Page 73 of Escape Velocity
“Yeah, I have to catch up on some studying. Didn’t get any done all weekend,” Callum says to Joel, who’s lying on his bed on his phone.
Joel squints at him. “This late?”
Callum nods. “Yeah, I need to go to the library to focus.”
Joel snorts. “You never go to the library.”
“We go for film sessions.”
“Yeah, but you’re going to study.”
Callum sighs heavily. “What’s wrong with that? Usuallyyou watch TV, talk to your girlfriend, or have Craig over and it distracts me. I’m way behind on my schoolwork. I really need to focus.”
Joel puts his hands up in defense. “Fine, sorry I asked. Geez.”
Callum rolls his eyes as he turns away from Joel. He just doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone. He just prods and prods until he gets down to the bottom of things. Joel should have been a history or psychology major with how much he wants to know. Callum’s not sure why he’s always so interested in his life.
“I was in Northwood this weekend,” Joel says as Callum puts his hand on the doorknob.
Callum stops and spins around.
“You were?” he asks, trying to sound as surprised as he can be. But there’s something about the way that Joel says it, like he knows more than he should. Like he’s having fun playing innocent.
Joel nods. “I went to go see my girlfriend. Turns out she’s that kid Mason Fanning’s cousin.”
Callum blinks. “Whoa, really? That’s such a weird coincidence.”
Joel nods. “Yeah. I had to spend the weekend with that annoying dork.”
“He’s not a dork,” Callum immediately snaps, anger seething through his veins.
He bites his lip, wishing he didn’t say it so heatedly.
“Sounds like I hit a nerve,” Joel says, smirking at Callum.
He shakes his head. “He’s making people pay more attention to our team, so I think it’s only fair to be nice to him.”
“You mean pay more attention to you?” Joel retorts.
Callum sneers at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Joel scoffs. “Face it, you’re the one getting all the attention, it’s not like the team issothankful for him.”
Callum crosses his arms. “I’m the quarterback, I’m supposed to represent the team.”
Joel rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”
Callum really doesn’t like how Joel is acting. Usually, he’s fine, but there’s something about the edge in his voice and the implication behind everything he’s saying, like he has an ulterior motive.
“Anyway, I’m just gonna head off to the library.”
Callum opens the door.
“Say hi to the dork for me.”
Callum stops and whirls around. “What?”
Joel snorts. “He’s always in the library, I’m sure you’re bound to come across him, probably writing about you with heart eyes.”
