Work Text:
Snow Day
“I know you didn’t plan for things to work out this way, dad. It’s not a big deal, really.” The teenager on the phone paused, fidgeting with the red scarf looped around his neck as he listened to the man on the other end.
“We’ll be fine either way, Dad, seriously. But if Amaya wants to come stay with us that’s OK, too. I’m fourteen. It’s not a big deal either way. … What’s that? Yes, of course I can get a parking space cleared for her. … OK. Yeah, please give us a call when you can get confirmed for a flight. ... No, like I said, school’s closed, but it’s really not that bad here, nothing like what shut the airport down where you are. … Love you too, Dad. Bye.”
Callum hung up the phone with a sigh. He had hoped to use this snow day to prepare for his honors biology exam. Blessed though he was with an eidetic memory, he still had to work to put the pieces into useful order. As his teacher, Mr. Ibis, liked to say, “If you have a good memory, or are good at thinking, you can get a B with a little work. If you want an A, be prepared to do both.”
It was a really bad time for Ezran to have a broken wrist. Not that he was seriously blaming Ezran for breaking his wrist. He wasn’t even blaming Ellis - although it was her roof that they were jumping off of into a not as big as it looked snow pile. He just didn’t want to spend all of that time shoveling snow when there was so much else to do. And reneging on his promise to bake cookies with Ezran - not on the table. Callum was sure Ez would demand that he drop the baking cookies plan if he knew how his brother was stressing, which was unfortunate as it took away the option of complaining.
He gazed out the window at the powdery water that was both his salvation and the impediment to his ambitions. Suddenly, his eyes widened with inspiration. A lone figure was walking down the street with a shovel slung over their shoulder, the hallmark of an ambitious soul working the storm for financial gain.
Callum stepped out on his front porch and called out, waving an arm for good measure. “Hey, are you looking for work? What do you charge and can you help me right now?”
_____________________________________________________________________
Rayla was starting to feel the morning’s work, but figured she had one more good driveway and walks combo in her before she really had to get home to her studies. Biology, in particular, had her a little concerned. It was bad enough that her old school had offered freshman Earth Science, so as a transfer student she was a year older than most of the kids in her honors biology class. She wanted to get the A, but the words of her teacher, Mr. Ibis, kept running through her head: “If you have a good memory, or are good at thinking, you can get a B with a little work. If you want an A, be prepared to do both.” She couldn’t let snow keep her from her ambitions.
A shout from her left drew her attention. A boy was standing on the porch of a large house waving his arm and calling to her about “helping him right now.” She almost passed it by. She usually avoided jobs where she might run into someone from one of her classes, and his idea of “helping” was probably going to mean he would sit inside and stay warm until a parent paid her for her efforts. “Ah well,” she thought, “One more for the road, and by the look of the house they can afford to make it worth my while.” She turned and headed his way, stomping through the several inches of powdery snow to stand at the base of the house steps.
“Yeah, what d’ya need?” Rayla asked, setting the stage to ask for a bigger than usual rate. “I’m on my way home to study - I have some big exams coming up.”
“Yeah, I get that. I’m trying to study too, but I just found out I need to get this stuff cleared up fast and my brother is sidelined with a broken wrist. Can you help? You’re Rayla, right? I’m Callum.”
Rayla was taken aback for a moment. “How did he know her name? Was he in one of her classes?” She really didn’t think so. She wasn’t doing any activities yet … “Weird.”
She almost took the pass on the basis of his unexpected familiarity alone, but he seemed safe enough, and he sounded a little desperate. And she couldn’t deny it was intriguing that a reasonably cute boy somehow knew her name. “OK, what are we talking? I suppose by ‘we’ you mean ‘me’, and that you’ll be inside playing video games while I earn your parents’ cash?”
“Wait, what? Oh no. First, this is coming out of my pocket. I need to get this stuff cleaned up fast before my aunt comes over. Secondly, I’ll be out here, too. I just know I’ll never get it done in time by myself.”
“Well, damn,” Rayla thought. “There goes the big squeeze play. But I’ll be out of here faster, too, so maybe it balances.”
“OK, I’m in. Let’s see how long it takes. I usually ask $20/hr, but since you’re paying, how does $12 sound?”
“Seriously? For that I’ll bake you cookies, too! Hang on a sec while I get my coat on and tell my brother. Do you want to step inside? Do you need a drink of water or anything? Winter air is pretty dry. If you’ve been doing this all morning you’re probably getting dehydrated.”
When Callum slowed down for a breath Rayla answered his questions, reassuring him that she had a water bottle and no, she did not want to go in and warm up, because it would just be that much harder to start working again.
“Right, well, you want to just start here, and I’ll be right out?” Callum disappeared into the house but was back again almost immediately. “My brother’s watching anime, so he’s set. I just need to get my shovel.”
With that Callum disappeared around the corner of the house but was back promptly, armed with a shovel. “I’ll just start on the other end, and we can work back to the middle?”
“Sounds like a plan.” Rayla soon decided that shoveling toward each other was definitely a mixed bag. On the one hand, it was motivating to see the progress Callum was making. Her natural competitiveness drove her to set a fast pace as she worked. The flip side, however, was that she couldn’t ignore that Callum was there, and the idea that he had known her name wouldn’t rest.
From the other end of the walk, Callum felt the pressure of trying to keep up. It was no secret that he was “soft” as his Aunt Amaya liked to say. Could he help it that his favorite activity was the definitely sedentary pastime of doing art: sketches, mostly, but also some painting and even a little ceramics lately? He was regretting it now, as the girl on the other end of the snow was marking much faster progress. He tried not to get distracted by the fact that Rayla Ghealach was at his house, but his mind tended to wander free range, and today was no exception. “Was it weird that I knew her name? She looked like it was weird to her. Damn. She’s going to think I’m a stalker. Am I a stalker? I just had friends in 1st hour biology tell me her name. And how she usually does on tests. And stuff. Gods, I am a stalker. But she’s gotta know I’m harmless. What if I’ve ruined my chances for friendship already. Idiot. And people say I’m intelligent…” And so Callum’s brain spiraled even as he tried to work and stay focused.
Faster than either Rayla or Callum had expected, the two were clearing the last bits of snow from the sidewalk between them. Rayla threw Callum a smile that almost unnerved him completely. “Well met, partner! That wasn’t too bad. What’s next?”
“Ahh, let’s just work from the street to the garage. That way there will be a place for my aunt to park even if we’re not done yet. Does that make sense? You’re the professional here.” Callum hoped that this last comment was OK. In his head it was a joke, to put the situation more at ease, but once words were out he was sure that he’d just sounded like an idiot.
“Yep, that’s me. Snow removal specialist in the peak of my work season here. Come spring I’ll be moving on to cooler climates.” Rayla replied, immediately worrying that she came across as too harsh. “Ugh, was that too OTT? He was just talking, did I intimidate him? Me and my dragon mouth… Ethari always said snapping on people would get me into trouble.”
Callum stood awkwardly for a moment, before heading to the street end of the driveway. “Right. I guess that’s how we’ll do it, then. Ummm, just work from the middle out? Sort of clear it back along a line?” And with that he dug in, not waiting for a reply. They worked quietly, each wondering what the other was thinking.
They reached the garage faster than either of them had actually wanted to, Rayla building up the courage to just ask how the boy had known her name. “At this point it can’t do more harm…” But in her nervous state she failed to observe where meltwater from the garage roof had frozen into black ice prior to the storm. Stepping on it, she went down hard, too fast to even make a sound, her shovel clattering across the newly cleared pavement as her arms wind-milled.
Callum whirled to look for her, his breath catching in his throat at the sight of her prone figure. “Rayla, are you OK? Can you talk? Did you hit your head?” He knelt next to her, not sure if she would want to be touched, waiting for any response.
After a moment of lying on the ground, Rayla realized she had better do something. The fall had hurt. A lot. Her pride was perhaps hurt more, although she was becoming aware of a throbbing on the back of her head that suggested she had probably hit that on the pavement, too.
“Em OK,” she finally groaned, eliciting a sigh of relief from Callum.
“Just stay put a sec, then, OK?” Callum responded. “Let me put up the shovels and then I’ll help you up.”
“No, really, I’m OK. It’s no biggie.”
“With all due respect, Rayla, I’m going to need to make that decision for myself. My dad made me learn first aid so that I can stay home with my brother. I’m not going to just set that aside.”
“You’re being annoying. I’m OK,” Rayla tried to protest, but the boy held her down with a firm hand on her shoulder.
“Annoying is not the same as wrong. I assume you do not want me to call an ambulance.”
“What? Gods no!"
“Then stay put a sec. We’ll get you into the house and check it out. Really, I am certified. I’m not going to get in your way if you’re OK, and I’m not going to just let you go if you’re not.” Callum was more than a bit surprised at his assertiveness, but he remembered that it was what the training had directed. “Do we have a deal?”
“Certifiable is more like it,” Rayla grumbled, “but if the alternative is flashing lights and medical professionals, then yeah, we’ll do it your way.”
“Thank you,” Callum nodded, even as his insides began to squirm. In a minute he was going to have Rayla Ghealach sitting in his kitchen while he checked her head for injury… He was going to need to look into those eyes, her beautiful, mesmerizing eyes, to check for a concussion! He felt a thrill of terror and excitement shoot through his body from somewhere behind his navel.
“You clumsy … left-footed … ugh!” Rayla berated herself, unable to finish the thought out of sheer frustration and embarrassment. "How thorough is he going to be? Is he going to do a concussion check? Nooo, those green eyes. Let me die now!”
Awkward as it was, Rayla had to admit that it was nice to have Callum help her up. The shock of the fall notwithstanding, lying on the frozen ground for several minutes had caused her muscles to stiffen up after the heavy work of shoveling snow all morning.
Callum escorted Rayla to his house and into the large kitchen, where he helped her sit on a tall stool. After calling to Ezran to get a bag of peas from the freezer, he turned back to his unexpected guest and patient. "Ummm, is it OK if I take your hat off?” He asked carefully, trying to ignore the heat creeping up his face and into his ears.
“Yeah, I guess,” Rayla replied, trying to remain nonchalant. She had to admit that nodding in agreement was more painful than she had expected.
“Now, can I, ahhh touch the back of your head? Just a little - to check for blood, and to see if there’s much of a lump?”
“More likely you should check for damage to the driveway from this hard-headed Xadian,” Rayla tried to joke in self-deprecating humor.
“Ahh, no worries. Dad has a contractor do sealing and patching every summer. We’ve got that covered.” Callum was pretty sure that actually had been funny, and Rayla’s smile and brief giggle left him feeling more confident about the situation.
He carefully moved his fingertips through Rayla’s silvery blonde hair, trying not to get lost in the softness of it as he checked for blood or a lump. The hiss of Rayla’s breath and her slight shudder told him that he had found the point of impact, but it didn’t take him long to determine that there was only a small bump, no larger than an egg from a lesser sunbird.
“Well, that’s not too bad, but we’ll want to put something cold on it,” Callum mused almost as if talking to himself. Then, more loudly, “Where is that brother of mine?” Stepping in front of Rayla he gave her a quick warning, “This is gonna be loud … EZRAN! PEAS! NOW! ... That should do it. Now just one more thing. Eye check for concussion.”
Both teens gulped nervously as Callum turned to look Rayla full in the face. “OK, just look at me, and I’ll check your pupils.”
“Moon and stars, she’s beautiful,” thought Callum, even as he tried to maintain his focus and compare the twin pupils.
Rayla fared slightly better, fighting against the allure of his too kind, too green eyes. “Hello, you get lost in there?” she teased, blushing as she did so. It felt too personal for someone she hadn’t even known existed two hours ago, even though she was pretty sure that she was glad to know of him now.
“Oh, erm, yeah. Well, if they’re different it’s just a small difference. I was just trying to be sure,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck and suddenly unable to meet her eyes at all.
“Anyway, how about we put something cold on that bump. I was going to heat some soup and make grilled cheese - you hungry?” Callum asked her while looking in the cupboards, not wanting to see her reaction if she declined the offer. “I mean, my training would say that you should rest a bit longer anyway, and it would be weird if we were eating while you were sitting with a bag of peas on your head.”
“Yeah, super weird!” came a voice from the other side of the room. A short boy entered the room carrying a bag of peas. “And THANK YOU for taking these peas off of our hands! Finally a good use for them! I’m Ezran, by the way. Please eat with us. Callum never has friends over, so you must be special. We’re studying the phases of the moon in science class. It’s full tonight - I’ll bet you have, like special moon powers or something!” Ezran exclaimed, ceasing his monologue to turn a bright smile to her.
“I suppose it would be rude to turn down two invitations,” Rayla chuckled. “Not that I can’t be rude, if the situation calls for it, of course. But I don’t think that this one does,” adding, “Yet,” after a dramatic pause, which brought another wide grin to the younger brother’s face.
“Great!” Callum exclaimed. Handing Rayla the peas, he turned to Ezran. “Assemble three cheese sandwiches for grilling if you please! I’ll put the soup on, and then … The table, together!” Callum declared with a dramatic flourish of a long handled ladle.
A short time later the three were settled along one side of a round wooden table. “This soup is really good!” Rayla declared. “Where did you get it?”
“Oh, Ez and I made it yesterday. Ez is actually a really good cook, and I provide assistance and technical support.”
“He’s just being nice. I offer my opinion on some of the seasonings, but Callum’s the real cook here. Wait until he makes cookies after lunch!”
“Oh, I’m not sure how much longer I can stay. I have a lot of studying to do, and my dads will expect me home soon, or I’ll need to call. But making cookies sure sounds like fun, and I think they’re part of my compensation package,” Rayla smirked, sending Callum a wink that looked much bolder than she felt.
“Wh - what were you going to study?” Callum managed to say through a wink-induced brain skip. “I could use help studying biology. Ummm, maybe you could quiz me while I make the cookies? You have 1st period honors biology with Ibis, right?”
Rayla felt heat rise in her cheeks once more at the revelation that Callum knew her science schedule. There was a time, at her old school, when she would have taken this as an opportunity to threaten a boy with bodily harm, but here and now it felt … nice. There was no denying that Callum had put some effort into learning more about her than her face and her name. “Yes, I have the genetics unit test coming up. I assume that’s the one you’re worrying about? I’ll admit, I am a bit scared right now.”
“Well, what would it take for you to agree to stay? I can ask my aunt if she can give you a ride home afterwards.”
“Really, do you think she would mind? I would love someone to study with, to be honest, but I’ll need to ask my dads. I don’t know what they’ll say, since they’ve never met you.”
“Oh, Aunt Amaya will be thrilled and will do whatever she can to help Callum study with a pretty girl!” Ezran laughed, running away even as Callum tried to grab him. “Careful of the wrist, careful of the wrist!” he called out, holding it aloft like a flag of truce.
Blushing fiercely, Callum dropped his pursuit and started to clear the table. “Just, um, wait here while I take care of these things. Then we can call my aunt if you want, or maybe you want to get away from this house of weirdos.” He turned away and left for the kitchen before Rayla could answer, leaving her to wander the room.
_____________________________________________________________________
“Are all of these pictures yours? The ones with the CP initials?” Rayla asked, sounding impressed. “They’re amazing.”
“Thanks, yeah, they are. Thanks. That’s where I go for lunch everyday. Ms Lujanne lets me eat in the art rooms and work. It’s easier than dealing with the cafeteria scene.”
“Oh. I suppose it would be. I didn’t realize that you don’t eat in the cafeteria.”
Callum coughed self-consciously. “Well, why would you, really. It’s not like we have classes together or anything.”
“Hey, it’s not like that at all. I think I’d notice you if we had lunch together,” she murmured, blushing. “But I don’t eat very much for lunch, just some fruit and maybe granola bars or something, and I eat in the free-reading room in the learning center. Ms Opeli lets me … she says she can never turn away a student who wants to read,” Rayla chuckled, rolling her eyes.
“But maybe we could have lunch together sometimes, now that we’ve actually met and I haven’t had to break your arm or anything … yet.” She threw in another playful wink and smirked when Callum again faltered.“It’s not nice, even if it is fun,” she reprimanded herself, doubting that it would stop being fun anytime soon.
“Wow, yeah, I would like that. A lot, actually,” Callum managed to reply. “I’ll bet Ms Lujanne would let you come in there if you were just reading, or if you wanted to work on your own art or something."
Callum’s phone rang, causing the two teens to jump. He opened a video chat and leaned his phone against a small basket on a shelf. “Hi Amaya,” he greeted a woman’s image, speaking the words as he signed. “I was just going to call you!”
“Yes, that’s what your brother said. He gave me the impression it would be a little sooner, actually,” Amaya replied, smirking. “So where is your new study buddy? Is she still there?”
“Oh, wow, Ezran didn’t leave any surprises, did he?” Callum signed, groaning for Rayla’s benefit as he did so. “If it’s OK with her family, may she stay and study? I told her we could probably give her a ride home.”
“Of course!” signed his aunt, beaming. “Check with her family, of course. Give them my contact information if they want to talk with me. Ask your friend if she wants to join us for dinner - I’ll pick up pizzas if she does. Find out now, please. I want to leave soon ... My nephews are home unsupervised, getting up to all sorts of hijinx, no doubt.”
Rayla’s eyes grew momentarily wide. “She would really do that if I stayed longer? That’s so kind. Are you sure I’m not interfering? I don’t want to be a bother, really.”
“Of course! She’ll call right now. I’ll call you right back,” Callum assured his aunt.
Rayla got out her phone but hesitated to call her home. “Are you sure your aunt was serious? I mean, she already has to change her routine to come here instead of going home. Won’t I be getting in the way of your family time? I’m sure she didn’t expect to be dealing with an extra teenager.”
“Rayla, just stop. That's crazy talk. How could you possibly be a bother? You’re smart and strong and pretty … sure, I’m pretty sure that I would still be shoveling if you hadn’t come along, and you almost got a concussion helping me out. It’s better than OK if you stay for dinner. If you want to … If you don’t want to, that’s a completely different question, and you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.” Callum paused before carefully adding, “I’ve really enjoyed having you here today. If you want to stay, I’d like that, too.
“I’ll just go start the cookies. Whatever happens, I need to pay my debts!”
A few minutes later Rayla walked into the kitchen, talking into her phone. She turned the camera to capture Callum measuring ingredients into a large ceramic mixing bowl.
“Callum, would you mind talking to my dad?
“Ethari, this is Callum, I helped shovel his sidewalk and driveway. Callum, this is my dad, Ethari.”
“Good afternoon, sir.”
“So, my daughter tells me that your family has invited her to stay for dinner? A little extreme for just hired help, wouldn’t you say?” Ethari asked, his tone betrayed by the twinkle of his eyes.
“Extreme? Not at all, sir! Rayla was a life saver for me, and she even agreed to take part of her payment in cookies. Since I am the one paying her, I really appreciate that!”
“So you bake? What else do you do in the kitchen?”
“Ethari,” Rayla groaned, “If you must know, he also made a delicious spicy tomato soup from scratch for lunch, but do we need to do this now?”
“It’s OK, sir. I actually was hoping that Rayla could also help me study for our next biology exam. It’s going to be really big, and I’ve heard that she’s the top student in her section. It would be a big help to me.”
“Oh, using her for her brawn AND her brain, eh? What’s in it for her? Where do you rank in your class section?”
Callum began to lose his nerve. Harrow had done his best to teach both of his sons how to handle social situations, but this had already been an emotionally draining day for him. Still, he did his best. “Ummm. I’m actually the top average in my section. I like to think studying together would help Rayla, too, if she wants to, that is.”
“I’d say it’s pretty obvious that she wants to. She would be out the door already if she wanted to leave. You don’t really sound like someone who would try to keep her there if she wanted to leave, and no offense, but you really don’t look like you could stop her if you tried. But I expect you to walk her to the front door and introduce yourself when you bring her home. If you’re willing to do that, then she may stay.”
“Thank you, sir. I look forward to meeting you this evening.”
Rayla walked back into the dining room still talking on the phone, her ears a bright scarlet. She returned a few moments later with Callum’s biology textbook and notes in her hands.
“Hey, before we get started, would you mind texting Amaya and letting her know that you’re staying, and what kind of pizza you like.”
“Sure, Callum. So, you’re really going to my house to meet my dads? We’ve only just met.”
“Honestly, my dad and my aunt would expect me to, even if your dad hadn’t asked for it. Erm … to be honest, though, ah … I’m uh, kinda hoping this isn’t a one snow day thing,” Callum added, averting his eyes and trying to keep his voice even.
“We’ll see. I haven’t had to be rude yet, and Ezran has the only broken arm. So far so good, I’d say,” Rayla teased, before speaking again in a voice that was suddenly much smaller. “Ummm. Callum, how did you know my name, and my biology schedule? Are you just interested in my brain?”
“Honestly?” Callum asked. He hesitated, taking a deep breath. “I’m not a stalker, I promise! But finding out that you were in 1st block biology was kind of a big breakthrough for me. I noticed you during the first week of school, but figured you were older and out of my league and everything, but then whenever I saw you, you were alone, so I started trying to find out more about you.
“This is really hard to do, by the way. Talking about this without sounding like a stalker or a weirdo, or just freaking out. But anyway, to answer your question, biology came long after I realized that I wanted to meet you. And this is going to go down in history as the best snow day ever,” he finished in a rush.
Rayla couldn’t hide her smile. She didn't even try.