Calum’s POV
I sit on my bed, my history book in my hands. But I cannot concentrate. I’ve read and re-read this paragraph for the last 30 minutes. I get up and open my window for air. I see the light Addie’s room turned on. Her window is slightly ajar. The curtains are pulled, so I can’t see her. Wow, ok, I’m turning into a creep.
I go back to my bed, and fish out my phone. I’m pretty sure Mikey texted her earlier, and I have this urge to talk to him about it. I don’t know why. It’s so stupid and makes no sense. But I’m already calling him.
“Sup” He answers. His mouth is full.
“Lying in bed” I say, closing the history book.
“Oooh, what are you wearing?” He says, and I hear Luke’s laugh in the background.
“You two-timing asshole” I say, pretending to be hurt.
“It’s not like that, Cal. Me and Luke…it’s just sex.” Mikey says. Luke gasps in the background.
“You said you love me!” Luke shouts. This conversation is very gay.
“Still do, baby. Go back to bed” Mikey says.
“Are you guys having a sleep over?” I say, laughing.
“Yes. I had a disagreement with my parents. Now I am living under Luke’s roof” Mikey says, taking a bite from whatever he is eating.
The conversation goes like this for a couple of minutes, and I don’t know how or why I want to talk about Addie with him.
“Addie was over for dinner” I say and then I quickly add “My mom invited her mom over. Aggie joined as well”
“How did that go?” Mikey asks.
“Well if it couldn’t get any more awkward between us, Marissa came as well” I say. There is quiet on the other end. He is still kinda pissed at me for not breaking up with her. “Mikey?” I say.
“Yeah, I’m here. I just don’t know what to say.” He says. “How did it go?” He asks again.
“Well, better than I expected. Marissa didn’t cause a scene.” I say, and fiddle with the hem of my shirt. “I’ve been with her all day”
“I kinda figured since you didn’t pick up when Luke called you…seven times.” He says.
“Four” I correct him. I hear him groan “But yeah, point taken”
“You hurt my feelings” I hear Luke ‘s faint voice.
“Sorry” I say. And then we are quiet.
After that, Luke changes the subject, and then we talk for a couple more minutes until my mom interrupts me, and I have to hang up, and continue my pretend history study session. After maybe 15 minutes, I walk to my window. The light is still on. And then it’s off. Disappointment flutters through me. I don’t know why. It’s not like I was gonna go over there and talk to her, or that I expected her to come out and talk to me. I don’t know what I expected.
Suddenly feeling very tired, I take off my shirt and put on pajama bottoms and attempt to sleep. I don’t know how late it actually was before I finally drifted off to sleep, but when I woke up the next morning, I was tired and had a vague memory of a dream where a girl with green eyes and long brown hair said “Figure it out” over and over again.

Addie’s POV
I woke up in the middle of the night. I was sweating and shaking. I didn’t remember my dream, but my heart was slamming in my chest, and I was out of breath, and I have a sense that I was running from someone or something. I get up from my bed, my legs wobbly. I open the door to let in the air and check my wrist watch. It’s 5am. The sky is dark and cloudy. The cold wind makes me shiver, but I don’t come inside. I stand outside, looking up at the sky, waiting to see at least one star. That doesn’t happen. I look at the window on the house opposite me. The curtains aren’t hiding the inside of the room, but the light is switched off, and all I can see is darkness.
I kind of find it weird that I feel a bit let down. Like I’ve waited for someone who never showed up.
Ignoring the feeling, I came back inside, and went under the covers of my bed. I closed my eyes for a moment and then drifted off.

As always, I wake a minute before my alarm blasts. I savor that one extra minute of sleeping I have. And then it rings and I get up and go to the bathroom. Performing the morning routine like a zombie, I finish brushing my teeth and come back inside my room, just in time to see a boy in dark jeans and a blue shirt with it’s sleeves pulled up to his elbows, peeking in my room.
“That’s kinda creepy. Do you do this at night when I sleep?” I say to Calum, as I open my closet. For a moment, I actually forget why I don’t like him. For a moment. Moment gone. I turn around and see his cheeks flushed.
“Your door was opened this morning.” He says. What?
“So you do stare at me when I sleep”. I say, since it’s still the morning and I’ve just woken up.
“Not safe to leave your door open through out the whole night” He says, stepping back. His face is unreadable. I hope mine is as well.
“Well” I say, “If you were a better stalker, you would’ve known that it wasn’t opened all night.”
He looks at me. His gaze is intense and I feel the hairs on my hands spiking. It’s like that weird electricity thing when touches me, just with his look.
“See you in school” He says and then leaves. This was the weirdest, most awkward conversation I’ve had with him. And it was just gonna get worse from here.

When I get to school, Luke greets me and gives me a lollipop, which is weird, but I don’t question it because a) it’s Luke, and b) it’s a lollipop. We walk together inside, and then we part for our classes.
The morning goes by fast. I see Aggie in the hallway, of course she is with Marissa, and she looks smug. They walk past me, and Marissa knocks the books off my hands. Seriously. This was like one of those bad chick-flicks, I almost laughed.
“You okay there, Marissa?” I say picking up my books. She said nothing, just continued walking. A few students look at me as if they feel sorry for me. Whatever.
Lunch comes, and I almost forgot that I made plans with Mikey and Luke. That is until I see MIkey’s bright green hair in front of me, as I walk down the stairs.
“You look fresh” he says, which is most definitely ironic because I still feel and look like a zombie. That nightmare really wore me off. We go into the cafeteria, and stand in line. Calum is in front of me. I say nothing, but Mikey and him start joking about the food. I spot Marissa and Chris looking at me. He checks me out, no doubt, from my feet to my hair, and then I see Marissa doing the same, as if they are going to attack me. Lol, ok.
I get a weird pastry looking thing, and me and Mikey head outside, where Luke is already sitting.
“Yo” I say and sit next to him. Mikey sits across from me. We talk about some teachers before Luke changes the subject.
“So I heard you and Marissa ate dinner together and didn’t kill each other yesterday. That must’ve been nice.” He says, eating his fries.
“Good times” I say “Although, I don’t think that that was the end of our little feud. This morning she literally knocked my books out of my hands.” I say and laugh.
“How low can you go” Mikey says and Luke laughs, and then Calum sits next to Mikey, and I am so surprised, I just stare at him. Luke looks at me, and exchange a look with Mikey before he looks down on his food.
“What?” Cal says, after a moment of silence. “Am I not welcomed at this table anymore?” He says. Is that hurt I recognize in his voice.
“I think they are just concerned about your well being” I say to him. He didn’t expect me to answer. I hold his stare.

Calum’s POV
She talks. Mikey and Luke don’t. Since when did I become the outsider? I stare at her.
“Got it” I say. I don’t want to have this conversation. Not here. Not with her present. “I’ll be out of your hair” I say, and begin to stand up, when Mikey grabs my elbow and pulls me down.
“We just don’t want trouble with Marissa” He says.
“Since when do you care what she thinks of you?” I say, and look at him. What is this all about?
“Not me, mate” He says and then looks at Addie. Addie frowns. Of course it’s her. And then I suddenly feel guilty because I shouldn’t be seating here with her. I don’t want to give Marissa more reasons to pick on her and hate her.
“Oh, you’re talking about me?” She says, breaking her pastry in half. “Don’t worry about it. She doesn’t scare me” She says, taking a bite. And I believe her. I find it weird that she suddenly got this attitude, but at the same time I find it incredibly attractive. Wait, what?
“The lady spoke her mind” Luke says, before I can say anything back. He smiles at me.
“Then I guess I’m staying” I say. And I do.
We get into a conversation about band practice after school and the whole Marissa-Addie situation slips my mind. And I think it slips hers as well. We laugh and joke and the whole awkwardness and tension is gone. And in those minutes it’s really nice to hang out with all three of them, and I feel like Addie is a part of our group now, and I have no problem with that. But then again, I was never the one with the problem.
“Hey, babe” I hear, and then a weight of a human being falls on my lap. Marissa has her hair is pulled in a ponytail. I tense. I look at Addie and she rolls her eyes.
“Hey” I say. I can feel Mikey and Luke wanting to leave but they don’t. I don’t know why? Why don’t all three of them leave? I feel like I should. I was the one who was imposing on them. And I feel like the outsider again. Great.
“So, me and the guys are hanging at Stephen’s house tonight. He is alone.” She says, tugging on the collar of my shirt. Then, she lowers her head, and her lips brush my ear as she says in a soft whisper, loud enough for everyone on this table to hear “We can have his room”. I hear Luke scuffle a laugh.
“Can’t” Mikey says for me.
“Excuse me? No one asked you” Marissa says, rolling her eyes. I still say nothing.
“We have band practice, princess. You can jump his bones some other day” Luke says, and I flush. I look at Addie, and she is very amused. I release a breath when I see that she isn’t actually uncomfortable. She really did get this attitude makeover. But when? And I don’t find it attractive as I said before. Not at all. Not even a little bit.
“Um, I don’t think that’s a decision you are gonna make for Calum” Marissa says in a condescending tone.
“Right, because you are” Addie says, more to herself than to Marissa, but everyone heard that. Mikey laughs, and so do I…well almost. I laugh on the inside.
“Did you say something?” Marissa asks her, as If she didn’t hear her. Oh she heard her, loud and clear.
“Nope” Addie smiles at her. She knows Marissa heard. I want to hug her for standing up to Marissa. And kiss her. Wait no, just hug. Platonically. Marissa, ignores her and then turns to me.
“It’s Calum’s choice anyway” She says, and ruffles my hair.
All eyes are on me. All expecting me to say what I’m doing.
“Yeah,” I turn to Marissa and her face turns into a smug smile. Too soon, though “Band practice.” I say and smile as innocently as possible. Her cheeks burn red, and I don’t know if it’s wrong, most likely, but I feel a bit of pleasure. She then hides her anger and the fact that she lost, and looks me in the eyes.
“Well” She says. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then” She says stands up, and I don’t even get to say bye, because she is already out of hearing range.
“Scared me there for a second” Mikey says “Thought you were gonna ditch us again”
“No more ditching” I say, not intending them to hear it. Even if they did, they don’t reacty.
Lunch ends after that and we all go to our classes. I have History and PE and then I have Computer Science. The classes last too long, and I almost fall asleep in History, as always. Thank god we didn’t have a pop quiz.
After school, I join Mikey outside where normally wait for Ashton. I tease him about his hair, and then we fall quiet as I see Marissa. She makes eye contact with me, and purposefully turns and talks to Stephen, then they get into his car, Chris and Ashley get in the back seat and they drive off with a very loud tire screech. Prick.
“Cal” Mikey says. “Stop torturing yourself” He squeezes my shoulder a little and I just nod because I know that he is right. I just refuse to believe it.
Luke and Addie join us after a minute and I am caught a little bit off guard by her presence. Ash’s car can be heard from the Moon, so there is no trouble hearing it from the end of the street. It comes to a stop in front of us. Luke gets in the front. Mikey holds the back door for Addie, then me and then he enters last. My knee is bumping her’s but she doesn’t seem to notice. How can she not?
I am way too aware of her presence and of her knee and of the distance between us, which is almost non-existant because we are squished in the back seat, although I do try not to touch her in any way.
We finally arrive, and the ride seemed shorter than usual. We get out, and we get in Ash’s garage. Luke throws himself on the bean bag, and I hand him his guitar as I get my bass. Mikey get’s his guitar and we sit on the floor. He put’s on the snapback that’s always lying on the floor. I think it is Luke’s? I’m not sure. He leans his back on the wall and then slides down. I sit on the arm chair.
Addie sit’s next to Michael, and they start talking about the guitar. Why didn’t she ask me about my bass? She looks really nice today. Her hair is tangled, but I find it cute. She really looked cute this morning though. All sleepy and bare feet. Wait, why am I thinking about her? And why do I mind the fact that she is talking to Mikey? Wait…do they like each other? Are they dating?
They couldn’t be. Mikey would’ve told me. But…I haven’t had the time to talk to him. It’s always about my problems and we never talk about him. I wonder if they’ve kissed. I bet she kisses really nice.
“Cal?” Luke says, as if expecting me to answer a question I didn’t hear. Everyone is looking at me.
“Yeah?” I say, tearing my eyes off of Addie’s. She is looking at me and it’s making me nervous.
“Do you have the cords written down somewhere?” Luke repeats his question. I nod and take out a notebook from my backpack. It’s my history notebook. I don’t really use it in class, apart from doodling and writing stuff that I suddenly remember. I have the cords there.
Luke reads them really fast, and then he remembers how the melody went.
Elena joins us at one point. We play for a few hours. Elena and Addie talk above the noise we make, and they laugh at something, and I really want to be a part of that conversation. We play until dawn. And then Luke and Mikey leave because they live closer to eachother, and walk in the opposite direction of me. Well..of me and Addie. We have to walk home…together. My heart speeds up a little bit of the thought of having a few minutes alone. And I hope I don’t fuck them up or make them awkward.
I don’t even know why I’m thinking about this. I don’t get myself. You have a girlfriend, Calum. Calm down your hormones.

Notes

Hey guys, it's 2am and i bring you an update. Sorry for the spelling mistakes and weird sentence structure, I am not the best at that, as you've probably already noticed.
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