university | lrh

28 - revenge mission

"Ew."

I roll my eyes. "Get to the point, Ash."

"Okay, okay," he nods. "All I'm saying is that it's not an uncommon way to surprise a girlfriend for her birthday. It's possible he was just trying to be cute, or whatever."

I take in his words, knowing that it's obviously a possibility, but the uncanny similarities to Cade's tradition is too much to look past. I know it, deep down in my gut, that this was not from Hemmings.

I'm surprised to hear Calum scoff, breaking his silence for the past couple minutes, looking far too angry and just about ready to blow.

"Seriously, Ash?"

He clenches his jaw in a way that only Calum Hood can do, looking awfully intimidating, despite the fact that I could never be afraid of that boy. "Why can't you just admit that it was him?"

"Cal-"

"No," he shakes his head. "Don't 'Cal' me. This is fucking bullshit. Every fucking year he does this shit, and every fucking year you both pretend it wasn't him." He spits, looking angry at everything but nothing in particular. "I'm sick of it."

He's right, and he even gets me to shut up.

Michael looks shocked, like he wants to cower in a corner, though I know he'd never do that. I want to say something but I'm shocked, too, at Calum's outburst. We shouldn't be, though, because his anger was years in the making. And I know he's not really angry at Ashton, or any of us for that matter, but at the situation.

Ashton sighs, almost like he expected this. "I know, Cal. I know it's him."

Calum huffs, taking a seat on my bed with his head in his hands. "Then why do you always take so long to say it?" He grumbles.

Ashton purses his lips as he makes his way over the the same bed, plopping himself on the spot right next to Calum. Michael and I exchange a look - of what, exactly, I'm not sure - when he wraps a friendly arm around the boy's hunched shoulders.

"Cause' it's fucked up, mate," he lets out a sad laugh as he nudges Cal. "It's fucked up, and I hate thinking we were ever friends with the douche."

I watch in both amazement and slight amusement as Calum puffs his cheeks out, almost seeming to give up on his anger as he begrudgingly wraps a tanned arm back around Ashton, shaking his head with a breathy laugh.

"Fuckin' hell, I hate that kid."

Michael laughs. "Yeah, don't we all."

I think back to when I woke up this morning, alone, unsurprisingly, since my best friend and roommate spent the night in our professor's bed. Not that I mind, of course, because you couldn't find a bigger fan of the two. I all but let out a tear of joy when she told me, and the girl had to literally make me promise not to write a script dedicated to a movie of their relationship.

I, personally, would watch the fuck out of that.

But I couldn't even revel in Elise's beautifully sinful romance, because there were 2 envelopes stuffed underneath the door of our room, and my heart sank.

Every year, without fail.

I don't know know why he does it, and I don't know why he chose to send multiple this time, but I knew exactly what to expect when I opened the door.

Roses, it was always roses. Which is stupid, honestly, because Elise doesn't even like roses. Irises have always been her favorite, but I guess only her true friends would know that. And Cade has never really taken into account what Elise wants, anyways.