The Choice (a Painful Past)

194 Colby's POV

Jimmy scrunched his face up, causing his beard to lift a little. He really did look like some old school biker dude. His beard and mustache blended into one another, reaching all the way down to his chest. His dark blonde hair was thin and probably as long as his beard. Large tattoos were placed over both pecs, with a few scattered on his arms. His light blue jeans were loose, with rips and tears, and holes over the knees. He was sinewy, with tight muscles stretching when he moved. 

His eyes were a deep brown, but one of them had a white scar going straight through it. I knew that was from the accident that Callie had told me about. The man had apparently been building something on the job site, and hit the nail the wrong way with the hammer. A freak accident had caused him to basically lose his sight in one eye. 

I couldn't imagine having a nail just hanging from my eye. I got chills just thinking about it.

"Oh yeah, the explorers, right?" he said, as recognition flashed in his eyes. "I think I've watched a few of the haunted videos that you've done with Ben and Cal. Nice work. I gotta ask though. Is it real, or just faked for the camera?

"Nothing is faked," Sam replied. "We don't do that." Jimmy raised his eyebrow and smirked. "Really? Because I'm sure that I watched something about a doll coming to life." Shit. I remembered that video. It was one of Sam's. Just a stupid YouTube trend that everyone was doing. 

Sam's face flushed for a few seconds, while embarrassment flooded his eyes. "Okay, so we don't do that anymore," he laughed nervously. "Anything that happens in our duo channel is real." 

"I'm just messing with you, dude. Don't freak," Jimmy laughed, a deep bellowing sound, much too large for his skinny frame. 

"Oh, hey Jim. Dinner is ready," Callie said, as she walked back into the kitchen, holding onto her mother's arm. 

"I can see that. Thanks for calling me," he replied, grinning at her. I could see the love between them, as Callie rolled her eyes. "I was going to do that after I got Mom in here." She led her mom to the only chair that had a cushioned seat, and waited by her side until she sat. 

"Well, who are these handsome young men at the table?" her mom asked, looking around at Sam and I with a sweet smile. She had the sweetest face. You know, the kind that just radiated kindness. Her hair was a dark brown, gray scattered throughout it, with the thin strands rolling midway down her back. Her ice blue eyes were bright and full of amusement

"Oh, sorry," Callie replied, with a nervous laugh. "Momma, you remember Colby? And this is his best friend, Sam." "Sam, it's nice to finally meet you," the older woman said, smiling at Sam. "Ben won't stop talking about you. Thank you for being so kind to him." Then her eyes locked with mine. 

"And Colby. You've grown up into a fine young man. Still making my daughter smile. Thank you for that." 

"Mommaaa," Callie groaned, as her face flushed a little. I just smiled, while my heart seemed to flutter inside my chest. 

"What?" her mom asked, innocently. "I'm just saying. You've been happier lately. I missed seeing your real smile." 

Her brother, Jimmy, just chuckled quietly, enjoying the embarrassment that his sister was going through. 

"ANYWAY!" Callie said, loudly. "Why hasn't anyone fixed their plates? What are you waiting on? I cooked. I'm not making your plates too. Except Momma." "We didn't want to start without you!" Sam exclaimed. "That would be rude. Although, this smells so good, I wasn't going to wait too much longer." 

She laughed and I could tell she was a little embarrassed, but she was also pleased. "Well, you don't have to wait any longer. Dig in." Her brother started dipping the food onto his plate, while she grabbed a large, covered bowl from the refrigerator.