Shot In The Dark [Book 1]

1.5 - Only Had One

"Oh really? What kind of girl is she?"

"Well, she's the type of girl that has an actual personality. Not to mention, a smile that could stop time. She's just, not the type of girl I want to hook up with and leave. So no, we didn't have sex." Calum explains, causing Mikey to roll his eyes.

"Then what did you guys do? You can't get a hot girl that you're pretty much in love with in your room and not do at least something." Mikey argues and Calum raises his eyebrows.

"We just talked," He shakes his head. "and made out, but mainly talked."

"Yeah, with your bodies." Luke takes a bite of the macaroni and cheese, causing all of us to laugh.

"Whatever, you guys don't understand." Calum tosses his hands up in defeat. "And we're not in love."

"Yeah, whatever you say. Listen, do you still need cigs or..?" Luke responds and Calum shakes his head.

"Nah, I haven't felt the need for them in a couple days." Calum answers him and I feel a wave of shock wash over me.

Maybe he really is changing for the better.

———

Back to Margo's pov :)

We kissed.

Like, we really kissed. What am I going to tell Noelle when she asks why I'm so happy? What is Calum going to tell the guys? Oh my gosh I have so many questions.

What if it was all a dream and I'm about to wake up? What if I imagined all of it?

"I'm back!" I call out, entering my house and closing the door behind myself.

"In the living room!" Abe calls back.

I make my way into the living room happily, almost skipping.  I'm humming a soft tune that I made up on my walk over here, looking up at the ceiling with a smile on my face.

"The house looks rather open today, did you notice that? Its almost as if there's a hint of happiness in the air." I talk loud enough for him to hear as I make my way to the living room. "It's almost as if I'm ha-"

Before I can even finish my sentence, I stumble upon Jeff sitting next to Abe and a few other important-looking people. "Happy."

My voice is quiet now, my smile nearly on the floor. Something about the vibe in the room sets off my whole mood.

"Did I do something..?" I slowly approach the empty chair that is perfectly across from the semi-circle. Almost as if this is a council meeting and I'm about to plead my case.

"No, but we need to discuss your relationship with Abe." Jeff states loudly, as if the men accompanying us can't hear him. I look to Abe for even the slightest reassurance and he seems to have had all the life drained out of him. "It's been brought to our attention that Abe won't have as much time to be around here so we're hiring another bodyguard to take his place."

"Permanently?!" My voice cracks as I rise out of the chair. "There's no way I'm letting that happen!"

"Not permanently and not full-time. Just when Abe can't be here and he needs someone to take his place." Jeff tries to explain and I feel tears threatening to pour from my eyes.

"Is this because of what I saw? I haven't said anything! I kept my end of the deal! This isn't fair, you can't just invite some random person into my life as if you're the key-master." I shake my head furiously, in denial of the new information I've acquired. "Abe please tell them you can figure it out. Please."

He looks down at his lap and it's almost like a non-verbal way of him saying "sorry kid, I don't like you enough to argue with Jeff."

"Abe, please..." I'm practically sobbing by now but no one in the room seems to care.

"You're not going to have some random person coming into your house, Margo, this person has worked with people like Zendaya." Jeff tries to reason with me, only making me angrier.

"Do I fucking look like Zendaya?! Huh?! Answer that question for me Jeff! I'm not fucking Zendaya or whoever the fuck else this strangler has worked with. I'm Margo fucking Roberts and I refuse to let you change Abe's schedule!" I scream, stomping towards him and stabbing my finger into his chest. Silence falls over the room and I feel my throat begin to burn. "You know what? Fine, but if I don't like this new person they're leaving just as fast as they arrived."

"Deal." He promptly states as if nothing before this happened.

"I'll be upstairs. Don't come to get me unless you smell my corpse rotting. I don't want to see your stupid wrinkly face." I scoff, turning on my heel and walking up the stairs.

I get to my room and slam the door, not bothering with the fear that Jeff will be upset.

I was having an amazing day until i came over here and I refuse to let him ruin it. Its almost as if I only have a good time when I'm around Calum.

Like he takes all my worries away.

I reach into my dresser and find my pack of cigarettes, taking one out of the pack along with my lighter and walking over to the window. I pull the window open and light the cigarette before pressing it to my lips.

After a while, I stopped coughing after taking a drag from a cigarette, but every now and then it burns.

I sit and stare down at the cigarette, watching the ash slowly burn away. I've nearly finished it when I hear the doorbell ring, causing me to jump.

Literally who could fucking be here other than Jeff and his stupid ass friends. Besides, I don't even know why they're here if it's my house.

I groan, standing up and tossing the lighter onto my bed, grabbing a piece of gum, and spritzing some perfume around my room.

As soon as I reach to open my door, someone knocks on the other side causing me to flinch.

I pull the door open and see Calum, a breath of relief leaving my body.

"I wasn't expecting you." I whisper, crossing my arms and walking back over to my bed, allowing him to come into my room.

"Well I didn't expect the founding fathers to be in your living room." He laughs at his own joke as he says it, closing my door. I don't bother forcing a laugh and I guess he catches onto it, because he turns around with a look of concern. "Hey, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'm just tired." I nod, shrugging as he approaches me. He rubs my arms and looks behind me, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Why do you need a lighter? I don't remember you having any candles in here." He grabs the lighter and turns around, looking down at it.

Shit.

"I found it!" I lie right to his face. "I was just looking through my drawers and saw it."

He moves past me, walking towards my dresser with the lighter still in his grasp. He looks into the open dresser, reaching into it and pulling out the pack of cigarettes.

"Why would you lie to me..?" He asks softly, not in an accusing tone, but in a disappointed tone.

"I only had one. It was just to calm me down." I sit down on the bed, feeling a pit in my stomach. "I haven't had any since before the night at the bonfire, other than today."

"You could've at least told me that. Margo, I want you to tell me these things." He sets the pack down along with the lighter before sitting next to me on the bed.

"I just don't want you to see this side of things. I don't know, I'm sorry." I bury my face into my hands and he lets out a heavy sigh.

"We're friends, why wouldn't you want me to know?"

Friends.

That shouldn't hurt, that should make me feel as though we have a stable relationship.

Why did that hurt?

"Friends." I let out a breath, sitting up and wiping my hands on my pants as his eyes follow my face. "Yeah. Friends."

"Yeah, friends."