The Jerks Next Door || Ashton Irwin [5 Seconds Of Summer]

Chapter 35 | Tour

Al POV

We were going to college soon. I couldn't believe it. All those days of lounging around complaining about high school, and now we were actually going to college. I felt like my chest was going to explode any given moment.

Calum and the other boys knew of course that we were seniors right now, but I didn't think it had clicked that we were going to be moving out, possibly, that is. If we could be accepted to a university that was close to us in LA, then we would be able to stay, but it seemed impossible. Any university here would be crazy expensive, and I seriously doubted I was going to get a full scholarship. I couldn't ask Ashley's parents to pay for my tuition, they already paid for so much for me.

Cuddling with Calum, I decided that it was finally time to make him realize that I was most probably leaving soon. Calum had been distracted for the past few weeks, and every time I asked him what was wrong, he just shrugged it off. It made me anxious. Calum had always been a player. What if he was cheating on me? Or if he wanted to break up with me and go with some other girl? It would make sense, wouldn't it?

But then, as I thought about it, the other boys had been distracted too. That relieved me. It wasn't just Calum's secret. It was a secret all of them had to keep. Sure, that was worrying too, but at least Calum wasn't cheating on me.

I contented myself to telling Calum about university. At least that way, he'd see that I could be trusted, even if he couldn't. That would guilt him some, and maybe he'd confess his secret. I could only hope.

"So, uh, Cal," I started off, catching his attention.

He turned his head from the TV to me, making me more nervous to his reaction. "Yeah, hun?"

I fiddled with my fingers. "You know that I'm going to university soon, right? I've already sent out all of my applications and everything." Man, I was a good actor. Now it was his turn to tell me what he was hiding.

He suddenly woke from his daze. He moved his arm from my shoulders and put both of them on the floor so that he could sit up properly. "That's right, you are! Oh that makes things so much easier!"

Hear it came, his big secret. (There was no, "I'm going to miss you so much, babe"? Did he want me to leave?) "Makes what easier?" I feigned.

"Babe," he took my hands in his. Get on with it, I thought. "The boys and I - in a few months - we're...we're going on tour."

I opened and closed my mouth, not knowing what to say. I didn't think I would have to miss him too. I thought he would miss me so much while I was in university that he would get up and come visit me at least once a week, but now I was forced to miss him too. I wasn't planning that. But I knew my role as girlfriend, and I knew I had to be happy for him.

I smiled. "That's great, Calum!" If it was so great, then why did I have an ache in my chest?

He jumped up and down like a child who was just given ice cream. It kind of reminded me of Eddie. There was a reason I loved that little kid.

"We're on our own tour, Al! Look how far we've come!" He lay down on the floor and looked up at the ceiling dreamily.

I was happy for him, but I wished at the same time that he could just be a normal boyfriend who would miss me when I went off to college, and support me with my applications and packing and everything. But no, he would be on tour when I moved, with hundreds of thousands of girls vying for his attention, which he would probably eagerly give to them.

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Kate POV

"So you guys are officially a thing now?" Ashley asked.