Between the Lines - 3. Chapter 3

My morning routine didn’t change. Wake up, get cleaned up, pack my backpack for school. Head down for some breakfast, then someone would drop me off. This week it was Jen, since she was on the late shift at the hospital.

The ride to school was the usual. Jen and I chatted about school and whether I’d made any friends yet.

“Nah… school’s too big. I’m too new. Nobody knows me. It’s all a bit much,” I said.

“Yeah, I get that, Jer," she replied. "But you’re good-looking—maybe you should take the first step. Try joining a study group or chatting with someone in class. You don’t have to come out to anyone… just play it cool. You know?”

That’s what I loved about Jen. We could talk about anything, and she never judged me. She was more than just my sister; she was my best friend.

As we pulled up to the school, I spotted Cal outside with his friends. My face instantly felt hot, and I knew I was blushing. Jen noticed.

“So, which one is he?” she asked with a knowing smirk.

Her question caught me off guard. “Huh? Who?” I tried to play dumb.

“You know who. I saw your ears turn red,” she teased.

I groaned, grabbed my bag, and bolted from the car. No way was I giving her anything to work with. I just hoped she’d drive off quickly; otherwise, I’d never hear the end of it when I got home.

As I walked toward the entrance, Cal looked up and waved. My stomach flipped when he gestured for me to come over.

“Hey, guys,” he said as I approached. “This is Jer—the new kid I was telling you about the other day. Jer, these are the boys: Sam, Jonah, and Alex. We’re the dream team—or at least that’s what Sam calls us.”

Dream team? My brain snagged on the name “Sam.” Could that be short for Sammy? Was Cal gay? Even if he was, if he already had a boyfriend, he was still out of reach.

“Hey, Jer! You skate?” Sam asked immediately, barely giving me time to drop my bag. “Where you from? Who’s the chick? Girlfriend?”

I blinked, caught off guard by the rapid-fire questions. “Uh, no. I don’t skate. Moved here from Oregon. And… that’s my sister.”

Sam smirked, clearly enjoying my flustered response. “Ah, okay, okay. Just checking. She’s cute. Set me up?”

I blinked again. What? Set me up? Is he kidding? He’s probably way too young for her anyway.

“Jeez, Sam, give him a chance to breathe—and that’s his sister, you douche,” Cal said, laughing as he shook his head.

Jonah and Alex chuckled, exchanging a quick fist bump.

“Nah, I don’t skate. Moved here from Oregon over the summer,” I said. “And the chick? She’s my sister—well, step-sister. So yeah, not my girlfriend. And no, I’m not setting you up.”

Everyone burst out laughing at that. I just stood there, confused. What’s so funny?

“Too bad,” Sam said with a grin. “We could’ve used a fifth. Things haven’t been the same since Sammy left. Our boy here’s been all depressed ever since. Maybe Cal is up to teaching you?”

Sammy. Who was Sammy? This was getting confusing. I thought Sam was Sammy, apparently not.

Alex and Jonah burst out laughing, bumping fists again. Cal groaned, clearly embarrassed.

“Guys!” he said, rolling his eyes while his friends continued laughing.

Cal, wanting to steer the conversation away from his friends’ teasing. “If you’re not doing anything for lunch, we’re heading down to the burger place. Wanna come?”

“I don’t skate. I’ll just slow you down,” I said, hesitating.

“No big deal," Cal said with a shrug. "I’ll walk with you. The rest of the boys can skate ahead and order for us. We take turns covering.”

“I can e-transfer the money…” I started, not wanting to come off as a freeloader.

“Don’t worry about it. First one’s on me,” Cal said with a grin.

For some reason, that got a chuckle out of everyone else.

We chatted for a few more minutes before the first buzzer rang. Everyone headed inside, and I didn’t even have time to stop by my locker to drop off my jacket. My mind was still racing as I walked to my first class. Cal had spoken to me again—and now he wanted me to come to lunch.

Early morning classes were a real pain. I’d hoped for a spare first thing, but the school policy didn’t allow that. Not that it would’ve mattered—someone always had to drop me off anyway.

By lunch, I was ready for a break. I stopped by my locker to drop off my bag and headed outside. Sure enough, Cal was waiting near the entrance, no skateboard in sight and none of his friends around. They must have gone ahead.

“Hey, you made it, Jer. Glad you decided to come,” Cal said with a grin. “The burger place is only about a ten or fifteen-minute walk.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it,” I said, then immediately regretted it. Way to sound like a freeloader—or worse, like I’m into him. God, I’m overthinking this.

“Cool,” Cal said. “Hey, if you ever want to learn to skate, I’d be happy to teach you. I’ve got some extra boards. Maybe I could stop by your place over the weekend, drop one off, and show you the basics? It’s like riding a bike—easy.”

“Yeah, maybe. I’ll let you know,” I replied. Should I ask him about Sammy? I was curious, but no—it’s way too early. We don’t know each other well, and that’s personal. Stay in your lane, Jeremy.

As we walked toward the burger place, Cal and I talked. He told me he’d lived in Seattle his whole life and loved the West Coast vibe. He was big on camping and spent most summers hiking or exploring with his family. I found out he had two older brothers in university, and his parents were divorced. He split his weekends between his mom and stepdad and his dad.

I shared a little about myself too—why we’d moved from Oregon, and about Ken and Jen.

The conversation flowed easily. Cal was so relaxed and confident, a total contrast to how I felt most of the time. If I gave off any awkward vibes, he didn’t seem to notice—or if he did, he didn’t say anything. It was just two guys heading out for a burger, talking.

When we reached the burger place, it was packed with students. It looked like half the school was there. Sam, Alex, and Jonah had already grabbed a spot and were halfway through their food. Cal squeezed into the booth, and I slid in next to him. Not that I minded.

“Jeez, Cal, what took you so long? Did you get lost?” Sam teased, earning a laugh from Alex and Jonah.

It didn’t take that long to get here… or did it?

Cal flicked Sam’s forehead and shot back, “Cut it out, Sam.” He said it jokingly, but it was clear there were some inside jokes I wasn’t privy to—yet.

Our burgers were already on the table. I unwrapped mine and took a bite, trying not to look like I was starving. As we ate, the conversation turned to school—teachers, courses, and the usual gripes about assignments.

For the first time since moving here, I felt like I belonged. Like I wasn’t just some outsider tagging along. It felt… good.

We all decided to walk back together after lunch. Cal and I hung back, while Sam led the way with Jonah and Alex close behind. They were talking about shooting more video for their YouTube channel over the weekend. Sam was hyped, going on about sponsorships and how they could blow up if they played their cards right.

“Dude, there are, like, hundreds of skate channels out there,” Jonah said, laughing.

“Yeah, but none like ours!” Sam shot back, clearly undeterred.

Jonah and Alex exchanged a look and shrugged, but they didn’t seem to mind Sam’s enthusiasm.

Cal and I kept to ourselves, talking about school. Turns out we had a few of the same classes, but at different times with different teachers. The only times I’d see him during the day were early mornings, lunch, or after school. His schedule was almost the opposite of mine, which sucked a little.

As we talked, I found out something I didn’t expect—Cal’s a genius. Apparently, he scores in the top 15% of all students at school.

I wouldn’t have known if Sam hadn’t brought it up. “Yeah, Cal here’s practically Einstein on wheels. Too bad he doesn’t actually use his brain most of the time,” Sam said, smirking.

“Dude, shut up,” Cal replied, shaking his head. He didn’t seem mad—if anything, he looked embarrassed.

Sam just laughed and shrugged. “What? It’s true!”

That was Sam for you—he had a mouth on him, but he was a fun guy to be around. He never seemed to take anything seriously, which made him both annoying and kind of entertaining.

The rest of the day played out like every other day, except today just felt brighter. I’d made my first real friends, and for once, things were starting to look up.

When the final buzzer rang, I headed to my locker, grabbed what I needed, and started for the exit. As I walked past the school office, I saw Cal sitting inside. I thought about popping in to say bye, but before I could decide, he got called into one of the offices.

Outside, the sun felt warmer, the sky bluer. Sam, Alex, and Jonah were waiting near the steps.

“Hey, Jer!” Alex called out when he spotted me.

I walked over. Jonah was perched on his board, one hand gripping Alex’s shoulder to keep himself from rolling away.

“Hey, Alex. What’s up?” I asked.

“You seen Cal? We’re supposed to hit the skate park. He’s got a spare last class, so he’s usually out here by now,” Alex said.

“Yeah, he’s in the school office,” I replied.

“Extra credit!” Sam chimed in, laughing. “Bet he’s in there begging for extra credit!”

Alex rolled his eyes. “He’s got more than enough to graduate, you idiot.”

“Thanks, man. Hey, you should come with us,” Alex said, turning back to me. “It’s a public park—you don’t need an invite.”

Before I could answer, the school doors opened, and a group of punks came out. Wild hair, ripped clothes, chains—their style was worlds away from mine. But whatever, to each their own.

Jonah suddenly hopped off his board and started heading toward them, his eyes locked on someone in particular.

“Jonah’s in love,” Sam said, smirking. “He better not ditch us.”

I followed Jonah with my eyes and noticed him walking straight up to one of the girls in the group. The grin on his face said it all.

“Who’s she?” I asked, hesitating a little. I wasn’t sure if it was my place to ask since I didn’t know everyone that well yet.

Sam grinned. “He’s been after her for years. They like each other but are too scared to make a move.”

“Yeah,” Alex added. “We keep telling him to just ask her out already, but he’s too chicken. Don’t know what he’s so scared of.”

“Our boy is still a virgin,” Sam joked, grinning as he gestured toward Jonah.

“Right, like you’re not,” Alex shot back. “You can be a real jerk sometimes, Sam.”

“Whatever. Just having fun,” Sam replied, clearly unbothered. “Besides, I’ve had tons of girlfriends—I just don’t kiss and tell.”

“Riiiiight…” Alex drawled, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Sam smirked but didn’t argue. He was definitely the clown of the group, and it didn’t seem like he had a filter—or a pause button.

As they went back and forth, I caught sight of Ken’s car out of the corner of my eye. He was parked at the curb, thankfully not honking his horn for once. I felt a small wave of relief at that and started to say my goodbyes.

Just then, the school doors swung open, and I saw Cal walking out, grinning like he’d just won the lottery. It was something I’d noticed about him—he was always smiling, like nothing ever got to him. Confident, positive, and just… Cal.

“Hey, here comes Mr. Extra Credit!” Sam called out, his voice full of mischief.

“Nope, just teaching your punk ass how it’s done,” Cal fired back without missing a beat.

“Touche,” Sam said, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

Cal smirked. “Do you even know what that means?”

Sam just shrugged, clearly unfazed. “Nah, but it sounded cool.”

Cal laughed, shaking his head, then glanced over at Jonah, who was still hanging back with Cindy. “So, is Jonah ever gonna ask her out, or is he just gonna keep chatting her up forever?”

Alex jumped in before Sam could respond. “The story goes, Jonah and Cindy have known each other since grade school, but it’s never been official. If he’s not with us, he’s with her—it’s, like, a running joke at this point. Pretty sure even his parents are telling him to just man up and ask her out already.”

Cal chuckled, watching Jonah nervously tuck a strand of Cindy’s hair behind her ear. “Yeah, well, at least he’s got a shot. Some of us aren’t even in the game.”

“Speak for yourself, Einstein,” Sam said, nudging Cal’s arm.

As Cal finished joking with the guys, he turned toward me, his grin softening a bit.

“You heading out, Jer?” he asked, adjusting the strap of his backpack.

“Yeah, my ride’s waiting,” I replied, gesturing toward Ken’s car.

“Cool,” Cal said, glancing toward the curb. He hesitated for a second, then added, “Hey, you did good today. Jonah and Alex are tough to crack, but I think they’re warming up to you.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “Uh, thanks. They’re cool. You guys all are.”

Cal smirked. “Even Sam?”

“Okay, most of you are cool,” I said with a laugh.

Cal chuckled. “Fair enough. Hey, we’ll see you tomorrow, right? Don’t ditch us at lunch—I’m walking with you again.”

I nodded, feeling a weird flutter in my chest. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Good,” Cal said, giving me a quick wave before turning back to the group.