A Coalition Story

The Worst Accusation Cal Has Ever Received: Making Friends

"Cal, is it true you've made a friend?" Ravyn teased, walking straight into her cousin's dorm. As usual, he didn't look up. Things were still tense between them after he screamed at her, but at least that hadn't changed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said dryly. She plopped down at the foot of his bed since he was sitting up and taking up the rest of the space with his long legs. She was tall, but Cal was really tall. Partly because guys were usually taller than women and partly because he was just a tree.

"Alice said that you told her that she could sit with you and Torin at lunch whenever Ace and I weren't there. She really, really appreciates it." Although Alice was probably too scared of Cal to say how much she appreciated it. He was often terrifying, but Ravyn knew him when he had to wear headgear at night to get that perfect smile of his. He would never scare her fully.

"I'm being nice to Meg's best friend. That doesn't make her my friend." Again, the even tone and dry words. He really didn't realize he knew how to make friends.

"Newsflash: Meg has hated Alice since Christmas and that disastrous dinner because Alice ships you and Torin. They haven't talked in months, and knowing Meg, they're never gonna talk again."

"There is no me and Torin."

Of course, that was all he said in reply. Nothing about his sister being a horrible, cruel person or how his newfound friend had been horribly alone excluding her brother and ex-boyfriend for so long. Nope, Cal decided to comment on his relationship (or professed lack thereof) with Torin.

"You two are sitting together at lunch whenever Ksenia is gone. And since she has those new appointments with training during your scheduled lunchtime, that's every day. Also, you chose to ignore the fact that Meg is being horrible yet again, something you usually would comment on, and just talked about how there is no you and Torin. Face it, Excalibur. You may not be dating him again, yet, but you guys are getting back on good terms."

Finally, Cal placed a bookmark in his book and set it on his nightstand.

"Fine, Ravyn. Torin and I are speaking to each other again civilly. I'm sitting with him at lunch for other reasons that don't pertain to you." Cal's cold stare would send shivers down any normal person's spine and into their soul. But this was Ravyn. She was about as far from normal as it got.

"Two things. One, how does Ksenia feel about this reunion? And two, of course, it pertains to me. Torin's my best friend and you're sadly my cousin. You're also soulmates. This is relevant news." She matched his stare, and after several long moments of silence, Cal decided it wasn't worth it. They were doing this for Ravyn, she may as well know part of it.

"Ksenia doesn't know and isn't going to find out until I decide. And we're planning, Ravyn. Zima hurt you and almost raped Alice. That's not okay, and since the Coalition will never do anything to punish him, Torin and I will."

"Let me guess, Ace started this." Otherwise, there would be no way Cal would be doing this for Alice, too. He'd be upset, but he wouldn't be protecting Alice unless he'd been convinced.

"Of course he did. I'm surprised he hasn't broken down and told you himself."

"Why didn't you guys tell me from the beginning? I understand Alice, trust me. She wouldn't receive this news well, but why not me?" Ravyn frowned as she spoke, genuinely hurt (if only a little bit) that her three best friends had started planning her revenge and hadn't told her about it. Cal sighed before he spoke.

"Because Zima is close to you right now. He's got your dad in his pocket, which isn't hard knowing Uncle Peter, but he's getting closer and we couldn't risk him overhearing anything. I know how careful you are and how well you can keep secrets, but we didn't want to try our luck on this one." Sadly, Cal made sense. Lev was sneaky, cunning, and suspicious. He wouldn't trust anything or anyone, especially if Ravyn started acting okay with this whole marriage plan to mess with his head.

"And what does Ksenia have to do with this? Are you using her to get to Lev?" For the first time in months, Cal smiled, if only a ghostly one.

"Exactly that. He hurt Blackbourne by hurting Alice, and so I'm going to hurt him by hurting Ksenia. I'll lead her on as far as possible since she already thinks I love her and shatter her heart when the worst time comes." Ravyn knew this was cruel and manipulative, but she couldn't stop grinning. There was the Excalibur Cole she knew and somehow loved.

"So that's why you're talking to Torin more. And thank you for finally admitting why you're still together with her. She might be my roommate and my fiancé's sister, but she sucks. And she's head over heels for you. You're a cruel one, Cal, and I love it." Her cousin chuckled and picked up his book again.

"You can go now. But I still haven't made any friends, so don't go telling people I have."

Ravyn grinned at him. "No promises. Alice sees you as less scary, and that's your way of making a friend. So I'm not going to lie." She stood and walked over to the door, grabbing a glass paperweight from his desk and tossing it up in the air before catching it.

"Also, this is for telling me I deserved to end up like my mom." She threw the paperweight (which she knew didn't actually belong to him) at the wall above his head, grinning as the splinters fell on her cousin.

"Don't worry. We're almost even now."

Cal groaned as Ravyn walked out, knowing that he had to change his fresh bedding for the second time that day and that this was only the beginning. He'd messed up with what he'd done to Ravyn, and he really should have known she wasn't just going to forgive him, but he didn't want to know what she had planned next. Cal may have been cruel, but she was straight up nefarious.