Unlikely Heroes

Cal hadn’t experienced death until Brett was killed. His grandparents on his father’s side had passed away, but he’d never met them. With Brett gone, everything almost seemed dream like. He felt like nothing was real, and that he was going to wake up at any moment. But he couldn’t. None of them could. For the next week, everyone was just floating around, with low spirits. Even those who didn’t know Brett were pretty bummed, just from the idea that someone their age, who went to their school, was dead. They’d hear about it on the news, but nothing compared to the real thing.

Leon seemed to take it the worst out of all of them. As if he didn’t already have enough problems, Cal could tell that behind his mask, Brett’s death had really fucked him up. The three of them were brothers, and Leon had already lost enough of his family. The scariest part was how well he could hide the pain. If Cal didn’t know him so well, he never would have guessed how dark Leon’s thoughts must have been.

For the first time in a long time, Cal wasn’t headed anywhere after school. Because of Brett, he took a little bit of time off of work, and he trusted Emma with his car. He really couldn’t focus on either of them. As much as he wanted to visit Mikaela again, her father was home from his most recent trip. He knew she could take care of herself, and Shirley was keeping him busy with work, but Cal would’ve been the next to get shot if he stepped onto Paul Chase’s property while Paul was there. Instead he sat in the parking lot with Leon, skipping their last class to sit on the hood of his junky old car and try to be their normal selves again.

“You know, it doesn’t make sense,” Cal muttered, picking at a scratch on Leon’s car.

“What doesn’t make sense?” he asked.

“Why they’d go after Brett,” Cal shrugged. “I was thinking about it, and this guy was looking for Brett specifically.”

“What makes you say that?” Leon questioned.

“Dana said that he told them to hand over their phones and wallets, and before he shot Brett, he checked his driver’s license,” Cal told him. “Why would he do that, unless he wanted to make sure it was the right guy? Plus, he didn’t even give two shits about Dana. If the guy wanted to kill them just for the hell of it, he’d kill both of them, wouldn’t he?”

Leon thought about it a moment, then shrugged. “You need to stop thinking about it.”

“It’s hard not to,” Cal muttered.

“Actually, it’s pretty easy,” Leon told him, reaching over into his backpack and fishing out a black water bottle.

Cal gave him a weird look, confused until he opened the cap and smelled the contents inside. He chuckled and shook his head, giving Leon a look. Leon, however, was busy digging around for what he needed to roll a blunt.

“You know I don’t do this anymore,” Cal reminded him.

“Yeah, because Mikaela doesn’t like it,” Leon said, looking around to make sure the coast was clear before rolling the blunt on the hood of his car. “But didn’t you say you’re not seeing her today?”

“Yeah, but still,” Cal muttered, watching him. In the situation they were in, drugs and alcohol were just too tempting.

“Come on, you’ve been clean for months now,” Leon said, rolling his eyes. “And Mikaela doesn’t even have to know.”

Cal wanted to say no, but it would be a lie if he said he didn’t want to. He glanced over his shoulder before taking the bottle and drinking from it, wincing and shuddering.

“Jesus, what the hell is that?” Cal asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” he smirked. “Let’s just say that about a quarter of it can get you shitfaced.”

“You’re fucking insane,” Cal laughed, taking the blunt and the lighter.

Not long later, both he and Leon were fucked out of their minds and giggly in the student parking lot. Cal wasn’t sure what time it was, or what year it even was, but the parking lot had cleared completely and they were still laughing uncontrollably at nature documentaries in Leon’s car.

“Life is great,” Leon laughed. “Someone give my weed guy a blow job or somth’in ‘cuz he deserves it.”

“Well don’t look at me,” Cal said between giggles. “Dude, you know sharks have like ten sets of teeth? I read that.”

“Ten!” Leon gasped in disbelief. “Cal, you are so good at like… animals and shit. You should move to Africa.”

“There’s a million countries in Africa, you dick,” Cal muttered, lazily reaching out to ineffectively smack Leon. “Y’know, Africa isn’t a country. Right? Y’knew that?”

“Yeah, I knew that,” Leon argued. “Hey, where’s the bottle?”

“It’s fucking empty,” Cal told him, tossing it into his lap. “You had, like, all of it.”

Leon was about to say something, but his eyes grew as wide as saucers when he saw something behind Cal. Cal turned around and jumped when he saw Mikaela peering into the car at them. She didn’t look happy. She opened Cal’s passenger side door and cringed.

“Jesus Christ, it smells like a field of weed is on fire in here,” she said, coughing. “Oh my god, what the fuck are you guys doing in here.”

“I can explain,” Cal slurred, about to grab her hand, but she flinched away from him.

“Are you drunk, too?” she questioned. “You guys are fucking cross-faded, aren’t you?”

“What are you still doing here?” Cal asked. “It’s like 2034, you graduated years ago.”

“I had practiced after school, you fucking dumbass,” she snapped, punching his shoulder. “Leon, get out of the driver’s seat and give me your keys.”

“But it’s my car,” he pouted.

“Yeah, and do you intend on driving it in this state?” she said, glaring at him. “Get. In. The. Back.”

Leon quickly did as she asked, letting Mikaela take the wheel as he collapsed in the back seat. She rolled down all the windows and seemed almost nervous to start the car, as if it was going to explode. Her knuckles had turned white on the wheel as she started in the direction of Cal’s house to drop him off first.

“You’re idiots,” she growled. “You’re both fucking idiots.”

“I’m sorry,” Cal frowned, trying to focus on her. “I didn’t think-”

“You didn’t think I’d find out,” she finished. “Cal, is this really the kind of relationship we’re going to have?”

“No, baby, no,” he said quickly. “Y’know I don’t do this, it was just one time…”

“Shut the fuck up,” she snapped at him. “I don’t want to talk to you until you’re sound of mind again. And don’t call me ‘baby’ while you’re wasted.”

Cal was silent until she drove him home, ordering Leon to stay in the car while she took him to the front door and handed him over to Annie. Annie was almost as mad as Mikaela was, though Cal wasn’t sure anyone could match Mikaela. The rest of the day was a blur to him, but the next morning he felt like he’d been hit with a train. He was on the floor rather than the bed, and he wasn’t sure where his shirt had disappeared to. When he looked in the mirror, the troll that lived under the bridge looked back at him. He grimaced and rubbed his eyes, shuffling back to his room to look for his phone. He was hoping for something from Mikaela, but there was nothing. He shouldn’t have expected it. He did break her trust for him, after all.

He sighed and dialed her number, heart sinking with every ring she didn’t pick up on. She finally picked up on the last ring, but she didn’t sound very happy to hear from him.

“Are you normal, again?” she asked.

“Yeah, I am,” Cal mumbled. “Look, I’m really sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Cal, you know how I feel about that kind of stuff,” she said. “You know I don’t like it. And you know, I’m not that mad about what you did. I’m mostly mad that you thought you could do it behind my back, and that I’d never find out.”

“I know, I know it was stupid,” Cal sighed. “I’m really, really sorry. And I promise I haven’t done anything remotely close to it since we started dating. It’s just… been hard.”

Mikaela was silent on the other side of the phone for a long time, until her tone finally softened.

“Cal, please don’t lie to me ever again. Okay?”

“I won’t,” he promised. “Can I come over?”

“My dad is here,” she reminded him.

“I know.”

“I guess,” she sighed. “Just don’t get him mad. He’s been in a really weirdly good mood. He asked me how I’m doing in school this morning.”

“I’ll be over in twenty minutes,” Cal said.

He quickly cleaned himself up and put fresh clothes on. As he did so, he gained a brilliant idea. He loved Mikaela, and he fully intended on showing her that. He grabbed a bag and stuffed enough clothes in it to last the weekend, slinging it over his shoulder. He grabbed a bagel from the kitchen on the way to his father’s office, where Royce Bennett had been working since the early morning. Cal didn’t bother knocking before going in, much to his annoyance as Royce quickly shoved the file in his hand into his desk drawer.

He glanced up at his son, then rolled his eyes and sighed, opening the drawer up again and digging around. He took out a small eye drop bottle, setting it on the edge of the desk. Cal frowned and slowly took the bottle, remembering that his eyes were probably still bloodshot from the night before. He didn’t even need a mirror to do it, since he’d used eye drops to hide his crappy habits so many times before.

“What is it, Cal?” Royce asked. “I’m busy.”

“It’s Saturday,” Cal pointed out, handing the bottle back.

“I work seven days a week. The only difference is that my office here is smaller,” Royce said, taking the bottle. “So I can pay to put food in your mouth. Now, what do you need? I know you didn’t just come here to say hi.”

“I need money,” Cal said.

“A lot of people need money, Cal,” Royce said monotonously, turning his attention back to whatever was on the computer screen in front of him. “You should be well aware that you are not one of them.”

“Just for the weekend, Dad,” he asked. “I’ll work it off over the summer.”

“How much do I need to give you before you finally let me go?” Royce sighed.

“Just connect my card to your bank account, and I’ll write down everything I buy,” Cal said. “Oh, and I need you to call that hotel you have a personal suite in. I just need the suite for a night.”

Royce’s eyes widened as he looked back up at Cal in disbelief. “Connect your card to my account? Cal, money doesn’t grow on trees. And that suite is for when I go over there on business. It’s paid for by RedPalm.”

“You took Mom there last year,” Cal pointed out.

“It was our anniversary,” Royce argued. “When you keep a marriage for twenty-five years, you can have the room, too.”

“Dad, please?” Cal begged. “It’s just one weekend. It’ll really mean alot to me. I’ve been through a lot recently, and it’s really been hard on Mikaela, and-”

“Mikaela?” Royce asked. “You’re doing all this for your girlfriend?”

“Yeah, that was the plan,” Cal shrugged. “Just trust me.”

Royce closed his eyes for a moment, sighing and shaking his head.

“Fine,” he said, giving in. “I’ll call the hotel and get the room ready, but you only get it for one night. And don’t you dare tell either of your sisters I’m doing this for you. And whatever you buy, you write it down. You’re going to pay every penny of it back to me. Every. Penny. And don’t think I won’t be keeping an eye on your online statement for your card.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Cal grinned. “I really appreciate it.”

For a split second, he thought about hugging his father. It had been a long time since he had. However, Royce had already turned away.

“Dad, I need one more thing,” Cal suddenly remembered.

“Jesus, Cal, what the hell is it this time?”



“Where did you get this car?”

Mikaela circled the sleek black BMW Cal had pulled up to her house in, totally shocked. Cal just shrugged, leaning against the car.

“It’s my dad’s car,” he told her. “He let me borrow it for the weekend.”

“Just the weekend?” she asked. “What’s so special about this weekend?”

“I’m taking you somewhere,” he told her.

“Where?”

“Somewhere you’ve never been before, but always wanted to go.”

“Cal,” Mikaela whined. “Don’t do this to me. Tell me where we’re going. Are we going downtown?”

“Nope,” he said, taking her hand and leading her inside. “You pack a bag for a couple of days.”

He went up silently, seeing that some sports announcer was on the tv in the living room and assuming Paul was in there as well.

“Are we going to the city?” she asked.

“Yes and no,” he said. “It’s a city, but not our city.”

Mikaela thought for a little bit longer as she started packing a bag for herself, stuck in a state of surprise.

“I give up,” she said. “Tell me where we’re going.”

“Well, I just thought you’d like to see New York City,” Cal shrugged.

“Shut the fuck up,” Mikaela smirked. “You’re not taking me to New York.”

“I definitely am,” he assured her. “Pick out nice clothes, they’re really stylish over in Manhattan.”

“Cal, if this is a joke, it’s not funny one,” Mikaela argued.

“Well get your stuff packed, and we’ll see whether or not it’s a joke.”

She did as he asked, packing her clothes and a pair of heels by his request, and followed him back out to the car. She still seemed shocked as she loaded her stuff in the trunk of the car.

“Why are you taking me out, anyways?” she asked.

“For one, because I owe you for fucking up last night,” he said. “Two, because we need to get away for a little while. And three, because I love you and I want to do something amazing for you.”

“Everything you do is amazing,” she grinned, pulling him down to kiss him. “Except for getting cross-faded at school. That was fucking stupid.”

They lingered for a little while until the front door slammed and they sprang apart, Cal’s eyes growing wide as Paul Chase came out of the house. Cal noticed that he was noticeably less unkempt than he was the first time Cal saw him. It was incredible what a little Shirley magic could do. Cal tried his best to push the image of it out of his mind. It was just too weird.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay off my property….” Paul started to yell, but his voice trailed off when he saw the car parked outside his house.

Cal froze in the horrific realization that Paul saw this car before. He saw it every day in the employee parking lot. He saw it in the spot reserved for the CEO. Cal could practically see gears turning in his head as he connected the dots. Cal Bennett. Royce Bennett.

“Did you steal this car?” he asked, pointing to the car.

Mikaela answered before Cal could, in Cal’s defense.

“It’s his dad’s car,” she said.

“His dad’s car,” Paul repeated slowly, staring at Cal.

Cal shook his head slightly from behind Mikaela, signaling for him to not mention RedPalm. Paul seemed to understand right away. There was a reason Shirley was being so nice to him, and there was a reason he was away from his daughter so often. But despite it all, he seemed to understand that Cal was the reason he was promoted at work, and that Cal could probably take that promotion away, just as easily.

“I see,” Paul said, taking a step back. “You’re leaving.”

“She’ll be with me all weekend,” Cal said confidently.

He gave Paul a smug grin, and he narrowed his eyes at Cal. He couldn’t lay a finger on him. Cal could get used to that feeling.

“You kids have fun,” Paul grumbled, turning back into the house and slamming the front door.

Cal ushered Mikaela into the car, since she seemed to be in a state of shock. The luxurious interior of the car compared to Cal’s car seemed to shock her even more, and at that moment, she finally believed him when he said he was taking her to New York. It was just a few hours drive from where they lived, and it wasn’t completely unrealistic.

“He’s acting so weird,” she said quietly. “He’s never this nice…”

“I guess he had a change of heart, huh?” Cal smirked.

“I guess so…”

She looked out in shock and excitement as they drove, stopping a couple times at gas stations for junk food before they finally made it to Manhattan, specifically Times Square. Mikaela looked like a little girl, the way she stared at all the bright lights and the yellow cabs honking at each other. When they pulled up to the hotel, Cal thought she might faint.

Luckily, Royce had actually called in and reserved the room. The front desk seemed skeptical to hand over the room keys, but there was no arguing with the paperwork. Mikaela was silent, pressed up against the glass elevator as it went up to the 46th floor, where the RedPalm suite was.

“Cal, how did you find this place?” she said, her voice barely a whisper as he took her hand and led her into the hallway.

“My parents both come here often,” he shrugged. “I know people.”

When they entered the room, Cal was about ready to catch Mikaela before she swooned. She was frozen stiff for a few moments, then suddenly sprang to life and began running around the suite, exploring excitedly. Cal had been in the suite several before, when he was younger and his dad would bring him on business trips to Wall Street, where the main RedPalm building was in hopes that Cal would take an interest in an investment company. Royce visited often to check up on the building, but he never took Cal anymore.

“Calvin, there is an aquarium in the ceiling above the bathtub” Mikaela yelled from the other room.

Cal chuckled and walked over to the bathroom, plucking a couple of cards with the RedPalm logo off the tables and shoving them into his pocket. He swiped another one off the bathroom counter with the soaps and shampoos, careful not to let Mikaela see any of it. She was too distracted by the room to even notice, staring up at the aquarium of colorful fish built into the ceiling above the massive bathtub.

“I’m dreaming,” she sighed. “This is all a dream.”

“Sure feels like it,” he said, kissing the side of her head. “Go curl your hair and put something nice on, I’m taking you somewhere nice for dinner.”

“Serious?”

“Always.”