The Redemption of Callie & Kayden

grateful too.”
    A large man behind us starts yelling at Luke and Greyson to “sit the fuck down!”
    “Shut the hell up,” Seth chimes in, giving him a dirty look over his shoulder as Luke flips him the middle finger.
    I hold my breath until the tension clears and then Luke and Greyson start talking again. Luke’s been hanging out with the three of us for the last few days and always seems comfortable, never out of place.
    “Sometimes… I wonder if Luke…” I lean in to Seth and lower my voice. “If Luke… likes… guys.”
    Seth sits there for a moment, crunching on popcorn as he chews noisily. Then he starts laughing so loudly it nearly drowns out the crowd. Then he stops and says in a low voice, “Luke’s not gay, Callie.”
    “Are you sure? Maybe he’s just afraid to come out, like Braiden was.”
    “Yeah, I’m sure.” Seth’s shoulders slump with his sigh and he shakes his head. “You want to know what I think?”
    I nod and grab a handful of popcorn. “Yes, please share your all-knowing thoughts.”
    He offers me a smile as he leans into me and whispers, “I think that Luke’s been through something that makes him more understanding and accepting than the average person. And I think that sometimes people misinterpret understanding and acceptance and make it into something that it isn’t.”
    He’s completely right and I feel terrible. “You’re right and I’m sorry. I should never try to guess things about people.”
    “You don’t need to apologize,” he says, jabbing me playfully in the side with his elbow. “Besides, you’re one of those people.”
    “What? Understanding and accepting?” I shove a handful of popcorn into my mouth.
    His smile lights up his whole face. “The kind of person who can see things in a different light, who’s been to hell and back. The kind who has had and gave redemption.”
    I return his smile with equal happiness as the crowd goes wild around us, shouting and clapping and jumping up from their seats over a three-pointer. Seth starts clapping and I move my hands together, but then my phone rings from inside my pocket. “Cumbersome,” by Seven Mary Three.
    “It’s my brother!” I shout over the noise of the crowd as I get to my feet. “I’ll be right back. He’s been trying to call me all night.”
    I hurry down the stairs, making sure to move to the other side when a group of guys comes walking up. Even through all of the recovery, crowds and unfamiliar guys make me nervous. But the important part is I’m here and not hiding.
    I quickly answer it as enter the food area and the screaming of the crowd fades out. “Hey,” I say.
    “Hey.” He doesn’t sound happy, but he usually doesn’t. I’ve actually noticed that my brother has a very grumpy tone, but that it’s just him and shouldn’t be taken personally.
    “Sorry I didn’t pick up earlier.” I head to one of the empty metal tables in the middle of the room, sink down on a bench, and rest my arm on top of the table. “I’m at a game and it’s loud.”
    “It’s all right.” He gets quiet and then he sighs. “Callie, I don’t know how to tell you this—and mom thinks I shouldn’t—but you’re friends with Luke and you’re going to find out.”
    A lump starts to form in my throat and I swallow hard to force it down. “What’s wrong?”
    He takes a loud breath and blows it out. “Well, after the police searched Caleb’s house they found a few things… notes and journals and stuff… and, well… do you remember Amy Price? Luke’s sister? She was only a couple of years older than you and she committed suicide when she was sixteen.”
    “I didn’t know she… I didn’t know that.” My chest starts to compress as I remember the one time Luke mentioned his sister.
    “Well, she did and no one really knew why,” he says. “I remember some of the kids in my grade saying she was a slut and super weird and a pothead, but no one really knew her outside of that.”
    Change a few words and Amy’s story matches mine. “Jackson, what was in those journals they found?”
    He keeps puffing out breaths and I wonder if he’s smoking or something. “Notes about people, you, her… and the stuff he did to you… her… other girls.”
    I sit there, frozen in time, like a statue made of cracked and chipped stone. “How do you know this?”
    “Dad’s friend, Denny, the cop, came over for dinner the other night and told dad, even though he’s not supposed to talk