Page 29 of Elusion

Benji strolls through the doors of the coffee shop a few minutes later. A quick dangle presents my keys before he drops them on the table. This guy flips a chair around from another table and makes himself comfortable. His legs extend, and his hands rest on the back of his head. Then he says, “Your girl’s cool, man.”

I cringe in anticipation of the words about to come out of Dustin’s gaping mouth.

“Hisgirl?” His eyes dart to me. “I should have read those text messages closer. I just saw it wasagirl.” He chuckles. “No wonder you’re suffering from an existential crisis.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Benji says. He shoves my shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Apparently Benji’s left his cryptic pants at home, and his amusing candor saves the day. We all stand, and Dustin hugs me, slapping my back much harder than necessary. I reciprocate by pounding between his shoulder blades. He gives me another reminder about Stan and tells me to hurry up and book my ticket for spring break. A few steps out the door, I decide not to go. The entire trip sounds like an infection waiting to happen.

A ride with Benji rarely constitutes as peaceful with him being a chatty type. Yet, on our way to the house, he’s preoccupied. Up in his head about something. Since their time together, both he and Callie have been acting odd. I dismiss a half-developed notion of something happening between them. Shit, I feel guilty for even considering it. Benji’s loyalty never falters. I know better than to ever question it.

A few blocks from the house, he mutes the music. “You should invite Calico and her friend to that gig next week.”

“Calico?” I chuckle. He has a nickname for her, and she won’t even accept a ride from me. “She might say yes if you ask her. She likes you.”

His eyebrow arches. “You want me to ask her to our gig next week?”

I shrug, not seeing any harm. “Sure. It might help me out.”

Benji props his foot up on the dash. “Five … four … three…”

I glance over to see his self-assured grin. “What’s with the countdown?”

He stares out the window, not answering. I stand corrected; he’s wearing his cryptic pants. I pull into the driveway but keep the engine running. A swing by to see if Callie needs anything is in order. I turn to tell Benji to get out, but he’s already smiling at me.

And then his mind bomb detonates.

“Next week I won’t be talking to Callie,” I say.

“Nope,” he says. “Your little nail-and-bail experiment ends on Friday.”

I see what he’s trying to do. “Benji, get out.”

“Tell Calico hi from me, man.” He whacks me in the chest before climbing out.

Walking into the dorms, I’m already predicting the upcoming exchange. Callie will answer, roll her eyes, tell me she doesn’t need anything, and then say,“Goodbye, Jordan.”

A ten-minute car ride both ways that I willingly make, all for this maddening individual to deny me.

The door opens.

“Hey,” she says casually. “My other class for the day was canceled.”

And then she returns to the couch where her books cover the coffee table. I stay in the doorway, fully convinced this is a trap. She’s setting me up for something. But trap or not, it’s an opening, and I need to take advantage.

“Good,” I say on my way over to join her. “You have plenty of time to explain yourself. I bust my ass for you, and Benji reaps the rewards?” I settle in, close enough to feel her without physically touching her. “The world is cruel enough without you adding to it.”

She shrugs. “He had a compelling argument.”

“What was that?”

“He wasn’t you,” she shoots back.

“Ouch,” I say, feigning offense. “You’re breaking my heart, beautiful.”

She stacks up her books and relaxes beside me again. “So, where were you?”

“Coffee with my brother.”

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