Stay || c.h. *completed & editing*

Chapter 10.

Dear Laurie,

Mom is being absolutely ridiculous.

She wants me to break up with Calum just because she doesn't know him. I mean, I know she's been telling me to for a while now but now she's threatening to disown me if I don't.

I don't know what to do anymore. I don't want to break up with Calum because he makes me so happy, but mom isn't letting me be happy anymore. I just really want her to accept the fact that Calum is my happiness and she's trying to take that away from me.

I'm not going to tell Calum right away. He's just going to get upset, or maybe he'll leave me. I don't want him to leave me when I've already grown this attached to him.

I just don't know what to do. I just really wish you were still with me.

Love,

Ellie.

~~~

I met up with Calum, not wanting to tell him about my argument with my mom from the night before. We walked around downtown for a while, running into Alex while we were there.

"Hey!" Alex gave Calum a hug and even me, even though I barely knew him.

"You wanna get lunch together or something?" Calum asked as we walked down the sidewalk.

"Yeah, sure," Alex smiled and walked with us down the sidewalk.

"So how did the concert go?" He asked, starting a conversation.

"It was fun," Calum nodded. "I took Ellie with me and she really enjoyed it."

I felt my cheeks heat as I remembered what happened after the concert and Alex just smiled.

"She's kinda shy isn't she?" He asked.

Calum shrugged. "Just borderline mute."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well she only talks to a couple people," he said. "Her dad, and me for some reason."

I felt kinda rude to not talk to Alex, seeing as he didn't do anything wrong and he did kinda give me a free tattoo.

"I talk to people who haven't disappointed me or done something to make me not want to talk to them," I said to Alex.

"She talked to me!" He laughed. "I'm special!"

Calum and I both laughed at him, getting all happy. I didn't understand what was so special about me talking to him but whatever floats his boat.

We went to a diner and sat down to eat. Calum ordered us burgers and Alex did most of the talking. I had a feeling he was a third wheel a lot.

"You know, I've tried finding myself a girlfriend but no one wants to be with me," Alex sighed, pouting a little as he dipped his fries in ketchup.

"It took me 3 years since my last one to get a new one," Calum said. "When was your last one? 3 months ago?"

"Well uh..." He turned bright red and glanced between me and Calum. "Laurie and I had a thing for a while and then she went and got together with Luke. And I haven't really been interested in anyone since."

I remembered meeting Luke a couple times. He was nice, just a bit intimidating because he was tall and had a lip piercing.

"I'm sorry," I said to him. Laurie did tend to jump from guy to guy, and I actually felt bad for Alex to be stuck in the middle of it.