nessa: what's a lush
nessa: but no u right. next thing we know i'll be on the floor
nessa: jk i am drinking RESPONSIBLY
nessa: about to have a coke now how about that lol
nessa: omg yes come
nessa: i know you don't wanna miss the shins
cal: I'll tell you when you're older
cal: please don't make me use my first aid/cpr training tonight
cal: jk obviously
cal: but really...try your hardest
cal: I'm proud of you for the coke though, truly.
cal: yeah yeah, I'll be there. Let me get changed and order my ride share.
Where: By the merch booths
When: Saturday, 15th August
Open to: all! @cascadestarters
He had no plans to be here over the weekend until a client decided to tip him with a spare Sasquatch ticket instead of actual money; Kyle would've preferred money but he accepted the ticket anyway. And so he was here, at Lake Emerald for the first time, wondering why he was here, particularly contemplating this as a gaggle of youth stood in line at a merch stand, some doing the six seven thing, a few others doing the scuba dance. All with their phones out, filming various segments, no doubt for TikTok.
"Nothing like a music festival to remind you just how old you are."
Caleb had to bite back a laugh as he passed the merch booths, drink in hand. He'd spent enough time in the ER around teenagers to recognize most of whatever the hell was happening in front of him, but that didn't mean he understood it. âI don't know,â he said, glancing toward the group with an amused expression. âI'm pretty sure you're only officially old when you start complaining about the music being too loud.â
He took another sip, watching as one of the kids enthusiastically performed some dance move he had never even seen or heard of. âAlthough,â he added, nodding toward them, âI did just watch someone record themselves doing that for TikTok, and I'm about thirty seconds away from asking one of them to explain it to me. So maybe we're both screwed.â
"Hey you! Are you enjoying yourself?" Calla was making her way back to the brewery's section after unloading another truck full of drinks and food for day two of the festivities. Half her staff was here and the other holding the fort back at home base. Her phone had been going off constantly, and she hoped for a moment it would cease. "Please tell me you're staying hydrated with water, of course with one of our many drink options!"
Caleb glanced down at the cup in his hand before looking back at Calla, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. âDefine hydrated,â he said, lifting the cup in a mock toast. âBecause if youâre asking whether Iâve had water today, the answer is... technically.â He took another sip "ginger beer and lime." he added before nodding toward the chaos around them. âBut yeah, Iâm enjoying myself. Good music, decent company, and nobodyâs called me a dozen times asking me to save their life yet. Iâd call that a successful afternoon.â
He looked her over for a moment, amusement settling into his expression. âWhat about you? You actually getting to enjoy any of this, or are you just working hard enough to convince everyone else youâre having fun?â
nessa: i mayyyy have had a sip of beer
nessa: i've had the most kareny customers this week at the pink elephant, i deserve it
nessa: but burgers are next. and you're missing out.
nessa: are you gonna come??
nessa: i have that spare ticket remember
cal: a sip? Slow down you little lush. That's enough to make polly pocket tipsy.
cal: I guess I can't pass up a burger in a field with a bunch of sweaty drunk people listening to loud music.
cal: if you have a spare ticket, I'll use it.
CALEB GATES. 30. CISMALE. HE/HIM is here! Theyâve lived in Cascade for 6 MONTHS and currently reside in DOWNTOWN. CAL is a DOCTOR at CASCADE MEDICAL and frequently hears that they look a lot like DREW STARKEY. Funny, huh? If ever caught by Letterboxd, theyâd say GOOD WILL HUNTING is in their Top 4, and the theme song to their lifeâs soundtrack would be THE CHAIN by FLEETWOOD MAC.
TW: DRUG ABUSE/OVERDOSE, ADDICTION
Caleb Gates grew up in Cascade as the eldest child of two people who should not have been together, with his younger sister Nessa only six years behind him. Their childhood was far from ideal. His father's alcoholism, infidelity, and violent outbursts made the Gates household unpredictable and often frightening, while their mother eventually reached her breaking point and left.
At sixteen, Caleb was old enough to understand what was happening but still far too young to carry the responsibility that fell on his shoulders. He became Nessa's protector almost by default, finding excuses to get her out of the house when things got bad, taking her for ice cream, helping with school and gymnastics, and doing everything he could to make sure she didn't see the worst of what was happening at home.
As much as Caleb loved his sister, he desperately wanted an escape of his own. He found it in drugs, initially experimenting in his teens as a way to quiet the anxiety and anger he carried around, before his use gradually became more serious. By his late teens, he was struggling with prescription opioids, and at nineteen, he suffered a near-fatal overdose. Being saved by EMTs and waking up in a hospital became the wake-up call he desperately needed. Caleb got clean, eventually finding purpose in the very people who had saved his life, and set his sights on emergency medicine. He went on to medical school, ultimately becoming an ER physician.
When an opportunity took him to New Jersey, Caleb jumped at it. It was a chance to advance his career, but more importantly, it gave him the distance he'd always craved from the Gates house and everything it represented. Leaving Nessa was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, particularly because there were times during his addiction when he had promised to be there for her and couldn't follow through. He knows those moments are never held against him, as he was just a child himself, but Caleb has carried the guilt ever since. Despite the distance, they remained incredibly close, and Caleb has never stopped seeing himself as the person who should be there when she needs him.
Now back in Cascade, Caleb is fiercely loyal, dryly funny, observant, and quietly sentimental beneath his somewhat guarded exterior. He loves Nessa more than almost anyone, though he still tends to treat his grown sister like the little girl he used to see. He refuses to move back into their Victorian childhood home where Nessa lives with their father, choosing instead to rent an apartment while remaining close enough to show up whenever Nessa calls. After spending most of his life trying to protect her and then years trying to outrun his past, Caleb is finally learning that loving Nessa doesn't mean saving her, and that maybe coming home doesn't have to mean becoming the person he was before he left.
cal: i just took my shoes off after a 12 hour ER shift.
cal: are you at that Squatch Fest? Drinking water right?
cal: ah, yes, I can see now that you are haha. A burger does sound good.
