Callie didn’t understand that her fighting his battle only made him look weak, which, admittedly, he was compared to Scott.
“How many days are you suspended?” she asked.
“Three. You?”
“The same,” she told him. “The rest of the week.”
“What about Scott?” Spencer had been with Dean Wilcox, and because of the volatile situation, Scott had gone to Principal Wentz’s office.
“He claimed he was only defending himself and so he wasn’t suspended.”
“It figures.”
All the more proof Scott remained invincible. Without Scott on the football field Friday night, the Oceanside Eagles would suffer their first defeat of the season. And no one at the school, or likely the entire community, would let that happen. Too much was at stake. The football team was the pride of everyone in Oceanside.
Silence rested between them. The tension had left, but the mood was somber.
“Scott’s going to get away with this,” Callie whispered.
“I expect he will, even if you talk to Sheriff Terrance,” Spencer agreed. He understood far better the dilemma Callie faced when she’d confronted Scott. No one would want to believe her. Little wonder Scott had laughed at her. He knew better than anyone, dealing drugs or anything else: He was untouchable.
“Do you think…I mean, would you be willing…” Callie hesitated.
“What?” he asked, almost afraid of what she might want next.
“Could you not hate me?” she asked in a trembling voice.
Spencer could see she was on the verge of fresh tears.
“I could never hate you,” he admitted.
“In time, do you think you could find a way to forgive me?”
Spencer saw the pleading in her eyes.
“Yeah.” He exhaled a slow breath. “I can.”
“Thank you,” Callie whispered. “I don’t deserve that.”
Not that long ago, Callie was all he could think about. At night his dreams were full of her. When she’d agreed to attend homecoming with him, he was on a high no drug could deliver. Holding Callie, dancing with her, was all he’d ever wanted. All he’d ever hoped for.
“Could I ask you something?” She sounded tentative and unsure.
“Okay.”
She looked down at her folded hands. “Would you mind very much if I came back here tomorrow?”
“Back here? Why?”
She slowly released her breath. “We can’t be at school, so I thought, you know, that we could hang out. Maybe play video games.”
“You want to play video games?” He wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly. That was something they’d done quite a bit when they were younger. Callie was good, but then so was he, often evenly matched. He assumed her gaming days were long over.
“Yes, a lot. I haven’t gotten my class assignments yet. Whatever they are won’t take me long. My parents are out of town, so I’ll be home alone and bored. I’d like to spend time with you, Spencer.”
“Sure.”
“I mean it,” she insisted, as if she thought he was being sarcastic.
“What games do you play?”
It didn’t take her long to answer. “Actually, I haven’t played that much lately. What about you?”
“Mario Cart and Call of Duty.”
“I know those games. I’ll be by at ten tomorrow, if that works.”
Spencer grinned “Be ready for me to kick your butt.”
Callie smiled then and reached for his hand, squeezing it. “We’ll see about that.”
Chapter 22
Spencer had purposely let Callie win. Excited, she threw her head back and laughed when she outscored him in Mario Cart. For the last three days they’d spent nearly every minute together. They’d been the best days of his life, and that included the time he was named the junior high state chess champion. It was reminiscent of a time years before when they’d been the best of friends. They laughed and joked just as they once had.
“I finally beat you,” Callie said, leaning back on the family room sofa. “And to think it only took me three days.”
“You were always good at video games,” he said, playing along.
Callie scoffed. “Yeah, right. I’ll admit I was rusty, but it didn’t take me long to find my groove. By the way, where’s your mom?”
“It’s my aunt’s birthday, so Mom and Dad left for a surprise birthday party for her in Spokane.” Spencer had originally planned to travel with them. He’d begged off because he’d been enjoying his time with Callie and didn’t want to lose out on their last day together.