The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

glide my hand up her back, until she’s standing upright with her chest pressed against mine again.
     
    “Don’t tell anyone about that either,” I whisper in her ear with my arms around her waist.
     
    “Okay,” she says, breathless, her fingers gripping my shoulder blades.
     

    I continue moving with her in my arms until the end of the song, and then we let go of one another and go back to the table as if nothing happened. Something did, though, but I’m not sure whether to pursue it or run like hell.

Chapter 5
     
     
     
    #3 Try to be Happy
     
    #3 Be Stupidly, Drunk Happy
     
     
     
    Callie
     
    I’m happy, like stupidly happy. I don’t know if it’s because I have a buzz or because it has been a good night. I’ve accomplished what I thought was impossible and I am so proud of myself that I practically skip to the cab. I danced with Kayden, let him touch me in a way no one ever has—at least with my permission—and I liked it!
     
    Seth and I take the backseat in the van and Kayden tells the cab driver where to go. The inside smells like old cheese overlapped with a pine scent. The cab driver is a round guy in his fifties who doesn’t look that thrilled to have four loud eighteen year-olds in the car. There is some 80’s music playing in the background and Seth keeps giggling about the lyrics, telling me they are secretly dirty and talking about pussy.
     
    Luke overhears him and rotates around in his seat. “Is it really talking about that?
     
    Seth points at the speakers. “Listen to them.”
     
    We sit quietly, staring at the speaker, listening to the lyrics. Seth balls his hand into a fist and puts it up to his lips like a microphone as he begins mouthing the words.
     
    “How do you know this song?” I wonder. “It’s not the kind of music that you listen to.”
     
    He grins, leaning in, finishing out the lyrics. “My dad is a total 80’s freak. He has the mullet and everything.”
     
    I giggle as he does this weird jiving movement with his hips.
     
    “It is talking about pussy, isn’t it?” Luke declares and the cab driver cranks up the stereo to muffle out our conversation.
     
    My cheeks heat and I turn my head toward the window, pulling the top of my shirt over my nose to hide my laughing. I shouldn’t think it’s funny, but I do.
     
    “Oh, Callie’s drunk,” Seth announces as he lets his hands fall to his lap. “Did you finish off the Long Island Iced Tea?”
     
    I shake my head and let my shirt fall off my nose. “Only half.”
     
    “Lightweight,” Kayden teases me with a grin and my blush magnifies.
     
    “Hey, it’s her first time,” Seth protests in my defense, patting my head like I’m a dog. “She did good. In fact, she did great.”
     
    I turn toward the window, knowing what he means, and loving him for saying it.
     
    ***
     
    “I feel like we’re going to get robbed,” Seth whispers as we head toward a store that is located near the foothills of the mountains. We decided to stop and get some flashlights and spray paint before proceeding with our plan, otherwise, it’d be a pointless journey.
     
    There’s a group of guys in front smoking cigarettes. They watch the four of us walk across the parking lot, through the sliding glass doors, and into the store.
     
    “Everything’s supposed to be a dollar in here.” Luke grabs a shot glass on a display just in front of the doors and peers at the bottom.  A piece of glass falls from the rim and he hastily sets it down. “Yeah, I can see why.”
     
    There’s some funky music playing from the ceiling and Seth bobs his head as he walks to a shelf and picks up a hideous orange and brown scarf.
     
    “Oh, I think I remember my grandma wearing something like this.” He shawls it around his neck and skips up the aisle, examining the shelves.
     
    “We should split up,” Luke states. “And look for flashlights and spray paint. It’ll make it faster.”
     
    “Or we could just ask the cashier for some help.” I peek over my shoulder at a register where a tall, thick-necked guy with the hardest look on his face watches us. “Or not.”
     
    “Let’s make it a race,” Kayden announces, jumping up to slam his hand against one of the red sale banners on the ceiling. I can’t tell if he’s drunk, because I don’t know him well enough, but he seems a little off balance. “First person to find the stuff is the winner.”
     
    “That’s a fantastic fucking prize,” Luke remarks