calum
"Are you insane?" Belle grabbed my arm and pulled me into her room, away from the tree I climbed up on.
"Sorry, this was the closest house I could find." I lied as I gritted my teeth and let go of her arm. Her hair was yet again tied into a sleek ponytail that revealed her purple tank top and black short shorts. She divided her ponytail into two sections and tugged.
"No it's uh fine. Holy shit Calum, what the hell happened?" She gasped once she saw my bloody face and all the injuries I have taken. Belle's hand swiped my hair away from my face to reveal all the other wounds. Her soft pink lips opened slightly in awe.
"It really sucks getting beat up by the football team." I chuckled to prevent her from thinking that I needed to go to the hospital even though I probably needed to.
"Calum, come here. You're bleeding a lot." Belle kicked her yoga mat aside and set her laptop with a paused workout video on top of her desk. She took my hand in her's while dragging me to her creme colored bathroom. She lightly pushed me onto her ivory toilet before pulling out a first aid kit from the bottom of her sink.
"You don't have to do this." I bit my lip and looked down ashamed of myself for bothering her when she had nothing to do with me getting hurt. Belle let out a soft laugh as she deconstructed the insides of the kit.
"Are you kidding me? Calum, one, I am studying to become a doctor, and two, you are beaten up. I won't leave you to suffer." Belle pulled out a cotton pad before drenching it in rubbing alcohol that ruined the vanilla smell lingering around the room. The warm water cleansed her small hands to be prepared when she patted the stinging liquid onto my cheekbone. She chewed onto her bottom lip as she wiped one area from my face to the other.
"I just don't want to bother you," I muttered while staring at the white tiled floor. Belle pushed my hair up slightly to treat the wound on my forehead.
"Calum, you aren't bothering me. You actually saved me from dying." Belle chuckled and unpeeled a band-aid to apply to my face. I couldn't help but to create a ephemeral glance down the tight tank top she was wearing.
"How so?" I bit back my smirk of satisfaction and fixed my gaze to the other direction in order to cover up any signs of me peeking.
"I was about to die with that damn exercise routine. Sit ups are not my best friend." Belle rubbed cream around the band-aids before stopping. "Uh Calum?"
"Hmm?" I locked my eyes with her's. Her eyes were always so dark. Sometimes they would be a dark brown, but other times they could resemble a black shade. Something about them just reeled me in knowing that they weren't like those other girls with multiple shades of lighter colors. They were just dark.
"Can you take your shirt off? I need to treat your wounds." She stuttered as a light shade of pink appeared on her light tan cheeks. This time, I allowed my smirk to reveal itself as I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it on the floor.
"Why do you exercise? You don't need it." Belle wasn't the skinniest girl I've met before, and she also didn't have the perfect body that boys have always fantasized over during the Victoria's Secret model runway, but her body was beautiful to me. I didn't care that she didn't have the gap between her thighs that other girls always aimed for. She was definitely shorter than me and her chest was certainly not lacking in any standards.
"Oh dear Calum. You obviously know that I need to workout. Not everyone has a high metabolism." Belle rolled her eyes and laughed while wrapping a bandage around my wrist.
"You look perfect to me." I shrugged in a light manner while flashing her a genuine grin. Belle's cheeks reddened as she ruffled my hair.
"Trust me, many people oppose your point of view, Calum. Thanks for trying though. It means a lot, I swear. I'm done. You should apply ice to your eye or else it will get worse." Belle smiled as I pushed myself upright and threw back on my shirt.
"Thank you Belle." I leaned down to peck her cheek and waved off as I made my way to her window. I couldn't help but to stop to create another conversation with her. "Why do you study a lot?"
"College. Having an half Asian mom and a dad from a strict family really pressures you into doing shit that they've always wanted to achieve in their lives but failed." Belle shrugged while chugging her purple water bottle full of melted ice cubes and strawberries that were sliced in half. She wiped off the sweat from her face and grimaced once she felt a pimple forming.
"You're Asian?" Her eyes were a bit almond shaped, and she had features that an Asian would have. To simply state it, she was beauty and brains.
"1/4 and proud. Oh and don't say I'm Chinese. Not all Asians are Chinese." Belle shot me a look that made me indicate that she wasn't joking about the entire Asian thing. She slid onto her rolling office chair and twirled around a bit before stopping to look at me.
"I never said you were." I held up my hands in surrender even though I had a small guess that she was approximately one-fourth Chinese.
"I have to admit though. My grandmother is an exact replica of those stereotypical old Asians with a cane, mints, a bible in her purse, and her hair in a bun. My sweetest memory with her is saddening." Belle shuddered causing some pieces of her hair to fall out of her ponytail that was slowly getting messy every move she made.
"What was it?" I've never met any of my grandparents before since my own parents ran away at a young age -at least I know that I am truly their son- and decided to raise me in Seattle.
"Her giving me a lollipop after a ferocious beating on my butt for stealing one of her mints." Belle let out a laugh that I could listen to for ages. Her laugh included a little snort here and there while her eyes crinkled with her mouth curving into a smile.
"Wow. That must've been the best experience in your entire childhood." I laughed along with her while sitting on her windowsill that had the curtains held back by rope like ribbon.
"Belle! I need your help!" A masculine voice ricocheted in her somewhat large house. Belle widened her eyes and stood up from her chair while gesturing me to get out.
"Coming!" she yelled before lowering the tone of her voice to only direct her words to me. "You need to leave. My brothers are home."
"Shit bye." My eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as I stretched my arm to grab onto the nearest branch near the tree close to me. Belle swiped her window curtains closed, making me lose view of her room. I crushed my feet against the ragged wood and jumped down onto the fresh cut grass. I scurried away to the other side of the asphalt road once I saw two cars drive into the garage. Due to my realization of the past events, I glanced back at her window only to see Belle slide her curtains back and give me a small wave. I grinned and waved back before turning around to see a drunken Michael stumbling my way.
~*~*~*
"Michael, drink this." The glass of lukewarm water was set onto the bathroom counter that Michael leaned onto while crying. An alarming color of red rimmed his light green eyes that were turning into a cloudy gray color. He puffed out his cheeks before vomiting into the toilet and clenching onto the bowl. Tears ran down his cheeks from the burning feeling on his throat as he halted and hovered above the toilet he's been on for an hour already.
"Calum, I don't want to drink that. Get me more beer." Michael sobbed while curling himself up into a ball with his skinny jeans tearing even more.
"Mike." I sighed at how I couldn't do anything about his decisions. Michael was genuinely a stubborn guy who usually got everything his way.
"Please. Just one more bottle." Michael begged on his knees and crumbled onto my feet. His chest heaved up and down until he resorted to the toilet again.
"No Michael. You need to rest. No more drinking for to-"
"Oh Calum can you please just shut the fuck up already? I said I wanted another damn drink. Can't you see I'm hurting enough?" Michael snapped at me, shooting me a glare thinking that he was intimidating me. In all the years of my life, I've always obeyed Michael no matter the circumstance. However, this scenario would not have him being the winner of our argument.
"I already fucking told you that I won't get you that damn drink! Jesus, Michael. Go to your fucking room and rest. Stop ruining yourself over that fucking girl who doesn't even love you, Michael! Can't you see that love doesn't exist for people like us. You told me that before. She doesn't love you. She never did. Move on already," I shouted at him before holding the glass of water in the air to get his attention.
"Do you see this, Michael Clifford? Do you fucking see this." I pointed at the trembling cup that was hoisted above up. "This is us."
The glass fell onto the hard floor with the shards flying everywhere and the water splashing onto both of us. Michael gulped while staring at the sharp pieces of water floating on the puddle of water.
"That is our love for people. We just collapse and breakdown while hurting everyone involved. You will be hurting Alice too. She doesn't give a shit about you. I bet you in a year, she will already be engaged to a rich business man who would buy her everything she wants. Face it, Michael. She would never be with a runaway like you. You're a runaway who left his parents and lives off of a job at GameStop and gangs. She's a wealthy bitch who enjoys cocktails and sophisticated parties. Both of you are completely different people." I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and slightly shook him as if it would knock some sense into him.
"You're right," Michael muttered with his back slouching against the counter. "It was never meant to be in the first place."
"Go to your room while I order some pizza for us, okay? I'll take care of the mess." I ushered him out of the bathroom while he was in complete daze of what was going on.
"She never loved me." Michael trailed off and dragged off to his room.
That's right, Michael. No one loves us.
~*~*~*
"What the hell Goku?" Michael devoured his second pizza -I knew the first pizza would be long gone by the first ten minutes- and clucked his tongue at the animated characters on his TV. I propped myself up on his bed by a stack of pillows and attempted to reach the remote; Michael wouldn't allow me to even look at it.
"We've been watching this for an hour. Can we please watch The Last Airbender?" I whined and angrily tore a piece of pizza away with my mouth. I furrowed my eyebrows before glaring at the cartoon.
"Hell no. They are probably playing the Legend of Korra, which I might add that it completely ruined The Last Airbender." Michael retorted with his mouth stuffed with the thick crust that he always saved for last.
"But Dragonball Z is too nice for me. Goku is such a people's pleaser, it is sickening. I mean, who the fuck fights in an open space?" I sipped out of the bottle full of cola that was very fizzy for my liking. Michael turned to me with an irritated expression obvious in his features.
"Excuse me, bitch?" He narrowed his eyes at me and aggressively chomped onto the last bit of crust between his fingers.
"Just rhetorically speaking. What would you do if an alien looking bastard just appeared and threatened to kill you? Do you fucking say 'wait, villain. We must fight away from the people'?" I created a slurpy noise with the green striped straw I inserted in the bottle that was almost empty.
"That means he's a good guy." Michael shrugged and focused all his attention on the weird green guy who was speaking English in a weird accent. I'm not offending anyone in any way, but I'd rather watch them talking in Japanese since it gives a cooler feel.
"That's boring."
"Says the boy who loves Captain America." Michael grabbed a handful of chips and shoved them into his mouth.
"He's badass." I pulled out my phone and skimmed through the many messages I haven't answered.
"No. He's a good guy." Michael rolled his eyes and laid his head on my lap before sighing. "You know, if you were a girl, I would send you to Africa because you would be an annoying ass bitch with a high pitched voice."
"What the fuck Michael? Lucky for you, I would love to go to Africa and be the ruler of lions." My shoulder leaned on his while he turned his head around on my lap to face me.
"That would be cool though. Jamaica seems so chill." Michael stared at the ceiling and yawned with his sweater paws covering his mouth.
"Jamaica isn't in Africa." I set my phone down and raised an eyebrow at the pink haired idiot.
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't." I flicked his forehead causing him to groan and set his head on his pillow instead of my lap.
"This is why I quit school." Michael whined and wrapped himself around his blanket.
"You are the perfect example of why I should never drop out of school."
~*~*~*
"What you did was so badass, bro." Nick slapped my back and slid to the lunch table bench I was on. His light brown hair was slicked back as he put down his hood.
"What?" I sipped out of my energy drink and tapped onto the wooden table. The loud chatter of the students muffled his words a bit, but his facial expressions explained it all.
"The whole fight thing yesterday! I can't believe you did that." His gray eyes widened in awe as he pointed out my injuries.
"I got beat up though." I retorted and threw the empty can into the trash can. Nick was being ridiculous considering he himself beat up a fair share of football players.
"And? You won in the end. Even though you got help from Ashton, it was still cool." Nick winked at a pair of passing girls who were giggling annoyingly at him.
"You know Ashton?" It seemed like everyone knew the mysterious drug lord except me.
"Yeah. He hooked me up with some good deals." He shrugged and flirted with a girl who decided to sit at my table.
"Hey Nick. Calum." The red headed girl giggled while setting a hand on Nick's shoulder. She reminded me too much of Alice, and I was feeling fucking guilty about chanting those awful curses at Michael, though they were real. He needed the reality check.
"Are you free tonight?" Nick smirked as she pursed her hot pink lips and whispered in his ear which resulted in his lips playing a grin.
"Calum, are you feeling better?" I quickly turned around, startling Belle a bit. Her hair was set down and reached a little past her chest. She wore a light pink woven sweater with those combat boots that she usually wore during windy days.
"Yeah. Thanks for helping me." I chewed on my bottom lip and fumbled with one of my bracelets.
"No problem. If you get any other injuries, I expect you to at least treat them." Belle laughed and ruffled my hair. I chuckled while grabbing her wrist to prevent her from messing up my hair again.
"Belle, I already got-". The Hispanic girl from yesterday paused and scowled at me. "What the hell are you doing with that?"
"This is Calum. We're uh friends." Belle motioned to me and escaped from my grasp as she rubbed on her wrist. The tan girl pursed her lips and turned to Belle.
"He's an asshole."
Oh how I fucking hate karma.
"No he isn't. He's actually a really cool person to hang out with." Belle frowned an took a step closer to me. My heart started to speed up as I caught a whiff of floral scent that weirdly always seemed to calm me down.
"You don't understand. This dickhead is cocky as fuck." The chick crossed her arms and glared at me, but it didn't seem the least bit intimidating to me.
"And you are clingy as fuck." She was a judging bitch for assuming she knew who I actually was based off of an exchanging of notes.
"Can we please stop fighting? Danielle, let's go." Belle sighed and directed her friend to a table she usually sat at. Belle didn't even turn back to wave me off, but I knew better than to count on any developed feelings from her. Danielle shot me one last glare before strutting in her cheetah print heels.
Though I've done many good things in the past, my evil doings overruled the small bits of luck I cherished. It was my fault I had been an asshole to various amounts of people, so it was only natural for that to ruin my chance with a girl who I have sparked an interest in. I was about to stand up and ditch school until a small pair of arms wrapped around my shoulders and squeezed my body. The warmth radiated off, but chills were all over my body once she whispered in my ear.
"Calum, don't listen to that. You are one of the greatest guys I've ever met. Don't let the judgment get to you because Cal, you mean a lot to me."
~
ASHTON IRWIN TURNED FIVE!!!!! YAY!
I'm sorry for the late update lol. I was planning on writing every other day, but look where we are haha.
Luke Hemmings needs to stop posting selfies or else I will die.
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Twitter: calumsmykoala
-kat hoodings