1. With finals (and midterms) season approaching, I want to talk about burnout. Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Burnout occurs when a person feels overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. Signs of burnout include one's performance suffering, constantly feeling drained, feeling disconnected and cynical towards one's work, struggling to concentrate, becoming irritable and short-tempered, feeling anxious, sleeping less, changing eating habits, being physically ill, and feeling like one has to drag themself through the day. 7 of 10 Americans reported experiencing burnout in 2019. This is (unfortunately) unsurprising, as many Americans are overworked and underpaid (only 18% of Americans report feeling satisfied with their salaries; 52% of office workers report that they are stressed on a day-to-day basis). Some ways to heal from burnout include: setting firm boundaries (e.g. avoid taking work home when possible), using every minute of paid time off, unplugging from productivity culture, seeking support, prioritizing physical health (e.g. healthy meals and exercise), and considering a change (variety is the spice of life!). (Information condensed from soyouwanttotalkabout on Instagram and missmentelle on Tumblr.)
Bonjour vous-autres! Can you believe it's already been an entire week? And this chapter is a fun one! Supportive friends, blossoming romances, and longtime love abounds. I hope you enjoy!
xXxXxXx
Callum: hey are you free next week?
Sonya: probably. since it'll be winter break. when in particular
Callum: any day you're available works for me. I need a shopping buddy to find an anniversary gift for Rayla
Sonya: sure
Sonya: but uh. i feel like i'm not your usual go-to person for this kind of thing
Callum: well, Claudia, Soren, and Felix are all going to have football on the brain bc the next game after senior night is the playoffs, even though playoffs aren't actually until like. mid-January lmao
Sonya: oh so they'll be useless. got it
Sonya: yeah i should be free. just let me know when
Callum: you are literally the best
Sonya: i'm aware :)
Sonya: see you at the show
Callum: I'd tell you to break a leg, but I feel like that doesn't really apply to tech theatre
Sonya: not at all. but thank you
Sonya: anyways i'd love to talk longer but i need to get in my Maghrib prayers now that the sun has set before they ask me to do any pre-show stuff backstage
Callum: you're very welcome and understood, cap'n. see you soon!
Opening night of Macbeth was set to start in one hour, but Callum knew he'd have to leave soon if he wanted to snag good seats. And by that he meant Claudia had reminded him numerous times to leave early if he didn't want to be stuck sitting in the back of the theater. Which, to be fair, was an accurate assessment. He definitely preferred sitting closer to the stage.
Their plan for the night was to go to the show, enjoy it, then treat Sonya and Claudia afterwards to beignets. The cast and crew party wasn't until Sunday after the final performance, so both girls were free. He was also supposed to pick up Ezran before the show to make sure his brother also got a good seat, while Harrow would drive himself to the theater later. He claimed he didn't mind sitting in the back, but Callum knew that as head of the college he was actually reserved a seat on the balcony and Harrow was just embarrassed about claiming it. Callum, personally, would not have been embarrassed - he would have snatched a seat like that, no regrets. Harrow would also take Ezran home after the show - not because Ez wasn't welcome to go with them to get beignets, of course, but he had to get up early to practice his English presentation with Ellis for their midterm.
Callum decided to scroll through his Instagram feed a final time before leaving his dorm to go pick up his brother. There were a few posts on Claudia's story from backstage, and about a million on Emilé's. Dominic and Sonya hadn't posted anything, though Dominic was frequently in the background of Emilé's stories. Sonya appeared for a split second in one of Claudia's. Ezran had - as per usual - posted a picture of Bait, this time of the lizard munching down on a miniature jelly tart. It was captioned "a healthy diet" followed by a smiling emoji with hearts floating around the face.
God, Callum loved his brother. Even if he was often concerned about Bait's health.
He noticed a photo on his timeline detailing KSU's practice schedule for the postseason once senior night passed in order to start getting the team ready for playoffs. It was pretty consistent most days, with hours selected in the afternoon to evening, though he also noticed that the team had the last week-ish of December plus a few days off at the beginning of January - presumably their equivalent of winter break.
Hmm. On the thought of break, he wondered if Claudia planned to throw her usual New Year's party. Not to be disgustingly romantic, but… it'd be great to give Rayla their anniversary gift when the clock struck midnight, like Soren had suggested. Even if it would earn him a century of nonstop teasing from their friends.
He refreshed his feed, and saw that Rayla had posted a brief video on her story of Soren holding Felix on his shoulders while in the locker room. He rolled his eyes at their antics but smiled. Honestly, the only thing that mattered to him was if they still managed to get to the show on time. Claudia - and probably Emilé, too, and definitely Dominic when it came to Felix - would have their heads if they didn't.
Callum refreshed his feed one more time - he was just procrastinating at this point - but upon seeing nothing new, he slipped his phone into his pocket and readied himself to pick up Ezran. And by 'readied himself' he meant he triple-checked that he had his and Ez's tickets before he drove all the way to his dad's house. Forgetting them would be… 'awful' didn't even begin to cover it.
When Callum arrived, Harrow thankfully understood that he didn't have much time to stay and chat if he wanted to get to the show on time, though he did ask Callum when he planned to temporarily move back in for winter break. Callum's response was, frankly, that he had no idea. Maybe the day after next? Or the day after that? Harrow just laughed and told him anytime was fine, so long as he was given a heads-up.
During the drive to the theater, Callum and Ezran talked mostly about school. Or rather, Ezran ranted about school, and Callum listened and provided a sympathetic nod whenever he deemed one was needed.
"You're so lucky that you're off for break already," Ezran grumbled. "I have three more days of midterms left! Three! That's six more tests I have to pass!"
"At least they're all on half-days," Callum pointed out. "And you'll literally get out at 11:30, which is a pretty sweet schedule for midterms. Plus, all you need to do now is focus on your tests. No more juggling homework or extracurriculars with studying."
Ezran rolled his eyes. "Wow, Callum. Why do you have to be so logical? Let me complain a little!"
Callum snickered. "Right. My bad." He put on his left turn signal to move a lane over. "Feel free to continue complaining, then."
"No. It's too late. You've ruined it now." Ezran glanced down at his phone as it buzzed in his lap, dismissing a series of notifications.
"Oh, hey," Callum said as he stopped at a red light, though he grimaced when he realized there was a massive traffic jam up ahead. He'd calculated in extra time to get to the theatre, as he always did, so hopefully that would provide enough of a cushion to make sure they weren't late. "You know how I'm applying to the Xadian exchange program for next year?"
Ezran's eyes lit up. "You're actually applying? Not just thinking about it anymore?"
Oh, right. Callum never had confirmed with his brother that he'd moved past the contemplation stage. "Yep. I'm almost done with the application. All I need to do is write an essay and get one other teacher recommendation before I submit it."
"That's so awesome!" Ezran said enthusiastically. "I can't believe you get to go to Xadia!"
Callum rolled his eyes, though he was smiling. "Everyone seems way too sure that I'm going to be the one who gets accepted. It's not a guarantee." He glanced at his brother before the light turned green and the road demanded his focus again, though the traffic made it so he couldn't move up more than a few spaces beyond the intersection. "You know, last time we talked about this, you were way more tearful about the prospect of me being away for a year. Should I be hurt by your sudden change in tune?"
Ezran laughed, swiping away several more notifications on his phone. "Nah. I talked about it with Dad. It's definitely going to be… weird not having you around all the time. And probably kind of lonely, too." He shrugged. "But going to Xadia is important to you, so you should do it and we should support you."
"Aw," Callum said with a warm smile. "Thanks, Ez. You're the best little brother anyone could have."
"Excuse you, but I'm the best sibling in recorded history," Ezran corrected, affronted. "Not just the best little brother. I won't stand for such slander."
Callum snorted. "My apologies. Do forgive me, Your Majesty." They both snickered at his exaggerated response before Callum remembered why he'd introduced the topic of the exchange program in the first place. "Anyways. I need your advice about my teacher recommendations."
Ezran nodded. "Sure."
"So, my Renaissance History professor wrote one of them," he explained, absentmindedly tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "And I need one more. But I don't know if I should ask my physics professor to write it, or if I should ask Dad."
Ezran tilted his head. "Wait, is Dad even allowed to write one?"
Callum shrugged. "As far as I know, yes. I've gone through all the fine print and appropriate channels and I can't find anything that would prohibit him from writing it. He's a professor at KSU, so." He shrugged again. "On a technical level, he qualifies."
"Hmm…" Ezran frowned, considering the question. "Well, Dad knows you better as a person, for sure."
"Correct." Upon finally reaching the second intersection, Callum turned right on red, though he made sure no one was hurtling down the road towards him before doing so.
"But your physics professor knows you better as an actual student," Ezran pointed out. "Also, you're majoring in physics, so surely that's like, equivalent to a double recommendation or something."
"True," Callum admitted. "Do you think that makes it worth asking him?"
Ezran bit his lip. "I think," he said after a pause, "that since the exchange program is technically academic-based, you should ask your physics teacher. You can use your personal essay to show yourself off as a person." He smirked at his older brother. "Rayla plans to help you with that, I'm guessing?"
Callum laughed. "Yeah, she is. We've started calling it 'maximizing my resources' whenever she helps me with my writing."
Ezran snickered. "Nice. But yeah - I say ask your physics professor. He'll be able to give concrete details about how you work in a classroom, and like I said, bonus points because physics is also your major."
Callum nodded, making a mental note to draft an email and send it to his professor before the end of the week. He'd only be giving the man about three weeks notice before the application was due, which wasn't the ideal 'month in advance' most professors preferred, but he also knew his physics professor would more than likely… not at all care. "I greatly appreciate your words of wisdom," he said to his brother with a small grin. "So thank you very much, Your Majesty."
"You are ever so welcome," Ezran said dramatically. "I'm always willing to share my advice with those who are less brilliant than I."
After their fits of laughter died down, the conversation shifted back to Ezran's upcoming midterms, and how prepared - or not - he felt for each one he still had to take. By the time they reached the theater, Callum was pleased to note that his brother seemed much less anxious about his exams. He knew Ezran would be fine no matter what, but he was happy to have helped him put his mind at ease.
He texted Rayla that they'd arrived, as he was fairly certain that she, Soren, and Felix had gotten there before himself and Ez because of that annoying traffic. He and Ezran handed their tickets to one of the ushers in the lobby before entering the theater, which wasn't too crowded yet. Rayla was waiting for them just inside.
"I never thought I'd see the day that Callum arrived more than five minutes later than the time he scheduled," she teased with a smirk, walking over to the two of them as she tucked her phone into her back pocket. "Honestly, I was starting to get worried that you'd been kidnapped."
"It turns that not even I can control traffic," he said lightly in response, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "But no worries - we made it in one piece." He rolled his eyes. "And it's not like we're late late. Just later than planned."
"Touché." Rayla slipped her hand into his. "We did save seats for you guys, if you were wondering. We managed to grab some in the third row - according to Claudia those are pretty good."
"I hope no one tall sits in front of me," Ezran said with a scowl as they began walking down the aisle towards the front of the theater. "I can't wait until I hit my growth spurt."
"If someone tall sits in front of you, I'm sure we can think of a way to… convince them to move," Rayla said with a devilish grin.
"Or," Callum said pointedly, not really wanting his girlfriend or his brother to wind up in trouble with the law, "we could politely ask them to move. Have Ez do his Bambi eyes."
"Sounds less fun, but I suppose that'll work, too," Rayla mused, and Ezran laughed.
Soren and Felix were already in their seats, talking animatedly about something. Knowing them, probably football, since senior night was the next day.
"Found the stragglers," Rayla announced as she walked into their row, taking the seat next to Felix before patting the one next to her left and gesturing for Callum to sit down. "Now the whole gang is here!"
Soren leaned forward, reaching out to hand them both programs. "Claudia texted me to say that they're probably holding house because of a traffic jam on Essen."
Well, that was the one he and Ez had been stuck in. It was slightly reassuring to know that they hadn't been the only ones. Though Callum had no idea what 'holding house' meant.
"What's 'holding house'?" Ezran asked, puzzled, unwittingly beating his brother to the punch.
"It means they'll give extra time for people to arrive and take their seats before they start the show," Felix explained.
Callum blinked, surprised. He hadn't been aware Felix knew so much about theatrical terminology.
Felix blushed at the shocked stares everyone was giving him, though Rayla's soon transformed into a knowing smirk. "What? Dominic has been doing theatre since he was six, so I've been trying to learn more about all the different terms. I want to be able to talk to him about theatre without him needing to 'translate' every ten seconds." He shrugged. "I still don't know a lot, but I'm getting there."
"That is disgustingly sweet," Rayla cooed, nudging him with her elbow as her grin only widened. "I would say something like 'who knew you were such a sap', but to be honest, we all did."
Soren laughed. "You're not one to talk, Rayla. You know, considering your boyfriend over there bought a book that was basically 'football for dummies' solely because you made it onto the team."
Callum had suspected that decision of his was going to be brought up, even if he'd kind of hoped Soren had forgotten about it. Alas. But he might as well own up to it. "I felt bad pestering Claudia with a million questions every game."
"And he wanted to be able to support your interests more," Ezran didn't hesitate to add, grinning. "I saw all the sticky notes he stuck in the book. He was very dedicated to learning."
Rayla gave him a soft smile, an expression that always made his heart melt no matter how often he was on the receiving end of it. "Callum, you are the best boyfriend ever."
Callum shrugged modestly, though he could feel a blush creeping onto his face. "I try my best."
Soren's phone buzzed - Claudia had texted him again, informing him that house would be held for an extra fifteen minutes. The conversation then turned towards the show and what scenes they were all looking forward to. If Callum was honest, he still didn't know much about the plot of Macbeth, so he contented himself with flipping through the program while everyone else chatted. There was conveniently a summary of the show on the inside cover - apparently uninformed people like himself were expected.
Skimming through the list of cast and crew confirmed Callum's suspicions that he didn't really know anyone besides Claudia, Sonya, Dominic, and Emilé, though one or two other names seemed vaguely familiar. Maybe he had classes with those people but had never actually interacted with them?
Every now and then Callum also found himself glancing over at his brother to make sure he was doing okay. Even though everyone in the group knew Ez and no doubt considered him a friend, he imagined it still probably felt a little weird for Ezran to be hanging out with people so much older than him. But Ezran seemed perfectly relaxed as he scrolled through memes on Instagram and sent them to Ellis and Aanya, reassuring Callum that his brother was doing just fine.
Soon the lights dimmed, and Callum put away his program before making sure his phone was on silent while the audience's chatter turned to hushed murmurs around him. He reached out to take Rayla's hand. Not because he thought the show would be scary, but because… well, he just liked holding her hand. When she laced her fingers through his, Callum concluded Rayla wanted to hold his hand, too.
The performance was… amazing. Awe-inspiring. Phenomenal. He felt like a walking thesaurus going through so many different praises, but each descriptor was completely true. Every role had been perfectly cast. Obviously his friends stood out to him as the cream of the crop, but he couldn't help but admire the talents of other actors, too. The girl who played Lady Macbeth was terrifyingly good - her descent into madness was raw and horrifying, especially the 'out damned spot' scene. Callum loved every second of it.
The special effects for the show were also fantastic. Sonya was listed in the program as head of the lighting and pyrotechnics crew, and Callum was able to tell what parts she'd had the closest hand in designing. He was pretty good at recognizing the aspects that matched up with her artistic style - 'bright' and 'dynamic' were the first words that came to mind. His favorite effect had probably been the projections from the second encounter of the witches with Macbeth - they'd looked exactly like something malicious magic would conjure up.
The witches themselves were possibly the highlight of the entire show. Well, besides Dominic as Macbeth, of course. Claudia had perfected her shrieky laughter to a T. He wondered how long it had taken her to master it. And if Rayla had been forced to endure her practicing it at their dorm.
When the curtain call began, Callum was not at all embarrassed to admit that he stood up to clap and cheer. Considering most the audience did the same, though, he didn't really have any reason to feel embarrassed. As the curtain slowly closed, Callum turned to face his friends.
"So, are we meeting them somewhere?" he asked.
Soren nodded. "They're going to change out of their costumes and wash off their makeup first, then head to the lobby to talk with any audience members who have questions for them," he explained. "We'll meet them there."
"I already texted Dad to let him know that's where we'll be," Ezran said, nodding to Callum. Callum gave his brother what he hoped came across as an appreciative smile.
"That was incredible!" Felix gushed as they began walking up the aisle towards the theater lobby. "I mean, I knew it would be great because of all the scenes I saw whenever I gave Dominic a ride home after practice, but wow. They really blew it out of the water. And Dominic!" He sighed almost… dreamily. Callum was beginning to feel like he had missed a crucial development in his friends' relationship. "He's so talented! When he started seeing Banquo's ghost, it really felt like we were watching Macbeth lose touch with reality."
"You know, I'm glad the show went so smoothly," Rayla added, falling into step with Callum as they walked hand in hand. "Claudia has been a nervous wreck all week because she's had to worry about this on top of finals - I'm just relieved for her sanity that it played out well."
"Whoa, don't jinx her," Callum said with a laugh. "She still has two shows left."
Rayla tilted her head to the side. "Fair point."
They arrived at the lobby, and Callum immediately caught sight of Harrow near the edge of the room. "Do you need to leave now," he asked Ezran, "or do you want to say hi to Claudia first? Whenever she gets out here?"
Ezran pouted. "Well, obviously I want to stay, but I think Dad needs to get home soon, so…" He sighed. "I'll tell her how awesome she did another time, I guess." He said goodbye to everyone before joining Harrow, who gave Callum a grateful smile and a thumbs up before disappearing out of the building with Ezran.
"This was a really big crowd, even for opening night," Soren said with a proud grin. "Especially considering it was Shakespeare and not something modern."
"Mm, I don't like your implication that Shakespeare isn't hip and cool," Rayla mused, giving Soren a sideways glance.
Callum snorted at her comment. "Alright, alright. You're an English major. We get it."
She rolled her eyes and flicked his nose in response, though neither of them could keep teasing smiles off their lips.
"Well, I can't say whether or not you enjoyed the show. At least not based on those last few pieces of your conversation." Callum turned around to see Sonya walking towards them, her signature pink hijab temporarily replaced by a black one to match her all-black attire for working backstage. "It sounds more like a debate from my high school English classes."
Rayla laughed. "Only a little bit. But don't worry - the show was brilliant! We loved every second of it."
"Your special effects were some of my favorite parts," Callum added, beaming at her. "Honestly, you should consider getting a minor in technical theatre. You could add the credits easily, and the fact that you're pretty much the most talented lighting designer in all of KSU is a sweet bonus."
Sonya's face went red at the praise. "That's very kind of you to say, Callum, but I don't know if -"
"Ooh, kind things to say? Compliments about our show, by any chance?"
"If so, we'd love to hear them, dudes!"
Callum turned to see that Claudia and Emilé had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, now dressed in their normal clothes. And although they'd wiped most of their makeup off, he could still see remnants of smokey eye shadow lining their eyelids. To be fair, it kinda worked.
Soren immediately tackled his sister into a massive bear hug, squeezing her tightly and lifting her off her feet as he spun her around. "Clauds! You were incredible!" he shouted before he carefully placed her back on the ground. "I am so proud of you!" He dramatically wiped his eyes, although Callum could have sworn he saw a genuine tear or two. "I can't believe my baby sister is going to be a famous actress one day. I'm overwhelmed."
Claudia burst out laughing at his exaggerated reaction before initiating a second hug. "Well, I'm never going to make it without the support of the most amazing older brother in the world." She released Soren to turn and face Callum and Rayla. "Is it safe for me to assume you guys loved the performance, too?"
Callum exchanged a knowing glance with Rayla, then they both moved in near-unison to pull Claudia into a group hug.
"All those hours of helping you learn your lines paid off!" Rayla said with a laugh. "You were fantastic, Claudia. You couldn't have been cast in a better role!"
"I think you may have converted me into a Shakespeare fan," Callum admitted as they broke the hug. "Which is saying a lot, because Rayla has been trying to do that the entire year."
"It's true. I have."
Claudia laughed. "Well, I am delighted you enjoyed the show, and I am also incredibly honored to have been the catalyst for your newfound appreciation of the Bard."
They chatted with Claudia a few moments longer before turning to congratulate Emilé for their amazing performance, too. Of the three witches, they'd captured a certain, eerie fluidity to their movements best. Emilé promptly blushed a deep pink at the praise. It wasn't long, however, before they were all interrupted by an ecstatic cry of "Dominic!" from Felix, who practically flew across the room to embrace his friend.
"So, I'm guessing you liked the show?" Dominic teased as he returned the hug.
"Liked it?" Felix repeated incredulously, pulling away but dropping his hands to Dominic's waist. "It was incredible! You were so amazing! I mean, even saying I loved it barely begins to cover just how great your performance was. I…" He flushed, his gaze dropping down from Dominic's. "You're the most talented person I know. Seriously."
Dominic stared at Felix for a moment, then proceeded to cup Felix's face with both of his hands before leaning in to press a searing kiss to his lips. Felix's eyes widened in surprise, but soon he was pulling Dominic close as he responded in turn.
Callum was pretty sure his jaw hit the floor as the events unfolded, while Soren and Emilé both wolf-whistled. Sonya shook her head at their antics, but happiness was clearly sparkling in her eyes. Claudia turned to Rayla and triumphantly shouted, "Pay up!"
Rayla rolled her eyes but took out her wallet and handed Claudia a $20 bill. "Ugh. I should have known Felix would never make the first move. He's too dense."
Claudia snickered as she pocketed the money. "Keep making excuses. We all know the truth is that I have a matchmaker's instinct. You do not."
"Wait, you guys knew they liked each other?" Callum exclaimed. "What? How was I this out of the loop?" He knew he had a bad habit of tuning out… well, life in general, but this felt like a lot to have missed, even for him.
But the more he thought back on it… Rayla had been teasing Felix a lot about Dominic. And Felix had definitely picked Dominic up from rehearsal more than anyone else.
Wow. Was he really just that oblivious?
"Speaking of dense," Claudia snickered, giving him an amused look.
Rayla laughed. "Ignore her. I'm not surprised you didn't know. It's not like you're around them much. I see Felix at football practice almost every day, and Claudia was with Dominic all the time at rehearsal." She smirked. "We have had many a chat back at her dorm trying to figure out when they'd finally get together."
Felix was blushing a deep red, a slightly dazed and certainly blissful look on his face. "Wait - was I that obvious? And oblivious?"
Dominic laughed, kissing the tip of his nose. "Yes, you were. But it was cute."
Rayla's words reassured Callum. Maybe there'd been a few hints he'd missed out on, but it was true that he didn't interact with either of them as much as Rayla and Claudia did. No matter what, though, Felix and Dominic had an obvious connection with each other, so them getting together made perfect sense. He was very happy for the two of them.
"Does the new couple want to join us at Boudreaux's?" Soren offered. "We" - he gestured to himself, Callum, and Rayla - "were planning to take Claudia and Sonya there to celebrate a successful opening night."
Dominic glanced at Felix, who shrugged, then turned back to face the group. "Why not?"
Everyone said their goodbyes to Emilé, who regretfully couldn't join them. The group proceeded to split up and head towards their respective cars.
"I have to ask," Callum said to Rayla as he drove to Boudreaux's, "was I as oblivious as Felix before we got together?" As embarrassing as it might be to admit, he wouldn't be surprised if he had been.
Rayla laughed at his question. "Maybe not quite as much. You had Claudia in your corner, or so I've heard."
Ah, yes. Felix's costume party. That memory was… rather painful, and yet he was still grateful for Claudia knocking some sense into him. "I mean, it's always great to have a Claudia in your corner."
"Very true. It helps even more to have a Claudia in your calculus class."
He laughed. "Of course. Can't forget that."
When they arrived at Boudreaux's, Soren, Claudia, and Sonya were already there. Claudia made a joke about actually arriving somewhere before Callum for once, which was mostly funny because she was notoriously late everywhere she went. Felix and Dominic arrived shortly after, and they all headed inside.
"Okay," Claudia began after they'd all sat down at a table and ordered their beignets, "I know we're like, celebrating the show right now, but what are our plans for senior night tomorrow?"
Sonya snorted, taking a sip of her water. "Babysitting."
"A rain check from Sonya, then." Claudia gestured to her brother. "It's your big night, Sor-bear. Is there anything you want to do in particular?"
Soren shrugged, licking beignet sugar off his fingers. "Not really. Lucas and I talked about getting ice cream or something small."
Callum couldn't help but give his friend a dubious look. "Really? Ice cream? In the middle of December?"
Soren shrugged again. "Or anything else. I'm fine with not doing anything at all."
Callum knew Claudia would never let her brother get away with doing nothing for what she considered to be perhaps the most significant game of his college career.
Claudia sent Soren a concerned look. "Well, we can talk with Lucas later about something both of you want to do," she ended up saying. Callum wondered if Soren's lack of enthusiasm had anything to do with Viren's near-guaranteed absence.
"On the topic of football," Felix began, one of his arms resting on top of Dominic's chair, "are we all excited for the playoffs?" He seemed to recognize the need to avoid discussion of senior night.
That question promptly sparked an eager discussion about football from more than half of the table. Thankfully, Soren seemed to easily fall into the new topic, as the previous disappointment that had been flickering in his eyes was gone. Dominic rolled his eyes affectionately at Felix's eagerness before getting out his phone to text someone.
Callum seized the moment to lean across the table and discreetly make plans with Sonya for gift-shopping next week, both of them putting notes in their phones about the date and time. He was careful to avoid mentioning Rayla, but his girlfriend was so enraptured by their talk about the postseason that he probably could have stood on his chair and shouted, "I'm getting an anniversary gift for Rayla!" and she still wouldn't have noticed.
But on the thought of what to get and when to give it to her…
"Hey, Claudia," Callum said, putting a pause on the discussion of football, "do you plan to have a New Year's party this year?"
Claudia's eyes lit up, and she wiped sugar from around her mouth before answering. "I was literally thinking about that the other day! My dad's going to be out of town, so we could have it at our actual house this year. And that would also serve as a better excuse to not invite as many people." She glanced at the group. "Present company not included in that sentiment. Obviously you're all invited."
Sonya raised an eyebrow. "Should we interpret that as confirmation you do plan to have a party?"
Claudia turned to Soren. "You up for helping me put it together?"
Soren laughed. "Duh. It'll be a nice break between the end of the regular season and the playoffs."
"Then that's a yes," Claudia said with a bright grin as she returned her attention to Sonya. "We will be having a New Year's party!"
Perfect. That meant Callum could take Rayla aside, kiss her at midnight, and then give her whatever anniversary gift he ended up picking out. He couldn't wait.
He really hoped Rayla would like it, too.
"I'm down," Dominic said with a small smile. "So what are the rules for parties at your house? Dos and don'ts?"
"The only alcohol allowed will be champagne," Claudia said, ticking things off on her fingers, "because we are not interested in seeing our house get destroyed. Soren and I will create the guest list, but if you want to invite someone who's not on it, let us know and I'm sure it'll be fine. You only get access to WiFi if you contribute food for the potluck. You are encouraged to bring board games. The party will technically start at 7, but as long as you get there before midnight it really doesn't matter." She paused. "I think that's it?"
Dominic nodded. "Perfect. Can't wait!"
Rayla absentmindedly stirred her straw around in her glass. "Do you have any New Year's traditions here in Katolis?" she asked curiously.
"Well, there's the big one of kissing someone at midnight," Felix began, winking at Dominic. Dominic rolled his eyes in response, though he was smiling. "Some people do fireworks. I think barbecuing could be loosely considered a tradition, too?" He grinned. "And of course everyone making New Year's resolutions that never last is also very important."
Rayla nodded, smiling. "Cool. Xadia isn't too different, then."
"Do you have any traditions besides those in Xadia?" Callum asked. He would always seize the moment to learn about her home country. God, he hoped he was the one accepted into the exchange program.
"Well, we don't really do fireworks," she mused, "although I remember my parents would get me sparklers when I was little. We do have a thing in Xadia where you perform a dance with someone, usually your partner or spouse, a few minutes before midnight to greet the New Year."
"That's so cool!" Soren said eagerly. "Way more interesting than fireworks."
As the conversation shifted back to what to expect at Claudia's party, Callum found himself leaning over to rest his head on Rayla's shoulder. She slipped her hand into his.
"If you want," she murmured, an unusual softness to her voice, "I can teach you the dance. For New Year's."
Callum couldn't stop a cheesy grin from breaking out onto his face. "I'd like that." He gently squeezed her hand. "I'd like that a lot."
xXxXxXx
I know I've been talking about this for a while, but I've decided that I will be taking at least a week off from updating because of finals. I talked about burnout in my first A/N, and I think it's better for my mental health to have a little space to focus primarily on studying. That means definitely no chapter next Saturday, December 5th. Now, there is a chance I will return for December 12th. However, December 12th is the day immediately after my last final, so I don't want to make any promises just in case I'm too mentally exhausted to post. I will definitely be back by December 19th, though! So, earliest possible return is the 12th, more likely return is the 19th. I'm gonna miss y'all's supportive comments these 2-3 weeks, but I cannot thank you guys enough for how understanding you are regarding me taking a break. Thank you so much for reading, please treat yourselves kindly as we head towards the final month of 2020, and I'll see y'all in a few weeks!
