A Coalition Story

Repercussions

Ravyn hadn't been paying too much attention to Cal and Meg's table at first. They were at the next table over, and Meg was loud, so they were hard to ignore despite everyone's best efforts. However, as they got louder, Ravyn tuned in. So, it seemed, did Torin.

"Okay, Cal's snapped," she whispered, standing up as Cal exited the cafeteria. Nobody was going after him—nobody dared to. Angry Cal was a terrifying Cal, but he was one of the few people Ravyn could never let scare her when they were that angry. Even Torin, her closest friend, scared her when he was angry. But Cal was different. She understood his pain, maybe. Or maybe growing up with him had impacted it. Either way, she needed to go after him.

"Clearly, Ray, but do you honestly think talking to him right now is the best idea?" Torin asked, his brown eyes dark with sadness and hurt.

"Tori, Cal isn't going to hurt me. Even if he tries, he's not as good of a fighter when he's this upset. I would know. He was close to this upset over break and I only left with a few bruises. And he can't be alone right now, whether he thinks that's what he wants or not." Her best friend sighed, falling back against his chair. He wished he could go after his ex, comfort him, calm him down, talk through it with him, but that wasn't an option anymore.

"And you'll get him back soon enough. I'll make sure of it," Ravyn promised, flashing her best friend a reassuring smile before disappearing after her cousin.

She wasn't going to mince words: she was beyond furious with Cal. But he was still the only real family she could count on. He was the only one related to her by blood that she cared about one hundred percent, with the exception of her dead mother. Sure, they hated each other at least a third of the time, and their relationship was completely volatile. But that didn't change the fact that Cal would always be her number one, even over Torin and Atticus, even when he was being insanely foolish and stupid.

"Excalibur Cole!" Ravyn called, jogging down the hall to catch up with her tall cousin. She was tall, only a head shorter than the tallish Torin. But Cal was just a giant. It was ridiculous, truly. Especially how fast he could walk.

"Not today, Ravyn. I'm not getting into it with you, too," Cal spat out, looking over his shoulder to glare at her. He didn't have to look back far; she'd almost fully caught up with him at this point.

"Good, because I'm not letting that happen," she replied, her tone firm. Cal stopped, spinning to face her.

"Sure about that? Because it seems getting into fights is all you're good at nowadays," he spat. Ravyn tensed up. Didn't he just say he wasn't going to fight her? Did he not just say that? Taking a deep breath, she gathered her composure.

"Walk with me, Excalibur." She took his arm, placing her hand in the crook of his elbow. They were probably going to the gym, so she'd let Cal lead, but she was still going to talk to him.

"What do you want from me? I'm not getting back together with your new best friend." Well, Cal wasn't going to get back together with Torin with that attitude, but she could help with that later. Right now she needed to focus on making sure he stayed sane.

"I'm not focused on that at the moment. I'm focused on making sure you're okay. Because I know Meg is a freaking controlling brat, but something else has to be going on for you to snap at her like that. Even I have a hard time snapping at her to that degree. What's going on?" He didn't answer for a few pregnant moments, the silence thick with unspoken thoughts.

"I don't want to talk about it. Especially not with you," he mumbled, looking away. Okay, Cal was avoiding eye contact and speaking quietly. He'd officially gone off the deep end.

"I am your best friend, your confidante, the sister you never had. I am your actual family, Excalibur Cole. So no way on earth am I putting up with that answer," Ravyn spat out, pulling him to a stop in the middle of the hallway. An uncomfortable hacker, someone who was maybe sixteen, if she remembered correctly, scurried past, trying to stay away from the most dramatic kids in the whole school. She couldn't blame them.

"Well, deal with it. I'm not talking about it." Cal began to walk again, so she followed.

"So what? You plan on bottling it up until you turn into a Molotov cocktail? I know you're an assassin, Cal, but that doesn't mean you're assigned to kill yourself and your loved ones, too." He sped up, ignoring her words, but she kept on pace. He may have been taller than her with longer legs, but Ravyn had grown up following behind.

"No. That's not gonna happen. You're gonna talk with me. It doesn't have to be about Torin or Meg or even Ksenia. It doesn't even have to be about you. But I'm not leaving you alone until you talk to me, Excalibur." Her hissed words earned a slight falter in his step, but Cal pushed forwards nonetheless.

"Give up, Ravyn. I'm not talking." So this would be a battle of who was more stubborn. Foolish Cal. He already knew who would win that one, and it wouldn't be him.

"Would you rather I point out to Ksenia once and for all how much you're longing for Torin? Or tell Torin the bitter truth that you're never going to be able to love him the way he deserves? And make Torin believe that? Would you rather I get Meg to out you to Uncle Aldric?" Cal spun on Ravyn at that last challenge.

"I hope you end up just like your mother, Ravyn. Killed by her husband because she couldn't keep it in her pants. Goodness knows you deserve it." Before Ravyn could break away from her shock, her hurt, her betrayal, Cal had disappeared down the hall.

For months, Ravyn had held out hope for Cal. She'd convinced both herself and Torin that there was hope for the couple. She'd given him every chance. She'd tried to be patient. She tried to use his own tactics against him. She'd even tried to be supportive and loving as a last resort. Even threats hadn't brought his true self to the surface.

And he told her she deserved the worst fate she could imagine, something that was truly her worst nightmare. Cal knew this, and he said this on purpose to hurt her. Ravyn knew that, but that didn't make it any less hurtful, because there was something Cal that happened only with family. When he said horrible things to them, no matter how cruel or despicable, he only said it if it was the truth. And that hurt more than any of Cal's other behavior. Because she knew deep inside that he was right. She knew that if she wasn't careful, this was what she had coming.