Deals (Calum Hood)

Chapter 3

“No mom, it’s no problem. Go get a pedicure.” I lay upside down on the sofa, my head hanging off the edge of the seat and my knees bent over the backing of it. I listened to my mom speak into the phone. “I’ll take Dylan to soccer mom, I owe you one. Don’t rush.”

I held back a slight laugh but allowed a smile to graze my face.I hung up the phone and flipped around, standing up off the sofa.

“Dylan, you ready?” I yelled out, walking into the kitchen, grabbing my keys off the counter. I didn’t even get a book to take; I didn’t want to look like a book obsessed freak to Calum. As I thought about it, he probably already had that image of me in his head but I didn’t want to make it anymore severe.

“You’re taking me?” He asked, walking out of his room with a soccer ball in hand.

“Yep, let’s go.” I smiled, opening the garage. We both got in and put our seatbelts on.

As I started the car, Dylan looked over at me. “Are you only taking me because of Calum?”

Like I said, he’s so smart for only being a 3rd grader.

“No! I’m just doing mom a favor, I don’t do much around the house and she deserves a break.”

“It’s for Calum, just admit it.” I heard him say under his breath.

"Dylan, shut up." I glanced from the road and at him.

"You're weird; teenagers are weird." He looked over at me, shaking his head.

I laughed quietly to myself and focused on the road.

-

I stepped down the sidelines of the soccer field, my hands deep in my pockets. My hair flew crazily around my body due to the spring breeze that blew in my face as I walked. I looked amongst the crowd and finally spotted Calum. He was sitting on the sidelines with his legs crossed and his book in hand. I watched as his hands flipped the page and he shifted his position a bit.

I reached him and sat down next to him, crossing my legs as well. “Whatcha doing?” I asked; my voice perky and flirtatious with outdrawn vowels.

“Shhh, I’m reading.” He kept his eyes on the book and I noticed a smirk had faded onto his lips.I kept talking even though he told me to shush. “How far in are you?”

He looked up from his book, his expression turning to a grimace. He closed the book but kept his place with his thumb wedged in between the pages. “Excuse you, Allison. I’m trying to read a book here. Now if you don’t mind...” He turned his back on me and I let out a quiet laugh as I heard him do the same.

“Aren’t you supposed to be coaching?” I still refused to stop talking to him.

“Kind of, but we have other coaches. They’ll be okay.” He said with his back still to my face.

I glanced onto the field, spotting the coach Calum was talking about. "You mean one other coach."

"He can handle it." I heard him murmur over his focused reading.

“You’re crazy, Calum Hood; too crazy for me.” I shook my head and turned my attention over to the game, letting Calum continue his novel.

"I'm not even being crazy, Allison," he said before we let the silence engulf us.

Everyone once in a while I found myself peeking over his shoulder. I was so curious about how much he's read and what parts he was at. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I wanted him to finish in time for our little date or not. I didn't really care, though. One date wouldn't hurt, and it'd be nice finally spending time with someone my age. Friends were something I lacked since moving here.