To love you | Malum

Ch. 9 - Cold Fingers + Movies

"That's not very nice," Calum stood up, shoulders no longer seeming sluggish as he loosened his grip on his boyfriends arm, "I mean I get that he's in a wheelchair, but that doesn't mean he's incapable of selling cookies, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Luke snarled, arms tangling around the brunettes waist, "I think him holding a fan would be a form of charity work, don't you guys think?" With the amount of yeahs I heard, I wanted to cry. People really do treat you differently when you have disabilities. In this case, I have more things wrong with me than others could ever know, but I keep them hidden. Being in a wheelchair is bad enough.

"You all talk about equality and making sure everyone is treated fairly, yet when it comes to Michael, here, you act like he's some sort of alien."

"That's because he is," Alex spoke up while rolling his eyes, "I don't know what you expect from this kid. He's as useless as it gets."

I didn't miss the way Calum glanced over at me in sympathy and mouthed I'm sorry. I didn't miss the way he melted under Luke's touch as the boy pressed soft kisses to his neck. I didn't miss the way everyone resorted to treating me as though I was any less of a human. But I did miss the way Calum turned back at me and sighed. Luke noticed, though.

"Why are you defending that piece of shit?"

"I dunno," Calum shrugged, glancing down at his feet, "I think he's nice." Perhaps it was rude of me to eavesdrop, but I wanted to hear what he thought about me. Even if it would put me in the friend-zone. Who am I kidding? I'm already there.

"He can barely speak properly without stuttering," Luke pinpointed, and I hated the fact that he was right, "Michael literally tries to get with everyone he sees. I mean have you seen the way he practically undresses you with his eyes, Calum? It pisses me the fuck off."

"Why do his feelings matter when they don't reciprocate yours, babe?" Calum chuckled, tugging onto Luke's hand and pressing a gentle kiss against it. "It sounds to me like you're jealous."

"Of what? A boy who can't even walk?"

"Exactly," Calum grinned, eyes glancing into Luke's blue ones.

"Man, whatever," Luke rolled his eyes playfully before pretending to giggle in a cute way, and it absolutely disgusted me. That should be me is what I wanted to say, but I just wheeled myself into the changing rooms to pretend that I was okay, despite knowing I wasn't.

-

Movie Night was something I never looked forward to. It was a thing specifically designed for seniors, and now that I was one, I had the opportunity to go. But in a way, I didn't want to. It was all about your popular status and how many people knew you. If you were and are a loner like me, you wouldn't stand a chance on that social ladder.

But being me and trying to get my way with things, I went anyway. And I wasn't surprised to see Calum standing in line with his boyfriend and best friends. He was wearing a dark blue varsity jacket with the initial 'C' on it and our school's team logo on the back. He was in spirit, while I was only wearing sweatpants and had messy hair. I liked to think that I pulled it off nicely.

"U-Uh, one ticket for whatever is playing, please." It was so cold, and I hated knowing that tiny snowflakes were decorating the top of my head, in the same way that the wind was trying to attack me like a knife. Maybe bringing a heavier jacket would have been a smart idea.