A Coalition Story

Find Some Shoes

(third update of the day. also, we weren't lying when we said the chapters would lengthen, this one is 975 words. wow. so impressive.)

Having just left Cal's dorm (that stank of liquor), Ravyn stormed to Torin's room. She knew he'd be there; he didn't have an office on campus yet, and when he was upset he threw himself into missions and assignments, not working out or drinking. That was where he and Cal differed.

Strutting into his room, Ravyn stood as menacingly as possible next to her best friend's desk. Her nasty glower and folded arms freaked most people out, but much of that came from the fact that she was a little feral sometimes. Torin knew this, and they both knew Ravyn would hold back her rage and frustrations with him. At least, she'd hold back from physically attacking him. But that was only because (and she'd never admit this) Torin could take her in a fight.

"What do you want, Ray?" Torin asked dryly. Much like his temporary ex-boyfriend, he didn't look up at her. Too bad she didn't have her shoes to throw at him now. No, she'd left those in Cal's room. Great.

"We need to talk about you and Excalibur. He's the biggest coward in the world, and I know you're feeling like crap because of it."

Torin looked up. "I'm not feeling like crap, Ravyn. I'm perfectly fine with the breakup. I refuse to be anyone's experiment." His words were bitter, but sadness drenched his dry eyes.

"That's bull, Tori. You haven't worked this hard since Alexa dumped you a year ago. You. Are. Not. Okay." She sat on the paperwork scattered across his desk.

"Get off my desk, Ravyn," Torin growled, glaring up at her. Clearly, he was not happy to be reminded of Alexa and his response to her. Yeah, that hadn't been a happy time for anybody. After the cheating, conniving ex-girlfriend hooked up with Mercutio Fox, a notorious player on campus, Torin had thrown himself into the most dangerous, time-consuming missions he could find. Considering he was at his desk, Ravyn knew it hadn't gotten Alexa bad yet, but Ravyn knew she had limited time before it devolved further.

"No, Torin. You're upset. You need to talk to me. Or to Cal. Or even to one of your sisters! Heck, even Atticus! He wouldn't be much help, but I'm sure he has a handy quote or two to throw at you." Torin shook his head at her insistence. He stood up from his chair, pacing the room in an instant.

"Ravyn, please, leave me alone," he beseeched, looking over to her with tearful eyes. He was about to cry, and that meant Ravyn had to do what she feared would happen.

Jumping off of his desk and the paperwork, she met Tori in the middle of the room and wrapped her arms tightly around his midsection. She felt his strong arms wrap back around her as he choked back a sob.

"Torin, please talk to me. I know you're not okay. And that's fine. You don't have to suck it up and pretend everything's fine. But if it helps, Cal is just as upset as you are. I think you still have a chance." Torin froze at her final words. In a voice thick with tears, he asked,

"Cal's upset? No, I don't believe that. He made it clear he was never interested and didn't want anything to do with me." That sounded like Cal, at least to Ravyn, but she knew him better than he knew himself. Which wasn't hard. The kid had major commitment issues, and then he wasn't even sure if he was into guys (which he totally was as long as it was Torin). Toss in the fact that Cal was a constant chaotic mess, and Ravyn wasn't even sure how he managed to appear functionable. But that was why he acted so emotionless and cold all the time: He lived under a façade of cool casualty. Yet even then, eventually, he'd snap. Usually, that meant getting into a major fight and losing his temper, but it seemed with Torin that Cal had only lost his temper with himself. Ravyn knew there was no way Cal had faked his devotion to and attraction for Torin.

"Tori, I was just in Cal's room trying to talk some sense into him. He was halfway through a bottle of whiskey and I don't think that's the only liquor he's had today. He's an absolute mess, and I'm just as worried about him as I am about you. You two are my best friends, and you're so annoyingly in love with each other, but neither of you seems to be okay with admitting that. You need to talk to Cal, Torin. Because it's not over. Not for good."

Torin stood taller and dropped his arms from around Ravyn's willowy frame. He stepped back, closer to the door, and paused. She couldn't read his stony expression, but Ravyn could read his body language. The proud shoulders, his confident stance, and his head held high. Gone were the tears from just a minute before; intimidating, silent Torin had returned. The Torin most people saw. To Ravyn, he was Tori. He was the older brother she always wanted (both of hers sucked), complete with sage advice and no tolerance for her constant bullcrap. She saw his playful side, his sparse emotions, his willing heart. Torin only showed those parts of himself to family, but he'd shown all of those and more to Excalibur. Torin loved her cousin, and Ravyn knew Cal felt the same way, even if he would never admit it. Even if tortured, Cal would stay silent, but that was thanks to the Coalition's torture training. Ravyn still had scars on her thigh from a particularly nasty surprise session.

"Okay," he said, not turning back to his friend. "I'll go talk to him. And, Ravyn, please find some shoes." Torin left his room for Cal's. It was time to have a talk.