1. Sharing videos of police brutality, at the end of the day, does not help anyone. In fact, it is incredibly traumatizing to Black people having to see violence enacted against them over and over. Instead of sharing another video of racially-charged violence committed by police officers, consider sharing videos/messages/photos etc. from Black people about their stories, their frustrations, their ideas, etc. Don't perpetuate the cycle of trauma by sharing videos of police brutality. (Information condensed from glographics on Instagram.)
2. Every year, 8-12 million metric tons of new plastic trash enters the ocean; furthermore, plastic never truly disappears, only breaking down into smaller pieces known as "microplastics". By 2050, the ocean is expected to contain more plastic than fish by weight. And it is not straws making up all the plastic in oceans - plastic water bottles are among the top five most common items found in beach cleanups around the world. It can take 450-1000 years for a plastic bottle to photodegrade (and we don't have that much time). What can we do, on a personal level? Skip single-use plastics (ex. get a reusable water bottle and make it last), advocate for local policy change, and aim for progress over perfection (if we want to get it 'perfect', then plastic pollution is only going to get worse before any tangible change happens; we need to start now). (Information condensed from soyouwanttotalkabout on Instagram.)
Bonjour vous-autres! Happy half-way point of "No Ordinary Exchange"! I hope y'all are doing well. This chapter was a lot of fun to write; it's nice when teens are allowed to be teens and just have fun together. :) Also, to a user I think on Wattpad who wanted to see more of Nyx - ask and ye shall receive! (It's actually just a really great coincidence since I've had this chapter written for a while, but the timing of their comment was perfect lmao.) Shoutout to you - you know who you are. I hope y'all enjoy!
xXxXxXx
"We did it!" Rayla cheered, pumping her fist triumphantly as she jumped down the stairs that led out of the history building. "I don't know about you guys, but that was my last midterm." She spun around in a gleeful circle. "Time to celebrate!"
Callum laughed at his girlfriend's antics. "It was my last midterm, too." He'd had physics earlier that day and the rest of his exams the day before. "So celebrating sounds pretty good to me."
"Ooh, we can invite Claudia and Soren!" Rayla suggested eagerly. "Didn't they both finish midterms today, too?"
"No idea," Callum answered honestly. He'd been completely preoccupied with his own exams and hadn't spared a second thought to anyone else's schedule. Except Rayla's. He then turned to Sonya. "Want to join us?" he offered, putting a hand above his eyes to block the sun while smiling at her. "It'll be fun!"
Sonya chuckled, tucking her phone into her back pocket. "I'm sure it will be. But you don't really sound like you know what you're doing to celebrate, and I prefer to have a game plan."
Callum gasped in mock-offense. "How dare you. We totally know what we're doing." He glanced at his girlfriend, who snickered at his 'give me a hand here, please' expression. "Don't we, Rayla?"
"We… are going to Aimee's Creamery," Rayla said triumphantly, though not quite convincing enough where anyone would have believed she hadn't simply thought of the place on the spot. "I haven't been there in a while, and as far as I know Callum hasn't either, so it should be fun!"
Callum grinned, turning back to Sonya. "See? We have a very coherent plan. Therefore you should join us!"
They'd all come to a stop at the foot of the stairs, Rayla busily texting someone as Sonya looked at both of them in amusement.
"Right." She adjusted her backpack. "I'm tempted, I'll admit it, but I still don't think I can go. I have my last midterm tonight, and I want to continue preparing for it."
Callum wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Ugh. Evening exam." Those were the worst.
"Don't I know it."
"Well, what time is your test tonight?" he continued. "Surely you can spare one hour to get some ice cream with us. We did just ace our Renaissance History midterm - that's pretty worthy of celebration!" He'd only stumbled over a few words when he'd had to speak, and their class had actually laughed at the jokes they'd incorporated into the script and the PowerPoint. So he deemed it a major success.
"It's not until seven," she admitted, "but I was hoping to get in some last-minute studying before then -"
"Studies show that cramming often exacerbates stress and provides little to no benefit in increasing one's test scores," Callum countered. "Besides, you worked hard to prepare for this midterm, and there's nothing wrong in acknowledging that by choosing to treat yourself. Also, Aimee's Creamery is super good. You'd have to be crazy to refuse."
"Or lactose intolerant," Sonya remarked, amused, but it was clear her resistance was starting to weaken. "And fine. I'll come. But only for an hour. Then I'm heading home to study."
Callum couldn't stop himself from beaming at her. "Awesome."
"You know what else is awesome?" Rayla said with a mischievous glint in her eyes, tucking her phone into a side pocket on her booksack before slipping her non-injured hand into Callum's. "Claudia said she can meet us there! She finished up her last midterm about half an hour ago."
An odd expression flickered across Sonya's face, one Callum could have sworn he'd seen on her before, but it disappeared within seconds and was replaced by a calm smile. "Cool. So… how are we getting there?"
Given that it was nearly late October and the sun shining overhead in the sky helped neutralize the chill in the air, they decided to walk to the ice cream parlor. It was only about 15 minutes away by foot, and none of them were in a major rush, though they couldn't help but tease Sonya as if she was. Sonya simply rolled her eyes good-naturedly in response.
"Did Soren say if he could come?" Callum found himself asking as they stopped at a crosswalk, pressing the call button and waiting to be given the green signal.
"Nah," Rayla said, adjusting her booksack strap with her free hand, though she was careful to avoid putting pressure on her injured finger. "Claudia said he'll be in his last midterm for the next hour and a half."
"Ouch. That sucks."
Rayla snorted. "For him, maybe. It means we don't have to be burdened with his presence." Anyone who didn't know her might have been taken aback by her callous words, but Callum had seen Rayla and Soren taunt each other at football practice too many times to take her insult seriously.
"In other words, you're going to buy extra ice cream and bring it to him at football practice tonight?" he teased.
"Exactly." She ruffled his hair. "You know me so well."
"I'm glad to see you two have resolved whatever… issue you were having," Sonya said with an amused smile as the light turned green and notified them to cross the intersection. "I'm even more glad you managed to do so before we had to give our presentation for the midterm."
Rayla laughed. "Somehow, somehow, we both managed to put aside our asinine stubbornness and massive egos in order to talk things out together. It was a successful and enlightening conversation."
Callum rolled his eyes, though he was aware how obvious his smile had to be. "Speak for yourself. I've been nothing but forgiving and humble the entire time we've been together."
Rayla scoffed, jokingly elbowing him in the stomach. "Sure you have."
The conversation shifted back to Rayla and Sonya talking about the Renaissance History midterm, mostly what they felt had gone well and what they wanted to improve for future group projects. Callum was just proud he hadn't fainted in the middle of the presentation. He didn't interject much into their discussion, content to simply listen and nod or shake his head if a question required it.
Like Sonya had said, he truly was relieved that he and Rayla had managed to work things out. If their argument had gone on any longer, Callum was fairly certain that he'd have lost all his hair from the stress.
Their reconciliation ended up being pretty straightforward. Rayla had agreed not to participate in football practice for a week while her hand healed, though she still attended most practices to provide 'emotional support' and to receive necessary briefings about new plays. After those details were ironed out, Callum had shown her his finished piece for the fall art showcase, and he couldn't lie that her reaction was easily the most encouraging he'd received so far. Most excited reaction went to Ezran, of course, who'd gone off on a tangent both amusing and flattering about how Callum was the most talented artist in the history of Katolis, if not the world. Which Callum had greatly appreciated.
Rayla, admittedly with less exuberance, had gone through every single detail of his picture that she liked. It had been beyond cute to hear her describe certain aspects without knowing all of the technical terms. Afterwards, they'd driven to the art building together to submit it. That had been an anxiety-inducing experience, but Rayla refused to let him chicken out. Which was probably why Harrow so firmly believed she was a good influence in his life.
"Have you been to Aimee's before?" Rayla asked Sonya as they arrived at the ice cream parlor. "I've only been a few times, but it's one of my favorite parts of KSU."
'A few times'? She must have come besides when they'd gone with Claudia and Soren. Not that he could blame her - Aimee's was amazing.
"I might have been once," Sonya replied, but she sounded doubtful.
"Trust us - you'll love it," Callum assured her as they entered the ice cream parlor and got in line. "You can ask for samples if you aren't sure what flavor to have."
Sonya hesitated. "Do you know if any of the ice cream is halal?"
Callum exchanged a glance with Rayla, who shrugged helplessly. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I know a lot of flavors use vanilla. But if the ice cream isn't halal, there are fruit smoothies and sorbets and other options that don't have any animal products."
Sonya hesitated again, then nodded, giving him a small smile. "Right. Thank you."
"Hey guys!"
They turned around to see that Claudia had entered the ice cream parlor, joining them in line. She had her hair pulled up into a bun - a rare instance for her, only occurring when she had a test and didn't want her hair falling into her face. Which made sense, seeing as her final midterm had been that morning.
"Honestly, you would not believe how easy my bio test was," she said with a dramatic eye roll. "I studied two hours a day for a week and a half to prepare for that exam, and Professor Addison had the nerve to leave off an entire unit without telling us."
Callum had to bite back a laugh. "I hope you know most people wouldn't be complaining about that."
"First of all, I studied my ass off for that test, so everyone else can suck it. Second, since when have I ever been like most people?"
She made a valid point.
"Claudia, you know Sonya, right?" Rayla said, gesturing to their friend, who gave Claudia a small, shy smile.
That was… a little odd. Callum was used to Sonya being a confident, dominant presence in the room, so her almost… flustered behavior was strange, to say the least. But maybe the midterm had just tired her out. Understandable. He knew he felt pretty drained.
"I do!" Claudia said with a cheery grin. "We have Honors Theatre 1021 together."
Sonya blushed, something Callum wasn't sure he'd ever seen her do. "Yes. Claudia is easily the most talented actress in our class."
Claudia laughed. "Please. Don't listen to her. I'm just someone who actually completes what Ms. Secrest assigns us in a timely fashion, so she's more trusting of me than some of our other… less dedicated classmates. More importantly, though, Sonya here has an amazing knack for lighting!"
It was clear that Sonya was skeptical of this claim, but before she had a chance to protest or offer a counterargument, their group arrived at the front of the line.
"Do my eyes deceive me, or is Rayla Moonshadow holding hands with the little freshman she got all blushy blushy over the first time she was here?"
Ah. Callum recognized that accent, though it had been over a month since he'd last heard it. Was he traumatized or simply irritated? Possibly both. Who was to say?
"Hello, Nyx." Rayla rolled her eyes, her face noticeably having gone a distinct shade of deep pink, but all in all she didn't seem to mind the cashier's teasing. "And yes, as I told you a half million years ago, Callum and I are dating now." She smirked at her. "Don't be jealous just because Mira broke up with you."
Nyx looked affronted. "Hey - I broke up with Mira, not the other way around."
Rayla snorted. "Oh yeah. Sure you did."
"Don't make me revoke your honorary discount."
Callum blinked. His girlfriend and Nyx's dynamic was completely different to the last time he'd been there and watched the two of them interact. He supposed the change was positive, even if it was… weird. So weird.
"Anyways," Rayla said pointedly, though she was grinning, "I'll be paying for myself and for my friends, so I really hope you don't revoke my discount, because that might add several dollars to my total that I don't currently have."
Her declaration was immediately met with protests from the group as they all tried to insist they could pay for their own order. Rayla ignored them.
"It's my treat, whether they like it or not." She gave the group a pointed look. "And they will like it."
Nyx watched the interaction unfold with amusement. "Just let me know when you're ready to order."
Rayla released Callum's hand, gesturing for everyone to move in front of her. "I say this with all the love in my heart, but I don't trust any of you to not pay for yourself, so I'm going to supervise."
Everyone begrudgingly moved in front of her, Claudia sticking her tongue out as she did so while Sonya simply shook her head. Callum remained next to his girlfriend, though he was well aware she'd ensure that he ordered before her once Claudia and Sonya were done. Even he was not exempt from Rayla's demands. Or maybe especially him.
"So," he said to Rayla, raising an eyebrow. "You and Nyx are friends now?" He hoped he didn't sound judgmental - he was just curious.
Rayla flushed. "Ah… yeah." She chuckled, a little awkwardly, and twisted her hair around a finger on her non-injured hand. "You remember how last time we were here together, she gave me her number and said I could call her if I ever needed a non-Katolian perspective?"
Callum nodded. "You took her up on that offer?"
Rayla blew air out of her lips. "Yup. I talk to Runaan and Ethari every night - well, mostly - but I needed someone a little closer to my age to rant with." She gave him a sheepish grin. "I met her here a lot. We'd have ice cream or smoothies or whatever after her shift ended, and just talked about anything I needed to get off my chest. She's not that bad once you get to know her."
Callum noticed the space between himself and Claudia had widened as Sonya finished her order, and he stepped forward. "You don't need to justify your friendship with her, Rayla." He offered his girlfriend a small smile. "I'm glad you found someone who's able to… relate, I guess, to what you're going through while you're here." As much as he adored her, he knew he'd never understand what it was like to stand in her shoes.
Rayla laughed. "Honestly, we talk about Xadia so much. Like, it's been brought up at least once in all of our conversations. Nyx hasn't been there since she was a kid, and she told me that she has no shame in shoving herself into my suitcase when I go back at the end of the year."
Callum snorted. "Oh, I can definitely picture her saying that."
"But yeah," Rayla continued after a pause. "She's my friend now. Although, I can't lie, sometimes I really want to strangle her."
"Strangulation is just how Rayla likes to flirt with me," Nyx drawled. "She's aggressive like that. It's kind of hot."
Both Callum and Rayla turned red at her comment, prompting a snicker from Nyx.
"Just teasing. Now get a move on and order. You're holding up the line."
Callum did not fail to notice that there was absolutely no line behind them, but he stepped forward nonetheless. "Should we split a mixed berry smoothie again?" he suggested to his girlfriend, trying to subtly glance at Nyx out of the corner of his eye. "This time we'll only need one straw."
Nyx burst out laughing. "Oh, someone's gotten a bit of a bite since he was last here!" She raised an eyebrow at Rayla. "So that's one large mixed berry smoothie? With only one straw?"
Rayla's face was still dusted with a faint blush - which was definitely a contender for the most adorable sight Callum had ever had the blessed fortune to witness - but she nodded, pulling her wallet out of a zip pocket on her backpack. "Yes. Never tell us we aren't doing our part to save the turtles."
Nyx snickered. "Right. Sure." She pressed several buttons on the register. "Your total is $14.39."
Rayla raised an eyebrow as she handed the woman three fives. "That discount feels more generous than usual." She gave Nyx a knowing smirk. "Oh, don't tell me. You've gotten soft for us, haven't you?"
Nyx groaned. "Yes, and I regret it every day." She handed Rayla her change, which Rayla promptly put into the tip jar. Callum also contributed several dollars - his girlfriend may have stopped him from paying for himself, but he could tip however much he wanted. Service workers were infinitely underpaid and undervalued.
They'd apparently spent so long chatting with Nyx that by the time they finished their conversation and moved down to the end of the counter, their smoothie was ready, notably with only one pink straw sticking out the top. But as they started to walk towards the table where Sonya and Claudia were waiting for them -
"Hey. You. Rayla's boyfriend."
Callum knew his face had turned crimson at that particular description, much to the amusement of Rayla.
"I'll be at the table," she said, lightly nudging his shoulder before walking away to take the seat next to Claudia.
Callum returned to the counter, giving Nyx a questioning look. "Do you need something?"
"I don't know if 'need' is the word I'd use," Nyx said, absentmindedly examining her blue holographic nails, "but I did want to say something to you, yes."
"If it is at all connected to making fun of or teasing about Rayla and I's relationship, I'd like to know now so I can get a head start in walking away."
Nyx snorted. "It's only adjacent to your relationship, I promise." Her gaze softened, though her heterochromatic eyes still seemed to glint with a permanent, indescribable mischief. Being charming seemed to be her superpower - something that probably got her out of many a nasty scrape. "I wanted to thank you."
Callum blinked. "What?"
Nyx chuckled, presumably at his confusion. He couldn't blame her for that. "When I first met up with Rayla - outside of the time she came here with you and your friends - she was…" She pursed her lips. "Not empty, per se. That's a discredit to her strength. And also calling her 'empty' would imply that you 'completed' her, which is a BS patriarchal doctrine and we both know that's not the case."
"Right! Yes. Agreed." He was fully aware that Rayla did not need him. But she did want him, and that was a far more valuable sentiment in his eyes.
"I guess I'm trying to say that you make her happy," Nyx decided. "So if you ever make her unhappy, I will not hesitate to end your whole career."
Callum wasn't sure if Nyx was actually trying to be threatening or not, but either way the teasing twinkle in her eyes sort of ruined the effect. Still, he knew she was just expressing her care for Rayla, and the thought made him smile. "Understood. I'll be holding you to that."
Nyx laughed. "God, you two are so perfect for each other." She then made a shooing gesture towards him. "Now go join your friends. I have a badass, cool facade to maintain, and your nerdy self will kill all my vibes if you're in my presence too long."
Callum snorted. "Gee, thanks." But he didn't miss her wink at him as he returned to the table where his friends were, sliding into the last empty seat next to Sonya and across from his girlfriend.
"So what did Nyx want?" Rayla asked, pushing their smoothie across the table towards him.
"Oh, you know." Callum took a sip of the drink and shrugged. "The usual 'if you hurt Rayla, I hurt you' monologue. I've heard it a million times before." He hadn't, but that wasn't the point.
Rayla groaned. "Oh God. She told me she was going to do that in Runaan and Ethari's stead since they aren't here, but I didn't think she actually meant it. I'd like to apologize for whatever atrocity may have left her mouth."
Callum laughed. "Don't worry, it wasn't that bad. She just cares about you." He took another sip of the smoothie before sliding it back across the table towards his girlfriend. He then frowned. "Harrow didn't give you a speech like that, did he?" His dad was pretty good about remaining only indirectly involved with his love life, unless instructed otherwise. Not to mention Harrow was - overall - a passive person and didn't like stirring up unnecessary conflict.
Rayla snorted. "No, he didn't. But you know who did?" She jutted her thumb towards Claudia, who threw up a peace sign. "This one right here."
Callum had to consciously stop his jaw from dropping. "What? How is right now the first I'm hearing of this?!"
Claudia rolled her eyes dramatically. "Because it wasn't a big deal, duh." She smirked, pointing at him with her spoon. "All I did was tell her that this was your first real relationship and I didn't want you to get hurt from it, intentional or not."
"She totally threatened to end my life," Rayla said between coughs, as if attempting to disguise her words.
"I did not!" Claudia protested. Then she paused. "Oh, wait. No, no, I totally did. Oops." She shrugged, smirking. "Look. I had good intentions, and that's all that matters. Just trying to protect my best friend."
Callum shook his head in amusement. "I really don't know whether to feel embarrassed or flattered."
"I know I'm only experiencing this secondhand," Sonya mused, "but I'm getting some vibes of both, if that's of any use to you."
Her comment earned laughter from everyone. Callum felt warmth blossom in his chest as he noticed Sonya relax for the first time that day, her shoulders visibly dropping as tension eased out of them. He was eternally grateful that she'd made the decision to work with him and Rayla for the midterm. Not because they'd aced their presentation - although that was admittedly a great bonus - but rather because she was simply so much fun to be around.
Claudia's phone started ringing, disrupting the conversation and causing Claudia to roll her eyes when she read the caller ID. "My dad. One sec." She sighed as she answered. "What's up?" A frown creased her lips as Viren spoke to her, his voice loud enough where they could all tell he was shouting but not so loud they could actually understand what he was saying. "Dad. Dad. He's in a midterm! We both told you our testing schedules, remember?" She paused, sighing again. "No, he can't leave. Just give him another hour. He should be done by then. Uh huh. Bye." She turned off her ringer as soon as she hung up. "My dad genuinely has the worst memory in the world. He can keep tabs on most of my stuff, but apparently stacking Soren's on top of that is too much for him."
Callm exchanged a glance across the table with Rayla. He was starting to wonder if Viren's memory was… selective. Picking and choosing what was important to him. And unfortunately, Soren seemed to get the short end of the stick most of the time.
"Oh, Callum!" Claudia exclaimed, shoving her spoon into her ice cream and startling him out of his contemplation. "Wow. I almost forgot to ask you - can you pick me up from my audition tomorrow? Soren has the car for football practice and then the game afterwards plus my dad has school business all day. I'd feel bad making Ms. Secrest stay an extra hour waiting for me to leave so she can lock up the building."
"Um, I should be able to." Callum accepted the smoothie as Rayla pushed it over to him. "What time would you need me to be there?"
"Starts at noon, ends at four."
"Oh, four? Yeah, that's fine!" He took a sip of the smoothie. "I can pick you up, no problem." He might have to cut his afternoon with Harrow and Ezran short, but they were always understanding when he had to leave early.
"Thank you. I owe you my life."
"You always say that."
"It's always true!"
Which meant she owed him several lives. He wasn't sure he wanted to know how she planned to pay up on that.
"What are you auditioning for?" Sonya asked curiously. "Is it the winter production of Macbeth?"
Claudia beamed at her. "Yes, it is!" She finished off her chocolate ice cream, wiping her mouth with her napkin. "I'd absolutely kill to be cast as Lady Macbeth, but as a sophomore I don't think I stand a chance for a role that big. I also really love the idea of playing one of the witches, though!"
"I could definitely see you as one of the witches," Rayla mused. "And I mean that in the best way possible. For one, you've already got the necessary vibe of subtle malice down. Second, and more importantly, you really capture that aura of dark magic most directors choose to project with the witches in their productions of Macbeth."
Ah. Right. Sometimes Callum forgot how much his girlfriend loved Shakespeare. She could probably recite half of his plays by heart.
"Also, I can just rock the dark magic look," Claudia pointed. "I mean, come on. Let's not forget the awesome costume I wore for Felix's party."
Rayla laughed. "No, I agree. It totally works."
"But you would be an amazing Lady Macbeth, too," Sonya pointed out. There was a faint redness to her cheeks. Maybe she was cold? The ice cream parlor was always on the chilly side. "Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most powerful, dynamic, and complex female characters. I think you could really embody her strength."
"Aw," Claudia said, placing a hand on her heart. "That's so sweet, Sonya." Then she gasped. "Wait! Sonya! You should totally work tech for the show!" She turned to face Rayla and Callum. "I know I mentioned this earlier, but she really is the best at running and designing lights. There's no one more efficient or more creative than her."
"Counterpoint: I just actually listen to what Ms. Secrest says to do," Sonya protested. "Following directions isn't really a talent."
Claudia rolled her eyes. "Please. Guys, tell her that she should work tech. I'm not taking no for an answer."
Rayla immediately jumped onto the bandwagon, listing the reasons Sonya needed to work tech for the show, ranging from if she was good at it then she should attempt to further her abilities all the way to surely it would be fun so where was the harm in participating?
Callum was ready to play mediator if needed and say that it was ultimately Sonya's decision and no one else's, but he was distracted when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. It was a notification for an email, an email from…
KSU's art department.
He was pretty sure his heart stopped beating for a full minute.
It was the email about his submission for the fall art showcase. Acceptance or rejection.
Now his heart was beating at twice its normal rate. His body needed to make up its mind about how it was going to react to this email, otherwise he might wind up in cardiac arrest. Callum didn't have to be a med student to know that a person could not read an email when they were having a heart attack.
"You okay?" He looked up to see Rayla staring at him, concern evident on her features. "You got really quiet there."
Callum licked his lips, finding that his mouth had suddenly gone dry. "Uh… it's nothing."
She gave him a dubious look. "Callum. You can't fool me that easily."
Okay, fair.
He bit his bottom lip. "I may or may not have just gotten the email about my piece for the art showcase. You know. Whether they accepted it or not."
Rayla's eyes widened. "Really?! Callum, you have to open it!"
Callum grimaced. "Yeah, but like… what if it's a no? That would really put a damper on our end-of-midterms celebration."
Sonya rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. The suspense is what's truly killer, not the decision itself."
"Plus, if you open the email now, we can either cheer you up if it's a rejection or double our celebration if it's a yes!" Claudia added with a bright smile. "And it will be a yes. You're the only person at this table who has any doubts about whether or not you'll be accepted."
Callum flushed. Well, she wasn't wrong. "Okay, okay. I can take a hint." He took a deep breath before signing into his phone and tapping on the email notification. His hands were shaking - if his friends noticed, they politely didn't comment. "'Dear Callum'," he began, "'we are delighted to inform you' -"
He didn't get any further before the three girls burst into cheers, earning a few confused side glances from the other people in the ice cream parlor. Not that his friends cared in the slightest.
"We told you that you'd make it!" Claudia said, beaming at him. "In fact, I believe I was one of the first to ever suggest you submit some of your work. So, you're welcome."
Callum laughed. "Thank you, Claudia. I never would have been able to do it without your incessant pestering."
"Damn right."
"Not to sound too cliché, but I was also certain you'd get in the moment you showed me your finished project," Sonya said, giving him a small smile. "Congrats, Callum. This is a well-deserved accomplishment. I look forward to seeing it hung and framed in November."
Callum couldn't stop himself from turning in his seat to grin at her. "Thank you!" An idea then occurred to him. "You know, you should submit some of your work for the spring showcase. You have a really unique style, so I bet you'd get in, no problem."
Sonya chuckled. "Maybe. I'll consider it." She then pointed behind him. "But right now you might want to turn around. I think your girlfriend has a message of congratulations for you as well."
Callum blinked, turning in his seat. "She wha-"
He was cut off by Rayla leaning down and pressing a fierce kiss to his lips. It tasted like berry, which made… okay, that made perfect sense. Because they'd shared a mixed berry smoothie. His brain cells really did all shut down whenever he was around his girlfriend, didn't they?
"Wow," he breathed as she pulled out of the kiss. "I should enter art showcases more often."
His comment earned laughter from everyone, and he couldn't stop a wide smile from breaking out onto his face.
God, he adored his friends. So much. And he wouldn't have traded that moment for anything in the world.
xXxXxXx
me, writing this chapter with four ladies + callum: haha i think i passed the bechdel test :)
Quick question: would you guys be interested in an outtakes fic? Basically, there's a few scenes/ideas I had that didn't make it into this fic, so I'm thinking about having a separate story where I upload them as loosely-connected oneshots rooted in this fic's storyline. Would y'all want to see that?
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Remember to wear your masks, stay six feet apart, and wash your hands! Thank you for reading! Au revoir! :)
