Roommates || Calum Hood

Chapter 49 // Troy

•Cassidy

I sent Calum one picture of myself, opened up his, and then never responded again. I had prior commitments. I wasn't going to let him dictate my life when he was the one who had dumped me. I was angry with not only him, but with myself. I needed to build my independence again and start standing up for myself.

I was scared that I was becoming one of those foolish girls that would let the boy she was in love with control her.

This was exactly what I did not want to happen. I craved putting some distance between us, because maybe that would make me be able to fend for myself for awhile. Talking to him everyday was great in the sense that he was still in my life, but I was beginning to feel so pathetic after every encounter.

Calum was still getting all of the benefits of a relationship: unconditional love, assistance when he's horny, and someone to confide in. Whereas he would barely even listen to me without cutting me off, and completely disregarded any of my feelings just to satisfy his own wants. Since he was the one who broke up with me, I don't think this is fair. And I needed to make some changes.

However, I had no idea how to communicate all of this to Calum without giving him an ultimatum. So I was doing what I did best- I was ignoring the problem for now until I came with a plan for discussion. The best form of distraction was going out, so that's exactly what Troy and I were going to do.

Bree and I hang out together all the time, but now that we live together it just consists of the two of us laying on the floor and stuffing our faces with greasy, fattening foods. I was excited to actually leave my house for once, because maybe a change in scenery would help clear my cluttered brain.

After I had finished getting ready, Troy picked me up exactly on time. He was always a very punctual person, something I greatly admired. I wish I was able to be one of those people who had their life together enough to never be late to anything.

"Well look at you!" Troy exclaimed, as he lifted his back off of his sleek car that he had been leaning up against. He wrapped his arms around me in a quick hug before opening up the passenger side door. "You look beautiful, Cassie."

"Thanks, Troy," I replied gratefully, a smile inching its way onto my face. I slid into the leather seat and buckled up, and he shut the door like a true gentleman.

He got onto the driver's side, his chapped hands gripping onto the steering wheel. "So, where are we going?" I asked him.

This obviously was not a date, because Troy was very clear on both my relationship with Calum and the friendship the two of us shared, but I was still curious as to where he planned on taking us. Troy told me not to worry about anything because it was "his duty as a costar to make sure I had a fun break from filming."

He sent me a grin as we pulled away from the driveway, speeding off down the dimly lit streets, with the only source of light coming from the traffic signs and street lights and the incoming flashes of red from the brakes of the vehicles in front of us. "There's the place a little bit away that is like half arcade, half restaurant. I mean, unless you'd rather go sit at some awkward sushi place. But I thought it sounded fun."

"You know what's fun," I started, turning my head to face him at the same time as he glanced from the front window to glimpse at me. "When I kick your ass at Skee-Ball."

He let out a loud chuckle, shaking his head at me. "Is that so?" Troy responded, licking his lips. I nodded my head. "You know I'm actually secretly a pro at Skee-Ball, so I hope you brought some tissues, sweetie."

"Why? Are your awful skills going to make me cry?" I teased, which resulted in Troy rolling his bright eyes at me. "It's okay. Everyone starts out as a beginner. It's nothing to be ashamed of."