Flight of Life (Essence Series #1) (28 page)

“
Good luck explaining that
to my classmates,” he said. Calloway moved his hand up her waist
and felt a strand of hair grace his fingers. It was smooth like a
curtain of silk and the touch distracted him for a moment. “Thank
you for coming with me.”

“
Of course,” she said.
“And thank you for having me.”

“
I think I got the better
deal out of this,” he said. “My date is the most beautiful girl in
the room.”

She smiled. “And my date is the most
handsome.”

Calloway felt his cheeks redden again.
He was thankful the gymnasium was so dark—he probably looked like a
fresh tomato. The song ended and he dropped his hands immediately,
thankful that the dance was over. An electronic dance song played
over the sound system and he walked with Weston back to the wall
where Breccan and Easton were still standing. When they approached
them they realized Breccan and Easton were still arguing, so
Calloway steered Weston away. “Let’s get some punch,” he
said.

“
Are they always like
that?” she said over the music.

Calloway rolled his eyes. “Like you
wouldn’t believe,” he said.

“
I think Easton likes
him.”

“
I don’t,” Calloway said
quickly. He grabbed two cups of punch and handed one to Weston.
“Easton is very companionable and caring but she’s never like that
around Breccan—she hates the guy.”

“
There’s a thin line
between love and hate,” she said.

“
I really don’t think so,”
he said. “And I know Breccan doesn’t like her anyway.”

“
Then why would he go to a
dance with her?” Weston asked.

“
He had no one else to go
with.”

“
I’m still not convinced,”
she said as she drank her punch.

“
He doesn’t,” Calloway
said.

“
And why are you so
sure?”

Breccan always spoke about Weston in a
positive way and he even wished he was going to the dance with her
instead of Easton. It was obvious he had feelings for Weston.
“Believe me, I just do.”

Calloway took a drink of his punch and
looked over Weston’s shoulder. He saw Hawk holding hands with
Beatrice and he was surrounded by his friends and their dates. Hawk
was wearing an expensive suit and Beatrice was glowing in an olive
green gown that matched her skin tone perfectly. Her curled hair
framed her face, and she looked more beautiful than he’d ever seen
her. Calloway didn’t understand why she wasted her time with a
complete jerk—she could have whoever she wanted.

“
So how’s the portal
hunting going?” Weston said.

Calloway looked back at her. “We
haven’t discovered anything,” he said. “We don’t have any
resources—we’re going to have to use the White Wing.”

“
Let me know when you want
to go—I’ll accompany you,” she said. “What else have you been
working on?”

“
What do you mean?” he
asked as he slid his hand in his pocket. He refrained from touching
Weston at all times because he didn’t want to make her
uncomfortable. She agreed to accompany him as his date, and he
didn’t want to make her regret that decision. If she wanted to
touch him she could, but he wouldn’t make the first
move—ever.

“
If you killed two
Hara-Kirs, you must have some idea of what you’re doing—as foolish
as you may be—and I want to know what you’re trying to
achieve.”

Calloway shifted his weight. “Well, we
realize the three of us can’t make a difference—a substantial
one—so we decided to kill as many Hara-Kirs as possible. Even if we
only kill two, that means there are two less in the
world.”

“
What you are doing is
very dangerous,” Weston said. “Please be careful. I don’t want
anything to happen to my sister.”

“
I would never let
anything happen to her,” Calloway said.

“
I would ask you to stop
but I have a feeling that isn’t going to make a
difference.”

Calloway smiled. “No.”

“
I just hope you
understand what you’re doing.” She sighed. “It’s very dangerous.
You aren’t just risking your life but your after-life. It’s a very
serious manner.”

Calloway nodded. “I’m obligated to try
my best to save the world. To do anything else is
unthinkable.”

Weston stared at him for a moment. “I
feel the same way.”

“
I assumed.”

Calloway heard the sound of laughter
from the area where Hawk stood. He knew who he was laughing at—him.
Weston caught his saddened expression. “Is that him?” she
asked.

Calloway nodded at her. “Don’t worry
about him,” he said. “I won’t let him bother you.”

“
I can take care of
myself,” she snapped. “Don’t ever worry about that.”

“
Okay.” He smiled. “I
should have expected that.”

Calloway was drinking from his cup when
Hawk approached him. Calloway put down his cup and spoke before
Hawk had the chance to say something. “We can continue this at
school,” he said. “Drop it.”

Hawk raised his hands in the air.
“Wow,” he said in an offended voice. “I was just coming over to say
hello. I didn’t mean to offend you, Your Highness.”

“
Well, now that you’re
done you can leave.”

“
I’m not done,” he said as
he looked at Weston. “Are you lost?”

“
Excuse me?”

“
You’re standing next to
Calloway and breathing in the stench of his poverty. I just assumed
you were confused.”

“
No.” She smiled. “I know
who my boyfriend is.”

Hawk raised an eyebrow.
“This guy is your
boyfriend
?” he asked as poked
Calloway in the chest. “This has to be joke.”

“
Well, it’s not,” she said
as she ran her hand down Calloway’s arm. “And I love him very
much.” Calloway felt his heart jump out of his chest then slam back
inside his ribs. There was no truth to her words but he never
expected her to proclaim her love for him just to heighten his
reputation.

Hawk laughed. “I would ask how much he
paid you but Calloway’s poor so that didn’t happen. Therefore, you
must be insane.”

She grabbed Calloway’s face and kissed
him on the cheek. He felt his body tremble when he felt her lips on
his skin and he suddenly felt lightheaded. The scent of her skin
washed over him and reminded him of a rose garden in the spring,
buzzing with life and flying bees. The warm moisture of her lips
sent waves of shock through his body and slowed time for just a
moment. When she pulled away he realized the instant was over.
Weston was his first kiss and it was a great one. “I’m insane in
love.”

Calloway stared at her
while he was in a stupor, still processing what happened. Weston
just
kissed
him—it really happened. He focused his gaze and looked past
her head, and saw Tommy holding a cup full of punch over Weston’s
head. He felt his heart race when he realized what was about to
transpire. Calloway grabbed Weston by the arm and pulled her away
before the red juice splashed all over her beautiful gown and her
gorgeous hair.

The contents of the glass splashed
across the ground and a few drops splattered on Calloway’s shoe. He
felt the hatred take over his body when he looked at Hawk and
Tommy. They could tease him all they wanted—he didn’t care—but
trying to embarrass Weston sent him to the brink. Everyone nearby
stared at them, wondering what would happen next, but before
Calloway could react, Weston stepped forward and shoved Hawk
savagely, sending him backwards.

“
I know why you tease
Calloway all the time,” she yelled. “And it has nothing to do with
his family’s income or the material possessions he lacks. You’re
just jealous that even though he has nothing in the world, he still
has everything. Calloway has people who genuinely love him and
respect him. What do
you
have?” she shouted. “All you have is fear. Even
your own girlfriend only hangs around you because she’s scared of
you, afraid to run away. You’re nothing but a loser who has no
purpose in life.” Hawk tried to crawl away but Weston continued to
pursue him, inhibiting him from rising. Calloway saw Easton and
Breccan watching the scene with shocked expressions. Calloway was
shocked to hear the venom and ferocity in her voice—she was livid.
“You don’t understand happiness or love because you don’t feel
it—you’ve never experienced it. I’m yelling at you in the middle of
your own dance and not a single person has come to your aid. Not
one person has helped you back to your feet and you want to know
why? They want to see you fall, Hawk—everyone does.” Hawk tried to
sit up but she pressed her heel against his chest. Calloway looked
at the corner and saw the teachers watching the scene—they weren’t
doing anything—they wanted this to happen just as much as he did.
Everyone in the room was staring at Hawk lying on the floor of the
gym, paralyzed by Weston’s power and strength. His lips were
stretched into a scowl and his eyes flashed in hatred. “No one
cares about you,” she said. “And when you tease Calloway it says
more about you than it does him—and not in a good way.” She pulled
her heal off his chest and glared at him before she walked
away.

Hawk got to his feet but none of his
friends helped him. They were huddled together, laughing at the
scene like random spectators. Calloway actually felt pity for Hawk
in that moment. Weston was right—no one cared for him. He didn’t
have a teacher that believed in him like Mr. Avey, and Calloway was
certain he didn’t have amazing guardians like Aunt Grace and Uncle
Scott. And he obviously didn’t have amazing friends like he did.
When Calloway looked at Beatrice she was staring at him, and when
he caught her look she didn’t turn away. He finally turned his gaze
back to Weston. “That was unbelievable.”

“
I know.” She smiled. “I
hope that holds him off for a while.”

Calloway looked at Hawk and saw him
storm out of the gymnasium doors. Beatrice didn’t follow him. “I
actually feel bad for him—I didn’t think that was possible. I’ve
even fantasized about hitting him.”

“
And that’s the difference
between you,” she said. “You’re a good person, Calloway—he
isn’t.”

Calloway was quiet for a moment. “Or
maybe he’s a good person that does evil things.”

“
That’s the same thing,”
she said.

“
I hope you’re
wrong.”

She stared at him for a moment. “Me
too.”

Easton and Breccan walked over to them
and they both stared at Weston in awe. Breccan gave her a
high-five. “That was amazing,” he said. “The way he was crawling
away from you was priceless! I loved it.”

Easton held out her phone. “I got in on
camera,” she said. “We’ll upload this to the school website. Let
Hawk suffer through the same misery that you did.”

“
Delete it,” Calloway said
suddenly.

“
What?” Breccan and Easton
said simultaneously.

“
I said delete it,”
Calloway repeated. “We aren’t doing that.”

Breccan pulled his hair in frustration.
“You’re so annoying, Calloway! He would never do the same for you
and you know it. This misplaced empathy is going to be the death of
you.”

“
So be it,” he said. “Now
delete it.”

Easton stared at him for a moment.
“Calloway—”

“
I know he wouldn’t give
me the same respect,” Calloway interrupted. “I get that. But I’m
not him and that’s what makes me better. So delete it. I don’t need
this video to prove that—I do it on a daily basis.”

“
Fine.” Easton sighed. She
pressed a button on her phone and deleted the video. “But if I
recorded it, I’m certain other students did as well. It’s probably
going to get out anyway.”

“
That’s out of my
control,” Calloway said. “And I wouldn’t make any effort to stop
it.”

Breccan sighed. “That’s a surprise,” he
said sarcastically.

“
This dance was horrible,”
Easton said. “And that was the highlight of the night.”

“
It was the highlight of
the
year
,”
Breccan said. “That deserves another high-five.” He raised his hand
and smacked it against Weston’s palm.

“
Well, I had a good time.”
Weston smiled.

Calloway looked at her. “Me
too.”

“
There’s still an hour
left of the dance,” Easton said. “Would you rather stay or
go?”

Breccan stared at her. “Is that a real
question?” he asked. “None of us like to dance or even want to be
here. Let’s leave and get something to eat.”

“
Let’s go,” Calloway
said.

They left the gymnasium and walked
through the winter night toward the car. Calloway took off his
jacket and gave it to Weston without asking her. If he was cold, he
knew she was—it was freezing. Weston wrapped the jacket tightly
around her body and enjoyed the warmth. Easton put the heater on
full blast when they got in the car and they drove to a fast food
restaurant and ate their fries and milkshakes in the car. Calloway
paid for their meal since he had extra money. Now he was thankful
Mr. Avey gave him back some of the cash—he would have been
embarrassed if he couldn’t pay for Weston’s dinner—especially since
it was cheap.