Impulsive

17. Callie

It's Monday afternoon and guess where I am? School. After Dean dropped me off at Ava's, her and I talked everything over. She told me that she's been rooting for us ever since that family BBQ where I first met Dean and Dominik.

I've thought about it myself since then and even though I'm a little nervous, I want to do this. After my month-long binge, I think after sobering up, I finally realized what I was doing would not work out for me in a good way. I don't want to end up like my parents and if I stayed on the path I was on, I certainly would have.

I did as I was asked and got all my makeup work from the last few weeks and Ava agreed to help me with what she could.

"So I think we should grab some food on the way home and then get started on all your missing assignments. That way it'll be easier to catch up in the long run." Ava says as we walk out of school together.

"Yeah, that's a good idea, and thanks for helping me by the way."

"Cal, I'll always be there to help. Plus I've been waiting for this for so long, can't let you mess it up now."

I roll my eyes at her, hating that she could be a bit right but I'm not going to tell her that. I'd like to think I can do this by myself without messing up. But what happens if I do? Are they just gonna throw me to the side? "I'm capable of taking care of myself, Av."

"I know you are but it doesn't hurt to have a little bit of guidance." I guess she is right. Just until I get a hold of everything.

"Hey, Cal?" Ava says as I look down at the progress report of my missing assignment on the front of my binder.

"Yeah?" I say, seeing her hand raise from the corner of my eyes. I look up to see what she's pointing at to see Dean standing there outside my school, leaning against his car. Looking like the Greek goddess he is. "Did you know he was coming here?"

I shake my head, answering her. Ever since they dropped me off at Ava's and said they were going to give me space to think, we haven't been in contact all that much. Just a few check-in texts here and there.

We start walking in the direction of where he is and I start to get nervous all of a sudden. What's he doing here, not that I don't like that he's here, I'm just surprised, that's all.

"Hey, Ava," Dean says happily as we approach. "Callie." He smiles as he addresses me.

"Hey, Dean!" Ava says, going up and hugging him. I loathed seeing that, even though their family. I loathed that she can do that so freely. I want to hug him and be close to him but I'm still not sure where we stand. Besides that, I was never the one to openly show affection unless it was Ava and maybe sometimes James. Mostly when I was high or something but still. "What are you doing here?" She asks as I stand there quietly like an idiot.

"I'm here to pick up this one." He says pointing to me. "I thought she'd have quite a bit of work to do."

"We'll look like you got another study partner after all!" Ava says, clapping her hands together. "I'll see you at home later?" She asks, more asking Dean than me.

I go to shrug, looking up at Dean. I don't know the right protocol here. "I'll drop her off later tonight," Dean says, answering for me.

"Okay! Good, I'll see you later then." Ava says, handing me her binder for some reason. I don't question it, I just take it and set it on top of mine.

Dean walks over to his car and opens the passenger door, motioning for me to get in. "How was school?" Dean asks after he came around and got in the driver's seat.

"It was good. Long though."

"I would think so. Did you get all your homework from the last few weeks?"

"Yep. Spent lunch and break picking it up from all my teachers." I explain.

"Glad to hear it. Did they ask why you were out for so long?" Dean asks, as he turns the car on and pulls out from the school.

"Yeah. I just said I was sick." I shrug, fiddling with the binder in my lap.

"Lying?" He asks, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

My face heats under his gaze. I never thought about it like that. "Well, I couldn't really tell them I was on a bender and all that shit."

Dean laughs, shaking his head. "It would be best if you get used to not using that type of language. Especially in front of Nik."

"Sorry," I mumble. I'm already messing this up for myself. "Hey, Dean?" I ask, deciding to just ask him instead of letting it fester in my head. He hums in response, focusing on the road. "What happens if I mess up?"

He raises his head looking at me for a second before looking back to the road. "You get punished." He says simply, shrugging. That's it? They're not going to push me away or think I'm not good enough? Don't get me wrong, the idea of punishment is both frightening and exciting. Does that make me a crazy person?

"What kind of punishment?"

"I think we should have this conversation with Dominik." He says with a bit of amusement laced in his voice. Was it wrong to be curious about that topic?

It wasn't long until we reached their house, quite a big house now that I'm really looking at it. Just like he did when I got in, he comes around and opens my door for me and we walk up the step together.

"Alright. To the kitchen table, you go." He says after getting into the house, pushing me off in that direction. "Start on your homework and I'll make dinner, okay?"

I nod in response, sitting at the edge of the table. Dean always had this way where he formed everything like a question but for some reason, it felt more like a demand. He just phrased things more softly. Unlike Dominik, he just demands, no questions about it. I kinda liked it.

A few minutes into doing my homework, I realized that Ava also gave me her binder. For what reason, I have no idea but I got curious. I open her binder to see she had all her finished and graded assignments in the front pocket. Most likely the ones that I missed. I knew there was a reason why I loved that girl so much. After a few seconds of looking, I finally find the one I'm working on and easily copy and jot down all her answer. Damn, this is gonna be faster than I thought!

I go on like this for a while, sometimes getting distracted by Dean who was walking around the kitchen making dinner. God, why'd he have to be so hot and distracting? I get snapped out of my trance by hearing the front door open.

"Hey!" Dominik calls out as his footsteps get closer to the kitchen. He stops behind me making me look over my shoulder to see him staring down at what I was working on. I quickly snap Ava's binder close but I guess I was too late since he's already scowling down at me. He reaches around me and grabs Ava's binder from the table.

"Do your own work, Callie!" He growls, setting the binder on the kitchen counter.

"Hello to you too," I grumble, writing down the rest of the problem I memorized from Ava's binder. At least I got a few pages done before Mr. Grumpy pants ruined it for me. I look over to Dean to see if he'll save me but instead he's just scowling while mixing whatever he was cooking. Damn. These two really are two peas in a pod.

"How was school?" Dominik asks as he took a seat at the table next to me.

"Good," I answer shortly. I felt more at ease talking to Dean for some reason. I just haven't talked to Dominik as much as I have with Dean. He is quite nice to look at though, especially wearing a tie.

"Everything okay?" He asks, throwing me off guard for a second. It's such a normal thing to ask but for some reason, I hadn't expected it.

"Everything's good," I answer, nodding my head. I offer a small smile and surprisingly he offers one back. Which made me feel some kind of warmth.

"Alright Cal, clean up your space. Dinners ready." Dean says, taking out plates from the cabinet. "And maybe after dinner, we can answer those questions you had in the car." He says, sending a wink my way. I blush at the mention of my questions, especially since Dominik was looking at me with a curious look on his face.