WRONG NUMBER / CH

chptr 30

a/n: HELLO BEAUTIFULS i have a new cover thanks to ruth aka bandsnob (wattpad)/ @prfectdisgiuse (twitter) i love her so much she's great and all kinds of amazing <3

"Are you sure we're allowed to be at this party?" Luke asked, looking around like he was nervous. He clutched his cup of beer and drank in one gulp.

Calum slapped his best friend's head. "Of course we are. This is our school's party, duh." He was craning his head like he was looking for someone, constantly checking his phone for updates on Leia.

They were at the party Leia had talked about. Technically, the host was a jock from their rival school, but half the party's population were from their school. Calum told his friends they were coming to this party to support school spirit (which was odd), but in reality, he came here to have another "accidental" meeting with Leia.

He knew it was wrong to be taking advantage of Leia's texts, but why not enjoy it a little bit more? She's not going to find out, he's going to make sure of that.

Michael and Ashton were more than ecstatic. They were already in the kitchen downing beers by the minute. Calum heard Ashton's peculiar giggle, and he was glad to know they were having fun at least. He, however, was not. Where the hell was that girl? He tapped his foot impatiently and checked the time on his phone. 9:30 p.m.

He clapped Luke's shoulder. "I'm going out, get some fresh air," he told the blonde boy. Luke nodded and turned to find Michael and Ashton.

The front yard still had a lot of people, but they were scattered in small groups, talking amongst themselves and drinking cheap beer. The night air felt stale to Calum. He was growing frustrated by the second. Man, all he wants to do is talk to her again. He took a sip of his beer and frowned.

Somebody tapped his shoulder, which startled him and made him drop his cup. He was in the midst of swearing when he turned around and saw it was a girl-and, as if the universe heard him, it was Leia.

"Calum! I didn't expect to see you here," she said brightly. She eyed the fallen cup and awkwardly held out the cup she was holding to Calum. "Sorry about that."

Calum smiled and took it, but he noticed it wasn't alcohol. "Coke?" he asked.

"Yeah. I don't really drink," she told him. Oh. You learn something new about her everyday. She shifted her weight from foot to foot awkwardly, like she was nervous. "So...what are you doing here? Are you stalking me now?" she added with a cheeky grin.

Alarms went off in his head, but Calum brushed them off. "No, silly. Uh, my friends and I are sorta invited." Sorta.

"Oh, that explains it. You're not from my school, so..." She didn't continue the sentence, so an awkward silence ensued. Calum freaked out internally. How could he make conversation without being a total screw-up?

Forces of nature saved him when the breeze blew past them and made Leia shiver. Calum immediately took off his coat and offered it to her nervously. "Cold tonight, huh? Wanna go somewhere else?"

Leia allowed him to wrap his jacket around her and murmured, "Yes."

Calum was sure he was blushing, but it didn't matter because she was obviously blushing, too. Oh my God. Troy and Gabriella singing Start of Something New began playing in his head. He walked with her to the side of the house, where it was devoid of all people. He sat with his back to the wall, and Leia sat right beside him. The moment was so surreal it made Calum want to shout in happiness.

"So who are you with?" he asked her, wanting to be the one who initiated the conversation. Girls liked it when guys did that.

"Some of my classmates. They're getting pretty wasted so I don't really wanna...join in on that," she finished with a small laugh. Calum watched her fondly. He found her laugh very charming. In fact, he found all of her amazing. She turned her head and Calum turned away quickly, embarrassed to be caught staring. "How about you?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm with-" He was cut off by shouts and loud, obnoxious laughter in the front yard. Calum frowned. Seems familiar...

"MICHAEL! DON'T LET THE GOAT EAT THE NACHOS!" familiar voices shouted. There were crashing sounds and more laughter and then, a goat crying out. Calum shook his head. What the fuck were those idiots up to now?

Calum stuck his thumb out to the direction of the weird, raucous mess. "My friends. They're, uh, pretty fucking drunk. Sorry," he said.

Leia giggled softly. Calum's heart burst in that moment. "Your friends seem fun. Can I meet them?"

Calum thought for two seconds and imagined Michael telling her a sexual joke in that span of time. "I'd rather you not," he confessed weakly. "You might start avoiding me from my lack of judgment in friends."

Calum might've imagined it, but her eyes actually sparkled. She laughed again. "You're the first decent guy I've met here. Don't worry, Calum. I'm not gonna start avoiding you."

That was the start of their night together, which was spent entirely in poor lighting and sitting on damp grass. She told him about Melbourne and her old life; he told her about his friends and his dreams. Calum was having the time of his life: laughing and joking and telling Leia about things he'd never shared with anyone like she was his best friend. Dreams did come true.

But like all fairy tale dreams, it came to an end. "Calum, it's getting kinda late," she said apologetically. "I better go."

Calum deflated internally. "Oh. Oh, sure. Yeah. It is." He stood and helped her up. "I had a great time with you, Leia."

She smiled. "I had an amazing time with you, too, Cal." She paused, looking like she had more to say. But all she said was, "See you around?"

"Definitely," Calum replied, nodding. She took a hesitant step away, then another, until her footsteps faded away. Calum didn't move from his spot, trying to absorb the night. Why didn't he kiss her? Why didn't he do something?

"Wait," her voice said. Calum turned around-she was jogging back to him with a Sharpie on hand. Before he could say anything she grabbed his hand and wrote on his palm. Before he could react she reached up and kissed his cheek, murmured "Thank you," and left with a cheeky grin.

Calum's mind exploded with all caps thoughts like OH MY GOD SHE KISSED ME SHE KISSED MY CHEEK THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME THANK GOD THANK JESUS FUCKING FUCK SHE KISSED ME then he looked at his palm and saw what she had written.

Her number.