The Redemption of Callie & Kayden

something different,” I reply, grabbing some sugar packets from the bowl. Seth had taken it upon himself to order for me while I was in the restroom, and I wasn’t planning on ordering pancakes.
    “I think we should eat pancakes every morning that we’re on break.” He takes a bite of his toast. Crumbs fall to the front of his shirt and he dusts them off with a sweep of his hand. “It’ll be fun.”
    I stare down at my pancakes buried in a puddle of syrup. “Are you sure?”
    “I’m always sure when I say something aloud.” He sets the toast down on the smaller of the two plates.
    I seal my lips and try not to laugh at him because Seth is never sure of things, just like I’m not, just like most of the world isn’t. “All right, we can try to eat pancakes everyday over break. But if I end up puking you have to promise to hold my hair back.”
    “I promise.” He smiles and raises his hand in front of himself. I slam my palm against his, giving him a high-five. For a moment it’s just he and I in the café, maybe even in the world. But the bell on the door dings and my eyes instinctually wander over to it. Suddenly, I remember that there are a lot more people in the world who need to eat a lot of pancakes over Christmas break.
    Kayden walks into the café and the few people at the tables promptly look up at him. There have been rumors going around about him throughout the small town, ones that are horrible. I struggle not to hit every single person looking at him.
    He has a coat on and there are snowflakes stuck in his wet hair. He’s wearing an old pair of jeans with holes in them and black boots on his feet. The Christmas lights that trim the windows reflect in his eyes and make them look red instead of green. His gaze sweeps the room but misses me, and then he walks up to the counter where one of the older waitresses with gray hair and a hairnet greets him at the register.
    “Callie, what are you staring at?” Seth’s tracks my gaze and then his eyes bulge.
“Oh.”
    It’s like my feet don’t belong to me as I bend my knees and stand up from the booth. As soon as I’m on my feet, Kayden’s eyes lock on me. We stare at each other from across the café and the tables and chairs and people blur away. He crosses his arms over his chest and presses his lips together before shaking his head. He looks away as the waitress hands him a plastic to-go bag. I’m not sure what it means, but I need to talk to him.
    “I’ll be right back,” I say and start to step away as Kayden pays the waitress.
    Seth catches my sleeve and draws me back a little bit. “Be careful, Callie.”
    I nod, even though I’m not sure if he means to be careful for Kayden or myself. He releases my sleeve and I weave around the tables, tucking my elbows in. Kayden is putting his wallet into his back pocket when I reach him and the plastic bag is hooked over his hand. His jaw tenses as he grabs some napkins from the metallic dispenser near the register without looking up at me.
    “Hi,” I say, and again I’m frustrated with myself for such a silly start.
    “Hey,” he mutters, shoving the napkins into the sack.
    “I just… I just wanted to come over and see how you’re doing.” I take a breath because I’m nervous and forgetting to breathe.
    His eyes rise up to me and I’m taken back at the coldness in them. “I’m fine.”
    “That’s good.” My throat is shrinking, reducing airflow, and I don’t know how to react. He starts to head for the door and I follow him. “Kayden, wait.”
    He doesn’t, pressing his hand to the door and shoving it open. I know I should back off, but I can’t convince my feet to stop moving. I hurry out the door after him, wrapping my arms around myself as the wind hits my bare arms.
    “Maybe we could talk?” I suggest as he opens the door to his mother’s black Mercedes.
    He pauses, shaking his head, and then he looks over the roof at me. “Callie, I have to go. I’ve got stuff to do today.”
    I walk through the slush and the puddles and around the back of his car, not ready to give up. “You’re staying at your house?”
    He tosses the bag of food across the center console and onto the passenger seat. “Yeah, where else would I go?”
    The water is seeping through my shoes and it’s cold. “You could come stay with me.”
    His eyes focus on me. “And what? You’re mother’s just going to welcome me there?”
    I hesitate and it’s the wrong thing to do, but I can’t