The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

know why I did it.”
     
    His eyes look red under the lights as we make our way up the hallway toward the elevators located next to the lounging area. “It’s because you aren’t thinking very clearly tonight.”
     
    I swerve us to the right as two bulky guys, wearing football jerseys, walk down the hall toward us. “I know. Being drunk is weird.”
     
    He covers his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. “Oh my God. I love you so much. Especially when you say stuff like that.”
     
    “Like what?”
     
    He shakes his head, still smiling as we enter the elevator. “Nothing. Never mind. Although I'm dying to know why your shoe is green.”
     
    I crane my neck to look over my shoulder at the heel of my sneaker as he pushes the button to my floor. “I stepped on a spray can while Kayden and I were fighting over one.”
     
    “I’d have loved to see that.”
     
    “I’m sure you would have.”
     
    The elevator doors open and we turn down the hall, stopping at the very end in front of my door. There is some giggling and thumping on the other side and the air smells like smoke.
     
    Seth unties a red scarf from the doorknob and holds it up in front of my face. “What’s this for?”
     
    “It means I can’t go inside.” I take the scarf from him, dangle it over the knob, and sigh tiredly “I’m so tired.”
     
    “Is she having sex or something?”
     
    My skin warms. “I don’t know… maybe.”
     
    His fingers wrap around the top of my arm and he hauls me toward the elevators. “Come on, let’s go get you to bed.”
     
    I hurry to keep up with him. “Where are we going?”
     
    “To bed.”
     
    When we reach the bottom floor, he steers us away from the noisy lounge, heading outside and around the corner toward his building. “You’re going to sleep in my room. My roommate is never there anyway, so I’ll take his bed and you can sleep in mine.”
     
    I want to hug him, but I’m afraid if I let go of him, I’ll fall over from the sleepiness taking over my body. “Thanks. I’m so tired.”
     
    When we get to his room, he punches the code to unlock the door and pulls me inside as he flips on the light. His roommate’s bed is empty and piled with dirty laundry. Seth’s side is orderly, expect for a row of empty energy drinks on top of his computer desk—Seth is addicted to energy drinks.
     
    “He never sleeps here?” I ask, kicking an empty soda can out of the way.
     
    He shakes his head, shucking off his jacket. “I think he’s afraid of me.”
     
    I pout my lip as I tuck my hands up into the sleeves of Kayden’s shirt. “I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, he’s a moron.”
     
    “You don’t need to be sorry, baby girl.” He empties his change and wallet out of his pockets and drops them on top of the dresser beside a lamp. “You’re the most understanding person I’ve ever met.”
     
    He starts to unbutton his shirt and I enfold my arms around him. “You’re the greatest person ever.”
     
    Laughing, he pats my head. “Yeah, we’ll see if you still think that when you have your very first hangover in the morning.”
     
    I gladly collapse onto his bed. Fluffing the pillow, I turn to my side, and stare at a picture of him and a guy with dark hair and bright blue eyes. “Seth, is this him? In this picture.”
     
    It takes him a minute to respond. “Yeah, it’s him. That’s Braiden.”
     
    Braiden looks like a football player; strong shoulders, a lean chest, and well-defined arms. He has his arm wrapped around Seth’s shoulder. They look happy, but deep down one of them isn’t. One of them will out the other one when accusations of their love start to swarm around the school like a cluster of bees. One of them will watch as the other one is beaten. I want to ask him why he kept the photo—why he has it on the wall—but I can tell he’s growing uneasy with the subject.
     
    He shuts the light off and from across the room, the bed squeaks as Seth lies down. It’s quiet between us and I curl my body into a ball, nuzzling my face into the pillow and shutting my eyes.
     
    “Can I ask you something?” Seth suddenly asks.
     
    My eyelids open. “Sure.”
     
    He pauses. “Do you ever have nightmares about what happened to you?”
     
    I squeeze my eyes shut, inhaling the scent from Kayden’s shirt. “All the time.”
     
    He lets out a breath. “Me too. I can’t seem to escape it. Every time I shut my eyes, all I see is the hate on their