but he knew the list of common interests between them would never be longer than 'school', 'Soren', and now 'Rayla'.
"Hey."
Callum turned to his left, blinking in surprise as he realized the indigo-haired boy was now walking beside him. "Uh - hi?"
"I've seen you before," the boy continued. He had a faint accent - Spanish, maybe? Callum wasn't sure, and he didn't want to seem rude by asking. In general he often found himself afraid to ask people personal questions - hurray for social anxiety? "At football games. I think at Felix's party, too. But I don't believe we've ever been properly introduced." He offered him a small smile. "I'm Lucas."
"Callum."
"Nice to meet you, Callum." The guy's voice had a musical lilt to it, which was… oddly pleasing to the ear. Lucas then gestured to Rayla, who was laughing at something Felix had said to her. Callum pretended not to notice the way his stomach clenched at her reaction. "So, how long have the two of you been dating?"
Callum opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish at Lucas's query, unsure of how he'd so quickly figured out his and Rayla's relationship. They hadn't even been holding hands when they'd run into the group. "Only about a week," he finally admitted. "Why?"
Lucas shrugged. "No reason."
He said nothing further, and Callum decided not to press that subject. Not fond of the awkward silence that followed, however, he then asked, "Are you on the football team, too?" If he was, Callum hadn't seen him on the field before.
Lucas chuckled. "Felix tries to tell me I'm an honorary member of the team, but no. I'm a cheerleader."
Callum nodded, impressed. He'd always admired cheerleaders - he was fairly certain cheerleading was one of the most intense sports to ever exist. Second maybe to chariot racing. "Oh, that's cool. I'll keep an eye out for you at the next game."
"Thanks. Felix encouraged me to join the team when he was a freshman and I was a sophomore. Listening to him and then actually going through with the tryout were probably two of the best decisions of my life."
"Oh, nice. That's pretty cool."
A comfortable silence fell between the two, though Felix, Jason, and Soren's chatter combined with the usual downtown music floating through the air around them meant 'silence' was more of a figurative term. Rayla's laughter was a constant presence, too.
As they walked, Callum couldn't help but notice how Lucas was staring at Felix, the reason he noticed being that he originally thought the senior had been looking at Rayla. There was a strange softness in his brown eyes - a look that Callum found eerily familiar, but couldn't quite place a finger on where he'd seen it before.
They arrived at the café a few minutes later, and upon entering found that Claudia had already arrived, snagged a large table, and ordered several plates of beignets.
"You each owe me five bucks," Claudia said with a smirk as everyone began sitting down. Callum made sure to snag the seat to her left. "Except for Rayla. The MVP of the game is free."
Rayla laughed as she sat down on Callum's open side. "I appreciate the gesture, Claudia, but I think I can spare five dollars."
"Yeah!" Soren agreed, sitting across from his sister. "Besides, I think my amazing skills as a quarterback contributed to Rayla's success tonight, too."
Claudia snorted. "How humble of you."
"As if," Felix said to Soren, smirking. "Everyone knows that Rayla could play an entire team by herself and win."
Rayla cringed at the idea, though she was grinning. "Love the flattery, Felix, but let's never, ever, ever test that theory, okay? Thanks in advance."
Everyone laughed at her comment, and Callum gradually found himself relaxing amongst the group for the first time since arriving downtown. Maybe this evening wouldn't be so bad after all. Although, he didn't really like that Felix was sitting across from Rayla. Not that he could figure out why. Puberty really was hell.
"Oh, Emilé texted me that they can't make it," Claudia said, thumbing powdered sugar from the beignets off the corner of her lips. "Something about a last-minute babysitting emergency that they had to deal with for their neighbor."
"Aww, too bad," Felix said with a disappointed frown. "It's been forever since we've been able to properly hang out with them."
"On the bright side," Soren added, ever the optimist, "that means more beignets for us!" And though they all laughed at his eagerness, no one disagreed.
As the conversation shifted back to the game, Callum found his attention drawn to Rayla when she picked up a beignet finger and studied it with suspicion.
"It's not poisoned, you know," he said teasingly, unable to keep an amused grin off his face as he watched her. His comment earned an eye roll from his girlfriend. "Seriously. Just eat it. Trust me - everyone likes beignets."
"It looks like deep-fried diabetes coated in sugar," Rayla protested with a grimace.
"Maybe. But it tastes heavenly," Callum countered, plucking the beignet his girlfriend was examining out of her hand and eating it. Ignoring her affronted expression, he selected another beignet coated in powdered sugar and handed it to her, doing his best to stop it from shedding sugar all over the table. "Try this one. It'll be really sweet." He was well aware of Rayla's sweet tooth, though Ezran still had her beaten by a mile.
Rayla gave him a suspicious glare but took a bite. The way her eyes proceeded to light up was possibly the most adorable thing Callum had ever seen.
"It's so good!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. "And probably the most unhealthy thing I've ever eaten, but... Wow. Holy crap. It's delicious!"
Callum couldn't help but laugh at her response. "Told you so."
"Yeah, yeah. Hush up."
Rayla winked at him before finishing off the beignet finger, grabbing a napkin from the middle of the table to wipe the now-sticky sugar off her fingers. As she did so, Callum noticed there was a bit of powdered sugar dusting the tip of her nose. But before he could point it out -
"Oh, Ray. You've got a little something there."
Callum's fists clenched so tightly his nails would undoubtedly leave indents in his palms as Felix reached across the table and gently brushed the sugar off Rayla's nose. Who did he think he was? Invading his girlfriend's personal space, calling her by a cute nickname, constantly trying to keep her around him, and - oh.
Oh, no.
Not again.
Well, at least Callum finally understood why being around Felix made him so nauseous. Or maybe 'finally accepted' would be more accurate.
He was jealous.
As much as this revelation disturbed Callum, he had to admit that it did clear up quite a few things about his issues with the football team.
God, he was being ridiculous. He had no reason, no right to be jealous of Felix. Felix was one of the first friends Rayla had made at KSU and here Callum was getting tied up in knots about it. Downright embarrassing, for one, but also incredibly unfair of him.
He - He just needed time to sort through his thoughts. But not here. Not now. Not with all the noise and the people around him and -
Okay, he was starting to push himself a little too far. His chest felt tight, and - air. He needed air.
Callum abruptly stood up from the table, doing his best to disguise the sharp increase of his breathing. "Gotta make a call," he stammered plainly, jutting his thumb towards the door. "Outside. Be right back." Then he left the café, sinking down onto a bench nearby and practicing the breathing exercises both his therapist and Harrow had coached him in.
1... 2... 3... Inhale.
1... 2... 3... Exhale.
Establish a rhythm, determine a pace. Sit up straight. Close his eyes if needed. Shut off all distractions. Center himself.
He'd gotten pretty good at managing his anxiety attacks, and within a few minutes he'd calmed himself down to the point where his thoughts were no longer bouncing around his head like a rabbit on steroids. Still, he had to admit to himself that a bench outside Boudreaux's wasn't really the best place to try and work through his jealousy issues.
"Hmm. Doesn't look like a phone call to me."
Callum, startled, jumped to his feet before he realized that Rayla had joined him outside. "I - uh… They didn't pick up?" Wow. The lack of confidence in his voice was astounding.
Rayla snorted. "Clearly." She gave him a concerned frown. "Callum, are you sure you're feeling okay?"
"I… Yes. Definitely! Right as rain." Ugh. That was probably overkill.
His girlfriend raised an eyebrow at his exuberant response. "Don't lie to me. You're bad at it." Her frown deepened. She stepped closer to him and placed the back of her hand on his forehead, much like she'd done only an hour or so ago. "You look flushed. And you do feel kind of warm. I'm thinking you might have a low fever."
"Really, I'm fine -" he tried to protest, but Rayla silenced him with a look.
"I'm sending you home. Dr. Moonshadow's orders."
"But -"
"No 'buts'. Do you want me to come with you?"
He was tempted to say yes. So, so tempted. But that wasn't fair. Especially because he wasn't actually sick - just internally berating himself about his unfounded jealousy. "No, you stay with our friends. I can drive home."
"You sure?"
He tried to give her a comforting smile. "Yeah. Your evening shouldn't be cut short because of me,"
Rayla shook her head, her gaze soft and filling him a warmth he couldn't describe. "Alright. I'll catch a ride with Claudia. But I expect you to text me when you get home and every half hour after that, okay?" She didn't wait for an answer to continue. They both knew she didn't need to. "You clearly need some rest." She gently moved her hand to push his bangs out of his face. "We can reschedule our date for another time. And we'll make sure it's just the two of us."
"Mm. I can't wait." Callum was aware that trying to argue now would be futile. But there was one thing he felt he had to do before leaving. "Oh. By the way, you still have a little powdered sugar on your face."
Rayla frowned. "Really?" she asked, scrunching up her nose and trying to look down it. "I thought I'd gotten it all -"
Callum cut her off with a kiss, feeling bolder than he possibly ever had before. "Don't worry," he said with a smirk as he pulled away. "It's gone now."
Rayla, whose face was now a pretty shade of pink, pretended to glare at him as he began walking away. "Callum, if you got me sick, I swear that I'll -"
"You'll be fine! I'm not sick!" he insisted, though he didn't turn around.
Rayla sending him home was a blessing in disguise, he decided as he got into his car. There were many, many thoughts he needed to process - starting with his pesky case of jealousy.
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So... I'm sure all of you have some feelings™ about Felix... (And maybe some of you have thoughts on Lucas, idk lmao.) I, personally, love Felix, and his arc in this story is one of my favorites! (Although to be fair I love all the characters, both the ones I create and the ones from TDP. Except maybe Viren, lol. And even then I do appreciate him as a well-written antagonist. Anyways.) There's so much I can't wait for all of you to read! But I'm afraid this is all for today. I hope you enjoyed! :)
