The Redemption of Callie & Kayden

talk.”
    He eyes me over skeptically and in the darkness his eyes look hollow. He rubs the back of his neck tensely and then he lowers himself onto the ground, guiding me down with him. He gives me a gentle tug to the side and maneuvers me onto his lap, settling me against him. I lean back, shutting my eyes, feeling safe, feeling like this is where I belong.
    Kayden is the only guy who’s ever made me feel this way, more than Seth, more than my own self. He is all I need and I hope he feels the same way too. But before I ask, there’s something else I need to know—need to understand.
    I summon a deep breath and the release it out into the open. “Kayden, what happened?”
    Three tiny words, so heavy and meaningful that they crack the earth. He tenses and so do I, before I turn to look him in the eyes. He swallows hard and so do I. He takes a deep breath and it’s nearly soundless as it eases back out of his lips.
    His lips part and as his voice slides out, my heart nearly stops. “My father stabbed me.”
Kayden
    I have no idea why I tell her. I wasn’t planning on it. I was planning on keeping it a secret forever, just like everything else. But she’s sitting there, waiting for me, trusting me enough to hold her and be close to her. She expects the truth and I want to give it to her. I want to give her everything.
    “My father stabbed me.” And just like that, I’ve shattered the box inside my heart and it fractures into a thousand jagged splinters.
    Her eyes widen and her breath hitches in her throat. She’s verging on crying again, so I wrap my arms around her and pull her against me. “Relax, I’m okay now.”
    Her skin is like ice. I rub my hands up and down her arms, trying to warm her up. She shivers, not from the cold but from my touch. Or maybe it’s from the shock I’ve just given her. I suddenly wish I could take it back, because I never should have put it on her shoulders.
    “I’m sorry,” I apologize. “I shouldn’t have put that on you.”
    Her hands wiggle between our bodies and she flattens her hands on my chest. Pushing away from me, she looks me in the eye. “Yes, you should have… You should have told me sooner.”
    I shake my head, putting my hand onto the small of her back so she’ll stay close. “Callie, you don’t need to know this kind of stuff… You’ve got your own problems.”
    She looks angry suddenly, her eyes flaring and I lean back, concerned she’s going to hit me or something. “Kayden… I don’t…” She can’t find the right words. She shifts her body, bending her knees so her weight is on my lap. She places her hands on my shoulders and with a steadfast look in her eye she says, “This is all my fault.” I start to protest, but she puts her hand over my mouth. “You should have never hit Caleb… I should have never let you find out about him. If you hadn’t, then none of this would have happened. We’d be back at the house lying in my bed.”
    “That’s not true,” I say, my lips moving against her hand. “It’s good that you told me. He can’t just go walking around living his life when he took yours.”
    She lowers her hand to her lap and sighs. “That’s what you father’s doing.” She huffs a frustrated breath. “Does anyone even know?”
    I shake my head and then shrug. “My mom, but she’s known about everything… about the hitting, the beating, the kicking… She doesn’t care.”
    Her eyes wander out to the ocean. “This isn’t right,” she mutters and turns her head toward me. “We have to tell someone.” She starts to get up, but I dig my fingers into her side and hold her in place.
    “Callie, there’s no point telling anyone… and you… you need to stop worrying about me.” My breath starts to tremble from my lips. God damn it. This is the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever had to say. But I need to say it. I need to make her understand who I am, deep on the inside. “I messed up. Big time. What I said at the diner about… about cutting myself… I’m broken. I don’t know if I’ll ever really be able to stop… to stop cutting. You need to stay away from me.
Please
, walk away.”
    Her eyes stay on me as she takes in my face and makes me feel unsettled on the inside. “No.”
    I shake my head. “Callie, you don’t want this—”
    “Yes, I do.” She places her hand over my mouth, pressing her lips together as she slips a finger underneath one of the rubber bands on my wrist. “Kayden, you think