she slipped ; malum

rumors

RUMORS SPREAD FAST IN A TRENCH, CONSIDERING THERE IS NO OTHER WAY FOR THEM TO GO EXCEPT STRAIGHT OR INTO THE BATTLEGROUND. The rumours of Luke and his crew hurting Calum and Michael because of their sexuality and everything related to it were still circulating, still pulsing around the lunch tables.

The truth had been twisted and manipulated until it wasn't really the truth anymore. The rumours as to why Calum had been missing for three days were coming out in different forms, all different with the words people spoke.

Some said he'd been plotting revenge. Some said Luke had actually gotten to him. Some said he was in a coma.

When Calum walked in to homeroom, he put all of the rumors at bay for a little bit. Everybody had stopped – everybody had stared at the fact that Calum Hood was still on the battleground, still fighting.

The guns had stopped firing. The wounded people had stopped screaming. Everything was just . . . quiet.

Calum was startled, at first, not remembering the last time somebody hadn't even loaded their gun for him.

"They thought you were dead." Michael mumbled.

Calum nodded, not bothering to talk as he intertwined their fingers. Michael's face went as red as his hair, hiding behind the Maori. It wasn't that he was ashamed, it was just that he was embarrassed. He soon came to realise that they were pretty much the same thing.

"So, where were you?" somebody asked, genuine curiosity on their face.

Luke scoffed. "Probably out killing someone else."

"You're a terrible person." Michael huffed. "Why do you even bother?"

The blond was about to reply when the teacher came in, apologising for being late, and getting on with homeroom. Calum's eyes were locked on the back of Luke's head when he sat down, imagining punching him over and over until it didn't seem so satisfying.

Michael rubbed his thumb over Calum's knuckles, trying to calm him down and get him to pay attention.

"Cal," the Maori looked at the redhead with a tensed jaw, still pissed off. "Calm down. Please."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't mind." Michael sighed, listening to the bell ring. He got out his art from underneath his pencil case. "What are you going to do for your final piece?"

"I don't know."

"Calum, we only have two weeks until it's due."

"I know."

He didn't really seem fazed with the fact that twenty-five percent of his grade was on it, and just shrugged, sketching a few random things in his art book. He was beyond caring at the moment.

"You're crazy."

"You just figured that out?" The Maori raised an eyebrow, and Michael laughed, but Calum didn't find it all that funny.

He wasn't kidding, you know?

***

They were holding hands on the street, Michael babbling on about something that Calum couldn't quite comprehend. He wasn't there; he was inside his head. He just nodded numbly, not breaking his eye contact with the ground.

"Calum, listen to me!" Michael shook the Maori, a small smile on his lips. "What're you thinking about?"

"My final piece." He mumbled, and the pale boy furrowed his eyebrows.

"What . . ." It was a Saturday afternoon, and Calum never set his mind on school, anyway. He didn't care about it, so he never thought about it.

This was when Michael knew something was definitely wrong. He'd been a little off lately, snapping at little things and zoning out of conversations that he wouldn't dare to not pay attention to. He had become distant within a matter of days.

"I just . . . nothing. It's alright. It's stupid; I'm sorry." Calum shook his head. "What were you talking about? A cliff, or something?"

Michael furrowed his eyebrows. He had never talked about a cliff. "Are you okay, Calum?"

"Yeah. Why are you being all weird?"

"I could ask you the same question."

The Maori had a confused look on his face, holding Michael's hand tighter, not saying a word. He couldn't explain himself. He didn't want to, because Michael wouldn't understand. Michael would never understand.

They got to Calum's apartment complex and walked up to Mali's apartment. Michael sat down on his bed, but Calum just opened the window and sat on the fire-escape.

"What are you doing? It's fucking cold!" Michael said, reaching for Calum's hand, but he flinched away.

"I don't . . . I don't know." Calum said, tears in his eyes because all he could see was a gun in Michael's hands. "Go away."

Michael was a traitor. His mind told him. That's all he ever was.

"What the fuck, Calum? What is wrong with you?"

The Maori huddled himself into a ball, starting to cry. "I don't know."

Michael, completely freaked out and wanting to cry as well, crawled next to Calum, holding him as he sobbed. He covered his mouth to stop himself from crying, because he knew that that wasn't what the tanned boy needed.

"Baby, tell me what's going on."

"N-Nothing."

"Calum," Michael said firmly, but his boyfriend didn't respond, only held himself tighter. Michael started to cry a little because Calum looked like he'd officially broken. He'd cracked. Everything he'd been numbing himself from had all come back to get him.

Suddenly, the Maori snapped out of it. "Leave." He said. "I need to plan my final piece." Michael tensed at the cold tone in his voice, and got up. He left as fast as he could.

Calum cleared his desk, picking up some charcoal to write with. In block letters, he wrote up the top of a blank page.

'PLANS FOR FINAL PIECE:

- MICHAEL.'

Mali should've seen the signs. Mali was going to blame herself for this.

Sorry this is short next chapter is last chapter I'm so excited

@ni<