Calm down, will you? It’s not like she’s here, attempting another seduction, Caleb murmurs in my mind. He’s inappropriately amused.
No, she’s not. But she’s also not just some girl off the street, either. She and Jonah have history—meaningful, lengthy history. She’s known him almost as long as I have. And whether I like it or not, they’ll always have a tie, because they both call the same woman mother, and he is her first love.
Over the next day or so, I think about Callie Lotus a lot. I do that sometimes, even when I don’t want to. I’ll be out and about, and a flash of silvery hair will catch my eye, and my stomach will drop because I can’t help but think it’s her.
It would be so great, though, if I could just assign her a VILLAIN label, or at least SKANK or BITCH, and then just file her away; but, like so many other things in my life, she and those labels aren’t as cut and dry as they should be. Because Callie isn’t a villain, nor is she a skank. And, if I’m really being honest, she isn’t a bitch, either. She’s . . . complex. Painfully human (er, half Human, half Elf). A non-Magical who is constantly surrounded by people who have abilities that’ll always overstretch her own. She’s just as much a victim of Fate as the rest of us.
And Callie’s crimes are really not crimes at all. She fell in love with a great guy; they dated for years after knowing each other much of their lives. He initially broke up with her without much of an explanation, and she struggles with the feelings she still has towards him. When she and Jonah kissed last year, it wasn’t like she was purposely trying to hurt me, as bizarre as that sounds. Yeah, it was wrong of her (and him—believe me, he shares equal culpability for that crummy decision), but an astounding thing happened: she admitted it was wrong. She sucked up her pride and came and found me to tell me that if I didn’t give Jonah another chance, I’d be a fool. And the more I think about what she did, the more amazed I am by it, because I don’t know if I could have ever been so generous to do so. I mean, it’s not like she should get a Nobel Peace Prize or anything. But in the end, she thought of somebody else before herself.
Can I claim the same? It feels like so much of what has gone on between me and Jonah and Kellan has been centered around my selfishness.
And it’s selfish of me when I snatch Jonah’s cell phone while he’s in the shower and find a number to dial on mine that I never thought I would, all because I need to know where Kellan is.
I call Jonah’s ex-girlfriend.
Calm, Chloe, I order myself as the phone rings. Act cool. And that’s a joke, because my heart is hammering hard in my chest. This girl loves him. If there were no me, Jonah and Callie would still be together.
When she answers, I hold my breath.
“What can I do for you, Chloe?” says a voice better suited to some sexpot than an eighteen-year-old girl.
We haven’t spoken since the day she cornered me like a fox in a bush to set me straight about her relationship with Jonah, making this beyond awkward. “How are you?”
She laughs; it’s so sultry and alluring that a sharp shard of jealousy finds my gut. Three years. Jonah spent three years dating and doing who knows what else with this girl who could give any supermodel a run for her money. I bet anything that he didn’t promise HER mom they wouldn’t have—no. Mustn’t think that, lest I go batshit insane. “Let’s cut past the obligatory social niceties, why don’t we?” she’s saying. “You’re obviously calling about Kellan. What would you like to know?”
Did I say awkward? I meant excruciating. Thank gods I thought this conversation out before dialing her number. OH WAIT. That’s right. I didn’t. I cough, scrambling for the appropriate thing to say. I don’t want to come off as . . . clingy, I guess. Or motherly. Or anything other than politely interested in my fiancé’s brother’s whereabouts. So, as maturely and put together as I can, I blurt out, “Tell me where he is.”
And then immediately throw my face into a hand.
Smooth, Chloe.
“Australia.” She’s amused, but has the grace not to laugh outright at me. “Let me guess. The Guard’s on Jonah’s ass about Kellan, correct?”
She’s so direct it unnerves me. “Sort of.”
“I’m sure J is handling it. Question is, why are you calling me to find out where Kellan is and not asking his brother?” There is a sadness that permeates her words, and even though I’m glad Jonah and I worked out what happened, I can’t help but feel a teeny bit of pity for Callie.
And yet, my defenses go up. I don’t have to explain anything to her, not where it concerns either of my Connections. “Is he okay?”
“Again, why aren’t you asking J?”
“I’m asking you.”
“Does he know you’re calling me?”
ARRGGHHH. What’s with her? “Is Kellan there? May I talk to him?”