Sweet Neighbor; cth

21//Oh, Mother

((A/N- where tf have I been? school. school is the answer to my question also the song for this chapter is The Only Exception by Paramore))

-Hayley

"Calum, it was amazing. Did you really make that for me?"I ask the bright eyed boy sitting in front of me as we munch on the bag of gummy worms he bought from the vending machine.

He nods and a smile pulls at his lips. "Yeah, I did. Also... I have something I want to tell you."he clears his throat and sits up straight.

Oh shit he's serious.

"Hayley, this passing month, we've been really... close. I-"

He's cut off by the sound of buzzing. He sighs of frustration and I laugh as he pulls his phone from his pants pocket.

I watch as his eyebrows pull together in confusion. "It's Gracie."he mumbles. I raise an eyebrow.

He lifts the phone to his ear as he answers her call.

"Hello?.....Yeah, she's here with me.... at the studio, why?.....oh...is that a good or bad thing- oh okay.... We'll be there. Okay?.... Bye."

He hangs up the phone and looks at me. "She said that we should get back to your house, there's someone important waiting for you."he sighs, and stands up, grabbing his keys.

I stand up and stuff the gummy worms into my jacket pocket and nod. "Someone important?"

"Your parents."

————

Calum pulls us up into the driveway and turns off the car with a long sigh.

I nearly jump out of the car and close the door behind me before making my way up my porch steps with Calum right behind me. I immediately turn the door knob and swing my house's door open-

They're sitting on the couch. Gracie and Luke are sitting awkwardly on the other side of the room.

They all turn their eyes to Calum and I. My mom's eyes widen as a smile spreads across my parents' faces.

"Hayley, darling!"she exclaims before standing up from my couch and making her way over to me. Her thousand dollar heels click against the ground, her hundred dollar coat flails in the air behind her.

"Mom, what're you doing here?"I mumble, walking in further. Calum comes up beside me and grabs my hand, causing my heart to ache, as my mother's face twists up at the sight.

"I could ask the same for you, Halencia."she hisses.

Don't call me by my full name-

"What are you doing here? In Australia? Living in-"she pauses and scrunches up her nose whilst looking around, "this place? With- who is this?"she spits out.

"Mom, this is Calum. M-My boyfriend."I sputter and grip his hand. He rubs the back of my hand with his thumb.

"Boyfriend?!"she shrieks of disgust.

Everyone- Gracie, Calum, Luke, me, even my father- winces at her noise.

"Yes, mother, I have a boyf-"

"He reeks of sweat and looks of... dare I say... lower class-?"

"Mother, that is enough!"I snap.

This is why I came here. To Australia. I had to get away from it all. My parents are extremely rich people and it makes me sick to my stomach. So I moved here. I took only what I had and left. None of their money included. I had applied for colleges there but there's no point of it if I can't get away from my parents bugging my lifestyle because I shouldn't be 'hanging with people with no class'. I hated it. She controlled who I was friends with, where I was, when that was, whoever I was with at the time and why I was there. It was painful so I left.