Bullied By Calum Hood

two

"Neveah! Wake up! Calum and his mother is here." My fathers yell scares me. I hurry to brush my hair and pull a blouse and shorts on. "Coming!" I put a mint in my mouth and grab my bag. I slip flip flops on and rush downstairs and into the living room. "Morning dad." I kiss my fathers cheek. "Hello, Neveah. I'm Joy. Calum's mother." She reaches her hand out. I shake her and and smile at her. "I'll take your stuff. Hurry up, mum." He grabs my bag and walks out the door. I hug my father and kiss his cheek, "Bye dad. I love you." I follow Joy to the nice car they have. I climb in and sit next to Calum. I buckle my seat belt and sit in the silence.

"I'll go set my tent up. Then unpack. Will I be sharing a tent with anyone?" I ask. "Calum, I trust both of you to sleep on opposite sides." His father looks at Calum, hardcore. "Don't worry, dad, she isn't my type." He looks at me and then walks to a space of empty land. I drag the bag with the tent in it to the space. "Here, obviously you don't have muscles." He taps my arm and takes the bag from me. I help him assemble the tent and take my phone out. No Reception. I slip it back in my pocket and grab my backpack. "Dang it!" I yell. Calum's head snaps to me, "What?!" He yells back. I put my bag down, "I left my sleeping bag at my house. I brought a blanket though. I think I'll be fine." I reply. He takes his shoes off and steps inside the tent. "I claim left side!" I yell to Calum. He laughs and steps to the right side. I step inside and lay my pillow and blanket on the ground. I zip the tent up and pull my socks on. "Why'd you invite me? All you do is... bully me. I just don't understand." I look in my lap. "I want to be your friend. I just can't be your friend in school. I have a reputation to protect." He sighs, speaking quietly. I nod and step outside the tent and run to the beach nearby. I fall to my knees and just stare out to the crystal blue ocean. "I wish you were here, mom. I wish you could be here to hold me, be my sense of safety, because I have none right now. Calum wants to be my friend, yet he can't because he's scared of what people will think of him if he's found socializing with a nerd like me. No one wants to be friends with Neveah Harper. She's not cool, or she's too lame, or she's too deep in the book to even see reality. That's not the case here, mom. You see," I wipe away tears and breathe lightly, " I see and hear everything they do to me. They call me names, post things about me on the internet. That's why I'm not social and don't like others because they post terrible things about me. I hate this, I just hate the way things have been without you." I lay back into the sand, staring up at the sky, hoping I can see her staring back at me. I honestly don't know if I'm tripping or I'm actually hearing her whispers, "Neveah. You're gonna be okay. You'll get through this." I hear a faint whisper. I stand up and look toward where everyone is unpacking. I step toward the water and peel the socks off my feet before the water touches.

Calum's Point Of View.
She honestly feels that way. Like no one likes the Harpers. Her dad must be that way too then. I walk toward her, as she watches the water come to shore then leave. I step beside her and watch with her. "What are you doing?" She whispers softly, still staring at the blue ocean. "I'm watching the ocean with you." I smile, looking out at the ocean. "My dad should have the hot dogs done soon, what do you say we head back. I looked around your house before you came downstairs and saw many beautiful photos." She starts walking along side of me. "Yeah?" She smiles and laughs a little, wiping a tear away. "Yeah, my mom asked your dad where he got them." I laugh a little. "What'd he say?" She looks at me. "He said they were taken by you." I look at her and smile. "Yeah. Back in middle school, when it was cool to have great grades, I was into photography and my dad loved the photos I took. So, he got them printed and hung them." She explains sitting on the trunk bed. I sit down with her. "So, Neveah, tell me about yourself." My dad puts hotdogs on the tray. "I have one parent, my father. I have straight A's, I have a scholarship to University of Iowa." She explains but dad cut her off. "In the states? Wow, Impressive. Calum why can't you get grades like her?" My father looks at me. "She's a Harper. Runs in the family." I look at her and playfully bump her. He smiles, "Dinner is done. Come dress the dogs." She hops off the truck and puts a hotdog in the bun. I do the same and puts ketchup and relish on my hotdog. I take a bite out of it and all I feel is just a bun and condiments. "Your hotdog fell." Neveah laughs. I look down at my feet and laugh with her. She sets her hotdog down, and laughs. "Hold that pose!" My mom yells to her and grabs the Polaroid. She snaps a photo and shakes it. "Make multiple copies please. I would very much like one for me and my father." She looks at the photo. She grabs the photo and shoves it in my moms purse. "I'm gonna go lie down. I'll see you in the morning." Neveah smiles at my parents, then to me. Our tent's a little father away from my parents and I like being away from them because it's a sense of freedom, plus she wanted it there. She walks to the tent and zips the doors along with the windows. I grab a new hotdog and begin eating.

I step into the tent and lay on my sleeping bag. I can hear her teeth chattering, she's only got a throw blanket, while I'm sitting here with a fuzzy sleeping bag.

Neveah's Point Of View.
I look at my side of the tent, lost deep into thought. My mom, how much my life sucks, my scholarship, my grades. I know I have no right to complain but, I've lost so many people. The coldness is really hitting me hard right now. My teeth begin to chatter. All I hear is the swift sound of the ocean. The sound of a blanket moving rustles through out the tent. I feel another blanket on top of me, and arms around my waist. I turn to face Calum, our faces mere inches away from touching. "What are you doing?" I ask him, staring him in his brown eyes. "That seems to be a habit of yours, saying 'What are you doing?'. I'm keeping you warm, you think I would just give you the blanket and sit in the corner, frozen?" He smiles at me. I look at his chest, just now registering he's shirtless. "I guess not." I smile at him. He returns the smile and I hide my face in his chest, attempting to keep warm.

I wake up and Calum's still sleeping, light shining in just the right angle. I kiss him, hoping he won't feel it and wake up. I rest my hands on his chest, and stare blankly at his chest. "Pancakes are almost done!" His mother yells. I stand up and walk out the tent while pulling a sweater over my head. "How'd you sleep, darlin'?" His mother asks. "I slept great." I smile at her. I grab a plate and put two pancakes on it. I take a bite out of one and watch as she makes more. "Was Calum keeping the distance?" His dad winks. "Ew! Yes! He did!" I exclaim. Lies. He slept so close to me, if you meant distance from you. Yes. I shove another piece of pancake in my mouth before I laugh.