Chapter 4
614 Words
The month flew by.
I spent my twentieth birthday at Callum's house, just me and his whole family.
The moment I blew out the candles and finished my wish, Callum pulled out our marriage license. His parents, Nicole and James Johnson, teared up on the spot.
Nicole took my hands in hers. "Sweetheart, I've finally kept my promise to your mom and dad. Callum is going to treat you right. We'll pick out a good date for the wedding, and you two can go look at dresses. Choose whatever you love. Get something gorgeous, and don't you worry about the price."
I looked at Nicole, and the tears just came.
My parents died on the job when I was young.
I'd grown up safe and healthy, and Nicole had been a big part of that.
She'd been good to me, as good as a real mother.
I couldn't bear to think about how I'd face her after all this.
After I started suspecting Callum, I planted a bug in his car and even tracked down a professional who taught me how to tell a real marriage license from a fake one.
Just yesterday, I heard what Callum said to his friends.
"Get me a fake marriage license, and make it look real. It needs to fool Summer. I'm taking Amelia to city hall this afternoon, so we're on a tight schedule. If Summer calls, cover for me and tell her I'm hanging out at your place."
His friend sounded uneasy. "What if Summer figures it out? A fake license won't hold up anywhere. You're basically making her the other woman."
Callum took a long moment to answer. The whole car stayed quiet.
Then he sighed, "She's had me her entire life. The engagement party was with her, the wedding's going to be hers, and in name, she gets to be my wife. The least I can do is give Amelia something real. Besides, Summer's been with me all these years, and there's never been anyone else. Even if some guy shows up down the road, he'd think twice once things got serious. Who's she going to end up with, if not me?"
*****
So when Callum handed me that marriage license, I knew it was fake the second I touched it.
That night, Callum drove me home. He said the student council still had some things he needed to handle, and he told me not to wait up.
Then he left.
Ten minutes later, give or take, a text from Amelia popped up on my phone.
Amelia: Summer, I heard you and Callum got your license. Congratulations! Now I've got a little secret of my own. I got mine today too, with the man I love. Don't be mad I didn't tell you sooner. I wanted to wait until it was official, since you're my best friend. I picked today on purpose so the two of us could get married on the same day, just like sisters. You'll be happy for me, won't you?
She'd attached a photo showing a marriage license and two hands laced together, each with a ring.
I recognized Callum's hand right away. The ring on Amelia's finger was identical to the one on mine.
I wanted to laugh, but a strange bitterness rose in my throat instead.
The laugh never came.
I took my time typing out a reply.
Summer: Congratulations, Amelia.
The first light of morning crept into the room, and Callum still wasn't back.
I slid the ring off my finger and set it upside down on the nightstand. Then I dialed a number I hadn't called in ages.
"Come pick me up," I said. "Right now."
- Writer
